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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The story of Chrom Midas and Kaspar Hundreth spread quickly.
Many students assumed Chrom would be summoned and reprimanded by a professor for his excessive violence.
They didn’t yet understand the kind of hellhole they had entered.
“Let’s see, a duel by mutual agreement, no fatalities, no permanent injuries, no civilian casualties, no property damage, no skipping class…hmm, no problem! Oh, you say he used Enhancement, which hasn’t been taught in class yet? I’m not so narrow-minded as to criticize students for getting private tutoring.”
Thus ruled the madwoman who had previously called the examinees trash and snapped someone’s neck for questioning her judgment.
Upon hearing this, the students shuddered at Istal von Levenstein’s title of “Head of Academy Security.”
Of course, she was the perfect choice for maintaining security.
No one would dare cause trouble if they risked being beaten to death.
The head of the Hundreth family, after learning the details of the incident, wisely chose not to complain about Istal’s ruling or demand punishment for Chrom, thus avoiding further embarrassment for his family.
Instead, he summoned his son home for a warm, fatherly “disciplinary session.”
And with the student population decreasing from 184 to 183, the incident was concluded.
Of course, the aftermath lingered.
Some were displeased that Chrom Midas had beaten a “noble.”
Others frowned upon his brutality in the duel.
Some shook their heads at his persistence in using potions to force a verbal surrender.
Some noted Chrom’s skill.
Others observed the princess’s reaction, the cause of the duel.
A few, though a minority, were thrilled that an arrogant noble had been put in his place.
Whether positive or negative, this was the moment “Chrom Midas,” the individual, not just “Chrom of the notorious Midas family,” became known.
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As I’ve mentioned before, the ‘Greedy Prodigal’ isn’t a combat-oriented template.
It’s mediocre in both physical and magical combat, lacking any specialized combat traits.
While it starts with a lot of money and excels at item farming, making it easy to acquire powerful equipment, its base stats are only around third-tier, or 2.5-tier at best, without items.
It can’t compare to pure combat templates like ‘Nameless War Ghost,’ ‘Heir of Red and Blue Blood,’ or ‘Proud Barbarian,’ and it’s even outclassed by top-tier companion candidates like Crow Vein or the Fendevig siblings.
However, that’s only in comparison to the protagonists of “Planetarium” and other geniuses.
It’s not so weak as to be underestimated by some random mana user.
A journeyman boxer who’s never won a title would still dominate amateurs, even if they can’t compete with other professionals.
Even the original ‘Greedy Prodigal’ could have easily won that duel with a few enhancement potions beforehand.
Much less me, after two years of additional training.
The fact that it was still early in the game, before the ‘Dyeing’ process had fully taken effect, was also advantageous.
If it had been a true clash of ‘Red Light’ and ‘Blue Light,’ I wouldn’t have been able to dominate so easily.
His enhancement efficiency would have been multiplied, while mine would have been drastically reduced.
In any case, I had won, driven away the rabid boar, and made a name for myself.
“You made a name for yourself, but it’s more like notoriety.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s better than being seen as a pushover.”
“It’s true that since Oppa’s fight, there’s been less open gossiping.”
People dislike villains, but they despise the weak.
If I had hidden from the princess as he demanded, or simply endured the insults, the situation would have been worse.
I would have been seen as a spineless pushover with a bad reputation.
I’d rather be known as a ruthless bastard.
“Besides, there’s a big difference between being vicious and being vicious and also competent.”
And in the Academy, there was a simple way to demonstrate competence.
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Alchemy, which I had chosen as an elective, was in a rather ambiguous position.
It was expensive.
Just like science experiments were limited without proper equipment, alchemy required various tools and materials, all of which cost money.
And even with the equipment, you needed ingredients, reagents, and a workshop for processing them safely.
It was already beyond the reach of ordinary people.
But it wasn’t easy for wealthy nobles either, due to the sheer volume of knowledge required.
Even within alchemy, there were specialists in potions, magic stone processing, scroll crafting, and so on.
And even within potions, there were further specializations in healing, antidotes, and other effects.
It demanded immense time and effort, and the recognition wasn’t commensurate with the work involved.
It was like how everyone knew logistics were crucial in the military, but most aspired to be decorated soldiers on the battlefield, not quartermasters.
Toiling away in a workshop, experimenting with various chemicals, was too mundane for nobles.
And this ambiguous position of alchemy was perfect for me.
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During alchemy class, Professor Faust Heming evaluated the students’ creations.
“You overheated it. This nullifies the medicinal properties. Be more careful next time.”
“The ratio of dried forget-me-not petals to pine pollen is incorrect. Even a slight difference in weight can alter the effects, so familiarize yourself with the scales.”
“Wait, why did you reverse the order of adding the ingredients?”
Most of the students who received criticism looked annoyed.
They thought Professor Faust was nitpicking.
—It’s just a few minutes’ difference, how much can it really matter?
—He’s being too harsh over a pinch of powder.
—It’s all going to be mixed together anyway, does the order really matter?
The fact that alchemy class was far more tedious than they had anticipated added to their frustration.
They just had to process the specified ingredients in the specified amounts according to the specified procedures.
They also resented having to wash and meticulously dry every single piece of equipment.
For nobles, this was servants’ work.
‘Tsk tsk, this is why I suggested establishing a separate institution for alchemy instead of just making it an elective.’
Professor Faust was well aware of the students’ thoughts.
Mana users were rare, and many alchemical items required the creator to possess mana.
So, it seemed reasonable to nurture potential alchemists while training mana users.
The problem was that the remaining students in this Academy were the ones who had survived Istal von Levenstein’s brutal selection process.
The entrance exam itself favored those with combat skills, so the survivors were generally competent, and consequently, hot-headed.
Would they listen when asked to trade their weapons for beakers and scales and follow precise recipes?
Of course, a skilled warrior with extensive alchemical knowledge and magic item crafting abilities would be incredibly valuable.
But teaching them was a headache.
‘It’s a blessing that I don’t have to worry about resources, but even with the best environment, it’s going to be tough with these students… hmm?’
As he grumbled internally while continuing his evaluations, Professor Faust’s eyes fell on one student’s work.
“Oh ho, excellent. Impeccable craftsmanship for a beginner.”
It wasn’t just the potion itself that was impressive.
The workstation was spotless, and the equipment was neatly organized and categorized, ready for the next experiment.
In a way, this was even more commendable than creating a good potion.
Even among professionals, many skilled alchemists were notoriously messy.
“Chrom Midas, wasn’t it? Flawless work.”
“You flatter me, Professor.”
The boy with the gold-rimmed monocle grinned.
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