Raelis opened his eyes and looked under his bed.
Opening the suitcase, he saw that his knives, alongside the strange five-being symbol and revolver, remained untouched.
He let out a relieved breath, took a quick shower, got dressed, grabbed the pamphlet with Julian’s name circled, and headed toward the classroom.
The only reason he had kept the revolver, despite all of the Varekan Empire’s laws, was because he planned on using it while acting as Amon.
Revolvers were loud weapons that would draw attention to him. But if he found a way to tweak the revolver to reduce its firing sound, then he could use it whenever he wanted.
Still, I’ll have to move the revolver to a different place. It can’t stay with me in the academy forever. I’ll get caught.
It had increased while he slept and now he only needed 98% more.
Raelis sighed in resignation and entered the classroom.
He walked onto the elevated platform and handed Julian the pamphlet.
But as he began walking toward his seat, Julian snapped his fingers, freezing Raelis in place.
Raelis tried to move, but the gravity weighing down on him was far too much.
Moments later, Julian approached Raelis and held up the pamphlet with a puzzled look.
"Are you sure about this? It’s not too late to change your decision."
"I’m sure," Raelis replied plainly. "Why? Did you not mean to make that offer or something?"
Julian sighed. "It was a rash decision. I regretted it the moment I put this pamphlet on your desk."
Raelis tilted his head, a grin forming on his face. "It’s not too late to back out, instructor."
"Tsk... I’ll have a chat with you after this is done," Julian said, then waved his hand forward, making Raelis robotically walk over to his seat and sit down.
At the same time, the bell rang, signifying the start of the lesson.
Clea sat beside him, and once she saw the scene, she let out a low whistle.
"Did you pick Instructor Julian?" Clea asked with a tilt of her head.
Raelis nodded. "I did. I just hope I didn’t make a mistake."
"Mm... I doubt it," Clea said. "Instructor Julian is capable, but he’s likely the type of person to not teach you anything unless you ask him first."
"True." Raelis chuckled, turning to Clea. "What about you? Which instructor did you pick?"
"Evelyn Usagi," Clea replied with a slight smile. "She seemed the best out of all the instructors that chose me. Plus, I always wanted to try swordsmanship, so it works out."
"Oh yeah? Well, if you become a master swordsman, don’t forget to give me some pointers," Raelis added with a chuckle.
She had definitely made a good choice, and with that, the two spent a few minutes chatting until eventually, Julian clapped his hands once, gathering everyone’s attention.
"Today, we will be heading out into the woods to gather alchemy ingredients. However, there is a little twist." Julian smiled. "There are exactly five special herbs scattered throughout the forest. I won’t tell you what they look like. I don’t need to. You’ll see what I mean once you spot one of those herbs."
A student raised a hand, then asked a question.
"Instructor, are we going to be making potions?"
"That’s right," Julian replied cheerfully. "You will be brewing a basic Swiftness potion. It increases your speed by a minor amount, but it’s a very important potion to know. After all, it is very easy to make, and during a high-stakes battle where you might need to run at any moment, being fast is crucial."
Silence fell, but Raelis raised his hand shortly after.
"Instructor, what about the special herbs? Will we be making special potions from those?"
"Hmm... that depends entirely on you," Julian said, tilting his head. "You can either make a very beneficial potion from the herb, or pick one item out of the academy’s vault."
The moment Raelis heard that, his eyes widened.
Of course, he knew about the Furnace Academy’s vault. It was a treasure trove of potions, ancient weapons, relics, and all sorts of different accessories gathered throughout the passage of time.
According to what Raelis had read, the vault was as large as the one the Varekan imperial family had.
So... if I get it, then...
He said the potion is beneficial... and he put the vault as a second choice?
Something wasn’t adding up.
As if Julian noticed that concern, he soon began explaining.
"Getting the ingredients necessary for a potion is one thing, but actually brewing it is another," Julian said. "It is a difficult process, and while we do have the recipe, we are not planning to help you make it. All that you do in this academy must be done through your own efforts."
He grinned. "So if you wish to go down the path of alchemy, you must learn through trial and error, even if it means sacrificing the chance to enter the treasure trove."
With that, the explanation was finished, and after a brief pause, Julian made his way out of the classroom.
The students followed, but Raelis couldn’t shake the feeling that Julian had forgotten something.
He didn’t explain how to brew the Swiftness potion. Raelis inwardly facepalmed.
But before he could interject and bring that point up, he saw the headmaster, Arius, sitting beside the receptionist at the front desk.
He was chatting energetically, but once his gaze landed on all the students present, he stood up and approached with a wide smile.
"Heya, going on an outing already?" Arius mused.
"That’s next week," Julian corrected. "This week, we will be focusing on alchemy."
"Oooh! I see!" Arius’s eyes beamed, as if he had been enlightened.
He turned toward the students and gave them a thumbs-up.
"Alchemy is important. Make sure not to slack off and learn at least the basics."
Then, he returned his gaze to Julian.
"Everything ready? Can I teleport them?"
Julian shook his head.
"There is one more thing I forgot to mention," Julian said, turning to the students. "The recipe for the Swiftness potion is simple."
He cleared his throat, then continued. "You need one Yellowleaf flower, two Dashcap mushrooms, and finally, a single Sugar Leaf, which you might find beside the water. That is all."
The moment he finished his words, Raelis’s vision distorted.