Episode 123

“That’s not right!!”

“Excuse me?”

“I said you could use any of the ingredients in this room, but taking the potion and just submitting it doesn’t make sense, does it!”

At Professor Uregeoreum’s protest, Ihan paused and then looked at him as if he were a strange person.

Professor Uregeoreum, feeling awkward, asked again.

“…Weren’t you going to do that?”

“No. Come on, who would just snatch the potion and submit it? Professor, really…”

Feeling a bit embarrassed by Ihan’s words, Professor Uregeoreum then suddenly fumed.

‘How dare this brat snatch it by force and then look at me like that?’

He had seized the potion straight from the professor’s grasp, and now he was acting like the professor was weird? It was absurd.

If there weren’t a possibility that this student might become the Empire’s greatest sword one day, he would’ve given him a smack.

“Then why’d you snatch it?”

“In order to analyze the potion more accurately. I thought if I just asked you for the potion, there’s a high chance you wouldn’t give it to me.”

“Hmm…”

It was true.

He had no intention of giving it even if a student asked.

But just because it was true didn’t mean the kid wasn’t annoying. Today, Professor Uregeoreum found this honest student particularly irksome.

“Hmph. Go on, do your best.”

Professor Uregeoreum crossed his arms and glared at Ihan.

The potion being snatched was unexpected. But even so, making the potion exactly the same was still difficult.

Even having the potion in hand, analyzing and understanding its properties was another matter.

‘He can’t be thinking of drinking it like a fool, can he…’

Professor Uregeoreum was anxious.

Of course, the bright young man from House Wardanaz probably wouldn’t, but it was true this boy sometimes did crazy things without hesitation.

It wouldn’t be strange if he just suddenly drank it!

However, contrary to the professor’s fears, Ihan approached the task very methodically.

‘That method?’

Ihan took a few drops from the glass bottle and spread them on the floor.

Then he waved his staff and recited an incantation.

“Components, be separated.”

‘He learned that spell!’

Professor Uregeoreum was surprised.

magic.

It was a spell that forcibly separated the components in things like potions.

It was a convenient magic that every alchemist used, but Professor Uregeoreum hadn’t bothered to teach it.

To become a great alchemist, one needed the passion to seek and learn for oneself.

If the professor spoon-fed everything, you couldn’t become excellent.

Ihan fit Professor Uregeoreum’s educational philosophy perfectly, having gone and learned the spell on his own by digging through the library’s books.

Approvingly, Professor Uregeoreum nodded.

‘What an annoying brat!’

Professor Uregeoreum hoped Ihan would fail and wind up coughing after inhaling bitter smoke.

Fortunately, magic was not an easy spell.

If you knew exactly what ingredients were inside, separating them was easy, but if not, it wasn’t simple at all.

Magic wasn’t some cure-all that solved everything just by reciting the incantation.

Even with the same magic, the knowledge and skill of the user made a huge difference.

Unless you just dumbly poured in ridiculous amounts of magic power to force a separation, simply speaking the spell’s words wouldn’t solve the problem…

“Oh.”

Professor Uregeoreum realized something late and hesitated.

And slowly, the potion drops on the floor began to separate.

• * *

‘Going better than I thought.’

Ihan and Yonair were the most serious alchemy students in the tower right now.

There was no other choice, since they had to analyze the potions stolen by Ratford.

was a spell they had learned during that process.

While looking through an alchemy book, Ihan had found its name and, after combing other books, managed to obtain the incantation.

He’d been worried, but fortunately the magic was going better than expected.

The potion drop split into several smaller droplets, each of different colors.

Ihan looked up at Professor Uregeoreum.

‘Mm. It must have worked.’

Judging by the professor’s extremely dissatisfied look, it must have worked.

“I’ll praise you for separating the potion to that extent.”

“Thank you.”

“But that’s not enough. You have no way of figuring out what the separated components are!”

“Oh. Isn’t this a confidence potion?”

“????”

Professor Uregeoreum was shocked.

How did he know?!

• * *

Nilia, who had taken the test before Ihan, was sitting and chatting with Ratford.

“You succeeded in matching the color pretty closely? That’s impressive!”

“I just got lucky.”

“I don’t think I was able to get anywhere close…”

“Don’t worry. This was an exam no one could produce a perfect result for anyway. Professor watched the process, I’m sure.”

Encouraged by Ratford’s reassurance, Nilia nodded her head.

“By the way, why did you leave me out when you went wandering the school at night last time?”

“……”

Ratford began to sweat nervously.

“W-well, as I told you. Salko from House Tutanta only hangs out with the subordinates he can completely trust. I was only called over as a guide. Wardanaz didn’t know either. If it had been just us, of course we would’ve called you.”

“Oh, right. I remember now.”

Nilia nodded again, satisfied.

After ten minutes talking about alchemy class, Nilia brought the topic back up.

“Still, couldn’t you have called me before you left?”

“……”

Ratford instinctively glanced at the door.

‘When is Lord Wardanaz coming out?’

This wasn’t something Ratford could handle. Ihan needed to appear.

“What do you think? Hm? What do you think?”

“It’s… Salko has a terrible personality…”

Usually, Ratford bore no grudge against Salko, but in this situation, there was no choice.

He’d have to make Salko out as the bad guy.

“He just never gives me a chance…”

“And what about the island last time? I got everything ready, and then you went with the White Tiger Tower guys? What about that?”

“Uh… Those White Tiger Tower guys are naturally violent and foul, aren’t they?”

Ratford didn’t bear much of a grudge against the White Tiger Tower students either, but again, there was no choice.

He’d have to make them out to be the bad guys too.

“From Lord Wardanaz’s point of view, there was no helping it.”

“Well, I guess that couldn’t be helped either?”

“Yes. So, let’s just end this topic…”

“Yeah. …Was I complaining too much?”

Nilia asked, realizing she’d been grumbling. Ratford quickly shook his head.

“No?”

“Really? That’s good then.”

Nilia then spent about fifteen more minutes talking about alchemy.

How the test had gone, how the assignment was, what he thought the midterms would be like…

Other Black Turtle Tower students who had just finished the test joined in, offering their thoughts.

As the topic shifted completely, Ratford felt relieved.

“But this isn’t about me—just something from a friend. She says friends from other towers always leave her out and wander around.”

“……”

Ratford bowed his head.

Not knowing the details, other Black Turtle Tower students began to seriously discuss.

“Maybe it’s just because they’re from other towers? People from other towers are basically rude, arrogant, or conceited by nature.”

“At least the Phoenix Tower guys are better.”

“White Tiger Tower punks are the worst.”

As Ratford searched for a chance to change the topic, Ihan emerged from the door.

To Ratford, Ihan was as welcome as hot soup to someone starving for days.

“Lord Wardanaz…!”

‘Was the test really that hard?’

Ihan was a bit taken aback by Ratford’s choked voice.

“What is it?”

“Please explain the last incident to Miss Nilia.”

“What’s going on, Ratford? I said I understood everything.”

Nilia said offhandedly, as if Ratford was speaking nonsense.

Ratford looked at Nilia in disbelief.

‘Is that the behavior of someone who really forgave everything…!?’

Ihan looked at Nilia and Ratford, quickly grasping the situation.

From the night school wandering with Salko from House Tutanta, he had expected this.

“Nilia. Salko was a bit much. When I tried to ask him to call you, he flat out refused.”

“!”

“?”

Ratford tilted his head.

When did that conversation happen?

“They said that if they brought an outstanding hunter like you along, the other kids would lose confidence.”

“Really?”

Nilia’s long ears perked up.

Ihan nodded earnestly.

Ratford, who was present, also felt like ‘maybe there really was a conversation like that.’

“They wouldn’t let Yonair come either. Salko’s a bit much, isn’t he? But don’t be too harsh on him. He was doing it for his friends.”

“…Yeah. That makes sense!”

Nilia replied, her face clearly brighter than before. Even the angle of her ears rose.

Ratford whispered,

“Did that conversation really happen?”

“Shh. Quiet.”

“……”

The Black Turtle Tower students called out to Ihan.

“Wardanaz, how was the test? Did you make the potion perfectly by any chance?”

“No way. That’s impossible, right? I failed.”

At Ihan’s words, the other students relaxed.

Seeing that even the top student hadn’t succeeded put their minds at ease.

Maybe they hadn’t done as badly as they feared!

“What properties did you all figure out? I got a pricking smell, so I tried adding findenis.”

“Is that so? I tried just matching the color first…”

While the students talked, Ihan listened quietly.

Soon, Yonair, who had taken the last test, came out of the door.

“Good job, everyone. Of course, if you tried to sell any potions you made, you might get stabbed, but you worked hard, at least.”

At Professor Uregeoreum’s words, the students glared. The dwarf professor laughed heartily.

“Honestly, the test was too hard, Professor!”

“Shouldn’t you at least test us on what we’ve learned?”

“Even Wardanaz failed, so who could possibly get it right!”

The students protested desperately, worried that such an exam might show up on the midterms.

Professor Uregeoreum, smiling, responded as if puzzled.

“What are you talking about? Wardanaz nearly succeeded.”

“Excuse me?”

“He nearly succeeded. There were some slight differences, but that’s basically success. That’s the top score.”

The Black Turtle Tower students who had just been chatting all whipped their heads around to find Ihan.

But Ihan had already left, so he wasn’t there.

Uregeoreum clicked his tongue and said,

“How naive to just take the word of someone who studies better than you.”

“…Ugh…!”

“Wardanaz…! I believed in you…!”

• * *

Ihan pored over what he’d written on his papers.

The new students at the magic school were scattering out in all directions, like drops of ink in water.

And Ihan was the one most actively exploring the school.

Second floor of the main building, west wing, ghost corridor (unsolved) – rumor of a fabric storeroom stacked by the school.

Main building basement, first floor, locked prison (solved) – connected to the professors’ offices. Do not approach under any circumstances.

Main building…

‘Interesting, but what I want to check first is still the route to the stables in the spire.’

As Ihan sketched maps and took notes, Gainando asked,

“But are you okay for Professor Garcia’s test?”

“I’m a bit anxious, but I’m pretty much prepared.”

“……”

Gainando looked at Ihan as if he was a monster.

And then muttered,

“House Wardanaz… really scary!”

“Doesn’t have anything to do with House Wardanaz, though?”