Episode 1184

“What’s that on your head??”

Professor Thunderstep asked the question anyone would have upon seeing his student’s current appearance.

Doing alchemical training with a hamster balanced on his head.

It was like copying an old fairy tale, with an adventurer who inherited a ruined inn and couldn’t cook to save his life…

“He’s a magician who infiltrated the school, but he turned into a hamster and is helping me.”

-……

The hamster almost toppled off his head from the shock.

It wasn’t a huge secret, after all. Even the Skull Headmaster knew the hamster was trapped here, so it was likely the Einrogard faculty knew as well.

But hearing it said so bluntly was hard to endure sober. The hamster looked around searching for liquor.

Surely there must be some spirits in this Alchemy School tower…

“Oh. So he’s that magical criminal. Are you trying to get his advice?”

Understanding the situation, Professor Thunderstep smirked.

That smirk contained a certain pride.

No matter how notorious a magical criminal might be, even if he had ascended to the heights of archmage, no one could be exceptional in every field.

Especially if that magical criminal wandered outside the academic circles of the Empire, he’d know even less about inside information.

Anyone of the standing of an Einrogard professor wouldn’t be intimidated even by an archmage, much less a magical criminal…

“Will his advice really help?”

“No need to worry, Professor. He’s just supervising a simple task.”

“???”

Professor Thunderstep was unaware that the young prince had already provided every bit of needed advice.

Regardless, the hamster wanted to bite his own tongue out of sheer humiliation.

It was mortifying enough to be ignored by this young brat, but even worse to be belittled by that dwarf!

‘What does he mean, just supervising a simple task?’

Drawn by curiosity, Professor Thunderstep dragged over a round iron chair and sat down heavily.

He took out his pipe, lit it, and gestured with one hand.

“I’ll watch from here, so go ahead and show me.”

“Oh, Professor. There’s something.”

“What is it?”

“I’d like permission to increase my outing time, if that’s all right.”

“Well. I suppose you have a lot of requests stacked up.”

Professor Thunderstep wasn’t especially surprised by his student’s request.

This semester, which had loosened outside commissions, the boy from House Wardanaz received the most work.

That number far exceeded the records set by Professor Garcia himself.

Given that, it made sense he’d want to increase his time outside.

Even picking only the truly unavoidable requests would fill a whole semester.

“Do as you like. The first-years are tending the garden now anyway, and you’re not going to fall behind just because you go out a bit more.”

There was a hint of regret in Professor Thunderstep’s tone.

Nothing lasts forever, but it was only natural to make comparisons.

Compared to Lee Han’s first year, even the current first-years’ efforts showed an obvious gap.

“The first-years are tending it?”

“Yes. Those kids need to learn to work soon enough.”

‘Or maybe the Professor just didn’t want to do it himself?’

Lee Han boiled water in the distiller and evaporated the reagent as he thought.

Of course, there were things to learn from tending the alchemist’s garden.

But that was that, and this was this. The fact that Professor Thunderstep was just pushing the work onto the students didn’t change.

‘I should probably stock the garden area with some food supplies.’

Thanks to Prince Uman, the first-years’ meals had improved a little, but they’d still likely be badly off.

Lee Han resolved to set aside high-calorie, filling canned goods and various pickled foods.

The juniors probably wouldn’t know how to sneak into Professor Thunderstep’s cellar for snacks…

“Let it separate.”

Alchemists often called their school composite magic.

That was because alchemy required such a variety of abilities.

Beyond magic spells, you had to memorize a vast array of recipes and formulas, and sometimes needed instincts stronger than analytics.

Even now, it was showing.

Today, the mana density in the Water Engraving Hall was thicker than usual, and perhaps because of that, the reagent was evaporating more quickly from mixing with basilisk oil. Such cases ran the risk of changing the compound’s nature.

Yet Lee Han, even while chatting with the professor, didn’t miss a beat of the process. With sharp instincts, he sensed the mana shift, lowered the flame, and quickly separated the evaporated reagent.

‘Such a charmless brat…’

Professor Thunderstep grumbled to himself.

Every professor at Einrogard (although not Professor Garcia) dreamed of seeing Wardanaz mess up and pout at least once before graduation.

Just once, before you graduate!

Hiding such wicked hopes, Professor Thunderstep spoke again.

“It was nice being able to boss around Professor Bendozol in the old days.”

“After you fought like that?”

“I won’t deny he really upset me. But he was still a professor. You can’t compare a student’s skill to a professor’s.”

Professor Thunderstep exhaled smoke with a wistful look.

Bendozol had handled chores so Lee Han could care for the unicorn.

In second semester there was a new inspector and first-years he could boss around, so he eventually gave up, but it wasn’t a bad memory.

Of course, Bendozol himself probably ground his teeth remembering it…

“This year’s first-years are disappointing, I have to say. Then again, Ironheads always are… Ah, you. Didn’t you say you were close with Eandurde?”

“First-years can fight among themselves. That’s how you become friends.”

Lee Han replied instantly.

-……

“……”

Hamster and Professor Thunderstep were speechless at such an answer.

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“Sorry. Did Eandurde beat someone up?”

“No idea. Maybe, I suppose.”

“As long as he’s not the one getting beat, it’s fine.”

If it were Professor Garcia, there’d be a lecture, but Professor Thunderstep didn’t care much about little kids flinging spells at one another.

What the professor really cared about was something else.

“I noticed Eandurde using Meikin family alchemy? What’s with that?”

“Oh. He spent time with Yoner over break.”

“I see… What about Pengerine?”

“Alsicle? Oh, Alhidle, right?”

Lee Han quickly realized he was talking about his junior. There was a first-year from the Pengerine family.

“How did Alhidle learn Meikin alchemy, too?”

“He asked over break, so I got Yoner’s permission and taught him.”

“…Did you open an off-campus training center for Einrogard over break?!”

Professor Thunderstep was baffled.

These first-years seemed obsessed with studying magic during break instead of getting in trouble or slacking off.

Maybe it was the influence of their senior. Professor Thunderstep stared hard at Lee Han.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Have any juniors besides those two stood out?”

“Stood out? Hmm… I suppose there’s Carre in the Phoenix Tower.”

“Oh.”

Lee Han was surprised as he extracted the components from the tightly compressed reagent.

He recognized the name.

This squirrel beastkin junior from the Bildockal Order was one of those Lee Han had personally invited along with the Skull Headmaster.

Even if they were all juniors, he felt more attached to those he had gone out to invite with the Skull Headmaster.

“The Phoenix Tower priests are usually pretty talented at alchemy. Probably thanks to genius education at the temple.”

“That Ironhead stole all the reagents I’d set aside in the Water Engraving Hall for lectures.”

“……”

Lee Han hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.

“Isn’t stealing also a skill? Professor, you said yourself that procuring reagents was part of being an alchemist. An excellent junior indeed.”

‘What is with this guy?’

It was favoritism so extreme, his arm was bending beyond backwards. Professor Thunderstep stared at his student in disbelief.

Squirreling away only what you need is one thing, but stealing all the lecture reagents just because you don’t want to attend is totally different!

The former is a mark of a skilled alchemist, but the latter just a prime candidate for the punishment room.

“Did you teach them?!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. As you know, juniors and their seniors are prohibited from interacting by the rules.”

“You’re the one who breaks the rules the most… Oh, I almost forgot White Tiger Tower. There’s a student named Ulgan who’s promising.”

“Oh.”

Lee Han brightened at that.

Ulgan was also a first-year he’d gone with the Skull Headmaster to recruit.

Looking at it now, it seemed the Skull Headmaster had a real eye for picking disciples. It felt rewarding after all the trouble.

“I just wish they’d stop brawling in the tower.”

“What are you talking about? That’s not the kind of junior he is.”

Lee Han protested vigorously.

Ulgan was a member of White Tiger Tower, but unusually, he was not from a knight family and most of all, had a peaceful temperament.

He disliked violence so much he’d get into fights trying to break up his friends’ scuffles.

“…When you said that, didn’t you notice anything odd? He breaks up fights by force and wrecks the place.”

“Intentions matter. It’s admirable. Compared to the kids who just fight all the time…”

“Shut up.”

Lee Han shut up. Watching Lee Han work, Professor Thunderstep suddenly seemed to remember something else.

“So how much more outing time do you want?”

Come to think of it, Lee Han had already gotten the professors’ approval for requests at the start of the semester.

Yet now he was asking for even more.

“I plan to finish everything before midterms and go out afterward.”

“……”

Professor Thunderstep nearly dropped his pipe in surprise.

‘What’s with this kid??’

Not even just finish all the tests, but finish them before the midterm period even begins.

Of course, he was qualified to say it. He’d already accomplished such a feat before.

But now, he was aiming to go even further!

Even for Professor Thunderstep, who wasn’t the most dutiful, this stirred some competitive pride.

If you’re so good at magic, let’s see you solve th—

“All done, professor.”

“Huh? Oh. Right.”

Jolted out of his deep thoughts about how to raise the difficulty of midterms, Professor Thunderstep looked up.

By then, the fire in his pipe had gone out, while Wardanaz had finished the basics and even the secondary and tertiary steps.

“Would you check the divination incense?”

“Sure… Wait, you finished the divination incense too?!”

“Yes? Yes.”

He’d expected Lee Han would just finish the basic incense and practice, but hearing he’d finished even a much more advanced mixture set Professor Thunderstep’s eyes trembling.

Strangely, an ominous feeling crept over him.

He didn’t know it yet, but checking that now might lead to a piece of his pride crumbling away.