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"I'd like you to trim these ingredients."
Ayla assigned Peony a very simple task.
"Break off all the thorns from the flower. We'll use that part too. Saron grass is a wonderful Magical potion ingredient that shouldn't be wasted."
"Okay, I understand."
Peony diligently began trimming the thorns according to Ayla's instructions.
Meanwhile, Ayla dropped a few slender blue petals into the red liquid in the pot.
As the petals melted, the Mana within them changed the liquid.
The red and blue mixed, turning into a subtle silver color.
Peony watched the scene, inwardly admiring it.
'Beautiful.'
Contrary to their smooth experiment, chaos was unfolding on one side of the lecture hall.
"Oh my goodness... the Magical potion is burning! Lower the heat at once!"
Professor Jacy shouted urgently, sternly rebuking the student whose pot was smoking.
A pungent, burnt smell spread everywhere.
Amidst the commotion, Ayla calmly added the prepared ingredients to the Magical potion.
The flower thorns that Peony had trimmed were added last.
As the potion simmered, the colors gradually mixed.
The Magical potion changed from moment to moment, as if they were playing with paint.
Ayla finally adjusted the heat, simmering the Magical potion gently.
As a result, the potion was dyed a vivid gold.
Peony looked around.
She was curious about what had happened to the Magical potions made by the other students.
Soon, her shoulders lifted slightly.
'Ayla's potion seems to have the deepest golden color.'
The other students' potions had not properly absorbed the Mana contained in the ingredients, resulting in a vermilion or bright green color.
Peony didn't know much about Magical potions, but she knew that such simple color differences could create big changes.
'Amazing. I didn't know Ayla was so skilled at making Magical potions.'
Peony was admiring Ayla inwardly when a commotion arose from the other side of the lecture hall.
A group of female students were exclaiming over the Magical potion made by Rosia.
"Oh my gosh, Rosia. It's a truly perfect Magical potion."
"The way it shines with a bright golden color makes it look like it was made by the Mages of the Magic Tower."
Peony tilted her head in confusion at the conversation she overheard.
It was the first time she had ever heard the name Rosia. Looking closely, she had never seen her face before either.
'Did she transfer in the middle of the semester? But how did she get so close to them already?'
The students of Riod Academy usually associated with those of similar status, firmly establishing their own territories.
Therefore, it was never easy for a new person to blend into that gap.
Unless they were a high-ranking Noble house with a very high status.
But the girl called Rosia was a face Peony had never seen before.
'Somehow, it bothers me.'
As everyone paid attention to Rosia, the professor, curious about the results, moved to the experiment table where the students were gathered.
Professor Jacy carefully examined the Magical potion made by Rosia.
After a long time, she said in a voice filled with admiration.
"You've completed a wonderful Magical potion. Excellent."
Rosia smiled proudly at her words.
Professor Jacy, with a pleased expression, began to walk between the experiment tables, examining the results of the other students as well.
Then her gaze stopped somewhere.
Soon, Professor Jacy's eyes widened.
At the end of her gaze was a Magical potion with a golden color even deeper than the one she had once made.
Surprised, Professor Jacy hurried to that experiment table.
"Ayla, did you make this potion?"
"Yes. I made it with Peony."
Ayla nodded shyly as she answered.
But Professor Jacy sensed that this was not true.
She had been informed in advance that Princess Peony was not keeping up with the Academy classes due to frequent absences.
'To complete a Magical potion of this level with an unskilled partner...'
Professor Jacy couldn't help but admire the result, which was even better than the Magical potion she had just seen made by Rosia.
"It's really amazing. I can feel that the Mana inside is perfectly balanced. If you apply it to an object, it will emit a truly beautiful light."
As her words fell, the faces of some students hardened.
Rosia also erased the smile she had been wearing.
'Ayla... to receive greater praise than me in a Magic-related class.'
She tried to manage her expression, but the corners of her lips twitched uncontrollably.
'Was Ayla's skill always this good?'
This was not supposed to happen.
As the Blanche Duchess, she always had to show only a perfect image.
But to show a worse performance than Ayla in Magical potion class.
It was a very embarrassing thing for Rosia.
But Professor Jacy, as if she hadn't noticed the students' flustered atmosphere at all, continued to praise her.
"Excellent. I heard about it from the previous professor, but I never thought it would be this good..."
Ayla blushed as if she didn't know what to do with the professor's praise.
Perhaps because it was the first experiment of the semester, her reaction was particularly enthusiastic.
The fact that Professor Jacy was from one of the most prestigious Noble houses in the Empire and didn't care about the students' opinions at all also played a big part.
'I wouldn't have been able to achieve this result if I didn't have the memories of the novel.'
Thanks to absorbing the various Magic knowledge in the original work, she was able to demonstrate better skills than before.
'Well, it's a relief. Because there was an important place to use it.'
Ayla turned her head and glanced at Peony next to her.
She seemed to completely agree with Professor Jacy's words, admiring her with her mouth slightly open.
She seemed to be very impressed with her skills.
'At this point, the groundwork should be laid enough.'
Ayla looked around the lecture hall with a satisfied expression.
The praise from Professor Jacy, who was usually known for being strict, spread small whispers among the students.
"Was Ayla's skill always that outstanding?"
"I knew she was good at Magical potion, but... today's topic was especially difficult."
"Rosia did well too, but..."
Perhaps the students were also admitting it inwardly.
That Ayla's Magical potion skills were better than Rosia's.
Freya, who didn't like this situation, tried to downplay Ayla's achievements.
"So what? She's terrible at everything except Magical potion class."
But the fact that Ayla showed the best skills in today's class was undeniable.
In the end, Rosia, unable to contain her anger, bit her lip tightly.
'What trick did she use?'
Her body trembled with humiliation.
The tips of her tightly clenched fingernails dug deep into the flesh of her palm.
'How can she make a more perfect Magical potion than me, who came from the Magic Tower!'
As soon as the Magical potion class was over, the students bustled out of the lecture hall.
But fortunately, Ayla was lingering, packing her things.
Seeing this, Peony hesitated and carefully approached her.
Because there was something she had wanted to say to Ayla since earlier.
"Blanche Duchess... no, Ayla, you have an amazing talent for making Magical potions. It's amazing."
Perhaps because she was nervous, she accidentally called her by her Noble house name instead of her given name.
Even though there was a rule that status should not be considered at the Academy.
Perhaps that's why Ayla tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"Blanche Duchess?"
"Ah, it just slipped out..."
"I'm not a Duchess."
Peony's face hardened at the unexpected answer.
Soon, she asked back with a bewildered expression.
"You're not a Duchess?"
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