At that moment, a red eagle wearing a black robe secretly entered the laboratory.

“Oh, oh no, Master Fritz!”

“What is it now!”

“Our comrades guarding the central tower have all been subdued. The water ether contamination failed too. The ones who were supposed to deal with the Grand Sage only reported that he doesn’t have the golden elixir, and we’ve lost contact with them since.”

“What have you all been doing besides securing the magic amplifier! I gave you everything from the island entrance to the secret passage of the central tower, shouldn’t you have handled it yourselves!”

Fritz was angry, but inside he was actually glad the water ether contamination mission had failed.

It was an operation he had to carry out on orders from higher ranks, but now that it failed, it seemed he could continue his experiments without issue.

Fritz hid his smile and stared at the large flask.

Thankfully, the golden liquid placed on the black magic circle was bubbling away.

“I just need to make the golden elixir. Then everything will be in my hands.”

Of course, he would have to hand over that golden elixir to the Red Eagles, but he didn’t mind as long as he could take the Grand Sage’s seat.

‘Now that I’ve taken the Philosopher’s Stone Kuran had, I can complete it.’

Of course, there was another Philosopher’s Stone he received from Gail, but that one was hidden away secretly.

It was better to take Kuran’s than carelessly use what Gail had given.

‘But where did Gail get a Philosopher’s Stone from?’

What a foolish woman. If she had given it earlier, he could have finished sooner.

Just then, someone kicked open the laboratory door.

Bang! The broken door flew towards the wall, crashing and shattering experimental equipment.

“Three eagles left, is it.”

Matian Wiegratz was standing where the door had been.

His smiling face looked happier than usual.

“Y-You!”

“Only one here seems worth fighting.”

Matian gazed at a woman wearing a thin dress. The woman raised an eyebrow crookedly.

“Oh my, handsome. Interested in me?”

“Not really.”

“Oh my, you don’t like me? Do you like men, darling?”

“I’ve never liked anything, so I wouldn’t know.”

Shing. Matian drew a blade as blue as his eyes.

“But I do know what I hate very well.”

“What do you hate?”

“Someone I’m concerned about being alone with someone I hate.”

“Is that someone a man?”

“Yes. So I’ll finish this quickly.”

Matian swung his sword at the woman without hesitation.

Eek! The woman’s eyes went wide as she nimbly dodged the blade, then tilted her head.

“But you know, don’t people usually call that being gay?”

Rukna was talking with Bolton.

After laying the unconscious Kuran on the bed, Bolton bombarded Rukna with questions, which Rukna diligently answered.

“So you’re saying the herbal tea I drank had Karzan’s deadly poison in it?”

“Yes.”

“And you even made the antidote?”

“That’s right. Using a method someone taught me long ago.”

It wasn’t a lie. The vision I saw earlier must have been a memory from when I was very young.

Bolton began to wail about the fact that he had given poison to his master.

“Waaah. I’m the fool. You who made the antidote are the greatest alchemist.”

“Stop crying, Bolton.”

Rukna wiped Bolton’s eyes with her hand.

“Sniff, but why did you slap my cheek earlier?”

“Did it hurt a lot?”

“No. It felt good.”

“…Huh?”

“No, I mean, it hurt when you hit me, but thinking you did it for some reason made me feel good, sniff.”

Bolton awkwardly spit out an excuse with a red face.

“Ah, I see. Thanks for understanding. I needed tears from someone who loves the poisoned person for the antidote.”

At those words, Bolton, who was sitting by the bed, bent his large upper body and lay down on Kuran’s body.

“Master! This is how much I care for you!”

“…You’re making my head ring, tone it down.”

Kuran slowly opened his mouth in a hoarse voice, having regained consciousness.

“M-Master? Are you awake?”

“Where do you think you’re leaning, you heavy oaf. Why don’t you just hold a funeral for me instead, you fool.”

“Master, I’m sorry. I almost killed you by giving you poisoned tea. But please don’t expel me.”

Bolton clung to Kuran with his large frame.

It was strange to see the man who had proudly swung his mace with his robust build at the military academy turn into a mere whining child in front of his master.

“You’re killing me even more, you fool!”

“Waaah, Masterrr!”

“A man with a body like a boulder, crying like a baby. This time I really understand your feelings!”

“I was wrong, sniff. Don’t cast me out!”

“Who said I’m casting you out? Didn’t you say the antidote needs loving feelings?”

“…Pardon?”

Bolton opened his one eye wide. Tsk. Kuran clicked his tongue.

“You see? What else can I call this fool but a fool?”

“Ah, haha.”

“Besides, this guy has been unable to control his fiery temper since he was young. Only hears what he wants to hear.”

That’s why he called him a fool, he said.

No matter how smart you are, if you can’t control your temper, you’re no better than trash.

“Master…!”

“Learn to control your temper well until you graduate. Then I’ll take you back as a disciple.”

Oh boy, I’m really dying here. Kuran lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Snore, the sound of snoring echoed in the now quiet room.

Bolton wiped his tears with his forearm, then patted Rukna’s shoulder and called her outside.

“…Let’s talk for a bit, fool.”

Why is he calling me a fool again? He just called me the greatest alchemist earlier.

“First, I’m sorry for yelling earlier!”

Bolton bowed to Rukna in apology.

I heard Bolton was also from a baronial family, though now fallen.

I thought nobles only bowed their heads when they were about to lose them on the guillotine, so this kind of apology was quite unexpected.

“R-Raise your head first.”

Feeling burdened by the excessively polite apology, I lifted Bolton’s shoulders.

Then Bolton mumbled with slumped shoulders.

“I don’t deserve to raise my head. I failed to recognize the benefactor who saved my master and yelled first in the urgent situation. I’m ashamed to face you, fool.”

His rough face was filled with guilt, like a child who broke a glass cup without his mother knowing.

He may have a rough exterior, but his insides seem to be very soft.

Rukna sighed deeply, recalling Chad who had been threatening her with his slick face.

Compared to that annoying guy, this one could be called innocent without exaggeration.

“It’s okay. Anyone would have misunderstood in that situation.”

“Thanks for understanding, fool.”

Bolton slowly raised his head and scratched it.

“Can you stop calling me fool? You’re the fool here.”

“I-It’s my choice, okay.”

Bolton’s face flushed red as he stubbornly insisted.

Fine, do as you please. What does it matter what you call me?

“Oh, and this.”

Rukna handed Bolton the box she had received earlier from Sage Kuran.

“Kuran asked me to give this to you earlier. I guess he was too shy to give it directly.”

“What’s this? Oh!”

Bolton opened the box and widened his eyes, carefully cradling a glass bead in his large hands.

It was a perfectly crafted glass eye made through alchemy.

“It seems Kuran really wanted to make an eye for you.”

“M-Master did?! Ahem, I guess he got tired of looking at my eyepatch.”

“Do you really think that?”

“…No.”

Bolton pressed his lips together and his eyes welled up with tears.

He cares for me. I actually knew it all along. As Bolton mumbled in a small voice, tears dripped from his one stern eye.

“Haha, are you always this tearful? You look like a pirate but act like this.”

“No I’m not! I’m not crying! It’s just sweat! And I don’t look like a pirate!”

Bolton yelled as he turned around.

Then he lifted his eyepatch up to his forehead and fiddled with the eye area. He was putting in the glass eye Kuran had given him.

He grunted for a while, then let out a small gasp of amazement. And he slowly turned his head to look around.

“This is crazy. I can see? Wow. I really can see!”

Bolton twisted his large body around and stared at Rukna again.

His fierce impression changed to a bold and magnanimous one as he took off the eyepatch.

His face still looked aged, but that was all.

The slightly pale color of the glass eye accidentally gave him heterochromia, but no one would think it was artificial, it looked so natural.

“It suits you well, Bolton.”

“R-Really?”

Bolton scratched the side of his head and blushed.

“Yes. Can you see better than before?”

“Of course. I can see your pretty face more clearly too.”

Bolton blurted out his true feelings without realizing, then belatedly clamped his mouth shut.

“Ah, I mean.”

His complexion instantly turned bright red.

He waved his pot lid-sized hands left and right, not knowing what to do.

“A man looking like a woman keeps making me say nonsense! So introduce me to Giselle Golden before my heart goes to weird places!”