Another three days later.
After rounds upon rounds of tweaking, the eleventh version of the "Wild Mixture" was finally fresh out of the workshop.
Then, after a hands-on trial by Kureha, Sword Saint, Lady Clyret, official test pilot extraordinaire, this version passed a unanimous Familia-wide vote and was officially declared final.
"YES!"
After days of being driven nearly insane by endless optimization, Leon finally let out a long sigh of relief at the sight.
"Phew... It's finally done. After revising it over and over this many times, if it didn't actually work, I'd have started doubting whether I had any talent for the apothecary path at all."
"I'd already made up my mind. If this version still flopped... I'd have had no choice but to drag Iri in to research it together."
Watching the relieved smile spread across Leon's face, Rose reached out to smooth down his messy hair and rumpled collar, then dropped a smiling hint:
"Ara~ even without this version, that earlier 'harvest' of yours was pretty special, wasn't it?"
"Going by that, your 'talent' in this area... is really quite outstanding."
"I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Ohh, is that so~~~"
"Want me to give you a little reminder? Like... raising the body's sensitiv..."
"Shh!!! Stop talking!"
Leon dipped his head slightly, meeting the gaze of Rose, who was right up close.
Looking at the mischief swirling in her amber eyes and the implication she couldn't quite hide in her words, he gave an awkward little laugh and hurried to change the subject:
"Iri, Margaret, and Lydia... they went to the Dian Cecht Familia Treatment Center again today too?"
Rose paid no mind to his clumsy pivot. Side by side with him, she looked out at Kureha, who was putting herself through high-intensity training in the yard after downing "Wild Tech version 1.11":
"Mm, today's the third day."
Leon took a deep breath, drinking in the faint, distinctive scent that clung to Rose, and the corner of his mouth curled up:
"So that means... they should have a chance to make contact with people from Freya Familia and Loki Familia, right?"
Rose shot him a look that was half a smile and half not:
"You mean... use this opportunity to push the 'Wild Mixture' out to the market?"
Leon took her hand, toying with her long, slender fingers without a flicker of expression as he spoke:
"Now that the product's been successfully developed and the process can support mass production, of course we package it as 'merchandise' and sell it."
"Sure, there'd be no problem keeping it hidden for our own use, but compared to the overall boost gold coins can bring us, the little buff from this mixture... starts to look not so crucial."
Rose thought about the despair-inducing prices of the first-tier equipment and various magic items they'd need to purchase in the near future, plus the household's steadily rising daily expenses, on top of the custom furniture and decorations for the new home. As the head steward, even Rose felt a headache coming on.
"Gold coins... never enough of them, really."
Leon swept an arm around her waist, and his eyes happened to land on Jeanne, who was sneaking a glance their way.
Stroking the soft curve of Rose's waist, he raised an eyebrow as if in challenge and answered in a low voice:
"I figure there's nobody in this world who'd complain about having too much money. Just like nobody complains about their level being too high."
With that, something seemed to occur to him. His tone shifted as he called out to Kureha in the yard:
"Kureha! Try a serving of the Monster Hunter Special, test the stacked effect of the two together!"
The Sword Saint, who'd been unloading everything she had on the practice post, paused mid-motion, an intrigued look spreading across her face.
"I totally forgot about that until you said it!"
"Laurier, go grab me a serving of the Monster Hunter Special from the kitchen!"
"The cheese-baked potato one!"
"You got it, Kureha!"
Not far off, watching Leon not only get handsy with Rose but also taunt her like crazy, Jeanne was so angry that those proud peaks of hers kept heaving, her little face flushing hot in an instant.
Leon murmured into Rose's ear:
"See, our Holy Maiden's just that easy to wind up. What do you think... should I give her the 'Stimulant Elixir' to try out tonight?"
Rose glanced at Jeanne, who was biting her lip and glaring daggers at Leon, and let out a soft, low laugh:
"Sure. Just be sure to let me enjoy it from the front row."
His hand on Rose's waist stilled, and Leon lowered his head to take a deep breath against the side of her neck:
"Where's the fun in just watching? How about you join in?"
Feeling the tingle race through her body and the weakness in her legs, Rose narrowed her eyes slightly and ran the tip of her tongue over her lips:
"Sure."
At that, Leon was overjoyed!
...
[Name]: "Wild Mixture (1.5.1)"
[Origin]: Orario
[Type]: Elixir, Mixture
[Effect]: Upon drinking, the spirit stays continuously invigorated, all Basic Abilities raised by 5% for 2 hours, with no impact on the efficiency of gaining Excelia.
[Description]: 500,000 Valis per bottle. For Dungeon exploration, resource gathering, Magic Stone farming, Great Feat accumulation, and even Monster Rex raids, it's the must-have hit item for your adventures, travels, and battles.
[Notes]: The effect can stack with other buff states outside the elixir category.
...
[Name]: "Stimulant Elixir (1.0.1)"
[Origin]: Orario
[Type]: Elixir, Mixture
[Effect]: Upon drinking, the spirit stays continuously invigorated, body sensitivity is raised by an enormous margin, all Basic Abilities raised by 1% for 2 hours.
[Description]: Its existence first came about purely by accident.
[Notes]: If you don't have confidence in your own stamina and willpower, then please use with caution.
...
Just as Leon and Rose finished settling their plans to play with Jeanne together tonight, and were discussing how to manage the intensity just right... enough to make her give in, but not so stimulating that she'd faint...
Within the same Seventh District, only three streets away from Leon's house, Northwest Street, commonly known as "Adventurers Street," was still surging with crowds and clamor.
Shops lined the street with their signs out in full force: weapon shops, armor stores, magic item workshops, adventurer general goods dealers... Clerks and shop-front girls stood at their doorways enthusiastically drumming up customers, all hoping to court good fortune at the start of the new year and bring in an early stroke of luck as fast as possible.
Of course, beyond the no-name ordinary shops, there were plenty of high-end storefronts bearing the crests of Hephaestus Familia and Goibniu Familia, run by master blacksmiths who'd mastered [Blacksmith]. Through gleaming polished glass display windows, piece after piece of dazzling, shimmering equipment was on show, prices generally starting in the seven and eight figures, and the occasional first-tier item kept as a shop's prize centerpiece drew passersby to stop and stare.
As for the price tags... most ordinary Adventurers just took a glance from a distance, then silently looked away.
And among these bustling shops, one stretch of ground was quietly occupied by a large, pure-white building. That was the Dian Cecht Familia Treatment Center.
Compared to the liveliness around it, the foot traffic outside the Treatment Center looked far sparser. But... that was only on the surface. Inside, especially in the inpatient wards, the place had long been packed to bursting with a steady stream of wounded being brought in.
Just then, a healer in the uniform of the Dian Cecht Familia Treatment Center came hurrying on rushed steps toward one of the wards.
She shoved the door open and called out urgently to the silver-haired figure still casting a treatment spell inside:
"Miss Irisviel, there's a critically wounded patient over here whose 'Incurable Curse' has flared up again, he's lost so much blood he's unconscious! Please come help, quick!"
Iri rose to her feet at once.
She quickly gave instructions to the patient before her, whose treatment had just wrapped up:
"Your injuries are basically stable now, you can be discharged. For the next week, please avoid high-intensity activity and rest properly. Come back in a week for a follow-up, and only after we confirm you're fine can you go back to adventuring."
"Thank you so much, Miss Irisviel!"
"You're welcome, it's just my duty."
With that, she turned to the healer at the door:
"Please lead the way."
"Right away!"
Scenes like this could be found nearly everywhere in the Treatment Center at that hour.
It wasn't just Iri. The support healers from other Familias were all run just as ragged, spinning like tops with no time to so much as touch the ground.
"This is bad! Someone else's curse has flared up again!"
"Quick, go fetch Miss Lydia Melaelsiorelu Chulz!!!!!!"
...
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