1st Alchemy Lesson I

"Well, I guess you are experienced in that field of knowledge," Thea said, not too bothered by Lily's sudden choice.

"I was originally hoping that you would choose monster theory as well, but that doesn't matter. Now I will have some private time with the girls," Lily said, winking at the girls.

Nala and the twins, on the other hand, were too stunned to hear what Lily had just said. The bomb that Lily had dropped by revealing her real identity made them freeze in place. Realizing that they had spent the past few days with Duca's most revered figure made them feel both excited and a little afraid. They had treated Lily casually and had even seen her naked and in her most vulnerable state.

"I-Is it really fine for us to treat you so casually?" Reina asked, not sure if she should be speaking formally or not.

"Don't worry about it, girls. We already live together, so don't worry about it," Lily said with a gentle voice before looking at Thea. "Dear, why don't you head to your classroom? Since I'll be teaching the girls anyway, I'll bring them. I can also use this time to have a small chat with them," Lily suggested before shooing Thea away.

"Okay, okay. See you girls later," Thea said before walking toward her own classroom.

"W-Wait, if you're Lily Magna, doesn't that make Althea—" Reisa started, but Lily suddenly cut in.

"That's right, Althea Magna. Though I don't want to reveal her real origin yet, she deserves some true freedom first," Lily said with a melancholic look on her face.

"So that's why Lily is so strong and confident!" Nala said, as if she finally realized something.

"No," Lily started. "Althea's confidence doesn't come from her background. As for her strength and characteristics, I conceived Althea through special means as I never found a partner... well, before Althea," Lily said before she tried to hide her blushing cheeks by covering her face with her hands.

Hearing Lily, the girls stopped asking questions and continued walking to their classroom. As Thea walked toward her classroom, the number of students in the surroundings slowly decreased until the few remaining students were walking in the same direction as her.

The alchemy classroom was much more isolated compared to the other classrooms. It took Thea a few more minutes until she finally reached a large, gymnasium-styled building. Close to the main building, there was another structure, but unlike the style of the main building, the secondary one resembled more of a prison.

Without further exploration, Thea followed the rest of the students inside and found a large open room. Next to the door from which the students entered, a large pot stood in front of a chalkboard, alongside a table and chair. This was the teacher's station, from which they would instruct the class. In front of the teacher's alchemy pot, many other pots were neatly organized in straight rows. The first row was on the same level as the teacher's, but as each row progressed, they got higher, providing a better view.

As the class was about to begin, Thea found a seat near the back of the room and sat down. Just like the other seats, she had a desk, and to her right was an alchemy pot, leaving substantial gaps between each of the students, making it difficult to converse with others.

As Thea sat and waited, she observed many of the other students with interest. There weren't many students; besides Thea, only 12 others had chosen to learn alchemy.

"I wonder why so few students have chosen alchemy," Thea mumbled to herself, but she received no answer.

Thea, along with the other students, sat quietly, waiting for the teacher to arrive. However, even after the class was supposed to start, there was no sign of the teacher.

"Are we in the right classroom, right?" Thea heard one of the other students ask aloud, prompting some of the students to double-check their schedules before confirming they were indeed in the correct room.

After 10 minutes of waiting, one of the students grew impatient and walked out of the classroom angrily. Another 10 minutes passed, and two more students left, mentioning that they were considering changing their subjects if it was still possible.

After their departure, no one else left the room. Another 15 minutes later, a small bespectacled lady entered through the door. She wore a large witch's hat and thick robes.

"Good morning, everyone. Starting today, I will be your alchemy teacher. You may call me Miss Anya," the small lady announced with a loud but clear voice.

"Not everyone is capable of alchemy. Mana, timing, and especially patience are important. The three who have left have already proven they lack one of those three qualities. Anyone else who wishes to change subjects can still do so now, but after this week, you won't have that luxury anymore," Anya spoke, making some students gasp in realization while others nodded, seemingly expecting this outcome.

"They must have been informed by either their parents or acquaintances that this would happen," Thea hypothesized.

"Alright, listen up!" Anya called out, loud enough for everyone to hear.