I Will Be Unrivaled With The Skill [Sewing]! They Said It Was A Bad Skill, But With Effort, I will Make It A Hit~ - Chapter 44

Episode 44: “Bleeh-“

The three of them left the café and began to walk slowly.

“Hey, Kito. I’d like to restock the potions you made. Can I buy some?”

Seneca asked hesitantly.

“Of course, Sene-chan. I also have some prototypes, so let me know what you think.”

“Sure!”

Incidentally, the price was a friendly discount, close to the cost price.

“In that case, would it be okay if we went to the Magic Academy to pick them up? I can get us in, and it’d be a good place to have a more in-depth discussion.”

“Let’s do that! Is that okay with you, Maior?”

“Yes. I’ve been curious about what it’s like there.”

The three changed course and started walking.

“Also, I have a favor to ask. I’d like to request a guard mission from your party, Sene-chan. I’m thinking of gathering materials in the royal capital’s forest. I can pay you in potions as well, so could you give me a bit of a discount?”

“Depends on the price, but of course, that’s fine. Would just the two of us—Seneca and me—be okay?”

Negotiating prices was Maior’s specialty.

“Hmm, I’m also interested in Plautia-san, who has the 【Plant Gathering】  skill. It might be easier to coordinate schedules with four people, right?”

“That’s true. If it’s just the two of us, we’d probably only be able to do it once a month on a set date. Plus, thinking it over, even if we made it a guild request, the price shouldn’t differ much whether it’s two or four people.”

“Got it. Let’s discuss the details later. I’ll check the guild rates again.”

“Sure. I’ll do some research myself too.”

“I’ll help with the calculations with Maior! It’ll be easier to work on since it’s with Kito.”

“Good idea. It’s not great for only me to know this stuff, so let’s do it together.”

And so, it was decided that Kito would hire Seneca and her party.

After walking for about an hour from the café, the Royal Magic Academy came into view.

As always, it exuded an air of grandeur and intimidation.

Kito passed through the gates with a practiced motion, without being stopped.

After walking for a bit, they arrived at a building Kito referred to as the “Private Room Wing.”

“This is where individual rooms are rented out. It’s prioritized for upperclassmen, but since I have a recommendation, I managed to get one.”

The building had a slightly gloomy feel.

They entered and climbed to the third floor via the stairs. The place was deserted.

At the end of the hall was Kito’s rented room.

Kito held her student ID to the door, and with a click, it unlocked.

“Come on in.”

The room was just big enough for the three of them to squeeze in. The scent of medicinal herbs filled the air.

Books were stacked on the desk, along with tools for preparing medicines, like mortars and beakers.

“Would potions and antidotes be enough?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Also, could you add some monster repellents? Those are super effective!”

Kito retrieved some bottles from a wooden box on the shelf.

On the desk, alongside the usual bottles, were small vials that looked like they might hold perfume.

“These are the usual ones. And these small ones are prototypes.”

“Wow, they’re tiny!”

“Yep. Oh, speaking of which—I leveled up. I reached level 2 and gained a sub-skill called 【High Concentration】 .”

” 【High Concentration】 ?”

“Yeah. Normally, making potions involves a concentration process, but with this ability, I can create high-potency potions without needing to do that.”

“Wow! Was that a skill you wanted?”

“Yeah. It’s actually harder to control because the concentration is stronger than I expected, but I really wanted this power.”

Based on Seneca’s and Maior’s experiences, Kito theorized that the method of gaining proficiency when reaching level 2 might influence the type of sub-skill one acquires.

In Seneca’s case, she gained the 【Magic Needle】  skill by channeling mana through a needle, while Maior acquired 【Trajectory】  by tracking the movement of magic orbs.

Kito, after researching the history of past 【Alchemy】  skill holders, discovered a rare sub-skill called 【Concentration】 . Determined to obtain it, she underwent rigorous training.

There were two types of training. The first involved combining highly concentrated reagents to create even more potent solutions. The second focused on gradually adding ingredients to dilute potions, increasing their concentration step by step.

Kito used the most challenging reagents she could find to raise the difficulty of her training.

While Kito came up with and supervised the training herself, she relied on Yulia’s advice for the finer details, allowing her to stabilize the process.

As a result, Kito acquired an unknown sub-skill: 【High Concentration】 . This likely stemmed from her intense pursuit of efficiency and the inspiring ideas from her apprentice, which even motivated her mentor to give their all.

“I get the gist of it, but what’s the benefit of being able to concentrate potions? It sounds like it just skips a step in the process, but that can’t be all, right?” Maior asked, her expression serious.

“First, it allows me to concentrate potions that are typically very difficult to enhance. Second, it makes it possible to produce high-purity medicines even from low-quality materials. Lastly, there’s an interesting possibility that extremely concentrated potions could be classified at a higher grade.”

Seneca furrowed her brows in thought, while Maior tilted her head, mulling over the explanation.

Seeing their reactions, Kito decided to elaborate.

“Some potions take an incredibly long time to concentrate, or the process itself is complicated. If I can create them at a high concentration from the start, it’s really convenient.”

“I get it. Like with saltwater—you can make it saltier just by boiling it, but if the heat would destroy what you’re working with, you’d need another method, right?” Maior replied confidently.

“Exactly. As for the second and third points, I still need to test those. But in short, concentrating potions could improve their quality.”

“So, it’s like being able to make good potions from bad herbs, or using ingredients for a low-tier potion to create something with mid-tier healing effects, right?” Seneca asked.

“That’s spot on! You’re really sharp, Sene-chan.”

Kito gently patted Seneca’s head, and Seneca didn’t seem to mind at all.

“So, basically, we’re being roped in to verify if that’s true, huh?”

“Exactly. I know they’re safe, so please help me. I want feedback from adventurers who regularly use potions.”

“Got it. Leave it to us!”

Maior gave a confident pat to her chest, accepting the task wholeheartedly.

“But, Kito, aren’t you hiding something?”

Seneca gazed at Kito with clear, unclouded eyes.

“…It’s bitter.”

“Huh?”

“It’s unimaginably bitter.”

Hearing that, Maior suddenly burst into laughter.

“We were once tricked by a gold-ranked adventurer named Attalos into eating pine bark from a Pinus tree. Unprocessed Pinus bark tastes like the concentrated despair of the entire world. Compared to that, potion bitterness is nothing.”

“Wait, isn’t Attalos your homeroom teacher?”

“He is, but he’s also our nemesis. Right, Seneca?”

Seneca, having a surprisingly good sense of danger, wisely kept her mouth shut to avoid adding unnecessary details.

“Let me have a taste.”

Without hesitation, Maior took a sip from one of the small vials containing the highly concentrated potion.

Kito tried to stop her but was a second too late.

“Bleeeeh—”

The potion was, indeed, intensely bitter.