Chapter 195: This Is the Change Brought About by the Alchemical Revolution
Minamoto-no-Raikou knew she had been captured.
Long before she realized she might be standing against Noah, she had imagined the possibility of being caught and killed.
So she wasn't surprised at all about being captured—in fact, this was already the best outcome she had envisioned.
But then…
After being captured, she found that her treatment as a prisoner was completely different from what she had imagined.
"This will be where you'll be staying for the next while."
The one in charge of managing Minamoto-no-Raikou was Vivian, the head maid.
Under her guidance, Minamoto-no-Raikou arrived at a room that, while not particularly large, looked quite clean—and the sunlight inside was exceptionally bright. As Minamoto-no-Raikou walked over to where the light streamed in, gazing out at the sea and the incredibly open view beyond the window, she felt…
—This cell might be even better than the house she lived in during her previous life!
The interior decoration of the room was merely clean, but the scenery brought in by the huge floor-to-ceiling window served as the best adornment for the space.
And…
Minamoto-no-Raikou looked at the window and cautiously reached out to tap it.
She could confirm that this window wasn't made of paper, nor was it simply an open frame…
"Is… is this crystal?"
"An entire wall made of crystal, and such clear, perfectly transparent crystal at that… this…!"
Before being sent here by Distortion, Minamoto-no-Raikou had seen her fair share of the world.
But she had never encountered such extravagance in decoration.
And this was a prison cell…
Seeing her reaction, Vivian wasn't the least bit surprised.
After all, since becoming head maid, she had hosted more than just Minamoto-no-Raikou. This room was just an ordinary one; the guest rooms used for regular visitors were far more luxurious. So she had seen plenty of reactions like Minamoto-no-Raikou's and was no longer surprised.
"It's nothing special. And you don't need to marvel at the room—after all, with someone like you, no ordinary cell, no matter how sturdy, could hold you anyway. The real prison is the Spell Formulas placed upon you, not the place you live."
Hearing Vivian say this, Minamoto-no-Raikou fell silent.
After briefly explaining, Vivian led her to the next location.
"This is where you'll take care of personal matters…"
Vivian pressed down the toilet flush.
"That will clean it. And here, you can use water."
Under Minamoto-no-Raikou's stunned gaze, Vivian demonstrated the faucet and showerhead.
"Hot water is available at all times. This side is cold water, this side is hot—use it however you like."
"Meals will be delivered on time each day. If you have any dietary restrictions or special requests, remember to tell me in advance, and I'll have the kitchen arrange it."
"As for cleanliness, don't worry—the room is designed with several cleaning Alchemy Spell Formulas. If the room gets dirty, these formulas will automatically clean it."
"If you get bored, there are many books in the study. Though most are various fantasy stories, they can help pass the time when you're idle… Do you have any other questions?"
Upon hearing Vivian outline the arrangements, Minamoto-no-Raikou first tested the hot water, then surveyed the remarkably clean room. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke slowly.
"...Is this how you treat all prisoners?"
Minamoto-no-Raikou asked, and Vivian smiled.
"We actually have very few prisoners. After all, Master tends to kill quite a number of them outright... As for those whose crimes don't warrant death, letting them live out their natural lives is also a form of punishment."
"As for those rare but still existing prisoners..."
When Vivian reached this point, though her expression remained unchanged, Minamoto-no-Raikou sensed a chill emanating from her.
"Trust me, as someone who isn't a prisoner, you wouldn't want to know what treatment prisoners actually receive."
After leaving these words, Vivian briefly gave a few more instructions before departing.
Left alone in the room, Minamoto-no-Raikou tested various things, then felt the restrictions placed on her by the Spell Formula on her body. Realizing she indeed couldn't escape, she sighed softly.
"Though the environment is nice, even living in such a place, one is still trapped in a cage..."
This was what the newly imprisoned Minamoto-no-Raikou thought.
Then, after a week, Minamoto-no-Raikou had already begun to get used to thinking about what to eat each day.
After all, the chefs here were quite skilled due to Noah's own picky palate—coupled with Noah's discoveries regarding various seasonings, Minamoto-no-Raikou had never tasted such richly varied flavors before.
Excellent chefs combined with the powerful productivity brought by the Alchemy revolution—such food was the first to breach Minamoto-no-Raikou's defenses.
And clearly, it wasn't just food that could breach her defenses here...
Two months later, when Morgan's research on external Spell Formulas concluded, a new Core Spell Formula was compiled, and Noah planned to take action regarding the Heian Capital, he sought out Minamoto-no-Raikou again.
He found Minamoto-no-Raikou sitting in a rocking chair under the sunlight, quite leisurely reading fantasy stories written by his subordinates based on novels he had seen in his previous life during her boredom, a faint smile on her face, looking very relaxed and engrossed.
When she saw Noah and heard him say they were leaving, Minamoto-no-Raikou vaguely felt a sense of reluctance!
After all, she had read less than a third of those stories, and there were many she hadn't even started!
And she hadn't finished the one she was just holding!
Thinking of this, Minamoto-no-Raikou, who had lamented how miserable imprisonment was just months ago, now felt that being released was even more uncomfortable than being confined!
Even as she followed behind Noah, she was tempted to ask him... could she be imprisoned again for a while after everything was over?
At least... at least let me finish reading those stories!
But in the end, the dignity of a warrior made her hold back!
Vivian, following behind, didn't find her behavior strange in the slightest.
After all...
The Alchemy revolution spearheaded by Noah had brought such profound changes to the nation. Having experienced things never before imagined, it was only natural to become captivated by them.
Noah, however, hadn't given this a single thought.
Once everything was fully prepared, he first brought Minamoto-no-Raikou out, then used communication to contact Little Kiara.
"The personnel are ready, and we are heading toward Japan where you are. Now it's time to tell us your location."