A Potion Class and a Jealous Rival

Ai Ou was intimately familiar with this person. This was the very individual who, when the entire class welcomed Ai Ou, had been the sole troublemaker. He was also the one Ai Ou had clashed with at yesterday’s banquet. From their very first encounter, he had spoken rudely, leaving Ai Ou with a deeply negative, almost disgusted, impression.

“Furlan, isn’t it!”

“That guy must be interested in the teacher. Every time there’s an opportunity, he wants to get on stage and show off. Whenever it’s Teacher Vivian’s class, he’s always the first to volunteer.”

“Nonsense, aren’t *you* interested in Teacher Vivian?”

“How could I not be? Who could refuse a charming female teacher with a devilish figure?”

When the classmates realized it was Furlan who had stood up, they were unsurprised. This guy was incredibly bold; he had declared Vivian as his target in class a long time ago, warning everyone else not to make a move. It was as if Vivian was already his, which annoyed many. After all, Vivian was a renowned beauty in the magical world, even considered one of Saint Roland Academy’s campus flowers. Not only did many students adore her, but even numerous teachers were interested in her. Yet, she had never shown any particular affection for anyone.

Ai Ou scanned the classroom. Most faces showed a mixture of mockery towards Furlan and fervent admiration for Vivian. As he observed, Ai Ou suddenly felt a gaze upon him. Looking back, his eyes met a pair of clear, emerald-like beauties. Upon being discovered, the owner of the emerald eyes panicked, quickly turning their face away, leaving only a lovely profile.

Even just from her profile, the young girl before him appeared exceptionally pretty. She possessed dazzling golden hair, coiled elegantly, with a few stray strands standing up on either side. A single, playful ‘ahoge’ fluttered in the breeze atop her head.

‘Is this what academy life is like? I love it.’

Vivian, however, was clearly unimpressed by Furlan’s eager advances. She wrinkled her nose slightly, disregarding his self-nomination. Instead, her gaze fell upon Ai Ou.

“Student Ai Ou, would you be able to come up and assist the teacher?”

Under Furlan’s envious glare, Ai Ou nodded and rose from his seat. Vivian then smiled, saying, “Excellent, Student Ai Ou, please come forward.”

Afterward, she personally guided Ai Ou, hand-in-hand. Ai Ou could even discern the alluring fragrance emanating from Vivian.

“Now, to concoct a basic mental energy potion, first add seven grams of twisted vine root, then five grams of cloud horse crystal, ten milliliters of gale wolf blood, and finally, a Tier 1 magic core of any element. After exhausting its magic, grind it into a powder…”

Though Ai Ou began meticulously preparing the mental energy potion under Vivian’s close guidance, he found his mind wandering as he felt the soft pressure of her body against his. His outward expression remained composed, but inwardly, he was surprised by her unexpected flatness. ‘No airport at all! So poor! Utterly flat-chested!’

Soon, with Vivian’s direct instruction, Ai Ou haphazardly completed the basic mental energy potion. Once it was done, Vivian picked up the potion they had concocted together, held it beneath her nose, and sniffed it gently. Then, she lightly dipped a finger into it, and her cherry-red lips delicately licked the potion from her finger with her pink tongue.

“Excellent. This basic mental energy potion has been perfectly concocted. Student Ai Ou, you truly have a talent for this! Preparing a basic mental energy potion is quite simple, isn’t it? Has everyone taken notes? These ingredients are also relatively easy to find. When you return, you can try making a basic mental energy potion yourselves. If successful, you’ll save the gold coins you’d spend buying them. All right, Student Ai Ou, thank you for your cooperation. You may return to your seat now.”

After Ai Ou returned to his seat, Franklin teased, “How was it?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb. The teacher’s body was practically pressed against you, or rather, it *was* pressed against you, wasn’t it? How was it, feeling the teacher’s body pressing against you? Comfortable? Look at Furlan; his eyes are practically spitting fire.”

Following Franklin’s gesture, Ai Ou looked over and indeed, Furlan was glaring at him with seething jealousy, his eyes aflame. When he saw Ai Ou looking back, he angrily stomped his foot, as if on the verge of exploding.

“I didn’t feel anything.”

“Don’t lie! You must have been thrilled. Look at all the other students; every single one of them is green with envy. We’ve been in class for so long, and this is the first time we’ve seen the teacher personally guide a student like that. Those hands, that body, that scent… Ah, just hearing the teacher speak is enough to make one swoon.”

Indeed, the students, especially the male ones, cast hostile glances at Ai Ou, as if they wanted to murder him.

“Still, mental energy potions are just… well, they’re fine. I drink them every day; they only cost ten gold coins. They’re great for sleep. Whenever I have insomnia, I drink one, and then I sleep like a baby.”

Mental energy potions were originally meant to stabilize one’s spirit and enhance meditation, so of course they aided sleep! However, for Franklin to use them as sleeping pills was truly something else. And to hear him say, “only ten gold coins”—was that something a person should say? Ten gold coins was equivalent to a commoner family’s annual expenses. Many everyday expenses were even counted in copper coins.

“Alright, now that you’ve seen Student Ai Ou’s demonstration, do you understand? The task for this class is to create one mental energy potion. Everyone, begin! I will be walking around the classroom, observing your progress. Should any danger arise, I will resolve it immediately!”

With that, everyone started their work. Although concocting magic potions seemed simple—just throwing a bunch of magical ingredients together and stirring—it was deceptively so. If an ordinary person tried, even with identical steps and ingredients, they wouldn’t succeed. This was because magic power had to be continuously channeled during preparation to activate the ingredients’ properties, a requirement that alone excluded ordinary people from concocting magic potions.

“Furlan! Be careful! You are in a very dangerous position right now. If you make a mistake at this step, the test tube could explode at any moment!”

When Vivian approached Furlan, he seemed to inject himself with adrenaline, accelerating his potion preparation. However, seeing his haste, especially at such a critical and dangerous stage, Vivian specifically warned him.

But it would have been better if Vivian hadn’t spoken. The moment she did, Furlan, wanting to show off, grew even more agitated. He continued to add ingredients from the test tube into the large potion bottle. Suddenly, his hand trembled, and he accidentally added too much. This caused his output of magic power to inadvertently surge, and the various magical ingredients in the potion bottle began to react violently.

“Ah! It’s going to explode!”

“Something’s happened to Furlan!”

“Run!”

Vivian remained perfectly calm. Without haste, she extended her fair arm, drew out a magic wand, waved her arm, and her lips moved subtly. No one knew what she was chanting. A surge of invisible power manifested in the classroom, levitating the rapidly expanding potion bottle.

BOOM!

The explosion occurred, yet it was as if contained within a balloon. The shockwaves continuously spread outwards but remained confined within a spherical space, unable to escape. The sphere held firm, steadily shrinking over a long period, eventually condensing into a tiny ball.

“A magic wand is an exceptionally important tool for any mage. Possessing a wand can enhance your magical effects, reduce the strain of casting, and increase casting speed. Much like chanting, when we cast a spell, it requires both chanting and specific gestures. If you possess a wand at such a time, your casting speed will significantly improve, and you won’t need to chant for as long.”

Even amidst the crisis, Vivian didn’t forget to impart knowledge to her students.

“Of course, our academy cannot provide you with wands. You will need to seek out skilled wand makers or alchemical masters to craft them, or you can check the academy’s shop for some standard wands. These wands certainly won’t be as effective as custom-made ones, but for you, they can still accelerate a portion of your casting speed. Naturally, the magic I just performed doesn’t actually require a wand. For advanced mages, casting low-level spells can be done without chanting or a wand. However, I specifically used a wand to demonstrate for you.”

Once the potion conflict began to dissipate, the magical residue, encased by the invisible force, fused together, forming a colorful, clearly toxic liquid. Vivian controlled the invisible power, lowering the airborne dregs, and then collected them.

“These failed potion residues can be used to feed certain magical beasts, such as the Stink Slime, which specializes in consuming all sorts of garbage. These potion residues are their favorite. Our school specifically raises a batch of Stink Slimes to handle them.”

Watching Vivian effortlessly handle a magical accident with such grace, everyone gazed at her with adoration. Only Furlan remained utterly dejected.

He continuously mumbled to himself, “Failed, I failed…”

“Alas, it’s often said that haste is the greatest taboo in potion concoction. Magic is a delicate art, whether casting spells or preparing alchemical potions. Once you rush, the probability of failure rapidly increases. Still, try harder next time.”

Vivian had initially intended to reprimand Furlan, but seeing his dejection, she suddenly softened, offering him comfort instead.

“Alright, class is almost over. Has everyone finished their preparations? It’s alright if you haven’t; everyone will still receive a mental energy potion. Take them home, consume them, and meditate.”

Some students in the class were delighted upon hearing this, while others remained indifferent.

“This is essentially a welfare benefit. These commoners will naturally be excited; how could they have ever used mental energy potions before? But for us noble scions, the use of mental energy potions is commonplace. Many have even developed a resistance to them. Ai Ou, you see how many are indifferent? These are nobles from the capital circle who frequently consume mental energy potions.”

Franklin remarked to Ai Ou. Yet, Ai Ou couldn’t shake the feeling that the chubby boy was simply showing off, after all, he was one of those who drank mental energy potions like water.

Potion, potion… ‘Should I just call him Potion-chan from now on?’