In the first place, what is the point of moving when today is supposed to be just a briefing on business matters? I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

''........Hey, did I do something wrong?

　Wraith asks in a distracted voice.

'I'm sorry for looking at things in the room without permission, but... well, I think it was like that anyway. I think Dr. Helgar's personality doesn't like Wraith, who is much younger than him and is a faculty member at the Academy. I wouldn't go so far as to call it jealousy, though.

　Helgar has been on the faculty of the Academy for a long time. That's exactly how long he has been teaching here, longer than the Lace has been alive. Hence, he has doubts about the position of a teacher for a Wraith who is not much older than his students.

'So that means it's not my fault...'
'Well, he's not a bad person. Don't worry about it too much. They won't make you look bad.

　Seth lightly pats Wraith on the back as he says that. Accepting it with an unexplained expression, Wraith decided to go with the flow for now. Life will be what it will be. It's also called opening up.

　As Wraith is nodding in agreement, Helgar, who was walking in front of him, stops. But not in front of a door or in a room. It's the ground at the back of the huge school building. Looking at the vast ground in front of him, Wraith tilts his head slightly.

''I'll have you take the exam here.''
The test...?　Me, sir?
Who's there?

　Lace reveals her confusion at the unexpected words. Who would have thought that he would come to the academy as a teacher and take the exam himself? However, he understood in this small amount of time that the old man in front of him did not have the character to joke around.

''..........''

　Wraith turned his cold gaze to Seth with a swoosh. Seth flowed away from his gaze and didn't even try to face Wraith.

　What was that word about not being made to feel bad? Such thoughts come flooding in, but the person in question has a bare face.

　--I'll definitely retaliate later.

　I'll definitely retaliate later on.

''What do you mean by exams?''
We have to make a golem.
Golem, sir?

　The term "golem" refers to an automatic doll that is powered by magical energy and uses magical stones as its core. Even though it's a puppet, if stones and other materials are used, it can be made into something so vicious that it can easily crush a human being. Well, it's not so easy to make a golem that can move around so freely.

　Nevertheless, making a golem in an alchemy test is a very rare thing. Normally, it's used to create potions, process armor, and create magical tools. This is because the magic stones, which are essential to make a golem, are not available in large quantities.

　A large amount of money would be needed to prepare a good number of them, much less consume such magical stones in an examination.

　So this is the financial power of the four great nobles, Wraith was secretly impressed inwardly.

The first thing that comes to mind is that you don't need something so big. I just need a golem that can move reasonably well.

　While saying that, Helgar took out a magic stone the size of a pint-sized finger from a warehouse-like place and handed it to Wraith.

　Wraith checks the feel of the magic stone in his palm - a little impatient. There's only one problem with this test.

　However, that problem was rather serious for the Wraith.

　--he had never made one.

　The alchemist named Wraith had never made a golem before. Of course, he knows about golems in terms of knowledge. I've even seen Lurimes make one.

　However, even a wraith would feel uneasy about making something that he has never actually made before. I can see from Helgar's words that he doesn't want something with that high a level of perfection.

　I'm not going to be able to get any more than a few hours of sleep.

''What are you doing? ''You're making it out of dirt from the ground.''

　That's why you came all the way here.

　Wraith is convinced, but he's also hungry. He's not sure he's going to succeed, but he's not going to end up a failure either.

　I take a deep breath and focus my attention on the task at hand.

　The most important things needed when creating a golem are subtlety and imagination. In alchemy, it is a basic process and very important to imagine the completed form, but the importance of this process is even higher for the golem.

　The power to move after completion can be left to the magical stone, the driving force, but it is the alchemist who creates a moving body. If the body is inadequate, it will malfunction, and instead of moving, it will fall apart in an instant.

　Therefore, it is important to have the sensitivity to create a body without any roughness in the details and the imagination to imagine a body that moves without problems.

'Compression'

　Wraith meditates and holds his hand directly above the magic stone on the ground and activates the alchemy. Then the soil on the ground gathered around the magic stone. As if the magic stone had a gravitational force, more and more soil was sucked in and eventually took the form of a sphere.

''Hey ... wraith.''

　Seth's drawled voice calls out the name of the Wraith, but it doesn't reach the person in question, who is concentrating with his eyes closed, at all. As he does so, the amount of dirt gathering around the magic stone increases.

　A sphere of soil that finally became as large as about waist height of the Wraith. The Wraith starts to put the finishing touches on it.

''Transformation.''

　A mere sphere of earth ripples and changes shape.

　First a supple quadruped takes shape, and as an accompaniment, a fine-furred torso appears as well. A lone wolf, with a tail not too long, hanging down towards the ground and baring sharp fangs, was born before Seth and Helgar.

　--what the hell.

　Helgar's eyes widened at the sight, unable to speak.

　Too, the process was too beautiful.

　Even Helgar, who had lived for decades, had never seen such a staggering shape change before.

　When making a golem, it was difficult to reproduce the detailed shape, so it was common to take a simple shape. However, the wolf that Wraith had just created in front of him had a perfect reproduction of its fur, eyes and fangs.

　It's a level of perfection that you won't feel a single bit of discomfort even if it's said to be alive. Naturally, Helgar's hand reaches out to the wolf. But just before that, the distance between Helgar and the wolf opened up.

　The wolf, which had been immovable, started to run. It kicked the dirt of the ground and ran around at a terrific speed. The wolf, which showed no signs of breaking down and circled the ground, returned to the wraith again. The Wraith, the person who created it, nodded with satisfaction at its mobility as per its shape.

　Helgar slowly shook his head at the sight he had witnessed.

''Impossible....''

　The words that finally came out of Helgar's mouth in a scratchy voice were staggeringly commonplace. An astonishment so great that he didn't even have time to think about it occupied Helgar's chest.

　--I've been asked to create the same thing, could I really do it now?

　The obvious question arises and Helgar laughs hollowly.

　I had heard rumors that he was a substandard alchemist. Even so, he's so good that he's even better than I expected.



　Wraith, feeling comfortable as if he has finished his job, wipes the sweat off his face with a calm expression. Only to have Seth and Helgar's expressions freeze at those words.

　Even though it was still summer, a chill ran down my spine.

''This is the first time...?''
Yeah, yeah, that's a first.
'Wait, wait ... does that mean that's it, or is it your first time making a wolf or something?'

　Seth put his fingers to his temples as if he were fighting a headache. He knows that his friend in front of him is substandard, but still, what he just heard was hard to believe.

　The Wraiths blink their eyes in wonder.

'No, this is the first time I've ever made a golem.

　I knew it, but if it weren't for the Wraith, I would have said something I wouldn't have believed.

''You're the only one, even if you're the only one in the entire world, whose first golem is this precise and doesn't even seem to crumble...''
Oh, wow...?

　The Wraiths were told that by Seth, and were troubled by the reaction. Nevertheless, the creation of the golem that was handed down as a test has been accomplished for now.

　I look at Helgar to see if there will be some kind of reaction.

　Then, Helgar was staring at the Wraith without uttering a word. He has a shocked expression on his face and his mouth is shaking and trembling.

''Um.........''

　Helgar's unexpected reaction caused Wraith to let out a puzzled voice. Then, Helgar suddenly leans forward with a gust of wind and grabs the Wraith's shoulder. The Wraiths try to keep their distance on the spur of the moment, but the hand gripped firmly on their shoulder does not come off.

　Where does the old man have that kind of power? It was enough to make you wonder.

'Impossible ... impossible!　This golem is the first time.......how is that possible?
''Well that being said, I'm new to things that are new to me...''
What you've just created is something that a genius could not spend his life creating!　A normal human being could spend his life never reaching it!　That's the first time you've done that!

　Zezeze, breathing hard and screaming as much as possible. Otherwise, it wouldn't have settled.

　How much talent does it take to step into this level of territory? Seeing the wraiths laughing in front of him, Helgar felt a deep sense of dread.