The Young Supporter of Darkness

“Why is this this, this…”

Seeing that even the employee guarding the door was shocked, it seemed that he didn’t know.

“What, you didn’t know?”

Daphne’s eyes widened.

“Then you didn’t even know the true value of this?”

“Does this rock have true value?”

“Yes, poison.”

Splash—!

Daphne splashed the now blood-red water on Ken’s face.

“Argh! Arghh!”

“Master!”

Ken started running around to shake off the water. In fact, red spots began to rise quickly on his face.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Daphne laughed at him.

“It doesn’t kill you because it’s incomplete.”

Oh, but will you still feel numb?

Daphne continued, twirling her finger around the empty cup of water.

“How far were you going to trick with this fake?”

Ken’s eyes grew as he was shaking off the water, as if asking how she had known that.

“And you were going to sell it even if you knew it was poisonous, right?”

The emperor did not appear in this case for no reason.

This bum in front of Daphne’s eyes later found out that the ore was toxic.

Of course, it dissolves in water like this, and if you wear it for a long time, your body weakens and eventually dies.

Then, after maintaining the security of only dissolving in water, they pushed ahead with the sale.

Jewels with luxurious colors sold like hot cakes at a low price.

‘Many died.’

The damage to the common people was especially great. As a wedding ring, as a birthday present, as a present for yourself.

Jewels bought to celebrate and commemorate something paradoxically led to the death of loved ones.

However, this was not the decisive factor that led the emperor to come forward.

‘It was after the death of a noble.’

After the esteemed daughter of the Marquis of Elmyre died because of this jewel, other nobles were injured and collapsed one after another.

Only then did the emperor order Alan to catch the culprit.

“Has the young lady of the Marquis of Elmyre already gone?”

“You—how much do you know!!”

“All the things you don’t know, everything.”

Daphne grinned.

“A short while ago. You said you’d give me this store and all your possessions, right? I need to get it. Can you give it to me quickly?”

“Ha! Do you really think I’ll give it to you! You guys!”

Ken shouted and people rushed out of the hidden door.

Those with swords were dangerous at a glance.

“Have you heard of it, the Bear Mercenaries!”

They haven’t heard of it.

Ken threw his good face away and shouted viciously.

A victorious smile spread across Ken’s face, as if he were a famous mercenary.

‘Have the two of you heard of it?’

She secretly glanced at Zegman and Kael sitting next to her, but as expected.

Both eyes were disinterested.

No matter how he interpreted that, the confidence on Ken’s face grew stronger.

“If you give up everything you have now and ask for forgiveness, I’ll save you enough by selling you into slavery.”

Ho, did you get your hands on the slave side as well?

“However, you brat!”

Ken pointed at Daphne.

“You come with me. I’ll dig into how you found out the true value of this ore.”

That’s what Ken said, but his eyes were unbelievably treacherous that it could not be misunderstood. It’s trash.

“With that bitch—Ack!!”

What had been attached to Ken’s body until a moment ago fell off with a scream.

“I’ll handle it.”

“’Kay.”

Kael stood up. And Zegman.

“Do you want to eat, baby?”

And where did you get it from?

He was holding out a half-sliced apple with his bare hands.

By the time the apple was finished, the whole situation was settled.

‘It’s over.’

Daphne looked around the room.

All the confident mercenaries were lying on the floor, and Ken was frothing at the mouth.

Meanwhile, Ken was the only one bloodied.

It was because Kael had taken care of the rest as if he had beaten them with a scabbard.

‘I guess you did it for me.’

To tell the truth, she was not used to blood yet.

“Then I’ll go to make this guy keep what he said.”

Zegman rose to his feet.

He seemed to be talking about the promise to give up all his possessions.

“Take him. That guy is also part of the team.”

Daphne pointed at the frozen employee who had lost his chance to run away.

“Hii!”

“Where!”

Zegman lightly snatched the nape of his neck.

“Baby and son, come out after you do your business.”

Zegman dragged the employee out of the room.

Daphne sat on the sofa and swung her legs.

“Your Grace, please put him down in front of me.”

“Yes.”

When she spoke in a light tone as if asking for some sugar cubes, Kael also responded lightly.

Flump.

Perhaps because of the side effects, Ken, who seemed to be unable to properly faint and was half-conscious, fell in front of Daphne.

“Hey. Where is she?”

“…”

Ken glared fiercely at Daphne, but that was only for a moment. As soon as Kael put his hand on the handle of his sword, he immediately returned to a meek visage.

“Don’t make me ask you twice, will you?”

“…Because I don’t know who she is.”

“That’s a lie.”

Daphne furrowed her brows.

“Alchemist, Adne. You’re in company with her.”

Ken’s face changed. It was a face of how did you know? again.

She was sick of him being surprised.

Daphne got off the sofa.

“Guide me. I’m going to see her.”

“But. Adne, she doesn’t listen to people very well… I mean, barely.”

“I know.”

Daphne, who was on the same side in her previous life, knew best how difficult Adne was.

And that means.

‘It means I’m the only one who can handle Adne the best here.’

Daphne grinned.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“Here it is…”

The place Ken led them to with a brisk gait was a jewellery store and a house connected to the basement.

What was peculiar was that the doors and windows were all blocked, so there’s no way out except for the door to the basement?

‘It must be heaven for Adne.’

She screamed that her body would burn if she saw the sunlight.

Daphne shook her head and went inside.

And in front of the only room, she stopped Kael from entering with her.

“Your Grace, stay here. I’ll go in alone.”

“But.”

“Adne is very shy. I’ll be out soon.”

“Then I’ll be in front of you.”

Kael stood close to the door and said. Daphne nodded and went inside.

As soon as she entered, there was a musty smell.

‘It’s the same as my previous life.’

Daphne laughed bitterly.

And the voice that was heard.

“W-who—who—is—it?”

It was a woman’s voice, terrified.

“Hello.”

Daphne deliberately approached the corner, greeting brightly.

There was a blue-haired woman curled up.

It was Adne.

“Who…? Did Millen send you here?”

The real name of the swindler must have been Millen.

Adne relaxed her guard when she found out it was a little girl.

“Mm-mm, no.”

She was soon on guard again.

“Then h-how. There’s nothing, no door here, so it’s hard to enter.”

“Mmm. Should I say I’m here to help you?”

Daphne deliberately paused and looked around.

Every ingredient was cheap and meager.

It was useful enough to create an ore identical to the red diamond with this.

“Or should I say I’m here to protest your goods.”

“…Protest?”

“Yes. The red diamond you made.”

Daphne intentionally grinned.

“It dissolves when you put it in water?”

“…!!”

Adne leaped up and then slipped back under the desk.

Judging by how she desperately avoided her eyes, she must have known.

‘Your pride must have been hurt a lot.’

Adne didn’t show anything that wasn’t perfect.

But the swindler didn’t need that, and he needed something plausible to deceive.

That’s why he must have pressured Adne to put out a failed piece.

Shall we poke a bit more?

“It was a complete failure. When I dissolved it and sprayed it on Millen, he even got red spots?”

Adne hurriedly moved when she showed the condition of the swindler through a small window into the hallway.

“Do you want to see?”

As soon as Daphne put the red diamond she had taken from the warehouse into the water, Adne saw that it melted.

Daphne slipped in beside her.

“Look, it’s a failure.”

“This is why I said no, that it shouldn’t be put out. Alas, the reputation of a genius is cracked… My reputation is cracked…”

Adne’s body was shaking.

Her pupils were moving faster than that.

“If I had more money, I would have made it perfect!! My formula was perfect!!”

Eventually, tearing her hair, Adne slumped to the floor.

‘As expected, you haven’t changed.’

Adne was an eccentric person.

Usually, she didn’t say a word to other people and showed no interest in anything.

But when it comes to alchemy, the person changed.

Radical, reckless, and immense curiosity and passion.

There were not many people who could adapt to Adne, who had changed 180 degrees.

‘That’s how passionate you are.’

More importantly, Adne also had skills.

Daphne let Adne cry for a while.

Now then, shall we start the conciliatory process?

“Right, your theory was perfect.”

As Daphne spoke sadly, Adne sniffed and looked up at Daphne.

“However, the ingredients are merely too… low quality. You can’t do anything with this.”

“…You don’t seem to know much about alchemy. How did you know that?”

Daphne avoided Adne’s question and picked up random ingredients. As expected, the quality was the worst.

“Can you make a Philosopher’s Stone out of something like this?”

Adne stiffened at Daphne’s words.

Philosopher’s Stone, the ultimate finished product that every alchemist dreams of.

And, by far, Adne was the closest person to that stone.

‘Unfortunately, she didn’t succeed in the past.’

No, she didn’t know.

Maybe she succeeded after she died.

In any case, Adne discovered countless new things while trying to make the stone.

And it all became Alan’s power.

The blacksmith, Hin’s, skill combined with the enhanced sword made it difficult to beat with other swords.

Carriages ran faster and armor became stronger.

‘Alan’s winning streak in everything thanks to her.’

And that power, this time, will be Bertrand’s.

‘I feel a little sorry for Flora.’

After the swindler outside was caught by Alan, it was the heroine, Flora, who saved Adne from being caught and exploited again by the swindler.

‘But you to me…’

Daphne slowly closed her eyes and opened them.

“I can support you.”

“…How can you do that?”

Adne quietly asked, curious even though she was scared.

“One way or another.”

If you need the ingredients, we’ll get you the best ingredients.

If you need a place to experiment, we will provide you with a place.

“But this is too run-of-the-mill, right?”

Adne nodded.

That being said, there was no reason to leave here.

Adne hated leaving the place she had once become accustomed to rather than dying.

“How about demons?”

“Demons?”

There’s a reaction. It sounded like life could be in danger, but Adne’s eyes started to shine.

“That’s right, demons. Whether the metal you make will work for demons. And do you also have any plans to experiment with parts obtained from demons?”

“No, but if you do…”

Perhaps imagining something, Adne’s cheeks turned red.

“Ha… I think I’ll be really happy. I’ll be the first one to experiment with demons, right?”

“Of course.”

As expected, Adne was right.

Adne considered experiments more important than her own life. Therefore, it was to the point where she even pushed ahead to conduct experiments on her own body.

For that kind of Adne, demons that are not available in other territories will sound more precious than anything else.

‘You can never refuse.’

And Daphne’s prediction was not wrong.

Daphne smiled.

“Then will you come with me?”

Coincidentally, my husband is fantastic at catching demons.

afterword

t/n: changed monsters to demons since another word for monster shows up in later chapters that’s a literal direct translation of the word (the word that i used monster originally for is interchangeable with devil/demon, so i didn’t know TT apologies)