Chapter 25: The Gourmet Wizard
After parting ways with Grace Eva, Janna’s mind was filled with the urge to immediately practice Transfiguration. However, upon recalling the morning class, she managed to suppress that impulse.
“There’s a Introductory Herbology class at 9:30 this morning... I need to hurry over.”
Seeing the time displayed on the clock on the first floor wall of the Magic Tower, Janna, knowing she still had ten minutes before class started, put aside her thoughts of returning to the dormitory for experiments.
Holding the Introductory Herbology textbook, she quickly headed towards the stairway, in the opposite direction of the elevator.
...
Third floor of the Magic Tower, Magical Plant Cultivation Classroom.
“Last class, I covered ten types of metallic toxic magical plants suitable for growth in swamp environments. Today, I’ll be talking about how to save yourself in case you're unfortunate enough to be poisoned by one of them...”
As they watched Professor Mary Margaret, who stood among clusters of highly poisonous magical plants while lecturing endlessly, the apprentices couldn’t help but admire her—even as they deliberately kept a safe distance.
Mary Margaret was a First Tier Gourmet Witch who possessed both a C-level Plant Affinity and an A-level unknown Mysterious-type talent.
Beneath her disheveled, tousled gray short hair was a rosy face with slightly plump cheeks and gentle features.
Her overly loud voice and unkempt, loose clothing made it hard to associate her with the same brilliant genius wizard who once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Crimson Witch, Grace.
Moreover, she had also studied in the Second Tier Wizard hub of Dordogne, where she had been awarded the title Madam Butterfly.
“This one here is a Mercury Flower, its rhizomes rich in mercury elements. If accidentally ingested, it can cause dizziness, disorientation, and shock. The antidote is simple—drink egg whites or milk, or ingest activated charcoal to alleviate the poisoning... Of course, you can also find a Plant-type wizard to detoxify you.”
With that, Professor Mary took a guinea pig out of a bio-box and squeezed the juice of the Mercury Flower into its mouth.
Once the guinea pig began showing signs of shock, she brought out a pre-prepared bottle of milk, pried open the rodent’s mouth, and poured the liquid in.
“Easy, right? But make sure you remember it well. Mercury Flowers are everywhere in the Misty Forest. Learn a little more now, and it might save your life in the future.”
After placing the now-conscious guinea pig back into the bio-box, Professor Mary casually picked up a less conspicuous magical plant nearby and continued her lecture.
...
“I heard that guinea pig is actually one of Professor Mary’s food reserves. Many well-performing apprentices from previous terms received guinea pig jerky from her as a gift.”
Hearing Vivian whisper this into her ear with a mysterious air, Janna’s eyelid twitched involuntarily.
“Did any of those apprentices mention the effects after eating the guinea pig jerky?”
Although the foods crafted by Gourmet Witches were often bizarre, they were notoriously hard to come by.
Magical cuisine prepared by such wizards not only had miraculous effects but also came with no harmful side effects.
Rumor had it that top-tier magical dishes could even allow apprentices to perceive the power of laws and glimpse the authority of a wizard.
“They say it helps heal neural damage and enhances resistance to Sleep Spells... I also heard that some of Professor Mary’s dishes can make a person extremely lucky.”
“How do you know all this so clearly?”
“Well, Professor Mary once signed a short-term loyalty contract with the Rose family... My talent’s advancement was actually thanks to a dish she made.”
Though Janna’s expression remained calm, her heart was in turmoil at Vivian’s words.
“Was Professor Mary also from a non-wizard background?”
“Yes, and like you, she exhibited exceptional wizard potential during her apprentice days... But she wasn’t as strong as you. She invited you several times to join the Rose family, but you refused.”
At this point, Vivian couldn’t help but look at Janna with a slightly aggrieved expression.
Unknowingly, over three months had already passed since the day the two had first met...
...
“I’m Vivian Rose, an apprentice of the Rose family. I heard you’re the Summoning apprentice skilled at purifying Darksun Contamination—Janna Roland?”
Unlike the usual adorable clinging demeanor she displayed around Janna, Vivian, during their first meeting, was restrained in her words but couldn’t completely conceal her air of superiority stemming from her noble wizard family background.
“Yes, I’m Janna Roland.”
“The Rose family greatly appreciates your abilities. If you wish to go further on the path of becoming a wizard, I believe joining the Rose family would be an excellent choice...”
“I truly appreciate the Rose family’s interest, but for now, I’m not considering joining any wizard family.”
Janna’s calm response was completely different from what Vivian had expected.
All the other non-wizard apprentices she had met were desperate to sign a loyalty contract with the Rose family.
Those apprentices, in their efforts to gain the Rose family’s favor, acted no better than lapdogs.
“You clearly don’t understand the status of the Rose family in Turin. Apprentices who sign a loyalty agreement with the Rose family receive resources each month that you can’t even imagine!”
Seeing Janna’s refusal, Vivian couldn’t help but grow anxious.
She wanted nothing more than to tie Janna up and drag her back to the family’s base, forcing her to understand the Rose family’s true power!
“Thank you again for the Rose family’s recognition, but I’d still like to interrupt you for a moment...”
Seeing that Janna’s calm demeanor remained unmoved, Vivian felt an inexplicable surge of anger rising in her chest.
“There’s a cursed aura on you. Although the curse was recently placed, if you don’t remove it in time, it could endanger your life.”
“A curse?”
Vivian was stunned at the words.
“That’s impossible. Who would dare curse me? Unless they’ve got a death wish...”
She instinctively shook her head in denial, but as a thought crossed her mind and she felt the increasingly intense, stifling heat in her chest, her expression began to stiffen.
“This is my personal mission ID. If you’d like to remove the curse, you can send a task request to me through a Rook messenger... Of course, I’m sure the Rose family also has their own ways of removing curses.”
Taking the white card Janna handed over, Vivian, who just moments ago had been full of pride, now looked at Janna with an expression caught between speechlessness and disbelief.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait...”
Seeing Janna about to turn and leave, Vivian, her mind in disarray, called out to her almost on reflex.
“If it’s alright... I’d like to entrust you to remove the curse right now...”