Curse of Lysertis

Professor Berendor returned to his spot and announced that the lecture was over. All the students began packing their things and leaving the classroom. Adam took his time putting his bag together and waited for Fubuki. When Fubuki was ready, they both walked out of the room.

"Wow, Adam. I had no idea you knew so much about Lysertis."

"Ah, it's nothing special. I studied it to figure out why everyone keeps calling me a 'freak.'"

"I see. So, what are we doing now?"

"What do you mean? We still have two more lectures today."

"We do? Damn, I didn't know."

"Did you even look at the schedule?"

"No. How was I supposed to? You left yesterday and didn't come back, and then you never showed me anything."

"Oh, right." Adam smacked his forehead with his palm.

"I heard what happened to you. I wanted to visit you in the infirmary, but I couldn't find my way there and got lost," Fubuki said, scratching the back of his head.

"It's fine. Professor Sharlota gave me a recovery potion, and I got better fast. Speaking of Sharlota, our next class is with her. We should hurry—she hates it when students are late."

"Let's go."

Fubuki and Adam walked down the corridors. As usual, Adam could hear unkind whispers behind him and feel every gaze directed his way. Pushing through the crowd of students, they entered the potion classroom, where Professor Sharlota was already waiting for them.

She was dressed in a fitted purple gown with a corset adorned with black lacing and lace trim around the neckline, accentuating her rather generous chest. Over it, she wore a light black mantle with decorative edges, adding an air of aristocratic refinement. A wide-brimmed purple hat, embellished with flowers and ribbons, rested on her head, soft chestnut curls cascading from beneath it. Long lace cuffs graced her wrists, and violet earrings swayed in time with her movements. Completing her ensemble was a ribbon with a precious gem at her neck, highlighting the elegance and mystery of her appearance.

"Good day, Adam and our new student. I'm sorry, I still haven't remembered your name," she said pleasantly.

"Don't strain yourself, Professor. You won't remember it anyway," Adam said, trying not to laugh, though he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it.

"Witty as always. But remember, Adam, there will be a price for your words," Sharlota said with a smirk, leaning closer. "With your body," she added with a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.

Adam had been expecting something like that, so her comment didn't fluster him. After a short pause, he replied:

"Repeating yourself, Professor? Maybe you should come up with something new?"

Adam stood there proudly, but Sharlota paid no mind and had already turned her attention to Fubuki.

"So, what's your name?"

"Fubuki."

"Oh, you've come to us from the Eastern Empire?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"I've had the chance to visit there once."

"Really? What were you doing there?"

"Back then, I wasn't yet a professor at this Academy. I worked as a healer in a hospital, and I needed to obtain a Dragon Flower, which only grows in the Eastern Empire."

"And did you find it?"

"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here before you."

"What do you mean?"

"The flower was for me."

"Oh… Sorry. I didn't know."

"It's all right. Just dying, no big deal. It's about as ordinary to me as taunting Adam every day."

"Hey!" Adam shouted.

Fubuki laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"It was nice meeting you, Fubuki," the professor said.

"Likewise."

"Exchanging pleasantries, are we? Come on, we need to grab a seat," Adam grumbled, clearly annoyed.

The classroom gradually filled with students. After some time, everyone had taken their seats, and the owl perched on the stand let out a distinctive call, signaling the start of the lecture.

"Alright, welcome, everyone. I'm very glad to see us all together again," Professor Sharlota began.

"Oh, Great Magnus, she's stunning," one student muttered under his breath.

Every boy in the room had their eyes glued to Sharlota, particularly to her well-endowed chest.

"Today, we will study new potion recipes. Seventh-year students work with more complex brews. Open your textbooks and prepare your materials."

All the students rustled through their bags—except for Fubuki.

"Why aren't you taking anything out?" Adam asked, pulling out his textbook, vials, and a pouch of ingredients he had bought from Harold's shop.

"Well, I didn't know we had more lectures."

"Ah, right. Well, you can use mine."

"Oh, thanks. How generous of you."

Two cauldrons appeared on the tables, and flames ignited beneath them.

"We will be brewing a universal antidote. Open your books to page ten; you'll find all the necessary instructions there. If you have any questions, ask me, and I'll be happy to assist. But keep in mind—if you mix anything incorrectly, your antidote could turn into a deadly poison. You have the entire session to complete your work. Your time starts now. Good luck!"

Sharlota flipped the hourglass, and the students got to work.

Adam opened his book to the right page and immediately grabbed his head in frustration. To him, the text might as well have been ancient, lost runes rather than readable words. He squinted, trying to make sense of it, but it was useless. Turning his head toward Fubuki, he saw that his friend was already stirring water in his cauldron with ease.

"Do you actually understand what to do?"

"Of course. Because of my illness, my father taught me how to brew medicinal potions, so I understand a lot of it quite well. Not everything, but I know enough to make this potion. The general principles for brewing healing elixirs are almost the same, which is their advantage."

"That's awesome. Will you help me? Please?" Adam made a pitiful face and clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Uh, well… alright. Look—take some mint leaves and crush them into fine dust. Heat the water until it boils, then add the mint and wait until it stops bubbling. While that's brewing, take the Hook's leg, strip it down to the bone, and drop the bone into the cauldron. The bones of Hooks contain minerals crucial for restoration. Then, reheat and wait until it stops boiling again. Next, take a drop of ghoul's blood—just a single drop. In large quantities, lower vampire blood acts as a poison. Then add the ingredients in order as listed—raven's eye, vanilla, and, if you want, a small bundle of chamomile at the end. After that, boil it in bubbling water for two full turns of the hourglass, stirring occasionally, and that's it."

"Wow, Fubuki, you're the best! Thank you so much!"

Thanks to Fubuki's instructions, Adam's brewing process became much smoother and faster.

Time flew by unnoticed as everyone worked. Some struggled, prompting Sharlota to step in and assist, while others worked with ease. Shun and Fubuki finished first and simply waited for the hourglass to run out. When the last grain of sand fell, the owl announced the end of the session to the entire class. Sharlota then stepped up to the board and spoke:

"Alright, time's up. Extinguish the flames and do not touch your cauldrons. I will now approach each one and drop in a poisoned apple. If the apple turns green, the potion is successful and safe for consumption. However, if the apple remains red, the potion has failed to neutralize the poison and is unfit for use."

With those words, Sharlota began moving from one cauldron to the next, dropping an apple into each one.

Someone's apple turned green, while someone else's remained red. When the professor reached Shun, she dipped his apple into the cauldron and then pulled it out. The apple didn't just turn green—it seemed to glow, looking as if it were freshly picked.

"Wow, Shun, as always, you've outdone everyone—even yourself. Well done!"

She took a bite of the apple and moved on to check the others.

When it was Fubuki and Adam's turn, Charlotte was clearly eager to see what kind of potions the two had brewed.

"Well then, Fubuki, let's see how you did."

The professor lowered the apple into his cauldron, and when she pulled it out, it had turned yellow.

"Huh, interesting. Did you add chamomile?"

"Yeah. I thought we were going to drink the potions, so I added chamomile to mask the smell and taste. I didn't know we'd be testing them on apples. I'm sorry!" — Fubuki bowed deeply.

"It's all good, Fubuki. This actually shows me that you know a lot about alchemy. In fact, you made it even better. Well done!"

Charlotte then turned her gaze to Adam and his cauldron.

"I could smell this disgusting stench from three miles away, and I immediately knew it was your potion," Charlotte said, pinching her nose shut with two fingers.

"Maybe you should just drop the apple in already? Smells can be deceiving."

"Fine, let's see what kind of sludge you've got there."

The professor lowered the apple into Adam's cauldron, but barely five seconds had passed before she yanked her hand back out. The apple had turned completely black, shriveled up, and now resembled something rotten and dried-out.

"Ugh, this is revolting," Charlotte scoffed, still pinching her nose.

"How much ghoul's blood did you dump in there?"

"I… accidentally spilled almost half the vial."

At that, Fubuki smacked his forehead with his palm, while Charlotte's face immediately changed. It seemed she momentarily forgot how bad the potion smelled as she started yelling at Adam:

"Idiot! Do you have any idea how rare ghoul's blood is? And don't even get me started on how much it costs! What were you thinking?"

The other students watched the scene unfold, and soon murmurs spread through the room:

"That bastard ruins everything, as usual."

"What an absolute moron."

"Not surprised at all. That's just our resident idiot, Adam."

"Ugh, he's such a pathetic loser."

They weren't even trying to lower their voices—they wanted Adam to hear every single word.

A deep, burning anger began to rise in Adam. He lowered his head, bared his teeth, and clenched his eyes shut, but tears still slipped through. His hands balled into fists so tightly that his fingers cracked. For a brief moment, strange black patterns flickered across his hands and face—barely visible, but there. Then, just as suddenly, they disappeared.

Without a word, he turned toward the exit and stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door behind him.