Chapter 309
Chapter Title: A Potion for Cramming
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The preparation period for the mock battle of the Inter-Dormitory Tournament was one month.
And during that time, Lumerne entered its exam period.
“Yes! This is what exam season should be like!”
Before the start of the magic studies class.
Karl shook his bulging pockets with a jingle, a gleeful expression on his face.
“I love exam season! My profits double compared to usual!”
Watching Karl calculate his income with a happy smile, Chloe rested her chin on her hand and asked.
“You like it that much?”
“Of course! I wish every day was exam season!”
“Will you still like it after you see your report card?”
“That's why I wish every day was exam season!”
Karl beamed.
“That way, I'd never have to get a report card.”
Seeing this, Chloe shook her head.
“Karl! Do you have any fatigue recovery potions left?”
“Nope, I'm all out.”
Karl shook his head at the male student who asked urgently.
“Damn.”
The male student looked disappointed.
Over the past year, the effectiveness of Karl's fatigue recovery potions had been proven.
Thanks to that, they had become a favorite item for most students.
“However.”
Karl chuckled.
“I have a new product.”
“A new product?”
“That's right. It's something I made by pulling all-nighters for several days.”
Karl wore a smug expression.
Seeing him, the male student narrowed his eyes.
“Why didn't you just study during that time?”
“Hmph. Do you think studying would help me escape last place?”
“Fair point.”
“Hey, it's kinda sad when you agree so readily.”
Shoulders slumped, Karl opened his subspace pocket and took out a bottle.
*Clink!*
Karl placed a small, thumb-sized bottle on the desk and smiled meaningfully.
Seeing it, Chloe also looked intrigued.
“So, what does this potion do?”
“It's a concentration-boosting potion. Drink this, and your focus will skyrocket for 24 hours! That's what I'm talking about!”
Karl grinned.
“What do you think? It's a prototype, so if you want it now, I'll give it to you for free…”
“I refuse.”
The male student said flatly.
“I'll pass on being a test subject for a new elixir.”
Karl gave an awkward laugh at the student's words.
“Hey, it's not harmful to your body or anything. There are just a few side effects.”
“Hmph. I knew it. So, what are the side effects?”
“You can't sleep for 24 hours, even if you want to. After that, you have to sleep for two full days. Of course, you'll be awake, but you'll be in a slightly dazed, sleep-drunk state, you could say.”
“Is that why you were out of your mind last weekend?”
Chloe recalled last weekend and shook her head.
“Absolutely not.”
The male student said in a cold voice.
Other interested students nearby quickly lost interest in Karl's new product.
Seeing this, Chloe looked puzzled.
“It's not like you to just confess all the side effects like that.”
“Ahem! Trust is crucial in business! What do you take me for? Have you ever seen me scam anyone?”
“You've never scammed anyone, no. But if you sell a prototype potion with unresolved side effects, won't it hurt your business later?”
“Of course, it would.”
Karl nodded, wearing a confident expression.
“But you guys will be dying for this soon enough.”
Karl held up the potion with his fingers and waved it gently.
The golden liquid inside the small bottle sloshed around.
Chloe looked unimpressed.
“I don't particularly want to drink it.”
“Yeah.”
“Who would want to drink something with such severe side effects?”
Jeers erupted from all around.
“This potion was made according to a recipe from Lord Dweno's alchemy book.”
“What?”
“Lord Dweno, you say?!”
The students' eyes widened as they stared at Karl.
Abad and Chelsea, who were standing a little way off, also stared in surprise.
It was well-known that Karl had obtained Dweno's alchemical grimoire as a quest reward.
As soon as he returned to Lumerne after his exclusive contract with Smith ended, even upperclassmen from the magic studies department had flocked to him.
In response to requests to share the alchemy secrets, Elena, the Queen of Lumerne, eventually stepped in.
‘If anyone causes a disturbance related to Lord Dweno's quest reward, I'll make sure they have a very interesting time.’
‘Don't be ridiculous, Elena Jer-on! That's an overreach of the student council's authority! Do you think Hark will agree with you?’
The fifth-year magic studies students, who usually disliked Elena, protested vehemently.
‘Oh? I'm not issuing this order as a member of the student council, but in my capacity as the acting chairman of Lumerne. And…’
Elena's eyes glinted bewitchingly.
‘I don't think Senior Hark would look kindly on this situation either. If you have a problem, you don't need to go to him. Come at me now.’
Although she was only a fourth-year, after Torua's graduation last year…
…it was none other than Elena who had inherited the title of the strongest student in Lumerne's magic studies department.
A powerhouse on par with Hark, who was considered not just the strongest in the magic department, but the strongest student overall.
Background, skill.
With the appearance of Elena, who lacked nothing, the commotion surrounding Karl was settled.
Amid everyone's curiosity, Karl had advertised that the potion was made from a recipe left by Dweno himself.
Naturally, the attention of every student in the classroom was focused on him.
“Now~ as for the effects of this potion. Your concentration will increase for 24 hours.”
Karl held the potion high, his voice like that of a snake-oil salesman.
“The side effects are that for 48 hours after the initial 24 hours, you won't be able to think straight! And! You'll forget almost everything you memorized while the potion was active!”
“Aww, what the heck.”
“That was a letdown.”
A few students reacted with disappointment.
“Ahem. While the potion is active, your memory also improves dramatically thanks to the increased concentration. Which means!”
Karl's eyes widened.
“It's perfect for cramming! I guarantee its effectiveness! It was outstanding for memorization!”
“……!”
The students flinched.
“For the last written exam, you can just breeze through it!”
“Ooooh…”
“Definitely!”
The students looked tempted.
Seeing this, Chloe looked flustered.
“Wait. Isn't that a form of doping? Is that against the rules?”
“Sure, a potion that temporarily and dramatically enhances abilities during a practical exam is doping. Those kinds of potions have severe side effects, too.”
Karl laughed as if it were nothing.
“But this potion is different! It's just like a tonic to help you study for written exams. A tonic.”
“No, that still doesn't seem right.”
Chloe was taken aback.
Abad and Chelsea, who had approached, also agreed with Chloe.
“Like Chloe said, I'd recommend not causing any trouble.”
“My brother's right.”
“Boo!”
“Go away, you perfect-scorers!”
“Do you know our pain?”
As jeers rose from the students, Chelsea crossed her arms and said.
“Instead of paying attention to stuff like that, you should be reading your textbook. I'm sure Leo would think so too… Huh? Leo?”
Chelsea realized Leo was gone and looked around.
Meanwhile, Karl was busy promoting his potion like a street vendor.
And a moment later.
*CRASH!*
“Student council!”
“We received a report that someone is illegally manufacturing and selling drugs here!”
The door burst open, and a group of burly-looking student council members stormed into the classroom.
Karl's mouth hung open at the sudden appearance of the student council.
One of the grim-faced senior student council members glared at the gathered second-years.
“You punks…!”
“Who's the ringleader?”
“W-we didn't do anything wrong!”
“That's right!”
“It's him! He's the culprit!”
The second-years pointed at Karl.
“Uhm… so… this is…”
Karl broke out in a cold sweat, unable to give a proper answer.
“Get him!”
“We're arresting you for the illegal manufacture, sale, and distribution of drugs!”
“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I thought it was okay to sell it! I'm sorry!”
Caught by the student council, Karl was handcuffed and begged for forgiveness as if wailing.
Watching this, Chloe sighed as if she'd expected it.
“By the way, how did the student council know to show up so quickly?”
“I reported him.”
Leo, who had returned to the classroom, said as he took his seat.
“You did?”
Chloe asked, looking dumbfounded.
“Yeah. I figured it would be a problem if people drank it during an exam.”
Leo had also seen the potion Dweno had created before.
Other than the side effects Karl mentioned, there weren't any major ones.
However, it seemed like an item that could definitely be called cheating on an exam, which was why he had called the student council.
“But it's strange that the student council came, isn't it? Karl is needlessly cunning; he would have checked beforehand to make sure it didn't violate any school rules before trying to sell it.”
Chelsea tilted her head.
“Yeah. Until a moment ago, it wasn't against the rules. It wasn't a banned substance either.”
“Then how can the student council arrest him like that?”
No matter how powerful the student council was, arresting a student for something not in the rulebook was an abuse of authority.
“It's fine. I just created the relevant rule.”
“……”
Chloe stared at Leo, utterly baffled.
Chelsea clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.
At this extraordinary method of reporting—creating a new rule and then reporting the violation—Chloe thought to herself.
*‘Right, he's the student council president.’*
“Power is a nice thing to have.”
***
After the commotion.
Fortunately, with Leo's help, Karl was let go with just a warning.
“Sob! I thought I was going to be in for it after getting dragged away by the student council! Leo! Thank you!”
Karl thanked Leo.
*‘I wonder what face he'll make when he finds out Leo was the reason he got dragged away in the first place.’*
Chloe was shaking her head inwardly when.
*Creeak!*
The classroom door opened, revealing Professor Ren and Associate Professor Anna.
“Greetings, everyone!”
“Hello, Professor Ren!”
The students greeted him in cheerful unison.
Looking at them, Ren smiled with satisfaction.
“Before we begin the lesson! I will announce the written exam and assignment for this midterm in the magic studies department!”
At Ren's words, all the magic studies students' eyes widened.
Ren gave them a meaningful smile.
“The scope of this midterm's written exam for the magic studies department will be solving formulas from [Magical Artificial Engineering]!”
Magical Artificial Engineering.
A field that used magical engineering to create something.
“And the assignment will be to create a familiar using Magical Artificial Engineering!”
Students began to murmur at Ren's announcement.
“Professor! When you say creating a familiar using Magical Artificial Engineering, do you mean like golems or chimeras?”
“That's right!”
Ren nodded.
“And! For all of you today, I've invited a renowned mage from the field of [Magical Artificial Engineering]!”
Ren smiled confidently and looked at Anna.
“Associate Professor Anna! Bring her in!”
“……”
Anna hesitated, a nervous expression on her face.
Seeing Anna like that, the students began to tense up.
The great Anna was hesitating!
He must have brought someone incredibly dangerous.
As everyone tensed up, Anna approached the classroom door and peeked her head out.
“You can come in.”
At her words, the door opened, and a woman with pale skin appeared.
Her eyes were sunken with dark circles.
The woman, who seemed utterly exhausted, had disheveled gray hair.
On top of that, she wore a faded white lab coat.
Overall, she had the typical appearance of a reclusive mage with no interest in external activities.
Most strikingly, pointed ears peeked out from between her hair.
“An elf?”
“An elf. How unusual.”
Just as everyone was murmuring.
“This person's name is Tina Tingel.”
At those words, the students' eyes widened.
“She is the pinnacle of the Magical Artificial Engineering field and a descendant of the famous founder of Seirun, Seirun Tingel!”
At Ren's introduction, Tina Tingel stepped forward.
“Nice to meet you, hero candidates of Lumerne.”
Tina spoke in a weary voice.
“I just wanted to ask, just in case.”
Tina raised a hand and said.
“Anyone interested in dissection?”
The students stared at her strangely in response to her question.
“No one? A shame. I was looking for volunteers.”
Watching Tina smack her lips, everyone screamed internally.
*‘What is with this elf?!’*