Academy’s Genius Mage

The knights had dirt and dust all over their bodies, as if they had just returned from rigorous training.

Ian first greeted Professor Frost.

“Welcome, Professor.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the dormitory.”

“How long has it been?”

“To the point where I can hardly remember.”

Professor Frost smiled as he reminisced about old times.

He looked around the dormitory room, while the knights glanced around as if they were looking for something to drink.

“Whew, Professor. Can’t we at least start with something to drink? I’m dying of thirst here.”

But Professor Frost waved his finger dismissively.

“How can a knight speak so lightly of dying? Bear with it for a bit. I need to observe the potion’s effects.”

“Oh, come on. Give us some slack! We had our weekly march today!”

“I’ll buy you a drink once the test is successfully completed.”

The knights did not insist any further.

Normally, knights do not get along well with mages, but they heeded Professor Frost’s words well. He seemed to be well-respected both inside and outside.

“Hello! I’m Milo Vinettia, a freshman in the Department of Magic.”

“I’m Edel Heinz. Pleased to meet you, Professor.”

The two greeted him politely. Professor Frost looked at them with a satisfied expression.

“Are you both Ian’s diligent assistants?”

“Excuse me, Professor, but could you leave out the ‘diligent’ part?”

“Hahaha. Certainly.”

“Thank you.”

Milo was quite sociable.

It was impressive that he could converse so easily with an academy professor even at their first meeting.

Professor Frost then introduced each of the knights participating in today’s experiment.

“This is Sergeant Jim of the Academy Guard. He’s a newly commissioned officer this year.”

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Jim Howard.”

“And this is Sergeant Charles, also of the Academy Guard.”

“You’d better watch out if you make a bad potion!”

The atmosphere was tense. Ian and his friends shook hands with the knights.

The Academy Guard was a direct organization under the Royal Knights, where talents from the Royal Knights were dispatched, making them more skilled than regular guards.

“Sergeants Jim and Charles. I have a feeling we’ll meet often.”

It wouldn’t be bad to forge a relationship during this opportunity, as a day might come when they would need assistance from the Academy Guard.

As the introductions concluded, Professor Frost clapped his hands.

“Gentlemen, shall we begin the test?”

“We’ll prepare immediately.”

Ian, Milo, and Edel stood in their respective positions, as they had practiced beforehand.

Swoosh!

Strong Milo filled a bucket with water from the well and then poured it into a flask.

Thump! Whoosh!

Ian used the Flint Spell to ignite a lamp.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Meanwhile, Edel began to finely crush the herbs he had prepared on the side.

Unlike the boldly confident Milo, Edel appeared quite nervous. Overcoming the limits of social status was never easy.

Pretending to assist him, Ian quietly spoke beside Edel.

“It doesn’t matter if you fail, just do as you practiced. If things go well, I’ll erase all your debt.”

“!”

It was indeed an enticing offer.

Edel took a deep breath and increased his pace. Ian’s words gave him immense strength.

“What is this device?”

Professor Frost pointed to the distillation apparatus. Ian explained.

“It’s a device to obtain pure water. It was inspired by the distillation hypothesis of the Minority School. I modified the device to enhance the purity of the water.”

“Oh. If it’s the Minority School…”

“Have you heard of it?”

“I have heard of it. I haven’t encountered their theories directly before, but seeing it applied in a device is intriguing.”

Professor Frost seemed to have grasped the principle of the device even without a detailed explanation.

“It runs by heating the water to produce steam, which is then cooled to obtain water again, correct?”

“You observed accurately.”

“So, you seem to support the hypothesis that something invisible is dissolved in the water. What are your thoughts on this?”

“The important thing, I believe, is enhancing the efficacy of the potion. What is dissolved isn’t crucial at this moment. Perhaps, if given the opportunity, I would like to explore it later.”

“Hmm, indeed.”

Meanwhile, the knights observing the scene had their eyes turning red, feeling dizzy.

The only thought they entertained was wishing for the potion to be completed quickly.

The potion was not solely effective in treating wounds and diseases.

Knights who heavily relied on their muscles also favored potions.

This is because they had the ability to rapidly recover muscle fatigue and injuries.

Therefore, they would usually drink a bottle after training, but today they had arrived without having any due to Professor Frost’s request.

Professor Frost, while observing the dripping distilled water, mumbled.

“Isn’t the cooling rate a bit slow? At this rate, commercialization seems difficult.”

“We can make the apparatus larger. Alternatively, utilizing elemental magic like water or wind is another approach.”

“Making the apparatus larger could pose a financial issue, and applying elemental magic would require a meteorological approach. Is that feasible?”

“It is feasible.”

Ian handed a prewritten manuscript to Professor Frost. As Professor Frost flipped through a few pages, he gave a helpless smile.

“It seemed I asked a needless question.”

This time, Professor Frost observed the herbal combination process.

Edel, true to being a son of a national merit recipient, began mixing the herbs with careful measurement.

“The quality of the herbs appears quite good. If it remains this way, there is certainly something to look forward to.”

Seeing the unexpectedly good performance of Ian and his colleagues, Professor Frost did not spare his praises.

Thus, Ian and his colleagues were encouraged to exert more effort.

After about an hour had passed, and the base for the potion was ready, Milo carefully transferred the distilled water into two flasks.

Edel then dissolved the potion powder, which he had prepared, into the distilled water.

It was a wordless demonstration of perfect teamwork.

Swoosh!

The potion powder, spreading like Mist in the water, completely dissolved, turning the liquid bright red.

Jim, a knight observing the process, muttered.

“The color is incredibly intense. It looks just like a mid-level healing potion.”

“For us, it’s just that we only drink the potions stored in the warehouse.”

“If you’re feeling wronged, you have to succeed!”

“Yes, indeed.”

Yet, the process was not over. The final magical treatment remained.

Ian extended his hand to infuse magic into the flasks on both sides.

Infusing a potion after mixing serves two main purposes.

A potion is not a medication to be immediately consumed.

There might be instances where it needs to be stored for years, as it is also used as a war supply.

Therefore, the most crucial aspect is its preservation ability. The better the preservation, the greater the value of the potion.

The final reason is to facilitate the blending of ingredients.

Herbs contain the force of nature. Similarly, the natural force of mana acts on the herbs, causing a synergistic effect.

‘Right now, there’s no need for long-term storage. Let’s focus on facilitating the blend with the formula I calculated….’

Buzzzz!

Ian’s mana flowed into the potion.

The bright red liquid flickered once before being refined into a more vivid red color.

“Professor, it’s now complete.”

“The post-processing ended quicker than I thought.”

“I also considered commercialization. I found a way to mature it quickly.”

Ian transferred the completed potion into a container and sealed it. He carefully offered it to Professor Frost as if presenting an offering.

“I ask for your evaluation.”

“Very well. Now, you’ve all been waiting for a long time. Let’s give it a taste.”

Professor Frost handed the potion to the two knights, but they hesitated to open it.

“Um… it won’t go wrong, will it?”

“If perchance something does go wrong, I’ll have a word with the captain. Since it could be considered a noble sacrifice, a promotion by one rank might be possible.”

“What good is a rank increase after you’re dead?”

“Don’t be shy, just try it.”

Jim and Charles opened the lids and drank it in one go.

Since potions are made from herbs, they were quite bitter. As the potion increases in grade, the consumption becomes more respectable.

Yet, the knights before them had expressions akin to those savoring fine wine.

“Oh!”

“It’s very good!”

The effect manifested immediately.

The knights who had been showing signs of exhaustion with sweat and dust covering them, began to look progressively better.

That wasn’t all.

“Hey, Ian! Can I have some more?”

“Me too!”

The knights wanted more of the potion.

“I’m sorry. I only made two bottles.”

“Oh, that’s unfortunate.”

“I’ll make sure to serve you again next time.”

From the expressions of the two, it was hard to conclude that the experiment was a success.

It could have been a temporary effect, given the dire thirst they were suffering from.

To be precise, it was necessary to listen to what they had to say.

“It seems the experiment is finished. Jim, Charles. Give us your honest evaluation, comparing it to the standard military-grade low-tier potion you usually take.”

“Hmm.”

The two fell into thought, exchanged glances, and nodded at each other.

“Wow. The difference is so stark, it’s almost embarrassing to compare.”

“I feel the same way.”

At least their opinions were consistent.

But one must hear everything a person has to say. Professor Frost gestured for them to continue.

Jim fiddled with the empty bottle as he spoke.

“The potion these guys made was much better. It had a slight sweetness at the end, making it easy to drink. Its effect was potent too. It relieved my fatigue instantly.”

“I agree with Sergeant Jim. It’s an excellent potion, comparable to a mid-tier recovery potion. It would be wonderful if such potions were supplied.”

“Do you estimate the effect is more than twice as effective?”

“Certainly.”

“It seems we’ve reached a conclusion.”

They did it!

Ian clenched his fist tightly.

How many exhilarating moments like this are there in life? Milo and Edel shared the excitement.

Professor Frost encouraged the two knights who participated in the experiment.

“Go spread the word. The potion crafted by the Department of Magic is fantastic.”

“Yes, Professor!”

“Good job.”

The knights saluted and left. Now, only four remained in the dormitory.

“Ian Oracle.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Congratulations. It seems you’ve achieved your goal.”

“Thank you. I owe it all to you, Professor.”

“You should say that when it’s just the two of us. It wouldn’t be fair to others who worked hard alongside us.”

Ian laughed. Milo nodded in agreement as if to say that was only natural.

“What are your plans moving forward?”

“I intend to register the new potion manufacturing method with the patent office. Then, I plan to start a business using the Academy’s name for branding.”

“There are many things to consider for that. Not just anyone can run a business.”

“I’ve already thought about that as well.”

Professor Frost couldn’t help but be impressed repeatedly. Just how far ahead was this young student planning?

“Once the patent process is complete, I plan to commission production to a specific trading company and grant them exclusive sales rights.”

“Oh, you intend to play favorites?”

“Exactly.”

“You should’ve enrolled in the Department of Natural Sciences rather than the Department of Magic. You have a talent for business as well.”

When the new potion formula became patented and well-known, merchants would line up with money bags. Ian decided to choose one among them.

‘It’s bound to become a battle between two forces, anyway.’

There were two prominent trading companies in the kingdom of Sonokin: Bahamut and Hamel.

No one could win against these two when it came to monetary power.

Companies from other kingdoms might also come with bags of money, but Ian intended to contract with a company based in the kingdom of Sonokin if possible.

‘Since it’s produced at the Academy, it’s better to choose one cooperating with the Royal Family.’

His aim was to secure both practicality and justification.

Of course, there was another real reason.

‘I wonder how those guys will react to this news.’

Ian recalled the arrogant face of Felix.