IRHWSDD 30

Island of Wisdom (4)

At the defensive perimeter near the Central Tower, the leader of the alchemists, the Great Sage Kuran, welcomed the cadets.

“Welcome, young cadets.”

With his snow-white hair, wrinkled face, and hunched back leaning on a staff, he looked every bit like a kind old grandfather.

But the eyes faintly visible behind his thick glasses were unusual.

The long, slit pupils and red eyes belonged to a mermaid.

Kuran stepped forward toward Matian, supporting himself with a long staff embedded with a transparent crystal.

“Thank you for answering our call.”

“It is only natural for cadets who seek knowledge to answer the Empire’s trials.”

The same guy who had been teasing her just moments ago now stood there as the most reliable representative of the cadets.

See? That’s exactly what makes him annoying.

While Lukna pouted at Matian, a thick hand suddenly rubbed the top of her head.

“What are you staring at, idiot?”

Bolton, who had been busy greeting alchemists here and there, had somehow appeared beside Lukna.

“…That.”

Unable to admit that she had been watching Matian, Lukna casually pointed at the staff the Great Sage was holding.

“Ah, the crystal orb at the end of that staff? That’s called the Philosopher’s Stone, idiot. They say if you place your hand on it, you can see through the essence of things. But once an alchemist reaches the highest level, they can grasp the fundamental nature of objects even without that stone.”

“I see.”

Lukna nodded and stared intently at the Philosopher’s Stone.

Didn’t Nurse Gale’s staff have something similar attached to it?

Meanwhile, the Great Sage Kuran was shaking hands with Matian.

Meeting the Great Sage would normally make anyone nervous, but Matian stood there confidently with a splendid smile. The phrase “noble to the bone” suited him perfectly.

Elegant, dignified… he really does everything himself.

Lukna decided that if she ever had to meet someone important alone, she would behave like that.

She quietly began imitating Matian’s gestures.

Bolton, who saw this from above, shook with suppressed laughter.

“Pfft—!”

Embarrassed, Lukna slapped away the hand still resting on her head.

Regardless of the noise behind him, the Great Sage continued speaking with Matian.

“The descendant of the great hero, young lord of the Wigratz family. I feel much more at ease now that you’re here.”

“I will do my best.”

“However, I heard a rumor that the Holy Sword has found its owner…”

Kuran’s gaze moved down toward Matian’s sword sheath.

Matian responded with an even brighter smile.

“Before that, could you please explain the current situation in detail, Great Sage?”

Perhaps even Kuran was momentarily captivated by that smile, because instead of asking about the Holy Sword, he shifted his attention to Matian’s question.

“Terrorists who use dark magic stole a mana amplifier used in elixir fusion. After that, they occupied the Central Tower like this. We still don’t know their purpose.”

He added that the terrorists had cast spatial distortion magic, making it impossible to enter the tower.

At the moment, alchemists surrounded the tower with weapons and kept watch, but if they clashed directly with the terrorists, their chances of winning were slim.

“Is the Golden Elixir inside that tower?” Matian asked.

“No. At present, I am the only one on this island who can create it, and there are no spare supplies.”

Kuran gently stroked the Philosopher’s Stone.

As he did, sparkling water rapidly flowed through the pipes connecting the Central Tower to each laboratory.

It seemed he was controlling all the water on the island.

“My concern is that they might contaminate our water. The Central Tower purifies water perfectly, then fuses it with ether and distributes it to each laboratory.”

The elixirs created on the Island of Wisdom were special precisely because of the ether contained in this water.

If that ether became contaminated and spread throughout the island, it would be disastrous.

Kuran was controlling the water to prevent that, but the effort consumed enormous stamina. He couldn’t hold out forever.

“To contaminate water of such high purity, they would have to use high-level dark magic. If that’s the case, they’ll need sacrifices.”

According to Matian, the alchemists trapped in the tower had a high chance of becoming sacrifices.

The dark mages might already be preparing the ritual.

“Yet I doubt they would do such a thing,” Kuran said.

“Dark mages who consume life would be the ones who need the recovery potions we create… There’s no benefit for them in doing this.”

“If the tower becomes contaminated, the corruption will spread through this region. The entire island—where the ether of water is concentrated—will weaken.”

“I know that. But even so, it would only be like cutting into their own flesh. Are they truly that foolish?”

Even though he said that, Kuran had already prepared for the worst.

He had requested the Imperial Court and nearby territories to send knights.

But due to procedures, it would take one or two more days before they arrived.

“Still, I’m glad you came quickly. If it were only us, we might not have been able to hold out.”

Matian’s Student Council, composed mostly of graduating seniors, was famous for resolving incidents before knights even arrived.

Matian, a Weapon Master; Chad, who was close to becoming a Great Mage; Bolton, an alchemist; and Aaron, the assault specialist—their team had received more medals than any previous student council.

“But who is this young lady? I don’t believe I’ve seen her before.”

Kuran glanced at Lukna.

Lukna bowed politely.

“Hello, Great Sage. I am Lukna Golden of the Golden Count’s family.”

She had practiced greeting him while imitating Matian earlier, but the moment she faced the Great Sage, her head lowered heavily on its own.

Ah… the blood of a culture that values deep respect.

“Oh! A descendant of the Great Mage ‘Golden’, I see!”

No… I’m adopted, actually, Lukna muttered inwardly as she straightened her back.

“But I do not sense great magical power from you,” Kuran said thoughtfully.

“It seems your talent lies in something else…”

Something else?

As Lukna tilted her head, Kuran took her hand and placed it on the Philosopher’s Stone.

Oh no!

The Philosopher’s Stone was said to reveal the essence of things.

If she wasn’t careful, the divine power of the Holy Sword might be exposed.

If I’m discovered here, I’m finished.

Lukna hurriedly called the Holy Sword.

Hi Visbi—hide your divine power as much as possible!

There was no reply.

But judging from Kuran hesitating for quite some time, Visbi seemed to have followed the command faithfully.

“Hm… ambiguous. But one thing is certain—your aura is different from the Golden family’s. Rather, it resembles…”

“This cadet recently lost her memory due to an accident and cannot recall her past, Great Sage.”

Matian interrupted the conversation.

It seemed he didn’t want to mention in public that Lukna had been adopted.

Since when did the student council president become so considerate?

Lukna pouted but still felt relieved.

“I see… you lost your memory. Once this incident is resolved, I will give you an elixir that may help.”

“Then we gratefully accept.”

It wasn’t Lukna who thanked him.

It was Matian.

Wait… he’s offering an elixir to restore my memories. Why is Matian thanking him?

Lukna parroted Matian’s words—

“Then please take care of it.”

—while secretly glancing at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

At that moment, Kuran suddenly began coughing violently.

Ever since the terrorist attack, he had been controlling the island’s entire water system, and the strain was catching up to him.

“Master! Are you unwell?”

Bolton rushed forward and supported Kuran while checking his condition.

Lukna was surprised.

Bolton’s master was the Great Sage himself.

Even someone unfamiliar with alchemy knew that not just anyone could become the Great Sage’s disciple.

Is Bolton actually more talented than he looks?

“Cough! You brat! Did you think controlling all the water on this island was easy?”

After finally stopping his cough, Kuran smacked Bolton’s waist lightly with his staff.

“Ugh! You’re hitting your disciple the moment you see him?!”

“If you came back to the island after so long, you should first bring warm tea to your coughing master! Watching you stand there like a snail irritates me.”

The kind old man who had spoken gently to Matian now looked like nothing more than a grumpy grandfather when dealing with Bolton.

“Fine, fine, I’ll bring some. Honestly, that temper of yours never changes.”

“Did that brat just pray for my death?”

“The fact that you heard it means you’re still healthy.”

Bolton scratched his head and looked around.

Since it had been a long time since he visited, he seemed unsure where the tea leaves were.

“Useless boy! The tea leaves are in Fritz’s laboratory, aren’t they? Do you eat goldfish soup every day at school? Your memory is terrible.”

Is it okay for a mermaid to mention goldfish soup like that?

Lukna silently watched their conversation while imagining a tragic tale of cannibalistic merfolk.

“Alright, alright, I got it. I’ll brew it with very clean water, so wait.”

“Hurry up! At this rate I’ll die before you bring the tea!”

Seriously, what a temper.

Grumbling, Bolton headed toward Fritz’s laboratory.

Preparing the tea didn’t take long.

Soon, Bolton returned carrying a steaming mug of herbal tea.

“Here you go, Master. Herbal tea I got from Senior Fritz.”

He handed the mug to Kuran rather casually.

Kuran took a sip.

Then his face twisted instantly.

Smack!

He struck Bolton’s shin with his staff.

“The tea you made after all this time… did you spit in it, you brat?”

“I—I didn’t!”

Though Bolton denied it, his ears turned bright red.