Chapter 35

Chapter 35

#35. Northern Region Fertilizer (2)

At first, it was great.

Getting compliments and recognition from the guy she had feelings for—even if it was under a fake identity—made her feel like she could fly. The work was fun too.

Because of that, she worked even harder to get more praise and acknowledgment.

“Hmm… Well done. Not bad at all. Would you care to try this as well? With your skills, it should be doable.”

“U-Uh, thank you?”

Being recognized for her abilities was all well and good until…

The problem was, the more recognition she got, the more work piled up.

“This is a magic circuit with dispel enchantments, and this one has detection enchantments. Please check the area hidden by barriers using muon-like particles.”

“Huh? Uh… Yes!”

“Oh, and try this one too, along with this other thing.”

“Eh…?”

By the time she realized what was happening, things had already changed drastically.

The basement was now divided between Ariana, who was diligently working on the projects, and Arad, who was casually setting up something else.

That’s when Arad completely stepped away from making the detectors.

“No one told me why I can’t understand my own heart~♪ It’s mysterious~♩ Somehow~♬.”

He hummed an unfamiliar song (presumably from the Golden Age) while setting up large jars.

After finishing the setup, Arad took black soil from seven jars, mixed it with powdered Magic Stones and various other ingredients.

‘What is he doing?’

Despite humming the song, Arad’s expression and movements were intensely serious. Even though Ariana was struggling to make the detectors, she didn’t dare question him. Not only that, she worked as quietly as possible to avoid breaking his concentration.

* * *

As they say, life is full of unexpected twists.

Thanks to the Mana Force converging in the greenhouse farms of the Northern Region, an unforeseen resource was born.

The greenhouses of the High City were already a chaotic mix of elemental magic and witches’ spells. Add to that the Northern Region’s abundance of Magic Stones.

When everything merged, the farm’s soil transformed into special ‘black soil’ rich with energy.

“It was so powerful that all crops in the greenhouse died.”

While everyone saw despair in the black soil, I saw its precious value.

“If I didn’t have MAX-level Alchemy and Farming skills, plus Earth knowledge, I might’ve been stunned too.”

I wasn’t about to waste the opportunity created by Mary’s help.

With careful hand movements and intense focus, I took out pre-prepared jars and set them up.

Inside the jars were powdered Magic Stones, black soil from the greenhouse farm, random weeds, liquids, and alchemical materials.

I carefully scooped these with a ladle into a large silver cauldron.

Beneath the silver cauldron glowed a magical circle, functioning like an induction heater.

“The ratio and temperature control are crucial.”

I’m creating something not from the original story, like Arad Salt.

It requires numerous experiments with different ratios and temperatures.

“Heat-infused Magic Stones seem better suited to dark attributes rather than light. Surprising.”

Considering mana properties is essential in this world.

Back on Earth, I’d have used AI to simulate everything instantly. But here, in medieval fantasy, each combination and gentle heating must be done manually.

The problem is that the number of experimental possibilities grows astronomically.

“But MAX-level skills aren’t called that for nothing.”

No worries. That’s what max-level skills are for.

Right now, my mind is blending advanced alchemy knowledge with countless farming-related facts. Calculating theories without needing actual experiments.

After mixing, heating, and combining about twelve times…

“I’m done.”

Finally, I produced a satisfactory result. The silver cauldron revealed a brown powder with a rich, earthy aroma – the otherworld version of solid ammonia.

Time passed until just before dawn.

“Done!”

Surrounding Ariana were 62 completed detectors neatly lined up.

Her neck, wrists, lower back, and eyes all ached. Exhausted and sleep-deprived, yet seeing all the finished detectors made her oddly proud. Sixty-two in total – two more than originally planned.

“Phew, barely successful?”

Just then, Arad’s voice came from beside her after finishing some creation.

Gurgle…

Simultaneously, her stomach let out a hungry growl.

“What exactly were you making over there?!”

The unexpectedly loud gurgle made Ariana’s face turn bright red as she confronted Arad, partly to distract from the noise.

And partly because she believed Arad was partially responsible for her hunger – specifically due to the smell coming from whatever he was making earlier.

“Is this what you mean?”

Thankfully, Arad seemed unaware of her stomach’s protest, responding cheerfully to Ariana’s question.

“Something comparable to Arad Salt.”

Grinning, he showed Ariana the freshly made brown powder.

“Smells good!”

The brown powder emitted a comforting, earthy scent.

“Wow, this world really is cheating. Even with mana and Magic Stone buffs, I didn’t expect ammonia to smell this nice.”

He muttered incomprehensibly while looking at the powder in his hand.

“W-Wait, you said comparable to Arad Salt?!!”

Ariana barely caught his muttering.

Because the statement he made right before was simply shocking.

“Yeah, as you know, even if this matter ends smoothly, the problem isn’t fully solved. It’ll take at least ten years for the depleted fields to recover.”

“I was worried about that too.”

“Worried? Why you?”

“Well, I mean… Since I belong to…”

Realizing her slip of tongue, Ariana’s mind went blank.

“Hmm, that could happen.”

“…?”

Arad surprisingly dismissed it without much thought.

‘Did he just overlook that? Is it because of the mental magic in this necklace?’

Parallel lines of misunderstanding connected between the two.

“Anyway, this powder is a kind of fertilizer.”

“Fertilizer? You mean… manure?!”

Upon learning the powder’s identity, Ariana instinctively furrowed her delicate brows.

‘Hold on… So…!’

The natural inference made her pupils quake.

Making fertilizer from human and animal excrement.

That’s common knowledge in this era.

‘Could those jars have contained Arad’s…? And I smelled it and felt hungry?!’

No way! This can’t be!

Shock, horror, and confusion swirled in Ariana’s mind.

“Fertilizer? That’s completely different from that. This is miraculous powder created through my alchemy and farming knowledge. The effect is truly excellent.”

Completely unaware of Ariana’s thoughts, Arad boasted about the newly made fertilizer.

“Now, how should I define this? It’s otherworldly chemical fertilizer, but not real chemical fertilizer… Since it contains greenhouse black soil and powdered Magic Stones, shall I call it magic fertilizer? Or High City fertilizer? Maybe just plain Arad fertilizer?”

Then he began pondering the name for his creation.

“Nah, if I use my name again, people might call me narcissistic. How about using an employee’s name…?”

Arad slowly turned his gaze to Ariana and asked.

“Should we add Mary and your names to this fertilizer?”

“Wha…? You mean… attaching Mary’s name to… your poop?!”

At his words, Ariana’s already confused face became even more disoriented.

* * *

Mary has been acting strange since earlier.

“Wha…? You mean attaching your poop’s name to Mary?!”

She’s muttering something softly with a half-dazed look.

‘Why is she reacting like this? Isn’t it normal to attach one’s name to fertilizer?’

Judging from her expression, it seems far from joy or excitement.

“Mary? Is there any problem? You don’t seem enthusiastic.”

I waited for her to calm down slightly before asking.

“A-Even so! Attaching my name to powder made from… from excrement is inappropriate. Besides, there’s already an owner of said excrement.”

Responding to my question, Mary finally gathered her wits and spoke seriously.

“I already said, didn’t I? No feces are involved in this fertilizer.”

Seeing her concern, I tilted my head in confusion.

Didn’t I clearly state that earlier? Maybe she was lost in thought and didn’t hear me. Or perhaps I mumbled too quietly.

“It contains greenhouse black soil, purified Magic Stone powder, and snowfield weeds.”

“R-Really?”

Mary’s face gradually lost some of its confusion and bewilderment.

“Also, unlike Arad Salt, this will be difficult to replicate. One of the essential ingredients is black soil, which can currently only be obtained from the greenhouse. In short, we can monopolize it. His Grace the Duke will surely appreciate it, as he can generate profits through black soil.”

As I continued explaining, Mary’s face grew progressively redder. Realization of her previous misunderstanding was likely making her feel embarrassed.

“H-However…!”

“Why? Is there still a problem?”

Despite all misunderstandings being cleared, Mary held firm to her opposing stance.

Was it pride and embarrassment leading to this stubbornness?

“This fertilizer may not contain excrement, but ignorant commoners won’t distinguish between them.”

“Hmm… True. But is it really that big of an issue? I thought Mary was a fairly common name.”

“Yes! It is a serious issue!”

“……? Explain further.”

I decided to listen to Mary’s reasons for opposition.

“The late Lady Merina, Duchess of Me, was affectionately called Mary.”

“!? Is that true?”

Mary’s subsequent explanation delivered quite the shock.

“Yes! Could you… not have known?”

“First time hearing it.”

“Well, it makes sense. You’re not a native of the Northern Region, sir.”

Her objection had very valid points.

The previous Duchess. Meaning Arina’s mother’s name was Mary – a fact I just learned.

‘The Empire erased and distorted all records related to the Lenslet Dukedom. Hence, I’m discovering even this now.’

I breathed a sigh of relief and expressed my gratitude to Mary.

“Thank you, sincerely. Without your advice, I might’ve caused a major incident.”

My gratitude was genuine. I nearly committed an act akin to insulting royalty, potentially facing charges of defamation or treason.

“Not at all, it’s fine.”

Mary blushed at my thanks.

‘Arina?’

A fleeting question crossed my mind upon seeing her.

Her current demeanor reminded me strangely of Ariana.

‘Hold on… Isn’t it too coincidental? Even as a nickname, for the Great Witch of the Snowfield and the previous Duchess to share the same name?’