The new semester had begun, and contrary to his initial worries, it was passing without any particular trouble.

"Now, add two Freaky's tears worth of mandrake root here... then add three Freaky's tears worth of goblin blood, and then stir slowly... three times to the right... three times to the left."

The potions professor, Hardin Barrad, was a rare Blue Elf.

Elves, a race closer to nature than any other, were rarely seen outside their own villages.

But for some reason, this Blue Elf was not only out in this big city but was also teaching students at a human magic academy.

Lucas had taken the potions class last semester as well, but this elf was a professor he had never seen before. Seeing as he hadn't even run into him around the school, he seemed to be newly appointed.

'Strange. For an elf to come all the way out here...'

Lucas's eyes narrowed as he watched Hardin teach the recipe for a basic speed potion.

"Aargh! Professor!!!"

"What is it!!!"

Hardin rushed over at the student's urgent cry and was left dumbfounded by the spectacle before him.

The greenish liquid that had been bubbling in the small beaker in front of the student was now swelling up as if it were about to explode. As the green liquid covered the entire desk, the student who had been watching it turned pale and fled far away.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you to add a Freaky's tear worth?! How much goblin blood did you put in?! Did you add three dragon's tears worth?!"

Hardin, who had spread his arms wide to protect the nearby students, shouted. The culprit of the incident, Eira Toheil, stood in the corner of the classroom, looking as if she were about to cry.

After Hardin used magic to resolve the situation, he continued to nag for a long time even after the desk was clean.

"Just imagine if this had been something other than a speed potion! What if it was a cursed potion or something...! It's truly horrifying!"

As his rapid-fire lecture poured out, all the students just stared blankly at their own beakers.

"Phew! Honestly... everyone, please be careful. Potions don't exhibit their full effects until mana is infused, but the inherent toxicity or properties of the ingredients remain. You must handle them very, very delicately and carefully."

After finishing his lecture, Hardin continued the class.

"Now, try to infuse mana into it. If it changes from a green light to a blue light once, and then returns to a green light, you've done it correctly."

Judging by the gasps of admiration erupting from here and there, it seemed most of the students had succeeded.

"Kngghh..."

However, next to Lucas, who had lightly infused mana into his beaker, a sound like a dog whining in pain was coming out.

"Kngghh..."

"What are you doing?"

The one making the sound of a constipated dog while staring at his beaker was Skire O'Neil, the second son of the high-ranking Duke O'Neil family who had helped him on the day of the entrance ceremony.

"Hmph, hmph... mind your own business."

"It's hard to mind my own business when you're whining so much. If you need to relieve yourself, you should go outside and take care of it."

Lucas suppressed his fraying nerves and used the gentlest tone he could muster.

"Th-that's not it!!"

"Then will you shut your mouth a little? It's driving me crazy."

"Th-that's..."

Skire's expression as he looked at the beaker was on the verge of tears. Looking at his beaker, Lucas could see why.

'Can't he infuse mana?'

Lucas watched Skire, whose eyes were darting all over the place, and approached him as if he had no other choice.

"There, done."

"..."

Lucas, having lightly infused mana into his beaker, turned and went back to his seat.

"Um... by any chance..."

"Don't worry. I clearly saw you infuse the mana yourself."

As Skire approached Lucas's desk, hesitating to speak, Lucas cleverly understood his intention.

It was obvious that he was worried someone would find out he couldn't finish the task in class.

Hearing Lucas's answer, Skire gave a small nod and returned to his seat.

The basic class, where one couldn't even properly control mana. The pride of the second son of a high-ranking ducal family who had ended up there was completely crushed.

'Pathetic. I wonder if this repays the favor a little.'

***

"So why can't I?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Everyone has to participate in this."

"How many times do I have to say it? I don't want to participate."

Lucas had been arguing with Aman about this for several minutes.

A camp. Fine. It was only for a day, so he could have gone.

But the purpose of the camp was absurd.

A venue for harmony and friendship! Lucas's life was too complicated to go to such a place, spend a day with humans, form teams, and get all emotional around a campfire.

His problem still showed no signs of being completely resolved, and besides, when he was in the beginner class, the humans were busy living their own lives. But for some reason, the humans in this damn basic class were so lazy and full of leisure!

They would form groups of three or five during every break to chatter away, or they would come up and show interest in him. Lucas was on the verge of exploding.

"Oh? Well, there is a simple way..."

"..."

Aman's eyes sparkled as he smiled brightly.

It was unsettling. Whenever Aman smiled like that, he was definitely up to something.

"You could go to the advanced class. Or well, the top-level class would be fine too."

"...Damn it."

"Oh my, such language is bad!"

Lucas's anger flared at Aman's exaggeratedly startled reaction.

He wanted to smash the head of that blue lizard who pinpointed his weakness, making it impossible for him to refuse.

'Damn lizard bastard!'

***

In the end, he came to the camp.

"Alright, everyone gather over here!"

Aman called over the students gathered in the plaza and began to count them with his eyes.

"Twenty-seven, twenty-eight! Yes, you've all arrived on time!"

The twenty-eight students in the basic class each carried a bag in their hands or on their backs.

"Now, this camp is for the harmony of our basic class! Of course, I, Aman, have also prepared many fun events, so you can all look forward to it!"

Aman smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling.

'Looks like a lot of fun, you crazy lizard bastard.'

That Blue Dragon was a dragon Lucas had often encountered in his past life.

The version he saw back then was also full of craziness, but it seemed that craziness was even more abundant during his 'amusement' time.

Of course, he had probably worked hard to suppress that craziness in front of him, the Dragon Lord.

'How on earth did Hassel raise that guy?'

If nothing major had happened, Hassel Teridier would have taken over the position of Lord after Lucas's death. Now, bound in a human body, his worries were immense.

'There's no future... our race has no future...'

Lucas let out a sigh as he watched Aman, whose eyes were shining as he explained the events he had planned.

"Alright, then! Let's go!!!"

He wanted to kick Aman's butt, who was leading the way while blowing a whistle he had gotten from somewhere, and send him flying far away.

"Hah..."

"Why are you sighing so deeply?"

"Is the ground going to collapse from that?"

As Lucas let out a deep sigh he had gathered from the tips of his toes, Paula and Skire, who saw him, approached.

He was about to lose his mind.

Skire and Paula, whom he had met at the banquet, had been put in the same group because they were of a similar age and had to complete this camping trip together.

"..."

"A camping trip with the noble masters! I don't know if a lowly person like me is even allowed to come along!"

"Hmph! You seem to know you're lowly!"

Paula and Skire had been bickering since the start. But anyone could see that Paula had the upper hand.

The foolish Skire, who didn't even realize he was being made fun of, was nothing more than a plaything that brought Paula amusement.

'I'm already tired.'

***

The Escar Mountain Range, which cut across the Arant Empire.

The small forest connected to the mountain range, which could be reached by following a trail behind the academy, was a place often used by the academy students.

"Alright! Everyone find a spot around this sign!"

As soon as Aman finished speaking, pointing to a sign, the students began to find spots to pitch their tents by group.

"Here would be good!"

Skire pointed triumphantly at a spot not far from the sign.

"Hmph! How stupid. This place has no shade, it'll be perfect for getting cooked as soon as the sun rises in the morning!"

"Wh-what?! Stupid?!"

"Yes! Stupid!"

The two, who had been bickering the entire way, were on the verge of a clash.

"Will you stop?"

Lucas, who hadn't said a word no matter how much they chattered, finally spoke up.

"Instead of running your mouths, find a spot quickly. The good spots are already being taken."

Lucas was right.

He didn't know where everyone had come from, but the good camping spots were already occupied by someone who had settled in and was diligently setting up a tent.

"Let's go over there."

Frustrated, Lucas pointed to a spot under the shade of a large tree.

The sun was hitting it now, but in the morning, that spot would be in the shade. In any case, the crazy lizard would be making the students do this and that during the day, so there would be no chance of getting steamed inside the tent.

There was no grass or stumbling rocks, so it was a pretty good spot.

Although Lucas was the youngest by age, Paula and Skire obediently followed his words.

"Let's do that."

"Do you know how to pitch a tent?"

"..."

"I thought so. Idiot."

"Y-you!!!"

Sighs endlessly escaped from Lucas's mouth. Their mouths didn't know how to rest. He was sick and tired of these human kids who just bickered without even properly introducing themselves to each other.

Ignoring them was as easy as lying down and eating cold bread, but it felt just as unpleasant as chewing on cold, hard bread.

After many twists and turns, the tent was completed. Skire's face, having been called an 'idiot' dozens of times, was red and blue, his cheeks puffed out.

"Alright! Everyone gather 'round!"

Once the surroundings were roughly organized, Aman called the students together again.

"Now, it's time for a fun treasure hunt!"

When the words 'treasure hunt' came out of Aman's mouth, people's reactions were varied.

While some felt nostalgic for the treasure hunts of their childhood and felt a sense of anticipation, others pouted their lips as if it were childish.

"Now, this isn't just any treasure hunt! It's a mana stone hunt!!!"

After finishing his words, Aman clapped his hands alone as if excited and continued.

"Of course, they aren't expensive mana stones. At a glance, they look no different from ordinary rocks, but a mana stone is still a mana stone! Carrying one might help improve your mana just a little bit!"

It was nonsense. If that were true, wouldn't the entire empire be overflowing with archmages?

But the naive students completely fell for his snake-oil salesman-like words.

"Ooh... it improves mana!"

"How many are there?!"

When the long-awaited reactions finally burst out from here and there, Aman showed an excited expression.

"Well! A total of ten!!! A very generous amount!"

He puffed out his chest, boasting about what a grand event he had planned.

"Everyone, try to feel the energy of mana. If you open up the mana in your own body and search, you will feel the energy of other mana somewhere! If you find a mana stone, bring it to me. I will confirm whether it's a mana stone or just a pebble."

"A mana stone..."

Hearing Aman's words, Skire put on a determined expression.

***

Aman and his group, who were searching for mana stones as a team, were looking for them without straying too far from each other.

'Boring.'

Lucas, who had already pocketed two mana stones, looked around.

'To think he'd split a worthless, low-grade mana stone into ten pieces. What a worthless lizard, just like the mana stones!'

Paula was squatting under a tree, turning over all sorts of rocks.

"Hmm... Hmmm..."

Paula, who was turning a pebble this way and that, gave a small nod and then carefully put the useless rock into her pocket.

'Where's the other kid?'

Skire was nowhere to be seen. He was sure he had heard him grumbling nearby just a moment ago, but at some point, the sound had disappeared.

"Where's Skire?"

"Hmph! I don't know. Who cares where that insolent brat is?"

It was ominous.

Lucas spread his mana wide, tracking Skire's traces.

'He's not here. He's gone.'

Skire had disappeared.

(End of Chapter)