Liora looked at me curiously before a smile bloomed on her beautiful face. Her expression softened as she stared at me with sparkling eyes.
"Aww, he's so cute!"
Before I knew it, she was on top of me, strangling me tightly and crushing me against the soft cushions of her chest.
"I could just eat him up," she squealed. "I've always wanted a son. He's mine; I'm claiming him from now on!"
"I'm afraid you can't, honey. That little boy is the crown prince," Veyric protested, but to no avail. She looked at me as if she had found a diamond.
"I don't care! I want him all to myself!"
Her hands tightened around me, burying me in her oversized breasts. Her skin was soft to the touch, and she had a strong earthy smell about her. I forced my head up to see her breathing erratically and practically drooling over me. She looked as if she had been possessed by a demon. I realized then that I wasn't in the arms of a sane person.
"Ahem." Veyric cleared his throat and got to his feet with the help of a maid. Once he regained his composure, his expression turned serious. "Darling."
The elf girl slowly turned to face him, and when she saw the seriousness in his face, her hands gradually loosened their grip until she plopped me back on the floor. I sighed in relief, feeling as if I had just been saved.
"The prince is here on important matters, my love." Veyric glanced around the room, noticing all the maids and servants present with us, and quickly turned toward the stairs. "Let's have this conversation in my office, shall we?"
Liora rushed to help Veyric up the stairs as she saw his legs wobbling with the first step. The three of us stepped into Veyric's office. The first thing I noticed was the mountain of paperwork. Seeing my gaze fall on the messy room, he quickly explained.
"Forgive the clutter; being the duke of this kingdom comes with a lot of work. My days of battling monsters are now far behind me, and now I must battle paperwork instead."
I smiled at his joke.
"I understand," I said.
He took a seat behind his desk, and the Liora followed him, taking a seat in his lap.
"So, as I was saying," Veyric continued with our previous conversation, "the prince is here on important business; he wishes to study your spirit magic, my love."
She glanced back and forth between me and Veyric.
"My magic? But why? Only high elves can use spirit magic; it won't be of any use to a human," she explained, confusion evident on her face.
"I know, my darling," Veyric patted her head. "but this is a special case. You see, the prince is actually a genius."
"A genius?"
"Yes, a genius who may soon crack the code to alchemy."
Her eyes widened at the mention of the word alchemy. For some reason, her body began to tremble, and her breathing grew louder.
"Al… Alchemy?! You can't be serious!"
She looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown until Veyric pulled her into him and began stroking her hair softly. She purred like a cat and slowly began to regain her composure. Just his touch was enough to bring her back to her senses. I couldn't lie; I was a little amazed by it.
This man had her completely under his control. Her strong love for him was very evident.
"Don't worry, darling; things will be different this time," Veyric assured her.
"But my father—"
"Shhh~ It will all be alright."
Veyric continued to stroke her head until she had calmed down completely. When he was done, he shifted his attention to me. His purple eyes stared at me coldly.
"You said you needed two ingredients, right? Now explain to me why you need dark magic and spirit magic specifically."
Honestly, I had been waiting for him to ask. I knew he would require an explanation, and I would have to come up with one without revealing all of my secrets.
"Spirit magic is a necessary component since it's the only type of magic that isn't bound by the rules of nature. To put it simply, it can interact with things we humans cannot, mainly other magic."
My hypothesis is that spirit magic can interact with the magic circles that create spells. In my research, I had heard of cases where spirit magic was able to break spells. Something like that should be completely impossible. Its ability to break spells meant it had to interact with the magic circles or incantations, and that's exactly what I'm looking to do.
"I see," Veyric nodded his head. "You're saying that spirit magic acts as a gateway to alchemy."
"Yes."
"But what about dark magic? What purpose does my magic serve in all of this?"
"Your magic will act as a binding," I explained. "You see, my true goal is to create a weapon that is capable of using alchemy."
That was my true goal in all of this. By studying their magic, I could create my own incantation; one that would help me perform alchemy. Veyric nodded along, seemingly understanding everything I said.
I could see the greed in his eyes. Since coming here, I finally understood the truth: the reason he was so interested in alchemy was because of the Liora. He wanted to master alchemy so he could live an eternity with her.
"How long will it take?" Veyric asked. That was the million-dollar question, the question that meant everything to him.
"Years."
The magical circles themselves were like a new language. It would take me a considerable amount of time to decipher the language without any guidebook. If I studied nonstop and made alchemy my life, then I was positive I would be able to figure out its secrets within a few years.
"I'll give you five years to complete everything," Veyric said. His gaze had a subtle threat to it, as if to say, 'You know what will happen if you don't follow through, don't you?'
But it was basically impossible. Five years wouldn't be enough for this. I needed more time.
"Ten years," I countered.
Veyric raised an eyebrow, and a frown appeared on his wrinkled face. Suddenly, the air grew heavy, making it a little harder to breathe.
"Ten years, and I guarantee I'll solve it," I said, staring him in the eye so he knew I was serious.
After a dramatic pause, he finally sighed.
"Fine, ten years it is."