Episode 1035
Episode 1035
"Uh, Is This Really Okay?"
Even while flying through the air as fast as an arrow, Lee Han didn't forget to voice his doubts.
And honestly, it was only natural.
Was it really acceptable to leave their senior behind like this when a mad knight had come looking for them?
"If two powerful Combat Mages leave, then Senior might..."
"Lee Han! It's good to have confidence in yourself! But this! Is not! A situation! Where you're needed!"
Pop!
Professor Garcia caught up to them with a spatial leap as she spoke.
Currently, Professor Voladi was casting a series of highly complex Enhancement Magic spells—physical strengthening, time acceleration, spatial compression, and more.
It was a speed so fast that one could disappear in the blink of an eye.
To keep up, Professor Garcia had to grit her teeth and continuously cast spatial leaps.
'Good grief. I thought he needed to have more confidence, but comparing himself to Professor Bagrak?'
"No, I meant the professors when I said 'powerful Combat Mages.'"
"...I'm not a Combat Mage, Lee Han!"
Professor Garcia let out an utterly baffled shriek.
Because of that, her spatial leap was delayed, causing her to stagger. Seeing this, Professor Voladi also stopped moving.
"This should be far enough."
"Th-Thank you, Professor."
"Thank you...?"
Lee Han also expressed his gratitude alongside Professor Garcia.
The question mark at the end was because he still wasn't entirely sure if this was something to be thankful for.
"But still, leaving him behind when a mad knight showed up feels a bit..."
"Really, there's no need to worry. Senior is more than capable of handling himself alone."
Professor Garcia wasn't the least bit concerned.
The former students of the Skeleton Principal—at least those currently outside Einrogard—were all fundamentally skilled enough to take care of themselves.
Those who lacked such abilities had already been dragged off to the Punishment Room long ago.
Given the Great Artist's skills, no matter how strong the knight was, he could easily toy with them and slip away in an instant.
"Even so, I can't help but worry a little..."
"Grrrgh!! You damn spellcaster!!! Disappearing again?! Come out right now!!!"
No sooner had he spoken than the furious voice of the knight echoed from far away.
Professor Garcia gave him a look that said, See?
"Told you so?"
"Ah... I see."
Lee Han struggled to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
"But Professor, I didn't expect Senior to just... well, abandon—no, I mean, I didn't think he'd break his promise like some common Enchantment Mages."
"Senior isn't the type to... well, break promises like other Enchantment Mages."
Professor Garcia tilted her head in confusion.
Unlike Professor Verdus, who openly had no intention of keeping promises, the Great Artist was relatively reliable in that regard.
For someone like him to flee without keeping his word...
"Could it be that Senior... No. No, that might be too extreme a thought."
"!"
Seeing Professor Garcia trail off, Lee Han's expression turned shocked.
No way...?
"Are you thinking the same thing I am?"
"...You're probably right, Lee Han. Exactly—"
"That knight is the Headmaster's spy, and Senior realized it!"
"Completely wrong!!"
Professor Garcia was aghast at her student's wild imagination. Even Professor Voladi seemed faintly surprised.
"No? I can't think of anything else."
"Senior's work got blocked. If his magic hadn't been obstructed, there'd be no reason for him to run away like that."
When an Enchantment Mage loudly accepts a request but unexpectedly hits a roadblock, they usually fall into one of two categories.
The first—like Professor Verdus—boldly declares, "It's blocked! Not my fault! I did my best!"
The second—they flee and try to find a solution elsewhere.
The Great Artist was a textbook example of the latter.
"Huh? Couldn't he just explain the situation and ask for more time?"
"What are you saying, Lee Han? How could anyone do something so shameful?"
Just the thought of such a disgraceful act—throwing away one's pride—made Professor Garcia shudder in disgust.
Even Professor Voladi shook his head as if to say that wasn't the right approach. Lee Han felt unjustly wronged.
'Am I the weird one here?'
"Let's go try to stop him first. The Petrogard students might get hurt."
The Garhi family knight who'd lost track of the artist was howling like a beast, sending Petrogard students fleeing in all directions.
As professors of the same Magic Academy, they couldn't just leave that be.
"Understood."
"Wait!"
As Professor Voladi stepped forward, Professor Garcia quickly stopped him.
"?"
"...I'll handle it!"
"No. You're not a Combat Magic professor, ma'am."
Lee Han deftly applied what he'd just learned. Professor Garcia glared at her overly clever student.
'He has no tact at all!'
Sending Professor Voladi risked inflicting excessive injuries on that knight.
Tracing back the cause of the knight's rampage, their senior bore some responsibility too, so she didn't want to be too harsh on him.
But Professor Garcia failed to notice how much her student had grown in the meantime.
Naturally, Lee Han could guess what she was thinking.
"I'll go with Professor Bagrak. If it looks like the opponent might get hurt, we'll stop it."
"...Lee Han. I'm not underestimating your skills, but are you sure about this?"
"No need to worry. The professor will listen if you tell him."
At Lee Han's words, Professor Voladi silently nodded as if to say there was no need for concern.
Professor Garcia felt reassured yet oddly more worried.
'Doesn't he follow student requests too readily?'
Einrogard professors fundamentally needed to maintain some degree of skepticism toward students.
'The students' struggle against professors' was one of Einrogard's unofficial mottos, after all.
Not that she was in any position to criticize others...
"Then we'll head...Professor! You need to move with me!!"
Lee Han hastily chased after Professor Voladi, who'd already vanished into the distance.
The Garhi family's Ram was an exceptional knight, but he had one fatal flaw.
Complacency.
Right now, his complacency stemmed from assuming only Petrogard and Baldrogard mages were present here!
That complacency became the knight's undoing.
"...Urk?"
Professor Voladi embedded curse daggers conjured from shadow projections into each of the knight's limbs before swiftly retreating.
The moment he was ambushed, Ram counterattacked, only to realize his opponent had disappeared—and his limbs now felt as heavy as if bound by iron weights.
'...'
He's strong!'
Ram, who'd been demanding the artist's surrender in fury, felt his anger dissipate as his mind cooled.
That single strike had been devastating. Whether it was a curse woven from multiple spells, even channeling blazing mana couldn't easily dispel it.
To suffer such a curse without even identifying his enemy first—an unthinkable mistake.
THUD!
"Guhk!"
Simultaneously, powerful telekinesis crushed the knight. <Wardanaz's Telekinesis>.
"By the authority of Petrogard, you're under restraint for causing a disturbance."
"You—you dare...! Urgh!"
As the knight circulated mana through his entire body to resist the telekinetic shackles, Lee Han immediately layered on <Crow's Evil Eye>.
In response, the knight ignited his entire body.
This wasn't metaphorical "blazing mana"—his physical form was literally aflame.
"Hrrrgh!"
'Mana Detonation!'
Lee Han marveled at the knight's rare technique.
Though not to the extent of mages, knights could also imbue attributes into their mana.
Clearly, this knight had maximized the fire element within his internal mana before detonating it. While too simplistic to be called magic, its power was undeniably formidable.
It repelled both <Crow's Evil Eye> and the telekinetic pressure in an instant.
"A mage daring to face a knight so carelessly!"
Though the curse daggers remained, Ram compensated for his limbs' weakness with residual mana, lunging to seize Lee Han.
With his magic repelled, the mage should've been momentarily vulnerable.
But in that instant, telekinesis and the Evil Eye were cast again.
"Kuh-huh...! H-how?!"
The knight, who had never imagined his opponent could continuously cast spells regardless of whether they were deflected or not, collapsed with a thud.
Lee Han felt slightly apologetic and said,
"I'm sorry. Please calm down first..."
"W-why is a Baldrogard wizard so str— Kuh-huh!"
'Oh no.'
Lee Han momentarily increased the output of his telekinetic force before quickly stopping. But the opponent had already fainted.
Glancing to the side, he saw Professor Voladi staring intently. Without realizing it, Lee Han made an excuse.
"He's not seriously hurt... probably."
When Ram regained consciousness, he apologized sincerely.
It wasn't just because he had been subdued. As an imperial knight, causing a disturbance in another magic academy's territory was inherently shameful.
"...I owe you all an apology. This is embarrassing."
"What kind of request did you make to the Great Artist that made you so furious?"
"Hmm. It's a long story."
Ram wore an expression of reluctance. At that, Professor Voladi slowly prepared to move behind him—clearly getting ready for interrogation.
Startled, Lee Han urgently shouted,
"Please tell us your story! We might be able to help!"
"...Fine. I'll tell you."
After some hesitation, the knight finally gave in and began speaking.
Now that he had been caught, it didn't seem like the mages would let him go easily anyway.
Ram of the Garhi family, a knight of the Empire's Order of the Blazing Flame, had a lover since childhood—a childhood sweetheart promised to him from a young age.
But this lover was born with a weak constitution and ultimately succumbed to a magical plague, passing away prematurely.
Burying his grief deep in his heart, the knight sought out the Great Artist.
He wanted a creation that could preserve the memory of his beloved.
"......"
"......"
Upon hearing this, Lee Han and Professor Garcia broke into a cold sweat.
Guilt made the sweat pour uncontrollably.
"...Professor!!"
"I-I didn't know either, Lee Han! I had no idea the story was this tragic!"
Unlike Professor Garcia, Lee Han had actively participated in subduing the knight with magic, doubling his guilt.
"This won't do. We have to at least explain the situation."
"Let's do that, Lee Han!"
After finishing their discussion, the two approached. The knight was puzzled by their hesitant demeanor.
What now?
"Well, the thing is..."
Thirty minutes later.
After hearing the full explanation, the red-haired knight frowned.
"So... that's how it was?"
"We'll apologize on their behalf."
"We're truly sorry!"
As juniors of the same school, Professor Garcia and Lee Han apologized sincerely.
But Ram shook his head.
"It's fine. I thought they had given up entirely, but knowing they haven't is actually a relief. But why on earth would they avoid explaining the reason?"
"...That's what we'd like to know too!"
Lee Han wholeheartedly agreed.
If they had just explained properly, this kind-hearted knight wouldn't have exploded in the first place.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Freed from his restraints, Ram stood up and dusted himself off.
"Don't feel too bad. I acted shamefully too, so let's just forget it."
"Sniff... We won't forget your magnanimity, Sir Knight."
"I said don't mention it... Please pass on my apologies to the mages of Petrogard as well. I'm sorry I couldn't do it in person. I caused too much of a scene in front of such outstanding mages."
The knight praised each of the Petrogard mages' works he had seen, expressing his regret.
A wyvern sculpture so lifelike it seemed alive (though its wings were a bit off)
A painting of a beautiful moon spirit swimming in a nocturnal pond.
And in the Great Artist's chamber—a living, moving portrait of a prince...
"Petrogard mages truly have their remarkable qualities."
Lee Han honestly admitted.
His perspective had changed after conversing with the Great Artist.
Unlike Baldrogard, Petrogard undeniably had its own brilliance.
"...Wait a minute. What did you just say? What painting?"
"The beautiful moon spirit swimming in the nocturnal pond? Actually, now that I think about it, it might have been an undead emerging from a poisonous swamp—"
Though the latter part was concerning, Lee Han let it slide. There was something more important.
"You said there was a portrait of a prince in his chamber? A living, moving one??"
"That's right. A very friendly one too. Do you know which prince it was?"
"......"