Thunderous Steps let out a bitter laugh but soon nodded his head.
He had no intention of criticizing the fact that he was raising and selling things himself.
"I don’t know about the first student you mentioned. It’s a very creative idea. Extremely creative."
"Oh, thank you. I hope the business goes well."
"That’s not a compliment!" Thunderous Steps grumbled, but in truth, managing money was an important virtue for an alchemist.
Who would provide the expensive reagents and materials? He had to earn the money himself to buy them.
'Looking at how frugally he saves money, it seems he won’t have to worry about running out of funds later.'
"Cabbage and green onions... Hmm. Looks good for making stew."
"!" At Thunderous Steps' words, Yi Han raised his head.
The Empire wasn’t just filled with Western-style food.
Given its vast size, there were all kinds of cuisines depending on the region.
While the western part of the Empire, where the Wardanaz family was located, primarily ate bread and cheese, the eastern part had a diet familiar to Yi Han, consisting of rice, noodles, red pepper paste, and soybean paste.
"Do you like stew?"
"I do, but I tend to avoid eating it."
"Why?"
"It’s Eastern food, isn’t it? I dislike Eastern dwarves."
Thunderous Steps frowned as he spoke, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memories.
"Did something bad happen?"
"I have distant relatives living in the East. Every time I meet them, they nag endlessly about useless things... These days, regeneration potions are expensive, so they tell me to try selling them, but I can’t make money. Then they ask why I don’t visit more often, why I’m so arrogant as a young man smoking a long pipe..."
"......"
Yi Han was taken aback by the unexpectedly specific complaints.
He had heard that the Eastern part of the Empire valued tradition and rules more than the West, but he hadn’t expected it to this extent.
"Ah, I see."
"I’ve been rambling about useless things. But there’s nothing wrong with the food itself. I don’t dislike it. Let’s eat stew together sometime."
Yi Han hadn’t offered to make stew, but he knew it wouldn’t be good to say such things in front of the professor, who seemed uncomfortable.
"It would be an honor to serve you, Professor."
Thunderous Steps nodded at Yi Han’s words.
'Wait.
The Wardanaz family is from the West, right? Can I really trust his Eastern cooking?'
Thunderous Steps felt a bit uneasy.
Of course, he knew Yi Han had a talent for odd jobs, but it was rare for nobles to be good at cooking.
From what he had seen of Yi Han grilling steak, he wasn’t bad at cooking, but Eastern cuisine was quite tricky.
"... No, on second thought, it might not be a good idea to eat something you’ve grown. I’ll be fine."
"Huh? But the pork you just ate was hunted by me and my friends..."
"That pork was prepared by me!"
Thunderous Steps finally lost his temper.
After finishing the meal and cleaning up, Yi Han prepared to leave.
"By the way, what are you planning to do this weekend?"
"Do I need to come and work?"
"... Even so, do I look like the kind of professor who would call students on weekends?"
Thunderous Steps asked in a bewildered voice.
But what was even more bewildering was Yi Han.
'Huh? Do professors not call students on weekends?'
Why not? Wasn’t calling students on weekends a basic skill for professors?
"You’ve done well, so there’s no need to come on weekends. Unless you want to tend to your garden... And you’ll be very busy this weekend."
Thunderous Steps spoke meaningfully.
Yi Han felt a bit uneasy upon hearing that.
'Why does he sound so ominous?'
"Is something going on?"
"What do you mean? Think about it. What do students who have been starving and suffering all week do when the weekend comes?"
"Do they set the school on fire?"
"... That’s a bit too extreme. They look for ways to survive."
Corner the students, and they’ll find a way to survive.
As per the philosophy of Principal Rich, freshmen usually started worrying when the weekend came and they had some free time.
-Why does this school treat us so harshly? Is it because the principal is undead?
-We can’t keep starving like this! We need to find something to eat at least!
-Oh, friends! Let’s join hands and stand together!
"By the way, I’ve heard rumors that students from the Black Turtle Tower are searching the forest behind the main building for edible fruits."
"That’s typical of Black Turtle Tower students."
Thunderous Steps replied as if he had expected it.
The actions of freshmen were usually divided by their towers.
Students from the Black Turtle Tower, which included commoners, merchants, and even slaves, were the quickest to act without worrying about appearances.
It was only natural for them to search the forest and mountains for food.
"Thanks to your hunting, some students might even try hunting. It’s rare for students to hunt in the first week."
"It’s all thanks to your teachings, Professor."
Thunderous Steps smiled contentedly at Yi Han’s flattery but then felt a strange unease.
Why did it feel like he was being insulted?
"What about the students from the Blue Dragon Tower?"
"The Blue Dragon Tower is usually the slowest. They’re the ones with heavy behinds."
Yi Han couldn’t help but agree.
Looking at his fellow tower mates, it seemed unlikely that many would go to the forest to search for food when the weekend came.
"But there are always a few capable students. After a few weeks of starvation, they usually come to their senses and find a good solution."
Thunderous Steps said this while looking at Yi Han.
Thinking about it, this year’s Blue Dragon Tower seemed very different from usual.
Starting with that Wardanaz family’s way of thinking...
'He’s really a strange one.'
"Respected Professor, may I ask about the other towers?"
"I can tell you that much. The Phoenix Tower students... Well, they’re in a league of their own. They’re not the type to waver just because they’re hungry or tired."
The Phoenix Tower, composed of apprentice priests sent by the Empire’s religious orders, had always practiced frugality and simplicity in the temples.
It was only natural that they adapted the fastest in this magic school.
While students from other towers were searching for food, Phoenix Tower students often just prayed and endured.
It was the power of faith.
'Amazing.
How can they keep going with just that?'
Yi Han paused for a moment.
Come to think of it, he had endured for several years during his graduate studies.
'Hmm.
Thinking about it, humans can endure more than expected.'
"By the way, Wardanaz. Are you planning to hunt this weekend?"
"Yes."
There was no need to hide it, so Yi Han answered confidently.
"Then be careful of the White Tiger Tower students. They often go hunting too. Usually, they’re cautious in the first week, but once they hear someone has hunted well, they won’t stay quiet."
"It’s all thanks to your teachings, Professor."
"... Well, as long as you know. The White Tiger Tower students are traditionally troublemakers, so be careful. They’re from knight families, so they’re quite hot-blooded."
"Yes. If it comes to a fight, I’ll make sure to strategize to face the many with the few."
"......"
That’s not what I meant...!
Thunderous Steps was about to say something but stopped.
Honestly, that Wardanaz family kid seemed like he would handle things well on his own.
"You might not even run into them. The forest and mountains are vast, and the White Tiger Tower students might choose something other than hunting... No, never mind. It’s the first week."
"What’s something other than hunting?"
"......"
Thunderous Steps regretted bringing it up.
For some reason, he felt that if he told Yi Han, Yi Han would try it himself.
"Escaping."
"...?!"
Escaping.
The vast grounds of the magic academy were surrounded by high walls, and those walls were protected by magic.
But there were always those who tried to break through.
Considering the villages outside the magic academy and the items that could be obtained there, escape attempts were inevitable.
'A new coat, a new shirt, a new belt, new pants, new boots, bread and butter, cheese and jam, various dried foods, needles and thread for emergencies, paper and quill pens, soap and perfume...
Damn it.
There’s too much to list!'
The moment he heard the word "escape," Yi Han’s eyes lit up, and his mind started racing.
If he could get those items, he could live like a king in the dormitory.
"Look at this! This is why I didn’t want to tell you!"
Thunderous Steps saw Yi Han’s expression and realized what he was thinking.
"What are you talking about?"
"You’re calculating what you can get if you go outside, aren’t you?"
"No? Is it magic?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Don’t do anything stupid. The White Tiger Tower students are the first to try escaping every year because they’re the dumbest."
"Has anyone succeeded?"
"......"
"Hasn’t anyone?"
"... Not that many!"
"Oh..."
"You’ll regret it!"
Thunderous Steps shouted but then suddenly stopped.
Thinking about it, there was no reason for him to stop Yi Han.
After all, young people were bound to do stupid things.
"Fine. Do what you want."
"No, Professor. I have no intention of doing that."
"Say that with spit on your lips!"
A dark room.
In a room lit by a single flickering candle, three people with menacing expressions were threatening an orc.
"Hey, Choi. Do you understand the situation? Huh? The only way out for you is to cooperate!"
"... Yi Han. Even if you didn’t act like this, I would have answered if you just asked."
Dergu looked at Gainando in disbelief.
It was more absurd than scary to see someone who looked like he couldn’t even throw a punch trying to intimidate someone.
Suddenly, the three of them had appeared and said, "Follow us!" and now this ridiculous play was happening?
"Hmm. It didn’t seem to work?"
Yi Han removed the curtain.
Sunlight poured into the empty classroom.
Yonell blew out the candle.
Gainando, who hadn’t grasped the situation, looked at Yi Han and Dergu in confusion.
"You said we had to threaten Choi?! Did you know him?!"
"Yes."
"Then why did you prepare all this?!"
"If we acted friendly and brought him here, the other White Tiger Tower students might see."
"!"
Dergu was startled by those words.
Yi Han was right.
There was no point in being misunderstood.
"Thank you, Yi Han. If we had come in acting friendly, we might have been misunderstood."
"It’s nothing. For you, who will be our spy, I can do this much."
"... Wait. I’m a spy?"
Dergu protested at the dishonorable title.
Yi Han asked curiously,
"Didn’t you say you’d let us know if that Moradi family kid was up to something?"
"I did."
"Then you’re a spy."
"... Isn’t there a more noble and honorable term than spy?"
Dergu, being from a knight family, protested.
He was informing them for the sake of honor and justice, so why was he being called a spy?
"I think spy fits."
Gainando, who had been listening, chimed in.
Dergu glared at Gainando, who flinched and averted his gaze, mumbling.
"On second thought, maybe it’s not a spy."