It's been two whole weeks since I arrived at Aunt Leila's residence.

Not much has happened since then.

We've only tweaked the Energy Revitalization Potion to suit my requirements, as well as created as many batches of the Potions as possible.

Just as I suspected, it's not nearly enough for continuous use over a long period.

We were able to brew 15 Blood Flow Potions, 24 Energy Revitalization Potions, and 12 Clear Mind Potions. That means I only have twelve chances to use all of them consecutively.

It's a very big downside, but this is, at the very least, better than nothing.

If I can gather enough resources and send them to Aunt Leila, she has familiarized herself with the process so that she can manage to brew it on her own. It'll take more time, though, and the quality might not be up to par.

But now that I know the recipe, I can make these Potions in my free time as well. With my Fragmented Conceptions, I should have a much easier time compared to Aunt Leila. The Royal Academy also has all the necessary facilities, so I won't need to purchase any new equipment.

Of course, all of this hinges on whether I can get additional resources or not.

"You'll really be leaving tomorrow?" Aunt Leila sighs, staring at me fondly as we both have an outdoor dinner. The fresh scent of flowers that rise from the garden creates a pleasant atmosphere, but my aunt's troubled expression taints the experience.

"Yeah. I have other engagements to attend to. I also have to return to the Academy before we resume, so… there's that too."

"I understand. I get it…" She sighs, smiling wryly. "It's just… I haven't had this much fun in a while. I was hoping we'd be able to do more Alchemy together, or even catch up on our lives."

"Why don't we catch up now?" I shrug casually.

Her gaze burrows into mine for a moment, but she keeps quiet.

"I'll be visiting you later in the future, maybe on my next break. So don't worry. Maybe this time I'll see your husband… haha!"

"Right? It's strange… He should have been back already."

"Fate works in mysterious ways. Maybe I'm not destined to meet him this time."

"Maybe…"

"But speaking of you and your husband, have you guys decided on having kids yet? I mean… It's none of my business, but I'm sure there's pressure everywhere."

Aunt Leila giggles a little before grinning widely. "There's actually no pressure. He isn't even rushing me either. He supports every decision I make and has told me that we'll only have children whenever I'm ready."

"That's… very sweet."

Aunt Leila laughs a little more before turning to me with the same question.

"How about you? Found someone special? Thinking about children?" I wonder why she's asking me all these things.

I understand that several of my age mates have already gotten married and have had children, but I still consider it far too early for myself. I am still young, and I have a lot of troubling affairs at the moment.

There's no time for children or a spouse.

Besides…

"There's no one like that in my life… anymore…" I mumble, my voice barely audible.

"Javier…" Aunt Leila places her hand over mine and offers me a warm smile. "What happened back then was a tragedy. It was out of your control. You… shouldn't feel too bad about it."

"I know…" A small smile forms on my face as I stare at her. "Thank you, Aunt Leila."

"Haha! Anytime!"

We both chuckle aloud for a moment before she finally shifts the topic once more.

"By the way, I think I know why your body doesn't leak out Trace Elements after consuming those Potions. At first, I thought the Potions were special, but after consuming one for myself, I realized that wasn't the case. The issue… is with you. According to what you told me, your health has been declining due to your appetite getting bigger and bigger. Your body must have absorbed all of the nutrients of the Potion, leaving none behind to form Trace Elements."

"Oh? That makes sense…"

My Aunt is quite sharp. She isn't too far off from the truth, but it's best I don't tell her about Leviathans and all my crazy experiences thus far.

Using my Aego Sight, I can tell that she's just a regular person.

I better to keep it that way.

*****************

"Farewell, Aunt Leila! Till we meet again next time!"

I hurry to my carriage and wave goodbye at her, successfully avoiding the tight squeeze she would have given me if I did that in proximity to her. She must have noticed this, so she pouts as she waves farewell at me, telling me to visit again soon.

Haha… I'll think about it.

The Potions and their complete recipes are with me. I can also brew them better than Aunt Leila if I use my Conceptions. It would definitely be easier if we could do it together, but with how busy I will be getting, and how far away her residence is, I sincerely doubt I'll be able to handle the back-and-forth.

With the Aunt Leila saga complete, I set my mind to the Dark Guild.

They've been on my mind as of late, making me feel a little anxious. Questions of the Count's involvement cause my chest to tighten whenever I have the thought.

Now, I am about to find my answers.

After nearly a week of traveling, I finally arrive at the coordinates.

It's a wilderness in the middle of nowhere.

I'm guessing this is merely a rendezvous point and not the actual base of operations. I also won't be able to know when the rendezvous time is without asking the Count himself, so I'll have to figure that part out on my own.

… Or, maybe not.

'The holidays are slowly coming to a close. Let's wrap this up quickly…' I drink all three Potions at once, stabilizing my condition and providing me with the right amount of energy I need.

These days, I've been stingy with the dosage to make them last longer.

But now—

'It's time to go all out!'

Using my Aego Sight, I easily notice discrepancies in the environment.

Even vague Trace Elements become evident to me, and I also spot hidden Armaments in select locations. Then, with Clairvoyance, I search my surroundings, while my Aego Sight is still activated, trying to spot Trace Elements that are similar to the Armament in my possession.

I detect traces in a particular location north of my current position, so I go ahead.

However, all that exists around is a sea of trees.

Nothing special at all.

At least, not unless you have Aego Sight.

With Aego Sight, not only do I detect that a Barrier Spell has been erected to disorient a person's senses, but an Illusion-type Armament is also in effect. Even with the Clear Mind Potion, I would have fallen for the trick if I didn't have Aego Sight to easily help me decipher it.

Once I destroyed the Armament, taking down the illusion, I then disrupted the Spell using a little trick I learned from Nathania and Fernand.

The easiest way to disrupt a Spell is to cause a different chain reaction than what was intended.

Spells are essentially born from using Special Resources to form a supernatural reaction in the environment. Unlike Potions, which add supernatural attributes to the consumer, the world itself becomes the canvas for Spells, allowing for mystical phenomena to take place.

By throwing in sufficient Special Resources at the core of this reaction, one can disrupt the process or cause a different kind of reaction.

However, most of the time, throwing in random Special Resources will lead to a 'failure', which means the Spell will break down and its effects will deactivate.

That's exactly what I did, and the results speak for themselves.

The disorienting barrier crumbles right in front of my eyes, and I watch the wall of trees transform into something else—a path.

A narrow path opens up a few steps from my position, to the east.

'This is too easy…' My lips curl up, and I advance without an ounce of hesitation.

One of the reasons behind my confidence is the number of Armaments I have equipped specifically for this investigation, and the second is simply my trump card—Tracing.

If anything goes wrong, I'll simply run away.

'If I weren't a Leviathan, I'd need an entire group to be able to handle this mission. I wouldn't be able to detect these traps on my own, and I wouldn't have made any headway in this investigation. But now…?'

It has barely been an hour, and I'm nearly at my intended destination.

Then—

"My goodness…"

—I witness a grand sight, one that shakes me to my core.

Within this seeming wilderness is what resembles a fortress. Its size is unfathomable, comparable if not exceeding to the Knight Academy in might and splendor.

Its walls are coated in darkness, smeared with Spells that would have made them invisible to the ordinary eye, but I have Aego Sight. This fortress is impressive in magnitude, and its intimidating presence almost makes me hesitate.

But I clench my fist in determination, my eyes flashing with resolve.

'They had so many security measures put in place. In the first place, if I didn't use Clairvoyance, I wouldn't have been able to link the Trace Elements to find the next location, which then required Aego Sight and my knowledge of Spells to displace. And all of these are things I could have only achieved if I had coordinates that the Count possesses. In essence, normal people would never be able to locate this place.' My eyes take in the marvelous sight of the dark castle, and a constant frown grows on my face.

I took down quite a few Dark Guild bases as a Mercenary, but none of them even come close to this one. If I were to guess, I'd say this is the Dark Guild's headquarters in the Randalorion Kingdom.

Finding such a thing… is astounding!

I can't count how many times I tried to find it in my Mercenary days, failing at every turn.

'How fortuitous! Taking down this place means I can plunder its resources and also find the appropriate information I need from Count Kaelen.' I lick my lips in anticipation as I cast an ambitious gaze on the entire fortress.

'There's no need to hesitate! Let's do this already!'

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