Episode 6
Episode 6
Having been consistently taught swordsmanship by the family's veteran knight, Alarong, and possessing his own expertise in martial arts, Lee Han could recognize it immediately.
Yoner's current stance was the posture right before throwing a punch!
"Wait. Hold on."
Lee Han stepped between them to intervene.
"Don't look down on alchemy. Gainando."
"But alchemy is trivial."
Gainando spoke with a face that showed not the slightest awareness of the mood.
"Where's the wisdom in that?"
Magic was an endlessly infinite field of study. Even within it, there were dozens of schools.
Illusion Magic, Summoning Magic, Transformation Magic, Elemental Magic, and so on.
And even within the same Elemental Magic, there were fire, water, light, darkness, and more.
The world of magic was so profound that even dedicating one's entire life to a single field wouldn't be enough to master it.
And in that world of magic, alchemy was often somewhat looked down upon.
To ignorant novice mages, alchemy seemed...
Rather plain.
While others were waving their staffs to summon angels of light or tearing the earth apart, alchemists were holed up in labs mixing herbs and concocting potions...
"That's..."
"Wait. Wardanaz. Step aside for a second."
Yoner requested Lee Han.
"I won't do anything drastic."
"Alright."
As Lee Han moved aside, Yoner walked up and stood in front of Gainando.
Gainando tilted his head in confusion.
"Why?"
"Don't you dare go to the infirmary and ask for potions. Those are made with alchemy too!"
Thwack!
With a dull sound, Gainando fell flat on his back.
It was such a perfect punch that even Lee Han was impressed.
"But was punching him really okay?"
"It's fine as long as you apologize after a day or so."
Yoner didn't seem like it was his first time punching Gainando.
Though fights between cousins were common, Lee Han hadn't realized punching was acceptable too.
'I shouldn't have interfered for no reason.'
Lee Han resolved that next time the two fought, he wouldn't intervene and would just watch from the sidelines.
"...Wait. Just so there's no misunderstanding, I don't hit people easily. You know what I mean, right?"
Perhaps worried about being misunderstood, Yoner hastily explained.
Among nobles—especially those from long-established and prestigious families—etiquette and dignity were all the more important.
Throwing punches after a mere verbal spat wasn't considered dignified behavior.
"Isn't it okay to throw a punch or two when you're pissed?"
"???"
Yoner was even more taken aback by Lee Han's words.
'Does the Wardanaz family have rules like that?'
It was one thing for a knightly family, but for one of the Empire's most distinguished families to advocate such brawling...
He couldn't quite understand it.
'Maybe this kid's just built different.'
Yoner convinced himself that way.
Indeed, among the nobles who had entered together, Lee Han stood out as particularly seasoned.
Though they were all from noble families, most were just greenhorns who'd barely reached adulthood.
Among those greenhorns, Lee Han was noticeably different. From his demeanor to the way he spoke, there was something distinctly exceptional about him.
Truly befitting of someone from the Wardanaz family.
Yoner changed the subject. If Lee Han was letting it go, there was no need to dwell on it.
"Anyway, are you really okay with taking alchemy? If you're only going because of me, I can go alone."
"No. I'm actually interested in alchemy too."
"Oh... So you're tempted by my business proposal?"
"That's also something I'm considering."
"!"
Yoner was surprised by the unexpected response.
To think his mind had changed in such a short time.
"What happened?"
"Well. You see..."
Lee Han hesitated over what to say.
'I think I might not have much talent for magic, so I'm seriously considering going into alchemy business...'
...Saying that would sound too petty for someone from a noble family.
"No. It's fine. You don't have to say it. You must have pondered and realized the value of alchemy."
"Huh?"
"Alchemy is really an interesting field, isn't it?"
"Uh... well... yeah."
Since Yoner seemed oddly excited, Lee Han decided to play along for now.
"People usually think alchemists just hole up in underground workshops and never come out, but the world of alchemy is far broader and more profound."
"Mmm... yeah."
Lee Han wasn't flustered.
Listening to topics he had no interest in was a skill he'd honed since his grad school days.
-'Do you like hiking?'
-'Huh? Well...'
-'Right. Hiking's truly wonderful. Did I tell you about my trip to Seoraksan last year? Breaking through the dawn mist and clouds...'
-'Yeah. Yeah.'
-'...I didn't expect you'd find it so interesting. You must enjoy hiking too. Let's go together sometime!'
-'......'
Compared to those experiences, Yoner's story was actually on the more interesting side.
"Did you study alchemy in advance while at the Maykin Family?"
At Lee Han's question, Yoner instinctively glanced around.
"...Yeah. But this is a secret. They strictly forbade learning magic early, but they weren't as strict about alchemy."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with studying ahead."
"......"
Yoner looked at Lee Han again with a confused expression.
Punching people - OK. Ignoring the rule about not learning magic before adulthood - OK...
He really was a peculiar person.
'Good that he studied ahead.'
Lee Han knew well how helpful having a smart friend could be.
If Yoner was knowledgeable about alchemy, he could get help and achieve good grades.
"Then, could you maybe teach me too?"
"...Of course!"
At Lee Han's request to learn alchemy, Yoner beamed and patted Lee Han's shoulder with his palm.
<Understanding Basic Alchemy>.
Having already met the half-troll professor in Understanding Basic Magic, Lee Han didn't think he'd be surprised by any professor now.
And indeed, he wasn't.
'He looks completely ordinary.'
The person standing there was a short dwarf. Dressed nimbly like a hunter or ranger, the dwarf even had a crossbow at his waist.
"Everyone here?"
"Ugh. There are students from the Tower of the Black Turtle too."
Yoner muttered.
It wasn't that Yoner looked down on commoners, but it was undeniably awkward.
If it were just Blue Dragon Tower students, they'd understand each other and there'd be no discomfort...
But with students from other towers present, it was bound to be distracting.
Moreover, it seemed there were more students from the Tower of the Black Turtle.
'The stares are a bit uncomfortable.'
Commoners usually had two reactions when meeting nobles.
Either they feared and avoided them.
Or they showed hostility.
Outside school, the latter would be rare, but here, inside a school that preached 'equality' as its ideology...
The nobles' usual arrogance had already built up resentment, and now that they'd entered school, the Blue Dragon Tower freshmen still looked down on and mocked others, making hostility inevitable.
"Hey. Stop staring. And there's even a Wardanaz family member over there."
"So what? Even the Wardanaz family can't do anything inside the school."
"It's not like you'll live inside the school forever. What if they retaliate outside?"
"We'll deal with that when it happens."
"......"
Lee Han clicked his tongue.
It wasn't pleasant to earn resentment for things he hadn't even done.
'Pretending to be friendly would just backfire.'
It seemed he'd have to mingle with the Tower of the Black Turtle students for a while.
"Everyone quiet."
The short dwarf professor spoke. Though small in stature, his voice alone carried strength.
"My name is Thunderstep Gumdar. You can call me Professor Thunderstep. I'm sure you're all wondering: with such magnificent school buildings behind us, why have we gathered in this grassy field without even desks?"
That was it.
The place where they had gathered for <Understanding Basic Alchemy> was surprisingly not a school building but an open hillside outside.
The Princess, Adenart, raised her hand. Thundergait shrugged his shoulders.
"Wasn't really a question meant for answers, but fine. Go ahead."
"It's to sense the natural mana."
There had been a prejudice that alchemy was simply about mixing reagents and herbs according to set formulas, but magic was indeed necessary for alchemy as well.
Sensing the natural mana and understanding the forces at play were crucial even for alchemists.
"Nope."
...However, the dwarf professor looked at Adenart as if she had said something absurd.
Adenart's pale face flushed slightly as she lowered her head.
Lee Han, without much thought, asked Yoner,
"Didn't they gather us here because it's a good spot for collecting materials?"
"You think that's really the reason?"
"Oh. Correct answer!"
"......"
Lee Han and Yoner stared at the dwarf professor in disbelief.
But Thundergait looked at Lee Han with an impressed expression and said,
"Rare to see thick-headed iron skulls who get it right away."
"Not thick-headed iron skulls, just freshmen..."
"Yeah, yeah. Thick-headed iron skull freshmen. Anyway, well done. You've got the makings of a fine alchemist."
At the dwarf professor's praise, Yoner glanced at Lee Han with envy.
And Adenart also shot Lee Han a brief glare.
As if she had just spotted a rival.
'...No, this isn't something to glare about.'
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
Out of all things, did they really want to envy him for getting praised over such an answer?
"The reason we gathered here is to teach you thick-headed iron skulls what ability is truly essential for alchemy. I bet all the iron skulls here are thinking, 'The abilities needed for alchemy are exceptional intelligence and precise mana control.'"
'Huh? Does alchemy require precise mana control too?'
Lee Han, who had been listening, flinched.
"But reality is different. The most essential ability for an alchemist is the ability to gather materials."
"......"
"......"
The gathered mages looked utterly baffled at the dwarf professor's words.
It was an ability they had never anticipated.
Adenart, looking unconvinced, raised her hand and asked,
"Professor. Materials and reagents can be cultivated or requested from adventurers. It seems unnecessary for alchemists to gather them personally—"
"You—you—you clueless thick-headed iron skull brat!"
Adenart's already slightly flushed face turned even redder. Professor Thundergait clicked his tongue and continued,
"Do you have any idea how many of the materials and reagents alchemists use can actually be cultivated? Less than 10%! The rest all have to be bought with money. And do you think everything bought with money is usable? Why do you think mages join adventuring parties instead of just hiring them? It's not because they have time to spare—it's because if left to their own devices, adventurers will ruin the herbs! They'll just yank out precious herbs by the roots without care!"
Thundergait ranted furiously, as if he had long-held grievances to air.
"In that sense, an alchemist must absolutely know how to gather materials and reagents themselves. An alchemist who only relies on others will never achieve greatness. Who's going to fetch materials for you later when you whine about not having any for your research?"
At the dwarf professor's words, the gathered students nodded with expressions of reluctant agreement (and some dejection).
"Right. That should cover it. Now, go and gather what you need."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'? Scatter and find the materials."
Thundergait swung his staff. Sheets of paper materialized in the air and flew toward each mage.
On the papers were drawings of a bluish-green herb.
