The Island of Wisdom was as quaint as a fairy tale village.

‘Is that what they called the alchemists’ lab, their personal research room?’

The houses clustered in a circle around the central tower had colorful conch shell roofs.

The transparent water pipes attached to the ends of these roofs were connected to the entrance of the island, said to supply specially purified river water to the research rooms.

The sight of sparkling streams of water flowing through the pipes to each roof was quite spectacular.

‘If there’s something unusual.’

It was that numerous prohibition signs such as ‘No Stomping’, ‘No Fake Coughing’, ‘No Singing’, ‘No Pets’ were stuck in front of each research room according to individual preferences.

They must be quite sensitive from being so immersed in their research.

‘But for a place that’s had a terror attack, the atmosphere is calmer than I expected.’

She had imagined a battlefield, but it wasn’t particularly chaotic.

Perhaps they’re too busy focusing on their research to care about any terror attacks.

“Oh? That’s……”

Rukna Golden stared at the nameplate of one research room.

Fritz

It seemed to be the alchemist to whom she needed to deliver the school nurse’s letter.

Just as Rukna was about to take out the letter from her bosom to confirm, the research room door burst open and a middle-aged alchemist came out, panting.

“Who’s disturbing my research again!”

Loose pajamas under a white gown, greasy hair that hadn’t been washed for days, and dark circles under his eyes.

Somehow similar in image to Chad, this middle-aged man looked as tired as if he had stayed up for three nights straight.

“Who are you? Are you terrorists too? Can’t you see this? Huh?”

Fritz pointed at the sign he had stuck in front of his research room.

Uh~? Prohibited. Looking around prohibited. Gatherings of 3 or more in front of the lab prohibited

What kind of nonsensical rule is that? As Rukna tilted her head, Bolton, who had been standing behind, jumped out with a hearty laugh.

“Senior Fritz, it’s me, Bolton!”

At Bolton’s appearance, Fritz’s scowling face softened.

Rukna examined Fritz’s features closely.

‘Isn’t he a merman?’

He had neither red eyes, elongated pupils, nor webbed hands.

She had assumed he would be a merman since he was an alchemist, but it seemed Ms. Gail’s husband was human.

“Haha, Bolton. It’s been a while!”

Fritz said he had rushed out thinking his apprentice had failed in calculating the elixir volume again when he heard someone make an ‘uh?’ sound in front of his lab.

“That apprentice, where did he go in the middle of an experiment, sheesh.”

“Maybe he went to find a junior to replace him? I heard a mermaid’s song by the river earlier.”

“These young merfolk nowadays have less perseverance than humans, I tell you.”

“It’s just that you and I are exceptional humans, senior. We’re human alchemists who’ve endured this harsh hazing, aren’t we?”

“You’re right. Haha!”

Fritz patted Bolton’s back.

Having survived among merfolk, their bond as human alchemists seemed extraordinary.

“Were you researching the golden elixir recipe again today, senior?”

“Yes. I’m almost there. If I can just get that ingredient from Lord Kuran, I’m sure I can complete it!”

As soon as he finished speaking, an alluring woman with dark skin walked out from inside the research room, chiming in with ‘Of course.’

The woman in a thin dress linked arms with Fritz and looked over Rukna’s group.

“Who are these people, Mr. Fritz?”

“G-go inside. There’s no need to watch these friends.”

A flustered Fritz pushed the woman back into the research room.

“Senior? That person……”

“D-don’t mind her. She’s a new assistant I hired.”

Fritz made up an excuse, but everyone present could tell their relationship was suspicious.

‘Is he having an affair?’

Bolton, who only knew that Fritz had a wife he had been separated from for a long time, was disappointed in the senior he had respected.

As the straightforward Bolton pressed his lips shut, an awkward silence hung between them.

It was Matian Wiegratz who broke it.

“I heard there was a terror attack, but why are you so focused on your experiment?”

Fritz, who had been looking around nervously, welcomed Matian’s question and changed the subject.

“There can’t be any gaps in my research. I’m already irritated that I’m short on assistants because young alchemists are being drafted to the central tower area.”

Rukna frowned at those words.

The situation was already frustrating enough, but Ms. Gail’s husband turned out to be a terrible egoist on top of that.

“Go about your business now. Don’t gather in front of my lab, it’s disturbing.”

Fritz waved his hand dismissively at the students before returning to his research room.

‘What kind of jerk is he?’

Rukna gaped in disbelief.

So much had happened in such a short time that she hadn’t been able to deliver the package Ms. Gail had asked her to.

‘I’ll just come back another time. Next time, I’ll make sure to step on that bastard’s foot at least once.’

Rukna moved to the central tower with the students.

As they got closer to the center, broken water pipes and damaged buildings could be seen here and there, but aside from the central tower with white smoke rising from it, there didn’t seem to be much damage.

“They said there was a terror attack, but it’s boring with no spectacle and just quiet. Don’t you think, Ruka?”

Chad walked alongside Rukna, yawning. Then he stretched out his arm and put it over Rukna’s shoulder in a friendly gesture.

Though Chad looked thin on the outside, his shoulder was heavy, perhaps due to his thick male bones.

‘Plus, it feels a bit strange.’

Is it because he’s too close? Rukna shrugged her shoulder and pushed him away.

“Take your arm off, Chad.”

“Ruka, you’re so cold.”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“I feel that way too. The atmosphere here is really not great.”

Rukna was about to say it wasn’t this place but you that was uncomfortable, but she just sighed heavily.

Talking with Chad always made her feel stuffy like this sometimes.

Though he seemed infinitely frivolous on the outside, he was as skilled as Matian, so she must be feeling pressure without realizing it.

“I’m thinking of slacking off, want to come with me, Ruka?”

“All of a sudden?”

“The grand sage here tends to be quite bothersome. There’s a perfect place to rest over there too.”

Chad nodded towards a two-story inn. A savory smell was wafting from it, perhaps as they were preparing meals.

“No thanks. Go by yourself if you want.”

“You’re unnecessarily diligent. Fine, I’ll rest alone, all lonely. Just don’t tattle to Matian, okay?”

Chad winked at Rukna and slipped away from the group, ducking into the inn.

What a cushy life. As Rukna watched his pathetic figure…

“Don’t mind Chad, he’s always like that.”

Matian’s voice suddenly came from behind. Whoa, you startled me!

“That guy usually moves alone except when magic is needed.”

“Then why was Chad called up?”

“Because even though he does as he pleases, his skills are outstanding.”

As Matian said, Chad’s magical abilities were indeed excellent enough to be called the best in the military academy.

“But Matian, I don’t see any other troops here… We’re not expected to suppress the terrorism if something happens, are we?”

“We might have to.”

We might have to? There’s no way cadets who aren’t even official knights could do that.

Rukna Golden worried that she might be killed by terrorists before even discovering the secret of her existence.

As if reading her mind, Matian tilted his head askew and smiled brightly.
His sweetly smiling lips uttered irritating words.

“What? Scared?”

“W-who’s scared!”

Not wanting to show her flustered state, Rukna Golden walked past Matian, almost running towards the tower.

‘Before my one and only life runs away, maybe I should slack off in an inn like Chad.’

As Rukna Golden seriously contemplated her next move while walking briskly,
Matian Wiegratz caught up to her in just a few steps and patted her shoulder.

Just as Rukna Golden turned her head, a leather bracelet fell from above onto her head.

Rukna Golden instinctively grabbed the bracelet and tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s this?”

The bracelet, made of thin twisted leather straps, looked flimsy on the outside but emanated an ominous aura similar to a holy sword.

“It’s a holy relic blessed by the high priest. You should be fine with your high latent holy power, but keep it anyway. It increases resistance to black magic.”

“This does?”

As Rukna Golden just stared blankly at the bracelet, Matian Wiegratz snatched it back.

His long fingers then burrowed under Rukna Golden’s sleeve.

‘Huh?’

The sensation of his warm fingers brushing against the soft skin inside her wrist was so unfamiliar that Rukna Golden froze in surprise.

As his fingers slowly dug in, her sleeve was pulled up at the same pace.
As her slender wrist hidden under the fabric was revealed, his other hand holding the bracelet wrapped around it and fastened the bracelet.

Click. The snap buttons at both ends of the bracelet made a clear sound as they locked together.

Perhaps because of his somewhat lingering touch,
Rukna Golden felt like she was wearing handcuffs rather than a bracelet, and had to check once more what she was wearing.

As she lowered her head briefly, his laughter fell on top of her head.

“It’s amazing that you wielded weapons with wrists like these. It seems you couldn’t even lift a club because it’s too heavy.”

“What?”

“But I’m sure the fearsome president of the club that criticizes the student council as a corrupt force can’t be that fragile.”

Matian Wiegratz, who had been quietly looking down at Rukna Golden’s wrist, let go of it and smiled brightly.

“I’m saying I’m already looking forward to seeing how impressive your performance will be during this call-up, Rukna.”

After encouraging Rukna Golden in a kind tone, Matian Wiegratz walked ahead.

Rukna Golden alternately looked at the bracelet and Matian Wiegratz, then bit her lip hard.

The back of that guy’s head looked very annoying, but she couldn’t explain exactly why.