Island of Wisdom (3)
The Island of Wisdom looked charming, like a village straight out of a fairy tale.
So those are the alchemists’ labs… their personal research rooms, right?
The houses clustered in a circle around the central tower had colorful roofs shaped like spiral seashells.
Transparent water pipes hung from the tips of those roofs, connecting them to the edge of the island. They supplied river water that had been purified through special methods directly into each laboratory.
The sparkling streams of water flowing through the pipes toward each roof created a rather spectacular sight.
If there’s something unusual…
It was that countless prohibition signs were stuck in front of each laboratory according to the owner’s personal preferences.
“No stomping.”
“No throat-clearing.”
“No singing.”
“No pets.”
It seemed that being deeply absorbed in research had made many of them extremely sensitive.
But for a place where a terrorist incident supposedly happened, the atmosphere feels surprisingly calm.
She had imagined something like a battlefield, but the place wasn’t chaotic at all.
Maybe they were simply too busy with their own research to care whether there was terrorism or not.
“Oh? That’s…”
Lukna stared at the nameplate on one of the laboratories.
Fritz
It seemed to belong to the alchemist she needed to deliver the nurse’s letter to.
Just as Lukna reached into her clothes to take out the letter—
The lab door burst open.
A middle-aged alchemist stormed out, fuming.
“Who’s interrupting my research again?!”
He wore a loose white coat over wrinkled pajamas. His greasy hair looked like it hadn’t been washed for days, and dark circles surrounded his eyes.
For some reason, the exhausted middle-aged man gave off a similar vibe to Chad.
“You brats—what are you? Terrorists too? Can’t you see this? Huh?”
Fritz pointed at the sign planted in front of his lab.
No ‘uhhh.’
No looking around.
No gatherings of more than three people in front of the lab.
What kind of ridiculous rules are those?
While Lukna tilted her head in confusion, Bolton suddenly stepped forward from behind and laughed loudly.
“Senior Fritz! It’s me, Bolton!”
At the sight of Bolton, Fritz’s scowling face immediately softened.
Lukna studied Fritz’s features carefully.
Isn’t he a mermaid?
He had neither red eyes nor vertically slit pupils, nor the webbing between fingers typical of merfolk.
Since he was an alchemist, she had assumed he was a mermaid—but apparently Nurse Gale’s husband was human.
“Haha, Bolton! Long time no see!”
Fritz explained that he had rushed outside because he heard someone say “Oh?” in front of his lab and thought his disciple had messed up an elixir calculation again.
“That idiot apprentice disappeared somewhere in the middle of an experiment.”
“Maybe he went to find a junior to replace himself. I heard a mermaid’s song at the riverside earlier.”
“These days young mermaids have less perseverance than humans.”
“Well, that’s because you and I are exceptional humans, Senior. We’re human alchemists who survived all that hostile treatment.”
“You’re right about that. Hahaha!”
Fritz slapped Bolton on the back.
Having survived among mermaids as human alchemists, they seemed to share a strong bond.
“Senior, are you still researching the recipe for the Golden Elixir today?”
“Yes. I’m very close now. If only I can obtain that ingredient from Lord Kuran, I’m certain I can complete it!”
Just as he finished speaking, a dark-skinned, enchanting woman stepped out from inside the laboratory and added casually:
“Of course.”
The woman, dressed in a thin gown, slipped her arm around Fritz and glanced over Lukna and the others.
“Who are these people, Fritz?”
“G-Go inside. There’s no need to watch these guys.”
Flustered, Fritz pushed the woman back into the lab.
“Senior? That woman was…”
“D-Don’t worry about it. She’s just a new assistant.”
Fritz brushed it off casually, but every cadet present could tell the relationship looked suspicious.
Is he having an affair?
Bolton didn’t know who Fritz’s wife was, but he knew Fritz had a wife living far away.
Seeing the senior he respected acting like this left him disappointed.
When Bolton silently shut his mouth, an awkward silence filled the air.
Matian was the one who broke it.
“I heard there was a terrorist attack. Why are you focusing on experiments instead?”
Fritz, who had been glancing around nervously, seemed relieved by the change of topic.
“My research cannot tolerate interruptions. I’m already annoyed because many young alchemists were mobilized near the Central Tower, leaving me short of assistants.”
Lukna frowned.
The situation was already absurd—and Nurse Gale’s husband turned out to be a terrible selfish person as well.
“Anyway, go take care of whatever you came for. Stop crowding in front of my lab—you’re bothering me.”
With a casual wave, Fritz went back into his lab.
What kind of jerk is that?
Lukna stood there with her mouth slightly open in disbelief.
So many things had happened in such a short time that she never managed to deliver Gale’s package.
I’ll just come back later.
Next time I’ll step on that jerk’s foot while I’m at it.
* * *
Lukna moved with the cadets toward the Central Tower.
The closer they got to the center, the more broken pipes and damaged buildings they saw here and there.
But aside from white smoke rising from the tower itself, the damage didn’t look too severe.
“I heard there was a terrorist attack, but there’s nothing interesting to see. It’s boring, isn’t it, Luka?”
Chad yawned as he walked beside Lukna.
Then he stretched out his arm and casually draped it over her shoulder.
Although Chad looked thin, he was still a man with thick bones, and his shoulder felt heavy.
Besides… this feels a little strange.
Maybe it was because he was too close.
Feeling uncomfortable with the contact, Lukna shrugged him off.
“Take your arm off, Chad.”
“You’re so cold, Luka.”
“It’s uncomfortable.”
“I feel that too. The atmosphere here is pretty awful.”
Lukna almost said it’s not the place—it’s you, but she let out a sigh instead.
Whenever she talked with Chad, she sometimes felt strangely suffocated like this.
Even though he looked carefree on the outside, he was as skilled as Matian, which probably made her feel pressured subconsciously.
“I’m thinking of slacking off somewhere. Want to come with me, Luka?”
“Suddenly?”
“The Great Sage here can be annoyingly troublesome. And look—there’s a perfect place to rest.”
Chad nodded toward a two-story inn.
A savory smell drifted from inside, as if food was being prepared.
“No thanks. If you’re going, go alone.”
“You’re too diligent for no reason. Fine, I’ll go rest alone. But don’t tell Matian, okay?”
Winking at Lukna, Chad quietly slipped away from the group and disappeared into the inn.
What an easy life.
Lukna watched his pathetic retreat—
“Don’t worry about Chad. He’s always like that.”
Matian’s voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
“Ugh—! You startled me!”
“He usually moves alone unless magic is required.”
“Then why was Chad summoned here?”
“Because even if he’s reckless, his abilities are outstanding.”
As Matian said, Chad’s magical ability was easily among the best in the academy.
“But Matian… I don’t see any other troops here. If something happens… we’re not actually expected to suppress the terrorists ourselves, right?”
“That’s possible.”
Possible?
Cadets weren’t even official knights yet.
She started worrying she might get killed by terrorists before ever discovering the secret of her existence.
Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Matian tilted his head and smiled.
With that refreshing smile, his lips delivered a teasing line.
“What? Scared?”
“W-What do you mean scared!”
Not wanting to show embarrassment, Lukna quickly walked past him toward the tower.
Before my one and only life slips away, maybe I should just slack off in the inn like Chad.
She was seriously considering her options as she hurried forward.
Matian caught up to her in just a few steps.
Then he lightly tapped her shoulder.
When Lukna turned her head—
Something suddenly dropped onto the top of her head.
It was a leather bracelet.
Lukna instinctively caught it and frowned.
“What’s this?”
The bracelet, braided from thin leather strips, looked simple—but it carried a strange aura similar to that of the Holy Sword.
“It’s a sacred object blessed by a priest. You have high latent divine power, so you’ll probably be fine—but keep it anyway. It increases resistance against dark magic.”
“This thing?”
When Lukna only stared blankly at the bracelet, Matian snatched it back.
The next moment, his long fingers slipped beneath Lukna’s sleeve.
Huh—?
The sensation of his warm fingers brushing the tender skin inside her wrist was so unfamiliar that Lukna froze stiff.
As his fingers slowly moved deeper, her sleeve was gradually pushed up.
Her slender wrist, previously hidden beneath the fabric, was revealed.
Matian’s other hand wrapped around it and fastened the bracelet.
Click.
The snap buttons at the ends of the bracelet closed with a clear sound.
Perhaps because of the lingering touch of his hands—
Lukna suddenly felt like she had been put in handcuffs, not a bracelet.
She lowered her head to check what she was wearing.
A soft laugh fell from above her head.
“It’s amazing you were swinging a weapon with wrists like these. That club must have been too heavy for you to even lift.”
“What?”
“Well, the president of that terrifying club that calls the student council a corrupt force can’t possibly be so fragile.”
Matian stared quietly at Lukna’s wrist before finally releasing it.
Then he smiled.
“I’m already looking forward to seeing just how impressive your performance will be during this mobilization, Lukna.”
After politely cheering her on, Matian walked ahead.
Lukna alternated her gaze between the bracelet and Matian before biting the inside of her lip.
For some reason, the back of his head looked extremely irritating—but she couldn’t quite explain why.
