Episode 1143
Episode 1143
Lee Han glanced briefly at his senior for a moment.
'There's no way I can push this onto him, right?'
No matter how he thought about it, making them believe that Yukveltire had beaten up Count Bouillon seemed impossible.
"I did do it, but to be precise, I didn't exactly beat him—"
"You're my hero!"
"......"
Thud!
The stonemason guild members jostled each other to hug Lee Han. Their strength was so great that Lee Han was nearly pushed over.
"You actually beat up Count Bouillon!"
"It wasn't a beating—it was a lawful confiscation following proper procedures—"
"Where and how did you hit him? Huh?"
Stingy clients were always resented by guild members.
And if there was a client even more resented than that, it was one who refused to pay fair wages and resorted to underhanded tricks.
Count Bouillon was exactly that kind of client.
The Capital Stonemason Guild members had suffered from his highway robbery-like behavior multiple times, and their grudge could only be resolved by something as extreme as mutilating his corpse.
"...The moment I saw him, I punched him right in the face!"
Half-resigned, Lee Han shouted.
What was the point of explaining the unavoidable circumstances to these guild members?
It was better to just give them the answer they wanted to hear.
"Ohhh! So you had secured evidence, which made such bold action possible!"
"...Exactly. How could I have done something like that without evidence?"
"True. No matter how angry a mage gets, they always maintain their composure."
"......"
"Can we talk about beating up Count Bouillon during the lecture?"
"No matter how you look at it, that's too much. What does that have to do with the lecture?"
"How is beating up a swindler not important material?"
The stonemason guild members whispered among themselves. Thankfully, the mood wasn't bad.
Having successfully concluded their first meeting, Lee Han cautiously made a request.
"Um, I'd like to consult with you about the lecture content in advance..."
"Ah. Understood. But I do have one question."
"What are you curious about? The damage Count Bouillon sustained?"
"Ah. That is curious too. But what I meant just now wasn't that—why is Professor Verdus absent, with only two students here?"
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and Yukveltire fell silent simultaneously.
No matter how much they were the top second-year student and a fifth-year senior at Einrogard, talking about a professor who had been sent to the Punishment Room wasn't easy.
'Senior. Do something.'
'Uh, how should I phrase it...'
Yukveltire couldn't hide his bewilderment.
How was he supposed to spin the fact that the professor was in the Punishment Room in a positive light?
"...This senior here is so exceptionally skilled that he's taking over the professor's lecture. You could say it's a tradition at Einrogard."
It wasn't a lie.
At Einrogard, the more outstanding the student, the more they had to shoulder the professors' responsibilities—a tragic reality of the academy.
"That's great."
Yukveltire nodded with a satisfied expression at her junior's quick thinking. Lee Han shot him a slightly disdainful look.
Was this really the time to feel satisfied?
"I see. Understood. But may I ask one more thing?"
"What are you curious about?"
"Even if we accept Her Highness the Princess being here, why is Wardanaz, who's only a second-year...?"
"......"
The other stonemason guild members also nodded unconsciously at the question.
Why on earth was a second-year student discussing lecture content with them?
This time, Yukveltire spoke up. Since his junior had shown quick wit, it was now his turn to contribute something.
"He's helping me out of respect. As a junior from the same school of magic... Ack!"
Yukveltire let out a small yelp when her junior stepped on the toe of her shoe.
"Ah. Sorry. My foot slipped."
"......"
Ignoring his senior's suspicious glare, Lee Han took control of the conversation again.
"According to Professor Knighton, in the last lecture, you all discussed magic and materials while having students directly create models of the structures you built."
"That's correct. But..."
The Capital Stonemason Guild members suddenly looked suspicious.
Lee Han was taken aback by their change in attitude.
Why?
"...As far as I know, Professor Verdus doesn't just hand out materials needed for lectures carelessly. Do you think you can prepare the materials to make the models?"
"Of course, that's impossib— Ow."
Yukveltire yelped again as her junior poked her in the side.
This time, it was definitely no accident. Yukveltire glared at her junior with tear-filled eyes.
"Of course it's possible. Just tell us the list, and we'll bring them."
"??"
Yukveltire forgot her pain and looked puzzled.
How on earth were they going to bring the materials?
-How did you bring them?
The knights were also puzzled.
Surely they didn't use their own funds, did they?
The heir did have a bit of a pushover streak, but even so...
"Well, you see..."
Lee Han glanced at Professor Verdus beside him.
Naturally, Yukveltire, who didn't bother checking the professor's reaction, declared boldly,
"We took them from Professor Verdus's storage."
"Ughhhh!!!!"
Professor Verdus shouted, "Thieves!" but no one paid him any attention. The knights were impressed.
-Now that I think about it, that would work! Why didn't we think of that?
-Too honorable, that's why.
"...Yes. We requested access to the Sacred Pavilion Hall's underground storage from His Excellency the Inspector."
-Did you bring plenty of reagents for the heir to use, not just lecture materials?
"Ugh! Ugh!!"
"We didn't."
-Why on earth not?!
"Even now, we should go back and get more—"
"Ah, could you please be quiet?"
Lee Han replied in an irritated voice to the senior making noise behind him.
Of course, Lee Han didn't dislike looting Professor Verdus, but there was still a line.
If they took more than just the lecture materials, even Professor Verdus might lose his mind in rage.
...Besides, when he thought about it, Professor Verdus had been imprisoned partly because of Lee Han, so his conscience pricked him a little.
"This much Black Shadow Sand should be enough. As for the Flame Iron..."
"The quality is a bit poor, but we can compensate with magic processing. One minute will be enough."
Lee Han was slightly moved by the senior's claim that it would only take a minute to process all the materials in the crate.
'When it comes to magic, he's a perfectly respectable person.'
"About this Lightning Control Tower. If we make a small model, will it still be able to control lightning?"
"If you apply the same principles, the effect will be the same. The power will be reduced, though. And for learners, understanding the principles is more important than just copying. To put it bluntly, if you can only reproduce the magic by perfectly mimicking the materials, then you haven't truly learned it."
"...!"
After two consecutive remarks about magic, this senior suddenly seemed as reliable as a professor.
Lee Han spoke in a trusting voice.
"Senior. I think you should be the one giving the lecture."
"What are you talking about? I'm already supposed to be lecturing, aren't I?"
"Haha. Right. I must have forgotten."
With both materials and lecture prepared, there was nothing left to worry about.
At least, not until the Capital Stonemason Guild members exclaimed,
"Student Wardanaz helped the Kudrin Stonemason Guild build the Pocket Knife Fortress?! And as a first-year last year?!"
"...Can we discuss that after the lecture?"
-Indeed. The key was making a model of the Lightning Control Tower.
The knights summarized it simply.
Looking around, the students had each taken an ample share of materials and were now constructing models of the Lightning Control Tower in their own ways.
The Capital Stonemason Guild members advised on practical issues that might arise in actual construction, while Yukveltire advised on magical problems.
'It's almost a shame to let Professor Verdus out when he's being this perfectly contained.'
But now that they'd come this far, Professor Verdus had to be released. The knights warned the professor.
-If you make any unnecessary remarks, we'll send you straight back to the Punishment Room.
"Uuugh."
-No complaining about wasting lab reagents, no rude comments to the Capital Stonemason Guild members—no, in fact, only magic-related talk is permitted.
"Uuugh. Uuugh."
Professor Verdus nodded as if to say he understood.
The knights, genuinely reluctant to release him, removed the gag. The freed professor immediately 'bit' into the model tower before him.
Not literally, of course—figuratively.
"What kind of half-baked idea was it to embed the lightning-conduction magic right in the center? If a severe thunderstorm hits, the backlash would flow straight back and damage the tower!"
"...B-but during mild lightning strikes, it's more efficient—"
"Why would you even need this kind of tower where lightning rarely strikes? Are you stupid?"
The third-year student gave the knights a pleading look, silently begging them to shut the professor up again.
The knights shook their heads apologetically. They couldn't interfere in a magic lecture.
Professor Verdus turned to Yukveltire and demanded,
"Why did you let them make it like this?"
Yukveltire, overflowing with pride in her magical prowess, naturally bristled at the implication.
If a third-year junior had foolishly constructed something, that was entirely the junior's fault—certainly not Yukveltire's.
"If a junior is an idiot, that's the junior's—ow!"
"Please think before you speak!" Lee Han hissed, jabbing her side again.
The previously cheerful atmosphere of the lecture hall was already splitting into factions.
Students vs. Professor Verdus.
At the very least, Yukveltire needed to be on the former side, not the latter.
Muttering about needing to add a side-protecting artifact, Yukveltire grumbled,
"I didn't say anything wrong—"
"Professor. As I mentioned earlier, this lecture isn't about creating a flawless work but about understanding the principles of magic embedded in architecture through experimentation. Naturally, there will be many free attempts."
"Hmph. Stupid is stupid."
Having been confined for so long, Professor Verdus's critiques were sharper than usual, his words honed to a razor's edge.
He would point out every flaw in the students' magic as he saw them!
With that determination flashing in his eyes, the professor was ready to tear apart any foolish magic on sight.
Cowed by his intensity, the students held their breath and averted their gazes.
They'd forgotten—Professor Verdus was at his most terrifying when critiquing magic. His pure-hearted critiques only made the pain more acute for the mages on the receiving end.
'For the students' sake, shouldn't we knock him out right now?'
As the Capital Stonemason Guild members agonized over the lecture hall's deteriorating atmosphere, Professor Verdus spotted his next prey.
"Why is the top of this tower missing?"
"Ah. I applied <Bible's Flight Enchantment> to it. You know, the magic you taught us last time about airships. I thought controlling part of it in the air would be far more efficient than keeping it entirely grounded."
Lee Han manipulated the floating upper portion of the tower model and brought it over.
Faced with the flawless execution of his own teachings, Professor Verdus fell silent, his expression sour.
Whoever had taught this student had been annoyingly thorough—there wasn't a single flaw to pick at.
"...Raising and lowering the tower will severely compromise its durability! How do you plan to address that?!"
'Since when did you care about such problems?!'
The Capital Stonemason Guild members clenched their fists.
This was the same mage who'd often claimed he'd build walls and pillars out of glass if it made his magic work better. Their murderous intent surged.
"I anticipated that, so I also prepared <Zarun's Inelastic Rubber> magic."
"...It's perfect! Why is it so perfect?!"
Professor Verdus lashed out at his unnecessarily brilliant student.