Home/The Peaceful Academy Life of a Magic Potion Professor/ch29

Chapter 29

"Wh-what is this?!"

The swordsmanship students, who had been focused on Loki and Vassen, completely missed Olive's actions behind them. Soon, a thick smoke began to envelop the swordsmanship students.

"What in the world...!"

The darkness they'd just grown accustomed to was replaced by pitch black—utterly impenetrable.

"You... cowards!"

The swordsmanship students grumbled, waving their hands as if to disperse the smoke. A voice they'd rarely heard followed.

"Didn't you hear the instruction to use your own abilities?"

It was Akira Sorin. His voice was eerily low and quiet.

Crash!

The sound of a glass bottle breaking followed.

"Let's see you escape with your vaunted swordsmanship."

And then the magical potions students began to move past them, gradually drawing farther away.

Fortunately, the smoke didn't last long and quickly dissipated. Prince Raymond thought they could easily catch up if they just ran after them.

"It's not over yet! Don't give up, everyone!"

"Raymond, this isn't the end!"

"What?"

The swordsmanship students' voices were tinged with confusion. Raymond stepped forward to run—

"Ugh!"

His body lurched, and he barely managed to regain his balance. It was slippery.

"Whoa!"

"Ah!"

"Wah!"

"Ugh!"

One after another, they fell.

"What the—... shit!"

Curses slipped out involuntarily. They'd been completely outmaneuvered.

No—he couldn't accept it. Losing like this? Absolutely unacceptable.

The others must have felt the same. Prince Raymond and the swordsmanship students desperately pushed forward, reaching the exit where the magical potions students had gone. They could already see their retreating figures in the distance.

"Did you think we'd just let you go?"

Furious, Raymond hurled the dagger in his hand with all his might. The other students followed suit. Most of the daggers stuck in the walls or fell uselessly to the ground. But one—

"Aaah!"

A scream came from the back. The children briefly stopped and turned around. Media cried out.

"Sorno is...!"

Sorno's arm was deeply gashed by the blade...

Fortunately, the dagger hadn't stuck in him. Peter's eyes widened as he examined the wound.

"The ointment we brought won't be enough for this. We need to get out fast."

Blood was streaming from the wound. Sorno's legs gave out—he could no longer walk.

"Go on ahead. I'm done here. Take my share..."

He spoke as calmly as if it were his dying moment, and the others fell somber.

"Don't talk nonsense. Ah, damn it."

Loki scratched his head roughly, then with Jacqueline and Olga's help, hoisted Sorno onto his back.

"!"

"Those bastards might try something else."

Loki's earlier ambition for the swordsmanship class wasn't empty talk—he carried Sorno with surprising ease. As Jacqueline and Olga supported him from behind so he wouldn't be too heavy, they started running toward the exit again.

"Those sword-swinging sons of bitches."

Despite the steady stream of curses from his mouth, his legs didn't stop. Finally, they saw light.

Pant, pant, pant.

The magical potions students, having emerged outside, gasped for breath. Headmaster Kamirgold, serving as referee, and the department professors had come out to greet them. Professor Karon's face had gone deathly pale.

Peter immediately held out the flag to the Headmaster. His face broke into a pleased smile.

"Victory goes to the magical potions class!"

But oddly, the cheers they'd expected to explode didn't come.

"..."

For a while, the students just stood catching their breath, blinking at each other. Then Lamiya clapped sharply and said,

"Congratulations."

"Waaaaaaaaaaah!"

Only then did it sink in for the magical potions students. Whether close or not, they embraced the friends beside them, celebrating their victory. Akira Sorin stepped back as if to avoid being pulled in.

They'd beaten the swordsmanship class...! It was something they'd never even imagined. And with their own strength...!

Some of the students couldn't hold back their tears. Among the five noble-born students, Loki's group of three had reddened eyes, trying hard to hold back out of embarrassment. Peter, Media, Vassen, and the others shared in the joy.

"Ah! Sorno!"

Media, who'd been swept away in the excitement, snapped back to attention and found Sorno—who'd also been swept away. He was already being treated by Lamiya. The sight made Media's lips curl up. Benjamin didn't miss that moment either.

"Th-this is impossible!"

A cry close to a scream cut through the joy of victory. Five minutes later, the swordsmanship students emerged with expressions full of humiliation.

"This is invalid!"

Prince Raymond and his followers shouted.

"They brought in artifacts from outside!"

"They couldn't have seen the flags that clearly in the dark!"

"Their professor secretly helped them!"

The swordsmanship class refused to accept the outcome, loudly voicing their complaints. Kamirgold's pleased expression instantly turned stern.

"Do you think I'd have taken on the role of referee without anticipating that? I placed observers in the cave and monitored everyone's actions. If they'd brought in artifacts from outside, the detection magic set up in the cave would have caught them. And those phenomena you couldn't understand were all potions the magical potions students brewed themselves—with their own abilities."

"!"

"That's impossible!"

Prince Raymond denied reality for the second time.

"They're potions found in the textbook. The fact that Professor Lamiya taught them a beginner-friendly version because you neglected your studies is something I approved. Everything was related to the curriculum. Just as you trained your bodies and carried weapons."

"!"

"I expected wooden swords at best—but real blades? That was quite a surprise. Professor Karon."

"He-Headmaster! That is..."

Karon's reaction confirmed he had known about it.

"You wanted to threaten the lives of students who haven't even learned swordsmanship."

The Headmaster looked at Sorno, whose arm was bandaged, and continued.

"The swordsmanship students seem to need more intensive lessons in chivalry."

"...I'll keep that in mind, Headmaster."

Karon answered through gritted teeth. Once the situation seemed settled, Lamiya, who had been silent, spoke.

"Now, about the reward."

Karon flinched. Meanwhile, the magical potions students murmured in confusion.

"Wait—there's more than just winning and losing?"

Vassen's eyes went wide. Hearing Lamiya's words, Kamirgold nodded and responded.

"Yes, that's right. Hmm... what was the magical potions class to give if the swordsmanship class won?"

Unable to meet the Headmaster's eyes, Karon answered.

"Professor Lamiya was... to leave the Academy."

"!"

The magical potions students' eyes filled with shock. Some of the girls covered their mouths.

"No... how could they..."

"So if we'd lost, Professor Lamiya would have quit!"

Realizing whose fate had been in their hands, the magical potions students felt a chill run through them. They were too young to bear such a burden.

Kamirgold had known through Benjamin in advance, but his brow furrowed involuntarily. In any case, for Garyu's sake and to repay his own debt, he would have stopped Lamiya from leaving—perhaps by rehiring her, maybe in a different capacity.

"The magical potions class won, so that's been rendered moot. Now tell us what reward you desire, Professor Lamiya."

"It's nothing special. I'm not even asking Professor Karon to resign."

Karon, who had been quietly worried, flinched again. Lamiya made her request in a flat voice. But when the magical potions students heard its content, their eyes nearly popped out.

"I won't say anything unrealistic like 'get along.' Instead, I want Professor Karon and all the swordsmanship students to apologize sincerely—in front of the entire school—for everything they've done to the magical potions students. All second, third, and fourth years."

---

The next day, in the Academy's main field. In front of the entire student body, the second through fourth-year swordsmanship students bowed their heads and apologized to the magical potions students—the ones they'd always oppressed and considered inferior.

"I'm truly sorry for how I treated you. I apologize."

"I'm really... sorry..."

Of course, Professor Karon, who oversaw them all, was there as well. Lamiya saw clearly that neither the professor nor the majority of the swordsmanship students showed any sign of genuine remorse. Prince Raymond in particular seemed to be barely holding back his fury.

She hadn't expected a sincere apology. But the effect of deflating their pride would still be there. They wouldn't be able to look down on them as before—the entire school had witnessed it.

"..."

The magical potions students also didn't think the apology was sincere. Having been through it so many times, they knew better. So they just watched in stony silence. But inwardly, it was satisfying—and surreal.

"Just you... wait..."

Lamiya caught a faint, grinding voice. It was Prince Raymond.

He'd been suffering one humiliation after another—unprecedented for him. I... I... bowed my head to a commoner... to the magical potions class!!! It was unthinkable in the imperial court.

Lamiya walked past him, unconcerned by his entirely predictable reaction. Watching this, Kamirgold's lips curled with interest.

"Thanks to Professor Lamiya, the Academy is about to get a lot livelier."

Back   Next