The Mysterious Black Magician

"By the way, teacher, do you have extra empty bottles?" 

Professor Ronnie blinked his eyes at his unexpected question.

"Yeah, do you need some?" Perhaps the apprentice wanted to mix another medicine. He thought so.

"Did you come back here just to practice your alchemy skill?" Rea wanted to ask this, but she decided to remain quiet.

"Yeah. I have something I need to use them for."

"Hm, okay. What specific size are you looking for?"

"Any will do…"

"......"

"I see. Go check at the storeroom. There was an old closet there. Although it must be filled with dust by now, most of them were usable."

Professor Ronnie and Rea were wondering what he was planning to do with empty bottles. Especially in this situation.

Although he could feel Rea's curious look, he did not waste time explaining and directly went to the storeroom after canceling the resonance with his deity.

Dust flew over after opening the beat-up door of the storeroom. Some of them invaded his nose. The smell of it was so awful.

A piece of wood stumbled over and caused a disturbing noise, but Yman disregarded it and scanned the room.

At the corner, he saw an old-looking closet. With traces of insects, sheltering on it for quite a long time. He then walked closer to it and touched the surface. He noticed his fingerprint left a mark on it. Damn dust! He thought so.

Yman thought, 'Sistela would probably creep out if she was a real human or a real fairy or something…"

"....."

Sistela felt her partner was thinking something funny towards her. But she remained quiet.

Yman crouched down on his knee and noticed the closet was locked. "My deity, can you ask the professor if he has the key."

<I see, okay!> She then flew and passed by at Rea who came after them.

"Uh, Miss deity, where are you going?" Rea asked when she noticed Sistela.

<KEY! I'm going to get the key.>

"....."

"I see."

Sistela continued.

Yman, on the other hand, "Damn, so dark," he grumbled.

When he noticed Rea was behind him, he told her not to come inside as it was dusty. He joked that it wasn't good for a young noble beautiful lady to dirty herself in such a place. She blushed. Besides, it was so dark inside. And he was thinking that she might creep out if an insect suddenly came out. "Fufufu." Rea squinted when she heard his chuckle.

He laughed mischievously upon thinking what would be Rea's reaction if she creeped out. However, upon hearing him, it made Rea a little doubtful of his words. She wondered if he was just caring or making fun of her.

To show him that she wasn't the type of person he was thinking she was. She went inside.

However, after she took the first step, Rea stepped on the wood that fell a while ago. The wood rolled and made her lose her balance and stumble.

"KYAAAH!" A deafening yelped startled Yman. He quickly glanced and saw her about to fall.

Yman moved swiftly and was able to reach out her hand. He pulled her towards him. But because it happened so suddenly, he was pulling her in a little forceful way.

Rea was pulled by him and crashed onto him.

"Ngh!"A groan slipped from Yman's mouth when something hit his middle part.

"Aww!" Rea groaned as well.

"Sorry, a-are you okay?" Rea asked shyly. It was her fault, to begin with.

"R-Rea…"

For some reason, he was calling her in a shaky voice.

"What?"

"No. Don't move. I mean move. Wait, I mean don't!"

"What?!" Rea was puzzled by his words. She wondered if something happened to his head.

Rea then clenched her hand. She felt like her hand clenched to something.

"Ah—" Yman covered his mouth.

"Hey! Why are you moaning? So lewd!"

"I mean… stop clenching my—"

"Wait! Why is your hand twitching?" Rea asked as she tried to squeeze it.

"Ah—"

'Deym!' Yman shouted in mind. 'This is so not good!'

"Wait. Why does your hand grow bigger and harder?" 

Rea was puzzled. 

"No Rea! That's a wrong hand!" She screamed.

"??"

Just then, Sistela came in a rush. She heard a noise of a crash just now.

<Partner, are you okay? Is there an enemy?>

She asked and summoned Map Screen to illuminate the room with the slight brilliance it was producing.

"?!"

<.....>

Everyone turned speechless after what they saw.

"Wawawawa—!"

"KYAAAAHHH!!!"

When Rea noticed what she was touching, her face turned as red as magma, and steam-exploded on her head like volcanic eruptions.

Thwack!

It was followed by a crisp impact on his face.

<Oh, oh...> Sistela muttered while having an innocent look.

The three of them came out of the storeroom with red faces.

On the other hand, 

Professor Ronnie noticed a palm mark on his face.

"What happened?"

"....."

Rea glanced away with a flush of redness and a pouty face. But in her mind, she was wondering why it was so big. Would she survive if that thing…? Kyaaaahhh! 

Sistela shrugged her shoulders, indicating she had no idea.

"A… a bug," Yman said while rubbing his face.

"I see. Oh, did you find the bottles?"

"Yes, teacher."

He didn't waste more time and asked Rea to let him enter her world in painting once again. In the world of painting, after wasting up his stamina, he activated his black miasma.

Whenever he activated his Black Miasma, Sistela would be sent to his dantian. She could only return when he canceled it.

Once again, she found herself drifting in the lake of white and black. And the pitiful crimson.

<Hey, you!> she shouted at the demon.

"?!"

"Damn it! Here she goes again!"

The demon exclaimed and drifted away from her. But Sistela followed after him. <WAIIIT!!!>

Outside, Yman started creating fire dolls. This time he made countless Ant Fire Dolls. Each of them took a little sip of Purification elixir. After cleaning the empty bottles, the Ant Fire Dolls dove into it. 

Then they turned into gaseous like dark smoke. Although he called his Black Mana as Miasma, it wasn't a bit like a miasma. It even raised the quality of the elixir. Thanks to its ability to modify skill. And since the ant fire dolls were originally made from a combination of skills, it turned the liquid purification elixir as part of it and became a skill in the process.

Yman then started copying it. After understanding the skill, he could now use a purification skill.

But it wasn't his main goal.

He then stored the bottles in a humid place. Vapors were starting to accumulate inside the bottles and the gaseous substance, mixing with it. A new liquid was formed after staying for a week inside the world of painting.

Seeing that his experiment slowly showed results, Yman felt relieved. But he wasn't finished. He knew it wasn't enough.

He then took the Heavenly Water and dropped little to each of the bottles. He made sure not to empty it as he also needed it for his sister's medicine.

A moment after the Heavenly Water mixed with the liquid inside. The liquid glowed. A smirk was visible on Yman's face. He tried one bottle. After gulping it, as expected! The itchy sensation he felt in his throat had disappeared!

Although he stayed a week inside the world in painting, it only took him a little time in reality.

When he returned, the first thing he saw was Rea's face. Still with a flush of redness. He guessed that she still could not get rid of the things that happened a while ago.

Yman and Rea together with Sistela left the Little Garden.

"Where are we going?" She asked, though her face wasn't looking at him.

"To the Hospital."

When they arrived at the hospital, they saw Airi waiting outside the room. She was wearing an anxious face. Probably, worried for Achan's safety and her friends.

"Crimson! Miss Ella!" Airi called out to them.

"Airi!"

"How are they?" 

Rea called while Yman asked. They noticed Airi's sad face.

"What did the healers say?" Rea asked.

"Miss Ella, they had no way to heal them," Airi said with tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Currently, they were outside the room where the three admitted.

A moment later, the door opened and a healer in a full white suit like an astronaut came out of the room.

"Doc, how are the patients?"

The doctor sighed. "Their situations weren't good. None of our healers could heal them."

The miasma was so strong.

Airi's face turned pale upon hearing him. The doctors and other healers left them as they needed to find a way to cure the patients.

"Miss Ella, what shall I do?" Airi asked with a crying face. Rea, on the other hand, brushed her hair to soothe her a little. She had no idea as well.

Suddenly, Airi felt a hand on her shoulder.

"M… Mr. Crimson?"

"....."

"Let me see them…" he said.