Uregeoreum let out a dry laugh but then nodded.
He had no intention of criticizing the idea of growing and selling vegetables himself.
"As far as I know, no student has tried it before. It's a very creative idea. Extremely creative."
"Oh, thank you. Sounds like business will be good."
"That wasn't a compliment!"
Though Uregeoreum grumbled, he knew deep down that money management was also an important virtue for an alchemist.
After all, who would provide the outrageously expensive reagents and ingredients? You had to earn the money and get them yourself.
'At this rate, he'll never be short on funds in the future.'
"Cabbage and green onions… Hmm. Sounds good for making stew."
"!"
At Uregeoreum's comment, Ihan looked up.
Western-style cuisine wasn't the only thing in the Empire. Being such an enormous nation, its food varied greatly by region.
While the western Empire—where the Wardanaz family was based—favored bread and cheese, the eastern regions leaned toward rice, noodles, red pepper paste, soybean paste, and other foods Ihan was quite familiar with.
"Do you like stew?"
"I do. But I try to avoid eating it."
"?"
"It's eastern food, right? I hate eastern dwarves."
Uregeoreum frowned, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.
"Did something happen?"
"Some elder relatives of mine live in the East, and every time we meet, they nag endlessly... 'Regeneration potions are expensive these days, why don't you start selling them?' 'No wonder you're always broke.' 'Why don't you visit more often?' 'A young punk like you using such a long tobacco pipe…'"
"..."
Ihan was caught off guard by how oddly specific the rant was.
He had heard that the eastern Empire valued tradition and rules more than the west, but this was on another level.
"I... I see."
"I'm rambling. But there's nothing wrong with the food itself. I don't hate it. If you make stew someday, let's share."
Ihan hadn't offered to share, but he knew better than to argue with a grumpy professor.
"It would be an honor to serve you, Professor."
Uregeoreum nodded in approval at Ihan's response.
'Wait a minute. The Wardanaz family is from the west. Can I really trust this guy's eastern-style cooking?'
Uregeoreum started to feel uneasy.
Sure, Ihan was great at chores—but most nobles weren't exactly known for their cooking skills.
He had seen Ihan grill a steak decently before, but eastern dishes were notoriously complex.
"...Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it's not right for me to accept that. You're growing the ingredients yourself, after all."
"Huh? But that pork you just ate was from the boar me and my friends hunted…"
"That—technically that was from a boar I had already prepared!"
Uregeoreum finally snapped.
After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Ihan began to get ready to leave.
"By the way, what are you doing this weekend?"
"Am I supposed to come in to work?"
"...Seriously? Do I look like the kind of professor who'd call a student in on the weekend?"
Uregeoreum sounded genuinely offended.
But Ihan was even more confused.
'Wait. You're not supposed to call students in on weekends?'
Why not?
Wasn't calling in students on weekends like, the base skill of all professors?
"You've done good work. No need to come in over the weekend. Unless, of course, you want to tend to your garden... But you're probably going to be busy anyway."
Uregeoreum said this with a knowing look.
Ihan felt a twinge of anxiety.
'Why does he sound ominous now?'
"Is something going on?"
"What else? Think about it. What do students do when they've spent the whole week hungry and miserable, and the weekend finally comes around?"
"Set the school on fire?"
"...That's a little extreme. I meant they start looking for ways to eat."
Starve the students. Push them to the edge.
Then they'll figure something out on their own.
As was the will of the Lich Principal.
By the weekend, most new students would start thinking seriously:
— Why is this school treating us so terribly? Is it because the principal is undead?
— We can't keep starving like this! We have to find food somehow!
— Oh, friends! Let us unite and rise together!
"I did hear a rumor that students from the Black Tortoise Tower were searching the forest behind the main building for edible fruits and berries."
"Typical Black Tortoise kids."
Uregeoreum responded as if he expected no less.
Freshman behavior usually fell into patterns based on which tower they belonged to.
The Black Tortoise Tower—composed of commoners, merchants, even former slaves—moved the fastest, without concern for appearances.
So it was only natural they'd be rummaging through forests and mountains for something to eat.
"Thanks to your hunting, some students might be inspired to go hunting themselves. It's rare for anyone to start hunting in the first week."
"It's all thanks to your guidance, Professor."
Uregeoreum smiled at the flattery, then paused, feeling a little uneasy.
Why does that sound like an insult?
"What about students from the Blue Dragon Tower?"
"They're usually the slowest. Those guys are all heavy-assed."
Ihan couldn't help but agree.
Looking at his fellow towermates, it was clear to Ihan that not many of them would go foraging in the forest just because the weekend had arrived.
"But still, there are always a few capable ones. After starving for a few weeks, they tend to come to their senses and find good solutions."
Thunderstep said this while looking at Ihan.
Come to think of it, this year's Blue Dragon Tower felt very different from usual.
Just the mindset of that Wardanaz family heir alone was on another level…
What a strange kid.
"Respected Professor, may I ask about the other towers as well?"
"I can tell you at least that much. As for the Phoenix Tower students… well, they're kind of in a category of their own. Those kids don't get shaken just because they're hungry or suffering."
The Phoenix Tower, made up of apprentice priests sent by the imperial religious order.
Since they'd always practiced frugality and simplicity at the temple, it made sense they were the quickest to adapt to this magic academy.
So, while students from other towers wandered in search of food, the Phoenix Tower students would often just endure through prayer.
The power of faith.
Incredible. How can they keep going on just that?
As Ihan pondered this, he paused.
Now that he thought about it, hadn't he survived several years during graduate school in much the same way?
Hmm. Maybe people are more resilient than I thought.
"By the way, Wardanaz. Are you planning to go hunting this weekend?"
"Yes."
There was no reason to hide it, so Ihan answered confidently.
"Then watch out for the White Tiger Tower kids. They tend to go hunting too. They usually stay cautious during the first week, but if they hear someone's done well, you can bet they won't sit quietly."
"It's all thanks to your teachings, Professor."
"...As long as you understand. Those White Tiger Tower kids are traditionally the ones who cause the most trouble. They're mostly from knight families, so they're hot-blooded."
"Yes. If it comes to a fight, I'll make sure to plan a strategy where we outnumber them."
"..."
That's not what I meant…!
Thunderstep opened his mouth as if to say something, then gave up.
Honestly, he felt that this Wardanaz kid would handle things just fine on his own.
"You might not run into them anyway. The forest and mountains are large, and they might choose to do something else instead of hunting… Wait, no. Not during the first week…"
"What would they do instead of hunting?"
"..."
Thunderstep regretted bringing it up.
For some reason, he had a feeling that if he told Ihan, the kid would actually do it.
"Escape."
"…?!"
Escape.
The vast campus of the magic academy was surrounded by towering stone walls, further protected by magic.
But still, there were always those who tried to break through and flee.
Considering the nearby villages and all the supplies available there, it was no surprise that escape attempts happened.
New coat, new shirt, new belt, new pants, new boots, bread and butter, cheese and jam, various dried rations, a needle and thread just in case, paper and quill pens, soap and perfume… Damn. There's so much I can't even list it all!
The moment he heard the word escape, Ihan's eyes lit up and his mind went into overdrive.
If he could get his hands on those items, he could live like royalty in the dorms.
"See! This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you!"
Thunderstep could tell exactly what Ihan was thinking just by looking at his face.
"What? What do you mean?"
"Don't think I don't know you're calculating what you could bring back if you snuck out!"
"No way? Is that some kind of magic?"
"Magic, my ass! Don't do anything stupid. The reason those White Tiger Tower kids always try to escape first every year is because they're the dumbest ones."
"Has no one ever succeeded?"
"..."
"No one?"
"…Not none, but—!"
"Oh…"
"You'll regret it, I'm telling you!"
Thunderstep shouted, then suddenly went quiet.
When he thought about it, there was really no reason for him to stop the kid so hard.
Everyone did stupid things when they were young.
"Fine. Do what you want if you're that curious."
"No, Professor. I have absolutely no intention of doing that."
"Say that again with a straight face, why don't you?!"
A dark room.
Lit only by a single flickering candle, three people with threatening expressions were intimidating an orc.
"Hey, Choi. Do you understand the situation you're in? Huh? The only way you're getting out of this is by cooperating!"
"…Ihan. Even if that prince didn't act like this, I would've just talked if you asked."
Deurgyu looked at Gainando in disbelief.
The guy wasn't even that intimidating, and his overly dramatic glare was more baffling than scary.
Suddenly, the three of them had shown up like, "Come with us!" and now this was turning into some bizarre stage play.
"Hmm. Was that not effective?"
Ihan drew back the curtain. Sunlight spilled into the empty lecture room. Yonel blew out the candle.
Gainando, confused by the change in atmosphere, looked back and forth between Ihan and Deurgyu.
"You said we were going to interrogate Choi! Wait—did you already know each other?!"
"Yes."
"Then why did we go through all this?!"
"I didn't want the other White Tiger Tower students to see us being friendly."
"!"
Deurgyu was startled.
Ihan was right. There was nothing good that could come from a misunderstanding.
"Thanks, Ihan. If we'd walked in talking like friends, others might've gotten the wrong idea."
"No need to thank me. I can do at least this much for someone who'll be our inside man."
"…Wait, inside man?"
Deurgyu objected to the dishonorable title.
Ihan tilted his head and asked casually:
"Didn't you say you'd let us know if that Moradi guy started doing anything shady?"
"I did."
"Then you're an inside man."
"…Isn't there a more refined and honorable way to say that?"
Deurgyu protested like a true knight's son.
He was doing it for justice and honor—why did it have to sound so… sketchy?
"I think 'inside man' sounds about right."
Gainando added helpfully.
Deurgyu glared at him. Gainando flinched and averted his eyes awkwardly.
"Now that I think about it… maybe not."