Request

In theory, reproducing the Court Alchemist’s work was simple. Although he left no information on the Potion of Youth, he had kept exhaustive notes on the dimensional transfer thing. Kyn had a theory why. “While master was inventing the process, he often boasted that it could never be turned against him because only himself, I, and His Majesty could use it,” the boy said.

Those were the three people in this world who closely matched people from my world, so it stood to reason that only people who had close parallels in the other world could successfully transfer. That would explain the failure of all attempts in my world to reproduce the original other-world contact experiment. Presumably the original theorist had a parallel in this world, and clearly I did too. But how the completely different histories had created specific parallel people, and how the Court Alchemist version of Rei had discovered who they were, Kyn had as little idea as I.

According to his notes, the original experiment had been a multi-year process for the Court Alchemist. I almost panicked at that news, but Carina pointed out that almost all of that time had gone into brewing a Potion of Permanent Language Comprehension the other Rei had taken before attempting to cross dimensions. “Since you already speak your homeland’s language, obviously you don’t need to wait the three years it takes for that potion to stew,” Carina explained. “Subtracting that time, and working off the template the other Rei left, we can do it in...seventeen days.”

Gwyn, who had taken that moment to join his wife after concluding a bout with Arnya, clapped me on the back. “With luck, nothing will get worse in those seventeen days,” he said blithely. Arnya, fresh off yet another victory over Gwyn, nodded in agreement.

“I’m not that lucky,” I muttered, pouring a vial of Infused green liquid into a bowl full of oxidized sand. It exploded into a miniature green mushroom cloud with a stench that forced us all to evacuate the lab.

After we got outside and our eyes all stopped watering, Gwyn clapped me on the back. “See? You did not kill us all with your error. Truly, fortune is on your side!”

The lab remained uninhabitable for hours. I expected Arnya to go back to the throne room or somewhere, but she hung around outside with me and Kyn, making small talk. I enjoyed spending every minute I could with her, but eventually I had to ask “isn’t there some kind of interim king thing you should be doing now?”

She dodged the question, continuing to talk in a cheerful manner, but I now knew her well enough to tell she was stressed. A few minutes later I pulled her out of earshot of the others. I said “I’m not going to tell you how to do your job. I just want to make sure you’re ok. How are you doing with, well, running the kingdom in your grandfather’s name?”

Now that the two of us had some privacy, she sagged in exhaustion, glassy eyes staring into the middle distance. “I understand why my grandfather needs a potion to stay young,” she said. “I feel like I have already aged a score of years.”

“If there’s anything I can do—anything—let me know.” She started to shake her head but I took her hand. “I mean it. I don’t care how good you are, you can’t do this by yourself.”

“My grandfather—”

“He had years of experience, you have days. He could rule openly, you act in another’s name. And don’t forget, you may have civil war on your hands. Like I said, this can’t be a solo act.”

She gave a half-laugh, half sob. “When you put it in such a way…”

“Seriously. What can we do for you?”

She responded almost immediately. “The Council of Lords will convene in two days. The king often speaks in person at these sessions, but as you know that cannot occur this time. So I shall go in his place. Further, I believe Lord Farsight shall initiate his vote of no confidence on that date.” She squeezed my hand, stepping so close I could feel her body heat. “I am afraid, Rei.”

“Of what?” It was hard to think with her so nearby.

“Just…afraid. That if I make a mistake, I doom us all. And worse, I fear…ah, this is cowardice to say at all.”

“Say it. I won’t judge.”

“I fear being without you there, Rei. I wish you could come.”

Immediately, all the reasons to not go flew through my head. Firstly, I still was trying to complete the alchemy that would allow the real alchemist to solve these problems. I also knew that outside the castle walls, away from the king’s protection, I would be in serious danger from the Witch Hunters. If it was true that many nobles sympathized with the Witch Hunters, they might not lift a finger to help if I and Kyn and Carina were slaughtered in the street. And on top of it all, I couldn’t even really accomplish anything at the council other than make the lords even more hostile to our cause.

I said “is that your only request? Of course I’ll go.” I saw by the look in her eyes that she, too, was thinking of the reasons I should not. I squeezed her hand before she could protest. “I promise.”

As I’d expected, Kyn and Carina were not too thrilled with my decision when I spoke to them later that day. “Mister not-master, I believe the process of switching you and my master back will fail if you die,” Kyn pointed out.

Carina said “and the process must be attuned to you. There’s only so much we can do without you here.”

“Then you’ll just have to do what you can,” I told her.

Carina crossed her arms. “Look, I know you have feelings for the princess—”

“Even if that’s true, it has nothing to do with this!” My face was hot. “She needs support.”

“Can’t Gwyn do that? She’s known him longer.”

I couldn’t give a non-embarrassing answer to that objection. Eventually, I lamely said “I have to go.”

From nowhere, I felt a strong hand clap me on the shoulder. Spinning around in alarm, I saw Gwyn, who, as usual, wore an earnest expression. “My wife,” he said, “you ought not come between a young man and the maiden he loves! Love triumphs over all.”

Carina rolled her eyes. “My love, I’m not ‘coming between them.’ I’m trying to save our good alchemist’s life.”

My face still red, I said to Gwyn “why are you wandering off? Shouldn’t you be guarding Arnya like, you know, a bodyguard does?”

“She wished to be left alone for a time, so I rejoined my wife to give her reprieve from her duties with my presence. And low and behold, I find the power of love itself attacked!”

Carina rolled her eyes again. “Dear, you are hopeless.”

Privately, I agreed with her assessment, but I was grateful for any help. Aloud, I reaffirmed “I’m going to the Council of Lords, and that is final. Ok?”

There was a pause. Kyn took that opportunity to say “so love makes you want to die? Then why would anyone fall in love? That’s stupid.”

I ruffled his hair affectionately. “Someday, you’ll get it.”