As the first day of the festival began, the students began to gather in front of the competition hall they were participating in.

The students' faces were full of tension.

"Phew..."

From the students who were taking deep breaths.

"Selena's formula... Selena's formula has the first and last codes..."

To the students who were reviewing what they had memorized.

Lucas, who was participating in the code-breaking field, was waiting for the competition hall door to open with an indifferent expression.

A dragon who had lived for half a millennium would not fail to solve a formula that humans solved.

But there was a small anxiety in the depths of his heart.

'Hmm... it's been a while since I've seen human formulas...'

The codes of ordinary humans were simple enough for a dragon who had lived for a long time to solve with a magic formula that had already been input, but Lucas now had no such trick.

It was no different from asking a person who had been doing multiplication and division with a calculator for a long time to do it by mental arithmetic.

'No, but they're humans.'

Not long after, the competition hall door opened.

"Students participating in the code-breaking field, please come in!"

The person who was helping with the competition led the students inside.

"Ooh..."

What came into view as they entered the competition hall was none other than a giant cube.

"That's the first stage problem...?"

The codes written all over the cube were dizzying just to look at.

"Now, everyone, please sit at the desk with your number on it!"

Before the competition began, the students each received a nameplate with a number on it.

The nameplate that Lucas had received said [18. Lucas Rodrigo].

Lucas's eyes, who had gone to the desk with his number and had sat down, were fixed on the cube, not the event organizer.

'That cube... I know that cube...'

The cube. Its origin began from the distant ancient times.

The cube, which had begun when the angels, the apostles of God, had come down to the earth and had sealed the holy relics, could be seen as the origin of the seals and codes that had been passed down for a long time.

As time passed, the dragons also used it, and now that more time had passed, humans also used it to seal something precious or to confine something they couldn't handle.

But the cube that was now placed in the test site was a cube that Lucas definitely knew.

'What was it...'

It was when he was racking his brain and thinking about the cube in front of him.

"Now! Please concentrate! This is the first problem!"

The place the organizer pointed to was the blackboard, not the cube.

"As I said, the cube is the final test problem! So the problem you have to solve now is..."

The organizer who pulled the rope next to the blackboard covered with a cloth.

-Swish!

As the cloth came down, the formulas written all over the blackboard were revealed.

"It's the Selena basic formula!"

The Selena basic formula.

It was the most basic solution among the formulas defined by Selena, a rare mathematician and code-breaker.

"Yahoo!"

As the problem was given, someone let out a cheer. It was the student who had been reviewing the Selena formula in front of the door earlier.

"The time is 90 minutes in total! I wish you good luck!"

As the paper for writing the answers began to be passed from the front row, the students quickly began to copy the problems on the blackboard.

"Now, then! Let's begin!"

With his words, the large hourglass placed in front of the blackboard slowly turned.

-Clack

Then, the test site door opened and a man in a gray robe came in.

"Ah, High Priest!"

"Hoho, I seem to be a little late."

"Not at all. We've just begun. Please sit here."

The man who had come in was none other than the high priest.

'The high priest is an observer...'

There was always one observer for every competition schedule. It was a kind of favor given to prevent cheating and to those who had sponsored.

Of course, they could not observe the test site where a person related to the person who had sponsored was participating.

As the high priest sat down, the students' gazes, which had been on him, turned back to the test paper.

-Scribble, scribble

In the quiet test site, there was now only the sound of paper and pen rubbing against each other.

'Hmm... the Selena basic formula...'

Lucas, who was staring at the problem written on the blackboard, picked up his pen.

'I should calculate the rest first, except for the first and last formulas...'

Lucas, who had calmly copied the problem, began to draw a formula under the desk.

'I should have done it yesterday.'

The most difficult part of the Selena formula, where the same formula was repeated, was the confusing calculation method.

That's why Lucas decided to use a small trick.

A simple(?) trick to quickly calculate the repeated formulas.

'Is this enough...'

After fiddling under the desk for a few minutes. Lucas, who had finally taken out his hand, picked up his pen.

'It's not rusty.'

Then the hand that held the pen began to move lightly, as if flying over the paper.

-Scribble, scribble, scribble

'Now, if I multiply the front and back formulas twice... and divide them three times...'

-Scribble, scribble, thud!

Lucas, who had written the answer in an instant, put his pen down on the desk.

And when he looked around, it seemed that no one had solved the problem yet, and everyone was engrossed in their calculations with their heads buried.

It was when he was looking around like that.

'Is that bastard looking at me now?'

Lucas's brow furrowed slightly as he felt the high priest's gaze fixed on him.

'It can't be.'

He lowered his gaze back to the test paper.

'No... it's not 'it can't be'?'

Even when he looked up again, the high priest's gaze was clearly fixed on him.

'Did he see?'

Did he see him inputting the formula under the desk?

'Was it cheating? No, no... there was no rule that said not to use magic.'

Code-breaking was originally based on magic. No matter how well you solved the problem, the code was cast with magic, so it could never be solved without mana.

So the trick he had just used could not be cheating. Of course, it was clear cheating to take the test with a magic tool that already had the formula input.

'Why does he keep looking at me?'

No matter how much he avoided his gaze and looked down at the test paper, the high priest's eyes continued to stare at him.

-Screech

In the end, Lucas, who couldn't bear it anymore, got up from his seat with the test paper, and the students' gazes all turned to him.

'Did I get up too early?'

When he looked at the hourglass, only about 20 minutes had passed.

What could he do? He had already gotten up from his seat.

Lucas walked over and submitted the test paper.

"Oh, so quickly! Lucas Rodrigo-gun. I've received your test paper. You may leave."

"Yes."

Lucas, who had received confirmation of his submission, nodded his head once and left the test site.

"You unlucky bastard."

Lucas, who had left the test site, glanced at the closed door behind him and let out a curse.

That annoying gaze that had been following him relentlessly.

As if to say that he was a servant of the Demon God, even his gaze felt dark.

Lucas, who trembled as if he had the shivers, moved his feet.

"Is it that way?"

The place Lucas was trying to go to was the test site where the magic potion test was being held.

Since Nella, Pola, and Skir were all participating in the magic potion competition, he was thinking of waiting for the children in front of it.

***

Inside the test site where the magic potion test was being held.

It was chaotic, with sighs and exclamations mixed from here and there.

"H-hey! Can I get some more mandrake root?"

"All students cannot receive additional ingredients other than the ones given! So please be careful!"

"What should I do..."

The first problem of the magic potion competition was the Sericta antidote solution, a type of antidote.

The Sericta antidote solution was a common solution that could be used when poisoned by the claws of a low-level magic beast or mushrooms, but its manufacturing method was notoriously difficult.

That's why it also became the basis of magic potion manufacturing, and there were countless antidotes that came out by applying it.

"Ugh!"

Smoke was already rising from one student's beaker.

"Student number 32. Disqualified."

"Oh! Oh, oh!!"

"Student number 29. Disqualified."

Unlike other tests, the failure in the magic potion test was clearly revealed, so students who were disqualified also appeared one after another.

"1.97 phreaky's tears..."

In the midst of that, Nella was also sweating profusely and was struggling with the measurement.

"Crush the mandrake root and put it in..."

Skir and Pola were also moving their hands busily.

-Pop!

"I-it's done!"

Then, a cheerful sound of a bubble popping and an exclamation burst out from one side.

"Yes. Student number 2. Passed."

As the examiner approached and looked at the result and gave a passing notice, the participant number 2 jumped up and down with joy.

"Now, we're halfway there!"

Then the remaining students' eyes all turned to the hourglass.

-Bang!

The students were startled by the sound of an explosion from one side.

"Student number 17. Disqualified."

"Ah..."

Another student was disqualified. Now the remaining students were about half the number they had been at the beginning.

"T-this... what, what was it..."

Then Skir's pupils, who was standing next to Nella, began to wander.

"What, what was it..."

A single leaf that he had never seen before, which he had found in the tray of ingredients.

"Verita leaf."

Then Nella quietly gave him the answer from the side.

"Ah, thank you!"

Skir, who let out a small sigh as if he had just remembered, expressed his gratitude.

-Clatter, clatter

As the storm-like procession of disqualifications passed, only the sound of stone mortars and beakers clashing began to be heard in the test site.

"20 minutes left!"

-Crash!

A student, who was surprised by the organizer's words announcing the remaining time, dropped the beaker in his hand.

"Oh dear."

The organizer, who saw that, quickly ran over and cleaned up the broken beaker.

"There are beakers in the front, so you can take one."

"Thank you."

Fortunately, it was an empty beaker, so the student quickly ran over, took a new one, and focused on the test again.

-Pop!

Then a cheerful sound was heard.

"Participant number 5. Passed."

-Pop!

"Participant number 9. Passed."

The participant next to Skir also received a passing notice. Then Skir's eyes shook with anxiety.

-Pop!

"Participant number 7. Passed."

As Nella also received a passing notice, Skir's hands were even trembling.

'I can do it... I can do it...'

Skir, who was constantly repeating to himself.

"I'll go first... good luck, oppa!"

Skir, who smiled awkwardly at the small word of encouragement that Nella had given him, began to focus on the test again.

'Now, if I just put in the mandrake root...'

As Skir put the well-crushed mandrake root into the beaker, the color of the solution briefly changed to a blue light, and then.

-Pop!

"I-it's done!!!"

A yellow Sericta solution was completed with a cheerful sound.

"Student number 8. Passed."

Skir's hands were drenched in a cold sweat, he had been so nervous. Skir, who had wiped his sweat by clenching his robe, turned around, and there he saw Pola, who was still struggling.

"Ugh..."

Pola was struggling with the mortar for a long time, as if something was not going well.

"Students who have finished the test, please leave."

As Skir stood there for a long time, looking at Pola, even after receiving a passing notice, the organizer gave him a warning.

Skir, who was leaving at his words, stood in front of the door and seemed to be hesitating for a moment.

"P-Pola, good luck!"

He shouted Pola's name loudly.

"W-what!?"

Then the startled Pola raised her head, which she had been burying, and looked at him, and there stood Skir, smiling brightly and waving his hand.

"T-that's...!"

Pola's cheeks reddened as people's gazes turned to her, and she buried her head again.

'I-isn't he crazy! He said he was the young master of a high and mighty duchy...!'

But for some reason, she felt pretty good.

'Why isn't this crushing! It's done!'

Pola, who had been struggling with the mandrake root for a long time, carefully put it into the beaker.

-Pop!

"Student number 20. Passed."

"It's done!!!"

And so, Pola also passed the first magic potion test.

(End of Chapter)