Chapter 58 – Making Potions – part 1

When the last group finished, the Principal went to the line and faced the new applicants. “I wish those who failed the best of luck in the coming year. You can still apply to other Academy this year, but not this one. Unless you wish to wait until the end of the afternoon to fight the Dragons, in which case you will receive three points and an automatic entry if you last ten minutes against them.”

The Principal looked at the group that was vigorously shaking their heads, and he then continued, “Have a nice day, and may we see you again next year, if you so wish!”

He waited a few minutes for the applicants that didn’t hit the targets to leave to the front of the building to make their ride home, and he then continued after counting heads. “Thirty passed this try-out. Not a bad number, after all, but almost ten did not. Let’s go inside for the Potions try-out. Go to the main entrance, while the Teachers and I use the back entrance.”

While Nozomu was grabbing the bag that he had put on the floor against the wall of the building, Taisetsuna approached and whispered. “I heard some guys saying they brought ingredients to make Healing Potions. You still have some leaves from that bush we found, right?”

Nozomu disguisedly opened his belt purse and took from it a small wrapped piece of paper. “I have four leaves here and a few more on another paper. You need them?”

“No, I also have some, but I am not sure if a Medium-Grade will be enough. We may need to aim higher. Only the best enter, right?”

Nozomu glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping and whispered back, “Yeah, but it’s a point system, so if we make even one Low-Grade, as long as it works, it will be enough, unless you want to call more attention.”

“Well, I also heard them say that a strong Party has more advantages in the Academy because there are always exercises to give us experience and knowledge, not to mention the occasional fights. If the other Parties fear us, there is no way they will mess with us. I don’t know about you, but I would rather not need to watch over my shoulder every day!”

“I see… Well then, let’s go inside and do a High-Grade, but be sure no one sees what ingredients you use and the method. We will probably take a tremendous risk if someone outside the Academy finds out that we know how to do those kinds of Potions, so you better be sure that is what you want to do.”

Taisetsuna bit her lower lip and went silent for a few minutes as she walked next to Nozomu. When they were near the main entrance, she whispered to him. “Let’s see what happens inside and then decide.”

Nozomu nodded and tapped Rampage’s sides, and told him to join Furnace near the horses, and that he would come back later to check on him.

As soon as they entered the main door, there was a man there with short dark hair, a serious look, and dressed in dark brown trousers and a dark green blouse, pointing to an open door on his right. “Go straight ahead to the Laboratory. The next try-out will be there. The Laboratory is the only one with an open door, making it easy to spot.”

They walked along the corridor, going past several closed doors, and after a large curve, they saw a double door open, and inside, there was a large room with several desks in the middle, stoves already lit against one wall, pots and pans near them, and several windowed closets, with a paraphernalia of small containers of different sizes and shapes. Next to each closet, there was a cabinet full of drawers, with several labels with writing on them, showing what they contained.
As Nozomu walked to get to a table, he noticed that the containers in the windowed closets also had labels, and he recognised a few familiar ingredients and several others that he had never read anything about.
The Principal and the other Teachers were at the front, seated at a long table in front of the blackboard.
Two steps ahead of that table was an old Cat-kind man, with short dark red hair and dark brown eyes, with a slight smile on his face. He was wearing a long dark green robe and had his hands inside the side pockets of the robe.

He leisurely took his hand from inside the pocket and pointed at the tables in front of him in a wide gesture. “Welcome. I am Teacher Tinch, the Potions Teacher. Please choose a table. As you can see, the stoves are already heated, and you can use any of the ingredients inside those closets to make a Potion. If by any chance, we don’t have an ingredient that you need for your Potion, I hope you have it with you. As a last resort, there is also a garden near the area where you shot the targets, against this building wall. It has all sorts of fresh herbs and bushes that are normally used in Potions. For this try-out, you have one hour. On the table behind me, there is a big hourglass that I will turn when you begin. Mind the time, because when the last grain of sand falls, the try-out ends, and you can’t do anything more. Any questions?”

He looked around and was greeted by a group of slowly shaking heads. He then put his hand inside the pocket again and continued. “Before we begin, I want each of you to tell me your name and what Potion you will be doing. I need to be sure you can make it in the designated time and if we have all the ingredients.”

He then signalled with his head to an applicant at his left, and one by one, they all said what Potion they were going to make.
The strange Lion-kind boy proudly announced that he was going to make a Medium-Grade Healing Potion, eliciting a lot of whispering from everyone in that room. After him, there were four that said they were going to make Low-Grade Healing Potions, and a few were going to make Sleeping Potions.

Tresuria stuttered what she was going to do, and the Potions Teacher raised one inquisitive eyebrow and asked, “Are you sure you can make that Potion in one hour? Because they normally take up to two hours.”

Tresuria spoke in a trembling voice and with her face in a dark green colour, indicating that she was extremely nervous. “Y-yes… This one is s-sure. This one can make a simple Growing Potion in thirty minutes. T-two hours is for fast Potions. This one can make a slow Potion and still get the point, r-right?”

“If you make it right, a slow Potion will grant you a point. I know Gailies have an extreme affinity with Nature, but Growing Potions are extremely difficult to make. Inside that closet behind you, there is a thermometer, a measuring scale, a millimetre spoon, and a manual mixer. Everything you need for that kind of Potion. The ingredients are inside the drawers in those windowed closets. The drawers have labels, so you just need to search for what you need. Good luck, you will need it!”

Chujitsuna Hito was next, and she announced she was going to do a Ten Seconds Poison, and everyone inside that room gasped. The Teacher gulped and slowly nodded. “The materials you need are also inside the closet behind Tresuria. Since you will use the same materials, be sure to clean them before the other person uses them. Understood? Okay, who’s next…”

Robert Keskula proudly announced that he was going to make a Glowing Potion that could be used as a decoy to tricker Monsters, or in his case, to make him look even more beautiful than he already was, receiving a few mocking laughs that he shoved off as if they were just a slight nuisance.

Hinen Sukemoru announced he was going to make a Sleeping Potion, and the Teacher made a slight smile and answered, “It seems every applicant today is aiming at some very difficult Potions. I wonder how many of you will fail. Perhaps you all should consider that a simple Potion can also grant you a point. There is no need to aim so high and fail because of your big ego.”

Taisetsuna glanced at Nozomu and when she was about to whisper that they should make a Low-Grade Potion to not risk failing, she noticed the grin on the Lion-kind boy who was staring at her.
She felt her blood boil, and she grabbed the purse from her belt and took a wrapped piece of paper from there, which she carefully opened.
Nozomu saw what she was doing, and he took his purse as well, while slowly shaking his head. He understood she seemed calm until the Teacher said those last words, but her seriousness showed that she would not do what he advised.

When it was her turn to say what Potion she was going to do, Taisetsuna pointed to her right and said, “Nozo and I will make High-Grade Healing Potions. We have the leaves needed for that, in case there aren’t enough in those closets, considering many people here also want to make Healing Potions.”

A chorus of laughter followed her words, and the Potions Teacher shouted, “Silence! You are all too green and inexperienced to laugh about such a serious matter! Do you hear myself or any other Teacher laughing? Seriously, the quality of the applicants is decreasing each year!”

His shout and words were enough to make a heavy silence fall in that room, and he faced Taisetsuna with a serious expression. “Are you sure you and he want to make such an impossible Potion? Are you aware that there are less than ten people in the entire World capable of making High-Grade Healing Potions? Unless you trained with any of those people, which I seriously doubt, you cannot make one.”

“If I can’t make a High-Grade, I will end up with a Medium or a Low-Grade, and still get the point. We will need a few strong Healing Potions because we want to fight the Dragons.”

Her words made everyone look at her, and the Principal got up from the table and asked, “Why do you want to fight the Dragons? You already got one point, and if you get the next two, you will be admitted to this Academy!”

“Well, the last time we were with Princess Mere, she told us an interesting story about an ancient promise those Dragons made to a Principal of this Academy. I kind of want a Dragon for myself. I already have a Unicorn, so I might as well get a Dragon.”

The Principal asked, sounding surprised while everyone in that room was doubting their ears. “You… want to defeat the Dragons and have them obey you? That’s… I don’t even know what to say… Until now, applicants tried to fight the Dragons as a last resort to enter the Academy, but wanting to fight them because of their ancient promise… that’s… Why do you want a Dragon, anyway? You want to conquer a country, or what?”

“Of course not! What would I do with a country? No, I just want to ride him and fly.”

“But… are you aware that the last group that tried to fight the Dragons was two years ago, and of the five that attempted, two died? Why do you want to take such a risk? Seriously! You and your friend over there don’t have a chance! Not even our country’s entire army could defeat one Dragon, and they are two!”

Taisetsuna shrugged and said, “We have a pretty good shot, don’t worry. We just need some Healing Potions, just in case. Nozo and I are more than capable of defeating two Dragons. They might be a little more difficult than defeating two Unicorns, but we will manage it.”

The Principal blinked a few times, unable to believe what he was hearing. He then faced Nozomu and asked, “Are you sure you want to partake in such foolishness? She might be your friend, but she is pretty much running to her death!”

“I followed her last time into a cave with hundreds of Goblins to rescue two girls, and if she wants to fight two Dragons, then I am going to fight two Dragons next to her. She is the crazy Hero of us two, and I am a mere Sidekick.”

Taisetsuna looked at him with a big smile and said, “You are not a mere Sidekick, you are ‘The Amazing Sidekick’, Nozo! We got this! Unless you want to be the Hero, and I will be the Sidekick! As long as we fight the Dragons and we defeat them, I don’t care.”

“Nah, you can be the Hero, because everyone knows Heroes die, and Sidekicks always survive to tell the story.”

The Principal kept on staring at the smiling youngsters, and he sat on his chair again, mumbling, “They are crazy… completely and absurdly crazy...”