Chapter 6

Chapter 006

Having consistently received sword training from the old knight Alarlong and being well-versed in combat himself, Lee Han could tell. Yoner's current stance was the one right before he was about to beat someone up!

"Wait. Wait."

Lee Han stepped between them and tried to stop them.

"Alchemical arts are not to be taken lightly, Gaynando."

"But alchemy is trivial."

Gaynando said this with a face that showed no understanding of the situation.

"Where's the wisdom in that?"

Magic was an endless and infinite field of study, divided into dozens of schools.

Illusion magic, summoning magic, transformation magic, elemental magic, and so on.

Even within elemental magic, there were fire, water, light, darkness, and more.

The world of magic was so profound that one could spend a lifetime delving into a single field and still find it insufficient.

And in such a world of magic, alchemy was sometimes looked down upon.

To the inexperienced new mages, alchemy seemed...

rather mundane.

While others were swinging their wands to summon angels of light and tear the earth apart, alchemists were locked away in their laboratories, mixing herbs and concocting potions...

"That's..."

"Wait a moment. Wodanaz. Move a bit."

Yoner asked Lee Han.

"I won't do anything."

"Alright."

As Lee Han moved aside, Yoner walked over and stood in front of Gaynando.

Gaynando tilted his head.

"Why?"

"You, don't go to the infirmary asking for potions. They're made through alchemy too!"

Thud!

With a dull sound, Gaynando fell backward.

It was a punch so impressive that even Lee Han was in awe.

* * *

"But is it okay to hit someone?"

"After a day or so, if you apologize, it's fine."

It seemed Yoner had hit Gaynando before.

While it's common for cousins to fight, it was surprising that hitting was also acceptable.

'I shouldn't have interfered.'

Lee Han resolved that next time they fought, he would just watch from the side.

"...Wait. If there's a misunderstanding, it's troublesome. I don't hit people easily. Do you understand?"

Yoner, thinking he was misunderstood, quickly defended himself.

For nobles, especially those from traditional and influential families, etiquette and dignity were paramount.

Throwing punches after a verbal spat was not a dignified action.

"If you get angry, can't you throw punches too?"

"???"

Yoner was even more confused by Lee Han's words.

'Is there such a rule in the Wodanaz family?'

While it might be understandable for a knight family, it was hard to believe that a family as prestigious as the empire's top would advocate for such behavior.

'I guess this guy is just different.'

Yoner concluded.

Indeed, Lee Han seemed to have a certain gravitas that stood out among the other nobles who had just entered.

While they were all fresh adults from noble families, Lee Han was particularly noticeable. His actions and words were different from the others.

He truly lived up to being from the Wodanaz family.

Yoner changed the topic. Since Lee Han had let it go, there was no need to dwell on it.

"Anyway, are you really okay with studying alchemy? If it's because of me, you can go alone."

"No. I'm interested in alchemy too."

"Oh... Are you tempted by the offer to go into business together?"

"I'm still considering it."

"!"

Yoner was surprised by the unexpected response.

To think his mind had changed in such a short time.

"What happened?"

"Hmm. Well..."

Lee Han pondered what to say.

- I think I don't have much talent for magic, so I need to seriously consider the alchemy business.

...If he said that, it would sound too petty for someone from a noble family.

"No. It's fine. I get it. You're pondering the value of alchemy."

"Huh?"

"Alchemy is a really interesting field of study, isn't it?"

"Um... Yeah... I guess."

Since Yoner seemed excited, Lee Han decided to play along.

"Most people think alchemists are locked away in underground workshops, but the world of alchemy is much broader and deeper."

"Um... Yeah."

Lee Han wasn't flustered.

He was well-practiced in listening to topics he wasn't interested in, a skill he had honed during his graduate school days.

- Do you like hiking?

- Huh? What...

- Yes. Hiking is really great. Did I tell you about my trip to Seoraksan last year? The morning mist and the clouds...

- Yes. Yes.

- ...I didn't expect you to find it so interesting. You must enjoy hiking too. Let's go together sometime!

- ...

Compared to that experience, Yoner's story was actually quite interesting.

"Did you study alchemy in advance while at the Meikin family?"

At Lee Han's question, Yoner unconsciously looked around.

"...Yeah. But it's a secret. They didn't let us learn magic in advance, but they weren't strict about alchemy."

"You could have done some pre-study."

"..."

Yoner looked at Lee Han with confusion again.

Punching was okay, and ignoring the rule about not learning magic before adulthood was also okay...

He was truly a unique person.

'Good that you studied in advance.'

Lee Han knew how helpful a studious friend could be.

If Yoner was good at alchemy, he could get help and achieve good grades.

"Then can you teach me too?"

"...Of course!"

At Lee Han's request to learn alchemy, Yoner smiled and patted Lee Han's shoulder.

* * *

<Understanding Basic Alchemy>.

Having met a half-troll professor in <Understanding Basic Magic>, Lee Han wasn't particularly surprised by the appearance of the professor.

And he wasn't actually surprised.

'He looks pretty ordinary.'

The professor was a short dwarf, dressed like a hunter or ranger, with a mace at his waist.

"Are you all here?"

"Ugh. There are students from the Tower of the Black Turtle too."

Yoner muttered.

While Yoner didn't look down on commoners, it was still awkward.

If it were just the students from the Tower of the Blue Dragon, they could talk freely without any discomfort...

But with students from other towers, it was a different story.

Moreover, it seemed there were more students from the Tower of the Black Turtle.

'Their gazes are bothering me.'

When commoners met nobles, their reactions were usually one of two things.

One was to avoid getting involved out of fear.

The other was to show hostility.

While the latter was rare outside of school, this was a school that promoted 'equality.'

With the accumulated resentment against the arrogant nobles, and the new noble students from the Tower of the Blue Dragon looking down on them, it was hard not to feel hostile.

"Hey. Stop staring. Besides, there are Wodanaz family members here."

"So what? Even the Wodanaz family can't do anything inside the school."

"You're not going to live in the school forever. What if you get revenge outside?"

"That's a problem for later."

"..."

Lee Han clicked his tongue.

Being blamed for something he didn't do wasn't a pleasant experience.

'If I pretend to be friendly, it might backfire.'

He would have to mingle with the students from the Tower of the Blue Dragon for a while.

"Everyone, be quiet."

The short dwarf professor spoke. Despite his height, his voice was powerful.

"My name is Uregalm Gildar. You can call me Professor Uregalm. I'm sure you're all wondering the same thing. Why are we gathered in this grassy field without desks, when there are such magnificent buildings behind us?"

Indeed.

The place where they had gathered to listen to <Understanding Basic Alchemy> was surprisingly not inside the school building, but on a hill outside.

Princess Adenart raised her hand. Uregalm shrugged.

"I wasn't really asking for an answer, but go ahead."

"To feel the mana of nature."

There was a common misconception that alchemy was just about mixing reagents and herbs, but magic was also necessary.

Understanding the mana of nature and the forces at play was important for alchemists.

"Is that so?"

...However, the dwarf professor looked at Adenart as if she had said something absurd.

Adenart's pale face turned slightly red, and she bowed her head.

Lee Han asked Yoner without much thought.

"Wasn't it to gather materials?"

"Surely not for that reason."

"O. Correct!"

"..."

Lee Han and Yoner looked at the dwarf professor with disbelief.

But Uregalm looked at Lee Han with admiration.

"Rare to see someone get it right on the spot."

"He's not a 'thickhead,' he's a new student..."

"Right, right. Thickhead new student. Anyway, well done. You have the makings of an excellent alchemist."

Yoner looked at Lee Han with envy at the dwarf professor's praise.

And Adenart also glared at Lee Han.

As if he were a rival.

'...No, that's not something to glare at.'

Lee Han was taken aback.

Unless it was something else, why would someone be jealous of getting praised for such an answer?

"The reason we gathered here is to teach the thickheads what abilities are needed for alchemy. I'm sure the thickheads here think, 'The abilities needed for alchemy are excellent intelligence and precise magic control.'"

'Huh? Is precise magic control needed for alchemy?'

Lee Han was surprised.

"But the reality is different. The most important ability for an alchemist is the ability to gather materials."

"..."

"..."

The gathered mages were taken aback by the dwarf professor's words.

It was an ability they had never expected.

Adenart raised her hand, looking unconvinced.

"Professor, materials and reagents can be cultivated and grown, or obtained by commissioning adventurers. It seems unreasonable to say that alchemists must gather them themselves..."

"You, you, you, you, thickhead! You know nothing about the real world!"

Adenart's face, already slightly red, turned even redder. Uregalm tsked.

"Do you know how much of the materials and reagents used by alchemists can be grown? Less than 10%! The rest must be bought. And even when you buy them, are they always usable? Do you know why mages go on adventures with parties of adventurers? It's not because they have spare time. It's because if left to the adventurers, they'll mess up the herbs! They'll just roughly pull them out by the roots!"

Uregalm, who seemed to have a lot of pent-up frustration, spoke fiercely.

"In that sense, alchemists must know how to gather materials and reagents themselves. An alchemist who relies solely on others will never achieve greatness. Who will find the materials for your research if you whine about not having them later?"

The students gathered there nodded in agreement (and with a bit of dejection) at the dwarf professor's words.

"Alright. I think I've explained enough. Now go and find them."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean 'huh'? Disperse and find the materials."

Uregalm waved his staff. Papers appeared in the air and flew to each mage.

On the papers were drawings of greenish herbs.