"Is that so, Professor."
Ihan didn't show any emotion on his face.
It wasn't his first day dealing with crazy professors — he wasn't about to react like some rookie.
"Certainly, I think if you have passion and love for alchemy, you can get a good grade in this class."
'After this class is over, I'm never taking it again.'
"So that's what you think, huh?"
Professor Uregeorum wiped under his nose with a satisfied look.
"Then listen closely."
"...I haven't taken any other classes yet, so—"
"Ah, never mind that. Just take this class. No other class is going to be better than this one."
"No, I'd like to check them all first—"
"No! You have to take this class!"
Ihan was starting to feel that he had gotten himself into trouble.
The other students around him were looking at him with jealous expressions.
— As expected of the Wardanaz family...
— What an incredible talent...
'They're just making me even more annoyed.'
Professor Uregeorum looked around and spoke.
"I suppose we'll have to end today's lecture here. Unfortunately, the other groups didn't get to meet the pig."
"..."
"...Professor, don't tell me you made us meet the pig on purpose?"
One of the students asked in a half-horrified voice.
They called it a pig, but that thing was basically a monster.
If you were unlucky, you could've died with broken bones and ruptured organs.
Uregeorum answered like it was obvious.
"Did you really think I'd just have you gather herbs? Of course you need to experience the situations you might encounter while doing so."
"Th-That's..."
"Exactly. Hey, do you think the professor sent us out there without any backup? I bet he was following us the whole time."
"Ahh..."
When one of the students said that, everyone nodded in agreement.
Certainly...
"Nope? Why would I bother following you?"
The dwarf professor looked at them like they were saying nonsense.
"I only came because the pig collapsed."
"Wh-What if something serious happened?!"
"Then it would mean you don't have any talent for alchemy."
"..."
"..."
Ihan felt like he could hear the inner thoughts of the students gathered here.
'You crazy bastard...!'
"Whether you catch it, dodge it, run away, or hide — dealing with unexpected situations is a key talent for an alchemist, you iron-headed fools. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Uh... then, Professor, do we not need the poison herb anymore?"
Yoner cautiously raised his hand to ask. Uregeorum looked surprised.
"You found the poison herb?"
"Yes."
"Well, I didn't think anyone would actually find it. You pass! Come here. You have to take this class too."
"..."
Yoner was dragged over, caught up in the moment.
"Uh, I didn't find it alone. Nilia helped me too."
"Really? Then you pass as well! Come here!"
This time Uregeorum pulled Nilia over. She looked like she wasn't sure whether to be happy or not.
"And then there's Wardanaz over here..."
"You especially have to take this class!"
"..."
Ihan half gave up.
At this point, escaping was impossible.
'I'm screwed.'
Skipping class was one thing, but getting on a professor's bad side was never a good idea.
If he refused here, this dwarf professor might even chase him to another classroom.
"...I'll do my best to attend. Alchemy has always been my dream!"
"You...!"
Uregeorum grinned. He had read the change in Ihan's emotions.
Among the freshmen gathered here, Ihan was the most mentally mature.
He clearly didn't want to take the alchemy class — but once he realized he couldn't avoid it, he quickly accepted it and changed his attitude.
Nobles from prestigious families usually couldn't hide their true feelings.
They'd never had a reason to hide them in their lives, so they had no practice in self-restraint.
From that perspective, Ihan was truly interesting.
"Don't be too disappointed. There are privileges in the alchemy class."
Uregeorum decided to try to comfort Ihan.
It was a hard world for professors to find good disciples.
Just like students judged their classes, professors judged their students.
If there was a student you liked, you had to hold onto them tightly like Uregeorum was doing now.
But if you held on too forcibly, it could backfire and drive them away.
The best way was to offer a carrot.
"What kind of privilege?"
"I have a cabin near the forest. Normally, no one is allowed near it, but since you caught the pig and even found the poison herb, I'll grant you special access for this semester."
"...??"
Ihan was dumbfounded.
A privilege to visit the professor's house?
'Does he mean a privilege to clean, take out the trash, or act like a slave?'
"...Ah. I didn't explain enough, huh."
Seeing Ihan's look, Uregeorum realized exactly what he was thinking. The dwarf professor quickly added more.
"Do you know what iron-headed fools want the most?"
"Classes that are easy to get a good grade in?"
"...Are you really from the Wardanaz family? That's not wrong, but the real answer is food. Right now, you all look fine, but in a week, you'll probably be trying to eat each other."
"..."
The words of Thunderstep carried weight.
More than 80% of the students gathered here had lived comfortable, privileged lives.
Of course they were bound to suffer if all they were given was hard black bread and cold rice balls after being accepted into this place.
"But in my cabin, I have meat and fish from the forest, spices and vegetables I dug up from secret spots only I know. You understand what that means, right?"
"...!"
It was only then that Ihan realized.
A kind of buffet access pass!
"Professor!"
"You rascal. I'm starting to like you more and more."
The teacher and student shook hands, exchanging a fiery camaraderie.
After class, while the other students moved on to their next lectures — some muttering, "No way I'm taking this class again" — Ihan stayed where he was.
Yoner and Nilia asked him curiously.
"You're not going?"
"I'm going to butcher the pig."
"..."
"Excellent!"
Thunderstep was impressed all on his own.
It was the first time he'd seen a freshman adapt this quickly.
"Professor, this is edible, right?"
"It only went berserk, but there's no problem with eating it."
"I see. Then, could I borrow some equipment to butcher and smoke the meat...?"
"You rascal, starting to like alchemy already, huh?"
"Yes, I really love alchemy."
Ihan, having adapted to reality, decided to fall in love with alchemy.
'If what the professor says is true, then sitting around waiting isn't an option.'
Come to think of it, there had been clues.
Starting from the principal's words at entrance — "The answer lies within this school; find it yourself" — to the rules forbidding them from bringing anything or leaving the campus.
Freshmen had to find their own food and survive!
'What kind of crazy school is this... but honestly, I'm not even surprised anymore.'
This was a school where people might die, so finding your own food didn't seem all that shocking anymore.
Ihan shouldered the pig and headed to the stream.
It was better to be near water to drain the blood and gut the animal.
"I'll help."
Yoner rolled up his sleeves and approached.
"You sure?"
"Well, I'm going to have to handle way worse ingredients in the future anyway. You'll share some meat, right?"
"..."
Ihan thought he heard Yoner's stomach growl.
From the back, Nilia spoke in disbelief.
"You guys are seriously going to butcher it!?"
"Yeah."
"I mean... why, in a school..."
"Aren't you hungry?"
"...Fine! I'll help!"
Ihan had learned hunting and butchering techniques while spending time with Alarron, and Nilia was a literal expert.
Yoner, too, wasn't an amateur, having practiced handling ingredients multiple times.
"Here's the equipment. This should be enough."
Thunderstep brought them what they needed. His eyes gleamed with interest, as if to say, "Let's see how you do."
Ihan drew his dagger and skinned the pig.
Shrrk—
'He's good?'
Nilia was honestly surprised.
She hadn't expected Ihan, a high noble, to be as skilled as her.
The three of them worked together to skin the pig and hang the meat on branches after sorting it.
Given the pig's size, there was plenty of edible meat, but Ihan didn't throw away the organs either.
'I should make sausages with the innards.'
Since he didn't know how long this hellish first-year life would last, the more preserved food, the better.
"You're going to smoke the meat?"
"Yes."
"Impressive...!"
Thunderstep was amazed.
They couldn't just leave all that meat out. Even with the cool weather, it would spoil after a while.
But if they smoked it with firewood, it would last much longer — a perfect method for freshmen.
"Professor, can I use some of this firewood?"
"Wa-wait a second."
When Ihan reached for the wood stacked near the cabin, Thunderstep panicked.
You couldn't just use any wood for smoking. The better the aroma of the wood, the better the meat would taste.
'That's high-quality applewood I carefully prepared...'
Maybe because he had a knack for recognizing good materials, Ihan casually took it. Thunderstep clicked his tongue in regret.
"Nilia, is this enough?"
"More than enough."
Smoke rose thickly, and the savory smell of meat tickled their noses. Beads of sweat formed on the foreheads of the three working hard.
Growl—
Ihan turned his head. It wasn't Yoner or Nilia.
It was the dwarf professor.
"...Are you hungry?"
"Yes. I am feeling a little peckish."
Ihan got up. If the professor was hungry, a graduate student moved automatically.
'We have a lot of meat anyway; guess I should grill some.'
"Professor, could I have some bread and butter...?"
"...Take a reasonable amount..."
Thunderstep grumbled but didn't say much since it was food for himself too.
Ihan placed the meat on the iron skillet. Even when putting it on, he didn't do it carelessly. He seasoned it properly with salt and pepper.
Rub rub—
"What are you doing?"
"Prepping the meat."
"?"
Thunderstep found Ihan's way of doing things peculiar.
He could just grill it simply...
But Ihan didn't stop. He scored the meat, poured oil on the pan, and placed the meat on it.
With a sizzling sound, the smell of grilled meat spread.
Ihan placed the vegetables he had brought from beside the cabin onto the pan as well.
"Why are you stopping now?"
When Ihan paused while grilling, the dwarf professor was flustered. It wasn't fully cooked yet.
"If you add butter like this, it tastes even better."
"You're not trying to tell me you lack talent in alchemy by doing this, are you?"
Thunderstep shot him a suspicious look. He wasn't going to let him off easy just because of this.
"Try it first before you say anything."
Once the meat was perfectly grilled, a pretty decent meal was ready.
Pork steak with grilled vegetables. Thick bread and butter brought from the cabin.
It wasn't freshly baked bread, but for freshmen who had only been eating black bread, this was more than enough.
Munch munch—
Suddenly, it went quiet.
All four of them were too focused on eating.
The one eating the most was Thunderstep.
The dwarf professor tore off a chunk of bread, stuffed a big piece of grilled pork in between, and ate heartily.
Then he walked over to the cabin and came out holding a jar of jam.
"..."
"...I'll share a little, so don't look at me like that, you blockheads."
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