It had been several weeks since the encounter and ensuing fight with the evolved Fel. High Winter had come and gone, and life had been relatively normal for David and Niala.

  They had given their report to Caleb, which the mayor had received with the gravity it required, stating he would hire dedicated scouting teams to plumb the high north.

  Coming back home, Niala had been overjoyed to find that Violet, her personal mail avilem, had returned, bearing a reply to their invitation for Leandro's friend.

  Niala had given the letter a good sniff, glanced at David with impish eyes, and left right away to deliver the letter to the veteran knight. David tried to convince himself that he might still win the bet, doing his best to ignore that Niala's nose was very sensitive.

  He'd tapped at the new sword hanging by his belt in consolation. After the fight, Heartsong had shrunk to a normal size and appearance, although it retained its unnatural sharpness and the sea serpent motif. With some testing, they had figured out that mixing their mana into the sword returned it to its oversized proportions.

  They had also confirmed that either of them, but only them, could handle the sword, and “recall” it to its benign form. Leandro had attempted to hold it and had barely wrapped his hand over the hilt before he'd felt an intense burning sensation, forcing him to let go.

  Even Jordo, an unliving golem, had felt the burn and been forced to let go.

  Even more puzzling, they couldn't get rid of it. David had stored the sword in one of his cloths, only to find it lying on the ground when he walked out of the house later that day.

  He'd unrolled the cloth, and sure enough, the sword was missing from it. He then tried to leave it in their bedroom, and Niala had then found it in the pantry.

  They had tried various things, including handing the sword off to Jordo for safekeeping, only for David to trip on it a few minutes later, with the golem reporting that he had somehow misplaced the blade.

  They gave up trying to understand what exactly they had created, and David now simply kept it at his belt.

  Niala secretly thanked the blade, finding it accessorized his look much to her liking, adding a tiny bit of danger to his appearance.

  Training with Leandro had resumed after a few days of rest, while Jordo kept chipping away at the mana materialization research, in the hopes of finding a path for David to attempt the process.

  David and Niala learned to live with the small permanent connection they had with each other. They both cherished the idea that they would always know where the other was, and how they were doing, but it was also very distracting. Especially after they'd found out that, when they concentrated on the link, they could “send” basic emotions through to each other. They had spent a few days sending “Love” and “Desire” through, like little notes passed in class, before getting accustomed to the link simply existing.

  Except when it came to their intimate time, where the link tended to... flare up, and which led to very interesting results. They were still figuring that out.

  Linzy had Niala increase the production of hangover cures, while the demand for Old Woman herbs skyrocketed. The drink had become an incredibly popular morning ritual, and was seen by many adventurers as a cheaper, if less effective, alternative to the hangover potions.

  However, much to Niala's consternation and David's satisfaction, the drink was also being quickly adopted by the rest of the town's population.

  And soon, at the start of late winter, they ran out of Old Woman herbs.

  “I have called this meeting because we've run into a critical situation,” David announced at the assembled group, while Niala sat beside him, face buried in her hands.

  Leandro, Karline, Jordo, Linzy, and Anaakendi were sitting at the dining table, having answered David's summons without knowing what this was about. His declaration had them straighten up and pay attention.

  “What is it, boy?” The knight asked.

  “We're out of Old Woman herbs,” David announced.

  Leandro quirked an eyebrow, Linzy's expression darkened, Karline's eyes went wide as she dove into her belt pouch and began counting something, while Anaakendi stared at David. Jordo... was Jordo.

  “Is it some kind of important remedy?” Leandro asked.

  David shook his head. “Not a remedy, but very important. Without a steady supply, the town might choke on riots.”

  Anaakendi scoffed, rolling her eyes and getting up. “I've no time for this nonsense. Call upon me when there is an actual threat to the town. I will-”

  David held his hand up, silencing the old woman. He very well knew two of the assembled had not acquired the taste, and so he had started a kettle with water. The timing was just right, and it began wailing.

  Soon, a steaming cup of dark brown liquid stood in front of Leandro and Anaakendi, both of them looking at it, then back up to David.

  He dipped his head. “Follow my instructions. Take one sip. Wait a few seconds, then take another sip.”

  Uncertain, the two uninitiated did as asked.

  Their first sip produced the expected result: a grimace and a scowl, then staring at David, asking if this was a joke.

  The man simply bowed his head and motioned for them to proceed.

  Niala looked up through her fingers, hoping that...

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  They took their second sip. Leandro's eyes widened, while Anaakendi frowned and began inspecting the cup and its contents.

  They both took a third sip, then a fourth, and a fifth...

  David turned his head toward his girlfriend and smiled.

  Niala plunged her face back into her hands.

  Anaakendi creased her brow as she tried to understand. Incarnations did not need to eat or drink, able to subsist on mana. They could eat, and the old goat made it a point to have at least one meal a day. “To remember our human roots,” he'd said.

  Nonsense, but she had to begrudgingly admit the routine was... centering.

  But not having to eat also meant they didn't derive the same kind of effect from consuming normal foods as a humanoid did.

  But this drink, it wasn't normal. She could feel that her mana had quickened, flowing more easily throughout her pathways. With it came an energizing effect and increased mental acuity.

  She had more energy, felt more awake, and could think more clearly.

  The only problem was that she couldn't feel any magical effect in the drink, beyond the natural alchemical ones. Certainly, none of the heretical powers the girl's other potions had displayed.

  Looking around the table, she doubted any of those who had consumed this drink had any idea why they were feeling these effects.

  She turned her attention to Niala.

  “Child, this drink is your doing?”

  The catkin's ears twitched before she looked up from her hands. “Huh? Oh, yes! It's a mix of a few different recipes, made with the herbs I found in the garden last spring.”

  “Different... you mix recipes?! Do you not know how foolishly dangerous this is?!” Anaakendi exclaimed, cutting off the other conversations and attracting everyone's attention.

  Niala tucked her ears down. “I... I know, but!” Her ears sprang back up. “I'm not doing it haphazardly! I'm a compound alchemist! I know what I'm doing!”

  The old woman blinked. “Compound...?”

  Leandro, for his part, tilted his head. “You are a compound alchemist?”

  Linzy and Karline both stared at Niala, who shrank under the sudden attention. “Y- Yes?”

  The knight grabbed his chin. “That would explain quite a lot.”

  “Wait, what's a compound alchemist?” Karline asked.

  Anaakendi dipped her head. “I would also like to know. I am not familiar with the term.”

  Niala looked up at David, who beamed her an encouraging and proud smile, giving her the slightest of nods.

  Taking in a deep breath, she began explaining.

  Half a bell later, with her exposition done, Niala observed each of her “students”.

  Linzy was furiously scribbling notes on a notepad, half of them different-sized money signs. Karline seemed somewhat puzzled, while Anaakendi was staring back at the catkin.

  Leandro had clearly known what a compound alchemist was, but had still listened carefully. He was shaking his head in disbelief at the moment.

  Karline eyed the knight. “Mr. Gustall? Is a compound alchemist that special?”

  “Special? Well, yes. I'm not surprised none of you were aware of it, seeing as the number of recognized compound alchemists in the kingdom can be counted on a single hand.”

  That got the courier girl to blink and then stare at Niala wide-eyed, before returning to the knight. “What?!”

  Leandro nodded. “One is the Royal alchemist, two are professors at the Amerose Royal University, and the last is the All Brew, down in Majestic, probably the most well-known alchemist in the kingdom, if not on the continent.”

  He turned his attention to Niala. “And now, an unknown catkin woman in a dead-end town at the far edge of civilization.” He looked back at Karline. “So, yes, I would say it is very special.”

  The young woman looked at Niala, then slumped in her chair. “You and your boyfriend are just... blaaah!” She said, limply waiving a hand. “I've known you for barely three seasons, and I have more stories to tell than I've accumulated with six years of being a free courier!”

  Linzy spoke up. “And I've accumulated fifty princes!”

  Karline choked. “Fift- FIFTY!? What?”

  Niala's ears popped up, staring wide-eyed at the goblin. “That much?”

  The green woman looked at them in turn. “Why are you surprised? Have you seen how many premium potions we've been selling? And you, boss, haven't you been looking at the finance book?”

  Niala blushed somewhat. “Well, huh, you said we were doing fine, so...”

  Linzy gave Niala a look before dragging a hand down her face. “Oh, girl. You are so lucky my 'ma raised an honest little goblin. Wait here.” She hopped off her chair and left, returning a few seconds later with the aforementioned finance book. She opened it, found the page she wanted, and turned it over to Niala. “There, read the number at the bottom of the page. That's the latest statement.”

  Niala eyed Linzy before doing as asked.

  “Five hundred fifty-three.” She blinked, re-reading the number, before looking up at the goblin, who was grinning knowingly. “Are those princes?!”

  “You got it, girl! Youz' nouveau rich! And...” She leaned forward over the table. “Now that I know what you can really do, we're goin' to get even richer!”

  Niala looked at David with panic in her eyes.

  He tilted his head. “What is it, kitten?”

  “I didn't open this shop to become rich! I just wanted to serve good potions to people!”

  David nodded. “Well, I'm sure your father would have said that good skills deserve good rewards, and that amazing skills deserve amazing rewards.”

  She glared at him, her tail going rigid, except for the twitching tip.

  “...What did I do?” David asked.

  She growled, her tone low. “I hate that you're stealing his words without even knowing them.”

  David tilted his head. “What'd he say?”

  She kept her stare on him before sighing in defeat. “His exact words were: a great result is due a great reward, but an amazing result is worth more than money.”

  “He is a wise man,” David said, nodding, while Niala narrowed her eyes at him.

  Karline spoke up. “Who's your father, Niala? You guys referred to him a bunch, and seeing the avilem he got you, I know he's at least rich, but you never said who he was.”

  Niala looked at Karline before glancing at David, who shrugged.

  “Can you... swear you'll keep it for yourself?” She looked at all assembled. “All of you?”

  They all swore.

  She fidgeted with her fingers, ears folded down, eyes down-turned and avoiding their gazes. “My full name is... Niala All Brew.”

  Leandro and Karline's eyes popped out of their orbit. Anaakendi had no idea what the name meant.

  Linzy passed out.