Two errant disciples, who had squandered a precious opportunity given by their professor, reflected on their actions as they revisited the twisted realm. During this time, Yi-Han offered a respectful farewell.
"Then, Professor, I must retire now as I have your class to attend tomorrow."
"Cough. Very well."
Yi-Han sighed in relief, internally grateful for his survival.
'I must avoid this corridor until everything is resolved.'
"You've worked hard, Ymirg."
"Me... What hard work have I done?"
"Something's odd. Haven't you been using formal speech since earlier?"
On Tuesday morning, Snow Lizards scurried about, creating paths through the snowdrifts.
Following these newly formed paths through the torn snowbanks, groups of students made their way to their destinations. Yi-Han, too, headed to the Gaksu Pavilion with his friends to attend a class on alchemy.
"It's really fortunate we're not outside."
Yi-Han nodded in agreement with Yonaire's remark.
Indeed, it was also a good thing for Professor Uregor. Holding lectures outside in this weather would increase the number of students seeking him out after graduation.
The Alchemy Workshop, housed in the Gaksu Pavilion, was warm and cozy, thanks to the numerous greenhouses.
"This weather is actually a stroke of luck for an alchemist."
“...”
The warm air suddenly chilled with Professor Uregor's remark.
Students, shaking snow from their hair, looked at Professor Uregor in disbelief.
"Think about it. We can easily obtain materials that are only available during heavy snowfalls. Isn't that fortunate?"
'Indeed, he is a professor at a magic academy,' Yi-Han realized.
Professor Uregor was not normal when it came to alchemy.
"That... might be true."
The students tried to accept Professor Uregor's reasoning.
Though it seemed absurd, the warmth and comfort of the Gaksu Pavilion's classrooms were undeniable.
However, the professor's next words shattered their hopes.
"Now, I'll give you a list. Go outside and gather as much as you can. Doesn't the thought of the potions you can make excite you?"
Seeing his friends' dismayed faces, Yi-Han seriously wondered if Professor Uregor would be alright later.
The students, reluctantly following the lengthy list given by the professor, made their way.
In contrast, Yi-Han approached the task more pragmatically.
'I'll start with the ones that seem easier to obtain.'
Rather than wandering aimlessly and returning empty-handed, it was better to fill the basket with relatively easy-to-find items.
"Blizzard Grass, Snowbell Flowers, Dwarf Willows."
Yi-Han prioritized the seemingly easier items on the list.
'This seems doable.'
Materials like Blizzard Grass, emerging through thick, solid snow, were relatively easy to gather compared to those requiring breaking through frozen lake surfaces after snowstorms...
'Is there no conscience? How are we supposed to obtain these?'
"Join us, Wardanaz. Let's go together."
Priests from the friendly Immortal Phoenix approached Yi-Han. Seeing no reason to refuse, he nodded.
"Shall we... Ah, the brilliant heir of the Flameng Order, Priestess Siana!"
"Well, if it isn't Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family, the top scorer in the recent alchemy midterm exam?"
Priestess Siana spoke to Yi-Han with a noticeably colder tone than before.
"..."
"..."
The priests of the Immortal Phoenix were caught in the middle, unsure of what to do.
Tijiling placed both her index fingers behind her head, a clear sign of telling him of her anger, although could already tell that.
'It's unfair,' Yi-Han thought. He had only studied hard, but now he faced misunderstanding from a fellow student.
"But Priestess Siana, the second place also did well..."
"Yi-Han."
Yonaire nudged him and whispered softly.
"The second place in alchemy is me. Priestess Siana is third."
"…!"
Yi-Han and Yonaire had teamed up to raid Professor Uregor's workshop. It was natural that Sianna, who hadn't, was at a disadvantage.
"Sorry, Yonaire. I underestimated your skills."
"It's okay. I thought Priestess Siana would score higher than me too."
The students from the Blue Dragon quickly ended their conversation. Yi-Han switched tactics.
'If the first place compliments the third place, it might make things worse.'
"Professor Uregor is an excellent mage, but he has a flaw."
"What flaw, Yi-Han?"
"He doesn't know how to conduct a fair exam!"
Had Professor Uregor heard, he might have felt wronged, but Yi-Han's words had several students nodding in agreement.
Honestly, to the students, the professor removing materials needed for potions seemed like crossing a line.
"If the exam was fair, someone like Priestess Siana would have been first. But with such a strange exam, it created variables."
"That makes sense. If it was a proper exam, this wouldn't have happened."
Yi-Han and Yonaire nodded, discussing among themselves. But the conversation was meant for Priestess Siana to hear.
Indeed, Yi-Han could see it.
Priestess Siana's expression was gradually softening!
"Priestess Siana, we need to find ingredients, but we lack in numbers. Could you possibly help us..."
"Of course, I should help, Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family!"
Priestess Siana extended a hand with a softened expression. Yi-Han nodded and shook it.
Asan, standing nearby, mumbled.
"Then, what rank did the princess achieve?"
Yi-Han paused mid-handshake.
Indeed, up to third place was present here.
Then?
"It's alright," Yonaire said reassuringly. "The princess isn't like us; she probably doesn't care much."
"Is that so?"
"..."
Yi-Han felt a tinge of unease.
'I should avoid encountering the princess's group while collecting ingredients today.'
"There's the Blizzard Grass!"
"Indeed, Priestess Siana!"
"Indeed, Priestess Siana!"
Yi-Han and Yonaire clapped, slapping their hands together in applause. Asan, puzzled, asked.
"It's impressive, but why do we keep clapping like this?"
"Be quiet."
"!?"
Yi-Han silenced Asan and prepared to dig out the Blizzard Grass.
The firmly rooted plant in the snow required significant effort to extract.
"Dig it out."
But for Yi-Han, the task was different.
He cast a 1st Circle magic, <Pit Digging>.
It was an earth element magic spell for digging small pits.
"Wardanaz, it shouldn't work in the cold, should it?"
Asan was confused by this.
Asan knew the spell from their classes together. However, it was meant for soft soil, not for hard, frozen conditions.
A student from the Blue Dragon had just tried and given up…
"Dig it out, dig it out, dig it out, dig it out."
With a crack, the solidly frozen snow shattered, forming a pit. Yi-Han turned and asked.
"What did you say?"
"Ah, nothing. Nothing at all."
Asan felt a strange sense of awe.
So that's it!
If magic doesn't work, just keep trying until it does!
Nillia wandered through the forest with her friends from the Black Tortoise.
In truth, she would have been more at ease joining Yi-Han or Yonaire's group, but she couldn't refuse her friends' request.
"Do you see that vine? If you cut it, sap comes out. It's handy when you're thirsty."
"Wow... That's impressive."
"..."
Nillia felt a void in response to her friends' lackluster reactions.
If it had been Yi-Han, he would have said, 'What? Really?! Wait, let me see. It's true. What's this called? Where does it usually grow? Are there other plants with similar effects?'
Her friends from the Black Tortoise weren't bad, but their lack of interest in hunting was evident.
"Did you see the magazine I brought last time?"
"Yes. The horse Blodoha rode in this time was really something!"
"Ah, should I add the principal's card to my deck? I want to try saving it."
"No use. Give up. It's a trash card."
"..."
Nillia felt an indescribable suffocation, her heart heavy with gloom.
"!"
From a distance, she saw familiar friends digging something out on a slope. Nillia waved her hand.
"?"
Yi-Han, while putting Blizzard Grass in his basket, looked up to see Nillia waving from a distance with her Black Tortoise friends.
"Nillia?"
"No... That's a distress signal."
Nillia gestured to Yi-Han with the unique hand signal of the <Shadow Patrol>.
-Help me!!-
"!?"
Yi-Han was startled.
'What? Are the Black Tortoise students threatening her?'
Nillia had signaled for rescue from the stifling atmosphere, but Yi-Han didn't grasp the hidden meaning.
"There must be trouble. Everyone, get your staff ready."
Yi-Han and his friends, staff in hand, started to rush over.
Nillia, realizing the seriousness on their faces, panicked.
"?!"
In her confusion, Nillia realized that her distress signal could be misinterpreted.
'...Should I tell them now that it was a mistake?'
She seriously pondered whether Yi-Han would cast magic at her in retaliation.
It seemed within his character...
-■■■■■! ■■■■■!-
"A monster!!"
"I'm saved!"
"What? Nillia?"
"Ah, no. I misspoke."
Yi-Han and his friends marveled as they ran.
To notice a monster approaching so stealthily was impressive!
"How did you detect it?"
"It must be the Shadow Patrol's secret."
Yi-Han spoke with a voice mixed with admiration. His friends were all in awe.
"Indeed... the Shadow Patrol, as expected."
"Even our priests can't detect a White Snow Hedgehog this early."
"Let's help them!"
The students from the Black Tortoise quickly sprang into action.
They built a circular wall of earth to block the monster's surprise assault, casting spells from behind cover.
As <Magic Missile> spells flew, the White Snow Hedgehog puffed up its body, moving in an irregular trajectory.
The monster, resembling a giant hedgehog but with a massive body capable of easily breaking bones upon collision, made the students understandably cautious.
"Isn't that Wardanaz?!"
"Why is he trying to capture the White Snow Hedgehog?"
"Isn't he just helping out?"
"Does Wardanaz look that easygoing? He doesn't act without a reason! He's definitely after the White Snow Hedgehog!"
"..."
Nillia internally apologized to Yi-Han.
'Sorry for not being able to defend you more!'
"Wardanaz! If you catch the White Snow Hedgehog, we'll let you have it! Let's cooperate!"
"What are you talking about catching? Just drive it away!"
Yi-Han replied incredulously.
He had come to gather herbs, not to hunt monsters.
The best course of action would be to drive it away if possible...
"Really? We can just drive it away?"
"Yes! Drive it away!"
"But..."
"Just do it!"
"Sorry, sorry."
When Yi-Han insisted, the Black Tortoise students backed down.
'Are we really just driving it away?'
'Seems so.'
Doubting the other tower students' abilities, Yi-Han called forth Sharakan.
"Sharakan. I need your help. Bind its legs!"
The greenish-blue leopard nodded in understanding and sprinted off.
The White Snow Hedgehog, sensing Sharakan's approach, quickly turned its head.
And then it spotted Yi-Han.
-!-
Paf-paf-paf!
Startled, the White Snow Hedgehog burrowed into the snow and fled far in the opposite direction.
Sharakan, having run hard, looked back at Yi-Han in disbelief.
