Home/The Peaceful Academy Life of a Magic Potion Professor/ch17

Chapter 17

"Congratulations, High Priest Garyu."

"Truly, congratulations."

"This is surely a miracle from the gods!"

"You must have been rewarded for your devotion all this time!"

"It's wonderful news!"

Garyu smiled gently at the worshippers who clasped his hands with tears in their eyes. They would be astonished if they knew—that the magical potions they so looked down upon were the very source of this miracle.

"Thank you."

The worshippers blushed at his expression.

"To think that eyes hidden behind a blindfold could be so beautiful—it would have been such a shame if we'd never seen them."

A frequent visitor to the temple joked.

"Indeed."

The female worshippers nodded fervently. Even when his face was hidden by the blindfold, his noble bearing had made his handsomeness apparent. But now it was entirely different—far surpassing anything they'd imagined. Long platinum-blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Flawless skin, tall stature, and the pure white priestly robes created an almost maddening harmony. He possessed both a delicate, feminine refinement and, from certain angles, a distinctly masculine strength.

"It's not that remarkable."

Garyu waved his hand modestly. The worshippers smiled warmly at his reaction.

"So, will you be returning to the House of Blanchard now?"

One of the worshippers asked. It was well known that Garyu was from the Marquess of Blanchard's family—the story of his divine power manifesting at the cost of his sight... Every devotee knew of the blindfolded priest.

"I'm not sure yet. Nothing has been decided. Though my eyes are open, my divine power remains unchanged. The power the gods gave me... shouldn't it be used in service to the gods?"

To him, the gods were beings who had brought him suffering—nothing more, nothing less. But there was no need for these pure-hearted worshippers to know that.

"Still, before your divine power manifested, you reached the level of the youngest Sword Master ever. You could return to swordsmanship."

"You might even become a Holy Knight."

"You could pursue love as well."

Garyu realized that with his eye color restored, his options had multiplied.

"I'll consider it slowly."

The worshippers pressed no further. They simply wanted to convey that the young man before them no longer needed to live in solitary confinement at the temple—he was too precious for that.

"Oh my, we've been talking too much."

"Look at the time! We've kept you far too long. In any case, congratulations, High Priest Garyu!"

The worshippers bowed politely and moved away. Garyu turned his head slightly to gaze out the large window. The blue sky and verdant greenery embraced the temple with refreshing openness.

Since removing the blindfold, seeing the scenery had become one of his greatest joys. Before, he could only remove it in enclosed spaces with all the windows shut, for fear of being discovered. It felt as if a suffocating weight had been lifted from his chest.

The potion Lamiya had made for him was exceptionally effective. Garyu had secretly braced for the worst—that the effect might only last a few times—but no such thing happened. Just two drops a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, maintained the perfect blue eye color. She'd said she used his own magical power, and the drops felt completely natural, with no foreign sensation at all.

"I never properly thanked her."

That day, he'd tried to say goodbye before leaving, but Kamirgold had hurried him away before he could. They'd needed to quickly discuss how to reveal his restored sight without raising suspicion. Given his difficult situation, preparation was necessary.

Still, he wouldn't forget.

Just as Garyu resolved to be sure to thank her at their next meeting, an unwelcome voice reached him.

"The blue eyes are truly beautiful."

The man who made his situation difficult.

"...High Priest Deven."

"Last night, you can imagine how startled I was when I sensed an explosive surge of divine power emanating from Priest Garyu's quarters. I thought something had happened..."

"I apologize for causing concern, High Priest."

Deven shook his head with a kindly expression.

"Concern? Surely the gods have blessed High Priest Garyu once again. Who would have thought your sight would be restored?"

"I was equally surprised."

Garyu met his gaze with an expression of bewilderment, as if he still couldn't quite believe it himself.

"Your earnest prayers must have been answered. You should offer frequent thanks to the gods."

"Ah. Yes."

"I'd always wondered what lay hidden beneath Priest Garyu's blindfold—so it was blue eyes."

The words carried obvious intent. Garyu smiled and replied.

"It seems you were expecting something else."

"Not at all. It's just... given the tremendous divine power and your past achievements, I'd imagined there might be something more."

Garyu let out a dry laugh.

"I'm only human—a bit of divine power doesn't make me any different."

He bowed respectfully to Deven and walked in the direction the worshippers had gone. The moment he turned away, all traces of a smile vanished from his face.

---

Through her conversation with Akira Sorin, Lamiya was convinced he was the culprit. How else could one explain that pupil tremor? Still, the way he remained composed and denied everything to the very end suggested he wasn't simply the "unhinged outburst" type of psycho.

"Wonder how he'll act now."

Truthfully, she'd planned to keep observing—or rather, to simply leave him alone. But seeing the raccoon had changed her mind. It wasn't that the animal carcasses were horrifying or unpleasant; it was that he was pointlessly wasting lives for amusement. That didn't sit well with her. The fact was, even if the pranks escalated, nothing would change for her. Whether there was evidence or not didn't matter. If Akira Sorin was under any illusion, it was that her methods were different from what he expected.

"Professor Lamiya, there you are."

Benjamin set his tray across from Lamiya and sat down. By now, Professor Anya and Aide Benjamin had become such regular dining companions that it felt perfectly natural.

"Professor Anya had an outside engagement today, so she's eating separately."

Benjamin casually reported Anya's whereabouts without being asked.

"Oh? We have the same beef stew, but... yours looks more delicious—is that just my imagination?"

Compared to Benjamin's portion, Lamiya's stew was piled high with generous chunks of beef. Lamiya pretended not to notice.

"Surely not."

"I suppose so. Haha."

Benjamin laughed and picked up his spoon. He glanced at her cautiously.

"The Headmaster is quietly concerned about what you've been going through lately. He said he wouldn't interfere until you spoke up, but..."

Lamiya answered as calmly as always.

"I'm fine."

Benjamin, as if having expected that answer, didn't give up.

"If there's anything I can do to help, please tell me. You're working too hard alone."

He felt sorry for her, bearing those malicious pranks all by herself. No matter how important the students were, her own heart must have been wounded...

"And Akira Sorin is... not something you can handle alone. He's different from Loki!"

It seemed something had happened before.

Lamiya wasn't particularly surprised—she'd already realized that Akira Sorin was on a different level from Loki.

"Do you know why Akira Sorin was absent all that time?"

At that, Lamiya slowly lifted her head from her stew. The reason for his absence...

"The paperwork said it was due to family circumstances."

She'd assumed the ducal house had some event or function.

"No."

Benjamin lowered his voice considerably.

"Since you're in charge of the magical potions class, you should know—no, you must know. Some of the professors and students at the time are aware, but House Sorin has been busy covering it up. It's been hushed up."

This wasn't on the level of Loki's bullying. Benjamin's voice was heavy.

"Listen carefully, Professor Lamiya. That student didn't end up in the magical potions class because he lacked ability—he chose it. Akira Sorin... attempted to poison fellow students, simply because they irritated him. Seven of them."

This was why the children were so terrified.

"But they all failed."

"If he'd killed seven people, even a ducal heir would have gone to prison—especially since the targets were mostly nobles. The poison... was capable of taking lives."

"So... he intended to kill them?"

"That's my belief. They all survived with no lasting physical harm, but none of them are attending the Academy anymore."

---

Garyu visited Lamiya's laboratory at the time she'd requested. He moved late at night, just as before, to avoid drawing attention.

Thanks to the potion she'd made, he felt as though he could finally breathe again. He was planning to visit his family soon. All he could hope was that today's examination would show no abnormalities.

As he walked down the dark corridor of the faculty laboratory building, he checked the nameplate on the door: "[Magical Potions] Professor Lamiya."

Crunch.

"?"

Beneath his feet, something felt deeply unsettling. What was it? Looking down to identify the source, his expression contorted violently.

"Aagh!"

He let out an involuntary cry and clapped his hand over his mouth.

"What is this of all things..."

At that moment, the laboratory door opened.

"What's the matter?"

Unable to answer, Garyu motioned with a grimace toward the floor. Following his gaze, Lamiya looked down.

"Cockroaches."

Scattered in front of the door were at least several hundred dead cockroaches. Some were still twitching, not quite dead.

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