6 — Chapter 6

I stood before a large mansion.

It was exactly as the bald man had described. This appeared to be the residence of the alchemist in question. The grounds were enclosed by black iron railings; beyond a lawn and flowerbeds stood the house itself. It had a very tranquil, refined atmosphere. I almost doubted anyone actually lived here.

Standing around wasn’t going to get me anywhere, so I approached the gate that served as the boundary to the property. From what I could see, it wasn’t locked. I’d heard that those who entered with intent to rob never returned. I’d better pay close attention.

“Ugh…!”

The moment I touched the gate, there was a loud zap. My fingertips went numb for a second. It felt like I’d been hit by a massive burst of static electricity.

I stared intently at the gate. Complex patterns were etched into the surface. At a glance, they looked like mere decoration, and I couldn’t see anything else out of the ordinary. Even I could figure this much out. This was magic—a trap meant to electrocute anyone who touched it. The reason I’d gotten off with just a “static shock” was likely thanks to my high-level defense.

This, right after I’d vowed to be careful. Magic is a pain. It involves unknown phenomena, and I’m severely lacking in knowledge. The crisis-sensing abilities I’d honed in my old world didn’t work quite right against magic. I’d just have to get used to it. If I relied solely on my high-level physical abilities, I’d eventually make a fatal mistake. I decided to view magical traps as “shape-shifting landmines.” That should help my intuition kick in.

“Good grief, what a warm welcome,” I muttered.

I clicked my tongue and kicked the gate open. This time, I didn’t get shocked. I began to move forward, scanning my surroundings. I stayed focused so I could react to anything at a moment’s notice.

Contrary to my expectations, I didn’t find any other traps. Either there really weren’t any, or they were set so skillfully that I couldn’t detect them. Feeling a slight sense of unease, I reached the front door of the mansion. I observed it carefully, but no traps seemed to be set. I didn’t find any strange patterns, either.

I gave a light knock. “Hello? Is the alchemist in?”

I waited for about a minute. I strained my ears, but there was no reaction. Was she out? No, according to the intel, the alchemist was supposed to be a shut-in. The chance of her being out was low.

Just then, the door opened slightly. A pair of amber eyes peered through the gap.

“…Strange. I wondered why the detection golems didn’t move. You’re a person with no magical power. I’ve never seen that before.”

It was a young woman with a quiet voice. Since they called her a “witch,” I’d imagined someone much older and more sinister-looking.

“Are you the alchemist?”

“Yes. That’s right. Who are you?”

“I’m Jack. Jack Aaron. I have some things I wanted to ask about magic. Sorry for the unannounced visit.”

“Things you want to ask?”

The alchemist behind the door gave off an air of contemplation. She might have been trying to gauge if I was telling the truth. After a moment, the conversation resumed.

“…Fine, come in. I was just taking a break.”

“Appreciate it. I owe you one.”

The front door opened fully. The woman who appeared was dressed in navy blue clothing. She looked to be in her early twenties, with transparently beautiful silver hair styled in a short cut. She had a slender build and skin as white as porcelain. Perhaps because her eyes were downcast and her expression was blank, it was impossible to read what she was thinking.

Overall, she looked like a quiet, high-born lady. She possessed a certain frailty, a precariousness that felt like she might crumble at any moment. On the other hand, her eyes hid a dark desire—an indomitable madness. A tenacity that would never break flickered in her gaze.

I see. She wasn’t just some timid girl. It made sense why they called her a witch. It wouldn’t be surprising if she was performing cruel experiments in the background.

Ignoring my internal monologue, the silver-haired woman began to walk away with quick, silent steps. After a short distance, she stopped and stared at me.

“Follow me.”

“You got it.”

I followed obediently. She was a woman of few words, clearly the type who wasn’t good at conversation. Despite that, she’d let me into the house quite easily. Was it a trap? I decided to keep my guard up.

As we walked, I spoke to her from behind. “By the way, tell me your name.”

“I am Alice.”

“That’s a nice name. Good to meet you, Alice.”

Led by Alice, I entered a room in the mansion. It was decorated, but not excessively so. In the center were a table and chairs. Alice and I sat down facing each other across the table.

“So, what is it you want to ask?”

“Well. It’s a long story if I start from the beginning…”

I organized my thoughts as I explained: how I’d been kidnapped to this world via the Empire’s summoning magic, how things hadn’t worked out and I’d escaped, and how I was looking for a way to return to my original world. I omitted the more “violent” parts of the story. I still couldn’t read Alice’s personality, and I didn’t want to risk making her wary by telling her everything I’d done so far.

“…And that’s the gist of it. I want to use return magic to get back to my old world. Since you’re an alchemist, I thought you might be able to help. What do you think? Even just telling me what you know would be a huge help.”

Alice rested a finger against her lips, lost in thought. After about thirty seconds of silence, she answered quietly.

“To put it simply, it’s not impossible. However, it is incredibly difficult. First, we’d have to establish the spell formula itself. That requires research facilities and materials. To carry it out for real, you’d want the support of a major organization. For example… a nation.”

I nodded as Alice spoke with newfound fluency. It seemed that when the topic shifted to her field of expertise, her tongue loosened right up. Her assessment was largely consistent with the information I’d gathered earlier.

Honestly, hearing that return magic was “not impossible” was a surprise in itself. But the sticking point was the need for backup for the research. It looked like making progress as an individual would be tough.

To get the support of a nation, I’d first have to head to a different country. Maybe I could get picked up by another kingdom or sell myself as a mercenary. If that resulted in the development of return magic, it would be a small price to pay.

However, even if I tried to get hired, I was worried about whether things would go smoothly. In this world, I was a “Bomber” in both name and reality. I had my doubts about whether I’d be treated fairly. Since the Status system existed, I couldn’t exactly fake my resume. I could easily see myself being looked down upon, cheated, and used as a convenient tool.

Besides, I personally despise being tied down by national interests. Now that I’d played the “City Core Explosion” joker, I felt like I might just do it again. There was a part of me that couldn’t resist the nature of a Bomber.

‘Man, this is a headache…’

As I sat there with my arms crossed, groaning, Alice peered into my face.

“You have a difficult expression. You don’t want to belong to a nation? You said you had a falling out with them, but the Imperial Capital’s technical prowess is the best on the continent. I think going to apologize and seeking their aid would be your fastest route home.”

I gave a wry smile and scratched my cheek at Alice’s perfectly logical advice. She was absolutely right. I couldn’t find a single point to argue with. However, there was one fatal flaw in following that advice.

I’d intended to keep it a secret, but whatever. I was getting tired of trying to talk while dancing around the most important part. I lowered the tone of my voice, adopting a dramatic air.

“Don’t have a heart attack, okay? The truth is, I blew the Imperial Capital to bits. Even if I wanted to go apologize, it’s gone.”

“Eh? You… blew it up…?”

Alice stared at me, looking a bit blank. After a few beats of silence, she looked away as if she felt sorry for me.

“…I’m sorry. I’m not very good at laughing at jokes.”

“It’s no joke. It’ll be breaking news soon enough. It’s the honest truth.”

Alice looked half-skeptical but also deeply intrigued.

“How did you do it? I don’t feel any mana from you. You can’t use magic, right?”

“Yeah, of course not. I can’t even produce a single fireball. But I have a special skill.”

Since we were on the subject, I decided to tell her about [Bomb Manufacturing EX++]. It wasn’t like it cost me anything to share. After hearing the full explanation, Alice spoke with an expression like she was suppressing a headache.

“Skills have ranks. A-rank is already at the level of a master, and ‘EX’ is the stuff of fairy tales. In your case, you even have a ‘++’ correction. That’s a completely different dimension. It’s a power that makes the impossible possible.”

“Hearing it put like that makes it sound amazing. I’m starting to feel proud.”

“You speak as if it’s someone else’s problem. It’s your own power.”

“Of course it feels like someone else’s problem. It’s a power I was just given out of the blue. I like the effect, though.”

I have the strength I’ve cultivated through my own effort and experience. There is nothing more trustworthy than that. To me, a skill was merely a supplementary power. Relying on it too much would be a mistake.

Alice glanced at the grandfather clock standing against the wall and quietly rose from her seat. Just as I was wondering what was up, she pointed to the clock.

“I’m curious about the performance of your skill, but it’s almost time for dinner. Would you like to join me?”

“Oh, that’d be great. I’ll take you up on that.”

“Then I’ll prepare it.”

With a faint, almost imperceptible smile, Alice clapped her hands. Immediately, several dolls with a plaster-like texture appeared from the doorway. They worked together to set the table with dishes of food.

“What are these things?”

“They are golems. I made them with magic. They all listen to what I say.”

“Heh, alchemy is pretty convenient. They just move automatically according to your orders? Basically, they’re robots.”

“I don’t know what a ‘robot’ is, but I use them to help me live.”

Once the food was set, dinner began. At first glance, the dishes weren’t that different from the ones in my old world, but there were many ingredients I didn’t recognize. When I tasted them, I felt they were a bit lacking in salt. That might just be Alice’s personal preference. Well, it was edible. If you asked me if it was good or bad, it was definitely good.

“By the way, what should I call you?” Alice asked during the meal.

Cutting into a steak with a knife, I answered in a casual tone.

“Jack or Aaron, whatever you like. I don’t mind either way.”

“…I see. Then I’ll call you Mr. Jack.”

Alice looked somewhat satisfied. Maybe she’d been wondering how to address me this whole time.

“So, Mr. Jack. Have you decided where you’re staying tonight?”

“I was planning to borrow an abandoned house in the slums.”

“Then how about staying at this mansion? I have plenty of empty rooms. I think it would be more comfortable than a ruin.”

“That’s a tempting offer. I’ll take you up on it.”

I grinned while stuffing my face with steak. It seemed I’d managed to get on her good side.

However, this was the mansion of a “witch” from which no one had ever returned. And here she was, sitting right in front of me, inviting me to stay the night. No matter how you looked at it, it was dangerous, but the allure of a comfortable bed was too much to resist. Besides, I had the confidence to handle it if anything went south. If she did anything suspicious, I’d just have to crush her.

“Mr. Jack. You possess a very resilient spirit. I think it’s wonderful.”

“A resilient spirit, huh? I usually get called insensitive or thick-skinned.”

“You might not realize it yourself, but you are a very rare human being. When I first saw you, I was so intrigued that I invited you inside.”

“What, was it love at first sight? Hahaha, being a heartbreaker is a sin.”

I shrugged and joked, but Alice met my eyes without changing her expression.

“I like people who are broken like you. I never get bored just looking at the corruption of your soul.”

“Ah… and there’s the reason I can’t just be happy about the compliment. Well, I’ll take it as a word of praise anyway.”

Caught off guard, I gave a wry smile mixed with a sigh.