Episode 362
Episode 362
When Yoner arrived at the workshop after receiving the call, Lee Han was still frowning and glaring at the flask.
"Still not yet."
"Lee Han. Let's have lunch first."
"No. There are still impurities left."
"It's fine if there's a little left, just give it here."
"It's only complete when it's boiled enough to boil, not just when it's 'done'."
"The person who assigned the work says it's fine, so why are you—!"
Yoner was exasperated, but Lee Han refused to back down and kept glaring at the flask.
With no other choice, Yoner sat down beside him and resigned herself to watching Lee Han work.
Lee Han shook the flask, turned it this way and that, and occasionally exposed it to the flame—all with a stubborn, focused expression.
Watching him, Yoner recalled how her older sister, Yoanen, had once praised Lee Han's work ethic.
She had excitedly raved about how meticulously he handled things, saying he was several times better than any of the previous assistants.
Yoanen had mentioned that most alchemists these days were too impatient and lacked perseverance, so even when performing the same extraction, the results often ended up disappointing.
If the fire was too strong, the undissolved residue would cloud the liquid, and if it was too weak, the properties would degrade mid-process. Finding an alchemist who could handle things just right was rare, she'd said.
Remembering that, Yoner felt her irritation soften slightly, and she began to regret her own attitude toward Lee Han...
...or so she would have, but instead, she just stood up and forcibly dragged him away.
Yoner had absolutely no intention of playing along with the whims of perfectionists like her sister and Lee Han.
"Enough already. Eat first."
"No! Yoner! Just once! Just one more try and—!"
"This is the Maykin Family's workshop, not the Wardanaz Family's."
Yoner pulled the workshop key from its place by the furnace, tucked it into her pocket, and then shoved Lee Han forward.
"By the way, Lord Wardanaz. There's something I've been curious about."
Not just Yoanen, but the other alchemists working in the workshop also had many questions for Lee Han.
Seeing her subordinates eagerly asking questions on their own, Yoanen smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
No wonder they were her subordinates—their work ethic was anything but ordinary.
"Ah, I have a question too."
"Ask away."
"We're currently preparing the ingredients for Dobruk's Emerald Dream Potion, but we're stuck on the process of melting and liquefying the Silent Spirit Silver. It seems the impurities aren't completely disappearing..."
"Ah, that's understandable. The Emerald Dream Potion is quite finicky. The solution's color is still muddy even after the silver melts, right? A mage's mana has its limits, so you'll need to adjust the flame. There's some Jade Fire Earth in the workshop—try sprinkling that to alter the fire's properties."
"Thank you. Ah, but it's not muddy—it's silver."
The alchemist was taken aback by Lee Han's response.
"Huh? Then it's already melted properly, isn't it?"
"There are still a few granules left..."
"That much is fine."
"No. If we compromise and the potion ends up flawed, it'll be even harder to fix later."
"......"
"......"
The workshop alchemists all turned to stare pointedly at Yoanen.
Though no one said it aloud, their gazes carried a silent accusation: 'Did Lady Maykin just ruin a young mage?'
Of course, Yoanen wasn't swayed by such looks.
If she were the type to be swayed by that, she wouldn't have been able to run this workshop with such madness and obsession in the first place.
'I definitely taught him not to obsess over perfection and that "good enough" is acceptable, but Wardanaz is just too much of a perfectionist by nature.'
Thinking that Yoner would've clutched her head in frustration if she heard this, Yoanen spoke up.
"By the way, I was curious—about the professors out on the streets..."
"Ah, Lady Maykin. May I ask about the spell you used earlier while preparing the test solution? It seemed similar to the Solution Rotation Spell but different somehow."
"The spell I used earlier wasn't the Solution Rotation Spell, but an inversion spell that flips things upside down..."
As Yoanen was explaining, he suddenly realized the topic had strayed far again.
Before they could return to the original subject, Lee Han grabbed another alchemist and asked a question.
"But... gulp. About this."
"No, how can you keep eating while saying that? Yes, what are you curious about?"
By the time Lee Han asked about three more questions, all the bowls on the table were empty and lunchtime had ended.
The alchemists stretched as they got up from their seats.
"Time has already..."
"Let's skip our walk today and start right away."
"Let's go, Lord Maykin. We need to finish the work we couldn't complete this morning."
Yoanen followed with a slightly sulky expression.
With work piling up, Yoanen postponed the questions and focused on work as usual.
Seeing Yoanen obsessively pushing work like a madman made Yoner shudder.
Even at Einrogard, Yoner had thought his friend wasn't the type to live without rules.
Yoner flinched, half-expecting his friend to grab him by the collar and summon a Water Orb.
But Lee Han, as if accustomed to it, resolved every nitpick without the slightest complaint.
"You've worked hard."
"Thank you."
"By the way, we should start preparing to return to school soon. Is there any potion you'd like to learn?"
Potions formulas weren't something easily obtained.
Of course, basic and simple potions widely known across the empire could be found at any bookstore in the city.
Basic potions and formulas like <Low-Grade Stamina Recovery Potion>.
But for potions like <Dobruk's Emerald Dream Potion>, which required an alchemist's personal effort and research, no amount of gold could buy the formula without the alchemist's permission.
Guilds and workshops of alchemists were even more stringent.
They treated such potion formulas as secrets more valuable than life—misuse or theft would immediately bring assassins after you.
In that regard, Yoanen sharing several potion formulas with Lee Han at the Maykin Family's workshop was clearly a gesture of goodwill.
Though it didn't feel like one...
Yoanen suggested that Lee Han, as a student returning to Einrogard for the second semester, name a potion he might need.
Once back at school, there would be all sorts of incidents, so knowing a useful potion in advance would be quite helpful.
Lee Han cautiously asked, "Are you sure about this?"
The gift was so generous without any conditions that it made him wary.
'He's not planning to withhold payment in exchange for the formula, is he?'
"You're Yoner's friend, so a gift like this is fine. Besides, you've worked hard enough to deserve it."
Yoanen meant it.
Compared to other assistants, Lee Han had earned this reward.
"Yoner, what potion do you think would be good?"
"W-well... Yoanen big sis is strict with me about these things too."
No matter how much he cherished his younger sibling, he didn't reveal all the workshop's secrets.
Business was business.
"You probably don't need an invisibility potion. You've got magic and artifacts for that."
"How about a thought-acceleration potion?"
"That's not bad either. I'll jot it down. Anti-tracking or disruption potions wouldn't be bad either."
"A magic-enhancing potion doesn't sound bad either."
"Should I note down a smoke potion to throw at pursuers?"
"...Lee Han, haven't you been mentioning only very... situation-specific potions since earlier?"
"Have I?"
Lee Han looked puzzled.
They seemed like generally useful potions to him...
"Can't you recommend something, big sis?"
"You're leaving it to me?"
Yoanen smiled as if exasperated, but also seemed pleased by his sibling's childishness as he pondered.
"A mana-enhancement pot—"
"That's fine."
"It's fine."
"...W-well. If not that, then this might be better."
Yoanen picked up a quill and began swiftly writing down the ingredient list and formula in one fluid motion.
In an instant, neat handwriting filled the white paper to the brim.
"Here. Take it."
"What kind of potion is this?"
"You'll find out when you make it yourself. It uses relatively easy-to-obtain ingredients, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
"Thank you, Lady Maykin."
Lee Han took the paper and fell into thought.
'What is this? It seems like an enhancement type... but not mana enhancement...'
"By the way, could you tell me about the rumors of professors fighting in the streets? Now that your work is done, we can take our time..."
"Ah. So that's what you were curious about?"
So that's what Yoanen had been wanting to ask earlier.
Lee Han prepared to spill the details about the crazy professors.
"Lady Maykin! You need to come right now!! Cauldron No. 7 is completely boiling over!! If this continues, we'll lose all the ingredients we put in!!"
"......Let's talk another time. You should go!"
Yoanen quickly bid farewell and followed the alchemist, walking deeper into the workshop.
For some reason, Lee Han felt like her retreating figure was filled with anger.
"Is she angry, by any chance?"
"Yeah. But you don't need to worry about it, Lee Han. It's all self-inflicted."
"Uuuuugh... uuuuuuuugh..."
Nilia let out a pained groan, as if dredged up from the depths of her being.
Gainando asked with concern.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"Why did I have to get first place...? Sorry, I was lost in thought and didn't hear you. What did you say?"
But Gainando was already glaring at her with a disdainful expression before turning away.
'She tricked me just to show off!'
"Were you all studying?"
Lee Han, who had returned after finishing work at Puyo's magic staff workshop, looked puzzled at his friends sprawled across the vast reception hall.
Gainando lifted his textbook to cover the magazine and answered.
"Yeah."
"Why do you always have the first page open?"
"......"
"Right... Have some snacks. By the way, what's wrong with Nilia?"
"She's suffering because she got first place. Hmph. Who even does that?"
Gainando took a bite of his cream puff and grumbled.
"Ah. Did the idea we talked about at the mansion make progress?"
Lee Han spoke as if he understood.
Back then, Nilia's suggestion had been quite brilliant—so much so that it wouldn't be strange if it was actually implemented instead of just ending up as the top answer.
"I figured as much..."
"What do you mean, 'figured as much'?!"
"What's going on?"
Yoner, who had entered late, tilted his head and asked.
"Are they actually going to try out Nilia's answer?"
"Ah. That? Yeah. It looks like they're going to give it a shot."
"Wow..."
"Impressive, right?"
"Very impressive."
Lee Han, Yoner, and Ratford looked at Nilia with eyes full of admiration.
Of course, Nilia was so anxious she couldn't even think of sleeping.
"What if it fails?! What do I do then?!"
"The Maykin family is rich, so it doesn't matter, right...?"
"Right. A failure of that scale wouldn't be a problem. It's fine."
"But what if Yoner gets in trouble?!"
"He won't. Even if it fails, it's the fault of the people who chose it."
At Yoner's words, Lee Han nodded in agreement.
"If it succeeds, shouldn't the Maykin family show their gratitude by giving us something?"
"True. I should bring that up."
"...Stop before I blast both of you."
Nilia's stomach twisted at the sight of her friends assuming success before anything had even started.
Of course, the Maykin family wasn't so rude as to force Nilia to take responsibility and proceed with it.
They were merely taking Nilia's suggestion and having their own professionals handle the execution.
There really was no need to feel burdened, but unfortunately, the anxiety wouldn't fade.
'If it fails, it'll be because of my suggestion... If it fails, it'll be because of my suggestion...'
Seeing Nilia so distressed, Lee Han asked Yoner.
"If it's the Maykin family, they'd handle it well on their own... right?"
"Yeah. Ah. There was also talk of inviting a professor from Einrogard."
"Oh. Nilia, did you hear that? An Einrogard professor too..."
"Eh? Then does that mean we can skip one lecture next semester?"
"Like that would ever happen."
Lee Han, who had been listening to Gainando and Yoner's conversation, suddenly paused.
'Wait. Even if we prepare now, the actual work would start mid-semester. Would we even be allowed to leave? Would the Skeleton Principal give permission?'