01.15 - I`m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Get A Job

I leaned back at a soft cushioned couch seat in our home.

Tia sat across the table, seemingly pondering on the revelation about our families debt.

“So, what are we gonna do now?” Tia asked after hearing of Alfred's revelations concerning the debt. “We could just take care of the creditors.”

“Not a good plan,” I said as I straightened up. “Killing people is a measure of last resort, they are not like monsters.”

“What’s the difference?” Tia asked. “We are all living beings. The strong eat the weak.”

“We are not talking about Horned Rabbits here,” I said. “The debt isn’t insurmountable, just a few years worth of an average callings income.”

I said ‘just a few’, but it was quite a lot given how most of that income would usually be spent on housing, food, and other living expenses.

“But you also think that a regular job would barely manage to pay any of it off in years, if not decades,” Tia said after reading my train of thought.

“True,” I said. “We could probably dodge this knife if I accepted my fathers renewed offer to enroll in Officer’s school and joined my supposed siblings in the military afterward… take down Seth… and everything.”

“...but Dawn wouldn’t be so lucky,” Tia said. “She can’t just abandon any responsibility.”

“Didn’t you just say ‘the strong eat the weak?’” I asked.

“Family is different!” Tia protested.

“We could try to bail her out too and put the blame right where it belongs,” I said.

“On your ‘mother’?” Tia asked with a tilted head.

I shook my head.

“On my ‘father’,” I said then paused. “Or maybe on the true root of all evil. But to be quite honest, that’s a pipedream. At least for now.”

Yeah, that wasn’t an option. I had a way to get there, but then what?

There were only a few options right now.

Officer’s school was a last resort.

I should try to deal with things on my own first.

“I’ll try to secure a calling as an Alchemist,” I said. “And we’ll try to make additional money through quests on the side, but without drawing too much unwanted attention.”

Easier said than done.

“We could make use of your Transformation Skill…” I said as my thoughts drifted further.

“...And you wanna ask Dummy for help?” Tia asked after I half finished my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I said. “Kentaro could come in handy. And he still owes us.”

“Hmpf.” Tia crossed her arms in protest. “He’s so rude. Doesn’t even respect proper mating protocol.”

—

Then the long awaited letter from Isabella arrived.

The practical apprentice entry test would be held in their workshop a week from now.

Apparently I was the only candidate for now.

I used a part of the windfall of fresh Skill and Class Points to further level up my alchemy and some of the related Classes and Skills.

//========================================

// Hero - Lvl. 3 - Grey Morgenlicht

// Classes & Skills:

…

// Shapeshifter Lvl.23

Transform

// Alchemist Lvl.41

Potion Brewing

Decomposition

Transmutation

Elixir Crafting

Poison & Antidote Mastery

Distillation

Reagent Identification

Aura Reading

…

// Stats:

Physical Power 227

Physical Resist 223

Special Power 211

Special Resist 227

Status Power 239

Status Resist 241

Random Power 193

Random Resist 257

// Familiar: Tia

//========================================

Tia and I arrived at the workshop, fifteen minutes before the scheduled time, and knocked on the closed front door. We looked at the store's display while we waited for someone to respond.

There were potions of various colors as well as common alchemical ingredients.

Antidotes, Lower Health and Energy Potions, and even some low grade poisons and a single luxurious vial filled with a blue substance meant to support more carnal desires.

Isabella opened the door not too long after and welcomed us in.

“Dad… Geber…” Isabella paused playing around with one of her green twin tails. “The master of the workshop is currently unavailable due to a sudden injury. So I’ll be overseeing the test.”

We followed her into the workshop's working area in a backroom.

“We usually offer a task of the candidates choosing,” Isabella said as she pointed at the various work stations. “Potion Brewing, Transmutation, or Antidote Making. You are free to pick your specialty.”

“Potion Brewing,” I said as I stepped to the working area.

“Great, a Minor Health or Energy Potion?” Isabella asked as she reached for a jug of regular water as a basic solvent.

“Actually,” I said. “I had a High Health Potion in mind.”

“A High Health Potion?” Isabella stared at me in disbelief. “Do you have any idea how much the ingredients cost? The Sonnenblattnektar alone!”

“I swear, I’ll pay you in full for the lost ingredients if this goes south,” I said.

“You’d better,” Isabella said. “You helped collect a few ingredients, you should know most of them ain’t cheap. I don’t even know if we have all the other required ingredients at hand.”

She began collecting the resources, starting with a vial of the Sonnenblattnekta, which was stored next to the stuff we had collected a month ago.

“Crushed ruby dust,” Isabella said as she reached for a hidden compartment below a drawer.

“Pure spring water.” She reached for a big glass jug with a sealed top lid.

“Blessed salt.” She took a closed wooden bowl from one of the shelves.

“And…” she paused. “I think we are missing the blood.”

“A single drop of blood from a lesser drake?” I asked as I looked at Tia. “...or maybe…”

“Hey, I am not a drake!” Tia protested.

“Let’s make that a drop of dragon blood,” I said.

Isabella looked at me like I was a lunatic.

“No way!” Tia protested.

“Please,” I said. “Just this once. I’ll find some rainbow slimes later. Double serving of royal jelly parfait!”

“Tripple,” Tia said. “Plus two for Dawn.”

“Fine,” I said. “Deal?”

“Deal,” Tia said as she cut her left index finger with her right fang and dripped a drop of her blood into the potion flask.

“Hey, you can’t just use any old substitute for…” Isabella said, but it was too late.

I had already mixed all five ingredients and applied my Potion Brewing Skill.