I received what I was looking for from Maha and returned to Tuatha Dé.

Then I spent several days compounding the drug in my workshop.

This drug was almost a narcotic, something that was both addictive and harmful to the body.

However, for a short time only, it could give you superhuman concentration.

This gave the sensation that the world was moving in slow motion.

I modeled it after what athletes used to take for doping in my old world.

Since the core material could grow as long as I nourished it with mana, the final product was going to be even more heinous than the ones in my previous world.

[Though I’d rather not rely too much on this kind of stuff.] (Lugh)

It was only a temporary power, no more than a stopgap.

Not to mention, it was harmful to my own body.

However, there were realms that couldn’t be reached without taking such risks.

The mushrooms that Maha had obtained were used by foreign tribes to invoke the gods, and they gave a tremendous sense of euphoria.

In order to increase its medicinal effects to the utmost limit, I processed it and added some ingredients to the mix.

Then I poured the resulting liquid into a syringe.

I did that because it wasn’t as effective when taken orally.

[It’s my first time using it on myself, but there should be no problem.] (Lugh)

I’d already tested it on death row inmates in the dungeons of Tuatha Dé to make sure it was safe.

I pressed the syringe to my neck and injected the chemical.

My head felt strangely cold, my vision widened, and eventually, everything around me seemed to move more slowly.

A world of comfort.

I even felt almighty.

I used one of my skills to test it out. One of the skills that I acquired with【My Loyal Knights】.

The S-rank skill, 【Multiple Chanting】.

This was a magic spell that allowed you to chant multiple spells at the same time, which was impossible for humans.

It was very useful, but a bit plain for an S-rank skill.

However, I now had a deeper understanding of this skill.

Instead of merely using it, I made it evolve by understanding and coming to grips with it.

As a result…【Multiple Chanting】showed a new aspect. It was now possible to perform voiceless chanting at high speed.

Indeed, it wasn’t like【Multiple Chanting】granted me a second mouth, but it allowed me to use mana to perform pseudo-chanting. Since the chanting was simulated, unlike ordinary chanting, it could be accelerated without being restricted by the limit of your pronunciation speed.

By doing so, 【High-Speed Chanting】was now possible.

There were many opportunities for【High-Speed Chanting】to be more useful than【Multiple Chanting】.

[So these are the mysteries of skills.] (Lugh)

There was such a secret hidden behind【Multiple Chanting】.

There were hidden aspects to other skills as well.

Just thinking about them made me so excited.

And the one I was most interested in right now was indeed…

[【My Loyal Knights】. Making Tarte and Dia stronger is my top priority.] (Lugh)

The two of them were strong.

So much so that even the knights of this country were no match for them.

However, they were powerless against enemies who had completely transcended the boundaries of humanity.

I needed to raise their basic specs.

For that purpose, I wanted to use【My Loyal Knights】.

[…! The effects of the drug are wearing off. I guess that’s it for today.] (Lugh)

I was struck with severe nausea and fatigue. My body felt as heavy as lead.

Apparently, the drug I had injected myself with was wearing off.

I looked at my watch. The effects lasted thirteen minutes and twenty seconds. I would keep that in mind as a reference. In extreme battles where you had no choice but to use it, such an unexpected loss of effects would result in death.

[The side effect of the drug, fatigue, disappears in less than a minute, but taking it continuously is forbidden.] (Lugh)

The effects of【Rapid Recovery】would restore my physical condition.

However, even though the fatigue disappeared quickly,【Rapid Recovery】only served to enhance my healing abilities, meaning that it was powerless to cure what couldn’t be cured over time.

It couldn’t serve as a countermeasure for another side effect, addiction.

Drug addition was caused by the intense pleasure burned into the brain, and it couldn’t be cured.

The only way to prevent the brain from becoming addicted to that pleasure was to give it time.

If I became dependent on this drug, I wouldn’t be able to break free from it.

Additionally, if I used the drug repeatedly, I would develop a tolerance to it, which would lessen its effectiveness and make the effects wear off sooner.

I needed to use it with caution.

[I guess it’s safe to only use one dose a day.] (Lugh)

Though if possible, I wanted to leave a three-day interval after using one.

I wanted to experiment with other skills right away, but I had to hold back.

Otherwise, my personality would be warped in no time.

In that sense, this was my trump card.

I’d have to be careful not to use it lightly.

I had finished testing my ability to unlock the secrets of skills.

Now, it was time to move on to the next thing.

In order to avoid becoming addicted, I waited until two days later to call Tarte and Dia into the garden.

I had already decided on the skills I would try the next time I used the drug.

[today, I’m going to grant you two powers. With the skill I got from the hero. I’ll use【My Loyal Knights】. It’s the power to lend the user’s strength and skills to another party.] (Lugh)

[Um, if you lend them to us, does this mean that you will be weaker as a result, Lugh-sama?] (Tarte)

[No, I won’t. It’s basically copy-pasting. I’ll remain as strong as before. So don’t worry.] (Lugh)

That’s what made it an S-rank skill.

Something that only one in a hundred million possessed, and the kind of thing that made you a hero just by having it.

[I’m a little excited. I felt like I could never measure up to you or Epona who had completely ceased to be human.] (Dia)

[Yes, I tried my best to catch up myself, but the gap was too wide, and they were too far ahead… But with this, I can finally assist Lugh-sama!] (Tarte)

Both looked at me with expectant eyes.

[The only drawback to this skill is that if you lose a battle with something important at stake, or disobey my orders, you will lose your qualification as my knights and your skills will be disabled. …So be prepared for that. From now on, losing will not be an option.] (Lugh)

[Ugh… I am not sure how to feel about that first condition.] (Tarte)

[The best thing to do is to avoid such fights, but if you can’t avoid them, then so be it. When that happens, you’ll have to make up your minds.] (Lugh)

[No need to overthink it. As long as we get the job done, there’ll be no problem. It’ll be an assassination, not a fight.] (Dia)

[Good point.] (Lugh)

We were assassins, not knights. All we did was kill without letting anyone know our presence.

The moment it came down to direct confrontation, the mission was already a half-failure.

[If anything, I’m more curious about the second condition. That we will not be able to defy your orders. What if you gave us a naughty one? You’re also a boy after all, Lugh.] (Dia)

[Ahh! No way…! I feel a bit happy about that, but my heart isn’t ready…] (Tarte)

[Of course I’d never do that.] (Lugh)

I didn’t need to give any order, I could just ask them.

I was aware that they loved me more than enough for that.

[Ahem! Now, time for me to use my skill.] (Lugh)

[Um, would it not be better to wait until I become a little stronger on my own? I would be relieved if I became stronger than anyone else first.] (Tarte)

[If you keep saying that, that time won’t come no matter how long we wait. Rest assured, you’re already strong enough.] (Lugh)

Tarte wasn’t blessed with any talent.

But she was honest, hardworking, and she had acquired plenty of experience that made her stronger.

She could take pride in that.

[What about me?] (Dia)

[You too, Dia. You’re pretty much invincible in magical warfare. I guarantee it.] (Lugh)

I didn’t know of any mage who was better than Dia.

In terms of pure skill, she was better than me.

[Then, can I go first? Because Tarte was already first when she got her eyes.] (Dia)

[Alright. Now here it comes.] (Lugh)

With a syringe, I injected the substance from the other day into my neck.

I gave a name to this drug, Dianketo. (TL: “The Cure Master”, ref. Yu-Gi-Oh! maybe.)

The chemical took effect and my head got cold and clear.

[【My Loyal Knights】] (Lugh)

I activated my power.

Normally, this skill would first give you power, then randomly give you a skill.

But this time, I was in control.

Now that I had uncovered the secrets of skills, I could do things differently.

I could see it and recognize it.

What was flowing from me into Dia.

Now that I was aware of the flow, I could manipulate it.

And pass what I wanted to pass to Dia, through the flow I wanted.

I chose the appropriate skills from my own and those given to me by Epona.

Once those skills and Dia’s talent were combined, she would awaken as an unparalleled wizard in this world.

I kept releasing my power with that vision in mind.