## Chapter 826 – Winter in the Capital

The experiment began.

Standing behind Risha, we held our breaths and watched what she was doing.

—Clatter.

First, she laid the goblin down and set up the tools. Then, she opened the lid of the test sample she had prepared.

It was made from small fragments scraped from the surface of the Ice Spirit King’s heart. Of course, it wouldn’t have a significant effect; it was purely for clinical trials.

Still, it was practically like feeding an expensive elixir to a goblin, which made it feel like a waste. That little shit… I haven’t even tasted it, and a goblin is eating it.

I will never forgive you.

“As you know, creating an elixir using the essence of a Spirit King is a first, regardless of anything else. Wouldn’t you agree? The existence of the Spirit Realm itself was unclear, and even the Spirit Kings were legendary beings, so it’s only natural.”
“Hmm… I suppose so.”

Karin touched her lips and nodded.

“Maybe not before the Idol War, but probably not. Most of the records from before then are gone… Ah, but back then, they probably knew a bit about the Spirit Realm, right? I heard that spiritists were running wild back in the day.”
“That’s true, I guess. Our Karin knows so much. You’re so smart.”
“Is this bitch trying to be sarcastic?”
“Sarcastic? It’s a compliment.”
“Bullshit.”
“No, it’s not.”

I had certainly heard that spiritists were rampant in the past. During the Idol War, spirits were said to have contributed to the destruction of the world.

Perhaps, as Karin said, the Spirit Realm and Spirit Kings were known in the era before that. It was such a massive war that civilization, technology, and records were all lost, so they might have become mere legends.

“Anyway. That’s why it’s necessary to conduct clinical trials using living creatures. Of course, there’s no problem with my skills, as I’m practically a great witch, but you never know, right?”

Risha seemed to want to explain before starting the experiment.

“Yeah, as Risha said, there’s a chance of side effects. You know, if you take the wrong kind of elixir, you’re done for. We have to be careful.”
“Exactly.”

In any world, you’re done for if you take the wrong medication.

“The aura of the Spirit King itself is so intense that ingesting it could cause significant problems in the body due to saturated magic power. That’s what I’m worried about. No matter how good the effect is, if it’s excessively good, problems are bound to arise.”

As Risha said this, Claudia tilted her head and said,

“So… are you trying to make an elixir after all?”
“Yes. That seems like the best option. Artifacts are fine too, but we’ve already defeated a Spirit King, haven’t we? So, instead of creating an artifact that makes us immune to ice magic, an elixir would be better.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”

Elixir.

In any case, it would be made by squeezing the heart of the Spirit King, so if it’s made properly, it will definitely have a significant effect. Increasing the amount of mana in the body would certainly boost combat power as well.

If we make it, we should divide it among the eight of us.

—Swish.

With that, the real work began. Risha summoned a black, magical energy-filled hand and used it to open the goblin’s mouth, carefully tilting the vial and pouring the reagent into its maw, drop by drop.

Then, Aria naturally brought over a board with a pen and a chart attached.

She’s been sticking with her so much that she’s practically a seasoned assistant.

“…”
“…”
“…”

We observed the work in silence.

After feeding the reagent, Risha quietly extended her finger and traced a circle on the goblin’s chest.

—Buzzing.

Then, a black magic circle-like pattern appeared and spread throughout the goblin’s body like blood vessels.

“Oh my. What is that?”
“I’m trying to check the mana within its body.”
“Oh… I see? It’s black magic after all.”

I gave a simple answer to Liz’s question.

How much time had passed?

“Hoo.”

Risha nodded.

“Mana is circulating within its body.”
“What!!!”

Startled, I immediately had to tear at my hair! Just from eating that, mana started circulating within the goblin’s body! This was unbelievable!

“What? Risha? Really? Just a little bit, and mana is circulating?”

Winnia, finding it hard to believe, grabbed Risha’s sleeve and asked.

“No, it’s not that amazing.”

She said, trying to calm us down.

“A tiny amount of mana circulated for a bit… Ah. It’s gone. It’s probably because the vessel is too small. Still, just now, a faint circulation was observed for a certain period…”

Ah.

It circulated for a bit and then disappeared.

“Well, even so, mana wouldn’t just appear in the body, would it?”
“Th-that’s right, isn’t it? You almost scared me.”

Karin and Liz, who had built up mana in their bodies through a lifetime of training, sighed in relief. I agreed. Building up mana in the body is very difficult.

“Even if you use the mana cultivation method passed down through the family, you can’t build up mana if you don’t have the talent. Even with the best efficiency and methods established, that’s how it is. Awakening it naturally is even harder.”
“Yeah. That’s how mana should be.”

As Karin said, awakening mana is extremely difficult. I managed to awaken it somehow, but it doesn’t just happen.

“Right. It’s this difficult, so if it just appeared after eating a little elixir… it wouldn’t make sense.”
“Yeah. That’s right.”

Liz nodded, and Claudia agreed.

“Hehehe, we haven’t even started yet. Let’s try a bit more.”

Risha took out a new vial and used a syringe-like tool to draw the liquid inside. Then, she placed it against the goblin’s blood vessels and released it.

Feeding it and injecting it.

A very textbook experiment.

—Cough, gurgle…

And just then, the anesthetized goblin opened its eyes and struggled to convulse. I immediately pressed down on its body. Did the drug hit too hard, causing it to enter a kind of awakened state?

“Quick, bring the sleeping incense.”
“Yes.”

Aria immediately brought the sleeping incense she had used a moment ago. Risha took it, opened the lid, and placed it near the goblin’s head, and the goblin closed its eyes again.

“Hmm… This time, mana is circulating within its body… It’s better than before… And the time…”

Risha, muttering quietly, grabbed a vial and checked the label. Were the concentrations or something different for each test sample?

The experiment was repeated in that manner.

It was almost a waste that we had bought six of them, as the test samples were continuously administered to the first goblin. Making it drink, injecting it, spraying it on its skin. She injected the reagent into the goblin’s body in various ways.

—Thump! Thump! Thump!

Occasionally, the goblin convulsed violently.

“The vessel is too small. But it doesn’t seem to have any side effects… I can say there are no problems.”
“Is it convulsing because you’re using drugs with higher concentrations?”
“Ah, that’s right. The ones with the star mark on the bottle have a slightly higher concentration.”

The goblin’s small, weak body couldn’t handle the full effect of the elixir. But it didn’t seem to matter much since it didn’t suffer any internal injuries or side effects.

As expected, even when eating an elixir, you have to eat something that suits your station through the proper method of consumption. Excess. Yes, you have to be mindful of excess.

“It seems that the larger and stronger the being, the more pronounced the effect will be. Hmm… Still… Good. Very good.”

With that, she crammed all the test samples into one goblin.

—…

It was breathing with a very peaceful expression. If I had known this would happen, I would have bought gremlins instead of goblins.

“A fairly pure mana is circulating within its body. I can feel that it’s regaining its health.”
“You fed it a lot. Wow. You fed it thirteen vials.”

Winnia counted the vials and was shocked.
Thirteen test samples had all gone into one goblin.

Still, looking at its peaceful appearance, it must be okay.

“Then… now.”

At that moment, Risha created a small sphere of cold energy at the tip of her finger.

—Whoosh.

Then, she brought it over the goblin’s abdomen.

“Are you doing a resistance test?”
“Exactly.”

Risha smiled as she answered Claudia’s question.

“And.”

—Whoosh.

With her other hand, she created a sphere of fire and brought it to its chest. This was also tiny.

“…As expected of Risha. How can you do that at the same time?”
“Hehehe, I can do it because I’m me.”
“You’re so awesome, really.”

Anyway.

—…

Despite being attacked by cold and heat at the same time, the goblin was healthy.

“Now, did you see? It seems that while mana is circulating, it gains some resistance to cold and heat.”
“Ooh!!”
“Wow.”
“Oh my.”

We couldn’t help but be impressed. That goblin’s small body was resisting Risha’s magic. Of course, it had eaten all the test elixir, and the power was reduced, but still, that goblin was resisting magic.

“But the mana is being consumed very quickly. It must be because it’s a goblin.”

—Swish.

The magic stopped.

“There don’t seem to be any side effects. When ingested, it increases or restores the amount of mana in the body. In addition, the mana in the body seems to acquire some resistance to heat and cold. Now, if I make a suitable amount and eat it myself, I can say the test is over.”

—Clap clap clap clap clap.
—Clap clap clap clap clap.
—Clap clap clap clap clap clap.

We couldn’t help but applaud at those words.

“Let’s clap more!”

Since the clinical trials were over, the remaining test subjects had to be euthanized. And after Risha oversaw the euthanasia of the goblin that had been injected with the reagent, it was butchered and given to Illyong and Ilyong as a tonic.

“You little shits.”

—Growl!!!
—Grrr…!

These guys were omnivorous monsters, so they ate it deliciously.

Next time I go out, I should catch a monster and feed it to them.

“It seems to be quite good for their health. Literally, that goblin’s body can be said to be a tonic. If I had known this would happen, I should have tested it on chickens instead…”
“That’s a bit of a shame.”

Chicken stew made with elixir-fed chicken.
My mouth is watering.

Ah, but the more I think about it, the more wasteful it seems. If I had known the test samples were fine, there would have been no need to waste them like this. It can’t be helped, but that’s just how people’s minds are.

“…”

And well, the other euthanized goblins and kobolds also went into the bellies of those two little shits. Seeing them eat well makes me feel at ease.

“Live long. You little shits.”

—Growl.
—Grrr.

I stroked the heads of the monsters as they ate, then went back inside the house.

* * *

The next day.

“Winnia. I’m going to head out for a bit.”
“Are you really going alone?”
“If something happens, it’s easier to run away alone.”

Fully armed, I stood in front of the door to respond to Zenia’s call. Winnia saw me off with a worried expression.

“I’ll tell you everything that was said when I get back. It won’t be long. If I just stick to the main points, I’ll probably be back around lunchtime.”
“Still…”

Winnia seemed to want to come with me.

But if a fight breaks out, it’s better to just run away, so it’s better for Winnia to stay home. After all, she’s Winnia’s mother. Even if a fight breaks out, I can’t genuinely kill her.

Then I should just run.

It’s better to be alone when running away.

Well, am I going to get into a brawl with the Countess? Let’s put aside Kim Kat, the breast abuser, for a moment.

“Hehehe, why? Do you want to go beat up your mom?”
“Honestly, I want to beat her to a pulp.”
“You crazy parricidal magician. Anyway, I’m going.”

With that, I left the house and immediately took out the letter to check the address. It was a restaurant I didn’t recognize. Anyway, I moved leisurely along the road.

As I walked, the restaurant that seemed to be the meeting place soon appeared, and I went inside. Is it trendy to call people to restaurants in the capital?

“Excuse me…”

As I entered, a waiter appeared.

As is typical of luxurious restaurants, he asked about the purpose of my visit.

“I came at the invitation of the magician Countess Zenia Bellatrude.”
“…Yes. Please go up. It’s on the 7th floor.”

So it’s confirmed.

Anyway, I went straight up and opened the door.

The 7th floor was quite spacious. And all sides were made of large glass windows, so you could see everything outside, and the view was pretty good. Above all, all the other round tables covered with white cloths were empty.

There was only one person sitting there in the center.

It was Zenia Bellatrude, with breasts about three cups larger than Winnia’s.

“…You’ve arrived.”
“I have.”

I went to sit across from her, who was sipping tea with her eyes closed.

“Why did you call me?”
“I’ll get straight to the point.”

When I asked, Zenia put down her teacup and said,

“Have a child. A son.”
“What?”