I spent the next day inside the estate and helped the Kaerius family stock up on potions. They will be selling the potions starting from Glaecia and then distributing them all over the Kingdom of Quizen.

I was given a laboratory on the grounds near the garden and most of the easily available herbs were provided to me. The laboratory was fitted with all the Alchemy equipments and a large number of workers were gathered to help put the potions into bottles. The bottles were also provided.

The herbs I was using were Daytona herbs, Gugia grass and Suhea stalks. They were for healing potions, energy potions, and status-nullifying potions respectively. I concentrated on the work and continued making potions while consulting with Airi. Though there were other herbs that were used to make these same potions with better effects, due to my Alchemy skills, they were largely unneeded. I was able to alleviate the potency of the potions with these herbs alone.

It also served as practice for my Alchemy lessons since I was still new to this so I didn't have any complaints, other than Lady Clarice and Grandma Angeline popping in from time to time to talk about Amelia. Amelia also came in for sometime and hovered around me looking interestedly at my process of creating potions. She told me that she had always wanted to learn Alchemy. I told her that I'd teach her if she wanted and she left humming happily.

I also learned that the second son of the Kaerius family was in Ebria Kingdom on a diplomatic mission. He had joined the Imperial court at a young age and was given various missions as a part of noblesse oblige.

It was almost evening by the time I was done. The workers diligently put all the potions in small bottles and marked all the boxes separating all the different kinds of potions. I also left a small amount of undiluted potions in a small container and marked it. The potions I made were from rank B to S. Though most of them were A-rank potions and B-rank potions. A small amount also consisted of S-rank potions.

I came out of the laboratory and stretched. I could see the three moons shining brightly in the night sky, though they were slowly getting closer to each other. I figured there might be an eclipse soon. The garden was brightly lit by the lamps hanging on posts and the light seemed to slowly seep into the flowers which made the view even more breathtaking.

As I was about to head inside, I saw Hans hurrying towards me from the direction of the mansion.

"Sir Rayce, have you completed your work?" Hans asked.

"Yeah, it's done at last," I said stretching my arms.

"That's good to hear."

"If you don't mind, the Marquis has requested your presence."

"Sure. Please lead the way."

He nodded and we headed back inside the mansion. The maids could be seen running around busily. They were carrying vegetables and other food items and hurrying inside. I figured that they were preparing for dinner.

He led me inside the same office and then went and stood in a corner.

Henry was sitting on the sofa drinking tea.

He smiled as soon as I entered and motioned for me to sit on the sofa opposite him. I gave him a rundown of the containers and the amount of potions made.

"Thank you," He said.

"This will greatly help the common people."

I figured that was the case. If the mid-ranked potions became unavailable, it would affect the commoners first, since they didn't have the various ways a noble had of getting their hands on potions. So a company like Kaerius should be able to distribute the potions properly to the masses.

He signaled to Hans and he handed a piece of paper to the Marquis. The paper detailed the contract between us regarding potions.

It glanced at it and it seemed alright so I signed and gave it back. Hans brought another paper and made a copy of the contract using magic.

(That's imprinting magic.)

Airi explained and the magic floated inside my head. It might come in handy sometime so I made a mental note of that. Henry then handed a copy of the contract to me.

Then he again nodded towards Hans and he bought two small chests and opened them. Inside one of them were a lot of platinum coins and in another was an Energon. I could feel the raw power emanating from it as I looked at it. The black energy swirling inside it looked like it was throbbing.

(Master, that's an earth dragon core. It's quite rare.)

"This is the advance amount for the contract and the rest of the amount will be provided monthly," Henry explained pointing at the box containing the coins.

I nodded. It was possible to receive the money through the adventurer guild and I learned that they even had a bank like system and you could make withdrawals using the adventurer card. Since I had the item box, that feature was not very useful but it still helped if I was receiving money from someone else.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

(There are 75 platinum coins.)

I guess I am rich now. I thought about how much it would become inside the shop skill. I might even be able to afford a car now.

"The other item is an Earth dragon's energy core. This is for your help in curing my mother. Please accept it."

I tried to deny receiving anything other than the money and told him that it was not needed to repay me for the cure as that was a decision I made myself.

He still persisted and when it looked like it might hurt his pride, I accepted the Energon. He smiled knowingly, like his whining worked.

I sighed and put those things inside the item box. He stared at it.

"I always wanted to ask this but are you a mage as well? I've never seen an item box with my own eyes though I have heard Archmages and Swordmasters do have them but it's really rare."

"Ahaha. Yeah, I'm a sixth-circle mage."

"A s-sixth circle mage at your age. I doubted after seeing the potion but you are truly exceptional."

"I'm not that great. I just recently reached the sixth circle so I'm still learning about that stage."

"No, reaching the sixth circle at 21 is still a commendable feat."

"Ahaha, I had a good teacher."

"I-I see. My mother told me that your teacher passed away. I'm truly sorry to hear about that."

"Thank you but it's fine. It's been a while since that happened."

Then the Marquis talked about Astrya a little and also asked me to drop the potions at Amelia's maternal house in the future. He said the company would pick it up. I nodded. After that he let me go.

Later I had dinner with the family. The only difference was that Grandma Angeline joined us. The food was delicious as well. Amelia told me that she went shopping today and bought clothes and some convenience tools. The Marquis was still keeping one eye on me when I was talking to Amelia. I sighed.

They asked me about my plans and I told them that I didn't have any plans as of yet and I'll probably do some adventurer work in the meantime. After dinner, I went to my room and fell asleep immediately due to the tiring day.

The next morning we were ready to leave for Astrya. Sir Auzier and five knights were dispatched with us. They will be dropping us off and will then return to the estate. Henry even pushed me to carry a lot of boxes saying they contained presents and items for his in-laws which I consented to.

Everyone came to see us off. The maids also lined up with some crying and wiping their eyes with the elusive handkerchief.

"Please come back soon," Grandma Angeline said.

I smiled and nodded.

The Marquis acted aloof but smiled and wished me a good journey though he went inside the car and made a partition in the seat. When Lady Clarice hit him on the back of the head, he nervously explained that it was for comfort and nothing else. The rest of the family laughed at his antics but Henry still gave me a side eye as if he didn't trust me with Amelia.

"Please take care of my sister," Marlin said. He gifted me a book containing Alchemy formulas. I assured him and thanked him for the book.

I looked back and the Marquis was crying holding on to Amelia's dress. She was trying to get him off but he still clung on. She and Lady Clarice were hitting him with a stick they got from somewhere. I pretended not to see and turned away. Then I slowly got in the car. I could still hear the Marquis screams.

With a promise to come visit again, we finally set out for Astrya. Amelia kept waving her hand until the estate disappeared from our view.

We were soon out of the city and on the road that led to Astrya. The roads were beautifully paved. Amelia explained that since a lot of trade takes place between these two countries, the roads are especially well maintained.

I looked out of the car window and the city became smaller and smaller. Auzier was skillfully driving the car and the rest of the knights followed on bikes flanking us. I looked up and the sun shone brightly in the sky. It was almost afternoon by the time we completed half of the journey.

-----

The Frithrin forest was a very old forest on the outskirts of Astrya and it covered almost forty percent of the Republic of Astrya. The tales passed on through old wives tales told of an advanced civilization that existed in that place but was destroyed due to inner conflict. And a forest as dense and unmaneuverable as Frithrin came into existence overnight. Some people even whispered of a curse that permeated the land that the forest stood on.

There had been many attempts at exploring the entirety of the forest but all attempts ended in failure and people always ended up lost. So, they eventually gave up and a larger part of the forest still remained unexplored. One researcher who was infatuated with the forest ran many tests and in the end, it was confirmed that the forest was at least a million years old. This shocked many scholars and the forest became a source of awe and mystery for many.

There were many dangers inside the forest. Monsters not seen anywhere else in the continent filled the forest and it was also littered with dungeons. The adventurers of Astrya explored those dungeons and made their living. Due to the close proximity of the forest to the city of Astrya, the city flourished, as it was a vast trove of treasures and natural resources. The adventurers flocked to the city in droves and even mages and alchemists were drawn to the city due to the resources obtained in the forest. On one side of the forest, mountains created a natural border and the ores obtained from these mountains fueled the curiosity of the dwarves and they also flocked to the city.

Before the advancement of magic, the monster waves that came out of the forest almost rendered places near the forest uninhabitable. It became a constant headache for the ruling class and so they sanctioned the construction of a magic tower so grand that it attracted all the top mages of the continent. Due to the numerous spells and barriers embedded into the city, the city became a safe haven and also the city with access to the most riches on the continent. Thus the new Republic of Astrya came into existence.

In such a cold and damp part of the forest, an elf was now running at a speed that could be called superhuman. She was wearing a green uniform and carrying a bow. A small dagger could also be seen tucked under her belt. Her blond hair that was tied in a ponytail swayed from side to side. You could even notice her beautiful fair features when the light usually blocked by the leaves sometimes fell on her face. She maneuvered skillfully through the forest like she was on an open road.

The humid air made the air inside the forest hot and stifling but she did not pay any heed to that and ran without stopping. She looked back in intervals but continued running. Hazy black shadows could be seen chasing after her. They were jumping from branches to branches of the trees spread around the forest, their eyes fixated only on her. The shadows dissipated as soon as it jumped from one branch and appeared on the next.

The elf looked at the glowing bracelet in her wrist clenching her fists and began to run even faster. Soon a vast field came into view which indicated that she was almost out of the forest. She sighed and ran towards the beautifully paved road. Only then did she stop. She looked back and the shadows could still be seen looking at her but they did not venture out of the forest as if something stopped them.

You could see a beautiful smile slowly form on her lips. She saluted them and turned around as if the shadows didn't bother her anymore. Then she slowly started walking towards the city of Astrya.