This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

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The bounty for Idontcare was 3,000 gold coins.

The bounty for Addison was 3,000 gold coins plus three bottles of epic-grade potions handmade by Mistblade Moon Emperor.

The bounty for Kabbibika was 5,000 gold coins and three more bottles of those same potions.

Mistblade… truly the object of everyone's obsession.

Nivalis: "Do you know anyone on the list?"

Rita: "Yes, four of my sisters."

Nivalis: "Should we rescue them?"

Rita: (grimly) "They're beyond saving."

Nivalis: "What bad luck! Were they framed?"

Rita: …

Look at you, killing the conversation again!

After wandering around with Nivalis, Rita transformed into a dark-skinned minotaur, donned gear stolen from the RickThe Taylor Family siblings, and entered the city. The inspection process was noticeably stricter than last time. Sneaking around with her "pet," Rita made her way to Hecipah's Alchemy Shop.

Hecipah, as always, sat by the window with a book, enjoying beer and snacks. When she saw a minotaur's head pop up near the window, she instinctively prepared to slap it away. But then she spotted the name—[Hecipei].

Hecipah: ?

After greeting Hecipah, Rita entered through the front door and sat down beside her. Nivalis, upon seeing Hecipah, promptly hid in the pet space.

Hecipah didn't banter this time. Her mind was consumed with the alchemical methods of the Moon Fox race, which often ran counter to mainstream alchemy. When she first saw the book "Brewing Potions? All You Need is a Tail" gifted to Rita by Mistblade, she had sensed something unusual.

Hecipah: "How's your progress with [Melting Time]?"

Rita immediately pulled out her notebook and started asking questions. After Hecipah answered, Rita asked, "Teacher, if I simplify the brewing process and substitute some herbs, could I teach the failure version to others?"

Hecipah didn't laugh at Rita's bold idea. Instead, she handed over a second notebook on [Melting Time]. "You can, as long as the similarity is below 10%. It won't trigger any restrictions."

She even thought Rita was close to successfully brewing [Melting Time].

Turning a page in her book, Hecipah suddenly asked, "Do you think smudging your face and dressing poorly can hide your maxed-out charm stat?"

Rita immediately straightened up. "Teacher, please elaborate!"

Hecipah: "Do me a favor, and I'll teach you."

Rita: "What favor?" (It's not another Moon Fox library mission, is it?)

Hecipah pulled out three white notebooks and placed them before Rita. "These are your next lessons. There are specific requirements at the end."

Before Rita could thank her, Hecipah also retrieved three dark blue notebooks. "Take these and deliver them to Lucia. She spends most of her time in Eternal Day City, but if she's not there, you'll have to look for her in Eternal Night Fortress."

Rita didn't bother asking why Hecipah couldn't go herself. Instead, she carefully stored the books. "Mission accepted. Teacher, can I borrow some [Melting Time] for practice? I'll return it once I've mastered the brew."

Rita refrained from outright asking for it, knowing the value of a master-grade potion, even if the ingredients weren't expensive.

Hecipah handed her five bottles of [Melting Time]. After a moment's thought, she added five more. "This should suffice. Remember, you owe me twelve bottles."

The longer I know Hecipah, the more suspicious she seems, Rita thought. Sending students to steal, charging steep interest—classic villain material.

With Rita's plans squared away, Hecipah returned to the main topic. "Charm is like luck. Unless it's genuinely altered, it's impossible to suppress. But I haven't studied it deeply. Lucia might have a solution. She developed a potion called [Gold-Class Assassin], which temporarily modifies charm."

Rita made a mental note to visit the auction house to see if any of those potions were available. "Is Lucia easy to get along with?" she asked.

Hecipah's lips curled into a smile. "She wrote an autobiography. You can read it to understand her better."

Rita had already read it, which was why she asked.

If Hecipah's autobiography read like a tale of a slave-turned-successful heroine, then Lucia's was about teaching children. Constantly.

From her days as a master-level alchemist to her time as a legendary and even epic-level one, Lucia always seemed to be teaching kids.

Rita sometimes wondered if Lucia had a "gain strength by teaching students" system.

Lucia didn't even favor talented children. She preferred teaching average ones, believing true geniuses didn't need mentors, whereas average kids who loved alchemy needed guidance the most.

Her innate abilities allowed her to travel freely, and she treated all races equally. She often had multiple students at the same time: teaching noble girls in a castle in the morning, young minotaurs on the grasslands in the afternoon, and sea sirens at night. Even intelligent alien beasts could become her students.

She seemed like a kindhearted undead.

But she was also ruthless. She never taught a student for more than five years. After that, regardless of their progress, she would leave to make time for new students.

Rita remembered the noble girl from Hecipah's autobiography. According to that story, Lucia had stayed at that castle teaching the girl for eight years, which directly contradicted her five-year rule.

Anyone would think Lucia stayed there just for Hecipah.

Rita: "Was she your teacher?"

Hecipah hesitated. "No."

Hecipah added, "You should be aware of this: she no longer formally accepts students, and she doesn't like being called a teacher."

Rita: "Why?"

Lucia's autobiography only recounted her years traveling across Lania Kaia, teaching students, and their struggles and determination. It didn't mention why she stopped or what happened afterward.

For example, why did she spend decades traveling, yet now, as Hecipah claimed, she mostly stayed in Eternal Day City?

Hecipah sighed. "Because of a student she taught 23 years ago. A young oak owl who continued pursuing alchemy after Lucia left.

"But without a patient teacher like Lucia—an epic-level alchemist who treated all students equally—the owl couldn't find anyone comparable.

"After struggling for three years, the owl made a deal with a demon, exchanging the lives of children for alchemical talent. In less than ten years, the owl became a high-ranking alchemist.

"One day, she stood outside the Alchemy Guild, shouting Lucia's name. She demanded to know whether her newfound 'genius' qualified her to make Lucia break her principles and stay, just as she had once stayed eight years for Hecipah.

"…From that day on, Lucia stopped teaching children alchemy."