The next morning.
"...Mmm... mmm...?"
A pleasant, nutty smell drifted over, and I slowly climbed out of bed.
Someone was standing at the kitchen counter in front of the bed. I could make out long, flaxen hair.
The bubbling sound of something simmering, a pot giving off steam.
The rhythm of a knife on a cutting board. That was... a girl? The back of a woman.
"......mm...huh...?"
The back of a woman!?
I scrambled upright and something rolled off me. A white rabbit. A fairly big one.
The insides of its long ears were pink. Wait — why was there a rabbit?
"Oh, you're up."
A bright voice, and the figure standing at the kitchen turned around.
There stood a lively, beautiful girl with honey-colored eyes. Um... ... ... ah!?
"M-Mineha...?"
"What? That's right. Good morning."
"G-Good morning..."
I was flabbergasted.
Of course I was — waking up to find a beautiful girl cooking would startle anyone.
And she was even wearing an apron — wait? Cooking? Huh? Cooking?
— Na?
— Not spicy? It's fine. This much is enough.
— Na?
— Too much onion? It's fine. This much is enough.
— Na?
— Too much tomato as well? It's fine. This much is enough.
— Na!
— More meat? Yeah. The meat is definitely not enough.
She answered Dagaa that way, then sliced up the meat and tossed chunk after chunk into the pot with heavy, meaty plops.
What was she making?
"U-um, what are you doing?"
"Cooking."
"...Mineha. You can cook?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I can. My repertoire's not that big, but I did learn from my mother and my master. It'll be done soon. Just wait."
"...Y-yes."
Was this a dream?
I waited in a daze, and before long the meal was ready.
In a deep wooden bowl sat a thick tomato soup packed with chunks of meat and all kinds of beans.
Bread-beans were mixed in too. The smell of onion was strong.
"...Here. Try it."
"L-Let's eat..."
I sip the soup along with the beans from my spoon.
It's good. The acidity of the tomato, the pepper, the heat. But there's a sweet taste too. The onion, probably.
The beans have been simmered until they're thoroughly tender.
"How is it? It's been a while since I last cooked, but I think it turned out pretty well."
"Na!"
"What do you mean, 'cultured taste'?"
"Um, it's really delicious."
"Good. It's the taste of my homeland."
Mineha eats too. She lets out a soft chuckle. She looks pleased.
"You put bread-beans in as well, didn't you?"
They've broken down in the soup, turning it thick and pulpy. And it's delicious.
The meat crumbles when I nudge it with my spoon. The melt-in-your-mouth texture is just right.
"Around here they mostly serve it as a side dish, but back home we stew everything together."
"You use quite a lot of onion, huh?"
"That thick, sludgy texture is what makes it so good."
"I agree. Could this be a waterless soup?"
Mineha's eyes widen.
"Yes, this soup doesn't use any water. You caught that, huh."
"I've tried waterless cooking before. I wanted to make assassin's pasta."
"Assassin...? What's that?"
"It's delicious. Spicy, though."
"I like spicy food. Then make it for me next time."
"Sure."
But that would make a mess of the kitchen.
Still, why the sudden interest from Mineha? What made her want to try cooking?
She'd never shown any interest before, not even a hint.
She never explicitly said she couldn't do it, but I always assumed she couldn't.
So it caught me off guard, but I'm actually kind of happy about it.
"Wof, do you have any plans today?"
"...I need to take this rabbit to the witch. I'd rather not, though."
"Hm? What's that?"
Haiarn lifts his face from the soup.
He was handling the spoon quite deftly. Mineha smiled wryly.
"I see."
"What about you, Mineha?"
"...I think I'll go look around the blacksmith shops."
"That's..."
"Just looking around."
She said it as if to make sure I understood.
I've heard about this before.
Even if you can fix a broken OOPArt,
O
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All its effects are gone too, and it becomes nothing but a plain weapon or armor.
That's why, unlike Legendaries, OOPArts can't be repaired.
"......"
She still intends to fix the spear. Even if it's no longer an OOPArt.
"Wof."
"Yes?"
"Take care. Have a safe trip."
"I'm heading out."
My feelings about the whole thing were complicated.
The witch's house. The courtyard.
The moment Haiarn spotted the witch gathering herbs in the courtyard, she screamed.
"Ooooh! How amaaazing… Boobs! Butt! Tail! Sexy. Sultry. Voluptuous. A true witch, ohhh!"
The witch who had been screamed at let out a faint, wry smile, put some distance between herself and Haiarn, and slipped in just slightly behind me.
She whispered softly in my ear.
"Good grief. What exactly is this creature, young Wof?"
"…I'm sorry."
"Ah, pardon me. My name is Haiarn. I'm the alchemist here for you."
"Wh-what? Haiarn? Like the three-egg song? The real deal?"
"There's that song again. Yes, yes. The nursery-rhyme Hiyarnay. The real thing."
A sulky rabbit. Hmm. Surreal.
"Yep. This one happens to be the genuine article."
"Aren't you being treated awfully, my friend?"
"We're not friends."
"That's terrible!"
"But but, what happened to that appearance? Hiyan used to be a man from Edda with a shaved head, y'know."
"Hold on. Shaved head? You mean bald?"
Hiyan's purple eyes went wide.
"Yep yep. That's how it was."
"I'm not baaald!! And anyway, why would you say bald—oh, right. Ta·ma·go!"
"I see. You naturally went bald because of Tamago."
Tamago is smooth, so naturally Hiyan, who has it, ended up bald too.
Makes sense.
"That doesn't make sense! Also, I'm not bald!"
Hiyan stomped his feet in outrage. The witch whispered in my ear.
"So so, what exactly is this thing in the end?"
She didn't seem to believe me. Fair enough.
I spoke again.
"It's Hiyan himself."
"He'll perform alchemy for you. He's Hiyan, the Alchemist."
At Hiyan's appearance, the witch laughed.
"I see, I see. An alchemist. The legendary Relic [Alchemist], right? Its effects let you perform [Decomposition], [Alchemy], [Synthesis], [Mixing], and [Smelting]."
"Aren't each of those their own Relics?"
"Indeed, indeed, each one does exist as a Relic on its own. But the category called Relic Jobs bundles them all into a single Relic. Job-type Relics are a rare category, though. Their holders are extremely few."
Job-type Relic. That's the strongest there is, isn't it?
Higharn said with a self-important air.
"Hmm. Correct."
"So, um... how do you think I should handle the report?"
"Hmm, hmm. Best not to report to that old man Abrimirin."
"I figured as much."
"Wof. Who is Abrimirin?"
"He's the big boss of the Delvers' Guild."
"I hate the powerful."
Higharn snorted through his nose.
Crossed his arms and sulked.
"Mhm, mhm. I hate Kon too."
"What a coincidence. Hey, what do you think you're doing? Don't—"
I grabbed Higharn's rabbit ears as he tried to approach the witch, and lifted him up.
"The witch doesn't like that sort of thing."
"Hmph. I was going to invite her to dinner."
"Do you have money for that first?"
"No! That's why I was going to have the witch pay."
"Witch, do you like rabbit hot pot?"
"W-Wait!?!"
Dangling in midair, they skillfully shouted over this way.
"Oh my, oh my. You children sure are close."
"Witch. Even I have to get angry at that."
"Ehhh, um, sorry. Also, rabbits like Kachatora."
"What kind of dish is that?"
"Hmm hmm. It's a fisherman-style tomato stew. They sometimes use chicken, but Kon especially likes it made with rabbit meat."
"That sounds good."
"That's absurd! Or rather, why are you bringing up specific dish names — that's terrifying!"
I let out a sigh and released the thrashing Haiyan.
"You people are too barbaric! Are humans 4500 years in the future savages?! Good grief, people never change no matter how many thousands of years pass!"
"I wish you'd stop saying strange things, Master."
"I refuse— ah, no, never mind."
When I pulled out my knife, Haiyan meekly apologized. Good grief.
"Now, now, young Wof. Let's leave it at that. And it makes me happy that you'd say that for Kon."
The witch put on what seemed like a slightly embarrassed smile.
Well, it's only natural as her disciple, but still.
"So, Witch. I have something I'd like to ask — do you know when the town's dungeon will be reopened?"
"The reopening this week is certain."
"You don't know anything more specific?"
"Hmm hmm. Sorry, I don't know anything that detailed. Even Kon doesn't know."
"I see."
"So it is, so it is, young Wof. Perhaps there's a connection, hmm."
"The twelfth floor. My lab is in that Ark Ruins place."
"Oh my, oh my. A lab. How very interesting indeed."
"An alchemy lab."
Alchemy. What I knew of it came from memories of my past life.
The Philosopher's Stone, the transmutation of gold — things like that. I asked purely out of curiosity.
"What kind of things can alchemy do?"
"All sorts. You can combine OOPArts to create new OOPArts, or modify existing ones. That goes for legendaries and legacies alike. And there's more beyond that."
"Creating gold?"
"Possible. Rather vulgar, though."
"What about Relics?"
"Possible, if you have a plate."
"Relic plates… you can create those?!"
"To an extent. Not every Relic is possible — only a select few. Universal ones. Jobs are out of the question."
"Pseudo-deification?"
"Impossible."
The answer came without hesitation. Even so, the fact that Relics could be created at all was astonishing.
That was when it hit me.
"Um… could you also repair OOPArts?"
"That's entirely possible."
"As an OOPArt, of course."
"Right. Wof. So you want to repair an OOPArt?"
Haiyaan asks, then continues.
"Your gauntlet doesn't appear to be damaged anywhere, though."
"You can tell?"
I was surprised. Haiyaan said it as if it were the most obvious thing.
"Naturally. It's a fine OOPArt. Relic infusion, right? Automatic-type. And Holy-grade at that."
"You can... even tell that much?"
I was stunned. The witch was impressed as well.
"Ho ho. What sharp eyes you have."
"Of course. I am Haiyaan, you know. So what's the OOPArt you want repaired?"
"That's — Haiyaan, you're one of the culprits, you know."
"Me, a culprit?"
Haiyaan's rabbit ears twitched and her nose wiggled.
The witch tilted her head slightly.
"Mm-hmm. Young Wof, what do you mean?"
"Haiyaan, you're..."
"No..."
"...!"
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"...ter's attack — that's what split Mineha's spear clean in two!"
"W-What...!? To annoy us... oh, right. That one."
"That's the one."
I gave Haiyaan a flat stare.
Haiyaan wilted.
"Hmm. Hmm. Mmm. Hmmm. So that thing... was destroyed, huh."
The witch murmured, somehow wistfully.
Emmy, Axe's mother and Mineha's master, was an acquaintance of the witch.
Which meant she must also know Mineha's mother — Emmy's close friend.
They were both First-Class explorers. They'd definitely have crossed paths.
So maybe she knew something about Mineha's spear, too.
"It's partly my fault. That's why I want it fixed. Right away, if possible."
"That can't be done."
"Why not?"
"The true value of alchemy lies in the cauldron."
"The cauldron?"
"In simple terms, a smelting kettle. It's at the lab. Even I can't draw out my full ability without proper equipment."
"The... lab?"
"That's right. Come to my lab, and I guarantee it. It will be restored."
Haiyaan's violet eyes looked straight up at me.
Without thinking, I bowed my head to him.
"...Please."
"Consider it done. I promise. Friend. Wof. I will fix it."
I could feel a strong resolve from Haiyaan. Something about him, though.
He wasn't exactly my type, but maybe it was okay to trust him.
Still, we weren't friends.
As I was sensing all this from Haiyaan, the witch gave a soft smile.
She pressed a finger to her lips and let a sultry, mischievous smile spread across her face.
"Well then, shall we head to the living room?"
"Oh? Witch. Might I enter the house?"
"Of course, of course. A friend of young Wof's is a friend of Kon's, after all."
"We're not friends."
"That's exactly right, exactly right! I'd very much like the legendary alchemist Haiyaan to try Kon's special herbal tea!"
"Oh, absolutely, without question!"
Ah.