I Am Really The Best Anti Hero In Another World!-System Of Anti Hero!-Chapter 25 - Acquiring Knowledge

"Th-thank you..."

Embarrassed, Sophia turned her face slightly so she could finish drying her tears—unintentionally pulling away Noah's hand—while he, realizing that his offer of help had been refused, withdrew once more.

He didn't understand why he'd done that, and in his mind, he was actually grateful that she had turned him down—after all, they didn't even really know each other.

However, Sophia soon reconsidered her decision after realizing her mistake. Taking a cloth, she did the same, using it to help dry his tears. Then, smiling, she thanked him once again for everything—even for his offer of help, which to her had just been empty words, spouted by Noah merely because of the situation.

"And I'm sorry... I guess now you won't be able to keep eating that," she said, placing the ceramic bowl onto the wooden tray in her lap.

Noah was confused—he wasn't sure what that meant—whether she had accepted it or not was uncertain. It's impossible to read someone's thoughts, and he couldn't really ask Sophia about it—in truth, he preferred not to know, and with that in mind, he resolved to follow his own decision on whether to help her further.

"...Are you going to come back?" he asked.

Sophia stopped near the door, hesitant—having just said something like that to him, at least for now she wanted to keep her distance. She then turned with a gentle smile:

— Of course... I'll be right back.

Her answer was given.

As soon as she left, Noah quickly shifted his focus:

[Would you like the knowledge to be transferred?]

'...Yes,' he replied. 'But be quick.'

[Warning!]

[The transfer of knowledge has been initiated]

[The knowledge concerning the creation of all pills]

The pain filled him along with all the information. He endured it all in silence, letting out only occasional groans.

[13%]

Every herb and every beast part useful in the making of pills—he knew them like the back of his hand.

[79%]

But Noah soon noticed a problem emerging: the flame. A special flame was required for the creation of higher-grade pills—those derived from demon beasts—and the more powerful the creature, the more unique and effective its flame would be.

[100%]

[The transfer of knowledge has been completed successfully]

Letting his body collapse onto the bed—Noah ignored the pain coursing through him—he sighed as he wondered aloud,

— Am I really going to have to hunt down a beast to use this...?

Murmuring to himself.

[You already possess two proficient flames for pill creation—just awaken your lineages]

"Two...? Are you referring to...?"

[Affirmative!]

[One acquires a lineage by absorbing the blood of demon beasts and their cores]

[Even if the phoenix lineage cannot be unlocked—after all, very little blood was absorbed and most of the energy that entered your body was used to repair and purify it on a level deeper than the purification source was capable of during the initial formation of your Golden Core—so it isn't fully integrated with you—however, the draconic lineage is in perfect condition]

"Really? And how do I..."

Hearing the creak of the door, Noah fell silent—Sophia entered the room carrying a bucket of hot water and a few handkerchiefs.

"Did you say something?" she asked, as she walked over to the bed and set the bucket on the floor.

"No, I... What's that...?"

Although he knew the answer, Noah refused to believe it—he thought she had already abandoned that idea. Sophia knelt down with one of the cloths in her hand.

"...You don't need to do this..." he said, but she wouldn't stop.

Covering his face with one of the handkerchiefs, Sophia began by taking off his waistband and then his upper garments.

"I promised..." she whispered almost inaudibly, "I said I'd take care of you until you got better..."

Noah felt his heart race—and this time it certainly wasn't due to any celestial body effect—the warmth that enveloped him was so comforting that, at one point, he wished the moment would last forever.

Sophia hesitated a little before having to continue with the lower half of his body, below the waist, but she took a deep breath and tugged his pants off with one swift pull—disregarding the pain it would cause—knowing that that scene would remain in her memory for the rest of her life.

When it was all over, dressing Noah was no longer a challenge—Sophia didn't even bother closing her eyes to do it—but the silence that followed was, in itself, unbearably awkward.

She stood up and, in silence, gathered her things and walked to the door.

"May I ask you something...?" Noah asked, embarrassed.

"Y-Yes... I'll do my best to help."

"Could you have someone buy something for me? I'll give you the money."

Sophia looked at him for a moment, as if searching for something that, evidently, she couldn't find.

"But..." she hesitated, "Sure... What do you need...?"

"An alchemy oven. Is it possible for you to get something like that for me?"

Stunned, she accidentally let the bucket fall to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Noah asked, worried—much to his own surprise.

"Ah, y-yeah, I'm fine..." Ignoring the spilled water spreading across the floor, Sophia just grabbed the bucket and the cloths, then stood up, dazed. "But you... you're an alchemist, Noah...?"

"No, not yet."

"Not yet...?"

"Yes, I'm going to start learning right now." The bucket incident nearly repeated, leaving Noah worried. Then, seeing Sophia smile shyly, he continued:

— I forgot to ask your father, but... is it alright if I do this here?

"N-NO!" The bucket burst in her hands. "Oh..."

"...Are you sure you're okay...?"

Quickly gathering the broken pieces, Sophia soon got to her feet:

— Y-Yes, of course. Don't worry.

She said, hurrying out of the room. But then she returned, surprising Noah:

— And seriously, don't worry. It won't be any trouble at all.

Then she left again.

"...What was that...?" Noah said, confused by Sophia's reaction.

[As I said—this is a very small town]

[So much so that General Arthur Radiance hasn't even reached the Qi Condensation stage, even after years of training]

[He's still stuck in the ninth stage of Qi Foundation.]

[What do you think are the chances of there being any alchemists in this tiny town, forgotten by God?]

"...So it wasn't a good idea to talk about that, huh... After all, if this information spreads..."

[Without any alchemists, the knowledge of how to become one is equally scarce—if not non-existent]

[Being the only one with access to it, you'd be sought after, hunted, and—]

"Hunted..."

Noah sighed.

"But I believe it would be even worse if I tried to buy the oven myself. Like it or not, the Radiance family is one of the biggest in this town and certainly wields some influence, even if limited. Compared to what might happen to me, only a few would try to glean why they're searching for an alchemy oven—and the chance of my identity being exposed would decrease significantly because of that."

[....]

[If you had accepted to keep the reward function active, you would have earned another one by now]

Will they really use them as a shield?]

"Tsk! Nothing bad will happen—it's only for a few days. You yourself said that I could use a pill to heal if I waited three days. So, that period ends the day after tomorrow."

[....]

Seeing the system message, Noah swallowed hard—he knew discouraging news was coming soon.

"What is it now...?"

[This was before you used Qi in that way during Sophia's rescue]

[...I think it's better to add a few more days to that estimate]

"...How many...?"

Noah felt the veins throbbing on his forehead—which caused him pain, but he ignored it.

[....]

"How many?"

[....]

[...5 days]

"Son of a—!"

Trying to stand up while cursing proved too much—the pain intensified deeply.