Chapter 309
The preparation period for the dormitory war mock battle was set to last one month.
And during that time, Lumene entered its exam season.
“Yeah! Now this is what exam season should feel like!”
Before the start of Magic Department class, Carr Thomas jingled his now-heavy pouch with a cheerful grin.
“I love exam season! My profits double this time of year!”
As Carr happily tallied his earnings, Chloe Mueller rested her chin on her hand and asked,
“Do you really enjoy it that much?”
“Of course! I wish every day were exam season!”
“Still feel that way after you see your grades?”
“That’s exactly why I want exam season every day!”
Carr grinned brightly.
“Then I’d never have to look at my report card!”
Chloe shook her head.
“Carr! Do you have any recovery potions left?”
“Nope, sold out.”
Carr shook his head at the boy who had hurriedly asked.
“Darn.”
The student looked disappointed.
Over the past year, Carr’s fatigue recovery potion had proven its effectiveness—so much so that nearly every student had become a regular customer.
“But…” Carr smirked.
“I’ve got something new.”
“New?”
“Yeah. I stayed up several nights straight to make it.”
He puffed out his chest proudly.
The boy squinted.
“Maybe you should’ve used that time to study.”
“Hmph. You think studying would get me out of last place?”
“Well, fair point.”
“Hey! Don’t agree so easily. That just makes it sadder.”
Carr slumped his shoulders and pulled a small vial from his subspace pouch.
Tap—!
He set a thumb-sized bottle on the desk and smiled meaningfully.
Chloe eyed it with mild curiosity.
“So, what does this potion do?”
“It’s a [Concentration Boost Potion]. One sip and your focus skyrockets for twenty-four hours!”
He grinned like a salesman.
“Wanna try it? It’s still in testing, so I’ll give it to you for free—”
“Pass.”
The boy cut him off immediately.
“I’m not volunteering to be your test subject.”
Carr laughed awkwardly.
“It’s not dangerous! Just has a tiny side effect.”
“Hah. I knew it. What kind of side effect?”
“You won’t be able to sleep for twenty-four hours. Then afterward, you’ll have to sleep for two full days straight. Oh, and when you wake up, you’ll feel a little… off.”
“So that’s why you were out of it all weekend?”
Chloe shook her head, remembering.
“I refuse.”
The boy’s tone was icy, and the surrounding students quickly lost interest too.
Chloe raised an eyebrow.
“You actually told them the side effects up front? That’s not like you.”
“Hey! Trust is everything in business! Have you ever seen me scam anyone?”
“No, but if you sell potions that aren’t perfected yet, your business will tank sooner or later.”
“Of course. But you’ll all want this one soon enough.”
Carr waggled the vial teasingly.
The golden liquid inside shimmered under the light.
Chloe looked unimpressed.
“Doesn’t sound appealing.”
“Yeah.”
“Who’d drink something with side effects that bad?”
Students jeered from all directions.
“This potion,” Carr declared proudly, “was made using a recipe from [Master Dweno]’s alchemy grimoire.”
“What?”
“From Master Dweno?!”
Every head turned toward Carr, eyes wide.
Even Abad Lewellin and Chelsea Lewellin froze in shock.
Everyone knew that Carr had received Dweno’s alchemy book as a reward for clearing his [Hero Record].
After returning to Lumene from the Smith Contract event, the news had caused a frenzy—even upper-year students from the Magic Department had rushed to meet him.
Their requests to share the grimoire’s contents grew so noisy that eventually Elena Zeron, Lumene’s self-proclaimed Queen, had to step in.
> “Anyone causing trouble over Master Dweno’s reward will find themselves in a very… unpleasant situation.”
> “Don’t be ridiculous, Elena Zeron! That’s abuse of authority! You think Hark Riguard would agree with this?”
> “Oh? I’m not acting as a student council member right now,” Elena replied, her eyes gleaming mischievously.
> “I’m acting as the Chairwoman’s proxy. And as for Senior Hark? I doubt he’d side with you. Actually, you don’t need to go that far—if you’ve got a problem, step right up.”
Despite being only a fourth-year, Elena had inherited the title of strongest mage after Torua Yan’s graduation—equal in strength to Hark Riguard, the academy’s strongest hero student.
With her unmatched power and status, the uproar quickly died down.
So when Carr claimed to have brewed a potion from Dweno’s recipe, the entire class couldn’t help but focus on him.
“Now then!” Carr raised the potion dramatically.
“This marvelous elixir enhances your focus for twenty-four hours straight!”
He adopted the tone of a street vendor.
“But! After those twenty-four hours, you’ll be a complete mess for forty-eight hours! You won’t be able to think straight! And while drinking, you’ll forget most of what you memorize!”
“Lame.”
“So it’s good… but not really?”
A few students looked disinterested.
Carr smirked.
“Ah, but during those twenty-four hours, your memory retention skyrockets too. Which means—”
His eyes gleamed.
“You can cram for your exams like a god! It’s perfect for last-minute studying!”
“……!”
Students froze.
“With this, you can ace the last written test easily!”
“Ooooh…”
“That… actually makes sense.”
Their faces lit up with temptation.
“Wait,” Chloe cut in. “Isn’t that basically doping? Wouldn’t it break the rules?”
“Enhancement potions that boost abilities during practicals, yes. Those are banned,” Carr replied, waving dismissively.
“But this isn’t that. It’s just a study aid—a magical energy drink!”
“I don’t think that makes it better,” Chloe muttered.
Abad and Chelsea had approached by then, both frowning.
“She’s right. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble,” Abad warned.
“My brother’s right,” Chelsea added.
“Ugh! You perfect-score types don’t get it! You don’t know our pain!”
Students booed playfully, and Chelsea crossed her arms.
“Maybe spend that time actually studying. Right, Leo oppa? …Leo?”
She looked around—Leo was gone.
Meanwhile, Carr continued pitching his potion like a carnival barker.
Then—
BANG!
“The Student Council!”
“We received a report of someone manufacturing and distributing illegal potions!”
The door slammed open as burly council members stormed in.
Carr froze mid-sentence.
The council’s enforcer glared around the room.
“There they are…”
“Who’s the culprit?”
“I-It’s not us!”
“Yeah!”
“It’s him! He did it!”
The second-years all pointed straight at Carr.
“Uh, wait, this is…”
Carr broke into a cold sweat, unable to explain himself.
“Seize him!”
“You’re under arrest for illegal potion manufacturing and distribution!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was banned! Please forgive me!”
Tears streamed down Carr’s face as he was cuffed and dragged away.
Chloe sighed.
“I saw that coming.”
“But how’d the Student Council find out so fast?”
“I reported it.”
Leo Plov had returned and casually sat down.
“You?” Chloe blinked.
“Yeah. That potion could cause problems during the exams.”
Leo had seen Dweno’s potion before—though it wasn’t harmful, it definitely counted as an unfair advantage.
So, he’d alerted the council.
“But the Student Council shouldn’t have been able to arrest him,” Chelsea said, frowning.
“Carr’s careful. He probably checked the rules in advance to make sure it wasn’t banned.”
“True. It wasn’t a violation just a minute ago.”
“So how could they arrest him?”
Leo smiled faintly.
“It’s fine. I just added a new rule to the student handbook.”
“……”
Chloe stared blankly at him, while Chelsea burst into laughter.
‘Right. He’s the Student Council President,’ Chloe thought.
“Power sure has its perks.”
—
After the chaos died down, Carr was thankfully released with only a warning—thanks to Leo’s intervention.
“Sniff! I thought they were gonna torture me or something! Leo, thank you!”
‘Wonder what face he’d make if he knew Leo was the one who reported him,’ Chloe thought.
Just then—
Creak—!
The classroom door opened, and Professor Len Hors entered alongside Assistant Professor Anna.
“Good to see you, everyone!”
“Hello, Professor Len!”
The students greeted him brightly.
Len smiled, clearly pleased.
“Before we begin class! I’ll be announcing the Magic Department’s midterm written and practical assignments!”
The students’ eyes widened.
Len grinned slyly.
“This midterm’s written exam will cover [Magical Artificial Engineering]—specifically, formula derivation!”
Gasps rippled through the room.
“And your practical assignment,” Len declared proudly, “is to create a [Familiar] using Magical Artificial Engineering!”
The class erupted in chatter.
“Professor! Do you mean like a golem or chimera?”
“Exactly!”
Len nodded.
“And! For today’s lecture, I’ve invited a distinguished guest—an expert in Magical Artificial Engineering!”
He turned to Anna with an excited look.
“Assistant Professor Anna, if you would?”
“……”
Anna hesitated, her expression uneasy.
Seeing that, the students tensed.
For even Anna to look nervous, this guest had to be someone dangerous.
Finally, Anna opened the door slightly and called out,
“You can come in now.”
A pale-skinned woman stepped into view—her gray hair tangled, her white lab coat stained, dark circles under her eyes.
She looked utterly exhausted, the picture of a hermit researcher who hadn’t seen daylight in weeks.
But what drew everyone’s attention most were her sharply pointed ears.
“An elf?”
“Wow, really?”
As the class whispered, Len clapped his hands.
“Everyone, this is Tina Tingel—a top expert in Magical Artificial Engineering, and descendant of the legendary [Seirune Tingel], founder of Seirune!”
The woman stepped forward.
“Nice to meet you, hero candidates of Lumene,” she said in a tired voice.
Then, raising one hand, she asked casually,
“Anyone here interested in dissection?”
The room fell deathly silent.
“No? Pity. I was hoping for a volunteer.”
As Tina smacked her lips in disappointment, every student screamed internally.
‘What the hell kind of elf is this?!’