The Rise of the Exiled Villainess

Chapter 2: The Cursed Lands of Arcana (Umbra) Part VI

There is a loophole to this system apparently… In the book, it was explained that the moment you drink poison, you can use magic to suppress the debilitating effects of the poison in the body. Thus, allowing the poison to be in a dormant state for the mana to pass through and nullify the poison as a whole. In this current timeline, it hasn’t been developed yet and there’s one person that I need to talk to in order to make that experiment possible.

Funny thing though… The one person I’m supposed to get help from is actually my very own doting and overprotective mother, that wouldn’t even let a mosquito bite my delicate skin… Now you know why it’s kinda f****d up…

“Mommaaaaa!” But I won’t know unless I try… and die in the process…

I started calling Momma all over the manor but only Katalina showed up in the midst of my battle cry.

“Is there something you want to do Milady?”

“Where’s Momma?”

“She’s in the basement doing some research. It’s best not to disturb her for now unless you want to be covered in goo once again.”

I remember that s**t… When I was five years old I barged into the basement carrying candied flowers while Momma was in the middle of her incantations. She lost her focus because I looked cute in a maid outfit. Out of nowhere, the liquid magic stone that she was manipulating became volatile and expanded like goo, literally covering everything in its path. Long story short, I became a sludge monster as I walked back upstairs and was later on soaked in the tub like a puppy… Gosh, why do I feel like I’ve seen that scene in hentai somewhere?

“Oh, o-okay Nanny…”

A few minutes after that, Momma finally came up from the basement. She stretched her body for a bit as Nanny Katalina prepared her a cup of coffee. Momma saw me from the couch and immediately sat beside me.

“I’ve heard your voice upstairs, do you need something Eka?”

“Yes Momma! Apparently Eka has been reading books about magic and I wanna ask some things.”

“Hohoho, this is a first. What books have you been reading?”

“Wait here!” I stood up from my seat and rushed towards my room. I borrowed a nearby basket to bring some of the books that I have there.

With the help of Nanny, I brought at least five books about alchemy and theoretical aspects of magic. These books are actually only published here in Umbra, making them quite a rare topic even for magicians in the capital and other dukedoms. Because the Tribespeople of umbra use a different approach to magic, the books here merged some of the outside magical components and theories, and merged it to some of the Umbral traditions.

I gave the basket to Momma and her eyes widened at the sight of these books.

“Do you understand the contents of these Eka?” Momma is starting to get confused… It’s not normal for a seven year old to be indulged with such but I gotta showcase my skills for a bit if I wanna survive.

“Yes, Momma! Eka has some questions about magical proficiency and alchemy.”

Both Nanny and Momma froze upon hearing my words. Well, it is kinda expected but I have to still act like a child amidst this advanced curiosity.

Momma and Nanny looked at each other. Telepathically it seems that they’ve come to some sort of agreement as Momma picked up one of the books and opened the first few pages of it.

“Okay Eka… Momma’s going to ask you a few questions, is that fine with you?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Let’s begin…”

She flipped the pages further and landed on some of the bookmarks. The book is in a mess right now since I placed some sticky paper on the upper portion of each page to mark some important topics (highlighters don’t exist here so, you can’t blame me).

Momma wore her game face on and asked, “What are the important factors of alchemy?”

That’s a simple one, “the artform (transmutation circle), Materials, and flowing blood. Although liquid magic stone would be enough as a substitute.”

“That’s correct. Why is it that we used Liquid magic stone and not blood itself?”

“Here in our lands we also use blood but it is rare since there are only a few magical beasts that can surpass the standard energy provided by the liquid magic stone.”

“My, my, that is also correct! If we use blood to fuel the conditions for the procedure, what are the limitations of alchemy then?”

“From what I understand, we cannot create anything outside the characteristics of the material. The reason why Alchemy is a dangerous process is because of the lack of knowledge of the person doing alchemy. If the alchemist accidentally went above the requirement of the materials, the excess will result in a backlash. This will ultimately result in a failed transmutation and can sometimes injure the alchemist.”

“Can you give me an example of that?” Momma is really testing my brain here…

“Let’s say the circle has been drawn, the blood has already been set, and the materials that I have are iron and wood. Then the product that Eka wants to achieve is a teapot. By using alchemy, Imma slowly change the shape of the iron similar to molding clay. The wood will be used as a handle for the teapot. Eka must be aware of the size of the teapot to prevent any backlash.”

“Hmm… That is correct, but you are missing something dear.”

I’m trying to remember what it is but my answer seems to be legitimate.

“You are right about the procedure but you need to understand that changing metal requires the presence of other elements to make sure it takes form. In the example that you’ve given, you need to have some lit candles, a torch, or even a single lamp nearby to make smelting possible.”

Wait… Then how did Momma make a barrier using alchemy? There wasn’t anything present that can induce a barrier to pop up out of nowhere. I gotta know this…

“But how did Momma make a barrier?”

“You mean the one from before?”

I nodded yes.

“Did you see the floating talismans? The one with feathers?”

Those dream catchers are talismans huh. Considering the amount that I saw, it should be more than enough to enable a barrier.

“Yes Momma! What could those talismans do?”

“They are mediums for casting illusions. The greater the number of talismans, the more potent the barrier and the illusions become.”

Oooooohhhhh, s**t! That’s really cool!

“Me wanna learn it!”

Momma laughed for a bit.

“Of course I’ll teach you everything I know, just not now dear.”

“Why did momma ask me questions?”

“For starters, I need to know if you understand the theories in the book. However, Eka seems to know more than that so there’s no use trying to treat you like a child. Although…”

Momma went close and hugged me tight like a stuffed toy.

“I would still do this to you from time to time!”

*Visualize a poufy and furry cat being smooched*

“Ehhhhh!” I said while trying to escape her hug.

“If you’d like, we can start the lessons tomorrow. Momma just needs to fix the basement for Eka.”

I nodded with enthusiasm as my first step of training is finally on the move. Even if it’s just a little bit, I can let loose with the research and do my own alchemy transmutations under Momma’s guidance. From there, I need to give Momma some hints regarding the magic enhancement. 

Securing the process is of uttermost importance if I wanna maximize the awakening ceremony without any severe backlash… The book described it as “an excruciating scene from which Ekaterina felt like she was dying helplessly.” No way do I wanna go through that s**t… Brutally dying is enough for one lifetime...

We continued the Q and A portion and went through a variety of books related to magic. Momma and Nanny are surprised to see how smart I am even though I’ve been holding back most of my capabilities and vocabulary. Right now, they see me as a genius when it comes to understanding theories but I still try to cover up my habits by hugging Momma and asking for stuff that only kids would like. Having a sweet tooth and rolling around the mud would be the most obvious ones that I know.  

After the tiresome interview, Nanny brought me to the kitchen to oversee the food preparations. So far, the main dish for today’s lunch is being grilled while the soup condiments and other vegetables are being chopped. Similar to what I’ve read in food magazines, western cuisine does not utilize a lot of spices when it comes to fish and chicken. It appears that even food recipes and technologies here are falling behind. I’m trying to contain my excitement of developing new stuff!

The maids gave me small portions of the food to taste! Consistency-wise, the chef appears to have experimented on using lime or lemon as an ingredient for the meat sauce. It’s really soft and tender with a touch of Umami while in the middle of chewing. 

I was later on escorted outside into the dining area where my siblings and Momma is currently waiting. I helped the maids push one of the food carts towards the table to save them some trouble. Apparently, they find my efforts cute and adorable although I’m just itching to eat what’s on the plate…

My days are looking promising due to Momma’s involvement with my plans. Next thing I need to do is to establish a lot of the things that I know in the story and write it down inside a sealed diary that I’m sure Momma or Nanny could provide. I can probably try writing it in Filipino to make sure it’s difficult to c***k and only I could understand it.   

(To Be Continued)