Home/The Peaceful Academy Life of a Magic Potion Professor/ch28

Chapter 28

Though his pride had been bruised by recent events, Loki had still played the role of predator—second only to Akira Sorin. When he spoke, the students who had been voicing complaints fell silent. Peter wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or not. At that moment, Media gently persuaded the children.

"Rather than giving up, wouldn't it be better to do our best even if our clothes get wet? If we lose like this, all our preparation will have been for nothing."

Her words convinced even those who had looked skeptical—they weren't happy about it, but they understood. Others might laugh, but the children had prepared thoroughly for today's match.

"Alright, let's go!"

As Media stepped forward to take the lead, Peter held her back.

"Wait—let me check how deep it is first."

Splash, splash.

Fortunately, the water only came up to chin level, so it wasn't dangerous.

"Alright, let's go!"

Peter went in first and signaled. Everyone submerged themselves in the water. The taller boys and the girls who could swim helped support those who couldn't.

The water was cold. But it wasn't as difficult as they'd expected.

"It's cold..."

"Brr..."

When they arrived at the next door, the children slowly climbed onto the ground. They were all thoroughly soaked.

"Achoo!"

Some of them—whether catching cold or not—were sneezing and coughing, their faces pale. Their uniforms were heavy with water. Media took out candies from her pocket and handed one to each of her friends.

"What's... this?"

Vassen tilted his head. Media answered shyly.

"Uh... it's a candy that preserves body heat. I thought it might be cold in the cave, so I prepared it just in case..."

"But... wasn't the original body-heat preservation potion a powder...?"

Olive asked as she popped the candy into her mouth without suspicion.

"That's right... but I thought candy would be easier to eat than powder. I asked Professor Lamiya and made it myself. The body-heat preservation potion is in our textbook, so it wasn't too difficult."

"Wow..."

The children marveled as they put the candies in their mouths. Slowly, warmth began to spread through their cold bodies—even Vassen, Loki, Jacqueline, Olga, and Akira Sorin. Their eyes went wide. Though they hadn't used magic, it felt as if they had. With warmth, the wet clothes became bearable.

Loki suppressed his amazement and walked toward the closed door, wringing out his dripping uniform. The cave was dark, making movement difficult. An arched door of incomparable size to the one they'd seen earlier awaited them.

"Phew, this one has a doorknob."

Sorno, his hair soaked, approached and observed with relief.

"Then let's open it."

Loki said with a resolute expression, pushing the door. Because it was so large, the other children joined in to push as well. Whether it was because they were soaking wet or because they'd come this far and wanted to see it through, their expressions were determined.

Creeeak.

The door, which had seemed immovable, slowly began to open. They pushed with all their might. And what greeted them was...

"Losers. Finally here, are you?"

"!"

It was the swordsmanship class, already arrived. They'd expected as much when they saw the broken bridge. But confirming it in person made them feel even worse. The swordsmanship class grinned at the magical potions students.

"You actually made it, huh?"

Prince Raymond said arrogantly, chin raised. They all looked perfectly dry—they'd apparently passed the obstacles with ease.

"Oh, look at them. They look like drowned rats."

A girl standing behind the prince covered her eyes as if she couldn't bear to see such a sorry sight.

"And they call themselves Mariposa Academy students."

"Ah, this is hilarious. Look at them."

The swordsmanship students snickered and jeered. The magical potions students were annoyed, but they were more focused on something else than on the mockery.

"What in the world..."

Peter muttered quietly. This room was clearly the final stage—the flags were here. But there were too many. Hundreds of flags were planted all over the room. Whether through magic or wind, the flags fluttered, revealing their emblems. Loki reached for the nearest flag.

"Huh?"

But the flag wouldn't come out. He frowned, wondering what was going on.

At that moment, an unexpected voice came from behind.

"Aha~ you arrived quite a while ago if you even cut the bridge—but you haven't found it yet. The real flag."

"!"

The swordsmanship students flinched.

"The... real flag?"

The magical potions students looked at Vassen as if to say, "What are you talking about?"

"Earlier, when Loki tried to pull a flag, it wouldn't come out. And there are this many flags. Probably one of them is real~?"

The swordsmanship students fell silent. That meant he was right.

"Who is that guy...?"

Prince Raymond glared at Vassen with displeasure. In fact, the swordsmanship class had arrived at least ten minutes before the magical potions students. But no matter what they tried, the flag wouldn't come out. So they'd cut the bridge just in case and planned to test every single flag. In the midst of that, the magical potions students had burst in—much faster than expected.

"You were just going to try pulling them all out one by one, weren't you?"

Akira Sorin said, sweeping back his wet hair.

"!"

Prince Raymond's face reddened at those words. He snapped.

"Shut up! What makes you think you'll be any different?"

If the swordsmanship class—the most popular department in the Academy—couldn't do it, how could the inferior magical potions class? They'd end up having to test each flag individually as well. Prince Raymond was confident that with their physical advantage, they'd find the flag faster—they'd already tested nearly half. How long would it take these frail weaklings?

"Keep going."

At Raymond's command, the swordsmanship students resumed testing flags. There were so many, and they all looked so similar, that the same flags were being tested multiple times. It was pure chaos.

Meanwhile, the magical potions students did nothing but watch the swordsmanship students closely.

"...See it?"

Vassen nodded. He whispered softly, just loud enough for the magical potions students to hear.

"The flag designs are slightly different."

This room full of flags was dimly lit by only a few torches. One could barely make out what was ahead, let alone see the fine details. But they could see.

"The Low-Grade Owl Eyes."

It was the potion they'd learned beyond the low-grade calming potion. Unlike the one Lamiya had adapted, this was from the later part of the actual textbook—a potion that allowed them to see in the dark like an owl for about ten minutes. It was why they'd lacked time to brew the calming potion. It hadn't been easy, but with Lamiya's help, everyone had succeeded.

"We're almost at the end. Vassen, you have to find it."

Peter and Vassen had strategized before entering the cave. The effect lasted ten minutes. By passing the Low-Grade Owl Eyes potion in relay, one person would serve as their eyes. That was how Jacqueline had spotted the footprints indicating which way the swordsmanship students had gone, and how Sorno had known there was a doorknob without touching it. Now, the last user of the potion was Vassen—since fifteen didn't pair evenly, one person was left.

"Got it."

Vassen focused all his attention on observing the flags. With so many similar designs, he was confused about what the school flag actually looked like. Honestly, no student would remember the flag in such detail. Cold sweat dripped down his back.

"Ugh... I'm confused... does anyone know the school flag's features?"

The others, who could barely see ahead, held their breath. Media thought carefully and recalled something that had been bothering her.

"Th-that note..."

In learning, all are equal... A light flickered in Media's eyes.

"Yes! That was the clue!"

All the magical potions students, including Vassen, turned to look at Media. She called out in a voice only they could hear.

"Find the goddess holding scales that tilt to neither side. If my memory is right, she should be standing!"

At that, Vassen frantically began searching for the flag. He knew the goddess carried a book and scales, but he didn't know about the tilt or whether she was sitting or standing. He searched for a flag matching Media's description. His eyes streamed with tears from not blinking.

"Fifth from the left, and there, top right...!"

Vassen pointed out five flags, and the students quickly moved to those spots to pull them.

"This is it!"

Among them, the flag Peter pulled came loose.

"!"

"!"

The reactions were split. The magical potions students cheered, while the swordsmanship students stared at the flag in Peter's hands in disbelief. Peter gasped as he looked at the flag he'd pulled. They'd... won.

"We have to go back now!"

Vassen gestured from a distance. Realizing the match wasn't over yet, the children scrambled and started running toward the exit.

---

"What do you think, Professor Lamiya? Who will win this match?"

Kamirgold, having finished his conversation with Professor Karon, approached her.

Just moments ago, Karon had been confident of victory. In many ways, the swordsmanship class had the advantage. That was precisely why she'd set up multiple obstacles—to prevent it from becoming a simple contest of strength.

From what he'd seen, Professor Lamiya was an unreadable person. Though young—in her early twenties—she carried a weight that was anything but light. She didn't seem like the type to blindly predict victory for her own class.

"Victory..."

After a moment's thought, Lamiya spoke in a calm, resolute voice.

"The magical potions class will win."

"I didn't expect you to say that, Professor Lamiya."

Kamirgold said with surprise.

"Provided they don't let their guard down until the very end."

Having firmly predicted the magical potions class's victory, Lamiya added a caveat.

"Desperate people are capable of anything."

---

"What do you think you're doing?!"

As they surrounded Peter, who had the flag, and headed for the exit, the swordsmanship students blocked their way.

"...Hand over the flag while we're asking nicely."

"Bullshit."

Shing.

The swordsmanship students drew daggers from their pockets—real, sharp blades.

"...In...sane..."

At the magical potions students' reaction, Prince Raymond gave a nasty smile. Steal the flag? Sure, they could. The rules didn't say they couldn't.

"So if you don't want to get hurt, hand it over."

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