Arc Lab ⓪
The next morning.
“……Nn…… Nnn……?”
A savory smell woke me up slowly from the bed.
Someone was standing in the kitchen in front of the bed. I could faintly see long, flaxen hair.
The sounds of something simmering and a pot emitting steam.
The sound of a knife chopping. That’s… a girl? A woman’s back.
“…………Nnn…… Eh……?”
A woman’s back!?
I hurriedly sat up, and something rolled off me. A white Hayyarn. A bit large.
The inside of its long ears was pink, but why a Hayyarn?
“Oh, you’re awake.”
A light voice spoke, and the figure standing in the kitchen turned around.
There stood a lively, beautiful girl with honey-colored eyes. Umm… Ah!?
“M-Mineha-san…?”
“What? Yes. Good morning.”
“G-Good morning…”
I was surprised.
Because when you wake up, a beautiful girl is cooking, anyone would be surprised.
And she’s wearing an apron, huh? Cooking? Eh? Cooking?
“Na?”
“Isn’t it spicy? It’s fine. I’ll put this much in.”
“Na?”
“Too many onions? It’s fine. I’ll put this much in.”
“Na?”
“Too many tomatoes too? It’s fine. I’ll put this much in.”
“Na!”
“More meat? Yes. Definitely not enough meat.”
Answering Dagaa, she cut chunks of meat and tossed them into the pot with a dosadosa nikuniku sound.
What is she making?
“Um, what are you making?”
“Cooking.”
“…Mineha-san. Can you cook?”
“What? Of course, I can. I don’t have many recipes, but I learned from Mother and my teacher. It’ll be ready soon. Wait a bit.”
“…Y-yes.”
Is this a dream?
As I waited in a daze, the food was ready.
In a deep wooden bowl was a thick tomato soup with chunks of meat and various beans.
Pan beans were mixed in as well. The smell of onions was strong.
“…Here, try it.”
“I-I’ll have some…”
I scooped up some soup with beans using a spoon.
Delicious. The sourness of the tomatoes, pepper, and spiciness. But there’s a sweet taste. Is it the onions?
The beans are also simmered thoroughly.
“How is it? It’s been a while since I made it, but I think it turned out pretty well.”
“Na!”
“What do you mean, ‘sophisticated taste’?”
“Um, it’s very delicious.”
“I see. It’s a taste from home.”
Mineha also ate. She smiled softly. She seemed happy.
“You even put pan beans in it.”
They were mushy in the soup. That was delicious.
The meat crumbled when I rolled it with a spoon. The tenderness was just right.
“Around here, they’re often used as a side dish, but in my hometown, we simmer them together.”
“You use quite a lot of onions, don’t you?”
“This thick texture is quite nice.”
“I agree. Is this perhaps anhydrous?”
Mineha’s eyes widened.
“Yes, this soup doesn’t use any water. You noticed that?”
“I’ve tried anhydrous cooking before, because I wanted to make assassin’s pasta.”
“Assassin…? What’s that?”
“It’s delicious. But spicy.”
“I like spicy things. Make it next time, then.”
“Sure.”
But that makes the kitchen dirty.
Even so, why did Mineha-san suddenly decide to cook?
She had never tried before, nor had she shown any inclination to do so.
It’s not that she said she couldn’t, but I thought she couldn’t.
So, it was unexpected, but I’m happy.
“Wof. Do you have any plans for today?”
“…I’m taking this Hayyarn to The Witch. Against my will.”
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Hayyarn raised her head from the soup.
She was skillfully holding a spoon. Mineha smiled wryly.
“I see.”
“What about you, Mineha-san?”
“…I think I’ll look around the Blacksmith.”
“That’s…”
“Just looking around.”
She said it as if to emphasize.
I’ve heard about it.
Even if you can restore a broken OOPArts, it’s no longer an OOPArts. All its effects are gone, and it’s just a weapon or armor.
That’s why, unlike Legendary items, OOPArts cannot be repaired.
“…”
Is she still planning to fix the Spear? Even if it’s no longer an OOPArts?
“Wof.”
“Yes.”
“Be careful, and have a good day.”
“I’m off.”
I had mixed feelings.
The Witch’s House. The courtyard.
The moment Hayyarn saw The Witch gathering herbs in the courtyard, she shouted.
“Ooooooh! Amazing… Boobs! Butt! Tail! Sexy. So sexy. Enchanting. Truly a Witch, ooooh!”
The Witch, hearing that shout, gave a wry smile and moved away from Hayyarn, positioning herself slightly behind me.
She whispered in my ear.
“What, what is this? What is this, Wof (boy)?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Ah, excuse me. My name is Hayyarn. An Alchemist for you.”
“Eh, eh, Hayyarn? From the Three Eggs? Is it really you?”
“Not that again. Yes, yes. Hayyarn from the nursery rhyme. It’s me.”
A sulking Hayyarn. Hmm. Surreal.
“Yes. Apparently, even like this, she’s the real deal.”
“Aren’t you treating me terribly, my friend?”
“We’re not friends.”
“Harsh.”
“But, but, what happened to your appearance? Hayyarn was a bald Edda man, wasn’t he?”
“Wait. Bald? You mean baldy?”
Hayyarn’s purple eyes widened.
“Yes, yes. That’s right.”
“I’m not bald!! And why baldy, oh, the t-a-m-a-g-o!”
“I see. You naturally became bald from the egg.”
Because the egg is smooth, Hayyarn, who holds it, naturally became bald.
Easy to understand.
“It’s not ‘I see’! And I’m not bald!”
Hayyarn stamped her feet in anger. The Witch whispered to me.
“So, so, what exactly is this, in the end?”
She doesn’t seem to believe it. Well, that’s understandable.
I said again.
“It’s Hayyarn herself.”
“I will perform Alchemy for you. The Alchemist Hayyarn.”
The Witch laughed at Hayyarn’s appearance.
“I see, I see. An Alchemist. The legendary Relic [Alchemist], wasn’t it? Its effects are [Decomposition], [Alchemy], [Synthesis], [Compounding], and [Transmutation].”
“Aren’t those each separate Relics?”
“Indeed, indeed, each one exists as a Relic. However, the job-type Relics encompass all of those and become a single Relic. But job-type Relics are rare. There are very few possessors of them.”
A job-type Relic. Isn’t that the strongest?
Hayyarn said pompously.
“Hmph. Correct.”
“So, um… how should I report this?”
“Hmph, hmph. It’s better not to report it to Abramelin, the old geezer.”
“I thought so.”
“Wof. Who is Abramelin?”
“The big boss of the Seeker Guild.”
“I hate authority figures.”
Hayyarn snorted.
She crossed her arms and became grumpy.
“Yes, yes. Kon hates them too.”
“What a coincidence. Hey, stop that. Don’t hold me like that!”
I grabbed Hayyarn’s Hayyarn ears, who was trying to approach The Witch, and lifted her up.
“The Witch doesn’t like that kind of thing.”
“Muu. I was going to invite her to dinner.”
“Do you have money for that?”
“No! That’s why I was going to have The Witch pay.”
“The Witch. Do you like Hayyarn stew?”
“Waiiiit!?”
She shouted at me skillfully while dangling in the air.
“Oh my, you two get along well.”
“The Witch. Even I’m angry about that.”
“Ehhh, I’m, I’m sorry. Also, Hayyarn likes Cacciatore.”
“What kind of dish is that?”
“Hmph, hmph. A fisherman-style tomato stew. Sometimes they use chicken, but Kon especially likes the one with Hayyarn meat.”
“That sounds good.”
“It’s unfair! And the specific dish name is too scary!”
I sighed and released the struggling Hayyarn.
“You guys are too barbaric! Are humans from 4500 years in the future barbarians? Humans never change, even after thousands of years!”
“I wish you would stop saying strange things to my master.”
“I refuse, ah, no, never mind.”
When I drew my Knife, Hayyarn apologized flatly. Seriously.
“Well, well, Wof (boy). Let’s leave it at that. And I’m happy that you say that for Kon’s sake.”
The Witch had a somewhat shy smile.
It’s natural as a disciple, though.
“By the way, The Witch. I have something I want to ask you. Do you know when the city’s Dungeon will be unlocked?”
“It’s certain that the unlocking will be sometime this week.”
“Don’t you know any more details?”
“Hmm, hmm. I’m sorry, I don’t know that much. Even Kon doesn’t know.”
“I see.”
“Also, also, Wof (boy). Is there a connection?”
“Floor 12. My Lab is in the Ark Ruins.”
“Ho ho. A Lab. That’s very interesting.”
“An Alchemy Lab.”
Alchemy, huh? What I know is from my memories of my previous life.
The Philosopher’s Stone and the creation of gold. I asked out of curiosity.
“What can you do with Alchemy?”
“You can do various things. Combine OOPArts to create new OOPArts, or modify them. Legendary and Legacy items too. You can do even more than that.”
“What about the creation of gold?”
“You can do it. It’s vulgar, though.”
“Then what about Relics?”
“It’s possible if you have the Plate.”
“A Relic Plate… You can create one?!”
“However. It’s not like any Relic is possible. Only a very small subset of universal Relics. Jobs are impossible.”
“What about Pseudo-Deification?”
“Impossible.”
He answered instantly. Still, the fact that he could create Relics was astounding.
At that moment, I had a realization.
“Um… can you also repair OOPArts?”
“Of course, it’s possible.”
“As OOPArts, I mean.”
“That’s right. Wof. Do you want to repair an OOPArts?”
Hayyarn asked, then continued.
“Those gauntlets don’t look broken anywhere, though.”
“You can tell?”
I was surprised. Hayyarn said it as if it were nothing.
“Naturally. It’s a magnificent OOPArts. Relic-enchanted, I see. An automatic type? And Holy-rank, no less?”
“…You can tell… even that much?”
I was astonished. The Witch was also impressed.
“Hoho. Quite the sharp eye you have there.”
“Of course. I am Hayyarn, after all. So, what is the OOPArts you want repaired?”
“That is— Hayyarn-san. You’re also the cause of it.”
“What? Me?”
Hayyarn twitched his rabbit ears and wiggled his nose.
The Witch tilted her head slightly.
“Hmm hmm. Wof boy. What do you mean by that?”
“Because the Monster Hayyarn-san prepared out of spite attacked, and Mineha-san’s Spear broke clean in two!”
“W-What did you say…!? Spite… Ah, that thing.”
“That’s the one.”
I glared reproachfully at Hayyarn.
Hayyarn looked dejected.
“Uuum. Uuum. Hmmm. Hmmmmn. That thing… broke, did it?”
The Witch murmured, sounding somewhat deeply moved.
Ax-san’s mother and Mineha-san’s master, Emi-san, is an acquaintance of the Witch.
In that case, is she also acquainted with Emi-san’s best friend, Mineha-san’s mother?
They’re both Tier I Seekers. It’s certain they’re acquainted.
That might be why she knows something about Mineha-san’s Spear.
“It’s my fault too. That’s why I want to fix it. Right away, if possible.”
“That cannot be done.”
“Why not?”
“The true value of Alchemy lies in the Cauldron.”
“Cauldron.”
“Simply put, it’s an alchemy pot. It’s in the Lab. Even someone like me cannot exert my full power without the proper facilities.”
“A Lab… you say?”
“That’s right. If we go to my Lab, I guarantee it. It will definitely be repaired.”
Hayyarn’s purple eyes looked straight up at me.
I naturally found myself bowing my head to him.
“…Please.”
“Leave it to me. I promise you. My friend. Wof. I will definitely repair it.”
I sensed a strong determination from Hayyarn. What was this feeling?
He’s not really my type of person, but maybe I can trust him.
Though, we’re not friends.
As I was sensing these things from Hayyarn, the Witch chuckled softly.
She brought a hand to her lips, a sensual yet mischievous smile playing on them.
“Now, now, shall we head to the living room soon?”
“Hoh. Witch. May I come inside the house?”
“Of course, of course. A friend of Wof boy is a friend of Kon, after all.”
“Hey, we’re not friends—”
“That’s why, that’s why, I really want the legendary Alchemist Hayyarn to try Kon’s special Herbal Tea.”
“Ooh, I absolutely must!”
Ah.