Who would have thought the students would become so distrustful? But curiosity was still curiosity.
Professor Thunderstep sought out his prized student, Yi Han.
"Wodanaz."
"Yes, Professor."
"You believe me, don't you?" Just as Yi Han had believed Professor Ingeldel, he would believe Professor Thunderstep! Yi Han nodded and said, "Yes! I believe you! How could I doubt you, Professor?" "... I’d rather you just say you don’t believe me, you brat."
Professor Thunderstep was annoyed.
He preferred those who openly doubted him rather than someone like Yi Han, who spoke in such roundabout ways, making him feel unnecessarily irritated.
"But did you really not meet the bull? Tsk. I prepared it at great expense... Why did a mud golem show up instead?" "... Wait. What are you talking about?" Professor Ingeldel, hearing Professor Thunderstep’s muttering, turned serious.
Professor Thunderstep quickly defended himself.
"Hahaha... Professor Ingeldel, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Actually, I prepared both the bull and the mud golem, but it seems the bull went somewhere else." "......"
Despite his explanation, Professor Ingeldel’s gaze remained cold.
There was no opponent as terrifying as a swordsman with a twisted eye.
Professor Thunderstep hastily dragged Yi Han over.
"Wodanaz. Tell them. Who do you think prepared the mud golem?!" "......"
Yi Han was dumbfounded by the sudden reversal of words but played along.
Professor Thunderstep’s eyes were too desperate.
"Of course, it must have been you, Professor."
"Right? Professor Ingeldel, see? Even the clever Wodanaz says so."
"I see. But do you think a mud golem is an appropriate trial for the freshmen?" "......"
Professor Thunderstep looked at Yi Han again, but Yi Han had already fled far away with his friends.
It was Saturday, but instead of going out for a stroll or exploring the school’s mysteries, the friends from the Blue Dragon Tower were holed up in the lounge, agonizing over their assignments.
The week’s assignments had piled up like a mountain.
"Damn... What’s the flaw in the logic in this book? Wait, isn’t it a flaw in itself that someone of my noble status has to read and wrestle with such a book?" "Ugh, how am I supposed to know how much it cost to make this magic circle? Just use the leftover money from the family, don’t be so stingy...!" The students clutched their heads, groaning in frustration.
Each assignment was a difficult problem that couldn’t be easily solved.
Thanks to this, the snacks Yi Han had stored in his cabinet were selling like hotcakes.
Growing tired of it, Yi Han placed various candies and cookies in a basket by the fireplace and set up a sign.
Apple-flavored candy - one silver coin.
Apricot jam cookies - two silver coins.
Sweet chocolate from the Meikin family - four silver coins.
A cup of sugared black tea - one silver coin. ......
The prices were steep, but the students didn’t complain.
Being able to get them at all was a blessing.
After all, outside, the students from the Black Turtle Tower were surviving on fake candies, fake cookies, and fake gum...
"Sigh. You guys are only taking easy classes and not alchemy, that’s why."
"You think your assignments are hard? After taking alchemy, everything else feels like dessert." "......"
Among them, a few students who were taking alchemy classes were bragging to their friends struggling with assignments.
Their expressions were so smug, it was as if they had slain a dragon.
"Those guys... Wodanaz probably did all the work for them..."
"Leave them be. They’re pitiful. They had to face a mud golem."
"True. That class is insane. Who fights a mud golem?" The other friends listened patiently instead of telling them to shut up.
It was out of honor and friendship. 'They’re deluding themselves into thinking they won’t face such things...' Yi Han shook his head with a bitter expression.
The students who hadn’t taken alchemy yet were under the illusion that they’d be fine since they weren’t taking it. ...
But as the basic riding class showed, madness was a virtue every professor at this school had to possess.
Even if you avoided one insane class, another would find you.
They’d realize it when the time came! Bubble bubble bubble— "Ocbulb flower and small feather mushroom. Right? Add this..."
"Ugh, the smell is so strong, is this really correct?? Is this really it...?" The students taking alchemy were each setting up their cauldrons, huddling together and pondering.
They had gathered the ingredients for the assignment, <Potion of Lesser Spirit Affinity>, but they were just starting out in alchemy.
Gathering the ingredients was half the battle, and mixing them was the other half.
And since the ingredients were limited, the students’ hands couldn’t help but tremble.
Bang! "Ah!!" Poof poof bang! "Gah!" "Wait."
Yi Han reached out to stop the students.
As he had learned in class, even a small mistake in movement or timing could cause the alchemy to fail.
But... 'Something’s off.' The current situation was a bit strange.
Even students who seemed to be doing well were constantly puffing out smoke from their cauldrons.
If it were just minor mistakes, the quality of the potion would vary, but the results should still be somewhat similar.
Yet, what was coming out was completely different from the expected result.
"What’s going on?" "... Did Professor Thunderstep teach us the wrong recipe?" "......" "......"
A cold breeze swept through the lounge.
A friend working on another assignment nearby spoke up as if it were ridiculous.
"Come on, even if that’s the case, surely not..."
"No. It makes sense! It’s 100% likely!" "!?" In the past, they would have said "Surely not," but now they doubted the professors more than Yi Han did.
They had truly become students of this school.
"This is really vicious...! How could he deliberately teach us the wrong recipe?!" "Telling us to figure it out ourselves is a joke?!" While the students were venting their frustration, Yi Han quietly pondered with Yoner.
Anger was anger, but grades were grades.
Even if they wanted to grab the professor by the collar, they still had to submit the assignment.
"We’ll have to experiment by changing one thing at a time from the recipe the professor gave us. Yoner, any guesses?" "The demon beard flower, troll mushroom, malene, and jade dragon flower in the recipe are suspicious... Actually, as far as I know, they have nothing to do with spirits."
"So the whole thing is a trap?" "Probably not. At most, one or two. Even if they’re not related to spirits, they might amplify the power to summon spirits or strengthen the user’s mind."
Yi Han was impressed by Yoner’s quick analysis.
Though Yi Han was a seasoned experimenter, he couldn’t match Yoner’s extensive knowledge, having read alchemy material books since childhood. 'Should I have read alchemy books instead of the economics section of the newspaper?' "Testing by removing one ingredient at a time would be the fastest, but the problem is... we’d run out of materials."
Yi Han fell into thought.
What was Professor Thunderstep thinking by putting traps in the recipe? "We’ll probably have to dig through alchemy books, compare old recipes, and figure out what’s wrong..."
Yoner muttered in a dejected voice.
Hearing that, Yi Han thought he understood the professor’s intentions. 'Ah.
He’s telling us not to rely on others’ recipes but to dig through books and learn for ourselves.' Knowledge gained through one’s own study lasts longer than what’s taught by others.
Realizing this, Yi Han felt a chill.
He was getting too good at guessing the professor’s thoughts.
Staring into the abyss for too long, one starts to resemble it.
Yi Han shook his head to shake off the fear. 'I need to stop being swayed by the professors.' "Shall we go look for books?" "Yoner, even if we search through books, the weekend won’t be enough, right?" "Probably not..."
"Absolutely not. I have to go out tomorrow."
Yi Han said with a firm expression.
His eyes burned with an unshakable determination that no professor could sway.
Yoner felt something akin to admiration for that resolve. "......"
And then he felt confused. '...
Is it okay to feel this moved just because he’s going out?' "Everyone, stop making potions and gather here!" "??" "We’ll figure out the method through experiments."
"But we’ll run out of materials."
"We’ll pool everyone’s materials here and make as much as we can with the leftovers. We’ll have to visit other towers too." "...!" Asan was impressed.
While one person’s materials wouldn’t be enough for multiple experiments, pooling everyone’s materials changed the game.
The leftover materials would increase, after all.
Yoner also nodded.
"If students from other towers join in, it’ll help. Others might point out things I don’t know."
"Priestess Siana would be great."
"She’s from the Phoenix Tower. Will she come?" "She praised Wodanaz a lot. If Wodanaz asks, she might come."
Leaving their friends’ voices behind, Yi Han confidently stepped out of the lounge.
His back exuded a determination not to let his day off be taken away.
"Wodanaz...! Please!" "I’ll be back."
"Oh, Wodanaz. Bring the princess too." "... Can’t you guys do that yourselves?" Yi Han asked, incredulous.
"No... We’re not close with the princess..."
"You’re the closest to her."
"Being royalty makes it a bit hard to approach her."
"Alright, fine..."
Since it wasn’t a big deal, Yi Han nodded.
"Ah, Gainan! What if you mess up the multiplication?! We’ll have to redo the calculations because of you!" "I didn’t mess up! You did!" "You brat, where do you get off lying like that?! The formula in front of you is wrong!" "......"
Yi Han was dumbfounded by the sight.
These guys?
-Your Highness, it’s Wodanaz. -! When Yi Han knocked on the door, the princess looked at his hands with expectant eyes.
But Yi Han’s hands were empty.
After hearing his explanation, the princess nodded and went down to the lounge, but her shoulders seemed to slump slightly.
Yi Han felt a bit guilty. 'I should bring something next time I come up...' Since the ledger was being handled by other friends, giving out more snacks would benefit Yi Han.
His conscience only pricked him a little for taking advantage of his naive friends. 'Is this it?' Arriving at his destination, Yi Han looked around.
Being from the Blue Dragon Tower, he rarely had the chance to visit other towers.
While the Blue Dragon Tower felt somewhat luxurious and flashy, the Phoenix Tower exuded a solemn aura.
Perhaps it was due to the difference in students. '...
Wait.
How do I get in?' Arriving at the Phoenix Tower, Yi Han realized he didn’t know how to enter.
He decided to try something first.
Thud— "!" As if there was an invisible barrier at the tower’s entrance, Yi Han was pushed back. 'A magic barrier to keep intruders out.
Of course, that makes sense.' If anyone could enter the Phoenix Tower, chaos would ensue.
"Yi Han of the Wodanaz family?" A familiar voice called from behind.
A snake beastman student in priest robes was tilting his head.
Seeing Priest Siana, Yi Han instinctively flattered him.
"Priest Siana, who made that outstanding potion last time!" "Oh my, such praise."
"It’s not praise, just the truth."
"I made a potion this time. Take it. It’ll help with fatigue."
Priest Siana smiled brightly and handed over the potion.