Having consistently received swordsmanship training from the family's old knight, Alarong, and possessing his own expertise in combat, Lihan could tell—
Right now, Yoner's stance was that of someone about to beat someone up!
"Wait. Wait."
Lihan quickly stepped between them to intervene.
"Don't look down on alchemy, Gainan."
"But alchemy is trivial," Gainan replied, completely oblivious to the tension in the air.
"Where's the wisdom in it?"
Magic was an endlessly vast field of study, with dozens of different schools.
Illusion magic, summoning magic, transformation magic, elemental magic, and more.
Even within elemental magic, there were distinctions—fire, water, light, darkness, etc.
Dedicating one's life to just one field still wouldn't be enough to fully master it. That was how deep the world of magic was.
And within that world, alchemy was often looked down upon.
To rookie magicians who knew no better, alchemy seemed…
Quite plain.
While others were swinging their staffs to summon angels of light and tear the earth apart, alchemists were locked away in their labs, mixing herbs and brewing potions.
"That's—"
"Hold on a second,Wardanaz. Step aside for a bit."
Yoner asked Lihan.
"I'm not going to do anything."
"Alright."
As Lihan moved aside, Yoner stepped up to Gainan.
Gainan tilted his head in confusion.
"What?"
"Don't you dare go asking for potions at the infirmary. Those are made through alchemy too!"
Wham!
With a dull thud, Gainan was sent sprawling backward.
It was such a clean punch that even Lihan was impressed.
"But was it really okay to hit him?"
"As long as I apologize after a day or so, it's fine."
It seemed this wasn't Yoner's first time punching Gainan.
Fights among cousins were common, but Lihan hadn't expected this level of violence to be acceptable.
'I shouldn't have bothered stopping them.'
Lihan resolved to just watch the next time they fought instead of intervening.
"…Wait. I don't want you to get the wrong idea—I don't hit people so easily. You understand, right?"
Yoner hurriedly tried to explain, worried about a misunderstanding.
For noble families—especially long-standing and prestigious ones—etiquette and dignity were of utmost importance.
Throwing punches just because of an argument was far from dignified behavior.
"Isn't it fine to throw a punch when you're pissed off?"
"???"
Yoner looked even more flustered at Lihan's response.
'Does the Wardanaz family have some kind of special rule?'
If it were a knightly house, maybe, but one of the empire's most esteemed families condoning fistfights?
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
'Maybe this guy's just built differently.'
Yoner settled on that explanation.
Lihan did stand out among the other noble students who had enrolled.
Most of them were fresh-faced young aristocrats who had just reached adulthood.
Among them, Lihan carried himself with a distinct air of experience. His posture, speech, and demeanor all made him seem different.
It was fitting for someone from the Wardanaz family.
Yoner decided to change the subject. Since Lihan was willing to let it slide, there was no need to dwell on it.
"Anyway, are you really okay with taking alchemy? If you're only coming along because of me, you can totally take another class instead."
"No, I'm actually interested in alchemy too."
"Oh… Are you tempted by my business proposal?"
"I'm considering it."
"!?"
Yoner was caught off guard.
He hadn't expected Lihan's stance to shift in such a short time.
"What happened?"
"Well, it's just…"
Lihan hesitated. How should he put this?
I think I might not be that talented in magic, so I'm seriously considering going into the alchemy business.
…That sounded way too unambitious for someone from a noble family.
"It's fine. You don't have to say anything—I get it. You've come to realize the value of alchemy."
"Huh?"
"Alchemy is truly a fascinating field of study, isn't it?"
"Uh… yeah, I guess."
Yoner seemed excited, so Lihan just went along with it.
"People often imagine alchemy as some recluse locked away in a basement workshop, but the field is far broader and deeper than that."
"Uh… yeah."
Lihan didn't let it faze him.
Listening to someone passionately talk about something he wasn't interested in was a skill he had honed back in grad school.
Do you like hiking?
Huh? Well…
Yes, hiking is wonderful. Did I ever tell you about my trip to Seoraksan last year? Cutting through the morning mist, reaching above the clouds…
Uh-huh. Yeah.
…I didn't expect you to enjoy it so much! You must love hiking. Let's go together sometime!
…
Compared to experiences like that, Yoner's lecture was actually pretty interesting.
"Did you study alchemy in the Meikin family?"
At Lihan's question, Yoner instinctively glanced around before answering.
"…Yeah. But that's a secret. They didn't allow me to learn magic in advance, but they weren't too strict about alchemy."
"Nothing wrong with getting a head start."
"..."
Yoner looked at Ihan once again, his face filled with confusion.
Punching people was okay, ignoring the rule about not learning magic before adulthood was also okay…
He really was an unusual person.
'Well, at least he studied in advance.'
Ihan knew very well how helpful it was to have a friend who was good at studying.
If Yoner was skilled in alchemy, then Ihan could learn from him and achieve good grades.
"In that case, could you teach me too?"
"...Of course!"
At Ihan's request to learn alchemy, Yoner beamed and patted Ihan's shoulder with his palm.
.
Since Ihan had already met the half-troll professor in Understanding Basic Magic, he felt like nothing could surprise him anymore when it came to professors.
And indeed, he wasn't surprised this time.
'He looks... really normal?'
Sitting at the front was a short dwarf. Dressed like a hunter or a ranger, the dwarf even had a crossbow strapped to his waist.
"Is everyone here?"
"Ugh, there are Black Tortoise Tower students here too."
Yoner mumbled under his breath.
It wasn't that Yoner looked down on commoners, but it was certainly uncomfortable.
When classes were filled only with Blue Dragon Tower students, there was a sense of camaraderie, making discussions easy and natural.
But with students from another tower, things became more complicated.
And from the looks of it, there were more Black Tortoise Tower students in the class.
'Their stares are a bit distracting.'
When commoners encountered nobles, their reactions generally fell into two categories:
One—avoidance, as they feared getting involved.
The other—hostility.
Outside of school, the second reaction was rare. But here, in an academy built on the ideal of "equality," hostility was inevitable.
The noble students of Blue Dragon Tower often looked down on others, sneering at them. This naturally bred resentment among the commoners.
"Hey, stop staring. Besides, there's a Wardanaz heir over there."
"So what? Even if they're from the Wardanaz family, they can't touch us inside the academy."
"You don't plan on living in the academy forever, do you? What if they take revenge once you're outside?"
"I'll deal with that when it happens."
"..."
Ihan clicked his tongue.
It was unpleasant to be resented for something he didn't even do.
'Trying to act friendly would probably backfire.'
For now, it seemed best to just stick with the Blue Dragon Tower students.
"Quiet, everyone."
The short dwarf professor finally spoke.
Though his stature was small, his voice carried undeniable strength.
"My name is Thunderstep Gumdar. Just call me Professor Thunderstep. Now, I bet you're all wondering the same thing. With all those fancy buildings behind us, why are we gathered here in an empty field with no desks?"
He was right.
The class for Understanding Basic Alchemy was being held outside, on a grassy hill instead of inside the academy.
Princess Adenart raised her hand. Professor Thunderstep shrugged.
"I wasn't really looking for an answer, but sure. Go ahead."
"It's to help us feel the natural flow of mana."
Many had the misconception that alchemy was simply about mixing herbs and reagents according to set recipes.
But in reality, magic was essential for alchemy.
Understanding the mana present in nature and learning how to harness different energies were crucial skills for an alchemist.
"Nope."
...However, Professor Thunderstep looked at Adenart as if she had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.
Adenart blushed slightly and lowered her head.
Ihan, unfazed, casually asked Yoner,
"Isn't it just because this is a good place to gather materials?"
"No way, that can't be the reason."
"Oh! Correct!"
"..."
Both Ihan and Yoner stared at the dwarf professor in disbelief.
But Thunderstep simply looked at Ihan with admiration.
"It's rare to find an iron-headed student who gets it right away."
"I'm not an iron-head, I'm a freshman—"
"Yes, yes, Iron-Headed Freshman. Either way, well done! You have excellent potential as an alchemist."
At the dwarf professor's praise, Yoner looked at Ihan enviously.
Even Adenart shot a sharp glare at him, as if she had just found a new rival.
'...Wait, why is she glaring at me for this?'
Ihan was speechless.
Of all things, was this really something to be jealous about?
"The reason I brought you here is simple: to teach you what alchemists actually need to be good at. I bet most of you think an alchemist's most important traits are intelligence and fine mana control, right?"
'Oh? So alchemy does require precise mana control?'
Ihan, who had been listening absentmindedly, suddenly perked up.
"But reality is different."
The dwarf professor grinned.
"The number one skill an alchemist needs is the ability to gather materials."
The students fell silent, stunned.
That was not the answer they had expected.
Adenart, still unconvinced, raised her hand.
"Professor, ingredients and reagents can be cultivated or acquired by hiring adventurers. Isn't it strange to say that alchemists must collect materials themselves?"
"You clueless iron-headed fledgling!"
Adenart's already flushed face turned even redder.
Clicking his tongue, Thunderstep continued,
"How much of an alchemist's materials do you think can be farmed? Less than 10%! The rest must be bought. And do you think all purchased materials are actually good? Why do you think mages often join adventuring parties instead of just hiring people? It's because if you leave things to adventurers, they'll botch the job! Herbs that should be carefully harvested get ripped out roots and all! Completely useless!"
Clearly, Thunderstep had a lot of built-up resentment toward careless adventurers.
"That's why every alchemist must learn how to gather materials on their own. If you rely solely on others, you'll never reach the top. Who's going to fetch you rare ingredients when you're deep in research?"
At his words, the students reluctantly nodded. Some looked convinced. Others simply looked defeated.
"Well, now that you understand... go find some ingredients."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'? I told you—go gather materials!"
With a flick of his staff, papers materialized in the air and flew to each student.
Each paper contained an illustration of a bluish-green herb.
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