Home/The Peaceful Academy Life of a Magic Potion Professor/ch11

Chapter 11

Absolute secrecy... Lamiya felt a flicker of unease, but the gravity of Kamirgold's expression made her nod. All she had to do was brew the potion, after all. It was a request from the man who held her fate in his hands—she could have brewed poison if he'd asked.

"Yes."

Yet even after Lamiya's prompt agreement, Kamirgold fidgeted with his hands, hesitating for a long while. Instead of pressing him, Lamiya simply repeated herself.

"Just tell me what potion you need, and I'll brew it."

Those words seemed to ease his mind somewhat, and his hands stilled. He slowly began to speak.

"I haven't known you long, but one thing is clear—you don't seem the type to have a loose tongue. I have a good eye for people. I never expected to make this request of Professor Lamiya. Still, just in case..."

Lamiya waited silently for Kamirgold to continue.

"As you know, I hired a magical potions professor without restrictions because no one was applying. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations. I just hoped someone with at least the bare minimum of expertise would be selected. I never imagined there would be so many talented candidates. Among them, you... yes, I'll be frank—I was astonished. You said the exam questions happened to cover material you'd recently studied... but having watched you take that exam myself, I didn't find that explanation entirely convincing. Besides, I'm not in a position to be picky."

Huh? Lamiya asked the first question that came to mind.

"From what you're saying, it doesn't sound like an ordinary potion. In that case, wouldn't the doctors at the research institute be better suited than me?"

Kamirgold chuckled and shook his head.

"They failed. Both magic and magical potions."

"Pardon?"

Lamiya was startled. If doctors with far better credentials than hers had failed, why was she being asked...? What followed was even more shocking.

"It took quite some effort to erase their memories. Don't worry—they're all working healthily at the institute now. Though it cost me a pretty penny."

Erasing memories? As far as she knew, that was an extremely high-level magic. Yet Kamirgold spoke of it as casually as if discussing everyday matters. Lamiya realized anew that the Headmaster was no mere man of wealth. She also understood that if she failed to produce the potion, she might suffer the same fate.

So that's why the conditions seemed too good to be true.

Kamirgold seemed to sense what she was thinking and continued.

"I swear there are no side effects. It's simply a matter that must never leak out. So I hope you succeed. I believe you have a real chance."

It wasn't a situation where she could refuse. She'd grown fond of life here. She accepted calmly.

"Understood."

Kamirgold smiled with relief.

"I'll send the client to your laboratory tonight. Listen to what he has to say. I'm counting on you."

---

Lamiya was curious why this request was being kept so secret, but she had no guesses. Not even magic or magical potions had worked...

She prayed the task would be within her abilities.

Arriving at the faculty cafeteria, Lamiya decided to stop worrying and focus on breakfast. To not fully enjoy this time would be an insult to the delicious food.

"Good morning, Professor Lamiya!"

Anya waved from a distance, as if she'd already saved a seat. Lamiya resigned herself to another disrupted meal and sat down.

"I heard the magical potions students are coming to class now! That's wonderful, Professor!"

She seemed genuinely happy, as if it were her own achievement. Lamiya found her behavior puzzling, but since the students returning was indeed a good thing, she nodded in acknowledgment.

"Professor Lamiya!"

Benjamin had appeared and set his tray beside Anya, sitting down naturally. Lamiya realized she'd been eating with these two quite frequently lately.

Unaware of her thoughts, Benjamin also offered his congratulations.

"I heard the students are back. That's excellent. It seems your sincerity finally got through to them."

"?*

What was that supposed to mean? Lamiya, who had been slowly savoring her food, frowned slightly. Anya, not noticing, chimed in agreement.

"Indeed. Professor Lamiya may seem brusque on the outside, but she's such a warm person. I knew the students would eventually understand."

Sincerity... Lamiya recalled the punch she'd thrown at Loki. Did that... count as sincerity? It didn't seem right...

"I don't think I've ever... treated them warmly."

Lamiya tried to correct the misunderstanding, but the two only praised her modesty all the more.

"Not at all. Even if you don't show it, the students must have felt it."

"Exactly."

Anya said with considerable conviction. Lamiya didn't bother repeating herself—their expressions made it clear that nothing she said would get through. Instead, she refocused on her meal, determined to enjoy the precious time remaining.

After breakfast, Lamiya gathered her materials and headed to the magical potions classroom. She was concerned about how to handle the lessons the students had missed during their boycott. Should she teach them again? Why? They were the ones who had stayed away without reason or notice. Should she remove that material from the exam? Why? She'd already covered it in class.

"Hmm..."

Shouldn't people take responsibility for their own choices? What was so difficult about attending a single lesson... Lost in thought as she walked down the corridor, Lamiya encountered Professor Karon from the swordsmanship department coming from the opposite direction. They weren't on friendly enough terms for pleasantries, so Lamiya gave a slight nod and tried to pass by.

"Do you think this is over?"

Lamiya stopped and turned slightly. Karon's lips twisted with displeasure as he spoke.

"If Loki alone were the problem, the other magical potions professors wouldn't have quit either. Let's see how long you can last."

Having stopped her to unleash his venom, Karon glared at Lamiya once, then swept away, his cloak billowing behind him. Lamiya found it odd that he would display such hostility without any particular reason—but she knew well enough that people didn't always need reasons to dislike others.

"Fascinating."

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even summon any emotion toward the man. Yet he was expending such passion in hating her. It was difficult to understand.

---

Has it gotten this late already?

Glancing out the window, she saw the sky was pitch black. She'd been so absorbed in reading an ancient magical potions text borrowed from the Academy library that time had slipped away.

"He said tonight."

It was about time. Doubt crept in—could she really accomplish what even the institute doctors had failed to do? But she had no choice. If she couldn't produce the required potion, her memory would be erased like the others.

"In the past, I wouldn't have cared whether my memory was erased or not."

That was who she'd been back then, before she'd escaped that crumbling place. If she could have erased those memories, she might have intentionally failed this request. But she knew better now. She'd learned, since leaving that place, that she needed to value herself—even if she still didn't fully understand why.

She hadn't accepted it all yet. But she knew that having her memories taken by someone else would never lead to anything good.

For now, she was simply curious about the request. Perhaps the "different experiences" she'd lived through would prove useful today.

Knock, knock.

Lost in thought, Lamiya rose at the sound of a knock. At this hour, the only person who would seek her out was the client the Headmaster had mentioned. She quietly opened the door.

A tall man stood there, his body completely shrouded in a black robe, his face nearly invisible. Had it not been prearranged, his suspicious and imposing presence would have been threatening.

"Did the Headmaster send you?"

The man nodded slowly. Lamiya opened the door wide, gesturing for him to enter. Once he was fully inside, she closed the door and locked it. Since the Headmaster had sworn her to secrecy, this was the bare minimum precaution.

"..."

"..."

They stood facing each other in silence for a long while. Lamiya, naturally unsociable, assumed the client—who'd been sent by the Headmaster—would speak first. But he seemed to have no such intention.

Unwilling to waste time unnecessarily, Lamiya decided to first confirm the most crucial question: whether she could even make the potion.

"Let's get straight to the point."

"Agreed."

He seemed to want that as well. Slowly, he pushed back the black robe that covered even his head.

Lamiya regarded him with a composed expression.

The man's eyes were completely covered by a large blindfold. Was he blind? Or had his eyes been severely injured? If it was an injury, magic could heal it easily. Poison, perhaps?

"Are you blind?"

Lamiya asked. The man shook his head.

"No."

Not a vision problem? Then—

"A magical wound, or poison?"

"No."

He shook his head again. If not that either, there was only one question left.

"What would you have me do?"

And his request was beyond her expectations.

"I need a potion that can change the color of my eyes."

Lamiya, whose expression rarely changed, tilted her head. It was strange.

"That's possible. It's not difficult. However... it would be faster to pay a high-level mage for that."

Changing eye color was easily done for a moderate fee. Potions could do it too, but a mage could accomplish it in minutes. Yet the man scoffed and answered with a crooked tone.

"If it were that simple, I wouldn't have come to you. Didn't Kamirgold explain?"

Lamiya shook her head, then realizing he was blindfolded, explained verbally.

"The Headmaster said the client would explain."

"...Troublesome fellow."

The man muttered quietly. Lamiya ignored his rudeness and focused on the content—failing at merely changing eye color. She felt the need to examine his eyes directly.

"I'd like to see your eyes for myself."

The calmness of Lamiya's voice seemed to make the man hesitate briefly, but he soon made up his mind. If she failed, her memories would be erased anyway—there was no risk of leakage.

"...Very well."

The man slowly removed his blindfold. Lamiya's brow furrowed slightly—an immense surge of magical energy was emanating from him. And when she fully met the eyes hidden beneath the blindfold—

"!"

Lamiya's eyes widened more than ever before. Even she couldn't help but be astonished this time.

The man's eyes were jewel eyes.

"My request is simple. Hide these eyes."

His request was simple. His eyes were not.

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