“Then, you drank a potion that causes blindness in the left eye, but because it was diluted several hundred times, the effect was not obvious. Some mint was added to the potion to mask the unique stench of the agent—a very good idea.”
The Saint said with a smile.
The second potion did indeed sound like a magic potion currently in the practice of brewing. However, the fact that it was diluted a hundredfold and that mint was deliberately added seemed problematic. Looking at it in conjunction with the first potion, the first two seemed to be used to mask what she truly wanted Shade to drink.
“Oh, the third one is a truly ancient potion. It had already appeared back when I was very young; I didn't expect it to still be passed down in the next era.”
The Saint smiled again
“It has many names, but only one primary function: gender identification.”
“Gender identification?”
Shade asked hesitantly, and then more thoughts occurred to him.
“Yes. After a male creature drinks it, their whole body will tremble, but it will have no effect on a female. In very ancient times—well, the Third Era—some terrible and eerie things occupied the world. To distinguish them from humanoid intelligent beings, the people of that time invented a series of potions; this was just a very inconspicuous one among them... Looking at you, it seems you've realized something.”
“Yes... using a conspicuous target to mask the real target. I see. Speaking of which, that delivery mission...”
Shade narrowed his eyes.
Miss Galina's delivery mission, thinking back on it now, seemed reasonable, yet always felt strange. That strange feeling finally became clear at this moment; perhaps that mission was similar to this one. The point was likely not to bring the makeup box back, but to get Shade to try and open it.
He remembered that when he handed the makeup box to the maid in the carriage, she had asked him to try opening it once.
“Using the makeup box to confirm I'm not a woman, and using a potion to confirm I'm a man... what is the goal here?”
He thought for a moment, then looked up to ask again
“Apologies, I might be a bit greedy, but I want to know: am I male?”
Directly obtaining the answer was much simpler than guessing. He believed both his soul and body were, but given the current situation, he had to confirm it to be at peace.
The Saint said cheerfully
“That is another interesting question, but I can answer it. Your body and your soul are both purely male; I guarantee this myself.”
Now Shade felt much more relieved.
As for what that red-haired Great Witch actually wanted to do, Shade still had no clue. And as for the clues he had obtained, now was not a good time for analysis.
Time was running out.
“God, I have come to witness the final wish.”
He steadied his mind and looked up. The young man wearing the ridiculous jester's hat clapped his hands, and only then did the three children finally emerge from the aisle of the toy shelves.
They recognized Shade and understood he was there to grant their wishes, so they showed genuine smiles.
Shade hoped these smiles could be maintained, especially for the boy who wanted to grow up, after he tasted the potion.
The potion had not been brought to the past timeline, which Shade had already anticipated. Although the situation was slightly worse, at least he wasn't entirely unprepared. Shade intended to brew the potion himself; even though he hadn't studied it, he had already asked Priest Augustus about the techniques. This wasn't a complex potion recipe.
“Do you have potion ingredients here? I have obtained a recipe for a potion that can make a child grow.”
He asked the Saint, who nodded gently
“What do you need?”
“The stamen of a Nine-Leaf Astral Flower.”
“I have it.”
The Saint took a whole flower from a counter drawer and placed it on the table. The boy longing for growth, holding his toy wooden sword, looked at them expectantly. It seemed the Saint had granted another blessing, allowing them to understand Shade's language.
“Two live Star-Leap Insects.”
“I have them.”
Two live insects were taken from the drawer.
“Juice them.”
“Can do.”
With a casual squeeze, a disgusting green fluid seeped from the fingers and fell into a small bottle that had appeared on the table at some unknown point.
The boy's face turned pale.
“Nine drops of genetic material from a Barefoot Fire Ape.”
“Truly terrible things.”
But the Saint still took a small bottle from the drawer; there were some white substances in the transparent solution.
The boy's face went completely white
“Wait, sir, is the potion taken orally or...”
“Orally, of course. Also, the feces and saliva of an adult Fire-Tongue Sheep.”
“Interesting materials.”
The bottles were placed on the counter one by one. Just looking at these things made one want to gag. The youngest boy and the oldest girl had already moved far away from the counter, while the boy with the wooden sword's lips twitched as if he wanted to say something.
“Earwax, eye crust, hair, and blood from three ordinary people of different genders and ages.”
“I'm already starting to look forward to the finished product.”
More and more small bottles appeared.
“Gentlemen...”
The boy whispered. Shade didn't hear him because he was seriously recalling the recipe, and the Saint was cooperating with him.
“Finally, the green phlegm of a mule—a hybrid of a horse and a donkey.”
“Blegh~”
The girl made an exaggerated gagging sound and hid in the middle of the shelves with the youngest boy. The latter was truly afraid, while the former had a look of enjoying the spectacle.
As for the boy with the toy wooden sword, his expression was on the verge of collapse.
God produced the materials. Shade looked at them with a solemn expression, knowing he faced a massive amount of work. There were seven minutes left; he planned to try twice. If both failed, he would change strategies and use rhetoric to satisfy the boy's need for growth.
“Gentlemen, I...”
Although the boy with the toy sword was young, at this age, he already understood the "lethality" of the things on the counter.
“Oh, and curdled, sour milk! I actually forgot that!”
Shade slapped his forehead, and the Saint smiled as he took a milk bottle from under the counter. It probably wasn't just sour; Shade saw a layer of terrifying brown and green stuff floating on the surface of the milk.
“Gentlemen, I don't want to—”
“Are these all the materials?”
God confirmed with the detective from the future. Shade thought for a moment
“Honey is optional; it's not a necessary material, just to adjust the taste.”
“Very well, I will help you brew it.”
God smiled happily. The God who claimed to have no power pointed a finger at the items on the table. In a flash of light, they merged together, becoming a terrifying potion contained in a teacup.
Not only was the smell terrible, but the color was equally horrifying. This color was the same as the one Priest Augustus had brewed; God would not make a mistake.
Only at this point did Shade breathe a sigh of relief. Although God had let him come to grant the wish, He didn't seem unwilling to help; it seemed He only wanted Shade to find the method.
“That's it, this is it. Potion: The Price of Growth.”
Saying this, he turned away from the counter and beckoned to the boy with the toy sword, trying his best to put on what he believed was a kind expression
“Come and experience the growth you desire. This will absolutely be unforgettable.”
Because the smell was so foul, Shade had to speak in a muffled voice. Seeing Shade look at him, the boy's eyes widened and he backed away, instinctively raising the toy wooden sword to block himself
“No, I don't want to drink it! You're a liar! This isn't the growth I wanted!”
(End of Chapter)