Dungeon of Niflheim

283 Chapter 283: Doctor Mira

“Doctor Mira thank you for coming so soon.” Chia was the first to stand up and greet the old woman who was even a fair bit older than her. She and Yarrow were nothing but juniors toward this old lady, Mira even assisted in Chia’s birth as well as her daughter’s and granddaughter’s, a very highly respected person within the enclave. Lola followed in greeting along with her children quickly after her mother. While Sam broke out in conversation with the young man following behind, smiling, and patting his shoulder as he spoke.

“Damn Lute can you smell anything at all while covered in that thing?” Sam covered his nose as the strong medicinal smell filled his nostrils and even burned his delicate senses slightly. The young man called Lute was Mira’s disciple/apprentice as well as her grandson and the only one in her family that she deemed worthy of inheriting her skills.

“Grandma says that it’s to train my nose to better differentiate medicinal herbs but so far it all smells the same haaaaaaaaaa.” Lute complained loudly of his misfortunes, while giving his grandmother an accusatory look. Mira had him wear this medicinal covered robe for the past week, only being allowed to remove it when bathing, he even had to sleep in it and now even when it wasn’t on he could still smell the stench of medicinal herbs. He genuinely believed his nose was now broken but still he continued to do as his grandmother said, following her every instruction as though it was law. This was just one of many eccentric practises his grandmother subjected him too over his apprenticeship. He couldn’t complain to his family since they were all jealous of him being the only one accepted by her and he was even less prone to complaining to patients, they had enough to worry about. That left Sam the hobbyist botanist that he and his grandma interacted with and traded with on a frequent basis. Sam became one of Lute few outlets, which Sam was happy to oblige. Mira gave a quick look to her grandson and Sam before politely returning the greeting to Chia and her daughter and grandchildren, smiling gently as she did.

“No problem, it’s a doctor duty to help their patients.” Mira rubbed Tulip and Jasmine’s heads with affection. She moved to remove some candies from her robe as a reward since she was fond of kids but then remembered that it was breakfast time, not good to give candies so early.

“Do you really have the monster core? Can I see it first?” The servant of the manor had reported that Lola and Sam had returned with the monster core but not much in terms of where it came from or its quality. Mira knew that to complete the concoction she required no less than a perfect monster core with high mana affinity. Any less and the medicine wouldn’t be strong enough to eliminate the [icy veins] illness afflicting Yarrow. She wasn’t one to doubt Lola’s capabilities and certainly not Sam’s given his talents in botany and medicine but even so she couldn’t be certain. Only when she held the core in her hands and examined it herself would she be sure it’d do the job.

If she was younger and more able with her body she’d be able to make do with a few blemishes on the core but at her age that was wishful thinking. Though her knowledge and experience had greatly increased, her body wasn’t able to keep up and Lute wasn’t nearly ready to try his hand at making such a delicate medicine.

Lola nodded her head before walking to her husband’s side and whispering into his ear. Sam responded with a nod and retrieved the special container holding the core from his spatial ring before handing it carefully to his wife.

Frost sat quietly at the side, examining the old woman and her grandson. From their bodies he could tell that they weren’t strong probably not even E-rank, but their professions didn’t need it. Their abilities relied upon knowledge instead of strength or mana control. This was the first time Frost was face to face with a doctor/alchemist, his curiosity was piqued.

Lola carefully opened up the sealed container revealing the pristine monster core that came from the ice revenant. A chill escaped the box and lowered the surrounding temperature by a few degrees. Mira’s gaze became stern as she donned a pair of special gloves and removed the core for inspection. Lute had separated himself from Sam and moved behind her back to also examine the core. His grandmother would like ask for his input to gauge his abilities.

.....

Mira rotated and examined every inch of the spherical core with a bright light in her eyes, she didn’t use a skill like [analyse] or [identify] relying solely on her vast knowledge base to recognise what was within her hand. As she did she couldn’t help but be shocked, looking at Lola and Sam with incredulity, shocked that they managed to get hold of something like this. She easily identified the monster core as one from an ice revenant likely mid c-rank and from what she could see it was in perfect condition, not a single scratch on its crystal like surface. Taking down such a monster was beyond the capabilities of the two of them. She smiled knowingly, happy with her findings. The core met the requirements for the medicine, and she could begin right away but first.

She handed the core over to her grandson to hear what he has to say. Though she rarely showed it or said it she was very proud of her grandson Lute. Not only did he have potential that rivalled her own he was hardworking and modest. With her stockpile of knowledge and experience she was sure she could mould him into a first rate alchemist and doctor, greater than even her. To do that however she needed to be strict and harsh, otherwise this unpolished gem would remain as a rock, never to become a diamond.

Lute took hold of the monster core, a similar light to his grandmother’s flashed in his eyes. They both had the same passion when it came to alchemy. He copied his grandmother’s delicate examination though he spent at least three times as long and frowned several times as he struggled to identify certain things. Like Mira he too didn’t use a skill like [analyse] or [identify], such skills may be quicker but require real life knowledge in order to work well. Taking the fast route was not always the best.

After a minute or so Lute was ready to give his analysis, “It seems to be a mid C-rank monster core, likely from a spirit monster of some kind. No damage can be seen on the surface nor internally, a perfect specimen.” Mira nodded her head in response, praising her grandson’s analysis in her own way.

“Good answer but it’s from a half spirit, an ice revenant if I’m not mistaken.” Mira filled in the blanks showing that Lute still had a lot to learn.

“Correct, my husband, Frost and I took it down a couple days ago.” Lola gestured towards the young man sitting silently on the sofa “It was born within the monster lair [beginner’s ice magic] and guarded the last floor...does it meet the requirements?” Though Lola was pretty sure given the look in Mira’s eyes she needed oral confirmation to settle her restless heart.

Mira looked towards the young elf sitting in the background in understanding. Now knowing how the married couple took down such a powerful adversary all while keeping the core intact.

‘Seems this young lad is more than just a pretty face.’ Mira had a very good eye in regards to examining things, this included people. But she couldn’t see through the young man before her, as though he was covered in a fog. At first she didn’t really notice him as her focus was on Chia and the rest, simply giving him a passing glance but after Lola pointed him out her impression changed. Not many could hide from her eyes unless they were very powerful and or specialised in masking one’s ability, but this young man didn’t seem to meet either of those criteria. Of course, he looked as though he had potential, strong, young, and handsome but never would she have guessed he could fight toe to toe with an ice revenant.

‘Strange, very strange.’ She even had a sudden urge to use the [identify] skill but the moment that she started, she was assaulted with a feeling of dread, an instinctual warning. She immediately cancelled her plans and looked away from Frost, not wishing to delve deeper into his secrets right now, it was none of her business anyway.

Frost was unaware of Mira’s insight and wasn’t actively masking his strength. The strong feeling of dread that Mira encountered was because of his demi-god like status. The small amount of divine energy within his body made it difficult for one to analyse him on a deeper level. If Mira continued, her brain may have short circuited due to being unable to understand the divine power that was presented.