Brand’s question made the several young ladies share a knowing smile.
Someone teased, "Handsome Brand, isn’t it perfectly normal for you to attract attention?"
"Not at all. I feel like there are more eyes on you ladies than on me. No matter how handsome I am, I could never outshine your beauty, could I?"
Brand’s compliment was well-received by the ladies, and the conversation finally took a more serious turn.
"Speaking of which, since this afternoon, there have been quite a few rumors going around. People are saying that you and Professor Morian had a very pleasant conversation in the Alchemy Laboratory, and that he intends to take you on as a student. Are you planning to pursue Alchemy and Potion Making in the future?"
"So that’s how it is," Brand said. Hearing her words, he finally understood what was going on.
When he went to see Professor Morian earlier today, he hadn’t deliberately avoided others, so quite a few people had seen him. The so-called "pleasant conversation" likely referred to the fact that when Brand left, Professor Morian had escorted him all the way to the door—a gesture that signified how highly the professor valued him.
In this era, information didn’t travel as quickly as it did on Earth. Therefore, rumors easily took on a life of their own, growing more outrageous with each retelling. Thus, the "inside scoop" about Professor Morian wanting to take Brand as a student had begun to spread.
Now knowing the cause, Brand offered a faint smile and lowered his voice to explain. "Don’t listen to those baseless rumors. I know absolutely nothing about Alchemy and Potion Making. Professor Morian would never accept a dull student like me. I went to see him regarding family business."
"Is the Holland family planning to step into the Magic Potion market?" The ladies’ eyes instantly brightened at the mention of a family partnership with Professor Morian.
As noble descendants, they immediately caught the sweet scent of profit!
The Holland family had always relied on agriculture as the primary industry of their territory. Although they had never been involved in cultivating Magic Potions before, they already possessed all the basic conditions required for it. All they lacked was the right opportunity to start. Now that Brand was representing his family to discuss a partnership with an Alchemy Master, it was easy to draw the conclusion that the Holland family was about to venture into the domain of Magic Potion cultivation.
Faced with the curious gazes of the ladies, Brand simply smiled and said no more. His own father didn’t even know about it yet, so how could he let these young girls in on the details first? He, Brand, was not a man so easily seduced by beauty! The source of this chapter is g.com.
"Ahem!" Brand cleared his throat to change the subject. "Speaking of which, which elective are you all planning to focus on for the final exams? I plan to focus on Rune Array Science. The exam scope for this elective is relatively narrow, so I feel like passing shouldn’t be much of a problem."
One of the ladies looked utterly shocked. "Rune Array Science?! Can you already draw Runes?!"
It seemed she was someone who knew the exam questions! Brand nodded at her with a solemn expression, as if recalling the sweat and tears of his past efforts. "Although the process was indeed arduous, I can now successfully draw Runes number one through three!"
Brand wanted to continue sharing his touching, motivational journey for a bit longer, but he noticed that the atmosphere had shifted. The ladies in front of him were staring at him as if they were looking at a god. While Brand thoroughly enjoyed being looked at this way, he also couldn’t help but wonder if their reactions were a bit too exaggerated.
Recalling his experience of drawing Runes again, Brand was absolutely certain: this was something that required no brains whatsoever—just keeping your head down and putting in the hard work!
Thus, Brand said modestly, "There’s no need to be so surprised. I’m very sure that this is something that can be achieved through hard work! I believe that as long as you put in enough sweat, you can do it too!"
Just as Brand was basking in the adoring gazes of the ladies, an inappropriately cold male voice drifted over. "That is not something you can achieve just through hard work, Brand! There should be a limit to your jokes!"
Brand looked over with a polite smile. Upon seeing the newcomer’s face, he recalled the relevant information. If Brand remembered correctly, the man who spoke was named Andy Claude, the eldest son of the Claude family, a Count Clan of the Northern Province.
As for why he was showing hostility toward Brand, it was easy to understand. The girl he fancied was currently crowding around Brand, gazing at him with sheer adoration. Generally speaking, this was an intolerable situation! Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.
Although Andy had a foul expression on his face, Brand wasn’t particularly worried that the guy would rush up and punch him. Nobles cared about their reputation. Very few nobles would actually resort to physical violence in public over romantic jealousy. Even publicly expressing dissatisfaction like Andy was doing was exceedingly rare, as it truly constituted a loss of noble grace.
Of course, pulling dirty tricks in secret was highly likely. Therefore, to avoid being dragged into a dark alley with a sack thrown over his head, Brand generally did not leave the Mage Academy. Even when he had to, he always made ample preparations. After all, he was used to it. Since he was young, there had always been people jealous of his handsome face. As a result, Brand had encountered quite a few daring "thugs" in the shadows over the years.
Faced with Andy’s hostility, Brand gave a helpless shrug. He had no intention of replying to Andy’s words. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t know how, because fundamentally, Brand was a terrible student. At this moment, at least, he didn’t want to discuss academic matters with anyone.
There were many people who held hostility toward Brand. Adding Andy to the list was like pouring a single drop into an overflowing bucket—it didn’t bother him in the slightest. However, considering that Elder Master Holland had always taught Brand to maintain his noble grace, Brand mostly upheld a tolerant attitude toward those who were jealous of his looks.
After all, fundamentally speaking, their jealousy stemmed from his handsomeness! Therefore, Brand himself was the root of all this sin!
Facing the "cold" Andy, Brand smiled tolerantly, raised his glass, and gave him a friendly gesture. "The sweet brew tonight tastes pretty good. I think the servants in the kitchen must have prepared it meticulously. Would you like to try some?"
Brand’s show of goodwill made Andy freeze slightly.
According to the script in Andy’s mind, Brand should have responded to his provocation with cynical mockery. Then, under the watchful eyes of all the girls—especially a certain special girl—Andy would eloquently cite academic theories and debate Brand, this clown who only knew how to blow hot air, until he was left speechless. Then, he would steal the spotlight!
But how did Brand suddenly change the subject to the sweet brew? Perhaps because the sweet brew today really did taste good? For a moment, Andy couldn’t figure out how to respond.
Brand, however, did not wait for Andy to say anything else. Under the jealous gazes of a crowd of young nobles, he led the group of girls toward the dining table. After drinking beverages for so long, he now wanted to eat something.
As for Andy? The girls surrounding Brand wouldn’t leave him a single gap to approach anyway!