Episode 46

Episode 046

-Fhrrff hhrrff.
“You want to rest?”
When the white horse made a tired noise, Ihan stopped walking.
He was delighted that the once-ferocious animal was now trying to communicate.
They were getting closer!
“Alright. Drink some water here. I’ll even give you sugar.”
-Fhrrff…
The white horse hated to admit it, but it could feel itself gradually submitting to this boy.
-FHHRRFF!
The white horse’s eyes suddenly flew open.
The ancient wild blood running through its veins spurred its pride.
It couldn’t surrender like this!
At that, Ihan muttered seriously.
“How do you increase the amount of magic being absorbed?”
-…Fhrrff.
The white horse dropped its eyes and bowed its head again.

• * *
  Even getting up early to take care of the horses, school didn’t wait around.
  Whether sleepy or hungry, you had to spring up and march off to your next class.
  After finishing chores, Ihan handed a can of beef and a can of pickled cucumber to his friends heading back to the Black Tortoise Tower.
  Nilia was genuinely joyful upon receiving the canned food…
  …No, she rummaged in her pockets with an embarrassed look.
  “??”
  “I don’t have any money…”
  “…I’m just giving it to you.”
  Ihan reflected on his actions, just a little.
  Was he overdoing it?
  “Is it really okay?? Really? Truly?”
  “I mean, think objectively if this is a situation that really calls for that many follow-up questions.”
  Nilia’s long ears twitched as she accepted the canned food.
  But Ratford firmly refused.
  “I cannot accept.”
  “……”
  Nilia glanced around uncertainly.
  ‘Should… should I give mine back, too?’
  “It’s an order.”
  “If that’s so, then I’ll accept.”
  Ratford took it. Nilia was relieved.
  ‘Thank goodness!’
  After the two had gone, Ihan turned to Yonere and asked,
  “Didn’t expect such a reaction. Yonere, am I being too much?”
  “No? Why?”
  “I see. That’s a relief.”
  For a moment, Ihan thought, ‘Shouldn’t I check with someone other than Yonere for a more objective answer?’ but decided to drop it.
  “Let’s get breakfast, Yonere. The early risers should be in the lounge, so we should share with them. Would you help me keep track in the ledger?”
  “Of course.”
  The two happily planned to serve a generous breakfast to their friends.
  …Of course, it wasn’t entirely for free, but it was still a happy occassion.
• * *
  Ihan spread mustard on small pieces of bread and set them on a plate.
  The fireplace in the freshmen’s lounge was always a beloved friend to students. Ihan cracked an egg onto the frying pan beside sizzling bacon.
  With a sizzle, the fried egg cooked in an instant.
  ‘What is it about bloodlines that makes people go this far?’
  Right now, Ihan wasn’t making a meal for himself. Nor for the friends in the lounge.
  This was a meal for the princess, who would be in her private room.
  -Wardanaz. If we pay with silver coins, could you bring food to Her Highness like last time?
  -Please, Wardanaz!
  He was doing it because of the money, but no matter how he thought about it, Ihan couldn’t understand.
  Power ought to be entrusted by the many, not to some mysterious ancient bloodline.
  Why were they all going to such trouble for royalty?
  ‘Even Gainan manages perfectly well on his own.’
  Gainan always got up, made his way to the lounge, and ate breakfast every day, with no one fussing over him.
  Remarkable adaptability.
  In that light, the students’ soft attention might even be a poison to the princess.
  Knock knock knock—
  “?”
  The door opened and, as before, Adenaart appeared.
  Ihan shrugged his shoulders and handed over the plate.
  “I cooked this downstairs.”
  Ihan thought Adenaart’s expression brightened ever so slightly.
  Or maybe it was just the early sunlight coming in the side window.
  Adenaart carefully received the plate, picked up a fork, paused, bowed her head, and then quietly closed the door and went inside.
  ‘Last time she ate outside, but she’s grown up.’
  Ihan thought as he walked off.
  Come to think of it, there seemed to be followers in the other towers too…
  If he could talk sensibly to those followers, maybe he could get extra silver coins from each?
  ‘Wow. Even I think that’s a truly devilish scheme.’
  Ihan shuddered at his own potential.
  By the time he graduated, he might have enough savings to open a little workshop.
• * *
  “Huh? How come it’s not outside today?”
  “Don’t be fooled. They might have hidden a monster inside the classroom.”
  The “Basic Alchemy Understanding” class wasn’t outdoors or in the school’s main hall, but instead was being held in one of the annex buildings, the Jaksukan.
  Thanks to the attached greenhouses, it was warmer inside than outside.
  But by now, the freshmen were getting shrewd.
  Just because class was indoors didn’t mean it was safe!
  “Get together! Be ready for a monster to jump out!”
  “Your Highness, over here please. We’ll protect you.”
  “……”
  Ihan felt speechless at the students from the other towers.
  The princess was also a Blue Dragon Tower student!
  “Don’t worry, Wardanaz. We won’t lose to them,” Asan Dalkad said confidently.
  Ihan’s group had grown in number too.
  Ihan, Yonere, Asan, Nilia.
  In terms of quality, they were not outmatched by any other group.
  “Everyone take your seats.”
  Thunder Step entered with a yawn. For some reason, his face looked tired.
  “Professor, why aren’t we outside today?”
  “What? It’s an alchemy class, of course we do it inside.”
  The dwarf professor looked at the questioner like he was a fool.
  The student, flustered, protested,
  “But last time you said we were outside since alchemy’s about gathering ingredients…”
  “That was for gathering ingredients, you ironhead. You gonna make potions outside too? How inflexible.”
  With that, Thunder Step glanced around.
  “Probably all of you were thinking the same thing? But don’t worry. Unlike alchemy classes outside, indoor alchemy class is absolutely safe and comfortable.”
  ‘That’s a lie.’
  ‘He’s lying.’
  ‘Anyone who believes that is 100% an idiot.’
  The students weren’t fooled. Thunder Step seemed to notice those looks and grinned slyly.
  “Right! Pour water into the cauldron in front of you. Alchemy is a comprehensive art. Every action matters, from ingredient gathering to extinguishing the flame. But of all, the process of making a magic potion is vital. Anyone who squanders hard-fought ingredients can never become a great alchemist! Open your books! Try making a !”
  Flip—
  The sound of pages turning quietly echoed throughout the room.
  ‘This looks tough.’
  At a glance, alchemy could seem much simpler than other forms of magic.
  All you had to do was add the ingredients in order, with no need for learning complex spells—right?
  But as soon as Ihan actually tried it, he immediately understood why alchemy was so hard.
  Alchemy was like making a very difficult dish, with no breaks and a short time limit.
  -Cut off the bottom of the galamardu and chop the rest into pieces the width of two pinky joints. Meanwhile, shred the seolhyangcho into fine strips by hand, and you must do this quickly before the galamardu dries out. Boil the chopped galamardu for 3 minutes, the seolhyangcho for 2 minutes 30 seconds. While that’s going, and the water’s turning green, prepare the ground red mana stone powder and add it the moment the water turns green. If it turns orange, stir three times clockwise, three times counterclockwise, and five times from north to south…
  You had to prep all the ingredients on the spot (preparing in advance was forbidden for most), remember when and how to add them in your head (you had no time to consult your book during the process), and execute an absurd number of precise steps with nothing left out.
  It was enough to make your brain cramp.
  Bang! Puff! Pop!
  Sure enough, all around the room there were explosions and various smokes. Thunder Step laughed delightedly.
  Nothing was more satisfying as an alchemist than watching clueless novices cough in a cloud of smoke.
  If you didn’t enjoy this, when would you ever have fun?
  “…?”
  Thunder Step paused, looking toward one side.
  He was staring at Ihan’s cauldron.
  ‘Why the hell is that kid doing so well?’
  Thunder Step’s eyes widened.
  Of course, he already knew that the boy from the Wardanaz family was talented.
  Not just clever, but also diligent enough to do all manner of chores.
  He definitely had a knack for alchemy.
  …But even students with talent for alchemy usually made a few mistakes and had some trial and error at the beginning—that was customary and polite.
  Otherwise, upperclassman alchemists would be embarrassed!
  But Ihan moved like someone who’d worked in an alchemy workshop for over ten years. He kept moving without stopping, slicing herbs to exactly the right size, adding them to the cauldron, flipping several hourglasses in succession, and pouring the liquid from a bottle—all in an unbroken, dance-like series of movements.
  Thunder Step had to admit it.
  There really were such things as geniuses.
  Otherwise, how could a novice show such flawless technique?
  ‘By the beard of my ancestors, no one would believe me if I told them what I saw!’
  The truth was, this wasn’t simply genius.
  It was the sad result of having spent ages slaving under various professors!
  Ihan’s cauldron turned a deep, vivid blue. Thunder Step, seeing the color, knew immediately that the potion was perfect.
  But Ihan just tasted it, tilted his head, and tossed the potion out.
  “???”
  Thunder Step was baffled.
  Why throw it away?
  Ihan started again.
  His movements were just as flawless as before, showing that the first time wasn’t a fluke.
  And once again, a perfectly blue potion emerged.
  Ihan tasted it, again looked dissatisfied, and poured it out.
  “……”
  Thunder Step couldn’t stand it any longer.
  No matter what a student asked, he normally left them alone to solve things by themselves—but this was just too much.
  Thunder Step quietly approached Ihan and asked,
  “Why do you keep throwing it away?”
  “It doesn’t restore mana.”
  “What?”
  Thunder Step was shocked.
  He double-checked the recipe, wondering if he’d made a mistake, but nothing was wrong in the directions.
  “????”
  It was made correctly and drunk, so why wasn’t mana being restored?
  “Try making it again.”
  “Yes.”
  Ihan made it again.
  Thunder Step, waiting anxiously, immediately scooped out a taste of the potion.
  As the blue liquid went down his throat, it instantly turned into mana and spread through his body.
  Even Thunder Step couldn’t have made it much better himself.
  “It’s fine.”
  “Really?”
  Ihan drank and, just as before, looked unsatisfied and said,
  “I don’t think so.”
  “……”
  Thunder Step was dumbfounded.
  Was this Wardanaz genius about to suggest a recipe better than the one Thunder Step had authored?
  ‘No! My pride…!’
  “Ah. It’s because my mana is already full.”
  “……”