Let’s Go Together

Professor Edwin Nollen, who had introduced himself as the alchemy instructor, led the students into a room beneath the building.

The lab was cluttered with strange contraptions. On the tables where those machines were mounted, suspicious-looking papers covered in bizarre formulas were scattered about, and the walls were lined with illustrations showing the progress of various ongoing experiments. It was the quintessential alchemist’s laboratory.

Adrian Heather stepped into the room, wide-eyed in amazement at what he saw. The new students hesitated, dragging their feet as they reluctantly followed behind him. Mikhail Luce Inehart was the last one to enter the lab. To the untrained eye, an alchemist’s room looked filthy—and downright dangerous.

And then it happened.

—!

A sharp sound pierced the air, and the freshmen instinctively covered their ears.

The bubbling noise that had been growing louder for some time finally culminated in the shattering of a glass bottle containing something unknown.

“Oops. Pardon me, just let me through.”

The professor parted the group of students and strode toward the table in the lab. A suspicious green liquid was now spilling from the broken bottle. Professor Edwin motioned for the students to step back further. They obeyed his gestures in a rush, retreating to the corners of the lab.

“……Well, looks like we’ve got ourselves the perfect teaching material.”

Edwin pretended to have expected the chaos all along, putting on a show of confidence. But the table in front of him told a different story. The green liquid was spreading across the surface, trailing smoke and making a fsshhhhh noise wherever it flowed.

After ushering the students back, Professor Edwin grabbed a steel container—originally used to hold writing tools—and flipped it upside down. In his haste, the pens and pencils inside clattered noisily to the floor. Holding the container at an angle, he brought it near the seeping green substance. Then, shielding the container’s opening with his palm to block out the light, he leaned in closer.

“This is how you deal with something like this.”

The green liquid began to squirm and wriggle with a sticky sound. As if it were alive, it vibrated across its surface and slowly crept into the dark interior of the container.

The freshmen standing nearby widened their eyes, captivated by the strange spectacle. With his free hand, Professor Edwin picked up one of the pens that had fallen and stabbed it into the green slime. A dent appeared where the pen entered, but it quickly faded away.

“Let me introduce you to a species of algae discovered by the scholar Mason Howard. To keep it simple, we just call it ‘Mason Algae.’”

At that, the professor gave the students a playful wink.

“This algae is one stubborn little organism. You can even find it thriving around active, scorching undersea volcanoes. As you just witnessed, it really doesn’t like bright places.”

Once all the green ooze had wriggled its way into the dark container, the professor covered the opening of the pen case with his palm and gave it a gentle shake.

“……Ta-da! A truly fascinating research subject.”

One of the freshmen timidly raised an arm. He was a gentle-looking boy with glasses. Professor Edwin scanned the room and, spotting the student, gave him a twinkle-eyed nod. It meant: Go ahead, speak.

“Professor, why would anyone research that kind of algae?”

“Hmm… why? Why research it, you ask? Student—what’s your name?”

As if it were the first time he’d ever heard such a question, Professor Edwin tilted his head and set the container he’d been holding down on the table.

“My name? …It’s Arthur Hailen.”

Caught off guard by the sudden request for his name, the freshman shrank a little and responded in a quiet voice.

“Arthur. Imagine this.”

Professor Edwin leaned forward, planting both palms firmly on the table as he locked eyes with Arthur Hailen, speaking with firm intensity.

“Let’s say you’re exploring an underwater cave and you get lost. A very deep cave. There’s not a single living creature around you.”

…A rather extreme scenario. Adrian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the lab, going along with the professor’s vivid mental image.

“So, how in the world would you find your way out of a dark underwater cave? Arthur Hailen, you’re trapped down there! The oxygen is running low, you need to find the exit—but there’s no clue where to go. You keep swimming through the pitch-black cave until…”

The professor snapped his fingers—snap—for dramatic effect.

“Because Arthur Hailen didn’t know about Mason Algae, he never found the exit. He died. Ah—but don’t be offended! That Arthur only exists in the realm of imagination. …Now, if this same Arthur Hailen had paid attention in class and learned about Mason Algae, he’d have made it home alive. He would’ve spotted this miraculous organism stubbornly clinging to life in the cracks of the cave wall. He’d scrape the algae off the rock, place it in the palm of his hand, and swim in the opposite direction from where it moved. And then—he’d see sunlight glimmering through the surface. He’d find his way home. Congratulations, Arthur Hailen. And it’s all thanks to the discovery of Mason Algae.”

Arthur nodded with a somewhat unimpressed expression, muttering, “…Yes. I understand, Professor.” Alchemy, it seemed, was a strangely practical field. Adrian found himself rather liking that aspect of it.

Professor Edwin continued his explanation of Mason Algae without pause.

“There’s a lot you can make by applying the properties of this algae. Curtains that shift on their own when sunlight hits them… self-cleaning aquariums…”

His expression went vacant for a moment. The examples he was listing were becoming increasingly pathetic. Realizing this himself, Professor Edwin snapped out of it mid-sentence.

“Well, anyway, things like that aren’t our concern as alchemists. Once we release the results of our research into the world, the market will figure out the rest. That’s when it leaves the alchemist’s hands.”

With a shrug, he lifted his arms from the table.

“Now then, let me explain what you’ll all be doing in the next alchemy class.”

Edwin walked to the front of the lab, and the freshmen—previously clustered nervously in the corner—finally began to step forward and find spots around the tables.

***

The first day of classes at the Academy had finally come to an end.

Taking advantage of the fact that his roommate wasn’t around, Adrian headed straight for his dorm room. Dropping to his knees, he placed both hands on the floor and peeked beneath the bed. He was checking to make sure the “All-Seeing Eye” was still safely tucked away down there.

Thankfully, the stone remained right where he had left it, looking just as unimpressive as ever.

The dragon fixated its eyes on the unimpressive little stone, then took in a deep breath.

Adrian slowly lifted the dull-looking object into his hand.

Huh?

…Did it get a little lighter?

The dragon placed the stone, which now obediently followed his pull, into his palm. Adrian brought it up close, right in front of his brown irises. Was this Mikhail’s? The dragon gently blew a breath over the stone he had retrieved earlier from under the bed. Then, glowing letters began to shimmer across its surface—Adrian Heather.

So it is mine after all.

Adrian quickly reached under the bed and grabbed the remaining one. Holding the two stones in either hand, the difference in weight became more noticeable. Of course, it was still absurdly heavy compared to Mikhail’s, but it had definitely lightened since the entrance ceremony.

Adrian closed his eyes slightly and drew a bit of mana from his core. He needed a more precise assessment. When he opened them again, his eyes—now glimmering like starlight in the exact shade of his golden hair—had taken their place.

With mana-charged vision, he examined the stone again, but just like before, this was something that transcended even the noble powers of a dragon.

What did I even do today?

Adrian worked his impossibly brilliant brain, but quickly clicked his tongue when he realized—he hadn’t done anything in particular. That was troubling.

The fact that good deeds didn’t reduce the weight was already a major issue, but…

What was worse was that the weight had decreased despite him not doing a single good thing. From a researcher’s perspective, this was a catastrophic experimental result.

Just then, sensing a presence, Adrian quickly shoved the “All-Seeing Eye” back under the bed. Moments later, the door burst open.

Of course, the uninvited guest was none other than Mikhail.

As soon as he stepped inside, Mikhail spotted Adrian crouched down and peering beneath the bed.

When Adrian turned his head toward the door, for a brief moment, his eyes seemed to flash gold… but upon closer inspection, they were back to their usual soft brown, as if nothing had happened.

“What, you got something to say?”

Adrian Heather spoke as if he didn’t understand why Mikhail was staring. Mikhail passed him by and set his belongings down on his desk, replying nonchalantly.

“If you’re cleaning the floor, come do this side too.”

“What? I’m not cleaning.”

Adrian pulled his knees off the ground and responded.

“You’re lying on the floor and not cleaning? …Then why?”

“……I’ll do your side if I have time after I’m done with mine.”

Adrian went to fetch the dorm’s cleaning supplies. He figured he might as well clean while he was at it. The dragon noisily banged about as he cleaned, almost like he was taking out his frustration.

All-Seeing Eye? Give me a break. You don’t even know my real name, and you think you can see through me?