Episode 1185
by Cristae“Hmph. Wardanaz, I know your skills are great, but did you really make it properly?”
‘He sounds just like a Baldrogard villain.’
Lee Han glanced at the suddenly awkward professor, finding it odd.
It was like one of those forced villain lines out of the senior’s textbook, Despicable Deeds Committed by Baldrogard Students.
Honestly, Lee Han always thought that book was a bit exaggerated…
“If I didn’t do it right, I’ll just make it again. It’s a difficult assignment, after all.”
“Don’t talk like a sensible person when you live so outrageously!”
Professor Thunderstep was flustered.
It was extra annoying to have his most senseless student act so sensibly.
If you’re going to act outrageously, at least don’t talk sensibly…!
“The energy seems good. Well then, let’s check the scent.”
With a light gesture, the professor examined the divination incense Lee Han had made.
A skilled alchemist didn’t even need to inhale deeply to activate its effect. Even a brief contact was enough to gauge its worth.
“…Well made.”
“Thank you!”
“How did you handle cinnabar? It’s not easy to isolate the components.”
Professor Thunderstep was not a kind teacher.
Though he’d told his students the midterm would involve divination incense and even revealed the recipe ahead of time, he’d only done so because he figured, “No one’s going to be able to make it easily, anyway.”
If all it took to whip up something with that recipe was just the formula, how easy would alchemy be?
For instance, the recipe said, “mix incense with cinnabar,” but in general, that didn’t go well.
You had to fully understand the properties of cinnabar and master several techniques for handling it to even find a way to combine them…
“I actually didn’t use cinnabar.”
“What?!”
“I used gold.”
Professor Thunderstep hurriedly sniffed the divination incense.
Aside from the strong effect, he could sense the golden aura swirling through it like heat waves—not cinnabar.
“Gold?! It’s expensive, but… it’s good… no, it’s extraordinary.”
Thunderstep muttered.
Having heard about the gold, now he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it.
Of course, there was a reason. Gold was just far too expensive.
Maybe if he were a Baldrogard professor, but as an Einrogard professor, he had to share his reagents with students; such luxury had never crossed his mind.
Even so, he couldn’t help but feel defeated. Professor Thunderstep gripped his beard, trembling.
“Q-quite impressive.”
“Thank you. Actually, the one who taught me this—”
Sensing Lee Han was about to say something sensible again, Professor Thunderstep ignored it.
If Wardanaz actually came out with, “It was you, professor, who taught me this,” he might really grab him by the collar.
“Don’t tell me you—wait, you didn’t happen to use a dragon’s bone instead of magical beast bones, did you?!”
Analyzing the incense, Thunderstep looked at Lee Han as if he couldn’t believe it.
He knew he’d specified magical beast bones, but the pure dark element in this was off the charts.
There weren’t many naturally occurring reagents with such rich dark element, especially bones. Maybe a corrupted dragon…
Of course, a dragon’s bones weren’t a reagent just any student could use. But Wardanaz wasn’t just any student.
Whether he’d stolen it from the headmaster’s warehouse, gotten it from some bigwig during vacation, from his own family’s stash, or asked Lord Joulin for a favor…
‘This guy really has too many ways to get things.’
Professor Thunderstep looked at Lee Han as if he were crazy.
Naturally, Lee Han was looking at Thunderstep with the same look.
“I just used regular bone fragments and infused dark element.”
“…Ah.”
Professor Thunderstep suddenly felt deeply embarrassed at regaining his senses.
After all, Wardanaz also had an affinity for dark element, so self-production like that was possible.
Given the magnitude and purity of his magic power, all the more so…
“Why do you use gold so extravagantly and then go stingy over bones?! You’re confusing people!”
“Actually, the one who taught me was—”
“When did I ever teach you that?!”
In the end, Professor Thunderstep burst out, shedding all pretense.
It would almost be easier to just claim he’d figured it out through his own genius.
“No, professor, I had no intention of saying you taught me.”
“…Really?”
Thunderstep instantly felt awkward.
He also felt a bit let down.
‘Wouldn’t it hurt to at least say you learned something from me?’
He was still, technically, the department professor…
“Then who—wait, don’t tell me—it was the hamster?!”
“What nonsense is that? Of course not.”
-……
The hamster glared at Lee Han’s crown in disbelief.
He could have just denied it—why did he have to say it at such length and depth?
“I learned it from the young headmaster.”
“……”
Thunderstep’s mind went blank for a moment. That was a name he really hadn’t expected.
“…Did the young headmaster write those notes for you?”
“Pardon? Uh…”
“Give them to me.”
Remembering the hamster’s words, Lee Han tried to hide the sheaf of papers at his side, but the professor was faster.
Professor Thunderstep quickly snatched them up and began reading the young prince’s sharp corrections, as if entranced.
“I also thought of gold, but you never gave me money… You use all the expensive reagents… I didn’t mean it was easy to get magical beast bones… an alchemist should at least do that much…”
Muttering, Professor Thunderstep began a heated, imaginary argument with the Skull Headmaster.
Lee Han, at a loss, whispered to the hamster,
“The professor’s broken.”
-I told you never to show that to anyone.
“You didn’t say it that strongly. You just said not to show it. Don’t exaggerate.”
-……
The hamster considered yanking Lee Han’s hair, but stopped.
He’d only end up hurting himself if they started fighting.
“From your standards, I doubt there’s any alchemist you’d approve of, anyway…”
“Professor?”
“…They begged me to teach for just a year since there weren’t any alchemy professors… Total support? I almost sued in the Imperial courts…”
“Professor!”
“Huh? Oh, oh.”
Finally, the broken Professor Thunderstep returned to his senses.
Lee Han, who had almost considered calling in Professor Lightningstep for help, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are you all right?”
-Does that look ‘all right’ to you?
The hamster admonished Lee Han; Professor Thunderstep did the same.
“Would you be all right?”
“…S-sorry.”
“It’s fine… Not your fault. It’s the headmaster’s fault.”
“That’s right.”
Lee Han wholeheartedly agreed.
If the Skull Headmaster hadn’t always picked on Professor Thunderstep, he wouldn’t have snapped like this.
“Full marks. But next time, ask me before the young headmaster. Please.”
“Thank you.”
“So what commission got you into such a fuss, anyway?”
Trying to hide his complex feelings, Professor Thunderstep asked.
Just hearing the commission’s name might help him feel less aggrieved.
“It wasn’t just for a commission—I was hoping to look for Professor Baegrek.”
“……”
The professor said nothing.
He just quietly lit his pipe again, took a long drag, and finally spoke.
“…If I ever flee school, just… leave me be…”
Recently, Professor Verdus was the unhappiest man in Einrogard.
The reason was simple. He’d ended up taking over the lectures he was supposed to handle.
“It’s so unfair! Giving me so many lectures!”
“…You still have fewer than most, don’t you, Professor?”
Unfortunately for him, seated beside Professor Verdus in the faculty lounge (and regretting it greatly) was Professor Garcia, who couldn’t hold his tongue.
Professor Yonramo and Professor Paselete looked at the scene with pity.
‘Still has a long way to go.’
‘Shouldn’t have answered that.’
Verdus was like a pot with a hole in it; no matter how much you filled it, he always complained.
When he whined by himself, you just left him alone—no need to try and fill him up.
“Comparing me to others doesn’t change how miserable I feel!”
“……”
Garcia almost lost his temper.
Oblivious to the fact he’d almost gotten decked, Professor Verdus went on,
“I should have done what Professor Baegrek did and escaped from Einrogard.”
“…You’re putting yourself on the same level as Professor Baegrek, who left to settle an old grudge in secret rather than risk his disciple being harmed, just because you want to skip lectures!?”
“Yup, yup.”
“……”
Murderous intent radiated from Garcia’s eyes.
Yonramo and Paselete, alarmed, quickly grabbed their cups and plates and fled to the far corner of the lounge.
There had once been a betting pool on whether, if Professor Verdus ran away, the students would bother to look for him or not, but that bet seemed unnecessary now.
A bloodbath was coming to the lounge today!
The one who saved Professor Verdus from his fate was Professor Thunderstep.
He entered looking like he’d aged ten years.
“P-professor!”
“Did Inspector His Highness implement a new policy or something?”
The other professors asked in surprise.
If it wasn’t the Skull Headmaster or Professor Lightningstep, this dwarf always kept his cool—so what had happened?
“Wardanaz…”
“???”
“Be careful…”
Thunderstep then shuffled into a corner and slumped into an armchair.
They were so shocked, no one even asked what had happened—
Except for Verdus.
“Why?”
“…He’s crushing the exam content so he can leave early…”
‘Didn’t he always do that?’
Some of the professors thought so.
Wasn’t this hardly the first time Wardanaz had blitzed through the exams?
Professor Thunderstep caught on.
“Of course, you might all be thinking, ‘Wardanaz always did that, didn’t he?’ Like this.”
“!”
Did he drink a mind-reading potion?
Just in case, the professors closed off their hearts a bit more.
“If that’s all it was, I wouldn’t mention it… but somehow, having gotten hold of the young headmaster’s wisdom, he’s gotten not just one but two or three levels stronger… Can’t we just lump him in with the 4th-year graduates?!”
At Thunderstep’s candid assessment, the other professors instinctively almost nodded.
If he just graduated or advanced to fifth year, that would cut down their teaching load considerably.
But Professor Verdus objected firmly.
“No way. Then it’d be harder for me to assign tasks.”
If he actually graduated, Verdus would lose a valuable worker.
“……”
“……”
“When’s Verdus’s next lecture again? No particular reason—I’ll be observing.”
Thunderstep said with a gentle smile.