The club fair had begun. Various signs and stands were erected in the training ground for students to see. Aside from clubs, there were also food stalls, mini-games, and even a sparring competition in the center.

“So many people here.” Kane tiptoed as he overlooked the sea of people, truly different from yesterday.

“That's a fair from a famous school for you,” said Brian beside him while reading a guide book containing the details of the fair.

Zumi then came forward, facing Kane, Brian, and Athera. “Have you three decided which club do you want to join? As for me, I’ll join the Track Club!”

“Chess Club ‘cause I’m a fan of strategy warfare,” answered Brian.

“Literature Club… for me,” Athera replied.

“Huh, you both are indoor types, aren’t you?” remarked Zumi. “What about you, Kane?”

“I’m gonna join the Alchemy Club.”

As soon as Kane said that, the three stared at him with confused looks. Tired of their reaction, he then said begrudgingly, “This crap again with you three. What’s wrong with what I said this time?”

“Kane, do you realize that alchemy is one of the hardest professions out there?” said Zumi.

“I know, Zumi. It’s just for a hobby, though.”

“So, you've created potions before?” asked Brian.

“I have, but mostly dru—” Kane bit his tongue. “Potions, mostly potions. And herbal medicines sometimes.” He almost said drugs, which probably was not wise to say that in front of them. He had synthesized narcotics before for personal use. Mainly to enhance his strength and stamina during difficult battles.

“Huh. I thought you’re a kind of guy who prefers physical training all day long,” said Brian.

“Haha, there’s gotta be a balance between outdoor and indoor activities.” Kane chuckled.

Zumi squinted her eyes. “Hmm, you’re suspicious. Aren’t you just following Sharon? Like other boys in my class did?”

“That’s not the main reason, but yeah, I’ll get closer to her by joining the club.” Kane shrugged.

“Oh, right. You're in the middle of investigating her. Speaking of which, I’ve asked my friends about Lamille,” she said.

“What did they say?”

“She spent a night with her family. One of my friends saw Lamille getting into some carriage with her parents.”

“That leaves Sharon, then. If your friends were telling the truth.”

“Be careful, Kane. I hope you don’t get kidnapped or something,” joked Brian.

“Yeah, that would be terrible,” Kane gave a bitter laugh.

Later, they split up and went to find the club they wanted. Kane navigated through the crowd, passing many stands and stalls.

Following the guide book, he easily found the Alchemy Club’s stand. They had a plain board with the club's name painted on it in a cursive text. Two plain-looking girls were sitting behind a table from the classroom. One was dealing with the applicants, while the other one was recording their names in a book.

Compared to other stands, it had the most boring appearance he had seen so far, yet it had a long line consisting mostly of boys. Kane hesitated at first, before finally joining them. Sometimes, a passerby quipped about how pathetic the guys were for pursuing Sharon, which Kane very much agreed with.

While waiting, Kane saw Calypso walking side by side with some random girls. Based on their conversation, they were mocking the students for joining the Alchemy Club. Then, their eyes met; Calypso cringed and immediately broke eye contact.

“It’s not what you think it is!” shouted Kane. Alas, it seemed his words didn’t reach the prince.

Around half an hour later, Kane’s turn was up. The plain girl with glasses was reading a book while resting her head against her chubby hand. Without batting an eye, she then spoke, “Your name and class.”

“Kane Foxsnove from Class 1E.”

“Kane… where did I hear that name before?” She finally looked at him. Her eyes bulged out. “You're that half-oni! Why are you here!?”

“To join your club. What else?” he asked back.

The girl squinted her eyes. “Did you apply here because of Sharon?”

“Sort of.”

“Oh.” She resumed her reading again. “Come to the Botany classroom tomorrow at 3 p.m. Don’t be late.”

Kane gave a nod. When he was about to leave, the girl warned, “Don't underestimate alchemy, you hear?”

“Got it.” He turned around and walked away.

Looking around while strolling, he noticed that the stalls were much more common than the clubs. Also, many non-students had come to visit the fair. They were most likely aristocrats, mages, or other wealthy people, based on their extravagant outfits. Often Kane got weird stares and remarks from them, but he was already used to those.

The next day, in the Botany room, around 40 applicants stood behind a long table, sharing with four other people. In front of them, a set of tubes and apparatuses, a small pot filled with clear water, numerous plants, and kitchen utensils were placed. They were not allowed to touch it, per the rules.

Kane was among the applicants. Scanning the whole room, it was easy to find Sharon, who was standing in the corner and attracting a lot of gazes, especially from the boys. Some students were from Class E, but among them, the only one who stood out was Lucrais, the girl he dueled with before in the test. She stood beside him.

“Didn’t think you were interested in alchemy, Kane,” Lucrais spoke out of the blue.

“Same goes to you.”

“I am a descendant of a renowned mage alchemist, so it’s natural for me to learn it. My mother is especially the greatest alchemist ever!” she boasted in a condescending tone.

“That’s good to know,” commented Kane blandly. He couldn’t care less about a child bragging and exaggerating about her parents.

“Tch! Why did I even bother talking to simpletons like you and other boys here…” She pouted. Her voice trailed off.

“You misunderstood, Lucrais. I meant that your mother is really awesome. I want to meet her someday!” Kane somewhat felt bad. She probably was genuinely proud of her mother and wanted everyone to acknowledge her; it was different from arrogance.

“You meant it?”

“Yes.” Kane didn’t mean it.

“Heh, of course, my mother is awesome.” She rubbed her nose. “But, you must prove yourself first before meeting her. She hates incompetent people.”

“No problem.” Kane shifted his gaze toward the front and pondered about the test.

“Everyone! Listen up!” A female teacher shouted facing the whole applicant from the far end of the room. “The test is simple: you must create a basic potion called Potion of Hands Enlargement. All of the ingredients are there, and you can follow the instructions written here." He pointed at the blackboard that was covered in a piece of fabric, preventing anyone from looking behind it.

“How nice of them to give us the recipe.”

“This is going to be a piece of cake.”

“Hehe, I can finally meet Sharon more often.”

Most of the applicants were relaxed. However, Kane was the opposite. He had no experience of brewing that potion, although it wasn’t his main concern. Despite having the privilege of reading instructions, he remained uneasy. Was the test really that simple?

“You have an hour to complete the potion, and remember: read all of the instructions carefully. You are also allowed to talk with each other, but not purposefully disrupt or harm anyone. The test will begin in 3… 2… 1… Go!” She unveiled the content.

All the applicants immediately read the first step. They picked up their knife and began chopping the plants into small bits. After the pieces were added into one of the tubes, they looked at the blackboard once again and so on.

Thirty minutes had passed. Kane was boiling the ingredients in the pot. He had reached the 12th step out of 43 despite already giving his best. Was he that rusty? Or he was simply too slow when reading. Moving on to the next step, he read them again.

“13. Heat the Saifan flower petals to 55 degrees.”

Kane lifted an eyebrow. “Strange. Flower petals aren’t supposed to be heated, even I know that.” He then read the next passage. It was similar to before, so too the next. They were a bunch of nonsense that added nothing to the creation of the potion. Simply a waste of time. Kane skipped several steps until he read a passage that said,

“35. Ignore step thirteen until step thirty-four. Pour the boiled solution into the beaker.”

“Heh, I see. How clever.” Kane nodded as he followed it. The trap was most likely for those who were never interested in alchemy and had an ulterior motive. And for dumb people.

Kane cast his gaze on the room, wondering how many people were caught by the trap. Almost all of them. They even chanted meaningless phrases several times, waving their arms around. Holding back his laughter, he switched his focus back to making the potion.

“Perhaps I should pretend to do that?” pondered Kane. It would be weird for others if he didn't do that, as ironic as it might be. And thus, he decided to copy them just a little bit.

“Pfftt!” Lucrais burst her mouth when she looked at Kane.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She let out quiet laughter before continuing her work.

Only five minutes were remaining. Kane almost completed the potion. Thanks to the instructions, he encountered no issues during the process — unlike other applicants. They still had many ingredients left and already realized that some steps were fake, but it was too late, although not all of them were like that. Sharon, for example, had completed the potion and was checking other people, giving them support.

She closed in at Kane, leaning from behind. “Wow, you’re doing great, Kane. I was worried that you were tricked by that trap.” Her honeyed voice entered his ears.

“Thanks, senior. I realized it early because I happened to read all of the steps,” lied Kane calmly. Inside, he stiffened. Her soft breath was so close, it almost disrupted his concentration. He would’ve told her to stay away if not for her being Kane’s target. Nevertheless, he could continue with his work no problem as they conversed.

“That’s good to hear. Say, do you have some free time tomorrow evening?” asked Sharon. Her bosom was pushing against Kane’s back.

“Err… yeah, of course! What are we gonna do?” Kane pretended to be excited. Still, he never expected that she would ask that first. Were girls this bold nowadays?

“Let’s have supper in the private garden. Don’t worry, we’ll spend our time together just between the two of us,” she whispered even closer.

“Alright, I gladly accept your invitation!”

“Mn, I like your answer. I’ll be waiting for you, then.” Sharon winked as she returned to her table.

After the exchange, Kane could sense deathly stares from other boys, teeming with hatred and jealousy. It seemed that Sharon talked and got closer to him longer than anyone. As a response, he raised his head and put a smug expression at them; they hurled insults at him.

“What did you talk about with Senior Sharon?” Lucrais creased her eyebrows.

“None of your business.” Kane had no wish to involve more people in his investigation.

“Hmph! I’m not that curious anyway.” She returned working on the potion.

The teacher from before clapped once and shouted, “Time’s up! Put your hands away from the table!”

“Dammit! I haven’t finished it yet!”

“Those fake steps are so devious!”

“Just five more minutes, please!”

The applicants complained and whined while Kane managed to complete it. The potion was mossy green, aqueous, and stinky. According to the recipe, there should be no problem. Some applicants also succeeded at making the potion; however, the green hue differed from each other. Only Sharon, Lucrais, and Kane’s potion had the same color.

The judges, who consisted of the teacher as the judge and the plain girl with glasses from yesterday as a scorekeeper, approached each of the tables, jotting down the evaluation. Some applicants complained, even begged for more time, but they were denied. The judges drew near Kane's table.

“You must be Kane, correct?” The teacher asked as she appraised the potion.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Your potion isn’t too bad. A little sloppy, but otherwise passable. Is this your first time making them?”

Kane nodded. Technically, it was his first time to make the Hands Enlargement potion.

“You have the potential, Kane. An oni alchemist might be rare, but that doesn't mean you cannot be one.” She tapped his shoulder before moving on.

On the other side, Lucrais’s mouth gaped after hearing that. Kane was unsure why.

After they finished judging every applicant, the teacher faced them again. Holding the paper score, she spoke, “The following applicants who have passed are: Sharon Cidermont, Lucrais Habborleigh,…”

“As expected from them.”

“Sharon is really smart.”

“It’s no brainer that Lucrais has succeeded. She’s an alchemist’s daughter.”

The crowd praised them incessantly. Then she continued, “...and Kane Foxsnove. The rest of you are dismissed.”