Chapter 44 Attempted Murder

Both Luna and Headmaster Blake were flabbergasted at Number One's words while the old Alchemist almost exploded.

"Who is this kid?! How dare you offend me like this?!" the old Alchemist cried out in anger while turning to Headmaster Blake for help. "Get this bastard out of here before I lose my temper!"

"You should definitely lose much more than that. How about losing your life for being such a shitty Alchemist?" Number One added fuel to the fire with more insults. "Honestly, where did you study Alchemy? We need to find your master and kill him too for teaching such garbage to you."

"Number One! That's enough!" Headmaster Blake finally stepped in with his voice raised. "You better explain yourself! This man is a well-respected Alchemist. He came to help Luna with her injured arm."

"Help? With this garbage?" Number One questioned while rolling his eyes which made the old man flip.

"Garbage? You are garbage! Your whole family is garbage!" the old Alchemist yelled loudly until his breath turned rigid. "That's an Earth Rank healing pill! It's a masterpiece god damn it! My best creation!"

"Pfft," Number One burst out laughing as he couldn't hold it in anymore. "I thought you are just a trash Alchemist but it turns out you were a comedian this whole time. Headmaster Blake, did you hire this man to cheer Luna up, because you definitely didn't hire him to help her."

Headmaster Blake finally figured out that something was wrong and took the pill from Luna's hands to inspect it. Number One wasn't someone who would make such a scene out of nothing. "Tell me, what's wrong with this pill?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The old Alchemist questioned with a face red from anger. "I halted everything to come here and you treat me like this? You really believe this kid?"

"It doesn't hurt to test the pill before I give it to one of the most promising students, right?" Headmaster Blake pointed out to appease the old Alchemist but that only angered him further.

"That's it! I'm leaving! Fuck all of you!" the old Alchemist cursed and head towards the exit but he only made a few steps before Nami appeared on his way. "Girl, get out of my way!"

"I'm usually nice to elders but I won't hesitate to use force if necessary," Nami replied while displaying her black Soul Energy. That was enough to push the old Alchemist to step back but he didn't stop complaining.

"Unbelievable. First, you insult me and then you prevent me from leaving? This is over! I'm never working with the Winged Soul Academy ever again!" the old Alchemist shouted into Headmaster Blake's face who in turn looked at Number One.

"Don't worry, no one would want to work with you after such poor performance," Number One assured and finally explained his reasoning to the confused people, "I called this pill garbage because that's what it is. That old man failed to follow the simple recipe and created a poison pill instead of a healing pill. You can tell by simply smelling the pill. It should have a fruity scent but this one stinks of an uncleansed White Ginseng."

Luna paled at his detailed explanation while Headmaster Blake tested it with a small sniff. He was immediately taken aback and shook his head while withdrawing to glare at the Alchemist. "It really does smell like White Ginseng."

The old Alchemist froze as he rushed to take the pill and smelled it as well. "So what? I might have used too much of it but that doesn't make the pill poisonous. If anything, it gives the pill stronger healing properties. None of the Soul Herbs I used could turn poisonous even if I tried it so your argument is invalid."

"Try it then," Number One countered with a shrug. "If you believe the pill is alright then try it. Nothing should happen to you and it should even help you. It has a lot of White Ginseng, right? The more the better."

Since the moment Number One acquired all the knowledge about Alchemy, he embraced his identity as an Alchemist and was actually offended. If he could, he would immediately cut that old man's head off.

"Why would I do that? Who is going to pay me for all the work if I eat the pill?" the old Alchemist argued but Headmaster Blake quickly stepped in. "The Academy will bear the cost so go ahead and try it."

The old Alchemist hesitated and gritted his teeth as headed to the exit once again. "Forget it. I don't want your money and you are not getting my pills. I'm leaving!"

Nami was still blocking his way but he tried to run around her which cost him a price.

"Arrgh!!! My arm!" the old Alchemist screamed in pain as Nami palm exploded with wind blades that cut right through his arm. "You are insane! Murderers!"

"Oops, it seems like you have injured your arm," Number One commented sarcastically while pointing at the pill in his hand. "Oh, what is this? Isn't that an Earth Rank healing pill! Wow! What a masterpiece! You don't need to worry about dying with such a pill in hand."

The old Alchemist glanced down at his palm and then at his arm. He was quickly bleeding out so he didn't have a chance but to trust his skills. He swallowed the pill with a big gulp and watched his arm for the results.

Surprisingly, the blood stopped flowing out within a few seconds and the arm began to heal which caused the old Alchemist to laugh maniacally. "Hahaha! See this! My pill is working just fine and you were wrong! Who is garbage now?!"

Headmaster Blake gazed at Number One who only smirked with confidence. "Are you sure about that? Look at your arm."

The old Alchemist continued to smile as he waved his arm to show it was fine but that smile faltered as quickly as a falling rock. His skin suddenly paled before it changed color to green and then black. He started panicking but it was too late to stop the process.

"Goodbye~" Number One called out happily while watching the old man scream in fear but even his voice was soon cut off when the black skin reached his head.

Thud.

The old Alchemist fell down on the floor without any signs of life.

"I think this is called attempted murder," Number One broke the silence as he gazed at Headmaster Blake. "You called such incompetent Alchemist over and he almost killed Luna. If I didn't come in time, she would die from the man she reached out for help."

"I…" Headmaster Blake paled, completely out of words.

"You should definitely make it up to her with a small chunk of Academy funds," Number One proposed as he turned to Luna. "How about fifty thousand contribution points? That sounds like a good price."

"I will definitely compensate you… I admit it's my fault," Headmaster Blake agreed with a pained expression. "How did you know about it though? Did you learn Alchemy from your Master?"

"Yeah, something like that," Number One explained lazily and suggested to Luna. "How about I offer you my Alchemy services and get you a perfect pill? I'm cheap. I only want fifty thousand contribution points. You can afford it thanks to our generous Academy."

"..."

"..."

Both Headmaster Blake and Luna were speechless but he didn't argue. "Alright. Do what you must."