Yonell quickly caught onto Yi Han's words.
The Willow Professor praised the students as if they had done something remarkable.
"Well done. Even without a professor, you managed to protect the plants on your own. Not just anyone can do that."
"Thank you," the students replied.
As the atmosphere seemed to ease a bit, Yi Han asked, "Excuse me, but who are you?"
"Ah, you must be new students, so you don't know me. I'm the professor who teaches botany at the school. You can call me Professor Willow."
The name matched the professor's appearance perfectly.
Gainando seemed to recall the talking oak trees they had encountered in the mountains when he saw Professor Willow.
He cautiously raised his hand and asked, "Do you have any connection to those talking oak trees?"
"I'm a willow, and they're oaks. Little troll."
"Huh? I'm human, though."
"Exactly. I'm a willow, not an oak."
"......"
Yi Han realized he needed to be careful with his words in front of Professor Willow.
It seemed the professor didn't like being lumped together with other trees.
Professor Willow slowly walked over and brushed a branch against the fallen ox.
Then, with a deep crease forming on his wooden face, he said, "This is the ox raised by Professor Thunderstep. That careless dwarf."
'Damn.
It really was the professor's ox.'
Yi Han cursed Professor Thunderstep, who wasn't present.
If you're going to feed a monster potions to make it stronger, at least manage it properly.
Why let it loose and cause such chaos?
"Did you subdue this ox with a paralysis curse?" Professor Willow looked at the students with a hint of surprise.
It was quite impressive for first-year students to pull off such a powerful curse.
"We used a weakening potion first, then cast the curse."
"Still, it must have been tough. Well done."
Professor Willow shook his branches, and vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the ox and confining it within a wooden cage.
"I'll inform Professor Thunderstep about this when he returns."
"Professor, were you... taking care of the plants here?" Siana the priestess cautiously asked.
Professor Willow replied in a slow voice, "Yes. My original garden is elsewhere. Professor Thunderstep asked me to take care of this place for today. It's a bother, but I have to meet with the emperor's officials, so what can I do?"
"Huh? I heard you were supposed to go to the market with Professor Lightningstep."
"......"
Professor Willow suddenly stopped.
"... Is that true?"
"Yes. You can ask Professor Lightningstep later to confirm."
"......"
Professor Willow stood still, but the way the leaves at the end of his branches rustled angrily gave away his mood.
"You're from the Wodanaz family, aren't you?"
"?!"
Yi Han was slightly taken aback when the professor suddenly guessed his name.
What was going on?
"Don't be surprised. I've just heard about you from other professors. Anyway, thanks for letting me know."
Professor Willow expressed his gratitude in a gentle tone.
"Do you need anything? If so, speak up."
"... We were planning to practice alchemy. Do you know where we could get some useful materials or reagents?"
"Hmm..."
Professor Willow pondered.
Of course, the vast grounds of the magic school were filled with materials and reagents, but most places were a bit too dangerous for first-year students.
Yi Han carefully observed Professor Willow's expression.
Even though the professor was a tree-like spirit, it didn't matter.
As a professor, he couldn't escape Yi Han's sharp gaze.
'Now!'
Yi Han took a gamble.
"Could we borrow some from Professor Thunderstep's lab... Oh, no. That was too rude of me."
Yi Han bowed his head as if embarrassed.
But Professor Willow shook his branches as if it was a great idea.
"That's a good thought."
"Huh? But..."
"It's fine. When Professor Thunderstep returns, I'll tell him the ox broke in and stole some things. I'll pick out things you can take."
Professor Willow said this and headed toward the third-floor stairs.
Siana the priestess looked at Yi Han and said, "Lord Yi Han of the Wodanaz family, you should never join an evil sect."
"?"
As soon as they stepped onto the third floor, they were greeted by complete darkness.
Even light spells were useless.
"Be careful not to get lost. The paths here are quite complicated."
Professor Willow swung his branches, and something began to rush toward them in the dark.
It was a door labeled 'Lab 6.'
Clunk!
Professor Willow turned the doorknob and opened it.
Inside, blue smoke was freezing everything.
Professor Willow quickly closed the door.
"It's better to permanently seal this lab."
Professor Willow pushed Lab 6 aside and summoned a few more labs.
Most of them were in chaos.
Lab 17 had distorted space, with water falling from the table flowing up to the ceiling, and Lab 29 was being swallowed by a pitch-black darkness.
Yi Han took out a piece of paper and meticulously noted down everything Professor Willow was doing.
He didn't know when he'd be back on the third floor.
'I see.'
Yi Han roughly understood the layout of the third floor.
The reason there weren't many traps on the first and second floors was that the third floor itself was half a maze.
If you didn't know what was in each lab or how to summon them, coming to the third floor was pointless.
In a place where space was so jumbled, trying to break through with magic was dangerous.
You never knew what disaster might occur.
The answer was to learn step by step from the beginning.
Just as there was no royal road to learning, there was no shortcut to thievery.
'Lab 6: Swing left twice, then six times.
Lab 17: Swing right four times, then up once, then seventeen times.
Lab 29:...'
"Found it."
Professor Willow found a suitable lab.
Yi Han quickly tucked the paper into his coat.
This time, the lab they opened looked like a proper alchemist's lab, filled with various alchemy tools and flasks.
The students entered with slightly frightened expressions after seeing the previous labs.
"Here, take these."
Professor Willow began sweeping up alchemy tools and flasks, tossing them one by one.
Yi Han calmly caught them and carefully placed them into the leather sack he had brought.
"Did I give you too much?"
"No, Professor. I'm just grateful."
Yi Han handed the full sack to his friends and pulled out a new one.
His speed was so fast that Professor Willow might have mistaken him for an artifact thief.
"This should be enough for your practice. I didn't give you anything too dangerous or anything Professor Thunderstep would treasure."
"That's more than enough."
Professor Willow shook his branches, tidying up the lab as if a thief had been there.
The scattered tools returned to their places, and the open drawers closed.
Professor Willow frowned at the withering plants in the corner and summoned a watering can.
"I'll help," Yi Han volunteered.
'Better make a good impression.'
It didn't seem like Professor Willow would report them to Professor Thunderstep, but you never knew.
Besides, it wouldn't hurt to make a good impression on the professor.
Who knew when they might attend his lectures?
Unaware of Yi Han's ulterior motives, his friends rolled up their sleeves to help.
But Yi Han shook his head.
"You guys go back."
"Why? Wodanaz? We can..."
"Professor Thunderstep might return any moment. You take the sacks and go back to the dorm."
"!"
The friends were impressed by Yi Han's words.
As expected...!
Ratford looked at him with admiration.
"You're truly remarkable. I have nothing more to teach you."
"Don't praise me too much, Ratford. I still have a lot to learn from you."
Yonell felt the situation was a bit odd, but the atmosphere was warm, so he didn't intervene.
"Then, Wodanaz, I'll head out first."
"See you at the dorm!"
The students struggled to carry the sacks downstairs.
Yi Han was puzzled to see Yonell still there.
"Why?"
"Thought you might need one more person to help. They can manage the sacks without me."
"Thanks."
"It's nothing."
"Wait. About the silver..."
"... Don't ask if you need to pay."
Yonell warned, pointing a finger.
Yi Han changed the subject.
"... Thank you, Yonell."
"Southern dialect?"
As he spoke, Yonell picked up the watering can.
Truthfully, Yonell didn't think Yi Han would be skilled at tending to plants.
Caring for plants was harder and more complicated than it seemed.
Even just watering required care.
Some plants needed less water, others more.
If the weather was good and hot, you needed to water more.
If it was bad and humid, less.
Common plants were easier, but rare and delicate ones were even more challenging.
It required both knowledge and intuition.
Yonell had experience from reading alchemy manuals and tending plants at home, but Yi Han...
"You're good at this," Professor Willow said with admiration.
Both Yi Han and Yonell had more than a little experience with plants.
Yi Han noticed Yonell's surprised gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Ah... nothing. You're just really good at watering."
"Done it a lot, I guess?"
Yonell wasn't the only one who had walked the path of plant care.
Yi Han had too.
It started as a forced task because of the professors, but once a hobby forms, it doesn't easily disappear.
If in his past life he took care of the professors' potted plants, in this life he had tended the Wodanaz family's garden out of boredom.
Yonell looked at Yi Han with a mix of joy and excitement.
People with niche hobbies are always thrilled to meet others who share their interests.
"You too...! Did the servants at your family also ask why you did it yourself?"
'Not really.'
Yi Han was slightly flustered.
The Wodanaz family was very laissez-faire, so whether Yi Han swung a sword or tended plants, they didn't pay much attention.
But Yi Han didn't want to disappoint Yonell, who was helping him.
"Of course they did. But I didn't mind. I thought it would help with alchemy someday."
"Yi Han..."
Yonell looked at Yi Han with an expression that said if there were a 'Best Friend Award,' he'd give it to him right away.
It wasn't just Yonell who was moved.
Professor Willow was also touched.
"To think I'd meet students who care so much for plants... Follow me."
Professor Willow led the way downstairs.
Yi Han and Yonell wiped off the moisture and followed.
'Is he going to give us something more?'
Yi Han secretly hoped, given the joy in the professor's voice.
Wasn't this why he volunteered to stay behind?
When they reached a corner of the second-floor botanical garden, Professor Willow stopped and pointed at the plants.
"Here. Water all of these, from here to here."
"?"
Yi Han's face stiffened at the unexpected situation.
Could it be that Professor Willow was one of those rare professors who gave more work as a reward?
If so, that was truly terrifying.