Episode 948
Episode 948
Lee Han quickly gave up.
Upon reflection, he realized he had acted too carelessly in front of someone like Yoanen.
'Damn. Even imitating Gainando is too difficult.'
Surprisingly, imitating Gainando seemed harder than mimicking the Skeleton Principal.
Having given up, Lee Han pointed at Yoanen's amethyst glasses and asked,
"Did you confirm my identity with those?"
"No. Lord Wardanaz, your mana causes interference, making it difficult to observe through the glasses."
"...Then how?"
"Logical deduction."
Yoner's older sister shrugged her shoulders.
Wizards who immersed themselves solely in magic often overlooked important details.
There were only a handful of intelligent friends by Yoner's side. Among them, Wardanaz was the only one close enough to borrow Gainando's name.
"Lord Wardanaz, it would be wise for you to remember this."
"Thank you. I'll keep today's lesson in mind."
The two gave up and obediently dropped their disguises. Suddenly sensing something off, Lee Han asked,
"But Lady Maykin, what brings you here...?"
Come to think of it, this was Prince Bogajun's workshop, not Yoanen's. There was no reason for Yoanen to be here.
Yoanen and the other alchemists hesitated. Some of them seemed to avert their eyes, though it might have just been his imagination.
"I visited for alchemical reasons. Isn't the exchange between alchemists truly wonderful?"
"Then where are the alchemists from this workshop..."
"Lord Wardanaz. That's not what's important right now."
With an elegance that no ragged Einrogard student could ever imitate, Yoanen smoothly redirected the conversation.
It was so dignified that even Lee Han and Yoner failed to notice and let it slide.
"Lord Wardanaz and Yoner brought reagents from the Nago Family?"
"...Ah. Yes."
"You know the Nago Family?"
"...Uh, yeah."
Lee Han and Yoner rolled their eyes as they answered.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a lie.
"A new professor?"
"Uh... maybe."
As she said this, Yoner thought to herself.
Her friend would undoubtedly become a professor at Einrogard someday, so this wasn't entirely false either.
Unaware that the red-haired mage beside him was harboring sinister thoughts, Lee Han spoke up.
"Lady Maykin, do you know the Nago Family as well?"
"It's a more widespread rumor than all the transport ships sinking on their way to Granden City. Of course I've heard of it. But... by any chance, is that reagent Flame Tree Root?"
'S-Something's off. Something's really off!'
Unlike Lee Han, Yoner felt a chilling sensation, as if an icy shard had touched her spine.
Something...
Something was wrong!
But unfortunately, her friend beside her didn't seem to sense the danger.
"Yes, it's Flame Tree Root."
"Could I take a quick look at it?"
"Not a problem."
Since it wasn't a difficult request, Lee Han readily took out a piece of Flame Tree Root.
Other workshops required formal appointments before showing reagents, but students carried one piece each to show anytime.
The alchemists gasped in admiration at its uniqueness, completely different from ordinary Flame Tree Root. The smile on Yoanen's lips deepened slightly.
"Impressive."
"As expected. It really is the Nago Family..."
The alchemists nodded in understanding.
Coincidences never happened just once.
The recent rumors of an eccentric wizard spreading through Granden City, and the simultaneous rumors of special reagents—these two had to be connected.
Unsurprisingly, the reagent was indeed cultivated by the wizard's family. The alchemists exchanged triumphant glances.
At last, we've found it!
"Then, Lord Wardanaz. May I ask you one more thing?"
"Go ahead."
"Why didn't you bring this Flame Tree Root to my workshop?"
Yoner's older sister flashed the broadest smile she'd shown all day. The alchemists behind her also voiced their disappointment.
"How disappointing, Lord Wardanaz. You did work at our workshop before."
"Has our workshop done something wrong, perhaps?"
Lee Han was slightly flustered by the alchemists' accusations. Glancing to the side, he saw Yoner was even breaking out in a cold sweat. 'What's wrong with her?' Seeing his friend wouldn't be of any help, Lee Han quickly replied.
"I was planning to visit next ti—"
"...Surely you weren't about to say you were planning to visit next time, were you? Currently, the locations of the alchemy workshops that have received visits regarding the Nago Family's reagents are as follows. Given this route, would there really be any reason for you to deliberately bypass my workshop?"
Now Lee Han too began to feel cold sweat forming on his back.
He felt the same oppressive pressure as when facing the Crazy Doppelganger. 'I let my guard down. Even if she's Yoner's sister, she's a professor-level mage. And from what I hear, she's like Professor Verdus.' He had no idea how long she'd been gathering rumors about the Nago Family while visiting nearby alchemy workshops.
No—why would she even do such a thing in the first place? 'Does she have nothing better to do?' "I considered your workshop the most important, so I wanted to prepare thoroughly and visit last."
"Is that so, Lord Wardanaz? For a moment, I had this thought—perhaps someone... spread unfavorable rumors about my workshop? That it's not a good place to sell reagents... something along those lines."
Yoner began hiccuping quietly, her breath hitching. Lee Han struggled to maintain his composure. 'From now on, I should sneak into any mansion beforehand to check who's present before visiting...' To Lee Han, Yoanen seemed almost half-convinced already.
Frankly, claiming he'd planned to visit last despite being along the route wasn't a good excuse. Someone of Yoanen's caliber would have noticed immediately.
"Lord Wardanaz. Let me say this first—I never spare expense when it comes to quality goods. Think back to when you worked at our workshop. Did I ever skimp on payment?"
"No, you didn't."
"Exactly, right?"
As Yoanen smiled gently, Yoner cautiously interjected, "B-but... reagents are different..."
While she never spared gold coins for exceptional talent, reagents were another matter.
Yoanen wasn't the type of alchemist to overpay just because of rumors or appearances.
She would never pay more than what she deemed the exact worth—that was Yoanen Maykin.
"Yoner, of course reagents are different. With reagents, there are usually so many alternatives available."
Yoanen explained as if gently admonishing her younger sister.
Reagents were different from talent.
They could be obtained anywhere, anytime, and had substitutes—there was no reason to pay more than necessary.
But truly exceptional reagents—especially those in limited quantities—were a different story.
Yoanen was the type to assess exact value, never one to buy at bargain prices.
"But for reagents like these, I'm willing to pay far more than any other workshop. Look here."
Their pupils dilated as they watched her stack gold coins one by one onto a balance scale.
It was easily double the price they'd discussed with other workshops.
"Are you truly willing to pay this much?"
"Because these reagents are worth every coin, Lord Wardanaz. I pay what's deserved for items of value."
Lee Han and Yoner exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
At this point, there was no need to hesitate. If anything, they were worried Yoanen might be taking too much of a loss.
"There might be some benefit to monopolizing the necessary reagents, but..."
"If anyone offers to pay a higher price, you must let me know."
Yoanen's pupils were calm, but within them burned a cold, unwavering determination. Yoner whispered in a flustered voice,
"Seems like she really took a liking to the reagents. I had no idea it'd be to this extent."
"Is it because there's no Flame Tree Root supply in Granden City right now?"
Even considering that, Yoanen's reaction was unusual.
Lee Han and Yoner realized that the reagents they had made were far more exceptional than they'd anticipated.
"Yoner. We might actually become the top merchants in Granden City..."
"W-well, maybe not that far, but we could definitely keep things running smoothly."
Yoanen, who had been listening to their conversation with an amused smile, finally spoke up.
"Then, may I ask one last question?"
"Of course."
"Who was it that spoke ill of my workshop?"
At Yoanen's sudden question, Yoner drew in a sharp breath.
The way she stared piercingly while asking made it seem like she had already identified the culprit. 'We're done for...!' Yoner screamed internally. Beside her, Lee Han sighed and answered,
"It seems nothing can be hidden from you, Lady Maykin. You must keep this a secret."
"Of course."
"It was Gainando."
"......"
This time, it was Yoanen who looked taken aback.
Could it really have been Gainando and not her own younger sibling?!
"Qi disturbance. Qi disturbance..."
"You were so engrossed in watching the play at the palace, so why can't you remember this time?"
Salko asked Angrago with a puzzled expression.
At the palace, he had been all about "Stedal this, Stedal that," so why couldn't he recall this?
"Is that the same as this?! I was so shocked back then that my memory flew away! And even then, I wasn't paying attention to the qi disturbance! I was focused on the treasure map!"
Stung by the painful past, Angrago flared up in anger. The betrayal still stung.
The fact that Stedal Nago was a fictional person...
Even if the charming tales of Stedal and Lee Han's forced study sessions were the same story, they were entirely different. The latter was no different from studying under Einrogard. 'What a weird guy,' Salko thought as he knocked on the alchemy workshop's door.
"Anyone here?"
No answer came. Though light could be seen through the window, the lack of response made Salko and Angrago exchange glances.
What's going on?
"Anyone here? Hey!"
Thud thud thud
As they kept knocking, a voice finally answered from inside.
"S-sorry. I must have dozed off."
"In the middle of the day? Did something happen—"
"It's nothing. Some fellow alchemists came by, and we had a bit too much to drink."
Salko and Angrago peered through the open door to see the workshop littered with drunken alchemists.
"Hmm. We'll come back another time, then."
"Right. Sorry. Ugh..."
The alchemist who had opened the door, clearly suffering from a severe hangover, immediately staggered back inside.
The two exchanged confused looks as they walked away.
"Do alchemists in Granden City usually drink during the day?"
"Don't be ridiculous. That's nonsense. Must be a coincidence."
Thud thud thud
—They moved on to the next mansion.
Though not a workshop, it was the residence of a merchant with a keen interest in alchemy, making it a suitable place for sales.
"The master is heavily intoxicated. My apologies, but please return another day."
"Huh?"
"Some alchemist acquaintances visited and held a small gathering. Sorry."
"...???"
As they continued, they found alchemists and merchants drunk at every stop, and slowly, a sense of dread crept over them.
Had there been some festival in Granden City they didn't know about?
"Y-you don't think it's the Headmaster playing a prank, do you?"
"...No way! Don't even suggest such ominous nonsense."