Island of Wisdom (1)
In the end, Lukna shook the hand that was holding hers.
“Matian, how long are you going to keep holding it?”
“Ah.”
Matian immediately looked flustered.
He had forgotten that he was still holding the hand he had raised to confirm Lukna’s victory.
Have I lost my mind? Why have I been holding another guy’s hand for so long?
Since it had happened unconsciously, he should have quickly let go of Lukna’s hand. Yet his movements were strangely careful.
For some reason, he felt reluctant to lose the warmth of that hand.
Was it because when he was with Lukna, he could momentarily forget the demonic fragment that constantly squeezed his heart?
Unaware of Matian’s thoughts, Lukna dashed straight toward the fallen Bolton the moment her hand was released.
“Hey, Bolton. Are you conscious?”
Did he faint completely? Lukna crouched down and gently turned Bolton’s face, which was pressed against the ground. But his head barely moved.
Did he not faint? His cheek feels wet.
It could be blood.
“Hey, Bolton!”
Lukna used more strength to turn Bolton’s head to the side.
But what soaked his cheek wasn’t blood—it was clear water.
Whether it was because it hurt badly or because he was embarrassed, Bolton was crying miserably, tears streaming down his face.
He looks like a tough pirate, but maybe he’s more soft-hearted than he appears.
Lukna straightened Bolton’s head again and whispered quietly.
“Hey, Bolton. You remember our promise, right?”
Bolton nodded.
Though she could hear him mutter, “Damn idiot,” through sobs, Lukna ignored it.
“My wish is to be selected for the Island of Wisdom mobilization order. Can you put my name on the list?”
“……”
“Can you keep your promise?”
Bolton stayed silent for a long time before finally nodding again.
What a guy.
Even while crying, he still intended to keep his promise. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad person after all.
* * *
The lower reaches of the Balt River, which cut through the Empire’s central plains, connected to the Tulan Strait.
Where the two currents met, the waters were quite fierce, and there was a large island there.
That island was the Island of Wisdom, where alchemists gathered.
The cadets participating in this mobilization traveled on horseback.
When Lukna—who wasn’t used to long-distance riding—started falling behind at the end of the formation, Matian, who had been riding at the front, gestured to Bolton.
“Bolton, switch places with Lukna. If Lukna falls behind, help him from the back.”
Matian was the commander leading this cadet group.
Although he maintained the same gentle smile he wore at the academy, his voice when giving orders was unusually low and firm, making the cadets tense whenever they stood before him.
Lukna rode with the cadet group along the Balt River for four hours.
At this rate, my butt is going to split into four pieces, she thought, when they finally got a brief rest.
I’m dying here, seriously.
If she hadn’t been doing regular dawn training with the Holy Sword, she probably would have collapsed in less than an hour.
When they first departed, her cadet uniform had been neatly pressed and her hair perfectly combed.
But now, drenched in sweat, she looked like a complete mess.
Lukna stopped her horse in the grassy riverside plain and tried to dismount with legs trembling like jelly.
She placed one foot in the stirrup and lowered the other toward the ground—but suddenly lost her balance and began falling backward.
This is going to be embarrassing.
But before she could fall, someone caught the back of her neck and supported her.
“Th-thanks.”
Lukna flailed her arms and freed the foot caught in the stirrup.
She was grateful for the help, though it strangely felt like her neck was being strangled a little.
Haha… maybe I’m imagining it.
Keeping that awkward position, Lukna turned her head.
Looking down at her with a gentle smile was Matian.
“Thanks, Matian.”
Meaning that’s enough now, Lukna thanked him again.
“You must be really tired. Are you alright?”
“Ah, yeah. It’s just been a while since I’ve done long-distance riding.”
Actually, it was her first time. But she wanted to pretend she had experience.
“Um, Matian. Could you let go of my neck now? It’s a bit uncomfortable. Haha… if you accidentally applied some force, my neck might break.”
“…True.”
Although he agreed with her words, Matian suddenly felt the urge to tighten his grip on the slender neck resting perfectly in his hand.
Was this jealousy?
Perhaps an inferiority complex toward someone who might possess the Holy Sword.
Me? Toward Lukna?
Matian almost laughed at the absurdity and slowly released his hand.
For a guy, Lukna’s skin was surprisingly delicate.
A red handprint remained on the back of his neck like a stamp.
For some reason, Matian couldn’t take his eyes off that mark.
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do something like that where people can see.”
Finally pulling his gaze away from Lukna’s neck, Matian told him to rest well and returned to the camp to check on the other cadets.
So does that mean he’d strangle my neck if nobody was watching?
Muttering to herself about the strange thing she had just heard, Lukna plopped down onto a nearby low rock.
She opened the small pouch hanging at her waist and pulled out a piece of dried jerky.
Just as she was about to put the salty jerky into her mouth—
“Well, well. Isn’t this the president of the Lu-Light Club?”
With Bolton’s voice, something round suddenly popped into her mouth, spreading sweetness.
What is this?
Startled, Lukna widened her eyes as Bolton touched his black eyepatch and explained.
“It’s not suspicious. It’s a protein candy, Shining Lukna.”
Protein candy?
That name sounded like it would grow muscles.
“Th… thanks.”
Come to think of it, Bolton wasn’t calling her “idiot” anymore—he was using some strange nickname.
Well… Hans and Zwei teased him endlessly after he lost to me in that duel.
They had bragged proudly about Lukna trusting them, only to get completely beaten up by Bolton later.
Maybe that teasing still bothered him, because now Bolton was mockingly calling Lukna by the club’s name.
“So, do you know anything about alchemists, Shining Lukna?”
“…Only a little.”
How long was he going to keep teasing her like that?
Lukna sighed and shook her head.
“Then I’ll explain it.”
Bolton poured some kind of powder into a glass bottle of water he was holding and shook it before clearing his throat.
Then he began reciting the basic history taught in the first year—especially for Lukna, who had supposedly lost her memory.
“In our world there are five attributes: light, water, fire, earth, and wind.”
The power behind them was called Aether.
When Aether was wrapped around the body and used, it became Aura.
When amplified through proper calculations, it became Magic Power.
If twisted through improper calculations, it became Dark Power.
And when handled through pure faith, it became Divine Power.
“Priests mainly use the Aether of light. So divine power is basically the power of light—just like you, Shining Lukna.”
“Stop teasing me. At this rate I’ll become Lukna with a guilty conscience.”
Hans and Zwei had been the ones who caused trouble, but Lukna still felt somewhat responsible.
If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve held back during the duel.
Who could have expected that huge guy would collapse in one hit?
Bolton grinned mischievously.
“I’m not teasing you.”
“And the ones who use water Aether are alchemists. The first alchemist was a mermaid.”
He continued his explanation.
A mermaid once created an elixir for a princess of her tribe who wished to gain human legs.
That elixir became the origin of alchemy.
But in exchange for gaining legs, the princess lost her voice due to the side effects of the potion.
Following that princess, a mermaid came onto land and became the first alchemist, developing various elixirs and laying the foundation for alchemy.
“That sounds like the Little Mermaid fairy tale.”
“A fairy tale? Mermaids can’t be fairy tale characters. Do you know how nasty their personalities are? Haven’t you met the school nurse?”
“Teacher Gale?”
Lukna remembered the school nurse with black glasses and a playful smile.
Teacher Gale was a mermaid.
Those red eyes and long slit pupils had always felt strangely out of place.
Before they left for this mission, Teacher Gale had secretly visited Lukna and asked for a favor.
“Lukna, if you go to the Island of Wisdom, could you deliver this directly to an alchemist named Fritz? It’s something important.”
The palm-sized leather pouch bulged as if it contained a large marble.
When Lukna asked what it was, Gale said it was a final gift for the husband she was divorcing.
Her expression had been stiff the whole time she said it.
While Lukna was lost in those memories, Bolton continued complaining about the nurse’s laziness.
“Broken arm? Red medicine. Torn flesh? Red medicine. Headache? Red medicine. There’s a reason cadets never go to the infirmary.”
He showed a burn scar on the back of his hand.
“She even put red medicine on this.”
“Still, it works pretty well, doesn’t it? When I used it, it felt like even my lost memories were coming back.”
“It didn’t even get infected—that’s the best I can say. If she’s a mermaid from the Island of Wisdom, shouldn’t she treat people better than that? Even a three-year-old mermaid could do better.”
“Are mermaid alchemists really that amazing?”
“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say every elixir on this land was made by mermaids or people with their blood. They themselves are practically alchemy. If someone creates the ultimate elixir—the Golden Elixir—they become the Great Sage, the leader of all alchemists.”
The Golden Elixir was said to cure all diseases and grant eternal life.
Moreover, anything immersed in it would turn into gold.
Because of that, people from many races—including humans—came to the Island of Wisdom every year hoping to become alchemists.
“But most of them leave the island in less than six months. Other races can’t match the skill of mermaids.”
“True. Mermaids are naturally better at handling water Aether.”
“That said, it’s not like humans all fail. Some incredible alchemists have appeared too.”
“Like who?”
“Why, this Bolton Bootke right here!”
Bolton laughed loudly and held out the bottle he had been shaking.
Inside was a milky liquid with foamy bubbles—like a milkshake.
