"Hey? Mason, you're here too?"
Ron walked into the yard behind Lyle's Barbecue Shop and spotted Mason, Harper, and Edith sitting around a table, grilling skewers and playing Magic Duel.
Before Mason could greet him, Harper called out, "Hey, Ron! Your Elemental Cards are still too limited. There are only fifty-odd spells, so I can't use a lot of combinations."
Mason grimaced. "You've already come up with over a hundred combinations, and you still think that's not enough?"
Edith was frowning at the cards in her hand, unsure how to respond. At last, she angrily slapped them down on the table. "Damn it! I lost again!"
The moment the elf's palm hit the table, all three men's eyes were drawn to it.
Nice shot!
Ron sat down with them and waited for his barbecue. As they shuffled the deck and started another round, he watched with an amused smile as they got completely absorbed in the game.
Mason and the others' version of Magic Duel was more like a cross between Three Kingdoms Kill and Yu-Gi-Oh! Somehow, using Elemental Cards to play it just didn't quite feel right.
But it was their first time trying a game like this, and they were having a great time. They didn't have the same reservations Ron did.
Before long, Ron's barbecue arrived.
The four of them ate, played cards, and chatted all at once.
Mason and the others talked about all sorts of everyday matters at the academy, then the conversation turned to the Meditation Potion Harper had made.
"Oh? Nether Orchid can be used as an ingredient?" Ron asked with some curiosity. He now understood why Professor Hicks had wanted to work with him.
"Of course." Harper played a card and answered casually. "Use Nether Orchid as the main ingredient with a few common additives, and you can easily brew a powerful Meditation Potion. If someone kept researching it, they should be able to make a potion three or four times stronger than Nether Orchid."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Are you researching that?"
"No, no." Harper shook his head. "I just made a Meditation Potion for Professor Hicks at his request. The follow-up research and improvements have nothing to do with me. I have other experiments to work on."
"Yeah, a bunch of bizarre explosive experiments," Edith chimed in. "This afternoon alone, you broke eleven test tubes, twenty-three beakers, and who knows how many other lab supplies. That comes to eleven silver coins in total. Congratulations."
Ron listened, a little taken aback. He hadn't expected this gnome to be such a demolition genius.
As for the Meditation Potion, Ron had no intention of getting involved.
He had no background in potion-making, so there was nothing he could contribute.
Though he supplied the Nether Orchid and therefore held the Magic Academy's supply in his hands, that didn't mean he had to profit from it.
He knew exactly what he wanted for himself.
Run his flower shop well, earn what he was owed, complete the system's missions without fuss, and spend his days growing flowers and slacking off in peaceful comfort.
Wasn't that the good life?
He'd rather avoid things that could make enemies whenever possible.
Once he reached the legendary Tier Seven, he'd be able to do whatever he wanted anyway.
Why stir up trouble while he was still a nobody?
So he let the matter of the Meditation Potion pass, quickly changing the subject to his plans to study at the Magic Academy.
"Study here?" Mason asked in surprise. "Your Highness Ron is coming to the academy?"
"Yeah," Ron said with a smile. "I've already talked it over with Professor Hicks. I'll study water and earth magic under him."
"To be fair, Professor Hicks is quite accomplished in water and earth magic," Harper commented. "But his fire magic is really awful."
"The professor is naturally more attuned to water and earth elements. Isn't it only natural that his fire magic is a bit weaker?" Edith retorted.
"But he's the student of a legendary fire mage," Harper complained. "He's the dean's student, yet his fire magic is terrible. Am I not allowed to say so?"
Edith scoffed. "You're just jealous because the dean didn't choose you as a student. So now you're jealous of everyone else. What a petty man."
"Hmph. A fire genius like me not being taken on as the dean's student was a huge loss for him," Harper said, lifting his chin.
Mason rolled his eyes. "I think you should be grateful. At the rate you wreck five labs a month, the dean would've had you burned at the stake by now."
"Uh..." Harper was at a loss for words. He awkwardly rubbed his nose, then said with complete confidence, "Those were just stumbling blocks on the road to truth. I'm sure the dean would understand."
Everyone burst out laughing, and the area filled with cheerful banter.
"The professor is usually very busy and may not have much time to teach you. If he can't spare the time, you can come to me," Edith told Ron, smoothing her pale green hair. "I'm his student, and I'm good at water, earth, and wood magic. If you have any questions about those, feel free to ask me anytime."
"I will," Ron said with a smile. He raised his glass and clinked it against Edith's. "Thanks in advance."
"You're welcome." Edith gave him a delicate smile and took a small sip of ale.
"Edith, actually, I have a lot of questions about that too..." Harper immediately sidled up to her with a grin.
"I'm only a Tier Three mage. I can't teach a fire genius like you. You should go ask Professor Hicks or the dean." Edith rolled her eyes and gently pushed Harper's head away.
Edith was only twenty-five. Given the long lifespan of the Elf Race, that was roughly equivalent to fifteen or sixteen in human years, perhaps even younger.
Although she got along well with Harper, sometimes she really couldn't stand his personality.
The Elf Race reproduced through the Tree of Life, not through mating.
They had desires of that sort too, but they couldn't get pregnant, and they were far more reserved than other races.
However, if an elf mated with someone from another race, there was a chance they could have a child.
But the Elf Race strongly disapproved of such behavior and basically wouldn't allow it.
Of course, Harper's pursuit of beautiful women was usually just talk. That was why Edith didn't particularly dislike him.
Ron watched them banter as he grilled skewers and kept chatting.
By six in the evening, everyone had eaten their fill. They said goodbye to Lyle and went their separate ways.
Ron asked Lyle to make another serving of barbecue, then carried the skewers wrapped in oiled paper to the nearby alley. Before long, Nora arrived, looking for something to eat.
Here's today's third chapter~ Come on, bring out those votes and show me some support!
Before you continue