Chapter 100

I’m truly glad I joined the music club. Thanks to that, Senior Rupert guided me to some fantastic classes, and President Albert went out of his way to give me the Law and Administration textbooks for the second and third years.

“Even if it’s Mr. Sullivan, subjects like Law or Administration aren’t exactly thrilling,” Albert had said. “You might as well just memorize the texts word-for-word, grab your completion certificates, and use your free time to focus on composing new pieces.”

Well, his underlying motive is a bit eccentric, but I accepted them with gratitude.

“Samuel, did you end up joining the riding club?” I asked my cousin, remembering he mentioned wanting to manage multiple clubs. I wanted to use it as a reference, since I might do the same.

“I tried to,” Samuel sighed, “but they told first-years that we have to learn how to handle the horses first, and some of those horses belong to the knights club. I quit on the spot. That club is just a subordinate organization for the knights club. I’m deeply disappointed; I thought it was an independent riding program.”

That phrasing sounded awfully familiar.

“Come to think of it, I heard someone badmouthing the magic club, saying it was just a subcontractor for the knights club too. The knights club sure seems to wield a lot of influence.”

President Albert chimed into our conversation.

“The knights club is essentially a preparatory group for the order of knights, after all. At this point, can you even call it a school club activity? I think I’ll raise this issue at the next student council club presidents’ meeting. When Prince Richard was the student council president, he certainly never allowed the riding club to be saddled with the care of the knights club’s horses.”

The male members of the music club all began grumbling about the knights club’s recent overbearing methods. The girls didn’t have much connection to it, so we were mostly left with a vague “Oh, really?” impression.

Daniel, who had invited Samuel and the others to the riding club in the first place, was also visibly annoyed.

“I think it’s only natural to take care of the riding club’s own horses, but the knights club should look after their own animals. It’s absurd that they aren’t even upholding basic boundaries.”

I don’t even know who took over as president after Senior Eric graduated, but it’s clear the knights club is rapidly expanding its territory.

“Let’s leave that discussion for later and play something,” Princess Margaret cut in, putting an end to the knights club venting session.

Still, I couldn’t help but worry about Prince Keith, Ralph, and Hugo, since they are all affiliated with the knights club. I had a nagging, uneasy premonition that something strange might be brewing, leaving a lingering sense of anxiety in my chest.

On Friday, first period was technically designated for Mr. Sullivan’s Law class, but since I already sat through the first lecture with Mr. Patterson, I decided to use the slot to test out a Pharmacy class instead. I have a strong interest in both Herbology and Pharmacy, but submitting a course registration form without ever stepping foot inside the classroom felt far too risky.

As expected, the atmosphere of the mage track area feels incredibly eerie first thing in the morning. Even within that zone, the Pharmacy classroom is on a whole different level of unsettling. It looks remarkably close to my previous world’s mental image of a witch’s lair, mixed with an alchemist’s laboratory and divided by two.

In a way, the layout is similar to the culinary practice room, but for some reason, the black curtains are drawn tight, leaving the room heavily dimmed. The ambiance is far too suspicious.

“Wait, Patience?! You’re taking Pharmacy too?”

Benjamin, Bryce, and Andrew all looked at me in absolute astonishment.

“At this rate, you might as well just switch your track to the mage course entirely,” Benjamin grumbled, giving me a bit of a headache.

“I did agonize over whether I was spreading myself far too thin,” I countered, “but I ultimately made peace with the idea that since I’m here, I might as well dive single-mindedly into everything that captures my interest.”

The three of them could only stare at me in sheer utter bewilderment.

“Well, seeing as Patience has already grabbed completion certificates for nearly all her mandatory subjects, I suppose you can do whatever you like,” Benjamin noted. “Come sit next to me.”

So even in the Pharmacy classroom, his reserved spot is in the back corner by the window. I seated myself at the exact same table right beside him.

“Since I’m not officially on the mage track, I wanted to ask: should I take Herbology as well?”

“Eh? You’re taking Herbology too?” Benjamin blinked. “Well, Pharmacy and Herbology are a natural set, so taking both is definitely the smartest move. Though, I hear Earth magic gives you a massive advantage in Herbology. Pharmacy is said to favor Water magic, but I only possess Fire myself. Ultimately, it’s just a matter of sheer willpower.”

While we were chatting, the teacher arrived. And wow, this teacher looks exactly like a textbook witch.

“Oh my, to think we have such eccentric students willing to study pharmacy again this year,” she drawled. “I am Galia Machias. During the spring term, we will be studying the absolute fundamental of fundamentals: recovery medicine. Any student who fails to master this simply lacks the aptitude for pharmacy, so pack your bags quickly and choose a different elective.”

Ms. Machias, whose speech patterns were entirely witch-like, possessed a completely unguessable age. Her black hair, heavily streaked with silver, was casually tied back. Looking closely at her skin, she might actually be quite young, but her entire presence screamed “ancient witch.”

“Now then, open your textbooks! …What? You don’t have one? What a sluggish bunch. Come up to the podium and fetch one immediately.”

Everyone sat frozen in sheer awe. As for me, I found the entire display so incredibly amusing that I had to fight with everything I had just to suppress my laughter.

Pharmacy is definitely a keeper! After all, I went through the trouble of ending up in another world—and what is a fantasy world without recovery potions?

“Alright, hurry up and read the text so we can brew a Low-grade Recovery Potion. Once you comprehend the instructions, come collect your ingredients.”

The recipe for a Low-grade Recovery Potion was detailed on the very first page of the textbook.

“Pour the medicinal herbs and twice the volume of water into a pot and place over heat.” That was all it said. However, Ms. Machias quickly added, “Make sure to wash your herbs thoroughly. Clean your pots meticulously. And most importantly, ensure your water is properly purified. If you follow the textbook word-for-word, you will fail miserably.”

Wow, this textbook is completely useless, I thought, but she immediately continued:

“The textbook omits things that any proper pharmacy student should obviously know. Since you are all still fragile little chicks, I shall explicitly spell it out for you this time, but once you become second-years, you are expected to read between the lines and brew them yourselves. Learning from failure is a vital part of the process.”

Fortunately, I am highly proficient at cooking, so as long as I have a general recipe, I can make it happen.

“Ms. Machias, please grant me my ingredients.”

She cast a brief, sharp glance at me before handing over the herbs. “Well, let’s see you try.”

Let’s do this. The island counters, highly similar to the culinary practice room, were equipped with both a water magic tool and a magic stove.

First, I placed my hand on the magic stone of the faucet to draw water, meticulously washing the mugwort-like herbs and the small pot I fetched from under the counter. Then, I made sure to cast my lifestyle magic: “Become clean!”

There was also a scale tucked under the island, so I weighed the herbs. I poured exactly twice that weight of water into the pot and cast “Become clean!” once more to purify it. From there, all that was left was to drop the herbs in, place my hand on the magic stone of the stove, and let it simmer.

“Ms. Machias, how long should I let it boil down?”

“An excellent question,” she replied. “Boil it down until the liquid is reduced by half. That is yet another detail omitted from the textbook. Commit it to memory; I absolutely refuse to answer the exact same question twice.”

Every student in the room stopped what they were doing and frantically scribbled the note into their textbooks.

It has finally reduced by half. I wonder if this actually counts as a recovery potion now?

While I was tilting my head in curiosity, Ms. Machias walked over to my station.

“You’re finished already? In that case, run it through the sieve and bottle it. Do not forget to purify both the sieve and the bottles beforehand.”

I located a sieve under the counter, washed it, and purified it with “Become clean!” The glass bottles were stored in a box behind the teacher’s podium. I brought a few back, washed them, and purified them with “Become clean!” as well.

“Ah, I need to clean the container I’m straining the liquid into first!”

As I was bustling around frantically, Ms. Machias let out a sharp snort. “Your sequencing is entirely sloppy,” she scolded roundly.

After finally straining the liquid, I managed to fill three bottles.

“Drink one,” she commanded.

The pale green liquid tasted remarkably like green aojiru vegetable juice. Oh, wait… I actually feel a sudden wave of vitality.

“Well, look at that—a perfect pass,” she noted. “Starting next class, you shall proceed to brewing High-grade Recovery Potions. What do you intend to do with those remaining two bottles? You are welcome to take them home as household medicine, or you could easily sell them to the knight track students.”

“Eh? The Low-grade Recovery Potions we brew in class can actually be sold?!” I gasped.

I was entirely stunned. To think a profitable side job was just rolling around in a place like this!

“Only yours, young lady. The concoctions the rest of this bunch are brewing couldn’t even qualify as commercial goods. Mr. Jefferson always spouts grand claims about how mastering lifestyle magic lets you accomplish anything, and it seems the old man wasn’t entirely spinning tall tales after all. You don’t look to be on the mage track, but you’ve definitely chosen the wrong path in life.”

In the end, I decided to keep my very first batch of Low-grade Recovery Potions as household medicine for my family. I heard they last for about half a year and are highly effective against early-stage common colds. After all, a cold is the root of all illnesses, and the original Patience did tragically pass away from pneumonia.

“Ah, but I wonder if I can actually take Pharmacy II?”

While I was thrilled to pass, my schedule was becoming increasingly labyrinthine. I might have no choice but to wait until the autumn term to take Pharmacy II.

“Hmph. Knowing you, you’ll just go around testing out and grabbing completion certificates left and right anyway,” Ms. Machias shrugged. “You can simply attend during the Pharmacy I slot. I consider forcing a student who has already passed to endlessly brew low-grade potions an absolute waste of time.”

Despite her witch-like demeanor, allowing me to study Pharmacy II during the exact same class period was remarkably kind of her. Just as I was thinking that, she flashed a deeply sinister grin.

A cold shiver ran straight down my spine.