Legacy of Hatred

Liam had reached that conclusion on his own. It was his interpretation of the complete immersion his Master had once spoken of, the enlightenment he had achieved after he had faced the greatsword’s conundrum, the culmination of seeing his very being as an alchemical concoction.

Truth be told, Liam wasn’t certain his perspective was unique. His Master might very well share it. Actually, most masters in their respective fields might. In many ways, Liam believed he had merely reached the mindset any alchemist worth his salt was supposed to achieve.

Perhaps because of how normal Liam believed his perspective to be, his voice and expression failed to convey his seriousness about the matter, as proven by the replies he received.

"What does that even mean?" The flamboyant man scoffed, tilting his head and crossing his arms.

That initial answer seemed to embolden the two foundation experts around the rank 3 cauldron, who didn’t hesitate to snicker under their breath.

"Life is alchemy," The first foundation expert commented. "Did he read that in a book to impress our Master?"

"He overplayed his hand by spreading such exaggerated lies about his skills," The second foundation expert added. "He must be anxious now that our Master is here to call him out."

The two had done their best to whisper, but nothing escaped Liam’s ears, updating him on plenty of matters.

’So, they are his disciples,’ Liam realized. ’Or servants. They’d never speak about me like this here otherwise.’

The flamboyant man was unaffiliated but possessed the relevance of a master alchemist. Despite being foundation experts, the two believed they could insult a rooting expert without repercussions because of their connection to their Master, just like Horace had wanted Liam to do in the past.

The comments also revealed that the Church had kept some of Liam’s information a secret. Even if Horace Rauret’s involvement weren’t known or revealed, adding the Pale Moon Sect to the equation would have given Liam’s fame more validity.

’Most information about me probably starts from the tournament,’ Liam guessed. ’But it’s a matter of time before everyone learns everything, unless the Divine Cult’s attack has caused more problems than I thought.’

The Church had known about Liam before the attack on the Evergreen Canyon, but anyone else would find it hard to investigate. Some pieces of information might have been lost forever, especially if the Pale Moon Sect had gone out of its way to hide that it had lost a nine-roots genius.

’I did go to the Mercenary Guild with Melissa, too,’ Liam recalled. ’But I was wearing my cape, and we didn’t introduce ourselves.’

Of course, the reason to hide the information didn’t really exist anymore. Horace had wanted Liam to lie about his identity and origin to save him from problematic investigations, but he was a fully fledged criminal at that point. Strength was the only thing protecting him now.

Nevertheless, Liam still brainstormed the topic for two issues. The first involved his true origin, the one even before the Pale Moon Sect. He didn’t want anything leading to Krosstoen village, and he seemed to be safe on that side.

As for the second issue, it involved Liam’s great Master, specifically his name. He desperately wanted to declare to the world that he was Horace Rauret’s disciple.

’I’m already bearing the consequences, aren’t I?’ Liam considered. ’At most, saying that I’m Master’s disciple will attract enemies he has made. Considering how Brother Lancelot has reacted ...’

Liam knew his great Master’s grumpy character, so the list of those who hated him had to be immense. However, at this point, what stopped Liam from taking that desired step was of a very opposite nature.

’People would create problems for Master if they learn I’m his disciple, wouldn’t they?’ Liam pondered, experiencing the echo of a familiar pain. ’I’m sorry, Master. Disciple is a fool.’

As much as Horace had told Liam otherwise, he still worried. If not uttering his name could keep him safe from the messes Liam made, he would continue hiding it.

"Shut up, you two," The flamboyant man harshly scolded, silencing his disciples or servants while pointing a deep frown at Liam. "You, explain yourself better."

Liam didn’t expect the strange branching expert to take his side, but he smelled some vague kinship, which actually had two sources. One was genuine cluelessness, while the other was true interest in alchemy.

’Colleen said he was addicted,’ Liam recalled, diverting his gaze in thought. ’But how do I explain this? I’ve always been the confused one.’

Putting things into words turned out to be harder than Liam had hoped, especially with such philosophical topics, so he soon gave up on attempting anything too complicated.

’Everything is an ingredient," Liam declared. "My being is an alchemical product with a recipe I keep improving."

Snickers began to resound from the two foundation experts again, only for the flamboyant man to interrupt them with a suffocating glare, making them lower their heads in shame, their figures shaking in fear.

The flamboyant man immediately refocused on Liam, tapping his finger on his elbow, his frown deepening even further.

"How does that make sense?" The man asked. "Is sleeping alchemy, too, now?"

"Most ingredients need a drying period to mature," Liam pointed out. "Few concoctions require multiple rests because the incomplete products can’t handle too much stress, just like bodies."

"Lying with a woman?" The man insisted.

"You become one with her," Liam said without a trace of embarrassment, "Just like the alchemist becomes one with a concoction."

"Fighting?!" The man cried.

"Some ingredients oppose refining and must be defeated according to their weaknesses and desired results," Liam explained. "Every opponent falls in that category no matter the kind of battle."

"Mh," The man released a pensive hum, reaching for his chin, caressing a non-existent beard, eventually leaning forward and gesturing for Liam to do the same.

Liam complied, the scene eerily similar to what had happened with Adrian, the question that followed reinforcing that resemblance.

"Do you embrace women just to apply the experience to alchemy?" The man whispered. "Is that all you see in that ... ingredient?"

The man was using Liam’s own perspective there, making things easier to explain.

"There are children," Liam pointed out. "A product using a man and a woman."

"That’s it?" The man asked.

Liam felt the embarrassment now, but that had never once stopped him from speaking.

"Pleasure," Liam responded. "Bodies and actions as ingredients. Conveying affection is another possible product achieved with the concoction known as sex."

Liam wasn’t being cynical there, and he definitely wasn’t emotionless. He just saw every aspect of the world in alchemical terms. Even his own happiness was an alchemical product, with Grace being the main ingredient.

"Enlightening," The man nodded a few times. "I’ll try that the next time I mess with a recipe."

"Do you mess with recipes?" Liam questioned, experiencing some newfound respect for his fellow master. Altering existing recipes was an extremely complex affair, only below creating new ones.

"Predictable results are utterly boring," The man explained. "Alchemy is only entertaining when it’s messy."

The just-born respect instantly vanished. Liam realized what he had done only after he had already slammed his cane from the Roaring Thunder Sect on the man’s head.

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