Part 19: Chapter 4-5: Renown and Restoration

Part 4-5: Renown and Restoration



Uwah, look at all these monsters! I can see why they’re causing so much trouble.

You said it! We have to do this, not just for our exam but also for the people of the city!



Now let’s get to it!



A few bombs should fell this Wood Golem!

Hey! Don’t leave me out of the action!



Your turn, Mathias! You want in on this?



What do I look like, an alchemist?!

Oh, right. Sorry. Anyway, just take defensive maneuvers since this thing’s armor is too tough for your sword to even scratch it.



Uwah!

That looks painful. But thankfully this thing’s slow… so Lydie and I just have to seize the chance!



That’s one down!

And a lot more to go… but we can’t stop yet!

Hey, Sue. You think we might have better bang for our effort if we hunt down monsters that stick in packs?



Sure thi-uwah! These guys got the jump on us!



Nngh… gimme a break!



Alright, now let’s finish this!

That’s three!



Heh… I’m all the stronger now!



There really do seem to be a lot more monsters here than there were for our previous exam.

All the more reason to give it our all. Next up!



Puni! These ones are stronger than the ones we’re used to fighting.



But they’re nothing an Ice Bomb can’t handle!



Six!



This makes it nine!



Eleven!


Newfound Renown

I hope so, but there are still some monsters here. I think we should defeat a few more?



Hey, hello. We’re here to defeat these monsters, actually.

Wow! You’re even fighting monsters now? You really do take every odd job you can get!

Do I have to tell you this again? We run an atelier, not an odd job store!

Hahaha, I’m just poking fun. In fact, your atelier has a pretty good reputation nowadays! Careful, good quality work, so they say, with no job too big or too small. Here you are, defeating monsters! Thank you, both of you! I’m going to spread the word about town! The twins with an atelier, protecting us all from monsters!

The twins’ neighbor leaves for Merveille.

Hehe, well done! A good reputation is worth a lot… Wait… girls? Why do you look so stiff?



Most people didn’t even know we run an atelier… We’re just not used to positive comments!

Hahahaha! That’s so precious! You’re lost for words because you’re so happy? Hahaha! My stomach hurts! You guys are just too cute!

E-Enough with the laughing already! We’re done! Finished with this topic!

Haha, yes, I’m stopping. There’s nothing wrong with being happy for being praised, though. Such pure, innocent feelings are always worth holding onto.



Anyway! We’re not done out here yet!

Right! If there’s anything we know about Mireille, it’s that she rewards us for going the extra mile on our exams!



Fourteen!



Seventeen!



And that’s twenty! But we’ve been out all day, and we’re running really low on supplies… and stuff to patch Mathias up with. Let’s go home!

The next morning…


Victory and Rewards
Flower stamp condition : Defeat 20 monsters in the Great Woods of Gurm-Adis.



Great work! With this, my dear twins, you have now reached F Rank!

Yes! Another step forward! What about Lucia?



My my! If it isn’t Lucia? You took your sweet time, didn’t you?

Grr… don’t tell me…

We’ve already reached F Rank, actually! Hahahaha!

Ugh! A matter of seconds! We made it at almost the same time, so this is a draw!

Sure, keep telling yourself that!

Hehehe, you really are great friends. Lucia, you’re up to F Rank too. Well then, all three of you. As promised, I’ll take you to your next Mysterious Painting.

Yes! Heheh, what kind of painting is it this time? I can’t wait to see it!

Just you wait and see, girls. You may have beaten me to F Rank, but… I’ll prove my superiority to you during this exploration!

Bleeeh! That’s our line! We are not going to lose to you now, Lucia.

There is one thing about the painting, however… well, you’ll see. Let’s gather in the gallery.

The royals, the twins and Lucia gather there.



Impressive, right? I found this one. The negotiations were pretty tough, too.

Impressive, Mathias! Without further ado, then, into the world of the painting we go…



Hold on? Nothing’s happening. Mathias! Did you get lumbered with a fake?

As if! Sis, explain.

You see, “The Luminous Ice Grotto” is very old. It’s lost its power as a Mysterious Painting.

Lost its power? How can we go inside and investigate it then?

There is a way. A way to restore the lost power of a Painting. And that way… is called… Restoration!

Was the build up really worth it, for something that obvious?

Ahem. In any case, that’s how we return the lost power of a Mysterious Painting.

Restoration requires Mysterious Paints, also known as “Neige’s Paints”. We asked Ilmeria, but she’s already got her hands full.

Sorry, but could you start by helping her out!

Of course! Ah, but we don’t need your help, Lucia. Actual students should be the ones to aid their teacher.

Seriously? Then I’ll accept your offer. Restoration sounds like a pain, to be honest.

Hahaha. Let’s go and talk to our teacher.

The twins go to Ilmeria’s atelier.


Their Mentor’s Old Friend
Why is Firis calling Ilmeria Teach. They don’t have that kind of relation.

Quiet! Just give me a moment! You’re in the way of my synthesis!

Hey, Firis. What are you doing in our teacher’s atelier?

Heheh, I was just walking along and spotted Ilmeria. So I followed her back to her atelier!

We’ve been friends for a long time. Right now, though, I’m really busy with work! So please…

Ah! Work! That reminds me, Ilmeria! We have some Restoration we need to do.

Some what?

Mireille and Mathias filled us in. They said that they asked you to help make Neige’s Paints to restore the Luminous Ice Grotto, but also that you were too busy for it.

Right, painting restoration. How far did I get with this… I received the basic recipe, rearranged it, but didn’t get around to the synthesis. Just wait a moment, I’ll get to it…

Don’t worry, Ilmeria! We’ll handle this. You seem busy, so just carry on!

Right! You’ve done so much for us as our teacher, so please! Rely on us for a change!

Really? That’s very kind of you. Take it straight to Mireille once you’re finished.

Sure thing! Leave it to us!

So tell me, Ilmeria. Why do they call you teacher? When did that happen?

Can I please get some peace and quiet! Ah, I’ve got a good idea. You go and help them out! It’s not like you have anything better to do! The two of them are going somewhere very interesting!

Somewhere interesting? I want to go! What do you say, you two? Do you mind?

Not at all! Having you along would be a big help, Firis.

Hehe, that settles that then. One thing, though. Firis?



I want you to support them without doing their work for them.

Hahaha, I understand. I won’t get too carried away.

Ilmeria? Firis? What are you whispering about?

Oh, it’s nothing. Shall we get started on our little adventure, then?

Off you go! Good luck making the items you need for the Restoration!



Hey, Lydie… it’s great that Firis has joined, but now we have to figure out formations.

Formations?

Yeah! So we can support each other and our friends and get the most out of each other on the battlefield.



Right! Those of us in the back row will have tricks up our sleeves to pull our weight!



You got it, Lydie! Anyway… Firis?

Sue?



Back me up, will you?

Sure! I’ll do everything in my power to support you!

Right! Speaking of formations… Lydie, let’s go over something before we synthesize the paints!

The twins go home.

What’s on your mind, Sue?

Hey, Lydie. I’ve been wondering about this for a while…


Battle Mix

Hmm, I’ve no idea. They’re so lovely, so I can’t stop collecting them. Maybe this is a good chance to experiment with them a little?

Count me in. Coming from the worlds inside those paintings, I bet they’ll make something amazing!



Hmmm… So they’re called “Archeus Anima”… and they’re incredible reactive…



Let’s mix it with some materials… whoa!

Sue. This is even more incredible than I expected!

I know. We can use this to skip the synthesizing process! Although I don’t understand how it works.

Mix gunpowder and it makes bombs. Mix herbs and it becomes medicine. How do you think it works? Is it like a portable alchemy cauldron? Or could it be…

Enough fussing over the details! The important thing now is how to use this in the future! Luckily for you, I’ve had an idea already! Show me that notebook for a moment!

Sure!

Hmm… Right! There we go!

W-What’s this?

Ta-dah! Leave it to me! A revolutionary idea that will let us synthesize during battle!



We can use materials and Archeus Anima during battle to synthesize on the spot! It sounds convenient and useful, yeah?

Wow! That might be revolutionary after all. The effects are weaker than just synthesizing normally, but the speed is just amazing!

I know, right? It also takes so much less room than all those bombs and medicine! Viva la survival on location!

Hahaha, I don’t think you’re using a lot of those words in the right way, Sue. Still, this is definitely super convenient. Let’s give it a field test as soon as we can!



Now with that… time to make the paints!
The synthesis literally doesn’t matter when making paints for Restoration, so. Just be sure you have the ingredients on hand!


Restoration and… Roger?

Finally! I can’t wai-



Dad? You know about these paints too?

Hahaha, of course! Those are what you need to paint a Mysterious Painting. They are also called “Neige’s Paints”, after the first person to make a Mysterious Painting.

You’ve impressed me again, Dad. You know all the strangest stuff!

Hahaha! What do you mean by “strange”? Anyway, what do you need those for?

What? (He suddenly started sounding really unusually serious there…) Oh, nothing in particular. We just wanted to see if we could make them! That’s all!

Is that so? Just don’t go sticking your heads into danger, alright?

Roger leaves.

Huh. Dad’s like a different person when it comes to Mysterious Paintings.

I know, it’s crazy! We’ve made the paints, anyway. Let’s go and show them to Mireille.

The twins go to the castle.


Restoration

Good, good work. We’ll start the Restoration right away.

The three go to the gallery.

Restoration might sound exciting, but it’s simple, really. First, twins, take this.



New Dream Paintbrushes received.

That’s right. I’ve tweaked them a little. The Dream Paintbrushes exist to perform Restoration. Now, I’ll explain how Restoration is performed. First… you’ll need the Mysterious Paint tailored to the painting you’re restoring. Then just use the Dream Paintbrushes and the Mysterious Paint… and voila! That’s how it goes. Do you want to give it a try?



Whoa! I just lifted the brush, and it did all the work!

Hehe, simple, right? Now the painting is restored. You can go into “The Luminous Ice Grotto”.

I can’t wait!

It’s time to call Lucia, then. I’ll send Mathias.

Ah, Mireille? Could you also let Firis know that we’ve finished with the restoration?

Oh, Firis as well? Yes, we’ve asked for her help as well. Hehe, that’s reassuring. After all, she’s…

Hm? Something about Firis?

No, it’s nothing. Right then, both of you! I’ll be expecting another fruitful investigation!

After the gang assembles…



Hey, this is a Mysterious Painting! I heard a bit about these from Ilmeria.

Looking at them from the outside is quite different from getting in there. You’ll see!



What are you mumbling about? We’ll leave you behind, Lucia!

Hey! Hold it! Wait for me!

Right! Time for a new journey! Now… how do we get in?

You have to wish to enter. To experience the world inside…



…Whoa!!