Chapter 10: Herbology (3)

"Want to join me in pranking Mohen?"

"Huh? How?"

"I'll blow mushroom powder into Mohen's nose with the wind."

Denif made an 'oh' face. His mouth was a perfect circle, which was quite amusing.

Orhen's eyes widened as well.

"That's a great idea, isn't it?"

"Will Mohen notice?"

"Hmm, I don't think so."

The children often sparred with Mohen, so their judgment was quite accurate.

"Will you keep this a secret?"

Just in case, I asked, and Denif frowned.

"Huh? Why would we tell anyone? That guy's always a dick anyway."

"I think you're not wrong."

Orhen agreed.

"He used to treat me the same way at first. But it changed soon enough."

Denif laughed wickedly like a troublemaker. Orhen nodded slightly.

From what I heard, it wasn't just me he treated that way.

'Did he observe me for that reason?'

Maybe he was watching me because of the talents of Denif and Orhen.

He must have started causing trouble because he thought he couldn't match up to them.

"Denif, can you keep an eye on the door?"

Anyway, now that the decision was made, we had to act quickly. We didn't know when Marhan would come.

I already had the ground powder in my hand, which I took out from under the desk.

The process was very cautious. I kept an eye on Rekon and Mohen the whole time. They were both completely oblivious to what was happening.

I lifted the powder with the wind. It wasn't that difficult.

During training, I often used the wind to keep dust from reaching me.

I did the same when cleaning the room, and Marhan would use the wind to assist my exercises when I pushed my muscles to the limit.

Compared to blocking dust from all directions, transporting the powder was relatively easy.

'Too much at once will be noticeable, so spread it out.'

The herb room was quite large, so the distance was considerable. Thanks to my Mystic ability, I could sense the wind currents around me.

I quickly thought it through. Moving directly would be less effective than riding the currents.

I sent the mushroom powder through the airflow towards the ventilation duct.

Then I moved it along the ceiling towards Mohen.

There were two reasons for this.

There were several ventilation ducts on the ceiling, all emitting magical waves.

This would help conceal the waves generated by my Mystic ability.

If Marhan suddenly came in, I could also use the ventilation duct to dispose of the powder.

Pretending to grind more mushrooms, I held the mortar, but all my attention was on the wind.

Orhen and Denif, without being told, helped by grinding mushrooms and gradually moving them towards me.

I hadn't thought that far, but they were smart kids.

By then, the mushroom powder was above Mohen's head.

Fortunately, he was about four meters away from Rekon, so I didn't have to worry too much.

I slowly guided the powder towards Mohen's nose.

It was a time-consuming process as I had to disperse the powder.

When about 80% was in, Mohen sniffed and wiped his nose with his shoulder.

He then checked the magical device attached to his desk with a puzzled look. Did he notice something?

80% was enough.

I sent the remaining powder through the ventilation duct and pretended to grind more mushrooms.

Denif met my eyes silently. I nodded back.

Denif smiled. Marhan hadn't arrived yet, which was fortunate.

I tried hard not to laugh.

The effects were supposed to start in about 8 hours, right?

I looked forward to tomorrow.

* * *

The next day.

The children didn't know, but today was graduation day. Mohen and Rekon only found out last night.

It wasn't really a graduation ceremony but more of an evaluation.

The Duke, who heads the intelligence agency, has many intelligence units, but only four are highly valued.

These units operate in the Empire, Haisen, and the two kingdoms adjacent to Haisen.

They are the units that quickly obtain the highest quality information from these critical areas.

Not just anyone can join these four units.

Only those who have gained experience and been verified in various places are called upon.

Therefore, it's usually impossible to join at a young age.

But the children the Duke raises himself are different. They are exceptionally talented.

In a way, it could be seen as a privilege.

The work is challenging, but the environment is better, and the rewards are good.

The graduation ceremony was the process of these four units recruiting the graduates.

If they perform well, they can choose which unit to join, as multiple units may express interest.

But if not, they have to go where they are called.

Though rare, if no one calls them, they have to start from the bottom.

The units cooperate as needed, so they are not in competition.

However, the most popular unit is the one in Haisen.

It's natural since it's in their own country. It's the safest, easiest to work in, and psychologically comfortable.

Being close to the Duke, they are more likely to catch his eye.

While the Duke doesn't care about such things, many agents think so.

The least preferred unit is the one in the Empire.

It's far away, and activities there are usually dangerous.

It also has the highest turnover.

Rekon and Mohen knew this much.

Their recent anxiety was due to the graduation ceremony. The uncertainty of when it would happen added to their stress.

The timing is not fixed because the leaders and deputy leaders of the four units need to gather.

Anyway, Mohen, who was more nervous than usual, woke up in the early morning.

'My stomach...'

Suffering from severe abdominal pain, Mohen got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom without looking back.

He only came out after fifteen minutes, looking like he had survived a near-death experience.

But.

Less than twenty seconds after coming out, he felt another bout of pain and had to rush back to the bathroom.

This happened two more times.

Only then did Mohen realize something was seriously wrong.

'Did I eat something bad?'

No, that was impossible. The place is well-managed, and he only ate at the cafeteria yesterday.

There had never been a problem with the food before.

Rarely, such things did happen. Eating a lot doesn't always mean you'll have a good bowel movement.

But this was different.

'Maybe this is part of the test?'

They might have deliberately put something in his and Rekon's food to see how they would handle a bad situation.

Since their usual behavior was already reported, this was a test of their capabilities as agents.

Mohen wondered if he should make a remedy for stomachache.

'Wait, herbs?'

Mohen recalled the moment his nose tickled while making the Fragrance of the Sky yesterday.

Did something get in then?

It was unlikely. The magical device was working properly.

If something had gotten in, he wouldn't have been able to wake up from the bed.

'Could Rekon have done something?'

He might have done something while Mohen was sleeping.

Damn.

Cursing on the toilet, Mohen felt anxious.

He wanted to join the unit in Haisen.

Not all the children under the Duke were orphans. Mohen was a noble from the outskirts of Haisen.

His family had no power or money, only a title.

Because of this, Mohen didn't like orphans like Rekon, Denif, and Kallin.

He thought they were fundamentally different.

"Shit."

First, he would make a remedy for the stomachache. Whether this was a test or not, it was graduation day.

With that thought, Mohen headed straight to the herb room.

He went to the bathroom twice more on the way.

He almost soiled his pants three times during the process.

After hastily making and taking the medicine, Mohen went to the bathroom twice more before heading to the cafeteria.

He realized this wasn't a test when he saw Rekon's calm face while eating.

Could it be this guy?

Mohen clenched his teeth and approached Rekon.

"Are you okay?"

"What? Why are you so pale?"

Mohen didn't answer but glared at Rekon, trying to see if he was lying.

But Rekon was good at acting. It was hard to tell.

"Why are you looking at me like that? What did I do wrong?"

"My stomach feels really bad."

"...Are you suspecting me now?"

Rekon frowned.

They were the same age and had to stick together, but Rekon didn't particularly like Mohen.

He didn't show it openly, but occasionally, he displayed a strange sense of superiority.

He did this when Denif first arrived and recently with Kallin.

Rekon planned to act like he didn't know Kallin after graduation.

He was quite talented, but his personality made him less suitable for important roles.

"I was just asking. I thought it might be part of the test."

Mohen changed the subject. Rekon sighed inwardly and relaxed.

"Did you touch something wrong yesterday? When we were making the Fragrance of the Sky."

"The device was working fine."

"Hmm, but you wiped your nose with your shoulder. Something might have gotten on your clothes."

Mohen couldn't respond. His stomach was signaling again.

The medicine didn't work immediately.

Mohen thought he probably wouldn't be able to eat.

* * *

The graduation ceremony process changes each time, as the Duke and Marhan plan it based on the unit leaders' opinions.

Since the Duke raises only a few children, they tailor the tests to the children.

This time, it was quite simple.

Both were combat-oriented, so they decided to have a sparring match.

The comprehensive evaluation as agents had already been done through smaller tests before the ceremony.

Thus, Rekon and Mohen stood facing each other in front of the Duke, Marhan, the unit leaders, and their deputies.

The children were also present as observers.

Everyone noticed that something was wrong with Mohen.

It was strange not to notice, given his pale face and the sweat pouring down.

His nervousness was excessive. There had never been such a high level of tension before.

"Excuse me, may I go to the bathroom for a moment?"

In the tense atmosphere, Mohen asked for permission and quickly ran to the bathroom.

The leaders and deputies nodded, understanding it was a physiological issue.

But after twenty minutes, their expressions started to turn sour. Even the Duke looked uncomfortable.

When Mohen returned, even paler, Marhan sighed and asked,

"Mohen, can we start now?"

"Y-Yes."

The climax came after Marhan announced the start of the sparring match.

After just two sword clashes, Mohen stepped back and shouted,

"Wait, just a moment!"

Rekon looked at Mohen, puzzled by his actions.

When he turned to Marhan, asking if they should stop, Mohen was already running to the bathroom.

The leaders and deputies' expressions soured.

Meanwhile, Kallin was laughing inwardly.

'I didn't know it was the graduation day today.'

It was a fortunate coincidence, but he felt no remorse.

It was a risky move, but the result was very satisfying.

Kallin believed that one's character couldn't be changed.

Mohen's fleeing back was quite amusing.

Ten more minutes passed in silence when the Haisen unit leader sighed deeply.

He then spoke, gauging the Duke's reaction.

"Your Grace, it doesn't seem like Mohen is in a condition to spar. Can we test Rekon separately?"

"Do so."

The Duke sighed and nodded, and the ceremony ended there.

Rekon was assigned to the Haisen unit, while Mohen was sent to the Empire unit.

Despite his poor performance today, he had a solid track record.

The Empire unit always had a shortage of personnel.

Mohen, arriving late, tried to manage his expression.

But in a state close to panic, it was hard to fool the unit leaders and deputies.

He needs proper training.

The deputy leader of the Empire unit thought this, while Kallin laughed again at the message that appeared before him.