Arcane Innovator

I was just getting ready for dinner when an agitated-looking Bernadette informed me we had a visitor.

'Hmm? Who might it be at this late hour? And why does she look so frightened all of a sudden?' I wondered, silently observing her.

"Well, who is it then?" I asked as she just stood there oddly quiet.

"It's his excellency Leopold von Scholl, the chancellor of the Alchemist Guild himself." She finally said, looking quite bewildered.

I simply raised an eyebrow in amusement as I didn't expect them to move so quickly. It was indeed odd for such an important person to come unannounced. But I guess the formalities are quickly forgotten when the money is on the line.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise. Please go seat our esteemed guest in the large salon and tell the cook to prepare some refreshments. I'll be right there." I said confidently, trying to maintain a steady voice.

After Bernadette left, I slumped down and sighed. 'What a bothersome situation...'

I hurriedly changed out of my work clothes, putting on my expensive attire to properly play my role as the master of the house.

Before going to the parlor, I quickly stopped at Theo's room. After today's grand revelation at the market, we decided it would be better for Theo to stay here for the time being until things settle down a bit, as it will be much safer for him.

I knocked on his door, and after a short while, he answered. "Ah, it's you! I'm almost ready. I'll be joining you at dinner shortly."

I chuckled. "I'm not here to hurry you. I only wanted to let you know that your friend from the Guild, Leopold von Scholl, has paid us a visit."

Theo's carefree expression instantly disappeared. He widened his eyes and took a step back, looking startled. "He's here?"

"Yes, he's waiting downstairs as we speak, but don't worry. I know you don't like to deal with any drama, so what if you skipped dinner tonight and stayed in your room, and I'll deal with it? I will send you some food up here afterward."

Theo's tense face instantly loosened, and he showed me a relieved smile. "You'll do that for me? Thank you so much. I hate dealing with that stiff old man. Especially when he's angry."

The corners of my mouth twitched as I listened to him. 'What's the deal with that chancellor? Both Theo and Bernadette looked like a pair of scared chickens just at a mention of him.'

I gulped nervously, trying to keep a steady voice as I said a farewell to Theo. Suddenly, the notion of meeting the old Alchemist didn't seem so enticing anymore.

Alas, it was my idea to start selling the potions in the market, so it was also my duty to deal with the consequences. So there was nothing but to gather my courage and go downstairs to finally meet our guest.

I slowly descended the stairs, my heart loudly beating in my chest, but I was determined to see this through, no matter the cost.

Finally, I entered the salon and found our guest sitting in a richly decorated chair, unfazed, as he sipped a cup of tea.

When he spotted me, he promptly jumped to his feet, and I was met with a tall, imposing figure. The chancellor was quite a formidable man, with piercing amber eyes that seemed to bore into my very soul.

"Oh, so you are the brilliant upstart the whole city has been talking about recently," he said, his voice cold and unyielding.

"I'm Leopold von Scholl, the chancellor of the Alchemist Guild, but you probably already know that. As well as the reason for my visit, so I will keep it short. I was told I could find here one of our newest members, your friend Theodore. I need to speak with him urgently." He added in an authoritative voice.

I looked at him, forcing a smile. "I’m pleased to meet you. My name is Darian. Forgive me, but it won't be possible to fulfill your request. Theo is not feeling well right now and asked me to stand for him, so if you have something, tell it to me, and I will convey it to him when he is feeling well."

He scoffed. "He seemed quite fine this morning selling fraudulent potions at the market... I guess the magnitude of his crimes must weigh heavily on his conscience."

"What fraudulent potions are you talking about?" I said with a raised eyebrow. "All of our potions had the requisite mark of an Alchemist who made them, and we also had a valid trade license to set up a stall on the market, so we didn't break any law."

I then looked into his eyes as a subtle smile played on my lips. "But you must already know that otherwise, it wouldn't be you but the guards who would pay us a visit..."

The chancellor's face had a seemingly stern, calm expression. But underneath, I could see he was teeming with anger. He pierced me with his gaze as he spat, "You might have found a loophole and fooled the city's authorities. But you can't fool the Guild. There is no way for a single Alchemist to make so many potions. It is without a doubt that some kind of deception has been used."

I tilted my head to the side with a slight confusion. "I'm pretty sure that with your Guild's vast resources, you had already secured a sample and could see for yourself that our potions are genuine, so why don't you tell me the real reason why you came?"

He seemed slightly taken aback by my keen observations but quickly composed himself and showed me a cold smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I have to give it to you. Your preparations were quite meticulous, but you had overlooked one small detail... It might seem that the potion's prices are set by the market, and we like to make it seem that way. But in fact, the Guild determines the prices, and all its members must adhere to them. Theodore wouldn't know this as he is with us only shortly. Still, by selling the potions so cheaply, you had violated the Guild's directive."

I blinked a few times as this was my first time hearing about this. He seemed to have noticed my confusion as his smile changed into a mocking one.

"Normally, this would only guarantee a stern warning and a fine, but given the severity of the offense and the potential damage this could have caused to the whole Guild, we called an emergency meeting this afternoon and decided to issue an exemplary punishment."

The chancellor then took out an official-looking document from his pocket and proclaimed.

"Theodore is hereby expelled from the Alchemist's Guild effective immediately and as an unrecognized Alchemist, thereby banned from conducting business anywhere within the boundaries of Ereneth. If we ever catch him selling unauthorized potions again, he will be outright banished from the city altogether and all his property confiscated."

I swallowed nervously, as I didn't expect such a harsh reaction. 'I guess we must have really provoked them to make such a decisive move so quickly... But wait,' I froze as I realized something. 'He had this document with him the whole time, but he still decided to play such theatrics?' I then looked at him with a clear annoyance. 'What an ugly personality.'

He meanwhile leaned closer and whispered to me. "And about you... Do you think you will get out of this unscathed? We know for some time about the illicit potions circulating around the black market and the suspicious amount of wealth you managed to amass so quickly."

I tried hard not to let anything show on my face, but I was sweating bullets inwardly.

The chancellor paused for a moment before adding with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. "Until now, we were unable to pin down the source, but from now on, we will be keeping a very close eye on both you and Theodore, and if we get the slightest suspicion any of you is involved, you will regret the day you set foot inside the city..."

He then threw one last look of contempt at me and briskly walked out of the room. I looked after him for a long while, contemplating my options before finally releasing a sigh and going upstairs to break the bad news to Theo.

To say he was devastated was an understatement of the century. But he knew it was a possibility ever since he decided to join hands with me in direct opposition to the Guild.

So now it was up to me to figure out how to deal with this unfortunate situation and move forward.

Not only was my future on the line here, but also Theo's, who had entrusted his destiny into my hands. Thus, I was determined to figure this out no matter the cost.