10 This Place Again?

Arthur pointed to the root and said, "Cut it. It will make your potion purer."

"Really? I thought we should faithfully follow the recipe," Lilia said.

"Most of the time, yes, we should, but some adjustments are always welcome," said Arthur.

The rest of the recipe remained the same. Arthur had found no other changes that worked, and he wouldn't try anything new with Lilia. They finished it in no time, but Lilia spent quite some energy brewing the potion. Well, she still had the energy for other things with Arthur.

~~~~

Arthur left that cabin in the woods and returned to his dorm. He had no more classes to attend. Staying inside the academy was bearing him. Not that being stuck in a place full of hot girls was boring. But it was a fact that Arthur wanted to explore this gigantic world and delve into unexplored caves. It was a pity that the tournament would only take place in 2 months.

Well, Arthur was optimistic that time would pass quickly. On her way to the dorm, Myria appeared, suddenly, with a vial in her hand. Arthur was impressed by her quickness of analysis and was even happier to learn that she was returning a dose of the potion he had made.

"Here, take it. I've already studied the composition of this potion, and I must admit you impressed me, boy," Myria said.

"Thanks, Myria. But enlighten me on how I impressed you," said Arthur.

"Well, first, you made a tough potion in your first class, which is extraordinary. But it wasn't just that. It also has incredible purity, and I daresay this may have been because of your modification in the recipe.

"I feel amazing when you talk like that. Well, what about that idea of being my teacher?"

"Well, that's what I came to discuss. I see great potential in you, and I believe you can become one of the greatest alchemists in the world. Would you agree to become my student?"

Arthur didn't have to think long to accept that proposal. Alchemy was already something he was very interested in, and, well, Myria was a beautiful woman. He knew it would be hard to have sex with her, but it was something he'd promised himself to achieve.

"Of course I do," said Arthur.

Myria seemed to know that he would accept, as soon after that, she took several books out of her bag, handing them to Arthur.

"These are books with various potion formulas and information on various types of magical herbs. Some of them you can even find deep in the forest here at the academy,"

"And this will be your first test. You will need to find out which formula uses the magic herbs here in the forest and then make the potion."

"You have two weeks to complete. Bye!" Myria said. She walked away, giving no chance for questioning.

That test didn't look easy. The books Arthur received were thick, and they certainly had many option formulas. How he would find the right one was still a mystery, but he wasn't the type of person to give up easily.

The rest of the way to the dorm was smooth. Nothing unordinary happened, just a few curious glances from the students walking around the academy. Arthur was already used to those looks, so he wasn't bothered anymore.

As soon as Arthur walked into his room, Jane wasn't there. He'd already imagined that Jane was undergoing rigorous training, but this seemed extreme. Arthur could barely see her during the day, and she only appeared at night to sleep like a rock. Marget seemed to be committed to making her win the tournament. Not just to gain prestige for her student, but also to protect Arthur from being discovered.

Arthur took advantage of the fact that the dorm was still silent to check the books Myria had given him. All the books, without exception, had a lot of information. All magical herbs were detailed, with pictures and descriptions of their known uses.

Arthur soon realized that many of the herbs looked similar. He needed to take his time and study these books slowly. However, something happened that distracted him from his reading. A person he didn't know knocked on his bedroom door. Arthur noticed the worried face and soon asked what had happened.

"You're Arthur, right? Marget is urgently calling you to her office," the woman said.

"May I know what this is about?" said Arthur.

"I'm sorry, but even I don't know about it," the woman said.

Arthur didn't have a good feeling about that. He hoped his identity hadn't been exposed. If that happened, well, it would be a disaster for him.

~~~~

Marget's office wasn't far from the dorms. It was located inside the main building of the academy. Arthur had entered that office before and only received terrible news last time.

"Come in," Marget said as soon as Arthur knocked on the door.