Arcane Innovator

The day of the highly anticipated meeting had arrived, and I shifted nervously on my stool as I was once again going over my daring scheme.

I was sure I could burst open the water container quite easily if I sufficiently increased the pressure inside of it. But for obvious reasons, I couldn't test it beforehand, so I need to be prepared for any kind of eventuality.

Both Isadora and Elena should be in the workshop shortly before the apprentice is scheduled to arrive to package the herbs his Master has ordered and to do final checks to make sure that everything is flawless.

That will also be the perfect time to enact my plan. The only thing I need to be careful about is making sure the water doesn't spill on the herbs, or they will be ruined. 'That should be doable.' I thought as I meticulously cleaned the shop since Isadora wanted everything to be spotless before such an important customer arrived.

I suppressed a yawn as I had to wake up very early today to manage all this extra work. But if everything works out today as planned, it will be more than worth it. As usual, Elena and Isadora were engrossed in their routine tasks, preparing for the day ahead. I made sure to stay out of their way, observing them discreetly.

Once we were finished with all the preparations and Isadora was getting ready to open the shop, it was time for me to put my plan into action. I quietly slipped out of the back door and made my way to the well, a mischievous grin playing on my lips.

I made sure the water container was full to the brim today. Normally, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to draw so much water by hand and then carry the buckets inside, but for me, it was an easy task.

I channeled my energy into the water inside the well, drawing it out. Instead of filling the nearby buckets, I made it flow into the air and then through the open window right inside the container.

The whole thing took only about half a minute to complete. 'I'm getting pretty good at this.' I nodded with satisfaction. I was pleased by the strength of my magic control, as it seems my powers still continue to grow. Even though my progress is slowing down as I don't have much time to train nowadays.

Several more hours passed in tense anticipation, and soon it was the time when the Alchemist's apprentice was supposed to come to the shop. Elena and Isadora stood by the table in the workshop, both oblivious to what was about to transpire as they were busy packing the herbs.

I stood at the back of the room, unnoticed, as I concentrated solely on my task. I channeled my magic into the container, aiming to create enough pressure to make it burst when they least expected it.

I focused, my hands slightly trembling with nervous anticipation. With a final surge, I released all the energy into the container.

*BOOOM*

The cries of shock echoed through the workshop as the container exploded, spraying the whole room and completely drenching both Isadora and Elena from head to toe with water.

I couldn't help but stifle a giggle. Isadora's hair clung to her face, and water dripped onto the floor. Elena didn't fare any better. Her elegant dress clung to her skin tightly, revealing both her underwear and her dismayed expression.

"What in the world just happened?" Isadora exclaimed, her voice a mixture of anger and confusion.

"I... I have no idea," Elena stuttered, wringing out her soaked dress.

I emerged from under my desk, where I quickly ducked for cover. I did it mostly for show, as I made sure not a drop of water landed either on me or the herbs on the table.

While I was pretending to be shocked by the scene, I exclaimed, "Master! Elena! What happened?"

Elena angrily turned towards me before shouting, "You!... What did you do?!"

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything!" I retorted

Isadora's gaze landed on me, suspicion flickering in her eyes. "Darian, you were the one who filled the container, no? Did you have something to do with this?"

I widened my eyes in feigned innocence. "Me? No, of course not! I just filled it with water like every morning, and when I saw it suddenly burst, I hid under my desk... I have no idea what just happened!"

Isadora sighed, frustration evident on her face as she looked at her soaked dress. But then her eyes widened in horror as she remembered the important meeting that was about to take place. It was the first time I'd ever seen her make a face like that.

Elena shot me a glare, clearly blaming me for the mishap. However, Isadora quickly snapped out of her stupor as she was aware of the dire consequences of this "accident."

While hastily checking the herbs and seeing that they were still in perfect condition, she quickly made a decision.

"Darian, you will have to go to the meeting in my place. Clean yourself up, and remember what I told you about being respectful to our customers. We cannot afford to fail."

'Hahaha! YES! It worked... It worked!' Suppressing my glee, I cleared my throat and nodded earnestly. "Of course, Master Isadora. I will do my best."

As Isadora and Elena hurriedly cleaned up the mess and tried to salvage what they could of their appearance, I quickly readied myself, knowing that this was just the opening act of my plan and the hard part was still in front of me.

I tried my hardest to suppress both my victorious smile and the nervous apprehension from the upcoming meeting from showing on my face as I projected an air of confidence. This turn of events presented a great opportunity, but it also carried risks, and I needed to make the most of it.

Before I stepped to the front of the shop, ready to greet our VIP customer, I noticed Isadora hurrying towards me. She leaned over and whispered to me, "Don't you dare mess this up, or it will be the last time you ever set foot inside my shop!"

I widened my eyes, as it was rare for her to threaten me like that. 'She really cares about this,' I realized. I still didn't know how she formed this connection in the first place, but it must mean a lot to her.

Well, not that I planned to mess this up. I needed it to work out too. Not only would I be able to establish my own connection to an Alchemist's workshop, which was invaluable by itself, but I could also learn some of their secrets. And perhaps I could even sell them some ingredients in the future, making a lot of money in the process.

I looked at Isadora with a serious face and simply nodded before stepping inside the shop. Both Isadora and Elena then retreated upstairs to dry themselves and change their drenched clothes. This was perfect for me, as I didn't have to worry about them eavesdropping on my conversation.

Shortly after I entered, I heard a knock on the doors, and I hurried to open them. Isadora closed the shop shortly beforehand so that no other customer would infringe upon this meeting.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the doors and immediately spotted a tall young man dressed in a pristine robe, standing outside with a carefree smile. He was completely unaware of the dramatic events that had unfolded here only a few moments ago.

Despite his youthful appearance, he seemed to possess an air of mystery and wisdom that surpassed his years. With a piercing gaze, he looked at me, and before I managed to gather my thoughts, he had already spoken.

"And who might you be? I was supposed to meet here with the herbalist, Isadora..."

"Uhm, please excuse me." I began, trying to sound confident. "My name is Darian, and I'm Isadora's most trusted apprentice."

"There was an unforeseen incident, and she couldn't attend the meeting herself. I've been entrusted to handle this matter in her stead..."

The apprentice eyed me skeptically, likely taken aback by my youthful appearance. "Is that so? I can come back another time if you are having problems..."

"Oh, that won't be necessary! It was only a small, insignificant inconvenience, and we already dealt with it. Please come inside! We have your order ready for you to look at it." I quickly stepped aside to let him through.

He seemed unconvinced but decided to entertain the situation. He stepped inside while his sharp gaze scrutinized the shop.

I showed him the herbs that Isadora prepared, and he carefully examined them. Everything seemed to be in order, as I could see his stern gaze softening.

'Now or never...' I thought nervously as I decided now was the right moment to show him the Moonlight Aster. I carefully laid the flowers on the table and signaled to him to get his attention.

"Besides your regular order, please look at this rare ingredient that I believe an Alchemist of your stature would find intriguing."

"Is this...?" He eagerly examined the flowers with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Yes, this is a Moonlight Aster," I replied, slightly surprised at how smoothly everything was going.

After he examined them, he placed the flowers back on the table. "But how come Isadora didn't mention this?"

"Well, you see, these flowers are mine. I picked and dried them myself."

"Is that so...? He looked at me with a puzzled face. "You would go behind your master's back to sell this to me?"

I smiled brightly. "This was a part of my apprenticeship test. When I gathered them, I wasn't an apprentice yet, meaning I'm not breaking any rules by selling them."

His confusion quickly gave way to a mischievous smile. "Is that so...? Not that I would care either way... My master will be pleased by this, as you don't see such a rare catalyst every day. So I will buy them from you."

I suppressed my glee as I tried to maintain a poker face and simply nodded in return. I reminded myself that he mustn't notice my eagerness to sell, or else he will try to scam me with a low price.

"I can offer you two marks of silver for both of them." He said after a while of thinking.

'Wow! That's a lot more than I was expecting. From his tone, I feel like I could haggle a little bit more. But given the fact that I don't know their exact value, I don't want to try my luck.'

So, in the end, I accepted his offer. Even so, just those two flowers cost almost as much as a whole batch of umbrifila from the Forest behind my village, so I was very pleased.

I then quickly wrapped things up in case Isadora came into the shop. We exchanged formal farewells, and he was on his way while I simply stood by the doors with a big smile plastered across my face.