The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 208. Maristel's Atelier

208. 208. 208. 208. Maristel’s Atelier

Slurping down our cup noodles, Isezaki and I finished our meal feeling slightly unsatisfied. Maristel, eager to get going, led us into the adjacent room. 

The room appeared to be Maristel’s bedroom. It was simple, with a large double bed that seemed too spacious for just one person and a small round table with what looked like a bottle of wine on it. However, in one corner of the room, there was an iron door. When opened, a set of stairs descended slowly downward. Apparently, Maristel’s workshop was down there.

“Wow, this is more serious than I expected…” 

“Right? This whole area used to be a mining site. This staircase is from a test dig a long time ago. Thanks to this tunnel, I had them build my house here. As a necromancer, you need a room where light doesn’t reach, after all.”

I see, she had mentioned earlier that spirit bodies are weak to light. For a necromancer, a dark room like this must be essential.

We stepped through the iron door and descended into the cool air of the underground. Eventually, we arrived at a spacious cavity. The ceiling was reasonably high, and the room was about the size of a small convenience store. The faint light from glow moss clinging to the walls made it possible to see the room’s shape, though the details inside were still unclear.

“So, what do you think? This is my workshop,” 

Maristel said proudly, pressing a switch on the wall. Suddenly, magic lamps lit up, revealing the interior of the room.

“Whoa…”

I couldn’t help but let out a gasp. Up until now, Maristel had always seemed to own very few belongings, but this underground room more than made up for it. It was packed with all sorts of items.

On the shelves were glass bottles filled with colorful liquids and strange, unknown tools. On the desk were piles of scrolls and thick tomes stacked haphazardly. Animal skulls with horns hung on the walls, along with tapestries depicting strange magical circles. In the back of the room sat a large cauldron big enough to fit a person inside.

This was exactly what you’d expect from a witch’s workshop. Honestly, it stirred a bit of the childish excitement I had in my younger, more imaginative days.

“I had that bearded guy and his team bring all this stuff over from the secret base in the magic stone mine.”

Apparently, she had originally been using the large cavity at the back of the magic stone mine, where Isezaki had been held captive, as both her workshop and living space. Moving all these things must have been quite a task for Captain Hige and his men.

Incidentally, when they first moved the items into the mine, they used the same [Portal Port] that was also used in Isezaki’s kidnapping.

“Now then, you two picked a lot of Healer’s herbs, didn’t you? I’ve made potions with those before, and I’m quite confident in my skills. Come on, Matsunaga, give me the herbs. I’ll show you a special demonstration of potion crafting,” 

She said, drawing out the moment for effect. Maristel pulled out a tool from the shelf that looked like an ab roller but was apparently an ancient herbal grinder called a “yagen.” She planned to crush the herbs with it.

(Note:

            Ab Roller                              Yagen

)

“Alright, Maristel, I’ll leave it to you,” 

I said, pulling out a bundle of Healer’s herbs from my [Storage Space] and handing it to her. But then—

“Um, but Husband…” 

Isezaki tugged at my sleeve nervously, her face tense.

“Oh my, what’s wrong, Isezaki? No need to hold back,” 

Maristel said, snatching the Healer’s herbs from my hand with a swift motion.

“Ah…” 

Isezaki let out a soft sound, but Maristel paid no attention to her. With practiced hands, she spread the herbs across the yagen and began grinding them—*gori gori gori gori*—with a steady rhythm.

“Heh heh… To amateurs like you, this might look like a simple task, but it’s not. You can’t just crush them with brute force, you know? You have to press harder on the tough fibers and go gently on the soft parts. The key is to make the fiber texture as uniform as possible. If you don’t do it properly, the mixture will be inconsistent, and you won’t get the potion you were expecting. The basics of potion-making are crucial—very crucial. Those who neglect the basics will never earn the favor of the god of medicine.”

It seemed Maristel took her potion-making seriously.

She boasted endlessly, spouting trivia as she ground the herbs with great care and strength, making a persistent *gori gori* sound. 

After some time of this grinding…

Perhaps it was due to the considerable effort and focus she was putting in, but beads of sweat were forming on Maristel’s forehead. As she wiped her brow with her arm to keep the sweat from dripping, she muttered:

“Huff, huff… almost done, just a little longer. Huff, huff… Once I use some high-quality holy water after this, I should be able to make an extraordinary potion… Well, I guess I have no choice. For your sake, I’ll use my special holy water this time—”

“Uh, um, Maristel!” 

Just then, Isezaki, who had been acting strange for a while now, interrupted with a stiff voice.

“Come on, Isezaki, I told you, you don’t have to hold back. You helped me name the fortress, after all, so I owe you one. And this is just me paying you back—”

“N-no, really, it’s fine. I understand your feelings… but, well…”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Maristel stopped her work for a moment, looking confused as she stared at Isezaki, who was fumbling to find the right words. 

But Isezaki, still with a tense expression, turned her face toward me. 

“A-anyway! Um, Husband. Could you please take out the Healer’s herb and the thermos with the tea from earlier?”

“Huh? Uh, sure…”

I had no idea what was going on, but seeing Isezaki’s serious expression, I did as she asked and pulled the Healer’s herb and the thermos from the [Storage Space].

“Thank you. As for the tea… I’m sorry, but I’ll be throwing it out.”

Isezaki tipped the thermos upside down, pouring the tea down the drain. Then, she firmly packed the Healer’s herb into the now-empty thermos.

“W-what!?”

“What are you doing, Isezaki!? That’s such a waste!” 

Both Maristel and I shouted in surprise. But Isezaki, unfazed, held the thermos toward me.

“Husband, for now, please just watch without saying anything. Next, could you fill this thermos with water?”

“O-okay. Water, huh… Umm, is tap water fine?”

“Yes, that will be just fine.”

Following her instructions, I poured some of the stored tap water from my [Storage Space] into the thermos, letting it flow until it was filled to the brim.

“…Alright, that’s enough. Thank you so much. Now, if you would…”

After closing the thermos lid, Isezaki glanced up at me with a soft, pleading look. I knew what this meant—she was asking for a mana supply. At least that much was clear.

I gently took her hand. As she closed her eyes, she raised the thermos over her head with her other hand and chanted:

“[Potion Creation]—”

—In that instant, a blinding light radiated from Isezaki, spreading outward and enveloping the entire lab in a mystical white glow.