Returning to Mond's alchemy workshop, Noel felt the comforting scent of home: the familiar air, the familiar furniture, the familiar books.
Without realizing it, he had already been away from the workshop for three days, yet it felt as if he had left only yesterday.
"So happy to be back home already, huh? Looks like you had a rough time out there." Mond spoke with a hint of indulgence.
"It wasn't exactly rough, but I did get to experience what it feels like to not know where your next meal is coming from. I'm still growing, you know, and skipping meals is bad for my health." Noel complained.
"I only wanted to strengthen your survival skills. Every mage has to go out on dangerous assignments someday. If you don't have survival skills, you won't last long." Mond scolded him sternly.
It was his way of showing care, even if it came across as harsh.
"But I gained some valuable experience." Noel replied.
"As long as you understand. I put a lot of effort into this, you know—especially when I wrote that wilderness survival guide." Mond said proudly.
"That book is practically my life's work. I think I must be a genius…" Mond began boasting.
"Uh…" Noel found himself speechless, not realizing his teacher could be so self-absorbed.
Still, the book had been quite useful, and it had definitely helped him during his time in the forest.
"See that magic crystal on the table? Go test your magic with it. Let me see if you've been slacking." Monde instructed.
A crystal ball sat on the table, crystal clear and clearly of high quality.
It was probably an alchemical product, marked with the emblem of Mond's workshop, likely crafted by Monde himself.
Noel placed his hand on it. At first, a soft green light glowed within the crystal, growing brighter and deeper until it turned into a rich, earthy green.
Mond watched closely. Inside, he could sense not only the wind element but also another energy—wood element, if he wasn't mistaken.
Why did Noel suddenly have wood elemental energy in his body? Had he awakened a new element? Possibly, though the signs were subtle.
"Noel, why do you have another kind of magical energy in you? Did you awaken a new element?" Mond finally asked.
If he didn't ask now, and if something was wrong with Noel's body, he would regret not noticing it sooner.
Noel felt conflicted, unsure how to explain without mentioning Tias. He didn't want Mond to know about her. What should he say? He decided to improvise.
"I just noticed that my body recovers really quickly now, even when I get hurt. Master, do you know why that might be?" Noel said as he picked up a small knife.
Mond's eyes widened. Why was he picking up a knife? Was something wrong? If there was a problem, couldn't they just talk about it?
Just as Mond was about to intervene, Noel swiftly made a small cut on his finger, and bright red blood trickled down.
The wound should have bled for a while, but it began to close rapidly before their eyes, healing almost instantly.
Seeing the worried look on Mond's face, Noel realized he might have gone too far. He spoke softly, "I wasn't going to do anything stupid, Master. I just wanted to show you."
"This is wood-elemental magic. Healing magic. It's a very good ability to have." Mond commented sincerely.
"This magic is extremely useful, allowing your body to recover quickly and your mana to replenish while you heal. It's incredible." Mond jumped with excitement.
This could make his long-held theory possible: to achieve infinite mana. Though still a distant dream, here was a piece of the puzzle in front of him.
However, Mond didn't plan on studying Noel like a lab subject. It was better for Noel to research himself. For alchemists, understanding oneself was part of understanding the world.
"To truly understand the world, you must first understand your own body and your own heart."
"Actually, I've been working on a personal research project, one I could never complete myself. But you might be able to." Monde said, trying to keep his excitement in check.
"When you use magic, your mana depletes. But with this healing magic, your mana replenishes. If the mana restored by your healing exceeds the mana you spend casting spells, you could achieve infinite mana." Mond explained his theory.
"And now, you might just be able to complete this research. So I'm entrusting it to you. I hope you won't hold it against your teacher." Monde added, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Noel felt as if he had discovered a new world. This was a completely new frontier for him, unlike anything else he had learned.
"I'll take on this research, no matter what. I'll see it through. So it's a promise." Noel said happily.
"It's a promise." Mond said, feeling gratified.
"How's your alchemy practice coming along? I can't test you directly on that." Monde suddenly became strict again.
"I've nearly grasped Instant Alchemy and can perform it without any lab equipment. Although I'm probably not up to your standards yet, Master, I'll keep working hard." Noel said honestly.
"As you should. Alchemy is all about hard work making up for lack of talent." Mond said, though in his heart, he felt complicated.
Why hadn't he realized this kid was so talented? Noel was practically a genius, and it stung a little to admit it.
Mond himself had been considered a prodigy, but even he had taken a month to grasp Instant Alchemy as an apprentice.
Yet his apprentice had managed it in just ten days. It was hard to believe.
If Mond had been the person he was in the past, he might have dissected Noel just to see what kind of monster he was.
Of course, it would have been done legally. But now, seeing his apprentice growing, he found Noel more and more pleasing to the eye. There was no way he could do something like that now.
"Anything else you need me to do, Master?"
"Clean up the alchemy lab. We're about to have visitors, and you'll be assisting me."
"I'm going to be your assistant? Isn't that a bit much?"
"You did well last time, didn't you? Quit complaining."
Noel didn't dare argue and obediently got to work. It wasn't a bad thing, after all. He could gain a lot of valuable experience this way.
In fact, it was something every aspiring alchemist dreamed of, so what reason did he have to refuse?
PS: Access advance (50+) chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL