Episode 115

The Pahite illusion magic series was more difficult than other illusion magics.

Because it added the element of heat, rather than dealing with just illusions, the difficulty naturally increased.

stopped at adjusting the corresponding temperature for the illusion, but at the intermediate or advanced levels you could even summon illusions that actually attacked the intruder.

‘Calm down.’

The upperclassman realized what he was doing was undignified and got hold of himself.

There was no rule that said a freshman had to fail at magic. It was possible he just happened to be a natural at that spell.

-From what I see, you seem to have a talent for fire elemental magic. Let me guess: in Professor Garcia’s class, you showed talent for the fire element, didn’t you?

“The professor banned me from using fire elemental magic, though.”

-……

The upperclassman was speechless.

Regardless of talent, what on earth had he done to get banned from using fire elemental magic?

‘What is with this guy?’

• * *

The party moved on to the kitchen.

With walking armor and the storekeeper possibly appearing at any moment, they couldn’t waste any time.

The mysterious upperclassman waved his paper and quill, guiding the group forward.

A door with a kettle emblem creaked open.

-This is the underground ‘kettle’ kitchen. Compared to other kitchens at the school, it’s relatively easy to access. It’s a shame there’s no alcohol, though…

‘Is alcohol all that important?’

Contrary to Ihan’s thoughts questioning why that mattered, the Black Tortoise Tower students were clearly disappointed.

“No alcohol…”

“Such a shame, really.”

“Should a kitchen really be without alcohol?”

Ihan was dumbfounded at his friends’ strong desire for alcohol.

‘What the…’

Did they come to learn, or to drink?

As the Black Tortoise Tower students searched the kitchen, still hung up about the lack of alcohol, the upperclassman called Ihan over.

He might have shown a shameful side with the , but this time he meant to act like a real senior.

How moved would clueless, hungry freshmen be at discovering the school’s hidden places?

-Come. Follow me. And be careful not to scream.

“?”

-Open that cupboard.

At the upperclassman’s words, Ihan curiously opened the cupboard.

‘Is it booby-trapped or something?’

Inside hung hams and sausages cut from chunks of meat.

There were sausages preserved in salt or smoked over smoke, and Ihan was grateful.

“Oh. Thank you.”

-……

The upperclassman was flustered.

Normally, a freshman would be beside himself with excitement at seeing something like that.

He himself had been overjoyed when he got a sausage from a professor’s lab by chance during his own first year.

He hadn’t even used a fork or knife—he’d just hacked off a chunk with his pocketknife and wolfed it down. He still remembered the taste to this day.

But now this freshman calmly appraised his haul with ‘It’s rather well-made,’ in a relaxed manner.

That was not the attitude anyone would ever expect from a freshman.

Just what…?

“Wardanaz, I found the ingredients I need. Mind giving me a hand?”

“Sure, I’ll help.”

The Black Tortoise Tower students lit the fire under the pot and gathered ingredients.

The upperclassman asked in confusion.

-What’s going on?

“I’m making a nourishing meal for a friend.”

-That’s not a bad idea.

The upperclassman nodded.

The magic school was too harsh a place to just live on cafeteria fare. Even more so for freshmen.

You had to look after yourself to survive.

-…Wait a minute. Wait.

“?”

-That’s clearly not just cooking!

The upperclassman panicked and tried to stop them.

The whole feel of it was different from ordinary cooking.

The ingredients in the cauldron were going through chemical reactions, emitting a distinctive magical energy.

This was a type of alchemy.

And by the looks of things, the process was anything but simple.

‘It seems like you’d even need magic incantations…’

-This is not something a freshman can handle. Stop him!

‘Is that so?’

Ihan checked with Salko, since he’d gone this far and had to confirm.

“Tutana. Apparently, this isn’t just regular cooking but a type of alchemy, and the difficulty’s quite high. Is that true?”

“It is.”

Salko nodded honestly.

Ihan felt somewhat relieved by that.

‘He must have some confidence to prepare for this.’

Salko wasn’t the type to do anything reckless. He wouldn’t have started this unless he was sure.

“You must have some skills to have set this all up knowingly.”

“I do.”

Then Salko handed Ihan a scroll. Ihan hesitated.

“…?”

“This is the family recipe I recorded in as much detail as possible. You’ll be able to do it.”

“……”

Ihan was dumbfounded.

Salko was being outrageous as he trusted him with a family secret recipe, but even more…

So the Black Tortoise Tower students’ confidence was actually all in Ihan?

‘These guys are severely overestimating me.’

Wild rumors about dark magic had spread so much they could never be reeled in, but this was a whole different area.

“I’m not that great at alchemy…”

“Priest Shiana praised you tremendously. If a priest from the Flemang Order praises someone, it has to be true.”

“Wardanaz, there’s no need to be modest with us.”

The Black Tortoise Tower students responded as if wondering what he was saying.

Ihan seriously considered whether he should turn down the flattery a bit with other people going forward.

‘Hmm. But it doesn’t seem like I can’t do it.’

Ihan tried reading the Tutana family recipe.

There were a lot of picky, numerous ingredients, but the difficulty wasn’t insurmountable.

He’d done experiments way harder than this—there was no reason to shy away from something like this.

-This really isn’t something a freshman can do.

The senior scribbled furiously. Ihan replied,

“I think I’m able to do it.”

-…You’ll regret it later.

The upperclassman hoped that this cocky freshman would fail at alchemy and end up doused in the cauldron contents.

Wasn’t that how you learned your limits in first year?

• * *

The liquid in the pot turned golden, the bubbles fizzed down and settled thickly at the bottom.

The Black Tortoise Tower students gasped in awe.

“Of course…”

Salko nodded as if he’d known it.

“Thank you, Wardanaz. I was sure you’d be able to do it.”

Ihan was a little disconcerted at how the Black Tortoise Tower students trusted him more than he trusted himself, but outwardly betrayed no sign of it.

After all, it had gone well!

Unlike the warm mood among the freshmen, the upperclassman watching was at a loss for words, stunned.

-You’re not a freshman, are you?? Tell me, what year are you??

“I’m a freshman, senior.”

-No freshman is like you!

Normal freshmen didn’t master in one go. Nor did they maintain composure looking at all that food in the kitchen.

And he had carried out a complex alchemy process without a single mistake.

“Wardanaz really is a freshman, senior.”

“He is. Why are you being suspicious of him?”

The Black Tortoise Tower students began to suspect the faceless senior, too.

Claiming things that Wardanaz could easily do were impossible…

Was he deliberately getting in the way?

The senior could sense their suspicion. He was at a loss out of frustration.

What a ridiculous accusation to be saddled with!

“So, Tutana, is it done?”

“Yes. This is our family’s secret recipe—beer candy.”

“???”

Ihan doubted his ears for a moment.

But despite the silly name, the Tutana family’s secret beer candy was a serious nutritious, portable food.

It could be kept for several months at room temperature, and a piece of beer candy—just two finger-segments in size—provided enough nutrients for two days.

“Try it, Wardanaz.”

Ihan carefully tasted the boiled-down beer candy. The sweet and soft flavor reminded him a bit of taffy.

Salko said, full of pride,

“Feel your mana recover, too?”

“…Y-yeah.”

Ihan controlled his expression, recalling the taste of the last mana potion he’d drunk.

“But why is it called beer candy?”

“Our ancestors, trapped beneath the mines and suffering from a beer shortage, invented it as a substitute—so they named it that.”

“I see…”

Having heard a completely useless origin story, Ihan just nodded and sliced some beer candy to wrap in paper and put in his pocket.

With the main meal done, it was time to grab what else they could from the kitchen and leave.

‘Where was the sausage again?’

-Something terrible!!!

The senior frantically scribbled with the quill. His last word wasn’t even finished, so urgent was he.

“What is it?”

-The storekeeper’s coming! Hide in the corner!

Heat, distort the air!

With those words, the upperclassman cast a spell.

It was a much greater effort than before.

He had to create a convincing illusion to cover up the now-messy kitchen.

“Will this really fool the storekeeper?”

-I don’t know! Just stay quiet!

The senior’s tension spread to the rest of the students.

Ihan and the Black Tortoise Tower students stiffened their faces and watched the kitchen door.

“…?”

But the storekeeper, walking down the hallway, didn’t open the door. Ihan sensed the storekeeper casting a spell outside.

“He’s using magic!”

-Magic… Wait. How did you know that?

The senior was surprised mid-writing.

He himself had sent out a remote summon to watch for anyone coming down the hall, but this freshman had done nothing of the sort.

How did he know?

“If mana moves, that means magic is in use, right?”

-You can sense that from in here? No, never mind. That’s not what matters. The storekeeper seems to be serious tonight.

The senior looked out into the hallway, alarmed.

Ordinarily, the storekeeper would just pass by, but now he was casting spells on every door as if something had set him off.

That spell…

‘Spatial magic!’

The senior’s face turned ashen. Spatial magic was famously hard to break—even more than other branches of magic.

For the storekeeper to cast spatial magic on every door…

‘What’s gotten into him?! Has he lost his mind!?’

He could just make his rounds and go rest as usual. Why was he suddenly casting spatial magic on every door tonight?

After the storekeeper disappeared, the senior tried to open the door and leave the kitchen.

Then he immediately came back inside.

To Ihan and the Black Tortoise students, it just looked like the door had opened.

“What are you doing?”

-…Try it for yourself.

The freshmen left, then immediately re-entered. They, too, stared at the door in disbelief.

-The space in the doorway is twisted. It’s the storekeeper’s magic.

“Senior, can you solve it?”

-No. We’re doomed.

At these words, Ihan just nodded,

“So this is how we end up in the punishment room.”

“Sorry, Wardanaz. It’s our fault…”

“It’s fine. I was prepared from the start. Just keep your promise later. We didn’t steal anything, but just in case, everyone, hide your things well.”

-……

Even right before being sent to the punishment room, Ihan’s expression didn’t change, leaving the upperclassman aghast.

What is with this guy…?

-Actually… There is a way.

“Oh? Really?”

The upperclassman found himself sincerely wondering what it would take to shake this freshman boy.