Chapter 362

The weekend morning, which should have been peaceful, turned noisy around the second-year dormitory building.

The cause of the commotion was none other than the rumor about the love potion that had spread among all second-years the day before.

At first, everyone had scoffed when they heard it.

“A love potion? As if something like that exists.”

“They’re spreading nonsense now?”

The Magic Department students were especially dismissive.

Potions were part of alchemy.

And the history of alchemy was the history of magic itself.

Countless mages had devoted themselves to alchemy throughout the ages.

Among them were many who attempted to create a “love potion” capable of winning someone’s heart.

But not a single person ever succeeded.

However, what spread afterward was enough to shake all the students.

“They said Carr made it using a recipe from the alchemy book he got as a clear reward from Lord Dweno’s world?”

“A recipe combined by Lord Dweno?”

“Seriously…?”

It wasn’t just anyone—Dweno.

The legendary great hero who created countless divine artifacts and ultimately left behind the weapon that defeated the Primordial Calamity.

Even with the claim that he had used a recipe written in Dweno’s alchemy book, most students still reacted with disbelief.

“I doubt something like that would be in Lord Dweno’s alchemy book.”

Chloe shook her head, her magic tome tucked under her arm. Celia, walking beside her, nodded.

“Same here. I mean, the godly blacksmith making a love potion? It just sounds wrong.”

The two close friends were on their way out for a weekend trip to Lumeria City.

As they chatted happily and walked toward the dormitory gate—

“Where did he go?!”

“He couldn’t have gotten far! Find him!”

Agitated voices echoed from afar.

Turning their heads, they saw Noble dorm girls searching for someone with fierce determination.

Celia and Chloe exchanged glances.

They stopped a first-year girl who happened to be passing by.

“What are you all looking for?”

“We’re looking for Carr!”

The girl blurted out the answer before running off again.

Celia frowned.

‘All these girls are looking for Carr?’

There could only be one reason the Noble girls were desperately searching for him.

‘The love potion.’

She had dismissed it as nonsense, but with so many searching for Carr, a small part of her wondered.

Chloe also wore a baffled expression when—

“Hey, who would you give the love potion to if you got it?”

“Why are you asking that?!”

“Because I’m curious! You must want it because there’s someone you want to go on a date with, right?”

Three girls passed by Chloe and Celia while chatting excitedly.

They giggled as they walked.

“I’d… probably choose Duran?”

“I knew it!”

“Yeah. I don’t know… even his arrogance looks cool! What about you?”

“I choose Abad! Just seeing him makes me feel happy!”

Celia sighed in disbelief.

“Are their eyes broken? What’s good about that arrogant delinquent and that greasy butterstick?”

While Celia stared at them in disbelief, the two girls who mentioned Abad and Duran turned their gaze sharply to the last girl.

“And you?”

“I’d… pick Leo, I guess? I don’t know. He still looks like a young boy on the outside but he’s amazingly mature. And manly.”

The girl smiled shyly, blushing.

Celia nodded.

“Well, he does have that side. Right, Chloe?”

Celia turned toward Chloe—and flinched.

All expression had vanished from Chloe’s face.

“C-Chloe?”

Chloe’s icy expression made her look like the Ice Queen herself.

“Celia, sorry, but let’s postpone today’s trip.”

“What?”

“As a Magic Department student, I can’t let this slide.”

“Oh… okay. Want me to help?”

“You will?”

Chloe smiled faintly.

“We have to catch Carr and make sure he never makes something weird again.”

—

Rustle—

Hiding in the bushes, Carr let out a miserable chuckle.

‘What kind of nightmare is this, first thing in the morning?’

He was being desperately chased by girls from his own grade.

Yes, it was because of the love potion he made, but still—this was the kind of experience one had maybe once in a lifetime.

Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to let himself get caught.

If they caught him, they would definitely take the love potion.

‘Should I just throw it away? No, it cost too much.’

He’d spent a lot of money making it.

‘I need to at least get something out of it.’

He quickly ran the calculations in his head.

‘If I can just find Leo somehow…’

“Carr, what are you doing here?”

“Kehk?!”

A voice beside him made Carr jump violently.

“There you are!”

“He’s right there!”

“You made them find me!”

Carr shouted and immediately bolted.

“Stop right there! By student council order, you’re under arrest for illegal possession of a controlled substance!”

Eliana, too, was chasing him with fire in her eyes.

Even some male students had joined the pursuit now.

Some wanted the love potion.

Some were afraid their crush might end up drinking it, so they wanted to stop it.

For all sorts of reasons, all the students were chasing Carr wildly.

Naturally, as the weakest of the second-years, Carr was quickly cornered.

“Hey! Calm down! If you get caught by a professor doing this, you’re all dead!”

Carr shouted desperately.

‘Why isn’t the on-duty professor coming even with all this noise… wait. Today’s on-duty professor is Len, right?’

Carr froze.

Len would treat this as an interesting magic experiment.

Dozens of second-year students glared at him murderously.

Carr swallowed hard.

FWOOSH—!

A sudden gust of wind blew.

Whip! Crack!

“Keh?!”

A whip shot out and wrapped around Carr’s neck.

Then a tremendous force yanked him upward.

By the time Carr regained his senses, he was flying above Lumene, riding on a Wind Wyvern’s back.

“I-I’m alive!”

Eliza, legs crossed and grooming her nails on the wyvern’s back, glanced at him.

“Because of your pathetic potion, the academy’s noisy from early morning and I can’t sleep.”

She snapped irritably.

Carr let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think things would get this big. But thanks for saving me.”

‘Honestly, Eliza is reassuring.’

The proud and aloof Eliza wanting a love potion to use on a boy was unimaginable.

“A love potion, huh. If I fed it to that arrogant Leo Plov, he’d worship me? That sounds amusing.”

“It doesn’t turn people into slaves! And Leo isn’t arrogant! You are.”

“Hmph.”

Eliza snorted and smirked.

“Looks like I need a test subject.”

Her half-lidded eyes settled on him.

Carr’s smile stiffened.

“Haha… no, right? You’re not giving it to me, right?”

“Be honored. You get to serve me.”

“No thanks!”

Then—

Crackle—!

A sharp sound rang out.

The Wind Wyvern fired a breath attack.

Boom! Crack—!

A hyper-compressed air blast shattered the massive ice spikes raining down on them.

“Chloe Mueller.”

“Chloe! You came to save me!”

Eliza smirked, and Carr waved his arms in relief.

“Carr.”

“Huh?”

“I warned you that I wouldn’t forgive you if you made weird things again.”

“W-wait!”

Carr paled at Chloe’s killing intent.

“Sorry, but Carr Thomas has already promised to hand the love potion over to me.”

“I never did! Don’t talk like some gang boss collecting protection money!”

“I’ll make sure you never misuse Lord Dweno’s alchemy book again!”

Crackle—!

Chloe activated her magic to freeze Carr solid.

BOOM—!

“Huh?!”

“The Glory dorm’s leader dared to attack a Noble student? Are you prepared, Chloe Mueller?”

Eliza smirked aggressively.

“I’ll pay you back for the debt from the midterms.”

“Calm down, both of you!”

Carr screamed—

FWOOSH—!

A powerful wind blew.

It snatched Carr straight off the wyvern’s back and into the air.

Eliza’s eyes twitched.

“Pippi. Chase.”

The Wind Wyvern prepared to pursue when—

Crack—!

“You started the fight first.”

Chloe smiled coldly.

“Heh.”

Eliza rested her chin on her hand.

“This is getting interesting.”

She fully switched into combat stance.

BOOM—!

Magic and spirit power surged through the sky.

“You, I knew you’d cause trouble someday.”

Chelsea, grabbing Carr by the scruff of his neck, spoke with a tired voice.

“Chelsea! You really came to save me!”

“Yes. Now dispose of that pathetic potion or hand it over to the student council.”

Carr stared at her.

“You don’t want it?”

“I do.”

Chelsea smiled.

“But I swore I would chase him down with my own strength. A momentary sweet dream wouldn’t be bad, but relying on something else would make it meaningless.”

“You’re the youngest, but you sound the most mature.”

Carr chuckled and took out the potion bottle.

The golden liquid shimmered.

“I wanted to use this to gain fame and get rich quick… but this isn’t my skill. It’s Lord Dweno’s.”

He smiled bitterly.

“I’ll just get rid of it.”

“Good choice.”

They were almost at the ground again when—

Whoosh—!

A strong gust blew.

“Huh, I dropped it.”

“…You idiot! How could you drop that?!”

—

“A love potion?”

Behind the Glory dormitory.

Leo, finishing his morning training, looked baffled.

“Yeah, apparently it was in Lord Dweno’s alchemy book.”

Celia had come to tell him what happened that morning. She nodded.

“Sir Leo, here’s water.”

Chen Xia handed him a cup with a smile.

“Thanks.”

Leo clicked his tongue as he accepted it.

‘Dweno, that perverted bastard, why did he leave such trash in his alchemy book?’

As Leo frowned—

Fwip— plop—!

Something small fell from the sky straight into Leo’s water cup.

“What is that?”

“A potion bottle?”

Celia and Chen Xia’s eyes widened.

Leo quietly took the bottle from the cup.

He opened it and sniffed.

“Hey! Leo! Don’t drink that!”

“Leo-oppa! Throw it away!”

Chelsea and Carr shouted desperately from above.

Chloe and Eliza, who had been fighting in the air, had also descended low enough to notice.

Celia and Chen Xia’s eyes went wide.

And then—

They froze in shock.

With a faint smirk, Leo tilted his head back and downed the love potion.