Chapter 6: The Village’s Alchemist
The time now is an hour after noon, when most of the villagers are active in their daily work of contributing for the village.
After his visit at the village's blacksmith, Yasil is currently heading towards the outskirts of the village where the Alchemist's Hut is stationed at, to deliver the items that were requested.
While following the path that leads to his destination, Yasil stops for a moment as he catches a whiff of a subtle but foul stench in the air.
"Uggghh!" Yasil's body cringes in response to the smell, immediately covering his nose with one hand as he proceeds to breathe through his mouth, tasting a disgustingly horrific flavour that almost made him gag immediately.
"D-Dammit... Just what kind of potion has she make!?"
Using his other free hand, Yasil casts a protective spell onto himself. Coating his entire body with a thin layer of barrier magic to block out the horrendous stench, and to prevent the smell from lingering on his body as the boy pressed forward, descending deeper into the path where the fumes would be much more visible and colourful, and the smell to be much more pungent.
"I really want to leave..." said Yasil, hoping to get the delivery done already and move on.
A few minutes later. Yasil is now standing before the entrance of the Alchemist's Hut, covered in multiple thick layers of barrier magic which he had casted upon himself many times, and surrounded by a large quantity of visibly colourful fumes which possess the most horrendous smell that could potentially knock Yasil out, if not for his barriers.
"Lets just get this over with..." the boy sighed as he calls out to his senior from outside the hut.
"Velpa! You here? I've brought the items you had requested!"
... There was no response.
"Velpa! I know you're home! Please come out and take your items!"
...... No response was heard yet again.
"....Velpa?"
With no voice to be heard and only silence to be its response, Yasil nervously braces himself and takes a step forward into the house.
"Velpa, I'm coming in, okay?" said Yasil, going through the curtain doors slowly and cautiously.
However, as soon as he steps inside of the house, Yasil immediately felt a squishy sensation on his right foot and look to see what he had just stepped on.
It was an arm. And connected to that arm, is a dark elf woman with her hair being black on the top and blue on the bottom, lying face down on the hard wooden floor, motionless.
"V-V-Velpa?"
Yasil crouches down and proceeds to gently poke the woman whom he recognised as his senior in the ways of magic, the Village's Alchemist and oddball, Velpa.
As Yasil continues poking Velpa for a while, the woman shows no sign of response. Causing Yasil to panic as he fear the worst that could have happened to her.
"Is... is she dead?"
It was then that the body begin to twitch a little, responding to Yasil's question which he'd said aloud.
"I-I'm.... sti-still.... a-alive......"
"Oh."
Relieved and somewhat disappointed that his wacko senior is still alive, Yasil then begins to question why she on the ground? What happened to her that it would make her collapse?
It is then that Yasil realised something is missing on her. Something that he has right now but not her.
"Velpa... Did you do alchemy without any protection from the smell again?" Yasil asked.
"It.... st-stinks......" Velpa muttered in response.
Figuring out the cause of his senior's current condition, Yasil heave a loud sigh and ask.
"You want me to ventilate the place?"
"Y-yes... please...."
After her reply, Velpa went unconscious on the floor again. So, to not have her body be in the way of his cleaning, Yasil first carries her off the ground and lays her gently on a couch nearby. Next, he locates the source of the gas, which was a mysterious purple concoction in the process of being boiled under low heat, and proceeds to destroy it using magic. After that, all he needed to do was to open every windows in the hut and use wind magic to blow the fumes out, and purify the air to make the place not smell horrible anymore.
This entire process took Yasil about ten minutes. But with Velpa still unconscious on the couch, Yasil decided to kill some time by doing some house cleaning for her until she is conscious again. Thus, taking an hour before Velpa finally wakes up to the smell of food being cooked and not the disgusting fumes created by her, where she can see Yasil in an apron making the food.
Wanting to see what he's making, Velpa sneaks up to Yasil and hugs him from behind, pressing her breasts against his head as she takes a whiff of the delicious looking stew.
"It smells soo good~!" said Velpa.
"And you smell horrible." replied Yasil.
"Hahaha! Thanks."
"That was not a compliment, Velpa..."
After that short exchange, Velpa then looks around her house to find that her floors are clean, her windows dusted, alchemical tools polished, as well as everywhere else that were dirty an hour ago.
Then she looks back at Yasil.
"To think you would tidy up my house. Thanks a lot, Yasil." she said, patting the boy's head as a sign of her appreciation.
"You're welcome." replied Yasil, being focused on the stew he's making.
"But you know... if you were going to clean the entire house, you should have dressed for the part as well." said Velpa. "
Hearing what she'd said, Yasil jumped a little, as he then looks back at Velpa with a menacing glare, who in response, makes a mischievous smirk on her face.
"I still have the maid costume, you know. Want me to get it?"
"No."
"Oh come on! You'd look cute in that, you know."
"I've told you many times, Velpa. I'm not wearing that damn costume ever again!"
"Alright, alright. No need to get so rile up. Besides, there's no point in making you wear it now that you've already clean the area. So..."
"So?"
"So lets take a bath, shall we?"
"........"
An awkward silence loomed the air for a few seconds, before Yasil sighs and turns back to the food.
"Fine... but just let me cook finish first, can you?"
"Oh. You're rather agreeing today. I thought you'd retort back or something, my dear junior." Velpa commented, to which Yasil sighs once again and responds.
"I'm just too tired to deal with you, my dear senior."