THE RISE OF WHITE CONQUEROR

Chapter 87: Potion

Her face turned pale.

"Fuck... shit..." she rasped, voice hoarse from coughing. "It tastes like...like literal piss...!"

Her stomach churned violently.

"Fuck, what did I just put in my mouth...? Ughhh... I’m gonna vomit..."

And vomit she did, A lot. Kei staggered to the side, dropping to one knee as her body violently rejected the potion. The sound of retching echoed pitifully in the quiet surroundings, her shoulders trembling with each heave.

"Ugh! Blegh!"

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Her throat burned. Her stomach twisted like it was being wrung out by an invisible hand. By the time it was over, she looked absolutely miserable. After a long while, she steadied herself, one hand braced against the ground, the other clutching her abdomen. She breathed in ragged gulps.

"Ahh... hahh... hahh..."

Her entire body felt weak not from injury this time, but from sheer disgust. With a final shudder, she wiped her mouth again and glared venomously at the innocent-looking azure bottle still clutched in her hand.

"Never," she rasped hoarsely, voice trembling with fury and lingering nausea, "ever in my entire life am I drinking this piss-shit again."

The bottle shimmered quietly in response, as if mocking her outrage. What she didn’t know, what she couldn’t possibly have known, was that the so-called "piss-shit" she had just violently rejected was, in fact, the lowest form of alchemy healing potion in the entire world.

The absolute bottom tier. After all, neither she nor Kelly had realized the truth about this new world. The place they had lived in... the nation they had believed to be the most advanced in this new world... wasn’t even considered a third-rate kingdom here. It was far below that, laughably so. In this vast, sprawling world filled with powers and civilizations beyond imagination, the Kingdom they were summoned to was barely registered as noteworthy, however that realization that crushing, worldview-shattering realization would come very soon for both Kelly and Kei.

For now, though, Kei sniffed once, wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve, and straightened up. Her gaze dropped to the azure bottle still in her hand. Despite everything, she carefully picked it up again. During her gagging fit, she had instinctively corked it shut. After all, no matter how vile it tasted, it was still worth a fortune. A hundred gold coins, her money. With deliberate care, she uncorked it once more. The faint pop of the seal breaking sounded almost ominous this time. Then Kei’s lips slowly curled upward.

"Heheheh..." she snickered under her breath, a wicked glint flashing in her eyes. She glanced at Kelly’s unconscious form.

"If the potion didn’t wake him... maybe its taste will," she said, her voice dripping with mischievous malice. "I wonder what his reaction would be if he were awake."

The thought alone seemed to improve her mood considerably.

’Serves him right for looking so peaceful...’

Slowly, she leaned closer. Sliding one hand beneath Kelly’s head, she lifted it slightly, supporting his weight with surprising gentleness. His hair brushed against her fingers. With her other hand, she brought the bottle toward his lips. The shimmering liquid swirled innocently inside the glass. Kei’s smirk widened, and with absolutely ill intentions she tipped the bottle toward his mouth.

However, the moment the bottle touched Kelly’s lips, something unexpected happened. Kei barely had time to tilt it, Kelly’s throat moved then...

Glug.

Her eyes widened.

Glug. Glug. Glug.

He was drinking no. He was devouring it like a beast that hadn’t been fed in days. Kelly’s hand suddenly rose on instinct, gripping the bottle with surprising strength as he tilted it further back. The shimmering azure liquid disappeared rapidly, his throat bobbing hungrily as he swallowed every last drop without hesitation. Kei froze.

"Eh?"

Before her stunned eyes, the softly glowing potion drained away completely not a single drop remained, the bottle was empty. Utterly empty. Kelly released it with a faint exhale, as if satisfied. Kei remained crouched there, still holding the glass neck, her mind blank.

"...Huh?"

It took several long seconds before she finally snapped out of her daze. Slowly very slowly she looked at Kelly then at the bottle then back at Kelly again.

Silence.

A heavy, exhausted sigh escaped her lips.

"I guess he has no taste at all..." she muttered dryly.

Her gaze swept over him with open judgment.

"After all, someone with such a shitty fashion sense..." she added, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

She shook her head dramatically.

"I really shouldn’t expect much from him."

Kelly, however, didn’t look satisfied.

Even after the bottle ran dry, his lips continued to move. He opened and closed his mouth slowly, almost instinctively like someone searching for more.

For a brief second, Kei simply stared.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

Kelly’s throat shifted again. His head tilted slightly, as though expecting another drop. Kei’s eye twitched.

"No way..."

And yet, with visible reluctance, she reached into her spatial bag once more. Another light azure bottle emerged. Not out of benevolence especially not kindness. Kei had already made up her mind.

’I am never drinking that piss-shit again. No matter what situation I’m in.’

In her eyes, those potions had lost all value. The moment they touched her tongue, they had become utterly unworthy investment. Worthless, trash, and since they were worthless to her. She might as well use them, without ceremony, she uncorked the second bottle and placed it against Kelly’s lips, just like before, he drank, hungrily, as if starved.

Kei didn’t even bother reacting this time. Her expression turned flat as she continued pulling out bottle after bottle, uncorking them with mechanical movements and tipping them into his mouth, after the tenth bottle, His mouth ceased its searching motion. His hand dropped limply to his side. His breathing steadied once more as he slipped back into full unconsciousness, silence fell. Kei stared at him for a long moment.

"...Unbelievable."

She was beyond annoyed now and tired, both physically and mentally, with a defeated sigh, she turned away from him. But before allowing herself to rest, she addressed the dull ache in her stomach.

"Haaah... I’m hungry."