Interlude Two

“No good… No matter how many times I try, it’s not working…” Wendy sighed for the umpteenth time, staring at the murky sludge in the alchemical cauldron.

For the past few days, she had been attempting to compound potions based on Magnus’s notes, but not a single one had succeeded. Even though she was only doing this for money, the fact that she couldn’t manage what Magnus had done so effortlessly stung her pride.

As if to stoke her frustration further, the bell at the gate rang.

She looked out and saw a familiar figure standing in front of the workshop. The moment Wendy showed herself, the man shouted with a furious expression.

“The high-grade healing potion I ordered last time only had the effect of a mid-grade one!”

The memory of that request flashed through Wendy’s mind. To an amateur, potions might look the same, but their effects were starkly different once used.

“Thanks to you, I got an earful! How are you going to take responsibility for this?!” he demanded.

“Th-that’s…” Wendy stammered.

“Say something!” The man, a messenger from Baron Tigrus, advanced on her as if to grab her by the collar. Even Wendy, usually quick with words, was at a loss.

The messenger let out an exaggerated sigh. “Tch, the previous guy charged less and made potions of proper quality. What’s wrong with you?”

“The previous guy…?” Wendy’s blood boiled at those words.

Magnus had never listened to her desires, yet clients seemed to hold him in high regard. That was unforgivable to her.

“Don’t you know his rumors?” she snapped. “He had perverse tendencies and did things to his female apprentice in the count’s mansion—”

“Shut up! I don’t care about that! I came here for potions!” the messenger interrupted.

“Ugh…” Wendy faltered again.

The messenger pressed on. “In the first place, just because the previous guy caused a scandal, does that mean you’re qualified to take over this workshop?”

“…” Wendy had no response.

There was a tradition that the head disciple could inherit a workshop when an alchemist retired, but it required official approval from the kingdom. Even if Magnus had formally lost his alchemist license, that didn’t mean Wendy automatically inherited the workshop.

“Forget it. I’m never ordering from this workshop again!” the messenger spat, storming off.

Wendy was left with a sinking feeling, but then she remembered something.

“That’s right… It’s almost ready,” she muttered.

She headed toward a different cauldron in the back of the workshop, one Magnus had used for experimental compounding. Now, Wendy was using it to boil a thick, pink, mysterious liquid.

“Phew, it’s about time,” she said, turning off the flame.

This was the potion she’d longed for—a concoction to enlarge her chest. When she’d suggested it to Magnus, he’d dismissed it as “shady,” but she’d poured nearly all the money she’d earned since taking over the workshop into acquiring the expensive materials. Now, it was finally coming to fruition.

“I wanted to live a rich life as an alchemist, but… as long as my chest gets bigger, nothing else matters,” she said.

Even if she couldn’t stay here, Wendy was confident her swordsmanship would let her make a living as a mercenary or adventurer.

Lifting her clothes, she exposed her flat chest. “Heh, no one’s ever even noticed it before, but that’s about to change.”

She scooped the liquid from the cauldron with a wooden spoon and poured it onto her chest.

“Ah, hot!?” she yelped.

Naturally, the liquid, fresh from the flame, was scalding. But Wendy gritted her teeth and smeared it across her chest.

“Haa, haa, now I’ll finally have big breasts! This is nothing compared to that…” she panted.

The liquid should have cooled upon contact with the air, but her chest grew hotter. No, it wasn’t just heat—it felt like a different kind of burning sensation.

“W-what’s this? My breasts are tingling, burning! Could this be a sign they’re growing… Ah, nn!” she gasped, clutching her chest.

Her determination didn’t waver. “If that’s the case, I need to apply more… Ah, ah, aah!”

The more she applied, the more intense the heat became.

Now, a throbbing, itchy sensation welled up from within her chest.

Unable to endure the unfamiliar feeling, she collapsed to the floor.

“Haa, haa, my breasts are so itchy! ♡ But this is the trial to make them grow, right? If that’s the case, this is nothing! ♡ I’ve worked so hard for this… Ah, haa!” she moaned.

The slightest brush of her fingers against her heated chest sent overwhelming sensations coursing through her.

“Haa, haa! What’s going on…? But if I just touch a little… Aah! ♡” she gasped.

Before she realized it, her hands were on her modest chest.

The cool touch of her fingers against her burning, potion-soaked skin unleashed an explosive wave of pleasure.

“Ah, what’s this?! ♡ Just a light touch feels so good! ♡ All I did was apply the potion, and… Ah, ♡♡” she cried.

Her fingers moved more forcefully, kneading the flat expanse of her chest.

“No, if I keep doing this, I won’t be able to stop! ♡ Hyah!? Ah, this spot feels amazing! ♡” she exclaimed as her fingers grazed a particularly sensitive area, sending another surge of pleasure through her.

Her mind was consumed by the overwhelming heat, her fingers moving on their own.

“Really, I can’t go any further! ♡ But wait… ♡ If I drink the potion and massage like this, they might grow even more! ♡ Yes, this is for bigger breasts, I have no choice! ♡♡” she rationalized.

Mmmph! ♡

Her slender fingers dug into her flat chest with lewd movements.

“No! ♡ My sensitive, burning breasts feel too good! ♡ For bigger breasts… ♡ I have to knead them more! ♡” she moaned.

Mmmph, mmmph, mmmph! ♡♡♡

Her fingers ravaged the burning plain, moving faster and faster.

The overwhelming pleasure spread through her body, searing her mind.

“No more! ♡♡ Ah, I’m… I’m…! ♡♡ ♡♡♡” she cried.

Convulsing, Wendy collapsed to the floor.

Surely, after all this, her chest must have grown. Amid the haze of pleasure, a sense of accomplishment welled up in her foggy mind.

But her chest remained as flat as ever, a vast plain unchanged.