Chapter 69

Two days had passed and Ludger had to check the thing that he let Favian take care of. It was something that was known as 'koji' in Ludger's past life memories.

Hugo pick Ludger up from the Red Dawn with Hudson today. Both of them want to ask Ludger about something and they decided that Favian secret laboratory is the best place for making secret discussions. They head to the alchemy guild together but they could see something is wrong with Ludger's current appearance.

Ludger seems to be restless and worried about something. He currently looked pale for some reason. They also saw how his mother, Katarina want him to change his mood and easily let him go to the alchemy guild with them.

"Boy, are you alright?" Hudson who can't bear the uncomfortable silence asks.

"Hmm? I'm alright. I just lack a good sleep last night." Ludger answers his question as if there is nothing wrong.

Even Ludger did not know the cause but he keep waking up in the middle of the night and have a hard time going back to sleep lately. As if being disturbed by a horrible nightmare but he was never able to remember what woke him up. The only thing he know was how he always sweating and his heart beating so fast every time he woke up.

Ludger tries to hide it. After all, he thinks that it was caused because he is too worried about the mage from the magic tower. But Ludger's body has reached its limit and it starts showing on his appearance.

"Oh, right! I'm glad that I could meet you today, Mr. Hudson. Or do you want me to call you Guild Master of the adventurer guild?" Ludger remembers something and asks.

"What? Do you have decided to join our guild because we will be able to protect you from the magic tower?" Hudson excitedly said.

"No. I want to ask you to spar with me later because I need to train to fight with another person in a life-or-death fight. I'm still lacking in the experience for a real fight and only able to survive this far because of my luck." Ludger said as he look at his hands.

Ludger had been thinking about how he was able to survive until now. Although luck is also part of a person's skills, but it was similar to wheels. It will change its up and down as it was moving forward. Except if it goes up hills where the lower part will not reach the same height. But life can be as simple as that logic.

"You want to spar with me?! Are you getting insane because you are feeling sleepy? Even though I have retired from being an adventurer, I am still a high-level adventurer before I retired. It might be dangerous to do it without preparing some safety measures." Hudson said with a disbelief tone.

"I'm also serious when I ask you to spar with me. I need more training because I was lacking a lot in my experience to fight against other people. I only realized it after the mage from the magic tower attack me before." Ludger said with a serious face.

"But you have already better than your peers. If you impatiently train yourself, you will only harm yourself rather than improve your ability. What you really need to do right now is to rest your body first because you look terrible." Hudson said with a worried face.

Hudson feels that Ludger needs to let himself to take some rest because, from the first time he saw this boy, he always seems to be thinking about something difficult. Hudson thought that Ludger need to stop thinking about those difficult things or share them with someone else. But the boy seems to close his heart to the other.

The little boy that always tries to show a smile or act energetically while he actually has a stoic face. How he was able to act and speak like an adult. He has a lot of skills that could be categorized as a genius in this world. But the little boy seems to hide a great secret that he can not tell to others. That is what Hudson saw after observing Ludger from the reports and what he directly saw.

Hudson had seen a lot of talented people when he was still active as an adventurer but no one could able to continue as an adventurer because of their arrogance when they keep getting praised for their achievements. But Ludger was the opposite of them.

Ludger always underestimates himself even when he does something extraordinary. He always lowers his own value and sometimes acts stupidly as if he tried to hide his true strength and act like a child. But Hudson also thought that he didn't have to doubt Ludger because he was a good kid.

From what Hudson heard from the reports of some adventurers, Ludger often help others when they needed some help. Even the place where he currently working and staying, was because he help the Owner, Caron when she was being troubled by some thugs. And while working at Red Dawn, he often gives some useful and helpful tips to the customers and makes them keep coming to Red Dawn as their regular customers.

Looking at the current Ludger who has not changed his mind about the sparing, Hudson thought that maybe he need to let him try at least one time.

"Alright. If you really want to spar, we would do it but you need to follow the safety measures that the adventurer guild has set. We will use the training ground that the adventurer usually used in the adventurer guild and I'll call some healers that I trust. Is that alright?"Hudson said with a firm tone.

"It's alright. Besides I was the one who asked you for your help so I will accept your terms. Thank you for accepting my request." Ludger said and bowed his head to show how grateful he is.

"But Master Ludger, what if he asked you to join the adventurer guild? Will you also accept it?" Hugo was panicky and asked.

"As I said before, I will only join the guild two years later for an apprenticeship...But I always wondered about it, did I could only join one guild? Didn't each and every guild have their own different teaching and knowledge? What if someone has two different talents that fit to two different guilds?" Ludger asked while tilting his head.

"Hmm, that's something that we never thought about before..." Hudson muttered.

"As expected from Master Ludger, you always have a great idea. You are right, we might be able to get monster carcasses at lower prices. It would also make the market more lively. No, it will be a revolutionary to this world!" Hugo excitedly said.

As they were busy with their discussion, they arrived at the alchemy guild. As they came out from the carriage, they were greeted by Favian who quickly pull Ludger to his laboratory.

"Teacher, is this what you want to create? Are you sure we could eat this?" Favian asked with a trembling eye.

"Hmm, you have opened the cloth. You must be surprised by this appearance, right?" Ludger looks at Favian face after looking at the 'koji' in the container.

"What are you doing?! Do you want to have a stomach ache?! You are kidding when you said you want to cook it, right?" Hudson was surprised and looked at Ludger with a disbelief face.

"Do you have some soybeans? This is something that I need to help me create different types of food and drink. And Favian, could you get me a strainer?" Ludger answers while looking at the 'koji'.

The barley has molds with yellowish-brown colour spores. It looks terrible for the people in this world because they could create some fermented food like wine and cheese by using magic and alchemy with the monster's blood. But Ludger feels that it was lacking the taste if it was compared to the one in his past life memories.

Favian took all the things that Ludger told him to get. After everything was ready, Ludger only put the soybeans into a large bowl and soaked it with water after cleaning it. Ludger then stopped working and walk away.

"Teacher, what's wrong? Do you forget something?" Favian was confused by Ludger's act.

"No, we need to leave it soaked in water overnight. So I think I should go back to Red Dawn." Ludger simply answer. I

"Why do you trouble yourself to soak it?" Favian still feels confused about what Ludger do.

"You only need to remember what it looks like today and compare it later tomorrow." Ludger answer.

"How about the flour that you ask me last time? What are you going to use it?" Favian ask.

"Oh right. I almost forgot to make the yeast." Ludger said as he remember what he want to do.

He quickly mixes the flour with water in a medium bowl and stirs it well before he covers it loosely with a cloth and leaves it like the soaked soybeans.

"Do you have the other thing that I ask you before?" Ludger looks at Favian and asks.

"Is this dried grape was the one you looking for?" Favian show the dried grapes in a bag.

"I think it will be alright." Ludger nodded.

Ludger put the dried grapes in a container, then add some sugar before adding some water and starting to stir it then close it loosely.

"Alright, I only need to wait right now. I have done everything so let's continue our talk about the training." Ludger leaves the container and looks at Hudson.

'Is this really alright?' Everyone else in that laboratory feel something was wrong with what Ludger did.