Chapter 193: Feast (1)

“Thank you all for joining us for our feast tonight after a successful first day of the combat tournament. I’m sure everyone was able to see some things that piqued your interest.”

“Tomorrow we will be commencing the fifth and sixth rounds, leaving only the finals for the following day.” Bartholomew explained patiently.

“Those who wish to make contact with any students regarding apprenticeships or the like, please send the information to one of the faculty by the end of the day tomorrow and we will facilitate a meeting between you two.”

Michael listened patiently, finally understanding how it worked. It wasn’t surprising that the academy would want to be present during the negotiations—especially since some of the students were just commoners with no knowledge of their value to these noble families.

If they just let them meet, some noble houses would definitely take advantage of such students, giving them minimal benefits for a life of servitude.

“But for now, let us enjoy a special feast to commemorate the year that has passed and the approaching graduation of our amazing fourth-year students.” The headmaster continued with a smile.

He raised his goblet, making a toast to the hall.

“Cheers!”

A cacophony of voices followed as many in the hall threw their heads back and finished the contents of their drink. Of course it was only the noble guests who had alcohol in their cups, the students were not allowed such things just yet.

“Now, let the feast begin!” he stated, clapping his hands together.

A moment later, food populated the tables around the hall, much like the feast on his very first day of the academy.

At the commencement of the feast, the atmosphere turned less formal and people began to open up more. Such was the case at the violet table too, though a little more reserved than other places.

“So, we all made it through to the quarter final tomorrow then?” Ren said with a smile, his eyes imperceptibly focused on Blake across the table from him.

The guy seemed composed, not at all affected by his words.

“Ren, you know Blake’s specialty isn’t combat…” Rose said with a frown.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t realize.” He said, humming nonchalantly while stacking up his plate with a variety of food that had appeared on the table.

However, Mason was snickering nearby, making it clear that it was not an honest mistake from the teen.

“How has your research been going anyway Blake?” Rose intoned, quickly changing the subject so as to keep the mood light.

“I’ve hit a bit of a wall recently,” he admitted, adjusting his glasses with a small sigh. “The resources of the academy were fine to begin with, but without results, I’m struggling to get more. After all, most of the decent magical herbs are used strictly for potion-making.”

“You mean alchemy right?” Ren replied, his mouth full of food.

This time, Blake reacted strongly. “Bah, that shit isn’t alchemy you fool—it’s essentially just a form of cooking. The alchemy I’m talking about is making pills.”

“Then why is the class called Alchemy then?”

A back and forth quickly ensued as Ren succeeded in riling the third-year into an argument. He seemed quite satisfied with himself, as if he’d performed a service that was worthy of praise.

Michael on the other hand was shocked. Blake was working on ancient alchemy? As in pill-making?

His gaze moved to Melody beside him who was also wearing a shocked expression on her face. Since she also knew quite a lot about alchemy and was aware of the soul pills that he still had in his possession, they knew more than most.

“How long have you been researching pill-making for?” Michael asked, trying not to sound too invested and give away his enthusiasm.

“Oh? You know about ancient alchemy?” Blake’s expression lit up, his glasses almost falling off his nose.

“I know a little…” he admitted, “But I think Melody is more of an expert than me,” he admitted sagely.

Blake evaluated them both before nodding in approval, it seemed he was excited that someone other than himself was also interested in the art.

“Well, it’s been a research product of mine since the start of my second year—though I’ve had very little success thus far. I think I’ve got the right tools, but I’m missing some crucial elements to create the pills, as well as some recipes.” He admitted with a wry smile.

“Unfortunately my research can only be done on a trial and error basis, meaning I have to throw resources at it until something sticks. Of course once I make a breakthrough, the rest of the process will be sped up considerably.”

Ren scoffed from the side, “you said this last year, but what do you have to show for it?”

Ignoring the remark, Blake looked as if he wanted to talk more about the subject, but Michael cut him off. “How about we talk after the feast? You can explain your current research to us if you’d be open?”

At this suggestion, Blake’s eyes lit up once more and he nodded like a pecking chicken, clearly happy with the fact someone wanted to hear about his research.

Meanwhile, Michael was smiling inwardly. Blake was not a noble, though he did have ties to the mage guild through his parents. Technically he was able to be recruited, though no one had shown much interest since his combat abilities were subpar and his research had yet to bear fruit.

Michael intended to go over his research and decide whether it was worth pursuing Blake and offering him a position within the noble house he was intending on establishing.

With the training room on the fourth-floor, their research of healing magic had been accelerated to a level he could not have dreamed of. If all went well, they could have a workable magic circle by the end of next year.

At that time, Blake would be graduating and he could recruit him then. But it didn’t hurt to plant a seed now.

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