[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 4

“More importantly, Lise, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“‘More importantly,’ huh? Gee… This is an important topic too, you know?”

Lise let out a sigh and sat down on a chair. Even that exasperated look of hers was adorable. Seriously, is Lise an angel? No—she is an angel. No doubt about it!

“You’re working on basic potions right now, aren’t you, Lise?”

“Huh? Yeah, I am. Why?”

Lise tilted her head slightly. Even that simple gesture was cute. Lise, you’re just too adorable.

But I opened my mouth, knowing full well I was about to invalidate all the hard work she’d put in.

“You should stop making those. Your success rate isn’t that great, right?”

“Well… yeah, that’s true.”

Alchemy consumes MP to craft items, and you only gain experience when you succeed. To truly master alchemy, you need to reduce failures. The time it takes to improve drastically changes depending on how efficiently you succeed.

“That’s why, first—”

“But I want to master potion-making!”

“Mastering… potions?”

“Yes! If I had been able to make stronger potions, you wouldn’t have been in danger like that…”

“Hmm…”

Looks like Lise is still haunted by how close I came to dying.

But she’s misunderstanding something. Alchemy allows you to craft a wide range of items. Focusing only on potions won’t help you master them. You need to broaden your experience—make different kinds of items, and improve your overall alchemy skills first.

That way, you’ll be able to mass-produce high-quality potions later. If you stay stuck on potion-making at this stage, you’ll just be missing out on growth. Why is she treating this like it’s a real-life mission instead of a game?

—Wait a minute.

“This… might be a problem.”

“Gee?”

Right. In this world, I’m still alive. That means Lise never had to experience losing me.

She probably hasn’t realized it herself yet, but I’m someone very important to her. When she lost me in the game, that’s when she made up her mind to take revenge on the Soul Eater.

She dug up information about it, and created all sorts of alchemical items to fight back.

But now, in this world, I’m alive. So instead of revenge, her focus is on making potions to keep me safe.

Her trajectory is starting to veer from the path she followed in the game—and if that continues, we’re in trouble.

If Lise doesn’t create those anti-Soul Eater items, we won’t be able to defeat it. There might be another way, but we won’t be able to do it with minimal casualties like we did in the game.

“Let’s start with something simpler. Like… chili bombs?”

Right now, her skills aren’t high enough to reliably make basic potions. She needs to build up her alchemy skills first by working with easier recipes.

“Chili… bombs? But I don’t know that recipe…”

“Don’t worry. I know it.”

Not to brag, but there probably aren’t many players who’ve played Lise’s Atelier: The Fallen Alchemist and the Soul-Eating Demon King as thoroughly as I have. I remember every item you can craft, what materials they need, how the finished products look, even the flavor text.

In the game, you’d usually get recipes through interacting with townspeople—learning from them or receiving alchemy books. But there was another way: if you combined the right items in the crafting menu, sometimes you’d have a “eureka” moment and discover a new recipe.

Some recipes could only be discovered that way.

“But how do you know that?”

“Just overheard it somewhere. Oh, right. Should we stop by the bookstore later? I’ll get you that alchemy book you were wanting.”

“Eh!? Really?!”

Lise’s eyes widened in surprise. And of course, she looked lovely even then.

“I’ve got the money, so why not? Let’s get it.”

“But… it’s your money.”

“If you hadn’t lent me that money, I couldn’t have placed the bet. I’ve already benefited plenty. The rest should go to you.”

“I can’t accept that much money!”

She should just take it! But her modesty is another one of her charms.

“Then how about this? Let’s use it as our party fund.”

“Party fund?”

“Yeah! We’ll use it for anything related to our adventuring. Like your alchemy research, for example.”

“But still…”

“It’s fine. I already bought myself a bow and some daggers. You should feel free to use it too. Your growth is important for our whole party. You want to get stronger quickly too, right?”

“…That’s true. But… are you sure?”

“I’m sure. It’s settled!”

“Geez… You’re acting kind of weird today, Gee.”

Yeah, I’m being a bit pushy. But this much is fine, right? Honestly, I’m not even the protagonist here—Lise is. Her growth is the top priority.

“Lunch is ready!”

Just then, a muscle-bound giant of a man poked his head into the dining area. It was Gael, the owner of this cheap inn called Tiger’s Den.

“Oh, Gee, you’re back. Hungry?”

“Yes! Please!”

“Give me a sec.”

“Ah! Gael, do you know where I can get cheap eggs? Even rotten ones are fine.”

“Huh? What do you need rotten eggs for?”

“I need the shells for alchemy. So, the insides can be rotten—it doesn’t matter.”

“Got it. I’ll let you know later which locals raise chickens. But first, eat.”

“Okay!”

“Thank you, Gael!”

Lise and I thanked Gael, and he came over with a tray of food.

“Here you go. Help yourselves—stew’s all-you-can-eat.”

He placed the usual black bread and a creamy stew on the table. To a Japanese palate, it might seem like a humble meal—but to Gee, it was a feast.

“Is this really okay, Gael?”

I had to ask.

A meal here cost just three copper coins. And yet, no other place would serve you unlimited creamy stew for that price. It was too generous.

“Don’t worry about it. Chicken meat was cheap today, and my mom grows most of the veggies for fun.”

Turns out, Gael is actually the second son of a major trading company—a rich kid through and through. This inn is just a hobby of his, not meant to turn a profit.

There’s a reason he’s so kind to us orphans, but… well, that’ll probably come up in a later event.

For now, cheers to Gael and his luxurious hobby.

“Thanks, Gael. Alright, let’s eat!”

“Yeah! Thank you so much, Gael.”

“Think nothing of it.”

The black bread was as bitter as ever, but the cream stew was delicious. Even the bread, unpleasant on its own, turned into a gourmet dish when dipped in the stew.

Gael’s cooking really is amazing. He may look like a musclehead thug, but when it comes to the kitchen—he’s top-tier.