Chapter Eleven: Elixir

Early in the morning, Hughes was groggily awakened by the servants of the castle. It took him quite some time to rise from his bed, wash up, and dress before descending the stairs. When he reached the dining room, he saw the Bors siblings sitting at the table with expressionless faces. It seemed they had grown accustomed to such a life, though their faces still betrayed their true feelings.

The sound of footsteps echoed up the staircase—Count Ulot and Count Krei came down one after the other. Hughes and the others quickly rose and gave their greetings, then began their meal. No one spoke at the table; each focused on their own plate in silence.

“Hughes, come to my study later,” Count Ulot finally said, just as everyone had nearly finished eating.

“Yes, Uncle Ulot!” Hughes replied, already guessing the reason—it was likely about yesterday’s misunderstanding concerning the meeting gift. Still, Hughes was eager to go; the gift was secondary. The books in Count Ulot’s study were what truly interested him. He believed this visit would add greatly to the data stored in his chip.

Soon, breakfast concluded, and Hughes followed Count Ulot into the study. The scent of books filled the air as they entered. The room was simple and tidy, with thick volumes neatly arranged on the shelves. Candles, half-burned, were covered by what Hughes suspected was crystal. The study was clearly arranged with great care.

“Chip! Scan all the books here and store them,” Hughes ordered, noting that the collection far exceeded that of Count Krei’s study.

“Beep! Task established. Scanning in progress. Three thousand and twelve books detected. Beginning storage. Sorting documents by category. Estimated time: seventeen minutes.”

Seeing the chip had scanned nearly twice as many books as his own family’s castle, Hughes felt secretly delighted—this trip to the study was a success.

Count Ulot, unaware of Hughes’s excitement, sat down and brought out a wooden box, handing it to Hughes.

“Open it and see if you like it,” Count Ulot said, watching Hughes intently.

Hughes took the box, examining its carvings and unique symbols, though he couldn’t discern their meaning. Just as he prepared to open the box, the chip chimed.

“Beep. Unknown energy source detected. Analysis suggests absorption by host will stimulate mental power, resulting in a slight increase for half an hour.”

Hearing this, Hughes quickly opened the box to see what lay inside.

With a crisp click, the box opened to reveal a crystal vial nestled within, containing a gently flowing pale pink liquid that looked enchanting.

“Uncle Ulot, what is this?” Hughes was puzzled. He had thought the energy detected by the chip might be some rare creature or plant, as before, but this was entirely unfamiliar.

“This? I don’t know its exact name,” Count Ulot replied. “I bought it from a wizard apprentice some time ago. Supposedly, drinking this potion greatly increases one’s chances of passing the wizard’s test.”

“Is it really effective?” Hughes asked, a note of urgency in his voice. The wizard’s test had always been his greatest concern, and now that a solution was at hand, he was eager not to let it slip away.

“Well... Hughes, I can’t say for certain. When I made the deal with that apprentice, he did claim it would increase the odds,” Count Ulot said, clearly understanding Hughes’s thoughts.

“What happens after taking this potion?”

“Sigh. It’s hard to say. Both Bors and Lia have used it, but I didn’t notice any change. In fact, after drinking it, they fell into a coma and lay in bed for three days before recovering,” Count Ulot confessed, his gaze complex as he looked at the vial.

“I obtained three vials in total during that transaction. Bors and Lia each took one. This last vial I’m giving you as a meeting gift. Whether you use it or not is up to you.” With that, Count Ulot led Hughes out of the study.

Hughes glanced at the scan progress—it was complete—so he left as well.

No one spoke as they walked. When they reached the hall, the servant mentioned that Count Krei had taken Bors and Lia to practice swordsmanship.

Hughes lost interest; his own swordsmanship was already on par with his father’s. There was no point in joining them—he might as well focus on the potion in his possession.

“That old man loves to show off his sword skills. Does he truly think mine are inferior?” Count Ulot laughed, half annoyed.

“Hughes, if you’re tired, go rest. Otherwise, feel free to wander. I’ll go see if Krei is truly better than I am.” Seeing Hughes disinterested, Count Ulot didn’t insist he join.

Hughes wasn’t sure where to go, so he returned to his room to study the potion in the wooden box.

“Beep! Scan data compilation complete. Overlap with previous scan is thirty-seven percent. Duplicate content removed. Data recompiled.”

“So there’s overlap, but still a substantial gain,” Hughes mused, reviewing the chip’s numbers.

“Chip! Search for wizard test data!” Hughes eagerly commanded, hoping for information.

“Beep! Insufficient data. Unable to provide accurate analysis.” Hughes paused at this answer.

“Why did Bors and Lia fall into a coma after drinking the potion?”

“Beep! Preliminary analysis: their mental strength was too low to absorb the potion’s energy.”

“Is that so? I awakened my mental power by accident, thanks to that ring, and this potion enhances mental strength. It seems the wizard’s test truly involves mental power,” Hughes thought. He took a deep breath, pulled the stopper from the vial, and let the faint fragrance fill the air. Without hesitation, he poured the liquid into his mouth and swallowed.

“Beep! Host’s mental power fluctuating.”

“Beep! Detecting continuous growth of mental power.”

“Beep! Mental power increased by 0.003.”

“Beep! Mental power increased by 0.006.”

“Beep!...”

The chip’s notifications echoed in Hughes’s mind as waves of pain surged through his head.

“Ahh—!” Hughes collapsed onto the bed, groaning in agony.

After about half an hour, the pain gradually subsided.

“Beep! Potion energy fully absorbed. Host’s mental power increased by 0.4.”

“Beep! Hughes Bruch: Strength 3.6, Agility 4.0, Constitution 4.0, Mental Power 2.9, Status: Healthy.”

“Whew! It’s finally over. That was tough—no wonder Bors and Lia lost consciousness. Still, the gain was worth it.” Hughes looked at his attribute panel, feeling much better.

The next few days were comfortable for Hughes; he truly experienced the life of a noble. Count Ulot and Count Krei spent their days drinking coffee and chatting, paying little attention to Hughes and the other three, only reminding them to rest and keep their spirits up.

Hughes, Bors, and Lia enjoyed their freedom. The Bors siblings showed Hughes around Soto City, and in the evening, they attended an opera performance.

Their relationship grew ever closer, especially once the siblings discovered Hughes possessed power not inferior to their father. They began asking Hughes to train them daily. Hughes taught them swordsmanship, though he kept the breathing techniques to himself, knowing the Airlin family had its own legacy.

Two days passed quickly in this manner, and the time of the wizard’s arrival drew near.

“The wizard who will test you arrives tomorrow. Today, stay in the castle and don’t go anywhere. No more training—rest and prepare to pass the test tomorrow,” Count Ulot instructed the three.

With no other choice, Hughes, Bors, and Lia obeyed. Bored, the siblings wandered into the study and began reading books they normally ignored.

Hughes, with his chip, already knew the contents of the study, so he returned to his room and devoted himself to practicing the basic knight’s breathing technique.