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[1] A law that implies that mass can neither be created nor destroyed, although it may be rearranged in space, or the entities associated with it may be changed in form.
I bought Julius with the intention of making him work like a cart horse, but instead, I now found myself being worked like one by him. It was absurd. This wasn't the plan.
While I visualized a new alchemical construction in my mind, I lined up the materials on the counter. By the way, Julius still hadn't changed into the clothes I bought for him. So, in other words, he was still not wearing underwear. Yet, despite that, Julius sat on my red velvet chair as if it were his own. It was a bit unpleasant.
"Are you trying to create a flying dragon through alchemy?" Julius asked while watching me. Seeing that he had some free time, he should have considered taking a bath.
"Do you think a huge creature like a flying dragon could come out of my cute little alchemical cauldron? There's something called the law of conservation of mass[1], you know. You can't create something larger than the total volume of the materials."
"Forget about the details. Just hurry up."
"You were the one who asked."
Julius was as free-spirited as ever. His subordinates must have had a hard experience during his time as a general.
"Is there a problem?"
"Nothing~"
He noticed. He realized that I thought of him as a troublesome man, so I tried to divert his attention.
"Hmm, what should I do with the collar? There's a magic lock on it..."
Julius had a black collar with a small padlock around his neck. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a collar, but I'd say it looked like one.
"It might hurt you when you call him out, so let's make it a ring, shall we? Yeah, let's go with that."
"A ring?"
"A dragon horn, a flying dragon's reverse scale, Camilla's ring, a heavenly call, a tiny precious stone, and... Julius-san, you've known Helios-kun for a long time, haven't you?"
"I've raised him before he even hatched."
"That's impressive, Julius-san... Could you give me some of your hair?"
"Can't be helped."
"Don't make such a displeased face. Since your hair is all disheveled, cutting a bit won't make a difference."
I took a knife and cut a strand of his hair. Despite his disapproving look, I ignored him.
He stared at me as if he would kill me at any moment. It would be better if he stopped glaring at people for no reason.
I threw the materials into the alchemical cauldron. Finally, I added Julius's hair and poured magic into the cauldron. The process involved breaking down all the materials into separate components and reconstructing them. It seemed complicated, but alchemy relied on understanding and imagination when it came to substances.
My teacher said so, so I was sure it was correct.
The amount of magic power consumed increases with the difficulty of creating what you want. If your magic power runs out during the process, it may take two or three days to complete the alchemy.
I didn't have a large amount of magic power, so it was troublesome that I couldn't create what I wanted immediately. And magic power is determined by birth, so there was nothing I could do about it. It was still inconvenient, though.
"What are you making?"
Julius was saying something. I'm concentrating right now, so please leave me alone.
When I remained silent, Julius seemed to sense something and fell silent as well. Soon, the purified water in the alchemical cauldron began to shine with a rainbow color. My magic power seemed to be running out, and my head was getting dizzy.
Since Julius had told me to do it with the determination to die, I would finish it today even if it killed me. That way, Julius could worship me as the genius alchemist Chloe.
A small ring floated in the rainbow-colored purified water.
It had a blue gem, the same color as Julius's dull blue eyes, set in a silver ring with patterns resembling dragon scales engraved on it.
I took out the ring, and the rainbow-colored purified water returned to its original transparent color.
"It's done! It looks great. Truly a masterpiece. It has the dragon horn effect and life-stabilizing effect. I'm a genius!"
"Did you finish it? Hand it over."
Julius naturally reached out his hand, so I hid the completed 'Flying Dragon Ring' in both of my hands. I couldn't think of a good name for it, so I just left it as it was.
"Don't think you can get everything for free. The material cost is very expensive, you know! The total is about the same as for three Julius-sans!"
Materials for alchemy were usually collected by defeating monsters, so they're basically free. But if you sell them, they're quite expensive. So, saying that they were expensive was not a lie.
"I don't know the effect of that ring. So, I don't know its value."
"Do you want to know?"
"Yes. Please tell me, my master."
Seemingly interested in the ring, Julius flattered me. Well, I actually wanted to tell him in the first place, so I decided to do so.
"This is a Flying Dragon Ring. The dragon horn is an item used to call dragons, so I modified it and turned it into a ring. And since there seems to be a bond between you and Helios-kun, this ring is exclusively for you."
"If that's the case, then hand it over quickly."
"You're so impatient. Please listen till the end. With this ring, if Helios-kun is alive, you can summon him. However, since we can't keep a flying dragon here, I added the life-stabilizing effect to store Helios-kun inside the ring."
"You talk too much."
"And Julius-san is the type of person who listens properly. I know."
He had a good upbringing, so he still listened to me, albeit with an annoyed expression on his face. It made me smile. I said this with a grin, and he clicked his tongue. But I had gotten used to it by then.
"I understand most of it. So, what do you want me to do?"
"Say thank you."
Even among friends, there is still a sense of etiquette. Julius-san and I weren't that close yet, but manners were important. And he hadn't thanked me even once. Julius-san was an adult, so I wanted him to be polite.
"Thank you, Chloe. You made it for me, and I appreciate it."
After a moment of thought, Julius spoke. His voice was unusually gentle and sweet.
"Oh no, that's disgusting."
I unintentionally spoke my mind. Julius then stood up and gently took hold of my hand, which was holding the ring. His hands were rough and larger than mine. And surprisingly warm. Slowly, his hand tried to pry open my fingers. And I resisted. Desperately.
"I thanked you, so hand it over."
"Ouch, ouch. Are you a child, Julius-san? How much do you want to see Helios-kun? I don't want to give it to you now because you might use it in the room. What if a dragon flies in through the window? It would be a disaster."
"Then where is a good place?"
He was serious. I'm glad I didn't give it to him. I'm so glad.
"The downdraft from a dragon's wings is strong, and if a dragon suddenly descends in such a quiet residential area, it would be a nuisance to the neighbors. If you want to use it, do it outside the capital."
"Let's go, Chloe."
"I don't want to. I've used up all my magic and I'm exhausted. I couldn't even eat dinner in the dining room. And It's almost nighttime, so I don't want to go today."
"Can't be helped then. I'll carry you."
"W-Wait! Don't try to carry me like luggage! Julius-san, you pervert! Let go, pervert!"
As Julius tried to lift me, I escaped and ran away, screaming. It looked like we were playing around, but both of us were desperate. Especially Julius, who glared at me as if he would kill me at any moment. How innocent he was when it came to dragons. Despite being an adult.
"Chloe... Enough already."
"You're the one who should stop. It's getting dark. If Helios-kun is still in the neighboring country of Dystiana, it will take about an hour to come here. It will be night by then, and he might get lost. As a pet owner, don't you think it's pitiful, Julius-san?"
"...Damn it."
Julius stopped trying to lift me. Since his physical ability was definitely superior to mine, I was easily caught by him and was about to be carried on his shoulder, like a sack of rice.
Julius-san, what is the matter with you? You can't even do a princess carry even though you're a former duke? It was a common practice for noblemen to perform a princess carry easily. While I didn't want to be carried like a princess by him, it was quite disappointing. He had a beautiful appearance and was a former noble, yet his attitude was so disheartening. Not that I really cared.
"I'll get everything ready by today. So when you call Helios-kun tomorrow, please fly to the Northern Demon Mountain. There's a troublesome monster I want you to defeat. Once you gather the materials, there's a job that can earn about half of what Julius-san is worth. That monster's a tough one, so I'm counting on you."
"...Can't be helped then. ...Hey, Chloe. What if Helios is dead?"
Julius literally tossed me onto the floor. After lifting me up, he just dropped me. I was told that littering is illegal. This damn Julius. I was swaying from a lack of magic, unable to take a proper fall, and ended up flopping onto the floor. I fell so hard that Julius seemed to be amused and laughed at me with an extremely idiotic expression on his face. What a bad personality he had. It was a different kind of bad personality than I expected.
I rubbed my hips and got up.
"Do you think Helios-kun is dead, Julius-san?"
"I don't think so."
"Then it's okay. Come on, Julius-san. Let's have dinner, take a bath, and go to bed. You're going to be working hard from tomorrow, so good luck."
I handed the ring, which I held in both hands, to Julius. It should be fine. Julius seemed to cherish Helios, so I was sure he wouldn't try to call him out at night. Julius stared at the ring intently. Then, he put it on the ring finger of his left hand. I wondered if that position was okay, but it seemed to have no special meaning, so I didn't say anything.