Let’s Go Together

The four of them left the sparring arena and walked toward the building where the classrooms were located. Every student who passed by them was buzzing about the duel. A match involving Headmaster Declaire carried that much weight.

Adrian Heather pulled a sheet of paper from his locker and handed it to Catherine Esteban. Catherine checked the paper and smiled as she thanked him.

Catherine and Hans walked off in the opposite direction of Adrian and Mikhail’s classroom. Hans turned to Catherine and asked,

“What’s our next class again?”

“…‘Our’? It’s been ages since the integrated classes ended. For the record, I’m done for the day~”

Catherine replied playfully with a grin.

“Damn it. Lucky you…”

Hans dragged his feet reluctantly. Starting this year, the curriculum had shifted to allow students to choose their own subjects. Hans trudged down the corridor toward his next class, History of War and Music. What the hell did war have to do with music, anyway? All he needed was to be good at the piano. He idly kicked a fallen leaf on the floor.

***

Adrian and Mikhail’s afternoon class was An Introduction to Alchemy. While herbology, a subject of particular interest to the dragon, primarily focused on the study of plants, it was academically situated in a vague space between alchemy and spirit magic. After a moment of thought, Adrian chose a seat near the front of the classroom. He had decided to give the first class a try before making any judgments.

Mikhail, who entered the classroom alongside him, confidently took a seat in the very back row once again.

And then it happened.

A man wearing something that could barely be called clothing walked up to the podium. Unlike the professor from the morning’s magic lecture, the alchemy instructor wasn’t even wearing proper shoes, and his pants were caked with dirt as if he had just finished digging in the ground.

The faces of the Garnet-year freshmen seated in the room turned pale. These were students from noble or at least very wealthy families. From their perspective, this man was the kind of person they wouldn’t even consider associating with.

In other words, he was… how to put it—

Adrian tried to be generous, considering that the man standing at the lectern was presumably the professor. But the man on the podium, unaware of Adrian’s internal effort to give him the benefit of the doubt, suddenly let out a loud sneeze—Achoo!—and fumbled through his clothes. 

What he pulled out was… oh dear god! It wasn’t a handkerchief, but a single sheet of tissue paper. The kind used to dry your hands in the academy restrooms. And it was all wrinkled, clearly having been stuffed somewhere deep in his clothing. The man casually wiped his face with it. A few freshmen, who held decorum and dignity in high regard, gagged in visible disgust. 

Most notably, Mikhail—who possessed the highest status of them all—had the most disgusted expression on his face. Though seated all the way at the back, he leaned his upper body away from the desk, as if trying to put even a little more distance between himself and the professor.

Adrian labeled his first impression of the man as “homeless vagrant.”

“Well then. Good afternoon, everyone.”

The man at the lectern slowly placed one hand on the podium. With the other, he fumbled through the pocket of his ragged coat, trying to pull something out. All eyes in the classroom locked onto his hand. Everyone was curious about what he might be retrieving.

At last, his hand emerged from his pocket. In it was a cup made of metal. The freshmen stared as if to say, What the hell is he pulling that out of his pocket for?” It clearly wasn’t a required item for the class. No sooner had he taken it out than the professor raised it to his lips and took a hearty swig.

“…I’m a little shy, you see…”

The vagrant-like professor said as much, blushing as he stood at the front of the class. But it didn’t look like he was blushing from embarrassment—it was clearly the alcohol kicking in. The students may have been freshmen, but they weren’t naïve. They knew what they were seeing.

“He just drank alcohol.” “Did you see that too?” The murmurs passed between students seated side by side.

It was behavior like this that solidified stereotypes about alchemists.

“What I’ll be teaching you this year is… the basics of alchemy… In other words, what alchemy truly is. If you follow along with this course for the next year, you’ll be able to find out whether you have any talent for it.”

The professor sniffled loudly, scrunching up his nose. The freshmen, watching, only strengthened their preconceived notions. Alchemists really were weirdos, completely absorbed in their own strange little worlds.

“Alchemy is the field where we reinterpret the fixed laws of the world—only to the extent humans are capable. Some students confuse it with magic, but the two are completely different disciplines. Magic uses the power of mana to make the impossible possible. But alchemy…”

The professor swept his gaze across the packed classroom.

“Alchemy is the domain where humans alone, using only human strength, make the impossible possible.”

The filthy-coated professor laughed heartily after his declaration. A signature quirk of eccentrics—they often got so excited by their own words that they couldn’t help but blurt them out, animatedly, to the world. The students, momentarily impressed, quickly cooled as soon as he kept talking.

“Isn’t it amazing? Alchemy is way cooler, right?”

Damn wizards always thinking they’re the best—he muttered, clearly tipsy now, swaying slightly at the podium.

“Anyone in this year’s Garnet class interested in pursuing alchemy? Come on, raise your hands.”

He leaned across the podium on both arms and stuck his face out toward the students, eyes brimming with anticipation. Since Adrian was seated near the front, he glanced sideways at the students behind him.

Not a single hand went up.

Even if someone had been interested in alchemy, it would’ve taken serious guts to raise their hand in this atmosphere.

Adrian was good at reading the room. He kept his hands neatly folded on his desk. It was the first class—no reason to draw unnecessary attention.

The alchemy professor looked deeply disappointed as he muttered again,

“Tsk, tsk. No promising candidates, huh? Where is the disciple worthy of inheriting my knowledge?”

Sorry, Professor. But if you just wore proper clothes and didn’t drink in class, I think you’d find a few willing students without much trouble.

Adrian sat silently, watching the podium.

The professor, still grumbling about his lot in life, suddenly seemed struck by an idea. He raised his voice and clapped his hands—loudly, several times in a row. The sharp sound snapped the students out of their stupor.

“Alright! Get up! Alchemy isn’t something we learn sitting around in a boring classroom like this!”

The professor stepped down from the podium himself and began descending the classroom steps, forcing the students who were seated calmly at their desks to get up.

“Come on. Let’s go. Move—move—”

Trailing behind the grim-faced students, the alchemy professor herded them along with verbal prodding. A small group of students and the professor exited the classroom together. The professor walked proudly at the front of the line like a guide. The classroom had been located on the third floor of the building. The students, puzzled, followed him down the stairs.

From the third floor, they went to the second. From the second to the first.

Is this an outdoor class? their expressions shifted gradually, as if saying, Well, that makes sense. But then the professor went down another flight of stairs from the first floor. The classroom building had a basement.

Unlike the academy’s usual bright and upscale atmosphere, the basement was dim, damp, and slightly musty. The eerie mood made one student rub their goosebumped arms with both hands, trying to calm themselves.

Unaware of the growing dread in the students behind him, the professor turned around mid-stride.

“Ah! I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Edwin Nollen, your alchemy instructor here at Basamiel Academy. I look forward to working with you.”

No sooner had his introduction ended than the ground beneath the students gave a low rumble-rumble-rumble. The basement floor vibrated with a tremor. An earthquake.

“Aaaah!”

Students screamed in panic, but the professor waved it off casually like it was nothing.

“Oh, don’t worry. The ground shakes like this from time to time down here. Starting next week, for An Introduction to Alchemy, don’t bother going to the classroom. Just come straight here.”

A student standing next to Adrian whimpered under their breath, “I don’t want to take this class…”

Adrian gently took hold of the trembling student’s arm.

“…He’s not going to kill the students… right?”

It was meant to be a form of comfort, but the poor student’s face went even paler.