"What do you mean you don't have any wine? Are you trying to start a fight with me?!" Normen, the array master, was yelling furiously, standing a few meters away from Mr. F.

Between them lay an overturned table, and the remnants of a wooden chair that Normen had smashed in his rage. It had all escalated quickly. After they had sat down to discuss the arrangement, Normen had casually asked for the magically infused wine Mr. F had mentioned. But when Mr. F revealed that he didn't have any, Normen's mood turned sour in an instant.

Now, Normen was hurling the broken pieces of the chair across the room, and Mr. F, standing calmly, dodged them with ease. He could tell that Normen wasn't really trying to hurt him but was simply venting his frustration. Mr. F tolerated this tantrum for about ten minutes. By then, the shop was a mess, and Normen, his face flushed red with anger, shouted, "Get out! Don't come back until you bring me that wine!"

Mr. F knew he had made a mistake by arriving empty-handed. He could force Normen to cooperate using his magic, but that might cause unexpected complications. After all, the commotion inside the shop had likely already drawn attention from passersby. If Normen suddenly left the shop with him calmly, it would be suspicious.

Deciding to retreat for now, Mr. F left the shop and made his way back to Gustav's estate. It wasn't even noon when he arrived, and Gustav was just finishing up a meeting with several important guests. After the last of them had left, Gustav closed the door behind him, only to be startled by a familiar voice behind him.

"I'm back, Gustav," Mr. F said nonchalantly.

Gustav quickly glanced around, ensuring no one had seen or heard Mr. F's sudden arrival, before pulling him into his study and locking the door. "We agreed you'd stay hidden!" Gustav hissed. "You're supposed to be my shadow, my secret hand! Why are you showing up here again?"

Mr. F casually sat down, gesturing toward the nearby chair. Gustav, despite his frustration, sat across from him, still annoyed that Mr. F never seemed to listen to his advice.

"So," Gustav said, resigned, "I assume you met with the array master?"

Mr. F smiled faintly. "Indeed. Quite the lively fellow."

Gustav leaned back, crossing his arms. "Let me guess—he kicked you out?"

"Not exactly," Mr. F responded with a smirk. "He asked for some magically infused wine. Do you happen to know where I can get some?"

Gustav sighed. "I have a few bottles, but that likely won't be enough. His appetite for it is insatiable."

Mr. F pondered for a moment. The best solution would be to create his own magical wine from the vineyard, but that required more magic than the mountain currently had. He could try to speed up the process by infusing one of the vines with his own magic, but he knew from experience that this often resulted in poor-quality grapes.

"I think we should set up a rank 4 or 5 magic-gathering array first," Mr. F proposed. "Once I've produced my own wine, I can have Master Normen upgrade the array."

Gustav raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You're already planning to produce magical wine?"

Mr. F chuckled. "Didn't I mention? I bought a mountain outside the city, filled with vineyards. I'm currently in the process of cultivating the vines into rank 1 magical plants." It was a half-truth, but one that suited the situation.

Gustav's eyes widened slightly. "Magical wine... That could be quite the lucrative venture. A valuable commodity for trade."

"Exactly. How about advancing me my share of the profits, Gustav?" Mr. F suggested. "I'll use it to set up the array and hire a few workers to assist me."

After a brief pause, Gustav nodded. "The sooner the array is installed, the sooner the grapes can be harvested and the wine produced. You're sure you can turn those vines into magical plants?"

Mr. F laughed again. "Absolutely. Faster than you'd ever expect."

Though Gustav didn't fully understand the implications of Mr. F's confidence, he let it go. "Fine. In three days, meet my men outside the city at dawn. I hope you know what you're doing."

Mr. F gave Gustav a knowing smile before quietly leaving the room. He slipped out of the estate unnoticed and made his way back to the vineyard. By the time he arrived, it was late afternoon, and he decided to sneak up on his students to see how they were progressing with their alchemy.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Albert was grinding a crystal into dust, carefully working over a cauldron, while Betty was preparing a catalyst nearby. Mr. F observed them silently for an hour, noting their small improvements, before finally revealing his presence.

When Albert turned to store the ground crystal in a vial, he nearly dropped it in surprise. "Master! When did you return?"

Mr. F took a sip of tea, which he had apparently conjured while watching them. "A while ago. I've been observing your progress. It seems you're a bit out of practice, which is understandable given the long break. But I do have some tips for you."

He spent the next hour guiding Albert on better control over his magic and pointing out a few of Betty's mistakes. Both students were grateful for the feedback and returned to their work with renewed focus.

Three days passed in this steady rhythm, and on the morning of the third day, Mr. F prepared to head back into the city. His students were already aware that some mages would be arriving soon to set up the array, so they were prepared for his departure.

"Keep practicing, and don't do anything foolish while I'm gone," Mr. F instructed as he left, giving them no chance to respond.

It was still early in the morning when Mr. F reached the city gates half an hour later. Long lines of people were already forming at the various entrances, but he spotted a group of robed figures near the sixth gate. He couldn't tell much about their identities, so he decided to approach.

The man leading the group was studying a piece of paper, glancing between it and Mr. F as if unsure whether he was the person they were waiting for. Suddenly, Lena burst out from the group and rushed toward him, pushing past the others. "Mr. F! Over here! We've been waiting for you."

The man at the front of the group quickly silenced her, whispering something that made her frown.

When Mr. F reached them, he greeted them with a slight smile. "You must be the array masters from the Silverblade family. It's good to see you again, Lena. Are you joining us?"

"Yes!" she replied eagerly. "I'm a rank 2 array master now, and I'm here to gain experience with the others. Plus, I wanted to check on Betty after what happened last time."

The man leading the group stepped forward. "Good morning. You must be Mr. F. I'm Bjorn, and I'll be overseeing this expedition. We should depart immediately and begin constructing the array."

"As you wish," Mr. F responded, leading them out of the city and into the forest.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was quietly following, their presence hidden in the shadows.

The journey to the clearing took about an hour and a half. Before them stretched the mountain covered with vineyards, with a river flowing in a U-shape around its base.

"Listen up!" Bjorn commanded sharply as they arrived. "Each team will take one of the four anchor points around the mountain and start mapping the area."

"I'll head up the mountain with Mr. F to figure out the best place for the array and finalize the plan," Bjorn added.

The teams scattered, positioning themselves in a square formation around the mountain, carefully documenting the geographical features. However, one mage was not so focused on their task. Lena had slipped away, her real mission being to find Betty rather than map the area.

Mr. F noticed her disappearance but decided to say nothing for now.

As Lena approached the treehouse, its doors opened mysteriously, pulling her inside before she had a chance to react. A brief scream echoed through the air.

"Did you hear something?" Bjorn asked as he and Mr. F continued up the mountain.

"Nothing important," Mr. F responded calmly, but his eyes flickered with amusement as they continued onward.

Meanwhile, inside the treehouse, Lena found herself in a wooden room with only a small sleeping area and a modest cooking station. At the far end was a staircase, but the darkness beyond made it difficult for her to see where it led.

Unable to find an exit, Lena hesitated before deciding to investigate the stairs. As she approached, she could hear faint voices and strange, rhythmic thuds coming from below. She crept closer, pressing her ear to the edge of the stairwell to listen.

A dull, repetitive sound echoed every few seconds.

"Am I doing this right?" came Albert's voice, somewhat hesitant.

Betty's voice followed, tinged with frustration. "Harder! No, harder! Now slow down... That's it, just like that. Now hurry before Master comes back. He can't know what we're doing down here."

Lena's face flushed crimson as her mind raced. What on earth were they up to? Despite herself, she couldn't resist the urge to peek. Slowly, she leaned forward to get a better view, but in her eagerness, she lost her balance, tumbling down the stairs with a loud crash.

"Kyaaa!" she cried as she landed awkwardly at the bottom.

Betty and Albert rushed over, alarmed.

"Lena?!" Betty asked, surprised to see her.

Rubbing her sore back from the fall, Lena was still red-faced as she replied, "Yeah, it's me. I thought you might be feeling lonely, so I came to visit. But it looks like you're doing just fine here with Albert. I guess my worry was unnecessary."

Albert looked at Betty in confusion as her cheeks flushed deeper red. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I heard everything!" Lena teased, though in truth, she had only heard muffled voices and seen shadows. She exaggerated for effect, enjoying the tension it was causing.

Both Betty and Albert panicked. Betty rushed to reassure her, "You can't tell Master about this! Please!"

"Of course I won't," Lena said, pretending to be magnanimous. "After all, we're friends, aren't we?"

Albert let out a deep breath of relief, and Betty's tension eased slightly. "Thank you, Lena," Albert said. "My talent for alchemy is... unique. If Master knew I was trying to make a catalyst on my own, he'd be furious."

Lena's playful smile faded, and her eyes narrowed as she processed his words. "Wait... catalyst?" she repeated, her voice dripping with confusion.