Chapter 361
Chapter Title: A Recipe for Chaos
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361
“Karl!”
“Hello.”
As Karl emerged from his personal workshop, he saw Ju-en and Luke waiting for him and smiled warmly.
“Oh! Ju-en, Luke. What brings you two all the way out here?”
“We came because we wanted to have dinner with you. Buy us food!”
Ju-en said in a charming voice, her eyes sparkling.
Karl laughed brightly at the sight of her.
“Should I?”
As Karl chuckled, Eliza, who had been sitting in the dormitory garden trimming her nails, let out a smirk.
“He’s happy, not even realizing he’s being played for a fool.”
Eliza looked at Karl with her signature condescending gaze.
“It must be so hard for you, Karl Thomas, taking care of a mentee who is so far out of your league.”
“What did you say?”
Eliza glanced at Ju-en, who had flared up at her mockery, and spoke.
“I don’t think I said anything wrong, did I? Ju-en Torvina.”
Ju-en and Luke flinched at Eliza’s icy tone.
Though somewhat overshadowed by Leo, Eliza was originally a strong candidate for year representative.
The greatest golden generation in Lumerne’s history.
In any other generation, she would have been a student with enough power to secure her position not only as the undisputed year representative but also as the student council president.
The still-green first-years would often freeze in fear just from meeting Eliza’s chilly gaze.
“My, why is our dear dorm head in such a bad mood again, acting like a delinquent senior who threatens her juniors for their money?”
Karl interjected playfully.
“Are you calling the heir to the Hergin family a delinquent?”
“You are a delinquent. You boss your classmates around. A student who doesn’t even attend class properly is a delinquent.”
Eliza’s eyes flashed with anger.
“If you don’t want to be called that, how about you stop threatening my mentee?”
Karl said, stepping in front of Ju-en and Luke.
“K-Karl.”
Ju-en looked at Karl’s back, her face showing a hint of being moved.
“Ju-en is definitely a mentee I don’t deserve.”
“That’s not true! You’re a wonderful mentor, Karl!”
“Thanks. And I’ve never once thought I was being taken for a fool.”
Eliza watched Karl with an amused expression.
‘Putting on a good show for his juniors.’
“Because Ju-en buys all the expensive stuff!”
“……”
“Ju-en is the daughter of the Southern Magic Tower’s Master! She’s from a super-rich family! She’s a great junior who knows how to buy her poor senior a meal!”
Ju-en’s expression turned icy, and Eliza let out a deep sigh.
“I feel like an idiot for thinking you were showing a bit of senior dignity.”
“Plus, she’s so generous that she’s satisfied even if I just buy her cafeteria food! Right? Ju— Keuk!”
Without hesitation, Ju-en drove her fist into Karl’s side.
“Let’s go, Luke!”
As Ju-en stomped off, her face beet red, a flustered Luke helped Karl up.
“S-Sir, are you okay?”
“I’m… I’m fine. Can you give me a hand?”
“Yes.”
Luke lifted Karl effortlessly and followed after Ju-en.
“You’re strong.”
Luke gave an awkward laugh at Karl’s compliment.
“Are you mad? You’re mad, aren’t you?”
“I don’t want to talk to you!”
“Come on. Don’t be like that.”
Karl chuckled.
“I did that because I was worried you’d have a hard time at the academy if you got on Eliza’s bad side. Normally, the best thing to do as your mentor would be to protect you, but… I can’t stop Eliza. What I did just now was the best I could do.”
Karl smiled bitterly.
“Even so, don’t put yourself down. I think you’re the best mentor there is.”
Ju-en said with an angry look on her face.
“I won’t tolerate my chosen mentor belittling himself.”
“Thanks. You’re the best. In that spirit, I’ll treat you to something delicious today!”
Eliza, who overheard their conversation from a distance, blew on her nails and muttered.
“Seeing that… I guess having a mentee wouldn’t have been so bad.”
It was the first time she had ever felt a sense of disappointment or regret about not having a mentee.
Just as a slightly bitter smile touched Eliza’s lips.
“And don’t hate Eliza too much. If you show her proper respect as a senior, she’ll be good to you. She’s not the type to hold a grudge over things like this.”
“Hmph, what an arrogant thing to say.”
Eliza scoffed, but she felt pleased.
“And she’s kind of pitiful, you know. As you know, not a single first-year wanted Eliza as their mentor. Well, I wouldn’t have wanted her as my mentor either. Hahahaha!”
*Fwip—!*
Eliza pulled a whip from her clothes and drew it taut.
A murderous glint flickered in her eyes.
“You’re dead.”
A moment later, Karl’s harrowing scream echoed through the air.
***
“A love potion?!”
On the way back to the dorm after their meal, Ju-en’s eyes widened in shock at Karl’s words.
“No way, a potion like that could only exist in fantasies! There’s no way it’s real!”
Seeing Ju-en’s incredulous expression, Karl grinned.
“It’s a potion recorded in Lord Dweno’s own alchemy book. It can’t be a lie, can it?”
“L-Lord Dweno’s alchemy book?”
Ju-en’s eyes grew wide at Karl’s statement.
‘Right, now that I think about it, Karl did get Lord Dweno’s alchemy book before.’
“That’s seriously amazing.”
“Yeah, it really is amazing.”
“Huh?”
Startled by the voice from beside them, Ju-en and Luke jumped.
“Hey, Chelsea.”
As Karl greeted her, Ju-en and Luke hastily greeted her as well.
“Hello, Chelsea.”
“Yeah. Hi.”
Chelsea waved to Ju-en and Luke before crossing her arms and speaking to Karl.
“You got dragged before the student council for making a weird potion before. And now you’re making another strange one?”
“Hey, it’s a potion created by Lord Dweno. Calling it strange is a bit harsh.”
Karl shrugged.
“Its effect only lasts for about a day at most, you know?”
“A day?”
Chelsea tilted her head.
“Yeah. And like you said, I got into some serious trouble with the student council last time. You think I’d be foolish enough to sell it or something?”
“Then?”
“It’s for the publicity.”
Karl grinned.
“Think about it. The alchemist who created a legendary love potion! Man! That means my future after graduation is set!”
“Can you even graduate?”
“Can’t you fix that habit of yours of hitting where it hurts? Anyway!”
Karl wore a triumphant expression.
“I’m submitting the love potion to the student council tomorrow. There’s no way they’d approve the sale of a potion like that! All I need is the title of having made a love potion! So you two! Spread the rumor that I made a love potion!”
Watching Karl burst into laughter, Chelsea crossed her arms with an indifferent look.
“Pathetic.”
‘A love potion.’
Despite her nonchalant reaction, Chelsea felt a strange sensation.
For a teenage girl, the words were undeniably tantalizing.
The next day was the weekend.
When Karl opened his door to go get breakfast, he froze for a moment.
A group of female students from the Noble dorm was standing in front of his door.
“Wh-what? So early in the morning.”
“Karl.”
A female student from the Noble dorm’s magic department spoke with a serious face.
“Sell the love potion to me.”
“What?”
Karl stared blankly at the girl’s sudden demand.
The story of the love potion had spread throughout the entire second year.
“No! Sell it to me!”
“I won’t complain even if the effect isn’t as good as I expect!”
“How much is it!”
“Don’t sell it to her!”
Starting with the magic department student’s words, the girls began reaching for Karl, each trying to get ahead of the others.
Seeing this, Karl scrambled back into his room and slammed the door shut.
Even as he closed it, he had to struggle to push back the girls trying to force their way in.
*Click—! Thump!*
“Karl! Open the door!”
“I said sell it to us!”
*Bang, bang, bang—!*
As soon as he locked the door, the Noble girls started pounding on it.
Karl’s face went pale.
“Hey! If you guys buy this and use it on someone, you’ll be hauled in by the student council!”
Karl shouted urgently.
“You said the effect only lasts a day!”
“We’ll just get a light punishment and be done with it!”
“Hey! I’ll get in trouble too!”
Karl yelled, but the girls weren’t listening.
Seeing this, Karl’s face turned white as a sheet.
He had completely underestimated the magical allure the words ‘love potion’ held for teenage boys and girls.
Lumerne, in particular, was a place where male and female students of the same age gathered to study.
It was only natural for romantic feelings to blossom in such an environment.
Of course, like any place where young men and women gathered, seeing couples at Lumerne wasn’t particularly difficult.
The problem was that even at Lumerne, there were absolutely unreachable people!
Trees that were impossible to climb.
‘There are two in our dorm alone! Abad and Duran!’
Whether it was family background or skill.
Or even looks.
They were the most popular boys in the second year, receiving letters and gifts from female students almost daily!
But despite their popularity, he had never heard of Abad or Duran accepting a confession.
In a way, it was to be expected.
It would be strange to start a fight you knew you couldn’t win.
They must have been nurturing their feelings while having all but given up on the idea of a relationship.
But what if a love potion existed?
It would be possible to have a sweet dream, even if only for a single day!
Normally, they would have scoffed at the idea.
The students of Lumerne were not fools.
‘But what if it’s a love potion from the alchemy book of the Great Hero, Lord Dweno?’
There was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be students willing to risk disciplinary action for it!
‘I… think I’ve really screwed up.’
If this potion was effective, it was highly likely that not only the person who used it but also the one who created it would be punished.
Karl recalled the time he was dragged before the student council.
‘If you’re caught making and selling another strange potion, you’d better be prepared.’
Karl shuddered, remembering the icy glares of his seniors.
“Let’s force it open.”
“Yeah, first one to get it, gets it.”
He heard grim voices from the other side of the door.
With a pale face, Karl tucked the bottle of golden liquid from his desk into his clothes.
‘I have to run.’
He then opened the window and attempted his escape.
Entering and exiting through a window instead of the door would earn him demerits, but who cared?
‘It’s better than being dragged to the student council!’
The professor on duty would surely notice the commotion and come.
He just had to avoid being caught until then.
‘Who was the professor on duty today again?’
***
“A love potion?”
The rumor spreading among the second-years soon reached the professor on duty.
On weekends, professors usually left Lumerne to enjoy their personal time.
However, a professor always remained on duty to manage the students in case of an emergency.
They even had the authority to summon other professors back to the academy if necessary.
Normally, any commotion would be quickly resolved.
“A love potion, you say.”
Professor Ren, having received the report, stroked his chin.
“Student Karl has created something truly magnificent!”
Anna sighed as she watched Ren’s eyes sparkle.
“The students might do something foolish, so I will quickly go and confiscate the potion from student Karl.”
Just as Anna was about to leave the professor’s office.
“Just a moment, Assistant Professor Anna.”
“Yes?”
An elf with gray hair and dark circles under her eyes, Professor Tina, stopped Assistant Professor Anna.
“I believe this could be a rather interesting experiment.”
At Tina’s words, Anna buried her face in her hands.
Lumerne’s visiting professor, Tina Tingel.
Anna knew all too well what kind of personality she had.
A mad scientist.
She was an elf who couldn’t rest until she had dissected and experimented on anything that piqued her curiosity.
For someone like Tina, a love potion and the person who drank it would undoubtedly be fascinating subjects for research.
‘No, this man is just as bad!’
Anna let out a deep sigh as she looked at Ren, who was making an expression similar to Tina’s.
Looking at the two professors who were mad about magic, Anna said.
“If we confiscate it, we can conduct as many experiments on its effects as we want!”
“If we do that, we’ll be experimenting under restricted conditions!”
Ren shouted.
“A love potion! My student created such a fantastical item that should only exist in stories! It’s a miracle of magic! We must thoroughly test the extent of its effects, don’t you think!”
“You crazy bastard! What kind of professor experiments on their students!”
Assistant Professor Anna yelled, feeling her blood boil.
But there was no one on her side here.
“I agree with Professor Ren.”
“As expected, Professor Tina and I are on the same wavelength.”
‘Who was it again that cursed her as a vile pointy-ear who couldn’t walk the same path when they sent student Leo to Seirun as an exchange student?’
Watching the two professors blinded by the prospect of a magic experiment, Anna could only look up at the ceiling and lament.
If she tried to stop them alone, Ren would surely hold her back.
‘Looks like I’ll be writing another incident report.’
Today, too, she was the only one suffering.