No answer came back.

But Lee Han kept calling persistently.

Just as Professor Verdus only said whatever Professor Verdus wanted into a disciple’s ear, Lee Han repeatedly called out to the insane duplicate.

...What is it?

At last, a hazy phantom flowed out.

The insane duplicate was expressionless as always, but the faint crease between the brows revealed displeasure.

“Greetings, Master.”

Seeing you call me like this, you must have completed it.

The insane duplicate tossed aside the massive lump being held in one hand. Lee Han asked in confusion.

“What is that?”

Instead of an answer, a familiar voice came from the massive lump.

It was Antagondals’s voice.

—Don’t get insolent and come back already... you... damned brat...

Lee Han pretended not to hear it and ignored him.

No matter how pitiful the magical criminal might be, there was no way Lee Han could go rescue him.

What if Lee Han ended up in that state too?

No need to know.

I already understand everything.

So, brat? Did you call to show me the magic?

“Ah. I called because I had something to ask.”

Lee Han answered, then asked about substitute materials for juniper, perilla leaves, and talc in Dobrooke’s Shadow Potion.

At the unexpected question, the insane duplicate showed anger.

I told you to handle lightning, not play around with materials.

“I apologize. Your disciple is foolish, and once I got stuck, I had nowhere to ask. Only Master came to mind. Sob, sob.”

As long as attack magic was not flying at him, Lee Han could display his eloquence to his heart’s content.

The insane duplicate looked extremely displeased, but eventually opened the mouth.

Hadn’t it been said before that the disciple was interested in various schools of magic?

Though it was irritating that he could not focus despite being slow to achieve results, since things had come to this, answering would be better.

At least it was a question about magic...

It is a trivial deception.

“Pardon?”

Brat. Do I need to explain more?

“Yes. I would be grateful if you would.”

You haven’t explained anything.

Lee Han cursed inwardly.

What was this? Acting as though everything had been explained when nothing had been explained at all?

Lee Han was not the only one cursing inwardly. The insane duplicate also began explaining with an expression that barely suppressed the desire to beat the disciple through the phantom.

Dobrooke’s Shadow Potion—though it had gone by a different name when the insane duplicate was alive—was a potion that temporarily severed the soul from the body, producing a kind of astral-projection effect.

Although its formula had changed over time, the insane duplicate understood at once what kind of potion it was, and why the recipe had changed, the moment Lee Han described it.

In spirit-type alchemy, juniper can be substituted with pagoda tree, and perilla leaves with white grass. But all of that is meaningless.

When the insane duplicate had been alive, juniper and perilla leaves had not been used.

That was in order to strengthen the astral-projection effect, even at the cost of reduced stability.

This current potion, however, pursued stability even if the effect became slightly weaker.

Substituting pagoda tree or white grass might make the effect seem temporarily improved, but the stability would drop again.

Strictly speaking, that was not a complete substitution. People who roughly compromised and moved on in such matters could not become good alchemists.

The correct answer was that there were no substitutable materials.

What kind of trap question is this?

Lee Han was furious at the outside guest.

A guest who did not even seem to have any gold coins had suddenly asked such a question.

He should have noticed when they were with the Valdrogard students. They were definitely extremely rude people.

“Thank you, Master.”

Wasting time on such nonsense...

“I’ll speak to you again soon. Please wait a moment!”

After cutting off the phantom, Lee Han answered.

“There are no materials that can be completely substituted.”

“...!”

Galar was shocked.

This was a problem even decent alchemists could fall for.

If anything, the more knowledgeable an alchemist was, the easier it was to be deceived. Anyone who knew the effects of juniper or perilla leaves, and knew materials with similar effects, would answer that way.

But that was the trap.

The balance of this potion was so precarious and strange that substituting ingredients simply because their effects seemed similar would immediately produce different results.

Only someone who had memorized the effects of dozens, even hundreds of materials, and knew the minor and subtle changes that would occur when they were added to this potion, could avoid being deceived...

“Haha! Wrong!”

One Valdrogard student behind Galar shouted in a voice full of joy.

“Juniper can be substituted with pagoda tree, and perilla leaves with self-heal! Too bad!”

The other students admired their friend’s knowledge.

As expected of the top student in alchemy class. Truly spine-tingling brilliance.

You’re wrong, you idiots...!

Galar screamed inwardly, embarrassed on their behalf.

Not only was the answer itself wrong, self-heal was impossible as a substitute. Adding self-heal would make souls cling together stubbornly.

“Isn’t it white grass, not self-heal?”

The Einroguard student seemed to know that and asked in confusion. Galar felt his face burn even hotter.

“White grass? Uh... oh, wait. Wait. Was it white grass?”

“If you add self-heal, souls would cling together stubbornly.”

“White... white grass. Right.”

The Valdrogard student belatedly admitted the mistake.

Then the friends encouraged that courage and honesty.

“Oh, your honesty is admirable!”

“That’s right, friend! It’s as good as getting the answer right!”

What exactly did they get right?

Lee Han felt dizzy from the Valdrogard students’ conversation.

The herbs were completely different!

Were they really saying it was roughly correct because one ingredient had been right?

Common sense... I feel like common sense is collapsing.

He could somewhat understand why the upperclassmen avoided Valdrogard students.

Keep talking to them, and it felt as if one’s world would crumble.

“That’s not important. What matters most is that you gave a completely wrong answer!”

“...Excuse me, but this side was correct.”

Unable to endure it any longer, Galar spoke with a deep sigh and self-reproach.

“What?!”

“What nonsense are you spouting! Juniper can be substituted with pagoda tree!”

Zandani of House Alzardek asked back as if he could not believe it.

Surely what had been taught was that substitution was possible.

Could this mage named Galar have learned incorrectly?

“If you substitute it that way, the astral-projection effect changes. The stability changes too. Shadow Potion has such a precarious balance that substituting ingredients makes it practically a different potion.”

“But isn’t it similar?”

“Not by an alchemist’s standards.”

“That’s... ridiculous...”

Zandani and his friends received a great shock.

Of course they had thought they could take revenge, but instead, they were the ones being humiliated.

Unable to watch any longer, Lee Han stepped forward first to graciously salvage the situation. No matter what, they were guests from outside, so he could not simply leave them like this.

“These kinds of problems test an alchemist’s ingenious wit, so even excellent alchemists can easily make mistakes. Your skills are certainly outstanding.”

“...Thank you. You are truly honorable!”

“Even at Einroguard, there are few second-years who know that juniper can be substituted with pagoda tree.”

This was sincere.

Dobrooke’s Shadow Potion itself was something only upperclassmen made. If it had been a lower-year potion, Lee Han would already have memorized it, and normally there would be no occasion to see the formula.

“We’re not second-years, though?”

“Ah. ...Are you third-years?”

“We’re fourth-years.”

“...”

Lee Han was shocked to hear that the students before him were fourth-year Valdrogard students.

People in their graduation year came here to do this???

Are they insane? Ah, no. Even if it’s their graduation year, they can still travel around. They might have prepared everything in advance.

Regaining his composure, Lee Han gritted his teeth and asked.

“If you’re fourth-years, shouldn’t you be preparing for graduation? Is it all right for you to visit like this?”

“Haha. An excellent mage is someone who is always prepared.”

I mustn’t kill them. I mustn’t kill them.

Lee Han endured once again.

“Still... don’t you have things to do? Have you perhaps finished all your preparations?”

“Things to do? Not particularly... Ah! You mean the graduation ball!”

Fortunately, Galar, who had been waiting nearby, could not hold back and interrupted.

Otherwise, Lee Han might have buried a few Valdrogard students here.

*****

“...So that is why we came for this fair and square duel.”

“I see.”

After hearing the full explanation, Lee Han looked at the students with eyes full of contempt.

Not only were they slacking off in their fourth year, they had come here for such a trivial reason.

Lee Han resolved that later, when the upperclassmen jeered and threw stones at the Valdrogard students, he would absolutely cast invisibility magic and join in.

Galar cleared his throat and spoke.

“Your skills are excellent. Are you a fourth-year?”

“I’m a second-year.”

“...I think my ears have been cursed. What did you say?”

“Second-year.”

“...Please, I’m begging you. Could you keep your year level secret from them?”

Galar spoke with sincere desperation.

When a mage much older than himself pleaded so earnestly, Lee Han’s heart softened slightly.

“Th, that’s not difficult...”

“Thank you. Phew. I should never have accepted this commission. If a mere second-year is at this level...”

Galar sighed at the unexpectedly high standard of the Einroguard students.

Properly crushing an opponent’s pride was not easy work either. He could not simply launch a surprise attack «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» or assault them outright. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

If he picked overly aggressive fights or challenged them to duels, he might be attacked by the Einroguard students before he could crush anyone’s pride.

Subtle riddles like the one earlier were more comfortable, but when Lee Han had answered correctly on the first try, Galar’s confidence vanished.

“Einroguard’s overall level is quite outstanding.”

“It really seems that way. Sigh.”

While the two were talking, Zandani asked with a curious expression.

“What should I call you?”

“Please call me Lee Han.”

Lee Han deliberately hid his family name and gave only his first name.

Since people usually mentioned their family name as well, if he only gave his given name, they would misunderstand on their own.

“What about your family name?”

“...?”

Lee Han was slightly flustered by the unexpected reaction.

How did they know he was of noble birth?

“Wait. Those Kalarogard bastards are over there!”

Fortunately, new guests caught their attention before Lee Han had to stumble through an answer.

Kalarogard students were gathered up ahead, loitering around.

“Those vulgar bastards. Look at them walking around so shamelessly!”

“What happened?”

“Those bastards attacked us last year!”

“Oh... how?”

Lee Han asked as though he wanted to hear the details.

Fortunately, the Valdrogard students did not notice.

“They cowardly summoned undead.”

“...”

Lee Han had to hold back from saying, What’s cowardly about that?

It was really difficult.

“And they dropped us into a mud pit...”

“It’s the Valdrogard bastards!!”

“Attack! It’s fine to attack inside Einroguard!”

The Kalarogard students spotted them as well and shouted.

Lee Han wondered whether he should ask why it was fine to attack inside Einroguard, or whether he should stop the fight first.

“Everyone, stop! If you attack, we’ll have no choice but to defend ourselves.”

“Tch. They brought guards. Cowardly bastards.”

While Lee Han was deliberating, Galar stepped forward. Upon discovering the outside mage, the Kalarogard students also took a step back.

However, as a member of the dark magic school, Lee Han could sense that those students had not fully canceled their magic and were still looking for an opening.

How long do I have to wait?

“!”

When the insane duplicate flowed out and asked, Lee Han answered urgently.

“Please wait just a little longer. Outsiders are attacking right now.”

Outsiders? Attacking?

“Yes.”

Do you need advice?

“Oh. Yes. I would be grateful.”

Lee Han answered, recalling the useful explanation he had heard earlier.

Sweep them all away and bury them in a pit.

“...Isn’t there any other advice?”