Defense line near the Central Tower.

The leader of the alchemists, Great Sage Kuran, greeted the students.

“Welcome, students.”

With his white hair, wrinkled face, and hunched back supported by a cane, he looked every bit the kind grandfather.

But the eyes visible through his thick glasses were peculiar.

The elongated pupils and red eyes were those of a mermaid.

Kuran, leaning on a long staff with a transparent crystal embedded in it, walked towards Matian.

“Thank you for answering our call.”

“It is only natural for a student seeking to realize their learning to respond to the Empire’s trial.”

The one who had been teasing him just moments ago now represented the student soldiers more reliably than anyone else.

‘Yes, that’s why he’s so annoying.’

As Rukna pursed her lips towards Matian, a thick palm rubbed the top of her head.

“What are you looking at, bonehead?”

Bolton, who had been busy greeting various alchemists here and there, had somehow taken the spot next to Rukna.

“…That.”

Unable to honestly admit that she was looking at Matian, Rukna vaguely pointed at the staff the Great Sage was holding.

“Ah, the crystal ball at the end of that staff? That’s called the Philosopher’s Stone, bonehead. They say if you put your hand on it, you can see through the essence of things, but when alchemists reach the highest level, they can grasp the fundamentals of objects without that stone.”

“I see.”

Rukna nodded while staring intently at the Philosopher’s Stone.

‘Didn’t Professor Gail’s staff have something similar attached to it?’

Meanwhile, Great Sage Kuran was shaking hands with Matian.

Although meeting the Great Sage should be nerve-wracking, Matian’s confident appearance with a splendid smile perfectly embodied the expression ‘noble to the bone’.

‘Graceful, dignified, and doing it all on his own.’

Rukna quietly imitated Matian’s gestures, vowing that if she ever had to face someone important alone, she would do it like that.

When Bolton, who was watching this, chuckled with his shoulders shaking, Rukna swatted away his hand on her head.

Ignoring the commotion behind them, the Great Sage continued his conversation with Matian.

“I feel much more at ease now that the descendant of the great hero, Young Lord Wiegratz, is here.”

“I will do my best.”

“But I heard rumors that the holy sword has found its owner…”

As Kuran’s gaze fell to Matian’s scabbard, Matian showed an even brighter smile.

“I would appreciate a detailed explanation of the current situation first, Great Sage.”

Even the Great Sage seemed captivated by that smile, as he shifted his attention to the question Matian had posed instead of inquiring about the holy sword’s whereabouts.

“Terrorists using black magic have stolen the magic amplifier used for elixir fusion. After that, they occupied the Central Tower as you see, but we don’t know their purpose yet.”

He added that the terrorists had cast a space distortion spell, making it impossible to enter the tower.

Currently, alchemists were surrounding and monitoring the tower with weapons, but they had little chance of winning if they were to clash directly with the terrorists.

“Is the Golden Elixir in that tower by any chance?”

“No. Currently, I’m the only one who can make it on this island, and there are no spares.”

Kuran stroked the Philosopher’s Stone. Then, shimmering water quickly flowed through the pipes connecting the Central Tower and each laboratory.

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

“However, I’m worried they might contaminate our water. The Central Tower supplies perfectly purified water fused with ether to each laboratory.”

The elixirs made on the Island of Wisdom were special thanks to this water’s ether.

If this ether became contaminated and spread throughout the island, it would be disastrous, which is why Kuran was controlling the water. However, it was physically taxing, and he couldn’t hold out forever.

“To contaminate such high-purity water, they would need to use high-level black magic. In that case, they would need sacrifices.”

As Matian said, the alchemists trapped in that tower were likely to become sacrifices.

Perhaps the black magicians were already taking steps to turn them into sacrifices.

“I wonder if they would really do such a thing. Black magicians who consume life would need the recovery potions we make… There’s no benefit for them in this action.”

“If the tower is contaminated, the pollution will spread to this area, and the entire island, concentrated with the ether of water, will be weakened.”

“I know that, but it’s still self-destructive for them. Could they be that foolish?”

Although he said this, Kuran, preparing for the worst, had already requested the dispatch of knights from the imperial family and nearby territories.

However, due to procedures, it would take another day or two for them to arrive.

“It’s fortunate that you came so quickly. We couldn’t have held out on our own.”

Matian’s student council, in their graduating year, was famous for resolving incidents even before the knights could arrive.

Matian, the Weapon Master, Chad, soon to join the ranks of great mages, Bolton the alchemist, and Aaron in charge of assault, were the team that had received the most medals among all student councils in history.

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

Kuran glanced at Rukna. Rukna bowed her head towards Kuran and introduced herself.

“Hello, Great Sage. I’m Rukna Golden of the Golden Count family.”

Although she had practiced greetings earlier while imitating Matian, as soon as she saw the Great Sage, her head bowed deeply.

Ah, the blood of the country of eastern courtesy.

“Oh, a descendant of the great mage ‘Golden’!”

No, I was adopted. Rukna muttered inwardly as she straightened her back.

“However, I don’t sense great magical power from you. Rather, it seems you have talent in something else…”

Other talent? As Rukna tilted her head, Kuran pulled her hand and placed it on the Philosopher’s Stone.

‘Oh no!’

The Philosopher’s Stone can sense the essence of things, right?

She might inadvertently reveal the holy power of the sacred sword.

If she’s discovered here, it’s all over. Rukna quickly called out to the sacred sword.

‘Hi Bisby, hide the holy power as much as possible!’

There was no response, but judging from Kuran’s long hesitation, it seemed Bisby had faithfully carried out the order.

“Hmm. It’s ambiguous. But what’s clear is that your energy is different from Golden’s. This is rather…”

“This student recently lost her memory due to an unfortunate accident and doesn’t remember her past, Great Sage.”

Matian intervened in the conversation.

He seemed to be cutting off the conversation to avoid mentioning in public that Rukna was adopted.

‘Since when did the student council president become so considerate?’

Rukna pouted but felt relieved.

“Oh my, you lost your memory. Once this incident is resolved, I’ll give you an elixir that might help.”

“Then we’ll be in your care.”

It was Matian, not Rukna, who thanked the Great Sage for his words.

‘Why is Matian thanking him when he’s offering to make an elixir to find my memories?’

Rukna parroted Matian’s words, saying “We’ll be in your care,” while glancing at him to try to understand his intentions.

At that moment, Kuran began coughing heavily.

He had been overexerting himself controlling all the water on the island since the terrorist attack.

“Master, are you unwell?”

Bolton rushed forward to support Kuran and check his condition.

It was quite surprising that Bolton’s master was the Great Sage.

Even Rukna, who didn’t know much about alchemy, understood that not just anyone could become the Great Sage’s disciple. Could Bolton’s skills be more impressive than they appeared?

“Cough, you rascal. Did controlling all the water on the island look easy to you?”

Kuran, having barely stopped coughing, smacked Bolton’s waist with his staff.

“Ow, you hit your disciple as soon as you see him?”

“If you come to the island after so long, you should first bring hot tea to your coughing master, not stand there like a slug. That’s why I’m frustrated.”

Kuran, who had been endlessly kind in front of Matian, was just a grumpy old man to Bolton.

“Alright, I’ll brew it. I’ll bring it. That temper of yours never dies, does it?”

“Did this brat just pray for my death?”

“Seeing how sharp your hearing is, you must still be in good health.”

Bolton, his lips turned down, scratched his head and looked around.

Having visited after a long time, he seemed unsure where to get the tea leaves.

“You clumsy fool. Aren’t the tea leaves in Fritz’s laboratory? Did you eat goldfish soup every day at school? Your memory is truly… tsk tsk.”

Is it okay for a mermaid to talk about goldfish soup?

Rukna watched their conversation, recalling the tragedy of internecine strife.

“Yes, yes, I got it. I’ll brew it with very clean water, so please wait.”

“Walk faster! I’ll die of old age before you bring the tea!”

That temper, really.

Bolton huffed as he headed towards Fritz’s laboratory.

It didn’t take long to prepare the tea. Bolton quickly walked back to Kuran with a mug filled with herbal tea.

“Here, Master. It’s herbal tea I got from Senior Fritz.”

Bolton carelessly held out the steaming mug to Kuran.

Kuran sipped the tea Bolton had brought.

Then, frowning deeply, he smacked Bolton’s shin with his staff.

“The taste of this tea you’ve brought after so long… Did you spit in it, you rascal?”

“N-No, I didn’t!”

For someone claiming innocence, Bolton’s ears turned suspiciously red.