Episode 256
by CristaeEpisode 256
“Is it really that hard to show the number four!? Hey! That’s just one!”
“Gainando. That’s not one, that’s the middle finger… Never mind.”
Lee Han tried to give Gainando some advice but stopped himself.
Getting close to one’s summoned creature was something a wizard had to do.
Rather than Lee Han giving unnecessary advice, it would be best for Gainando to realize it himself.
‘And above all, it’s a hassle.’
Having finished submitting his assignment, Lee Han quickly turned away. There were still mountains of assignments left to do.
“Why do you keep doing one… If you keep this up, my terrifying archmage friend won’t let you off! Lee Han? Lee Han!!”
Lee Han pretended not to hear and ran off.
- * *
“…What’s going on?”
Having left Gainando behind and rushed to the alchemy classroom, Lee Han paused at the sight before him.
Led by Priestess Siana, the Phoenix Tower students stood in front, while other students taking the alchemy class were lined up, waiting.
“Here you go.”
“Sob. Priestess, thank you. There’s no one like you, Priestess.”
“You don’t have to go that far.”
“No! There’s no one but you! So, could you maybe give me just a bit more…”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“Please! Just a little more!”
Jeers burst out from the students in line behind.
“Are you the only one with assignments?!”
“Get lost already! You filthy guy!”
“…????”
Yoner appeared behind the flustered Lee Han.
“It’s because of the assignment.”
“Because of the assignment?”
“Yeah.”
Dark circles of sleep deprivation and fatigue were under Yoner’s eyes. Lee Han looked at his friend with a sympathetic expression.
“The pre-final alchemy assignment is a lot trickier than expected, right?”
“It’s just really tricky.”
The kind Professor Thunderstep had instructed the students to make a potion of appropriate difficulty as a pre-final assignment.
- Make an Aurum’s Golden Potion. It’s not a particularly difficult potion, so you should all be able to make it.
Of course, the students weren’t fooled.
While the actual difficulty of making Aurum’s Golden Potion wasn’t that high…
The brewing process was relatively simple, with few extra steps…
But the ingredients required were horrifyingly complicated.
First, you had to mix a Minor Mental Enhancement Potion and Setribi’s Dew Potion to make the base, then add in a mixture of Minor Mental Enhancement Potion and Dobruk’s Blood Drop Potion, then again Minor Mental Enhancement Potion and Bellezen’s…
To make just one potion, you needed other potions A, B, C, D, E, and so on; so this potion was practically the nemesis of alchemists.
No matter how low the base difficulty, it was only natural for first-year students to make several mistakes, and if you made even one mistake, you had to start over from scratch.
Remake the Minor Mental Enhancement Potion, remake Setribi’s Dew Potion, remake Dobruk’s Blood Drop Potion…
Professor Thunderstep had said, ‘If you learn to make something like Aurum’s Golden Potion, you’ll make fewer mistakes and be better at making other potions,’ but the students were already plotting to throw Professor Thunderstep into a cauldron.
“I heard the Phoenix Tower priests have a lot of -Minor Mental Enhancement Potion-.”
“!”
Most of the Empire’s orders upheld virtues like frugality, thrift, and devotion.
Because of this, Phoenix Tower students adapted to Einrogard faster than anyone.
Not only that, but they also gave to their friends.
The self-sufficiency of Phoenix Tower students, who had grown up working in temples, was on par with the Black Turtle Tower students.
- Would you like some dessert? I have a piece of black bread from school and some coffee made from dandelion roots.
- …I… I appreciate it, but Wardanaz is probably waiting with dinner, and he’ll be disappointed if I snack!
And nowhere was this self-sufficiency more apparent than in potion-making.
Since they had all grown up in the temple, even if they didn’t major in alchemy, they had helped with or heard a lot about potion-making.
While White Tiger Tower students scoured the mountains and forests for game, and Black Turtle Tower students gathered all sorts of odds and ends to run the black market, Phoenix Tower priests would use their spare time to gather ingredients and make potions.
So they had quite a stockpile of -Minor Mental Enhancement Potion-…
Given the situation, they decided to share with their friends without any conditions.
“Oh no!”
Having heard Yoner’s explanation, Lee Han sighed.
“I should have gone to Phoenix Tower… Oh. Sorry, Yoner. It’s not that I have a complaint about Blue Dragon Tower.”
“Honestly, with all you do, Lee Han, nobody could blame you if you did…”
Yoner thought that Blue Dragon Tower students, if they had any conscience, should keep their mouths shut.
“And I do feel it’s a shame.”
“Right?”
Lee Han and Yoner sighed together.
If you had surplus goods, you should be trading them efficiently to increase your capital, not giving them out for free.
The unsavory students from other towers were taking advantage of the Phoenix Tower priests’ goodwill.
‘If I were there, I’d be leading this.’
With their sighs finished, Lee Han and Yoner joined the line.
It was a shame, but if potions were being handed out, you had to take them.
“How many bottles of -Minor Mental Enhancement Potion- would be enough?”
“Twenty… No. Honestly, even twenty feels a bit risky.”
“The final will be about the same, right?”
“Yeah…”
Yoner’s face darkened.
If the pre-final assignment was this bad, how hellish… no, how hard would the final exam potion be?
But Lee Han hadn’t lost hope yet.
‘There’s a way.’
Lee Han was planning to go out this weekend.
If he went out and bought all the useful alchemy ingredients and potions…
Whatever challenge Professor Thunderstep threw at them, half would already be solved.
“Hehehe…”
“Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family?”
The Phoenix Tower priests tilted their heads when Lee Han didn’t respond to being called.
Yoner, a bit flustered, tapped Lee Han’s shoulder and called him.
“What’s wrong? Are you in shock from the assignment?”
“Oh, it’s not that…”
“Hurry up and take yours already!”
A White Tiger Tower student in line behind Lee Han grumbled. When Lee Han stared, the student avoided his gaze.
“Priestess Siana, the dazzling rising star of the Fleming Order. It’s a pleasure.”
“Compared to Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family, the insightful and understanding alchemist, I’m nothing.”
Priestess Siana greeted him warmly and began filling his basket with potion bottles.
In an instant, the basket was full…
And then she started putting more in another basket…?
“?”
“??”
Lee Han and Yoner looked at each other.
‘She’s giving more, isn’t she?’
‘She is giving more.’
“Here you go.”
“Uh… thank you.”
Lee Han briefly wondered whether he should say, ‘You gave me too much by mistake,’ or just accept it.
But before he could, a student who had received theirs earlier exclaimed in disbelief.
“Priestess! The amount Wardanaz received is at least twice what I got!”
‘Feels like it’s more like three times.’
Even twice seemed like an underestimate.
“Well, the potion you just received was given by the priestess, but the ones given to Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family were given by Priestess Siana, the dazzling rising star of the Fleming Order, so that’s why.”
“……”
“……”
“Do you have any complaints? Should I take it back…”
“N-no.”
The student who had just protested quickly came to their senses and stepped back.
“Priestess Siana, the Venus of the Fleming Order…”
“It’s too late now. Next!”
Lee Han thought to himself.
‘Tsk tsk. Should have done it earlier.’
He always felt this way, but it never hurt to butter someone up in advance.
Seeing people try to do it belatedly only made it clearer.
“Wardanaz…! He’s got even the priestess wrapped around his finger…!”
“Are your eyes just for decoration?”
Lee Han was dumbfounded at the reaction of the other tower students.
How on earth did this look like Lee Han was manipulating Priestess Siana?
They were just upset that they hadn’t done it in advance!
- * *
Professor Rosine, who was teaching -Basic Imperial Language and Logic-, praised the students as soon as she entered.
“Wow! Shyles! Professor Lightningstep said the horse you’re taking care of is in great condition!”
“Th-thank you.”
“Ahsan! I heard you brought a wonderful spirit. Excellent!”
“I was lucky. Thank you!”
“Lee Han! Lee Han, you…”
Professor Rosine paused when it was Lee Han’s turn.
There was so much to praise that she was momentarily confused about what to choose.
“…Anyway, you’re doing well!”
“?!”
Lee Han was bewildered.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Uh… I don’t know?”
After praising the students some more, Professor Rosine stood in front.
Students who rarely received compliments from professors at Einrogard had faces full of self-esteem, their eyes sparkling.
“Professor, is there no pre-final assignment for -Basic Imperial Language and Logic-?”
The professor answered brightly and cheerfully.
“Oh! There’s no pre-final assignment. Instead, there’s a simple test!”
“……”
“N-no, I trust Professor Fliework.”
At the sudden pop quiz, the students’ faces turned sullen.
Some still held onto hope, saying, ‘But Professor Rosine is different…’
“Come in.”
Hello, everyone.
At the sight of the huge demon entering with a low, pressure-filled voice, the faces of the students who just moments ago believed ‘but the professor is different’ turned stiff.
Professors at Einrogard, really…!
“Do we… do we have to fight? Isn’t the test a fight?”
“No way… No matter what, the professor wouldn’t do that, right?”
“There are professors who do, though.”
“Don’t joke, Wardanaz! That’s not funny at all!”
“……”
Lee Han slightly regretted not dragging his friends to Professor Voladi’s lecture by force.
“This is Mr. Oriphulas, an excellent demon who worked for 131 years as an imperial magistrate! What do you think allowed such a powerful demon to work as a magistrate?”
“A contract?”
“Excellent! Everyone, applause!”
The students’ applause was weaker and less energetic than before.
“Of course, Mr. Oriphulas is a powerful demon. And it’s not easy for a wizard to contract with a being stronger than themselves! So what should you do?”
“Uh… Persuade them?”
“Correct! Applause, everyone!”
Clap, clap, clap.
“Today, you’ll all attempt a mock contract with Mr. Oriphulas! He’ll seriously consider and evaluate the terms you propose, so do your best. Outstanding students like you will surely succeed!”
“????”
The students still looked confused.
It was a relief they didn’t have to fight…
But how were they supposed to persuade him?
“How do we persuade him? Should we offer our heart and blood…?”
“Gold?”
“A friend’s life?”
“A friend’s card deck?”
“Do you want to die?”
“First, maybe start by asking what he likes, and have a light conversation…”
Meanwhile, one unlucky student sat first before Oriphulas.
Oriphulas asked seriously.
Why should I contract with you? Young wizard?
“W-well. If you make a contract with me, I’ll give you gold coins…”
Gold coins? Gold coins?? Are you out of your mind? Do you think I’m someone who would contract and help a wizard for mere gold coins? What do you take me for?
“I’m… I’m sorry…!”
The student started to tear up under Oriphulas’s pressure.
The remaining students murmured.
This…
Isn’t normal!
- * *
- The card deck…
- It’s not a bad joke, but that has no value.
- To strengthen your power, I’ll supply you with magic and, if needed, potions…
- That’s something you say when contracting with beings weaker than yourself. What demon would agree to such terms from a weaker being? Magic? I can get it faster and stronger myself than what you offer. Potions? I can make better ones than you…
- D-do you like things like hearts or blood?
- You need to relearn the basics of manners.
‘This is bad.’
Seeing his friends get swept away like fallen leaves, Lee Han grew nervous.
Oriphulas was pickier than expected.
He had no idea what offer would please the demon.
‘I’ll have to carefully test things one by one and gauge his reactions. That’s all I can do.’
“Hello.”
Hm!
“First, let’s go over the basics. As the contractor, I’ll do my best to supply you with magic…”
Accepted.
“…What?”