Karion had a troubled and confused expression, [Hmm..?!?!] He wasn't given time to think before Myla interrogated him.
"What are you planning to do?! Know that harming nobility is no different from suicide!"
"What? No- sorry, "Karion touched the gleaming blade, proving it was harmless. The blade's glow soon subsided, "See? It's nothing dangerous!"
"Calm yourself, Myla," Ria said with her hand raised. "A sword that bathes in light… It's something only told in stories."
"I know, right? Ahaha… M-Moving on," Karion avoided her remark, "I misspoke earlier. I know of a way to get the potion you need."
"Truly??" Ria jumped from her seat, "Thank you, Sir Karion!!"
Myla had a look of doubt, glaring at Karion. He knew of her caution, but couldn't deny that it was just as suspicious as she presumed. With absolute trust in his abilities, if Appraisal claims that Synthesis+ is capable of producing anything of equal materials received, Karion believed it.
"Do you have the materials?"
"Myla!" Ria snapped her fingers.
With a bow, Myla reluctantly took out her card, retrieving materials in great quantities within containers before placing them orderly on the table. Observing the materials given; Karion had a general idea of how to make the potion.
{Water}, {Zing Honey}, {Charcoal}
Though Karion planned for them to meet again at a later date, he thought it was unwise to postpone something he didn't need to. Although it might lead to suspicion, if Ria's father's condition worsened because of delays, he thought it would bring more trouble.
"Is it okay for you two to leave the room? I'd rather keep my methods to myself." Using the world's secretive practices of alchemy to his advantage, Karion silently thanked the clerk at the apothecary who told him.
"Wha-?! You plan to run, don't you?!" Myla scorned.
Before she could say anything, Ria raised her hand, silencing her. "Do you mind if we wait outside?"
"My lady, surely you don't trust him! He's an adventurer who isn't a noble. Owning slaves is against the Alchemist Organization's policies! There's no way this man is capable of alchemy! I understand your desperation but-"
"Myla, please!"
The room was silent as they stared each other down.
"Y-Yeah, you can stay outside…" said Karion. He couldn't refute Myla's words because she was right to feel suspicious.
Ria pulled Myla outside the door before bowing her head, leaving Karion and Ruby alone. Karion let out a deep sigh while Ruby nearly collapsed.
"H-How are you okay, master…"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"You brandished a sword in front of a noble… above that, your confidence against her guard is just…" Ruby couldn't finish her sentence. Karion gently pulled her to the seat, caressing her head to calm her. He noticed her tail gently swaying.
Separating themselves, Karion laid Ataria on the table. Activating Synthesis+, he mixed water with zing honey, receiving a potion with a tint of pine.
{Health Potion; Rank D}
"The quality's still poor…"
"Is there a problem with the ingredients?" Ruby asked.
"If we got the right potion, I doubt it. But why the quality's the same as I've always made is something beyond me…"
As Karion glared at the items within his storage looking for an answer, Ruby picked up the vial, observing the hue.
"It certainly isn't the lowest grade of a health potion. If the ingredients aren't wrong, shouldn't you receive the same item?"
Hearing Ruby's passing question sparked an epiphany within Karion, "That's it..!!"
Karion's sudden shout almost made Ruby drop the vial. [The lower quality potions were made because of slimes. Using water made it better, but it's not pure enough!]
"Ruby, is there something like holy water?"
"Holy… water, sir? I believe so, however the church keeps a monopoly on such items. It symbolizes the grace of gods, and is hard to create."
"The gods…" Karion looked at Ataria. "Ruby, I need your help."
Under his guidance, Ruby held Ataria's handle, keeping the blade horizontal. Resting the blade above the container of water, Karion used Synthesis+, combining two goblin ears.
{Miasma}
The jewel of Ataria produced a black mass of slop. With the blade's position, the slop fell onto Ataria. Just as Karion predicted, the blade began to glow.
"Now, Ruby!" Karion shouted.
Careful not to let the miasma fall into the container, Ruby placed the gleaming blade in the water. With an empty vial, he collected water close to the submerged blade. Appraising the vial, he grew a smile.
{Purified Water}
Allowing Ataria to dissolve the remaining miasma, he repositioned the blade on the table, creating another health potion with a brighter hue.
{Health Potion; Rank C}
"Were you successful, master?"
"Not yet, we're a step away…"
[I assumed Holy Water and Purified Water were the same, but if they were different after all, just what else can I do?]
Picking up the container of zing honey, he watched as the thick liquid swirled with each motion of his hand.
Wanting to ask Ruby if people had used the same ingredients on a finished potion, but knew she likely didn't know the answer, Karion decided to test his theory alone. Using the C-Rank health potion with zing honey, he was surprised to get a favorable result.
{Health Potion; Rank B}
"It worked..!!!" Karion jumped from his seat in excitement.
"Amazing work, sir!" Ruby praised with a smile, "Shall I call in Miss Lyazon?"
Attempting to combine the B-Ranked potion with more zing honey, Synthesis+ rejected the combination, unable to create anything. "…No, not yet."
Still unaware of the severity of Ria's father's condition, Karion wanted to create a potion that would help him without fail. His thoughts were simple - If he could, he would.
[Honey was healthy in moderation even in my old world. Is there something else I could use to make the potions more effective?]
The knowledge of his world had a slight resemblance to the knowledge of this world. After much thought, he turned to Ruby.
"Maple..! Is there maple syrup sold here??"
"Sear-Up?" Ruby struggled to repeat a word foreign to her, "I'm sorry, is there a description you could share?"
"…It's a sweet nectar from tree sap." Karion struggled to give a proper answer. Though it was something he quickly thought of, Karion was still unaware of how syrup was made. [It's not like I'd ever think of making syrup! How was I supposed to know it'll become useful here!]
As vague as his description was, Ruby gave a reliable answer, "I'm not certain of this 'sear-up', but Trents leave behind their resin saps."
[Resin and sap are different… but it's my best lead.] Karion walked to Ruby, placing bryas in her hand.
"Master..?!"
"I need you to go downstairs to see if anyone is selling the resin sap. If you can't find any here, try the market."
"I… Y-Yes sir!"
Ruby left the private room, closing the door gently.
"Are you finished?" Ria asked with expectant eyes.
"I'm sorry, lady Ria. However, Master is almost ready, I'm sure of it!"
Excusing herself properly, Ruby rushed downstairs. Myla glared as she left.
Karion prayed for Ruby's success while trying other combinations of health potions. Returning to the private room after a long period, Ruby entered holding a bucket of a red, thick, transparent liquid. "I've returned, sir!"
Placing the bucket on the table, she returned the remaining bryas to Karion, "I apologize for the delay. The adventurer's guild had the resin, however, it took time for them to retrieve it."
"It's okay, thank you, Ruby." Karion petted her head.
Preparing Synthesis+, Karion harvested a potion of resin to be mixed with the potion. A brighter color of the potion was synthesized.
{Health Potion; Rank A}
[Almost..!!]
Crossing his fingers, he repeated the process. Unsure if A-ranked potions were the best quality, Karion tested his luck. A potion with a bright shade of lime was distilled from Ataria. Almost second-guessing his results, Karion faced Ruby with a proud smile, "You can call them inside now."
{Health Potion; Rank S}