I started my day trying to prepare breakfast after Rose tutored me on how to cook a day earlier. With a recipe book that I borrowed from the library in one hand and tongs in the other, I felt like a MasterChef. If only enthusiasm could magically make food taste better. According to Rose, it was somewhat edible compared to what she was forced to eat last time at the orphanage. That doesn't sound assuring to me one bit.
After we were done eating, it was my turn to tutor Rose with sword training. I brought Rose to the blacksmith to find a weapon suitable for her to use. The blacksmith inspected her body structure and recommended that she use a rapier as the weight is more suitable for her. However, she'll need to be a bit older and bulkier for her to wield it effectively in one hand. Until then, she'll be practising with a wooden sword and occasionally with the rapier two-handed to get the hang of the weapon. She will also be fed with more healthy and nutritious food to gain an ideal body weight for training and it would seem that she's looking much better after a couple of weeks not just in weight but in height too.
While I'm not familiar with using a thrusting weapon, I'll be training her all the same. Swing a set amount of times per day, have a short sparring session with me, then continue swinging until your body is exhausted.
I suspected that Rose's parents had trained her before since her stamina was pretty good for her age. Makes me curious whether her parents were adventurers, but she couldn't confirm my suspicion. Her stats were also pretty good, honestly speaking. She's an all-rounder in the stats department, which makes me curious to see what guild will be recommended to her.
I have faith in Rose that she'll succeed with the guild's initiation test despite only a few months of training. Rather curious to see if she's gonna end up stronger than me in the future as her stats are so well balanced. As for me, my skill training is going pretty... horribly. Cooking barely increased my skill stats at all, so I tried fishing. Seeing as my fishing skills were absolutely horrendous, I only managed to catch two fish in a week's time, and those were measly-sized fish. I quickly abandoned the idea of continuing the fishing path and figured out what other options I have. Time to try baking, I suppose.
I almost destroyed my entire kitchen with my horrible baking skills. Rose tapped my shoulder and told me to never do ANY baking for the rest of my life ever again. Thinking that cooking was my only choice, I slaved on practising, but after a month, it had only increased my skill stat by one. I need to find another solution, or it's gonna take me a lifetime.
Time for me to venture into practising medicine. What other option do I have left? Cooking alone is just not enough to increase my skill stat at a satisfying rate. The problem is, how do I even begin, and where? Is there even someone practising medicine within the city? There should be at least one, otherwise, where are we getting potions from? The thing is, I can't just kick down their door and demand they teach me. I'm also rather afraid of dipping my toes into medicine since I can't even do baking properly. People's lives will be at stake rather than just my kitchen floors or utensils.
Hitting a dead end, I decided to seek Miss Angelica's help as she had always been relatively familiar with things around the city. To my surprise, she actually knew someone who does medicine. One of her close relatives practices medicine, albeit mostly for curing basic illnesses most of the time. He doesn't create potions or medicines for combat purposes, though.
Hey, I'll take all the help I can get. Better to start somewhere rather than nothing. Curing illness is rather handy when you're travelling around as an adventurer. It'll be a good knowledge even if I'm gonna suck at it.
I pleaded with her to get approval from her relative to teach me in medicine, but she reluctantly told me that she needed to get permission from her relative first. Thankfully, her relative was willing to guide me, and I can head over to his clinic the very next day. I thanked her with some chocolates, which I had to insist before she finally accepted them.
***
A new day arrived, and here I am in front of the clinic in question. It was small, but I was not gonna judge. Small clinics are where the people seek out since they're usually more affordable. Which means they'll face more strange cases compared to bigger clinics. I knocked before heading in and was greeted by a male who looked like he was in his forties.
"Ah, you must be Zen. Come in, come in," he gestured.
"Yes, sir, I am. I'm here to learn about medicine if you're willing to teach me," I bowed to him.
"May I ask as to why? Just for curiosity's sake. You're an adventurer, right?" he asked.
Should I tell him the truth? Will he be asking me why I am trying to specifically increase my skill stat in the first place when other adventurers couldn't be bothered about it?
"I'm—trying to increase my skill stats," I confessed.
He looked stumped at me and began laughing. Did I say something embarrassing?
"Are you dating my niece?" he asked bluntly.
"W—what? No... I'm not," I was taken aback by his sudden, strange question.
"Ah, in that case, I have no obligation to teach you," he chuckled.
"H—huh?" I answered with a sad tone.
"I'm just kidding. Just kidding. Ah, you reminded me when I was younger. Sorry if I gave you a scare," he chuckled.
"Come closer, let me give you a hint," he gestured for me to come in close before he whispered directly into my ear.
"If you wish to increase your skill stats quickly, you should practice alchemy instead," he whispered.
Huh? Alchemy? As in a wizard or a witch? Is medicinal practice the same as alchemy?
"W— what do you mean, good sir?" I stuttered as it was so out of place.
"All you need to do is purchase as many ingredients as you can from the medical shop and just start mixing them together. If the end product tastes good, chances are you found something that benefits you. Bad-tasting products usually debuff you or, in the worst-case scenario, poison you. Do be careful in testing the end products yourself. There's a chance where a product ends up being tasteless, but that doesn't mean it does nothing. Sometimes it gives both benefit and debuffs depending on the product created. Here... this is a list of what I created before. It's not an extensive list as ingredients are relatively expensive to purchase. I had to abandon it when I couldn't sustain the expenses any further. You'll also need a lot of stat scrolls as you'll never know what each end product does to you, and those scrolls are your only way of knowing. So, unless you're loaded, give alchemy a try," he explained.
"Well, I do have some spare change to test it out. But if what you say is true, then I have no choice but to pursue it," I said with conviction.
"So eager to try just about anything, you really remind me of myself. I like your enthusiasm, Zen. Alright, here's another tip for you since you're so eager. Head to this shop and pass her this letter. She'll probably give you some discounts if she still remembers me, but do expect the price to remain steep," he warned me as he passed the paper he scribbled on.
I bowed to him, making sure to thank him properly before heading out. Written on the letter was the shop's name, 'Pink Carnation'. If memory serves me right, I believe I saw it somewhere not too far from the library before. Guess it's time for me to make sure of it then.
I checked my pouch, counting the coins that I have with me currently. Hmm... just a couple of gold coins, hopefully this might suffice for my first purchase. Worst case, I'll dig out the remaining gold coins that I left hidden at Grandfather's home back in the forest. Hope I don't run myself dry before achieving my goal.
***
It didn't take long for me to find the shop in question. Making sure to knock on the door before heading in, I was greeted by a rather old lady who was sorting some items on a shelf behind the counter. I thought of helping her, but I don't see a way for me to get behind the counter. Guess I should just let her focus on her task rather than rushing her. Don't wanna see her getting hurt because of me. I just stood by the counter and glanced at the various ingredients she put out for sale as I waited for her to serve me.
"Sorry about that, kid. Thank you for your patience. What can I help you with?" she asked.
"Someone recommended me this place for purchasing ingredients. I was thinking you can recommend me what you know best?" I asked as I pushed the scribbled letter to her.
She read the contents of the letter and made a dry chuckle to herself. They must have known each other well enough to earn such a reaction. She told me to wait as she went behind the counter, where sounds of rustling and shifting could be heard. After a short while, she brought out a decent-sized wooden box and placed it on the table with some wrappings.
"This is my starter pack for alchemy, kid. I've got no recipes for you, sadly, so you'll have to figure that out on your own. Not many people make it far because ingredients are expensive," she said.
"How much are you charging me for these, then?" I asked her.
"Two gold coins. I would have sold them for three if it weren't for that letter. Consider yourself lucky, kid," she smiled.
Two gold coins for a starter pack? Not too shabby. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself and start my shopping spree. What's in the box, though?
I opened it to check and inside there was a mortar and pestle, some glass containers, and candles. Oh, there are leather gloves along with some other things that make me look like a mad scientist. Two gold coins for all of these? I'll take it.
I passed her the coins and carried everything home. It was still in the early evening when I made it back home. Rose was preparing dinner when she noticed me carrying those bulky items when I came in. She was surprised by how large the box was that it could possibly fit her inside. As I brought the items into my room, she curiously followed after me to see what it was. The table in my room was rather long in length, but I've never had any use for it, until now. I'm gonna turn this into my alchemy table. Let's see what the doctor had researched before.
Fortify Constitution +1
Grounded jikentette bones + honey + red berries. Boil the bones in about 30ml of water and add honey. Add red berries after the honey has melted.
Fortify Strength +1
Pounded goblin bones + strong berries. Boil the bones in 20ml of water. Add berries after 30 seconds after the water starts boiling.
Wow... there are a lot of things to study here. Do I even have anything accurate to time with? Oh, there are hourglasses included in the box, labelled properly according to specific timings too. This is a good starter pack indeed. I'm getting all pumped up about starting alchemy. I'll need a notebook of my own to keep track of whatever I have tested. Let me try out these two recipes first before I get ahead of myself.
***
*Rose's Perspective*
Onii-chan came home carrying some questionable bulky items. I was so worried that he might have killed someone and hid the body in the box. Thankfully, it was just some glass equipment and some other things that I had no idea about. He eagerly decorated his table with those strange pieces of equipment too.
I thought that I'll be bothering him with his new hobby, so I decided to continue preparing dinner. Roast jikentette for dinner~ How long have I not eaten this? Seems like the mushroom soup is all boiled and ready to go. Shoot, almost missed adding some salt. Let's see... tastes good now. Everything is pretty much done. I should call him before the food gets cold.
"Onii-chan, dinner is ready," I called out loudly, but there was no response.
That's—strange. He usually responds to my call. Did he faint or fall asleep? Guess I better check on him.
His door is closed? That's odd; he usually leaves a gap open.
I knocked on his door before I turned the knob. I called out to him again and opened his door when I heard nothing from him. Why... is his room so dark? Is that him sitting by the table?
"Onii-chan? Why are you hiding in the dark?" I asked him.
Hie! Who's this person with bloodshot eyes and goggles? Is this even Onii-chan? I'm so scared right now. What do I have with me? I only have a mitten, which is better than nothing. Just throw it at him and run!
"Rose, what are you doing?! I need to concentrate right now. Give me a moment, please. And stop throwing stuff at me," he shouted.
Oh, that's definitely him. Geez, why does he have to scare me like that? Not to mention he had covered his hair with some sort of netting too. This brother of mine needs to be more aware that I'm living with him too. At least he keeps his room clean most of the time. I should light up some candles to brighten his room.
"Done! Bottom's up, I guess. Bleh, doesn't taste good. Strange, I followed exactly what the recipe said. What am I doing wrong? Hmm," he put on a thinking face.
"What are you doing, Onii-chan? Making drinks?" I asked him curiously.
"Hm? Oh no, I'm doing alchemy. According to the doctor, it seemed that this is the best way for me to increase my skill stats quickly. But I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong as I couldn't even create a potion even with an existing recipe," he sighed at the end.
I guess I should help him out later. Alchemy sounds fun to me. I can use some of my cooking skills to see whether he actually followed the recipe accordingly.
"Oh sorry, is dinner ready? Let me check my stats first," he rustled his bag and took out a scroll before blowing on it and cheering loudly all of a sudden. What a noisy brother I have.
"Look, Rose, look! My skill stats increased by one even though I failed at making that potion earlier! But it seems like the potion I made debuffed my agility stat. No wonder it tasted so bad," he pouted and started thinking again.
"I'll help you later, Onii-chan. Let's eat before dinner gets cold?" I asked him and headed to the kitchen to set the table.
***
Dinner was excellent. I'm impressed by my cooking skills. Onii-chan was devouring the roast jikentette and told me that it was one of the best meals he ever had. I might have blushed a little hearing that from him. I usually prepare dinner and lunch often, but he insisted that we should eat out once a while so as not to overwork me with chores. But I'm already staying here for free, and he's paying for pretty much everything. I'm really happy that such a kind person was willing to take me in. Which is why I must join the Light guild to be some use to him. I want to help him in any way possible.
When he told me that he'll be preparing breakfast from now on, my chores were reduced even further. His food leaves a lot to be desired, but it was at least better than what I had to eat at the orphanage. I do hope he can improve his cooking ability soon before I surrender myself to teaching him. No, wait, I shouldn't think that. He had done so much for me, and I have to teach him. I must; I am his little sister, after all.
I sighed unconsciously. Oh, Onii-chan, you really are hopeless when you need to do things that require precision.
"Rose, dinner was— *chef's kiss*. Thanks for cooking today. I'll be heading back to my room," he stood up and brought his plate to the sink.
"Onii-chan, you forgot the rules. Whoever does the cooking won't be doing the dishes," I grinned at him.
It was his rule that he created, so I was just reminding him. I don't really mind doing chores since I'm freeloading here in the first place. It's my duty to do the chores in the first place. But I do want to be spoilt once in a while. He he.
"Ha ha— well, I did make that rule. Can't argue with you, I suppose," he proceeded to do the dishes.
I quickly rushed into his room to see what he was doing earlier. A paper stood out, so I decided to take a look. Oh, so these are the ingredients he needed for the recipe. Let's see what he did so far.
H—Huh? Says here to use grounded bones, but these are still in chunks. Is this supposed to be pounded bones? These are still too chunky to be considered pounded. Geez, Onii-chan. You really are hopeless without me.
"Rose, what are you doing? Those equipment are expensive, y'know?" He came to check up on me.
"Here, taste this," I passed him the potion I made.
"T—this… tastes good. What did you do?" He stared at me, looking all confused. I sighed loudly at his response.
"Come here, Onii-chan, and sit down. You don't seem to understand the difference between pounded and ground. Here is the difference," I began tutoring him.
We ended up so engrossed in doing alchemy that I didn't even realise that it was late. My eyes were already droopy before I realised how late it was. How is he still so excited? His eyes were still sparkling right now.
"Onii-chan, I'mma head to bed. I'm really sleepy now. Good night," I yawned.
"Oh, thanks for teaching me, Rose. Really appreciate it. You can sleep on my bed if you want," he petted my head.
I swear he knows just how to pamper me. Sometimes I'm tempted to hug him tightly and smell him. It gives me so much comfort that I've met this person.
"I'll take you up on that," I told him before jumping on his bed. Ahh… so comfy~
***
Three months passed, and I can officially wear the gauntlets, but I stopped myself as it was rather pointless for me to wear these legendary gauntlets that give me nothing but armour protection. It's the hidden spells I'm after that I slaved myself in cooking and alchemy for.
My initial thought was that I could increase my skill stat with every potion I brewed, but sadly, that was not the case. Turns out, I need to create more the higher the stat increases. But at the very least, I managed to increase my skill stat by four points in just three months. God knows how many fishes and dishes I needed to cook to obtain these four points if I continued that path.
Safe to say that this is the best path for me to undertake with the best result. And I've gotten the hang of doing alchemy now. It was certainly tricky at first for me to understand the intricacies of ingredients and how to prepare them before I even began to brew them. Everything had to be recorded, down to the last minute detail such as the boiling time, how much ingredients to add, the type of ingredients, and how long to prepare. Even the slightest mistake will result in the whole brew changing its properties for better or for the worse.
Not to mention that it is an expensive hobby. The doctor wasn't kidding when he said that; the ingredients alone can burn up to a single gold coin each time I buy something. No doubt I purchased in bulk quantities, but still, none of my current quests even reward me with a gold coin after I complete them.
Despite having retrieved all the remaining gold coins from Grandfather's secret stash, I'm happy to report that I have not touched any of them yet, but I'm afraid that I might have to start using them soon. Just another ten more skill stats to go. I can do this!
"Onii-chan, I think I might be—" Rose spoke out of the blue as she started counting with her fingers.
Huh? Might be what? Why is she counting? Don't tell me she's late. Wait, does she even have it yet? Please don't say you're P, don't say you're pregnant!
"11 by now," she finally answered after she counted.
I responded with a blank face. Huh? 11? I thought she was eight! When did she even "turn" 11?
"Um, Rose? When exactly is your birthday? Do you even know?" I asked her while still in disbelief.
"Oh— of course I do. I think it was— yesterday?" she spoke while feeling unsure.
"So why didn't you tell me?" I asked with concern.
"Huh? Was I supposed to tell you?" she asked, sounding confused.
"Rose, did no one ever celebrate your birthday before?" I asked her again, feeling more concerned about her.
"I—didn't realise that birthdays were meant to be celebrated. I usually whip up a meal and eat alone," she looked downwards, feeling dejected.
I stared at her as she slumped her shoulders, looking sad. She had always put on a strong front for me to make herself dependable, but deep down, she's still a lost little girl trying to find a place in the world. Was it fate that brought her to me? I'm sure there are plenty of other people more suited to taking care of her, but as of now, she's stuck with me. I had already accepted my role in protecting her despite not being related since I'm alone in this world myself. Perhaps the two of us can find some comfort together since we have found each other.
I approached and knelt in front of her as I petted her head. I had to cheer her up since her birthday had just passed yesterday.
"Rose, let's celebrate your birthday. Consider it belated. I want your 11th birthday to mean something before you join a guild," I continued petting her.
"Y— you don't need to do that, it had already passed yesterday. No need to trouble yourself with me," she shook her head.
"Rose, you're my one and only family that I have. There's nothing troubling when it comes to you. So go on, get changed and be ready to head out. Go on, young lady, get," I pushed her towards her room.
"H— huh? Where are we going?" She asked.
"We are going somewhere entertaining and will be ending with a feast! So put on your best clothes and we'll head out," I pushed her into her room and closed the door. I could hear her frantically opening her closet to decide on what to wear.
I had to change my own clothing but paused a couple of steps before heading back and spoke through her door.
"Rose— next time, let me know about anything, whether it's good or bad news. I'm here for you, don't forget this," I spoke softly. After some time, she replied with a "Thank you". Hope she's not crying inside her room.
***
I brought her to a theatre to watch some funny comedy show, then to an amusement park where we enjoyed some of the local activities and eventually brought her to 'Sleeping Daisies' where I celebrated her birthday with Rick and John, since both of them happened to be hanging around the tavern. John was completely dumbfounded when I introduced Rose as my little sister, but he soon understood that she wasn't related to me.
John was at the rank of Great Viking now, which means the bastard had completely overtook me in terms of ranking. Damn it, I need to buckle myself down and become a Dark Knight soon before I end up as a laughing stock in my group. I bet Lily is already a Blitz Knight too.
Ah, damn it, why do I keep thinking about her? It's not like I hadn't met any other female members as of late. I just don't understand why I'm so hung up on her. Is it because she's my first ever female friend? Or is it because she made me realise my strange obsession with female elves? I'm sure she had already gotten over me by now or even forgotten about me and John. Sigh
***
Hachiu!
Dang it, who the hell is talking behind my back? Must be John, probably. I rubbed my nose clean with my handkerchief to make myself presentable. Hope it's not a sign of bad luck before an important meeting.
I headed into the meeting room to meet with my guildmaster, who summoned me, bowing to him as a sign of respect.
"You summoned me, my lord?" I asked him.
"Indeed. I have an important task for you. What say you to serving the Viking Lord?" he asked.
The… hell did he just say?