The exterior of the Alchemy Castle evoked the grandeur of a medieval fortress, but its interior was designed in a very modern fashion.

The pristine white corridors were laid out in a precise cross shape, making it easy for first-time visitors to navigate without confusion. Each floor and corridor had signboards for guidance.

"Alright. Let’s make the Alchemy Castle even cleaner today!"

"Yeah..."

Lakan was a cleaner at the Alchemy Castle. He was a typical 20-something day laborer, burdened by the overzealous enthusiasm of his department head, who took immense pride in being a cleaner at the castle.

"Lakan! Let’s work hard today! You can't lack enthusiasm like that!"

"Sure..."

He became a cleaner because he had nothing else to do and no other skills, but his shy nature made it difficult for him to socialize, and the department head was the only one who looked after him.

"Alright. Let’s go to our designated areas!"

With a clap, the department head sent the cleaners off with their carts. With hunched shoulders, Lakan glanced around nervously. He was nearly knocked over when someone bumped his shoulder.

"Whoa!"

"Careful there, man."

"Do you think he can see where he's going, acting like that?"

"Who cares? Ignore the idiot."

Lakan was shy and not particularly good at cleaning. He was also an outcast among the cleaners.

The department head only clicked his tongue but didn’t help. Since he couldn’t interfere in personal relationships. He just felt it would be nice if the cleaners could work together harmoniously.

"Everyone, be careful not to disturb the alchemists, and let's be back in time for the shift change."

The cleaning was done on a large scale before the alchemists arrived. After that, the cleaners gathered to rest and switch shifts.

Lakan followed the other cleaners, pushing a magitech vacuum cleaner across the floor.

The Alchemy Castle was a leading center of cutting-edge science. They did not use the primitive method of mopping the floor with a bucket and rag.

Although cleaning had become much easier, it was still just as tiring.

As Lakan sweated and cleaned a section of the corridor, he looked up to see the other cleaners goofing off together.

"... Let’s go around them."

Nothing good would come from catching their attention. The same cleaners who couldn't straighten their backs in front of the alchemists turned into bullies among their peers.

Those who were strong against the weak and weak against the strong disgusted him, but he had no power, so he had to avoid them.

"Hey. Isn’t that Lakan?"

"Come here for a second."

Damn it! Lakan cursed inwardly as he cautiously turned toward them.

"I'm... cleaning here..."

"Yeah. That's why we're calling you. Clean our area too."

"But that's your area... I need to finish my area..."

The cleaners pushed Lakan's shoulder, laughing.

"Come on, next time we'll help you. Just get through this, and you can rest next time."

"Still..."

"Right? You'll help us, won't you? Thanks."

"Lakan, you're so nice~"

The cleaners dumped their cleaning tools on Lakan and disappeared somewhere.

Left alone, Lakan sighed deeply and started pushing the cleaner again.

Today, this noiseless, mopping magitech cleaner felt particularly resentful.

A thought crossed his mind.

"... Wouldn’t it be more efficient to enchant it with a Wind Secure spell?"

Why did the magitech engineer who developed this device pursue such an inefficient method?

He didn't know, but someone smart enough to develop such a thing must have had a reason.

However, this wasn’t the only question he had. Everything related to alchemy was perfect thanks to the genius scholar Alterisha. But magitech wasn’t the same.

The magitech in the Alchemy Castle, as Lakan saw it, was so disastrously poor that he couldn't understand why it was left in such a state.

‘… Who am I to say anything?’

Maybe he got overconfident after secretly reading a few magitech books.

They say the belief of someone who has read only one book is terrifying.

‘I only possess a bit of knowledge, so I can only see things with my limited vision.’

‘So, I’ll just keep my head down.’

[Today's Experiment Schedule or Results]

However, he really couldn’t stand this.

Lakan stared intently at the experiment results posted in the hallway.

Previously, he had been so dissatisfied with the results of an alchemical magitech experiment that he had impulsively altered them and then quickly fled, fearing he might have ruined something.

This time, it was even worse.

"Why on earth...?"

The experiment results were filled with sloppy numbers and arrays, yet the alchemists didn't seem to question any of it.

Had they overlooked it?

Quickly glancing around, Lakan pulled a cheap pen from his pocket and approached the results sheet. He deftly adjusted the arrays and formulas, modified part of the enchantment magic, swiftly pocketed the pen, and hastily left the scene.

"Oh no... I did it again..."

Even though those seemingly flawed arrays probably had some significance, he had changed them on a whim.

If he got caught, it would be a disaster.

Despite knowing this, he couldn’t suppress the overwhelming desire to act on the knowledge in his head.

Lakan had meddled again.

“Well. At least I got away quickly. No one will notice!”

But he didn’t know that there was a CCTV camera monitoring just that spot where the results sheet was posted.

That evening, Lakan ended up having to clean his coworkers' designated areas and didn’t manage to clean his own area.

"Lakan, I've been lenient because you're diligent despite being a bit shy, but this is getting difficult for me.”

The department head, who usually saw him in a good light, seemed slightly angry.

In reality, he had to clean a section meant for three people alone, which was why he couldn't finish his own area. The department head didn’t know this.

"That goes for you all as well. We are tasked with keeping the Alchemy Castle spotless. Where do you think the technological prowess of the Aether Continent comes from? From here, this place!"

The three who had dumped their cleaning on Lakan were also scolded by the department head.

Lakan couldn’t possibly clean three sections alone, especially after spending a lot of time on problem-solving.

The three were red-faced and hung their heads.

"Yes."

"We're sorry."

Though their apologies lacked sincerity, the department head sighed, accepting it as typical behavior from them.

Feigning anger, he patted Lakan's shoulder in consolation.

"I know you wouldn’t skip cleaning without a reason. If you ever have any concerns, come see me later."

The department head glanced at the trio, sensing the situation but unable to do anything about it.

"See you in the evening."

As he left the cleaning staff room, the trio glared at Lakan with cold eyes.

"Hey. Aren't you going to do your job properly?"

"Do we have to get scolded because of this idiot?"

"That old fart doesn't even like us, and now we wasted our break time."

The trio began to threaten Lakan, shoving his shoulders. Other cleaners either turned away or snickered but didn't help.

Lakan hadn’t expected any help but felt disillusioned with his life as a cleaner.

He thought he liked cleanliness and organizing, and that being a cleaner would suit him...

But the social dynamics were already fractured.

"Hey. Say something."

"Geez, this guy..."

"This is just..."

Under their threats, Lakan's shoulders slumped further. He felt ashamed under everyone's gaze and wished he could hide anywhere.

"That's it. Come with us, you bastard."

Unable to bear it anymore, the trio dragged him to a corner of the storage room.

Or so they tried.

Click!

Suddenly, the door opened and the department head, who had left earlier, returned, preventing the trio from acting.

"Oh, haha. Department head, what brings you here...?"

The department head rarely interfered in the cleaners' break room. The trio laughed awkwardly and asked, but the department head, pale-faced, didn't say a word.

"Oh...!”

Then he quickly stepped aside.

Click!

Behind him, a woman in a pristine white lab coat appeared.

The cleaners gasped in shock from various corners of the room.

In this dreary alchemical laboratory, her bright and beautiful appearance was unmatched.

She was none other than the head of the Alterisha Institute and the first alchemical magitech engineer, Alterisha.

"Huh...?"

She stared at Lakan, tilted her head, and looked back. There stood a boy in a Stella Academy uniform.

"Is this the right person?"

"Yes. It’s him."

The boy approached Lakan, scrutinized him from head to toe, and nodded.

"He looks like he’d make a good researcher."

"... What?"

Was that a compliment or an insult?

He glanced down at the name tag on the boy's uniform and gaped in shock.

"B-Baek Yu-Seol!"

The teenager, who wielded absolute power within the Alchemy Castle but rarely showed his face. He was standing right before him.

"Why... Why are you here...?"

Baek Yu-Seol stared at Lakan and pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket.

It was...

The experiment sheet that Lakan had secretly solved while cleaning.

"Oh, oh, oh?"

At Lakan's dumbfounded expression, Baek Yu-Seol laughed, amused.

"Did you solve this?"

"Th-That... I-I didn't mean to ruin it..."

The other cleaners, who had been shaking their heads, now understood the situation.

They had suspected something was off when he was secretly reading magitech textbooks, but to tamper with the alchemists' experiment results was unheard of.

Snickers erupted from various corners, and Lakan's mind went blank. He couldn't think of any excuses.

"Um. Well..."

As Lakan stammered without a proper response, Baek Yu-Seol tilted his head and spoke.

"I think there's a misunderstanding. We're not here to reprimand you. We're here to commend you."

"... What?"

What was this?

Along with the trio and the other cleaners, Lakan appeared bewildered, but Baek Yu-Seol continued without concern.

"Even with a lack of basic knowledge, if you can come up with such an idea, you definitely have potential, Mr. Lakan."

"Yes. Yes..."

"Would you be interested in working at the Alchemy Castle as an official alchemical magitech engineer?"

"... What?"

What was this?

Had he misheard something?

His mind was paralyzed, unable to produce a coherent response.

Then, the sharp intakes of breath from the other cleaners brought him back to reality.

"Me... An alchemical magitech engineer?"

An engineer skilled in both alchemy and magitech was called an alchemical magitech engineer, the highest-ranking technician of the era.

For a mere cleaner to become an alchemical magitech engineer was... akin to a commoner becoming a noble.

It was the ultimate rise in status for a resident of the Alchemy Castle.

Lakan glanced around.

The trio sweated profusely and avoided his gaze. All the other cleaners who had looked down on him were the same.

Though he hadn't intended to look around for this reason, the thought that all those who had looked down on him were now afraid of him suddenly filled him with confidence.

"Yes, yes... If you'll have me, I'll do anything."

"It's not about doing anything."

The one who spoke next was not Baek Yu-Seol, but Alterisha. She smiled warmly like an angel, took his hand, and then placed dozens of thick textbooks, heavier than a grown man's build, on top of it.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

The weight felt like it would rip his arm off.

How did she carry this with her slender body?

Before he could even process his question, Alterisha smiled brightly and said.

"From today on, study hard!"

"... Yes?"

All of this?

He wanted to ask, but an inexplicable pressure made him keep his mouth shut.

"Good luck!"

Alterisha beamed at him with a dazzling smile.