His steps were steady, and he looked no different from an ordinary, kindly old gentleman.
He first smiled warmly at Fleur, who was standing beside Lucien, and said in a gentle voice,
"Young lady, would you mind if I borrowed this handsome young man for a moment? I'd like to have a few words with him."
Although Fleur did not recognise the old man before her, her good manners prompted her to nod politely at once.
"Of course. Please go ahead."
Lucien followed the old man to a relatively quiet corner of the hall where few people were nearby. Only then did he ask in a low voice, unable to hide his surprise and confusion,
"Teacher, why are you here?"
Yes, the ordinary-looking old man standing before him was none other than Nicolas Flamel.
More precisely, it was a younger-looking Nicolas Flamel.
Of course, "younger" was relative. Compared with his previous appearance, weathered by more than six hundred years of age, the current Nicolas, who now looked to be only eighty or ninety years old, seemed almost like a completely different person.
Hearing Lucien's question, Nicolas grinned like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.
"I heard Albus mention the competition earlier and thought it might be interesting to see you take part in something like this, so I decided to come and have a look on a whim." Nicolas shrugged, his tone light. "Besides, looking like this, no one here recognises me."
Lucien opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
Indeed, although the Elixir of Life Nicolas refined using the Philosopher's Stone had extended his lifespan, the ageing process itself had never stopped.
The last time he had walked the world looking "eighty or ninety years old" had been more than five hundred years ago.
Unless he revealed his identity himself, it would be extremely difficult for anyone in the current wizarding world to recognise this living legend.
Before Lucien could fully recover from the surprise, Nicolas studied his face for a moment and frowned slightly.
He reached out and gently placed a hand on Lucien's wrist, allowing a mild flow of magic to seep into his body.
A moment later, Nicolas's frown deepened.
"How did you expend so much magic? You're almost completely drained... This doesn't look like something caused by ordinary spellcasting."
Lucien quickly explained, "There was a small accident during a new magical experiment. I'm fine now, Teacher. My magic is already recovering."
Only then did Nicolas let go of his wrist, though his expression remained serious. With the concern of an elder, he cautioned him,
"Even though you're exceptionally gifted in terms of magical capacity, your body and magic are still developing. Overexerting yourself is never a good idea. You must be more careful in the future..."
Hearing the concern in Nicolas's voice, Lucien felt a warmth spread through his heart.
"I'll remember, Teacher."
Unfortunately, a wizard's magic mainly recovered through the body's own internal circulation and the passage of time. There were very few external methods capable of directly speeding up the process.
Lucien changed the subject and looked towards the judges' table in the centre of the hall.
"Teacher, are you here as one of the judges this time?"
"That's right," Nicolas admitted readily. Then he lowered his voice and smiled somewhat mysteriously. "Although I'm using another identity and name. Maxime knows the details, so there won't be any problems."
As though remembering something, Nicolas shrugged helplessly.
"I originally wanted to drag Albus along as well, but he said he's been extremely busy lately and couldn't get away. Sigh, young people these days are always busy and never know how to relax."
Hearing his teacher, who was more than six hundred years old, complain about the hundred-year-old "young man" Dumbledore in such a tone, the corner of Lucien's mouth twitched. For a moment, he was completely speechless.
The conversation flowed naturally, and neither of them seemed to find anything strange about it.
Nicolas would not show favouritism during the judging simply because Lucien was his student, and Lucien was confident enough in his own alchemical work that he had no need for special consideration either.
Not far away, Madame Maxime clapped her hands, her clear voice carrying throughout the hall.
"Contestants and judges, please take your places. The final judging is about to begin."
As all the judges took their seats, the final evaluation officially began.
The contestants and the students watching the competition returned to their respective places, and a sense of formal tension settled over the hall.
Following the order determined by the lots drawn beforehand, the contestants stepped forward one by one to present their alchemical works to the judging panel.
Lucien's number was last, making him the final contestant. He sat calmly in the waiting area, watching the presentations before his own.
One by one, the works were introduced, demonstrated, and evaluated.
"Language Translation Earmuffs. The concept is highly practical and provides convenience for basic communication across languages... However, there are still obvious shortcomings in translation accuracy and the handling of complex contexts... Fifteen points."
"Material Purification Filter. The rune engraving is stable, and the design of the magical flow is quite ingenious, producing measurable improvements in the efficiency of purifying standard materials... The overall level of completion is very good. Nineteen points."
When Fleur presented her work, the Potion Vitality Preservation Bottle, the eyes of several judges and professors lit up slightly.
"This concept is very insightful." An elderly Alchemy Master seated beside Madame Maxime leaned forward with interest. "It simulates a small, stable magical environment designed to preserve the optimal vitality of the potion inside the bottle and extend its shelf life... This would be extremely valuable for many potions whose effectiveness gradually declines over time... The rune array also shows considerable care and patience in its design... Twenty-two points."
Frankly speaking, the contestants' works and performances up to this point had all been commendable.
Of course, that assessment was based on the standards expected of students.
Alchemy was a profound discipline that required both unrestricted creativity and meticulous precision, two qualities that rarely blended perfectly within a single person.
The invited judges were all experienced alchemists who understood the field well. As a result, they generally viewed the works before them with a tolerant yet critical eye, treating them more as practice pieces created by promising younger generations.
They had never truly expected to see any genuinely astonishing creations at an inter-school exchange competition.
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