Locke comforted Pierre and Raun with a few words, warning them not to casually accept such missions in the future, then hurriedly left with the sealed Vampire Howard.
Only then did Pierre and Raun finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Before departing, Locke specifically asked the Second-Class Wizard Apprentice Gabby to accompany the two of them back.
Watching Locke's retreating figure, Raun sighed, "Thank goodness we have a friend like Locke, or we'd be dead for sure this time. We should never have taken that mission—this money wasn't worth it."
Pierre was equally shaken, his heart still pounding at the memory of the earlier curse. "Yeah. No more of this in the future."
"I'll just stick obediently to Locke's Pharmaceutical Room. A hundred Magic Stones a month is already enough to cover the magical resources I need."
Pierre looked ashamed. "I was too greedy, chasing after more magical resources and nearly got myself killed."
Raun gazed at him enviously. "You're lucky, with your special constitution, earning so much money so easily."
"Not like me..."
Pierre corrected him, "What luck? It's because we're friends with Locke that I could find such a safe place to be an experimental subject, even getting a free batch of Memory Ointment every month. Once Locke's Memory Ointment hits the market, believe me, it'll be an expensive magical resource we won't be able to afford!"
Pierre's eyes gleamed with newfound clarity. "Memory Ointment is practically meant for wizards above the Second-Class Wizard Apprentice level."
"This stuff has virtually no side effects."
"If Locke hadn't happened to live with us during his time as a third-class wizard apprentice, how could I ever have gotten my hands on something this good?"
"Good stuff like this would've been reserved for those with connections long ago." Pierre added, "I heard from Senior Tilly that Locke's even tutoring the son of a Formal Wizard these days."
"Locke now is nothing like before. His social connections are far more complex than they used to be. We can never go back to how things were."
Pierre advised Raun, "Raun, I'm a local of the Southeast Corner Domain, so I know a bit more about these things than you."
"The fact that Locke lived with us during his Wizard Seedling phase was pure luck for us. So I suggest you make the most of this opportunity—you could be an experimental subject for him too."
Raun looked stunned.
Pierre, however, acted as if this were perfectly normal. "I've heard the Pharmaceutical Room has an enormous demand for experimental subjects. In the future, Locke will keep recruiting third-class wizard apprentices for experimental data."
"Given our connection, I think it's better to use it to become Locke's experimental subjects. After what happened today, isn't it much safer than taking missions outside?"
"And the money comes faster too."
Raun found the idea somewhat strange, his expression turning doubtful. "Hmm... what you're saying does make sense. It's just that I never imagined my path as a wizard would take such a... peculiar turn."
Pierre spread his hands and smiled, "See, I'm almost becoming a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice soon. If you don't hurry up, you'll be the only one left as a third-class wizard apprentice among the three of us."
"We enrolled together and attended the first public class together, remember?"
Pierre continued, "Senior Tilly mentioned that after collecting three months' worth of experimental data on me, their Personal Pharmaceutical Room will conduct a long-term follow-up study on the use of Memory Ointment."
"It'll last about a year."
"I suggest you seize this opportunity and sign up."
Raun pondered for a moment, his face flickering through struggle, hesitation, and deep thought before finally nodding solemnly. "Pierre, I think you're right."
Nearby, Gabby, who had overheard their entire conversation, glanced at the two excitedly discussing how to leverage connections to become test subjects. He felt slightly speechless.
But Gabby thought to himself, 'Has Senior Locke already established his own Personal Pharmaceutical Room? And is he developing a new potion formula already?'
'That's incredibly fast.'
'Memory Ointment... From what these two third-class wizard apprentices are saying, it seems highly effective. It could be tremendously helpful even for me, with minimal side effects.'
'I'm tempted.'
'I wonder when Senior Locke will start selling it publicly at the Magic Potion Shop in Chimera Market. How long will I have to wait?'
Shapeshifters require exceptional memory and high compatibility with the Aether Element (Shape Element).
The need for such strong memory stems from the fact that shapeshifters must thoroughly understand and analyze a Magical Creature before transforming into it.
Thus, shapeshifters' demand for memory far exceeds that of wizard apprentices in other Magic categories.
There have been cases where shapeshifter trainees, after misremembering a Magical Creature's anatomical structure, suffered magical backlash, resulting in permanent physical deformities.
And this is just one of many possible magical repercussions shapeshifters face.
Hearing Raun and Pierre discuss how Locke had developed a rare potion that enhances memory, even Gabby felt tempted.
Gabby glanced at the two, feeling slightly peculiar. 'Actually, there's another way to get early access to this Memory Ointment they're talking about—by volunteering as a test subject myself.'
'But generally, Pharmaceutical Rooms only recruit third-class wizard apprentices for such experiments. As a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice, I'd probably be rejected even if I applied.'
'Especially for a potion that's already this refined.'
...
Inside the laboratory of Locke's three-room suite, within the Alchemy Cabin, this modest workspace was equipped with basic experimental apparatus, including a set of [Restraint Cages] crafted by the Enchantment School.
These were the cages used to confine Magical Creatures and slaves—the kind found in abundance in Sophia the Witch's Magical Creature breeding facility and slave quarters.
The magical abilities of creatures imprisoned within these cages were suppressed to the greatest extent possible.
Howard, severely injured and further weakened by the Lesser Emerald Potion's purification, stood no chance of escaping when locked inside.
These Restraint Cages could even contain powerful higher-tier Magical Creatures like Dryads.
Locke used simple alchemical experimental equipment in the laboratory, such as enchanted lamps with illumination spells, to begin conducting tests on Howard.
At this point, Howard's Undead Body had already healed some of his injuries, particularly his throat, which had recovered significantly.
Inside the Restraint Cage, Howard began screaming continuously. The Black Wizard clutched the iron bars and started cursing Locke relentlessly—from Locke himself to his parents and ancestors.
But before long, he switched to pleading, weeping and begging, claiming he had been forced into becoming a Black Wizard. He admitted to killing many people but begged for a second chance to start anew.
Yet when Howard saw that Locke remained indifferent, he revealed his true nature, vowing that once he escaped, he would personally snap Locke's neck.
Throughout it all, Locke ignored him, focusing solely on running different tests with various simple alchemical instruments.
These devices were standard laboratory equipment—basic amenities provided by the academy when they assigned him this lab.
They were considered part of the benefits for a First Class Wizard Apprentice. Individually, they weren't expensive, but there were many scattered pieces, all common lab tools.
After completing the tests, Locke compiled a test report.
(End of Chapter)