Kapitel 95: The Woes of an Alchemist

With the runaway Elf over my shoulder, I step into the streets again. Some people glance our way after noticing the unusual sight of a man in a classy suit carrying a non-human woman covered just by a cloak. I make sure to stare them down with an indifferent expression so that they don't poke their noses into someone else's business. That's enough to divert their attention elsewhere.

As we head towards Selina's place, my new ally tries to show some resistance from time to time by wriggling in my restraints or trying to kick with her legs. Not too much so it doesn't inconvenience me too greatly, but just enough to still keep appearances in check in case someone recognizes her or if we stumble on part of the pursuit.

Fortunately, we somehow manage to reach our destination without any interruptions and I walk inside. Some customers present in the main lobby raise their eyebrows at me, but I just ignore them.

A woman in the company's uniform notices me, then my cargo, and her eyes widen. She must have recognized the Elf girl because she quickly dashes through the door behind her.

Already expecting her to show up by my side in a moment, I step away from the entrance to the right wing that's located by my side and wait. It soon opens and the same woman walks into the lobby while accompanied by three guards.

She stops in front of me and makes a courteous bow. "Welcome, Sir Carter. I do not want to rudely assume things, but I do not know if you are aware that this slave you seem to have captured is one that has just recently escaped from us."

I nod at her. "Yes, I am. That's why I've brought her here. I saw this woman frantically running through the streets of Evaneheim. After noticing her seal, I recognized her from one of my visits."

"We are very thankful for your assistance, Sir Carter. We'll make sure to reward you properly—"

"Is Madam Selina present today?"

Interrupted, the woman glances at me with uncertainty. "Um, yes, she is. But, I don't think we need to bother Madam Sel—"

"Then bring me to her. I've caught this one myself, with quite some effort. She seems quite feisty, which piqued my interest. I want to consult her situation with Madam Selina directly. I don't think you should have anything against my request, right? I did save you guys a lot of trouble."

She gives me a wry smile but nods faintly, most likely understanding that she can't really go against the wishes of the Ruby Card holder. It's obvious she wanted to sweep the whole thing under the rug as much as possible, most likely avoiding mentioning my involvement.

Before she replies, one of the armed men steps closer and squints his eyes at me.

"She doesn't seem to be resisting as much as before. It's weird for someone who made it past many people and even escaped a hold a few times. To me, it loo—"

I snap my fingers and a few Void Chains wrap themselves all around the guy, tying him up from the bottom to the top. He falls to the floor with a thud, shocked and unable to move even in the slightest.

"Can you resist?" I raise a brow at him, doing my best to sound slightly irritated.

The man can't do anything else besides squirming in the bindings while clearly attempting to prove himself.

"Thought so." I snort at him. "She knows she is powerless under my spell and gave up long ago. Or, rather than giving up, she's most likely waiting for another opportunity to show itself. Isn't that how you lost her? Being careless? I'm not careless. I will deliver her straight to Madam Selina myself. Now, may we leave?"

The other guards step aside and the woman bows, respectfully gesturing at the door. I pay no attention to them and walk out of the main lobby. People are already starting to whisper to each other. There's no need to further cause a scene.

Since I know very well where Selina's office is located, I head straight there, with the female clerk following after me shortly.

After reaching the correct door, she steps in front of me and bows again. I nod at her, allowing the woman to announce my visit. It would be rude to just barge inside anyway and I wasn't planning on doing so.

She knocks on the door. "Madam Selina, Sir Carter is here and would like to meet you."

I notice a faint ripple in the air, most likely coming from the silencing array getting disabled. Interesting. Looks like I'm getting more sensitive to mana. Good to know.

Selina's voice arrives from inside. "Ask him if he wouldn't mind waiting for a few minutes, if possible. I'm currently working on a significant contract for a certain customer."

"I'm afraid not, Madam Selina. It's important. And related to that customer, if I'm not mistaken. He came with a Wood Elf slave."

Soon after she finishes, we hear footsteps closing onto the door and it opens, revealing Selina standing behind it, as usual, completely in red.

She glances at me, then at the girl on my shoulder, and gives me a warm smile.

"Please, come in, Alastair. It's nice to see you again, even if the circumstances of our meeting don't seem the best."

I shrug my shoulders, causing the tied-up Elf to jump a little. "What can we do? It do be like that sometimes."

She chuckles softly and I enter the office. The female clerk follows after me, urged to get inside too, most likely to explain the situation.

Moving to the centre, I let the long-eared beauty down onto the floor and dispel the restraints. It surprises the assistant greatly.

"What? She knows she can't run from me so why should I waste my mana for no reason. I would catch her again before she takes more than a single step."

Selina smiles at me while the other woman bows her head. She has clearly seen through me. It's not our first meeting. But, since we have an additional pair of eyes and ears with us today, I should keep my persona for a little longer.

"Now then, I assume you haven't come to sell this girl to us, right, Alastair?" She looks the Elf woman over and then moves her gaze between me and the clerk.

"I'm afraid it would be considered fraud if I had intended to do so. In the end, this is your merchandise. I just happened to stumble onto it running freely through the city."

She raises an eyebrow and glances at her employee, who drops her gaze to the ground.

"It is true, Madam. I deeply apologize, but there were some issues with the recent transaction. Due to the negligence of certain people, this slave managed to escape to the streets before we could bring her to the client, or transfer the ownership. Sir Carter stumbled on her by chance and brought her back to us, but demanded to speak with you."

Selina shakes her head with a heavy sigh. "Does the customer know?"

"No, the lady that purchased this slave did not see her escape. She is currently in the waiting room where the sealing process is conducted."

"So it really is about the contract I was just finishing up… Who was taking care of this?"

"Troy and Lucas, Madam. I do not know the names of the guards stationed in the building today, unfortunately."

Slightly rubbing her temples, Selina dismissively waves her hand at the clerk. "Go and tell Lady Dirsfenia that we've run into some legal issues with this certain slave and have to check them out to not inconvenience her in the future. Make sure to make her comfortable for the moment."

"As you wish, Madam." The woman bows and quickly leaves.

The three of us are left alone. My new Elf friend is wary of Selina, which is understandable, of course. The lady in question chuckles at the nervous girl.

"Do you understand Common?"

The girl nods.

"You must have been born under a lucky star to have met such a streak of good fortune. Not only you had successfully pushed through a quite heavily staffed building but even ran into one of the most considerate people towards non-humans that I know of. She caught your attention, didn't she?"

I smile and follow Selina to sit on the sofa by the coffee table. "As perceptive as always. Yes, she piqued my interest, and not only due to her looks." I gesture at the Elf girl to join me by my side and she reluctantly follows the request.

"And am I right to assume that you want her?"

"Very much so. Considering what I have heard, would that be a problem?"

Selina brings out a smoking pipette from a storage ring and lights it up, taking a few puffs.

"If you are really going to insist on this, I guess I would have to respect your wish. Not only you are our precious VIP but also saved us a lot of trouble looking for and retrieving her. The customer lady will most likely get a little angry, but it's not like mistakes don't happen. At least she wasn't there to witness all of this."

"Right. I'm sure your employees are properly trained and instructed on how to deal with such situations, preventing any unnecessary news from spreading around. Then, if it's possible, I would like to follow this situation with proper purchase. I can pay double for the trouble."

She waves her hand at me. "No, that won't be necessary, of course. This is the result of our own mistakes. Anyone else would most likely demand the slave for free. I respect that polite side of yours so I can't have you do that. I'll sell you this girl at half price and I hope you can accept that."

"There's no reason to argue."

"Good. If you could only wait a little bit first then I would be very grateful. We really should deal with the other customer first, also to get rid of any chances of her walking into you two."

I nod. "Understandable."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." She gives me a nice smile and also nods in response. "Now then, please make yourself comfortable in my office for a brief moment. Feel free to pour yourself something to drink from my collection if you would like. I'll come to fetch you two after things get resolved and we prepare a room for your resealing."

Selina stands up, curtsies my way, and leaves the office with a graceful step. The moment she does so, the Elf girl on my side sighs in visible relief, relaxing a little bit.

I chuckle at her. "Don't worry. Selina isn't as bad as she appears. Yes, she does treat slaves like merchandise, but overall, she does have some principles. Anyway, just a little more and we'll be out like I promised. Would you mind telling me your name?"

"Ghilerie."

"Nice to meet you then, Ghilerie." I smile at her as a bit of surprise shows on her face, most likely from hearing me pronounce her name properly. "I'm Alastair. Al for short. Do you want to talk a little while we wait? If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

She ponders for a brief moment, staring at her thighs. I would like to give her some better clothes, but it's better to wait until all the procedures are completed. At least it isn't cold today.

"Who are you?"

"That's quite a broad one. Could you possibly specify it a little?"

"How?"

"Alright. Let's go with the usual. I'm just a Human man with some good connections who runs a brothel employing non-human girls in the service department, which also serves as a temporary home for them and possible troubled demi-human slaves such as yourself. No, unfortunately, I can't reach out to everyone all the time, but we are trying to slowly change the mindset of people in this kingdom. As much as I would like to be a hero saving the masses, this is not some simple fictional tale allowing for that. Good enough?"

Ghilerie stares at me with raised eyebrows, blinking repeatedly. A faint chuckle escapes my throat. I kind of expected such a reaction but it just gets to you when you actually see it.

"And before you jump to any conclusions, I've already told you earlier that I'm only doing this to help you, so no, I'm not aiming to employ you. I'll have you stay with us for some time so that you can recuperate a little in a slightly better environment. If your goal is to leave the city, I will help."

"But… What would you gain from this?"

"A potential friend?"

She looks at me weirdly and I chuckle again.

"Do I have to gain anything though? I'm not really in trouble with money, and if I was, I have the means to ask for support. I didn't help you back then and I just decided to do it this time. That's all."

"You are weird."

I shrug and lean onto the backrest. It's subjective but definitely true. She might not stop thinking that there's some ulterior motive in my actions and that's fine. There's no need to pointlessly try and explain it if we are going to part ways anyway. She might realize it at that moment.

A sigh reaches my ears as Ghilerie also leans back. "I need to return to my village. It's already been at least four months since I was captured. Our settlement isn't small but I'm one of the best hunters. They are most likely still looking for me and I don't want anyone to get caught too while doing so."

"I see. Is it far from here? If what they were saying is true, you ran into someone, right?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know. The location wasn't close to any bigger Human settlements, and from what I could see, this is a big city. We were in a quite safe spot. I must have run much further than usual. Yes, I suddenly found myself in front of a wooden cabin while chasing my prey. There were numerous people inside and I was captured."

"Could have very well been a bandit's hideout or something, also located far from other villages and towns. Who knows. I'm sorry to hear that. This might be a stupid question since you are a Wood Elf, but can you find your way back?"

"I should be. If I get my hands on any decent map, pointing out a direction won't be a problem. After getting close enough, I will easily find and follow the hidden markings leading to the village."

"What's your Class if that's not a secret?"

"Tracker. Tier 4."

I nod. "You must be quite experienced then. Or is that a common Tier amongst your kin?"

"It depends. We have some people at Tier 4 in our settlement. Most stay at the second or third usually. I was lucky to have my Class strictly related to what I was brought up to specialize in so I was able to raise it at a decent pace. Naturally, it's different in the main communities. What's yours?"

She turns her head to glance at me and I smile wryly.

"Well… Sexmancer… Also Tier 4…"

Her brows rise for a moment as she stares at me in slight confusion. She quickly realizes the implications and I catch the corners of her mouth lifting a little as she moves her gaze back to the other side, trying to hide it.

"You must be quite experienced then."

I almost chuckle again but stop myself and shake my head. "I can't deny that. But, whatever you are imagining there, let me clear up that I'm not using slaves or any other women to raise my Class. It, fortunately, doesn't work that way."

She turns towards me again, back to a neutral expression. "How does it work then?"

"In simple words, I grow stronger the more partners accept me willingly. And, if any feelings are present too, more than just physical attraction, it increases in effect. Meanwhile, those that have sex with me, receive various timed bonuses, like having their stats doubled for a certain time. But, I think the most crucial part is being able to raise their Class from it."

Her mouth opens in surprise. "You are joking."

"Why would I? Well, you don't have to believe me, but a few of my lovers did advance a Tier, or a few stages in the case of a bit more monstrous partners."

"This sounds like some lecherous fantasy… Growing stronger through sex..."

"Tell me more. That's my life."

She smiles openly for the first time, hastily trying to tame it down before it grows too big, causing it to look pretty awkward. It's good to see her becoming less tense, even if the way of achieving it is a little bit unusual. But, I'm starting to get used to it being the standard in my case.

To change the atmosphere a little, I stand up and pour ourselves a glass of water each. I'm not going to offer alcohol in such a situation, even if Selina suggested it. The last thing I need is Ghilerie thinking I'm hitting on her.

"So, are all your abilities related to sex?"

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like my efforts will bring any change as she continues the topic moments after I place the glasses down on the table.

I smile at her. "I think you should be able to tell that they are not from what I have shown you on our way here."

"Ah. Right. The chains."

"But, I do not blame you for thinking like that. Fortunately, most of them, just like the Class, are support or utility-type. The core effects of my Titles do relate pretty much to sex though. Or rather pleasure. Plus, my partners don't need to worry about pregnancy and can have as much fun as they want since I can control that aspect. Well, at least one way, preventing it. I haven't really been into testing how much, but my Class does make it sound like my semen is quite potent. I wouldn't be surprised if it was surefire potent."

"That's quite something. Wouldn't it mean that, if you wanted, you could impregnate even the races with very low fertility rates? I can see how it could be considered a blessing from the Goddess for some that are struggling with having offspring. You would be revered as her envoy and surrounded by beauties pleading for your seed. What if that's your mission? Your destiny?"

The corners of my mouth lift up in a wry smile. "I already have one to save the world from destruction. I don't need another to prevent its extinction."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just a joke."

She stares at me slightly perplexed but doesn't dig deeper.

"Besides, I'm a Human. It would be hard to get accepted."

"Yet you feel somehow different. And I'm not talking just about your attitude. I know that not all Humans hate other races and it's not that unusual to meet those unbothered by the past, but my senses are telling me that you aren't exactly like them."

Damn. She has very sharp senses then. I wonder if this is related to her Class or something. Or my presence as a Primordial is getting stronger and more noticeable.

"That might be the effect of my Class," I lie to her. Well, at least I think I do. It might be it. "Even my scent can entice women. Although, for people without ill intentions towards me, it tends to just help them relax or become more open. Only those of a bit more malevolent character tend to get charmed."

"Such an unusual Class. I still find it hard to believe that something like this actually exists."

"If only proving it wouldn't result in your body getting a little bit bothered, I would gladly do so."

Her thighs clamp together and a faint blush surfaces on Ghilerie's lightly tanned skin. I chuckle at her while shaking my head.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning on getting into your panties. There's plenty of them waiting for me back at home. Possibly more than I can handle. I still have the promise of helping a certain Dogkin with her heat. And two quite lively Tieflings are waiting for their turn too. My hands are quite full at the moment, hahaha."

She gives me a slight nod while smiling wryly. We sit in silence, just sipping on the water for about ten more minutes until Selina shows up again and brings us with her to one of the showrooms. Two maids are already there, prepared to deal with the sigil.

Ghilerie complies with all the commands and we quickly register her as my slave. There are no issues with the process so I pay up and thank Selina for fulfilling my selfish request. She escorts us back to the very entrance and that's where we part our ways.

Shortly after we step into the street, two figures approach us. It's no one else than Sirgia and Cornelia in their casual clothes. The former wears brown pants and a medieval beige t-shirt while the latter wears her usual purple robes.

"Is she our new companion, Master?" Sirgia asks after they stop, glancing at the tall blond beauty.

"It's a long story, but no. This is Ghilerie and I'll have to ask you to lead her to our mansion if you don't mind. She will be staying only for a few days."

Cornelia chuckles softly. "What did you get yourself into this time? All you had to do was to head straight to Lord Jericho."

"What can I say? I'm a magnet for trouble."

She shakes her head. "Alright, alright. We'll be sure to keep Elea's enthusiasm in check this time."

"I would appreciate it very much."

I step closer and pull Cornelia into my arms. Our lips meet for a short moment as we exchange a brief peck. She smiles at me sweetly and moves aside.

Already knowing her intentions, I move my gaze down and lean forward to give a kiss to my adorable dwarf too. It's not like Sirgia would get jealous over something like this, but I'm a fair lover and all my girls deserve some affection equally if possible.

I turn to Ghilerie and gesture with my head at the duo. "Follow them. These two are my precious wives. They will escort you to our home, where you can refresh yourself a little. I have something to do so I will come back later and get rid of your seal then. It wouldn't be wise to do so in the open. Is that okay with you?"

Still surprised by the whole show, she nods while moving her gaze between the two. I brush through Sirgia's soft hair for a little while and they leave together after I promise them to not hurry too much so that they can catch up with me just like we had initially planned.

No further interruptions cross my path to Lord Jericho's estate. As expected, it's quite impressive. A lush garden, much bigger than what we have behind our home, covers the front yard. There are even guards stationed in front of the main gate. And the grey building in the middle is at least four stories tall if we judge by the windows.

The sentries let me in after I state my business and show them the letter I received. One of the men rushes to let the lord know while the other slowly guides me through the garden. We pass a few gardeners busy with their work. The number of floral decorations is high enough to require multiple people to tend to them almost daily.

After entering the noble villa, a butler switches with the guard and I'm led to one of the lord's offices. It's the same man that retrieved the idiot who had some improper ideas about our establishment. His calm appearance doesn't look like he is brimming with hostility towards me so I have some hope, but he might just be really good at not showing his emotions. My experience with butlers in this world is slightly conflicting.

I have an urge to ask him how the young master is doing, but that might end not that well so I do my best to hold it back. In just a moment, I will most likely learn that myself, straight from the source.

The butler announces my visit and opens a fancy white door for me while entering a respectful bow. I nod at him in response and walk inside.

What greets me is a laboratory rather than an office. I've seen a few workshops at the castle while working with Cornelia during our time together, and this one is clearly in a very similar fashion.

Plenty of bookcases and shelves decorate the walls, holding not just books but also various alchemical appliances, materials, ingredients and such. Besides the stone counters in the middle of the room and some other spots, there are a few big devices with a lot of pipes, valves, vials and containers that I have no idea what they could be used for.

I notice a man in black robes hunching over a desk in one of the corners, clearly focused on whatever he is currently dealing with. His hands move fast but precisely. One uses a quill pen to note things down while the other operates a complex construction in front of him, with multiple colourful liquids travelling through see-through tubes.

Knowing very well that you shouldn't disturb someone in the middle of research, especially if you have no idea how dangerous it could be, from my own experience, of course, I move to the same wall he is positioned by and stand somewhere to his side, just enough to be in his peripheral vision but without drawing attention to myself.

It allows me to notice some finer details regarding his appearance. The man has short black hair. A full beard of the same colour covers his face. All that hair looks healthy and well cared for. Considering that he is an alchemist, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows a solution to keep it in perfect shape.

But, he is clearly a middle-aged man and it does show on his forehead and skin in general. He has a tough-looking face in a rectangular shape. One could say that he looks like a real man, a general of an army, or even a king. Going by appearances, he certainly looks more kingly than Ross, if not for the black robes.

Around five minutes pass with him just tweaking the device and observing the effects of various liquids mixing together at different ratios. I keep moving a little now and then to send him some weak signals, but to no avail.

Finally, something seems to have a much stronger reaction than he must have been expecting and Jericho jumps back after a cloud of grey smoke explodes right into his face from one of the vials. He starts coughing and waving the thick mist away.

I summon my draconic hilt and shape something akin to a big fan, uncovering him from the obstruction a bit more effectively than his poor attempts at using hands. The alchemist is free from the suffocating enemy in a flash.

"Thank you, Desmond. I did not expect Velvet Trigranian to react so strongly with the Everfrost solution. Could you bring—"

Turning his face to me, he finally notices that the one he is speaking to is not his butler, most likely, but an unknown man. He seems to catch on quickly from how his brows rise only for a brief moment before he frowns lightly with a wry smile.

"I apologize. There are times when I just get lost in my experiments a little bit too much, forgetting about everything else. How long was my blunder this time?"

"Not that long, Lord Jericho. Your butler let me in just recently," I reply, storing my unusual tool back in my ring.

"You should have interrupted me freely, Sir…"

"Carter."

"Sir Carter. What brings you here?"

I bring forth the envelope with his seal and Jericho's expression immediately changes. Fortunately, not into anger or rage.

He sighs heavily while moving his hand to rub his forehead. "Right… This… Let us move to a more appropriate area."

With no reason to object, I follow him through a different door and we enter an actual office. He sits behind his stylized desk and I take a seat in front of him.

"So, what is your version of the events, Sir Carter?"

"Pardon?" I raise a brow at him. I didn't expect such a question as the initial one.

"I've listened to the story from my son, obviously. Now, I would like to hear how it looked from your own perspective. A good researcher knows that it's necessary to observe the phenomenon from as many angles as possible before making the final verdict. Even the slightest detail can alter it."

I thought this would be a pain but I'm honestly starting to like this man. I guess it was my mistake to assume that he would be an ass too. His title of a Lord certainly inclined me to lean towards that possibility even more than just his son's behaviour.

"Well then, to keep it short and allow you to ask questions about the concerning parts, Lord Jericho, a man walked into my establishment like he owned the place. Sensing trouble, I confronted him and he requested my most loyal slut as he phrased it. If she managed to resist his charms, he would give us three of his best bitches, and if she didn't, he would get her. I was quite opposed to the whole idea since he clearly held malicious intentions towards my employees, but one of them wanted to teach him a lesson."

Jericho follows my story with occasional nods. He doesn't interrupt me while I make a brief pause so I continue.

"He left with Safi, a Queen Slime."

This clearly catches his attention for a second.

"A few minutes later, I was contacted by her that we had run into an issue and I quickly made my way to their room to check what happened. I found the man spasming on the bed while stuck in an ejaculating loop. It seems that her techniques were too much for him, lightly speaking. We've done what we could to tend to the man so that no further accidents followed and a butler showed up after we closed, looking for him."

After I finish, he keeps silent for a moment, resting his forehead on top of his joined hands, supported by his elbows placed on the desk.

He sighs again. "Goddess almighty…"

"May I inquire what's his current state? With all due respect, I don't feel sorry for what had happened, but I sincerely hope the incident didn't have any critical or lasting effects on your son, Lord Jericho."

"His life is not in danger, but… I don't think he will be able to hold any sexual activities in the future… His member was overstimulated so much that even the best healers we know couldn't do anything. Are you completely sure that this Slime didn't maim him out of spite?"

I raise my brow at him. "Are you suggesting that one of my most popular employees used some underhanded method against your son while he was the one attempting to break her mind with an unauthorized and most likely illegal drug?"

His eyes widen in shock. "How do you—"

"I'll put it bluntly for you then, Lord Jericho. Our establishment has close ties with the royal family. If not for my request of seeing through this issue by myself, the King would have most likely already exposed the truth which you used to sweep under the rug with whatever authority you have. And I don't think it would have ended with just a rebuke for your son."

The man's forehead quickly grows covered in sweat as Jericho gets visibly nervous. This might have been partially a bluff, but I'm sure Ross would have taken the matter into his hands if I asked him.

"So, how are we going to proceed with this? You seem like a smart man, Lord Jericho, and I certainly wouldn't want to make an enemy of you. If not for the circumstances under which we have met, I'm sure we would have become good friends, considering that Lady Cornelia is my close aide. But, I'm not sure how you view me currently."

He quickly shakes his head. "I apologize, Sir Carter. I can assure you that I do not have a negative impression of you. Any questions that I have asked were purely hypothetical and served as means to further examine our predicament so that a proper judgement could be assumed."

"I understand. Please, don't think that I brought up the King just to intimidate you, Lord Jericho. I do not wish to involve such figures in our insignificant squabble. If the matter was made public, or even known just to the governmental bodies, I'm sure your hard-earned reputation would have suffered a very significant hit. I'm not a person that tends to punish someone for the actions of their relatives."

Jericho lightly bows his head. "Thank you for being so considerate, Sir Carter. We will naturally compensate you for the trouble with whatever you wish for, in addition to fulfilling the promise that my impudent son made. If your will is to punish him further, I will of course comply, although…"

"Although?"

"If I may freely share my opinion, I think he has suffered enough already. A man's most valued treasure has been taken away from him most likely forever. He has to wear diapers due to… complications that surfaced after his state had stabilized."

I try my best to keep a straight face. It would be a bit rude to suddenly smirk at his words. The image of that guy walking in a big medieval diaper can't leave my head now though, making it much harder than it should be.

"He is also my only son, my only child. My wife passed away eleven years ago for an unknown reason. Everyone kept telling me otherwise, but I'm almost certain it was my fault. She had often assisted me with my experiments. Something must have affected her health during one of them, I'm sure of that."

It's sad to hear but I don't want to interrupt him.

"After that, I swore to never involve my son with alchemy ever. I didn't want to lose him too. I understand that I grew complacent and started spoiling him too much, allowing him to pretty much do as he pleases. I have already decided to change that. I'm just very bitter that there's now no way for my son to produce an heir to inherit all my legacy. I don't plan on remarrying. Therefore I would like to respectfully ask to you spare him from further punishments for my own sake."

Jericho ends with a low bow and both hands on the desk. I'm a little bit speechless. This whole situation has been developing in a completely different way from anything I was expecting to happen.

"Please, lift your head, Lord Jericho. I will not pursue further punitive actions against you or your son. I did not intend to torment you for the incident, coming here to resolve things as peacefully as possible instead."

"Thank you, Sir Carter. I truly appreciate and respect your kindness."

I nod at him and wait for a moment for the man to sit straight again. After he takes a deep breath, I continue.

"I might have something that could potentially help you find a cure for your son. I hate to see a father that lost so much fall into despair again. But, you have to swear on the Goddess' name that you will make sure he changes his ways completely, no matter if it succeeds or not."

His eyes sparkle with hope and Jericho bows his head once more. "Please! I swear to make him into a new man! Let the Goddess be my witness! I will do anything in my power to achieve that without fail!"

"Good. I'll have someone from my subordinates deliver a certain substance to you. It's an extremely powerful aphrodisiac not meant to be used anywhere else except for combat scenarios. I'm the only one being able to produce it in this world. With your skills and knowledge, I believe you should be able to make good use of it, potentially finding a way to form medicine helpful in his treatment. Also, they will be non-humans and I expect them to be treated with respect."

Jericho stands up abruptly and leans forward, with his hands strongly pressed onto the desk.

"No one will dare to even look at them weirdly! I will ruin anyone who even thinks about it!" His expression shows visible determination and he walks around the desk to grab my hand. "Words can't explain how thankful I am for this opportunity. I will study that substance with all I have."

I also stand up and answer the handshake. "Then, you can always show it with your actions. I might have a favour to ask of you."

"Sir Carter, I already owe you more than my own life. Whatever you ask for, I will deliver. Always. I'm forever in your debt."

I nod. "Then, I would like your help in arranging a professional laboratory in my mansion and supplying it with what's necessary for its proper operation."

"Consider it done! I will cover everything, from the designs to the smallest appliances! I will also provide a constant supply of materials, ingredients and anything else, allowing you to use my personal channels to acquire whatever you would need for it! It will rival the royal laboratories! No! It will outclass them!"

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to it then." I smile at him as he shakes my hand with fervour. "Now then. There's one more thing for us to discuss. Are the rumours about the girls true?"

Jericho's enthusiasm quickly fades down and he sighs somberly. "Yes… I'm afraid they are… I have no excuse for allowing such things to happen… It's my fault and I share the sin with my son… I understand it very well… I promise to do everything in my power to help them too..."

"That's unfortunate, but I'm glad to hear that you are planning to fix your mistakes properly. Since I have involved myself in their situation with that bet, I will of course follow through with it. My goal was to help them in the end."

"Very well. Let me guide you to my son's chambers then. That's where the women he had charmed are staying."

After agreeing, I follow the man out of the office, preparing myself for the worst.