[Lucky Overpowered] — I Became a Background Character Meant to Die in the Game’s Opening, But Now I’m Overpowered and Fighting to Save My All-Time Favorite Alchemist Heroine - Episode 25
“You kids really helped me out.”
Standing behind the counter of the bookstore was Clémence, looking lively and well. Her illness had been completely cured thanks to the medicine Lise had concocted.
After collapsing, Clémence had awakened in the church and, with just a couple of days of rest, had quickly regained her strength. Today, she was back to her usual routine—running the shop and sitting at the counter like nothing had happened.
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Clémence,” Lise said warmly.
“Heeheehee! Looks like the Grim Reaper isn’t ready for me yet!”
Maybe it was the healing she received at the church, but Clémence’s complexion looked better than when we first met—almost like she’d grown younger. Amazing.
“I ought to repay you two somehow. So, how much do you want?”
“We can’t take money! Helping each other in tough times is what friends do.”
“Helping each other, huh…”
Something in Lise’s words must have struck a chord, because Clémence suddenly fell silent.
“Um… Clémence?” Lise prompted gently.
About two minutes passed in silence before Clémence’s eyes lit up with a spark of realization.
“Wait here a moment,” she said, disappearing into the back of the shop.
“I wonder what that’s about,” Lise murmured, tilting her head in curiosity.
But I knew. Clémence was about to entrust Lise with a forbidden tome. Inside that book was a recipe for a Soul Guard Talisman—a charm essential for protecting one’s soul from being devoured by a Soul Eater.
With that talisman, the Soul Eater wouldn’t be nearly as threatening. This was the turning point of the story.
“Heehee… Goodness, this thing is heavy…”
Clémence returned, carrying an old, ornate book. The cover was lavish, hinting at its immense value.
That had to be the forbidden tome. It looked just like the graphic from the game.
“Here we go. You’re Lise, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then this is for you!”
“This is…?”
“It’s an ancient alchemy book—practically the crown jewel of this shop. You’re an alchemist too, aren’t you? I’ve got a feeling this’ll be a real help to you.”
“An alchemy book…!”
Lise’s eyes widened, and she turned to look at me instinctively. I gave her a firm nod in return.
“Thank you, Clémence! I’ll treasure it!”
“Heehee. You make sure to become a fine alchemist, now.”
“I will!”
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“This is what Makino said we needed?”
On the way back from the bookstore, Lise hugged the old book to her chest like a precious treasure. Her crimson eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Yep. That book covers everything about handling souls—including the method for making a Soul Guard Talisman. With that, we can go save Gee.”
“Makino really does know everything, doesn’t he? Most people wouldn’t know something like this, right? So how come you do? How do you know?”
“Well, that’s…”
Because I played the game in my past life—but explaining that isn’t exactly easy.
As I hesitated, unsure how to respond, Lise looked at me seriously and asked:
“Wait… are you a god or something?”
“Huh? No, of course not!”
Where did that come from?
“I see… You can’t tell me, huh? I get it. I’ll just believe that, then.”
“Wait, what? Hold on—!”
But Lise had already convinced herself. She gave several determined nods, then strode ahead with renewed purpose.
“I want to read it right away. Let’s hurry!”
“Hey, wait up, Lise!”
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Later, we returned to our usual inn, the Tiger’s Den. After eating the lunch Gael had prepared, Lise immediately retreated to her room—likely to start reading the forbidden tome.
I needed her to make that Soul Guard Talisman. And I’d help however I could.
Gee’s soul was still intact. I could just feel it—like a sixth sense. But it wouldn’t last forever. The sooner we took down the Soul Eater, the better.
Which brought us to the next issue: materials for the talisman. Even if we knew how to make it, we couldn’t do much without the ingredients.
“That means… we need to go into the dungeon.”
Most of the ingredients could be bought from stores, but one rare item—Revenant Incense, a type of sacred wood—could only be found in a dungeon.
It was a rare drop from the boss of the tenth dungeon floor. We’d need at least two—one for me and one for Lise.
The next challenge was convincing the Fangs of the Wolf party to help us hunt the Soul Eater. I’d have to do some groundwork there.
First things first, I should go meet up with Gilles and the others from Fangs of the Wolf. Even if they didn’t want to help with the Soul Eater itself, I was sure they’d help us tackle the tenth floor.
Plus, I’d been turning down their invitations a lot lately due to everything with Clémence. I needed to make it up to them.
“Come to think of it… where are Gilles and the others?”
In the game, they’d automatically join my party once I added them. Real life, of course, wasn’t that convenient. I had to actually find them and talk it out.
“Guess I’ll try the Adventurer’s Guild.”