The Mysterious Black Magician

Before Yman and Cinde left the professor's workroom, the professor called out to him. "Wait, apprentice….." 

Yman stared at him as he waited for his words.

"Can you estimate when those creatures would come to attack?" Asked the professor.

Yman made a quick ponder. Then he opened his mouth saying: "If not tomorrow….. then the next day is the longest possible delay for them to come."

"So…... it's either tomorrow or the next day, huh," the Professor mumbled as he massaged his temple.

"Mhm!" He nodded in reply. "Uh, teacher….. Can you do something about the miasma?" Yman asked the professor. It was one of the main reasons that he wanted to talk to the professor.

"Hmm….. miasma you say…" Yman nodded. The professor paused for a moment and went into deep thought. "I can't promise I can, but if you can get me a sample of it..... then let's see what I can do. And also….. we need some important ingredients for it."

'So, it needed some ingredients, huh. Looks like it won't be easy to deal with that miasma. Although it won't affect me, the others might be affected by it,' after a brief pondering. He continued: "I see, uhm… what kinds of ingredients, teacher?" 

Professional Ronnie frowned then said, "Hm….. filtered oilseeds and….. vegetable oil of around a century old."

"A century-old?" Yman made a thinking gesture. "Okay, no problem!" He said after a second. Then he turned around to leave but. "Wait, Apprentice!" He stopped after the call and glanced behind as he slowly turned around to face him again.

"Hm?"

"Fufu," Professor Ronnie chuckled. "You can't possibly buy it," he added.

Yman Knitted his brows. "Eh? What do you mean, teacher?"

"Ahem!" Professor Ronnie Cleared his throat. "There's a limit a department like us can buy…" he said in a voice that seemed like saying 'can't be helped'.

After hearing his words that there was a limit that their department could only buy, he remembered that this academy's system was modeled after a meritocracy society. That they needed to win to gain, "Do you mean… we need points to buy those ingredients?"

He saw him nodding his head. Then the professor continued saying: "Aside from that our rank must enter the top 200 to buy those ingredients of such caliber. After all, those products cannot be wasted in lowly departments like us."

"I see, that makes sense….." Yman said while darting his eyes below, seemingly trying to think about it.

"Mhm!" Ronnie nodded.

"Uhm, Professor, is there a way for us to raise our rank?" Cinde who was silent for about 3 minutes now suddenly asked a question with an obvious answer, though no one was pointing about it.

Cinde just wanted to break her ice for being silent for a couple of minutes already. It was hard for her to join their conversation as she wasn't a socialists type of person. It was hard for someone like her to make a conversation flow naturally from her mouth.

Yman side-glanced at her.

Then they heard the professor saying: "Of course, have you heard about the weekly, monthly, and yearly contest to all Alchemy departments?"

Yman suddenly remembered Achan's words. "Do you mean….. the contest with a theme of evolution?"

"Oh, that one is a monthly contest. I see, looks like you know about it, Apprentice. Fufu," said Professor Ronnie and chuckled.

Cinde glanced at him. 'This man, I wonder how he was able to gather such knowledge. Me on the other hand, have no idea about it,' she thought.

"....."

Yman brushed his nose using the back of his hand and said, "Not quite." Then he soon frowned when he noticed that the shortest contest to arrive was… a week?

"Wait, teacher!" He called out.

Professor Ronnie smiled with a nod. He could guess the apprentice's reason for calling. The professor was certain that the apprentice had realized that there was no time for them to rise into the rank. For this reason, they could not prepare before the monsters would come to attack.

"Don't worry, Apprentice, actually there are also other ways to raise the rank without waiting for those contests." Yman was slightly surprised when the professor suddenly said without waiting for his words. It seemed like he already guessed his words.

Anyhow, his words were great news to him, "Really, teacher? Then how?" He questioned in excitement.

The professor stared at him. Yman also stared at him. 

Then the professor started telling them some ways to rise in rank.

Yman and Cinde were silent as they listened to his every word. After his long explanation, Yman sighed and Cinde showed a wry smile.

After several minutes, their talk finally came to an end. When Yman and Cinde went outside, "By the way, Crimson, why do you keep this conversation secret from them?" Cinde asked in a whisper while briefly pointing to Achan and other's directions.

"Ow, that…. hmm… aside from the thought that the professor would get angry if an outsider stepped in his workroom, there's also a big chance that they would feel down upon hearing my assessment of the situation….." he replied in a whisper as well.

"So, what's your plan now? If your guess is right, then we only had a day or two to prefer…"

"Yeah." He nodded. "For now, I need to ask Rea about something."

"Something? Is it a secret?"

"Hm….. not really, but I cannot disclose until I am certain."

"I see. Uhm….. can I go with you?"

"Uhm, how about your training?"

"Done for today. Thanks to someone who ruined it!" She said with a pout while gazing at him at the corner of her eyes.

A bead of sweat appeared at the back of his head as he scratched his face. Looked like he caused something bad to her. Aha… haha. He made a wry laugh. "Sorry about that…"

"Hmph!"

"Let's go?"

"Uhm….. how about them?"

"We won't take long. We are just going to bring Rea here."

"Eh?"

"What?"

"You sounded like….. Ella is your property!"

"Whaaaat!" Crimson's mouth hung open after hearing her reply. Did he sound so arrogant? He asked himself. How could someone like him be able to own someone like Rea? A princess and….. a popular person.

Never in his wildest dream that he thought about it.

Perhaps, the way he said it wasn't appropriate.

In any case, he needed Rea's help.

After saying excusing themselves to Achan and the others, Yman and Cinde went to the Student Council room.

Upon walking in the hallway, he noticed some curious gazes directed at them. But soon he realized that they were directed to him only! Although some might be looking to Cinde, most of the gazes were directed to him!

This was unexpected, because of the time that they would be walking together with her, his presence was unrecognizable by others. He meant….. only Cinde and Rea would receive such gazes from others. But for some reason, they are gazing at him today?!

How did heaven overturn so suddenly? Wait did his charisma increase once again? Although he looked so handsome with his Encan disguise, "Ahem!" Yman intentionally cleared his throat, seemingly ashamed at his thought. He sounded arrogant. He thought in mind.

Then he repeated in mind, Although he looked so handsome with his Encan disguise, it didn't mean that he was the only handsome person in this academy!

Most of the Encan people were born with exceptional beauty. So at the moment, it was common to see handsome Encan like him.

"Ahem!"

He cleared his throat once again. He was puzzled why it was so embarrassing to call himself handsome.

Even though he was thick-skinned enough and shameless, the embarrassment of calling himself handsome was like being pierced by the Legendary Arrow of Orion. It penetrated his defense like it was nothing.

So why they were looking at him? The only thing that came to his mind is that because he was handsome!

"Ahem!"

While Yman was pondering with unnecessary thoughts. Beside him, Cinde was stealing glances at him. She was wondering what happened to him. 'Is this guy letting himself fall to fever? He wasn't feeling well!'

Aside from that, she remembered he was coughing before when they first took their test to join the Alchemy department.

'Wait! Could it be….. some kind of virus? Is Crimson fall to a virus?' The thought of it scared her for some reason.

"C… Crimson, are you okay?" Yman was puzzled when he heard the girl beside him asked a question.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Eh! B… because you're coughing these past few days!" She exclaimed.

"....."

Yman fell silent. He couldn't think of how he was going to explain to her the reasons for his coughing. He couldn't tell her that it was Sistela who was coughing at that time. And now, it wasn't really because of the fever!

Yman chose to remain silent. Cinde on the other hand was suspicious of his health. She needed to find a doctor for him! A good magician doctor!

While they were walking towards the Student Council room, suddenly, a group of people blocked their way.