The herbalist sister held the green liquid in the spoon before Arwen's eyes.
"Can you see it?"
Arwen activated [Alchemy Perception].
Soon, to his astonishment, he discovered that ever since the herbalist sister had scooped out that spoonful, the green ripples in the cauldron had grown richer and gentler.
His gray cat eyes instinctively narrowed.
He noticed a thread drifting through the liquid in the spoon, barely visible to the naked eye.
"This is... this is fascia from the drowner brain."
Arwen muttered to himself.
The herbalist sister picked up the silver tweezers beside the table, deftly plucked out the fascia, and placed it on a clean tray.
"Noticing this proves that your powers of observation are excellent. But there's no denying that the cat eyes your mutations gave you are an advantage ordinary people rarely possess."
"Drowner brains contain potent toxins that require celandine to neutralize, while this drowner fascia counteracts the celandine's medicinal effects."
Arwen picked up where she left off. "That would reduce the Swallow Potion's effectiveness."
The herbalist sister smiled in satisfaction. "Exactly. The most important part of alchemy is balancing energy. The ingredients used to make Swallow Potion don't contain much energy, so a small mistake won't do much harm."
Then her tone shifted, and she continued.
"Arwen, has Vesemir told you the story of Lake Mokva?"
Arwen shook his head.
The herbalist sister set down the spoon and straightened her cuffs. "Lake Mokva was once a very beautiful lake, but a war caused many ghosts to breed in its waters."
"To you witchers, these creatures are wraiths. There were so many at the time that nearly every surrounding town and village was affected, with countless people killed or injured. This enraged the king of the time, so he dispatched his chief court mage."
"That mage was a true master alchemist. All he did was throw a barrel of magical potion into the water, and the whole of Lake Mokva instantly boiled, turning night into day."
"Never mind the ghosts-even the fish and shrimp all vanished. Within mere minutes, not a trace of life remained."
"Even now, Lake Mokva's ecosystem still hasn't fully recovered."
Arwen was shaken.
Alchemy could actually wield such power.
His understanding of alchemy was still limited to his impression of potions supporting combat in The Witcher games.
From what he had just heard, the power of that barrel of magical potion could practically rival the legendary death fog.
The herbalist sister spoke sternly. "So even the simplest alchemy requires extreme care and precise measurements. You cannot allow the slightest error."
Arwen nodded solemnly. "I understand."
[Herbal alchemy experience +30!]
Arwen's eyes lit up.
Another 30 experience points!
If I could spend a few more days learning from her, I'd definitely level up herbal alchemy faster than by fumbling around on my own. I can't miss this wonderful opportunity!
"All right, let's clean up. It's time to end the alchemy lesson."
Arwen came back to himself and poured the Swallow Potion from the cauldron into the prepared glass bottles.
After cleaning the worktop, Arwen hesitated for a moment before finally speaking to the herbalist sister.
"Lady Viris, you're so knowledgeable. Could I learn more about alchemy from you?"
The herbalist sister gazed into Arwen's cat eyes. After studying them for a long time, she saw sincerity in those gray vertical pupils, along with a yearning for alchemy.
She had not seen that in who knew how many years, not even among those apprentices who called themselves geniuses.
She shook her head. "You're a clever child, but unfortunately, I have no intention of taking a student at Kaer Morhen."
Disappointment welled up in Arwen at her words, but he still gave an apprentice's bow.
The herbalist sister chuckled. "You can't be my student right now, but I still need to live at Kaer Morhen for a few months, and I have herbs to process regularly. Would you be interested in becoming my temporary assistant?"
"As long as you can complete the work I assign, I wouldn't mind spending some of my free time giving you pointers."
Arwen's cat eyes widened instantly, and he answered without hesitation. "Of course. It would be my honor to work for you."
"Let me make this clear beforehand: I'm very strict. If you can't finish the work, I can replace you at any time."
Arwen straightened his back, his manner utterly earnest.
"I'll do my very best."
Just then, a white-haired young man wearing a black leather jacket entered the stone chamber.
With his tall frame, pale face, and the twin swords on his back, he exuded a keen edge.
It was Geralt.
Arwen bowed, and Geralt gave him a friendly nod.
"I ran into Paul and the others. They said you hadn't come out yet, so I came to take a look."
As Geralt spoke, his amber cat eyes swept over the Swallow Potion on the worktop.
The potion's emerald-green color brimmed with life, a sight rare even among Kaer Morhen's stocks.
He knew the Temple of Melitele's alchemy was renowned throughout the Northern Kingdoms, but seeing such an exceptional potion produced under such crude conditions still brought surprise to his eyes.
"Lady Viris, did you brew this Swallow Potion?"
The herbalist sister shook her head. "Not me. My new assistant made it."
"Assistant?"
The herbalist sister turned her head toward Arwen, and Geralt's astonished gaze followed.
"Arwen?"
"Is that true?"
As one of only two full-fledged witchers currently at Kaer Morhen, he had some understanding of their apprentices' abilities in alchemy.
Even he would need time and luck to brew a Swallow Potion of this quality.
Yet a mere witcher apprentice had actually done it.
The herbalist sister smiled. "Of course."
"He has a solid foundation in alchemy, considerable talent, and a diligent, conscientious approach to his work. Taking him as my assistant was only natural."
"Besides, I need an assistant to help me with miscellaneous tasks."
"There's nothing surprising about it."
Geralt still found it somewhat unbelievable.
The herbalist sister had not been at Kaer Morhen long, but even in their brief interactions, Geralt had learned something of her temperament.
Despite her gentle way of speaking, Viris was extremely proud at heart. Vesemir had even warned him to keep his distance from the herbalist sister and preferably avoid contact with her altogether.
In short, she was shrouded in mystery.
Still, he soon suppressed his shock.
As someone Vesemir called a genius, he had no reason to envy an apprentice four years his junior, nor did he possess such worldly pettiness.
Besides, an alchemical genius emerging at Kaer Morhen was undoubtedly good news that would hearten the School of the Wolf.
The herbalist sister straightened the skirt of her habit with both hands.
"It's getting late. I should head back. I've had quite enough of this basement, too. I need to go back and have a proper bath."
"Arwen, starting tomorrow, you can come find me in the second room on the left on the castle's second floor after your afternoon training."
"Yes."
"See you, Geralt."
Geralt came back to himself and said goodbye. "See you, Viris."
After watching the herbalist sister leave, he studied the black-haired boy before him anew with his cat eyes.
"Come find me at the training grounds after dinner." Geralt paused. "Remember, come alone."