Episode 1002
Episode 1002
'Did I manage to fulfill my role as a senior, even just a little?' Lee Han felt a sense of pride.
Just as he had received help from Einrogard's seniors, the fact that he could now pass on that same assistance to his juniors was more satisfying than he'd expected.
Closing his eyes, Lee Han recalled the seniors who had helped him.
Senior Diret, and... '...
Hmm.
I can't remember the others right now, but there must be more.' Given how hectic things had been lately, it was only natural their names didn't come to mind immediately. Lee Han decided to think of it that way.
"Then please take my exam."
"Here you go."
Professor Voladi placed a white sheet of paper on the table and pushed an inkwell and quill toward him.
Lee Han tilted his head in confusion. 'Is he telling me to fight with an inkwell and quill?' They seemed rather lacking as weapons, but it wasn't impossible. Lee Han quickly ran through possibilities. 'I could make the ink surge out and form a small Water Prison Bomb. If I'd mastered vaporization attributes, I could've obscured vision. The quill... Transmutation Magic, perhaps? But even transformed, it'd be too small and light to be a threatening weapon. If I use Psychokinesis to wield it like a dart... but then the balance would skew too much toward long-range attacks.' While Lee Han was calculating the timing for his assault with the inkwell and quill, Professor Voladi spoke calmly.
"Sign here."
"?"
"
Lee Han wondered if there might be invisible writing on the white paper saying, "I promise not to file a complaint against Einrogard even if I suffer severe injuries in this fight," but he sensed no magical energy on the paper.
"What am I signing for?"
"A confirmation that you've taken your final exam."
"...Wait, you too?!"
Only belatedly realizing Professor Voladi's meaning, Lee Han was so startled he nearly jumped out of his seat.
He could understand Professor Garcia or Senior Diret doing this—they were kind-hearted souls who'd help him pass his exams.
But for Professor Voladi to just let him pass like this?!
"Is it really okay to pass me just like this?"
"Even if you begged, there'd be no exam."
Professor Voladi raised the tip of his eyebrow slightly and spoke in a firm tone.
No matter how optimistically he calculated, his student still needed more rest.
Though the student himself might prefer far more challenging magical combat, as a teacher, he couldn't indulge that.
"...That's not what I meant at all... Ah, whatever, it doesn't matter. Thank you anyway."
Lee Han gave up trying to explain. At this point, even if he protested, Professor Voladi would just think, 'The student is being shy and pretending otherwise.'
Instead, he simply felt grateful for the consideration of letting him pass an exam like this. 'I might be mistaken, but Professor Bagrak has unexpectedly kind aspects to him.'
"By the way, Professor. I have to persuade the creditors along with the Headmaster—do you have any advice?"
At Lee Han's question, Professor Voladi fell into thought.
"Hmm."
Then he sank into even deeper contemplation. Lee Han regretted asking.
"...I didn't mean to ask so seriously. It's fine if you don't have advice."
"Wait."
Professor Voladi made his impatient student wait as he pondered one last time.
After a long while (Lee Han, unable to bear the boredom, had taken out the baby basilisk to play with), the professor finally spoke.
"Kidnapping influential figures of the Empire isn't easy. But not impossible."
'I asked for persuasion, not kidnapping.' Lee Han immediately understood why the Skeleton Principal didn't take Professor Voladi along to meet the creditors.
Yukveltire eventually went to confront the misbehaving friend who had been ignoring her paper birds.
"???"
"She then shoved a thick stack of papers into a bewildered Diret's hands—a petition densely filled with grievances from her recent experiences."
Being accustomed to his friend's eccentric behavior, Diret calmly responded. As he read through the petition, he tilted his head in confusion.
"Wait. The Small World? You never asked me about it."
"...Did I?"
"Yukveltire paused."
The petition stated that 'Diret had concealed the junior's Small World Magic from Yukveltire herself,' but strictly speaking, Yukveltire had never actually asked about it.
However, true to her nature as Professor Verdus's student, Yukveltire shamelessly retorted.
"Even if I didn't ask, you should have told me."
"No. Didn't I call you?"
"What?"
"I called you. Back when we were coming out of the underground section, remember? The junior asked about the Small World, so I called you."
'Yukveltire. The junior has something to ask about magic.'
'You answer them. I have things to do.'
'What's so urgent? It's just answering a question.'
"......"
"Come to think of it, she vaguely remembered ignoring their calls while secretly observing the Small World Magic from behind."
Yukveltire's expression darkened slightly as she retrieved the petition and tore off the part about concealing the Small World Magic.
Diret spoke with a triumphant look.
"See, this is why I kept telling you to be nicer to the juniors."
"Let's not take this opportunity to make illogical leaps. More importantly, where is the Wardanaz junior?"
When the junior had come to speak to her earlier, Yukveltire had been too shocked by the misunderstanding that Diret had hidden the truth to notice, but if the junior had actually cast the Small World, she couldn't have missed confirming it.
Diret hadn't hidden anything either, and if both of them had sought Yukveltire's wisdom, it would have been even more obvious.
Yukveltire was very magnanimous. Especially when it came to magic.
As Diret read the part of the petition titled 'Why shouldn't Diret get angry at Yukveltire?' he looked up.
"The junior? They're probably not at school right now."
"...What do you mean? There's still a week left before vacation."
Starting tomorrow, Einrogard students would endure a grueling final exam week before entering a dull and uneventful summer break.
Yukveltire eyed Diret suspiciously, wondering if he was lying to her again.
"You're not trying to trick me again, are you? Like last time."
"...That was three years ago..."
Diret replied, sounding exasperated.
That had happened when they were both second-years.
Yukveltire had been so holed up in her room, neglecting food and drink while obsessively researching magic (to the point where Professor Garcia had begged Diret to intervene), that Diret had resorted to lying, saying, 'Yukveltire, this week is the Marshmallow Candy Festival, so you have to participate with dignity.'
Kind-hearted seniors had even brought fake marshmallows and candy to create a festive atmosphere, which ended up delaying Yukveltire's research progress by a whole week.
Had Yukveltire not been so magnanimous, she would never have forgiven such a heinous crime.
"You enjoyed the melted marshmallows just fine..."
"What?"
"
Nothing. More importantly, the junior really did leave the school. They finished their finals early and went to help the Headmaster with something.'"......"
"Realizing her friend was telling the truth, Yukveltire's complexion grew slightly paler than usual."
Don't worry too much. It's not dangerous—just assisting with persuasion... Oh. You're not worried about the junior, but your research materials, aren't you?
"Yeah."
Diret replied with a petty sense of satisfaction.
"What can you do? Guess you won't get help during break. Take it up with the Headmaster."
"Good point. Thanks for the advice."
Having swiftly finished her calculations and made up her mind, the fifth-year student of the Blue Dragon Tower turned sharply on her heel.
Watching her go, Diret suddenly realized his mistake.
"Wait! Yukveltire! I don't know what scheme you're plotting, but calm down first! It's definitely a bad idea! Come back!"
Statistically, at the dawn of a new week when exams begin—the time when Einrogard students are most immersed in magic—a single carriage quietly slipped out of the school.
"......"
The Skeleton Principal in human form was so focused that he didn't even glance at Lee Han sitting across from him. Papers, letters, sealing wax, quills, and ink bottles floated chaotically around the carriage, swirling in disarray.
"Principal."
"......"
"Principal!!"
"I'm listening. I am listening."
The Skeleton Principal answered with an attitude that suggested he wasn't really listening while muttering the contents of a letter under his breath.
"Such anger is understandable... Professor Verdus isn't deliberately leaving his work unfinished, but rather he's simply too busy teaching his current students... I shall reprimand him severely, so please be understanding... As for the gold coins invested this time, if you could just wait a little longer, I will surely..."
'No way. Can he really lie that blatantly?' Lee Han was baffled. No matter how much one lied, there had to be some limit.
Claiming Professor Verdus was too busy teaching students to finish his work? It was such an obvious lie that anyone could see through it.
About thirty minutes later, the Skeleton Principal finally regained his senses.
He looked at Lee Han and gave a small nod.
"Did you finish your final exams?"
"Yes."
"Personally, I wanted you to master more 5th Circle spells and solidify your foundation before properly entering the realm of Small World magic... But well, you've already started, so good job."
Magic like Small World Basilios operated on a completely different level compared to standard Small World magic.
Though it was also an Ancient Magic, its biggest distinction was that it was an inheritance-type magic, one that strictly demanded specific qualifications and conditions from its wielder.
The difference became stark when compared to the Small World Pentagrammaton that Diret had mastered.
While Pentagrammaton was a Small World that any black mage could learn as long as they sealed five high-ranking demons, Basilios could only be inherited by a disciple who was a [fragment] of its original master.
The Skeleton Principal had hoped Lee Han would follow a more conventional path—broadly improving his magical abilities like other fifth-year students before learning the Small World magic currently popular in the Empire.
That would have been far more stable and versatile.
But what could he do now?
"You can learn the remaining 5th Circle spells next semester."
"......"
Lee Han was speechless but nodded in reluctant agreement.
"I'll do my best."
"What's gotten into you? I expected you to grumble."
"I made a promise to my teacher, so I should at least try this much."
"...Go sit with the coachman."
The Skeleton Principal irritably shooed Lee Han out to the coachman's seat. The Death Knight handling the horses gave the student a sympathetic look.
"You have it rough."
'He tells me to leave, so I leave? Can't I just come back in quickly?'
At the voice coming from inside the carriage, Lee Han returned. The Skeleton Principal grumbled.
"This brat acts like he'd rather die than do what I tell him..."
Outside, the Death Knights whispered among themselves.
The Skeleton Principal promptly sent them to the Punishment Room.
"What did they say to make you Reverse Summon them?"
"One of them joked that if he ever ascended, he wouldn't lift a finger for Batnaz either."
Lee Han was impressed by the boldness of the Death Knights.
That was no ordinary audacity.
"What? You want to crack a joke too?"
The humanoid Skeleton Principal's gaze seemed to say, 'Go ahead, try me.'
Lee Han swiftly changed the subject.
"What kind of creditors do we need to persuade?"
"...They fall into a few categories."
The Skeleton Principal let out a light sigh. Just thinking about them seemed to disgust him.
"First, there are the bureaucrats. These officials provided support using the Empire's gold."
"Oh."
"The problem is... I may have threatened them a little roughly."
"Oh..."
"Next are the noble families. They also supported us generously, both financially and otherwise."
"Ah. Because several of their bloodlines enrolled at Einrogard?"
"No. Because I threatened them roughly."
"......"
Lee Han was starting to feel uneasy...
'Did he really resolve everything through threats?'