How Come It Feels Hot

The refinement begins.

The dragon tongue herb is ground into powder.

The mithril flower's nectar and a small amount of magical elements need to be extracted.

The eight-branched herb must be carefully handled to avoid its toxins, using only the appropriate amount.

Nanako is quite confident in her alchemy abilities - after all, what kind of mage would she be if she couldn't even brew magical potions?

Bubble, bubble—

The herbs in the cauldron continue to boil, producing bubbles.

Nanako takes out a monocle, carefully observing drops of mysterious white liquid seeping through the distillation tube.

She leans in to take a sniff.

Achoo!

A fishy smell hits her face.

Nanako rubs her nose contentedly, proudly gazing at her masterpiece.

"Officer Nanako? Will drinking this white, sticky liquid remove the curse from our bodies?"

Elina curiously reaches out, taking a tiny bit of the potion's solvent between her fingers. As she pulls her fingers apart, sticky threads form between them.

Crystal clear.

Nanako holds her spoon proudly and says, "It's not that simple. There's still one crucial step remaining."

"What is it?" Elina asks curiously.

Nanako smiles lightly, waving her small spoon: "Secret Source!"

Indeed.

Pure Secret Source is the most important and indispensable step in potion brewing.

Otherwise, it would be no different from an ordinary medicine.

Nanako carefully takes out a small piece of mithril, then uses specialized alchemical tools with a touch of magical energy to carefully inscribe runes one by one according to the book's instructions.

After all preparations are complete.

Nanako carefully places the runes in a specialized device.

Magical energy is the substance diffused from diluted Secret Source.

And if enough magical energy is collected, pure Secret Source can be synthesized in reverse.

"According to my apprentice, there's Secret Source dew near the volcano outside Lake Town, so synthesizing pure Secret Source shouldn't be too difficult."

Nanako ponders as she carefully activates the Secret Source runes.

Gurgle—

The runes emit a faint, eerie mithril glow.

The device starts up.

Nanako continuously infuses her magical energy into it.

Time passes second by second.

Under Elina's astonished gaze, surrounded by countless runes, a drop of liquid shimmering with metallic halos slowly condenses.

Drip—

Elina exclaims excitedly: "It's dripping! Nanako, the Secret Source is dripping from that tiny opening!"

Nanako grins, showing her neat white teeth, beaming with joy.

"Let's keep going! If we extract more Secret Source, we'll have a way to break the curse!"

"Yes, Lady Nanako!"

[At the Church]

"What? You're saying that Winter Spring Valley officer actually extracted Secret Source?"

Knight Commander Marshal stares at the messenger in shock, frowning:

"Are you certain what you're saying is true?"

The attendant pounds his chest with one hand, saying: "Knight Commander, I overheard it outside that officer's room, though I'm not entirely sure of the details."

Knight Commander Marshal falls into deep thought.

It must be true.

Lady Saint Anna had already told them that this curse was indeed related to Secret Source magic.

And to break this curse, they would definitely need to approach it from the Secret Source system.

"But didn't Lady Saint Anna say Secret Source magic was almost lost to time? That only some ancient and evil beings and their kin could master Secret Source magic..."

He frowns and says: "As expected of the Winter Spring Valley mage group, to think they even dabble in Secret Source magic!"

He immediately makes a sinister decision in his heart.

He turns his head, squinting at the attendant, saying: "After they complete the potion, find a way to get your hands on it. I'm sure Lady Saint Anna would be very interested in such a potion!"

"Yes, my lord!"

[At the Alchemist Guild]

Finally, after who knows how long.

Nanako collapses onto a stool, her ahoge drooping lifelessly as she pants:

"Finally finished... That was really difficult, Nanako is completely exhausted!"

Elina gazes excitedly at the half-vial of pure Secret Source.

"Lady Nanako, now we just need to mix the Secret Source with the potion to create the real magical potion, right?"

Nanako gets up, proudly taking the small vial containing Secret Source.

Then she approaches the potion cauldron, focusing intently:

"Yes! Success or failure depends on this moment! It's time to witness a miracle!"

Nanako carefully opens the vial.

Then gently drops a single drop into the iron pot filled with potion.

Splash—

Instantly.

Purple steam rises from the iron pot.

The originally crystal clear and sticky potion instantly transforms into a mysterious liquid mixing purple and red.

Bubble, bubble—

Bubbles constantly rise in the liquid.

"Great success ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ!!" Nanako is so excited she almost jumps up.

This pot of potion matches exactly what's recorded in the book, perfect in both color and smell.

She really did brew the perfect potion!

Elina asks excitedly: "So can we help the residents break the curse now?"

Nanako extends her hand, saying seriously: "Not quite, there's still one very important potion that needs to be used together."

Elina looks puzzled.

Nanako carefully opens the smaller alchemical furnace beside them.

Suddenly, golden light bursts forth.

Inside the furnace is a pot full of golden liquid like oil, looking absolutely dreamlike.

Elina exclaims: "Wow! So bright!! What is this, Officer Nanako? It's so golden!"

Nanako pulls out the formula from her chest, touches her lips, and reads:

"It's a formula that goes with the potion, called... Secret Source Indian Divine Oil!"

Elina pauses, confused, scratching her head: "Indian Divine Oil? What a tongue-twister. Is this some kind of auxiliary potion?"

Nanako nods seriously, pondering: "It must be, though Nanako hasn't figured out if it should be mixed in or taken separately."

Elina (✪ω✪): "It seems so sophisticated!"

Nanako thinks for a moment, checking the book and formula again carefully.

Well, since they're in the same formula, they should probably be mixed together.

Whatever!

Let's pour it in and see!

Nanako struggles to lift the small pot and pours all the golden liquid into the potion.

Bubble—Bubble—

An intense, unusual fragrance bursts from the potion.

Achoo—Achoo—

Nanako and Elina both sneeze hard, then rub their noses, staring dumbly at the strange vapors.

Instantly, both women's faces turn bright red.

"Officer Nanako..." Elina says blankly: "Is the formula really supposed to be like this? Why do I feel like something's not quite right with the smell..."

Nanako rubs her small nose, then touches her burning cheeks, puzzled:

"It should be correct..."

According to the formula, there shouldn't be any major problems.

"But why does my face feel so hot?" Nanako wonders.

And suddenly her body feels hot too.