Today's morning starts off quite eventful. With Claire bursting into my room with an excitement that would be infectious if I hadn't been 3 quarters asleep.

Even so, with enough effort, she drags me out of bed and into my usual clothing, for she has something amazing to tell me. The reason why she can't shine this incredible revelation upon me in the comfort of my cozy sleeping spot eludes me.

We stumble downstairs and into her lab, at which point she pulls out a small paper, with a light green hue tinting it.

"Do you know what this means!?" - She asks with an excited smile.

"...No?" - I answer, rubbing my eyes.

The girl rolls her eyes, yet without missing a beat she starts rummaging through drawers. Most likely searching for something else that will tell me nothing about what the current situation is.

"Here!" - The alchemist Exclaims - "This is the mana concentration test from when you first infused mana into a flask" - She shows another piece of sheet, similar to the original, however, this one's hue was visibly even dimmer - "What I showed you before was the one from mana you infused yesterday! This improvement means my potions' effects are increased 12% instead of the old 3%!"

My eyes widen at her revelation. It had been three months since I started living here and infusing her brews. To think that I improved this much in such a period... It was incredible! I wish only that I could have experienced such happening with the extent of a fully aware brain.

"That's...Amazing" - Bewilderment fills my eyes as I speak, being colored with a sliver of pride as well.

"Isn't it? Means I finally get to charge extra for the extra kick" - She says dreamily, no doubt already having calculated her profit.

I look at the girl, with the same defiant glint I learned from her - "Really?"

The girl is quick to rebut "Hey! Don't look at me like I am some greedy merchant! More money for me means better ingredients and better Elixirs for everyone!" She proclaims proudly sticking out her chest "Plus, I might even get you a gift for your contribution to the business~"

"...Better be a good gift then..." - I jest playfully back at her.

"Haha, I will try, no promises, 12% is a nice starting increase, but it won't make us rich just yet~"

Claire's smile was always a welcome sight, and this spaired together with finding out I had undergone a significant improvement in my time here, was nothing short of heartwarming. And just about enough to make me feel ready to spring up and help Claire open the shop. But before I can reach for the small wooden box containing the keys to the apothecary. Claire stops me.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Actually I have a special ask for you today match" - she saunters closer to give me puppy dog eyes - " Could you deliver a few tonics to north across the forest? Please?"

"There are... People there?" - The forest beside the village was quite extensive and as far as I knew there were no nearby villages to the north.

" Yes... A singular person, an eccentric man who practices his craft in solitude. He pays very well..." - She speaks - "I delivered to him only once sadly, the journey took two whole days. I had severely underestimated the time it would take to make the delivery and come back. When I finally reached my home again, not only was I completely exhausted, but several of my fermenting or resting potions had gone bad, take that together with all the business and brewing time I missed out on, and..." - she sighs - "It was just not worth it to try again... But if you went, then I could stay here and make sure everything doesn't go to hell, while not losing any business... so... Could you? Please Match... " - The Alchemist begs sincerely.

I exhaled, and with a smile, I answered her - "Of course Claire, it's not like I haven't gone through a few kilometers of wilderness before" - I smirked and continued confidently - "I will be back before you know it"

"Thank you so much!" - She hugs me tenderly. - "I will prepare some supplies for you!"

And with that, the easily excitable girl scampers off to rummage through drawers and pantry. Before long I am outside, almost ready for departure, a bag in over my shoulders filled with just enough supplies for the trip. And beside me two crates, each filled with neatly packed elixirs. I wave goodbye to my dear friend and pick them off the floor, calmly walking into the foliage. Even though it wasn't that long since I wandered the wilds, I felt a pleasant feeling of nostalgia, the sensations and sounds of nature calming my spirit. Step after step I go, and soon I can no longer see the village behind me.

The silence and solitude were a nice break from the much more stimulating life I became accustomed to with Claire, she is a joy to be around, but her inexhaustible energy often took a toll on my own. I wonder if that's what is like to actually be skilled in your passion. Perhaps one day I too will be able to tap into such endless motivation. After all, I am improving at an encouraging pace, that's not guaranteed to last, however, the extra mana boost might be enough to start learning other spells. But I don't know if it's the right thing to do, considering that every bit of magical power I spend on practicing, is one that could instead, be infused into tonics... My development might slow down, but making better potions benefits both of us instead of just me.

I sigh - "Seems I will get a good bit of practice on infusion at least..." - I say to myself, as I pause in my step. Momentarily I decide to put the crates down and stretch. Looking around I still see no sign of the mysterious man's home, it feels like I have been walking for a few hours already. The trees around me don't look too hard to climb, so I scamper up one of them for a better view. In my scouting, I can just barely make up a large building in the distance, with a blue-tiled top, almost akin to a wizard's tower, but the design differs in other ways, being more horizontal and square. With measured excitement I jump down from the crown to the grass, hitting the ground in a soft landing, evoking a fleeting sense of pride from within me — until something much more interesting catches my attention, a slithering critter, with an unnatural, beautiful color. I never saw this type of snake. However, I am aware that the bright colors it carries don't exactly signify friendliness.

The long creature turns its vertical pupils to me, seemingly feeling threatened by my acrobatics performance. While I'd love to leave the well-decorated little beast alone, it stands in my way to the crates, so, I reach into my bag for some of my old firestarters and throw one of the enchanted pieces of wood near the hissing reptile, it's mindless fierceness visible in the way that it immediately bites the inanimate shiny object. I focus my influence onto the sigil causing a small, sparkly combustion to take place. Thankfully enough to spook the colorful foe away, without harming it.

Free from the terrors of creepy crawlers, I pick up the crates and start the last stretch of my walk. That is, until I have to come back, but then I won't be hindered by the items I am carrying, I should be back home before sundown, hopefully at least.

In these few last steps towards my destination, I wonder what kind of hermit I will find in this strange place, who would have use for so many different tonics? Who would have NEED for them? And just what kind of craft would one practice in such a secluded location?

I reach the door, it's well adorned; in fact, the entirety of the structure is well-made to an uncanny degree. Something I had only ever seen at the school... Something like this in the middle of nowhere... Was awfully strange. But there's no use in standing here, questioning unimportant things, when there are deliveries to be made, so I make use of the expensive-looking door knocker and wait. From the other side, slow, heavy footsteps came nearer and nearer to the barrier between us, the distinct sound of locks being unmade could be heard permeating through the air as the seconds stretched with anxiety. Finally, with a creak, the door opened, to reveal a large dark-skinned man, in very fancy clothing, looking down at me with a smile, his eyes unseen, shielded behind thick opaque glasses with golden frames.

"My delivery!"