Episode 1148
Episode 1148
The two fell into a brief silence.
Who would have thought that the cold-blooded, ruthless aspects of this caster had been personally documented by their own junior?
The fortunate thing was that Yukveltire hadn't overheard their recent conversation.
"If you're the one who wrote it, then it's fine."
"Right. Wardanaz, you're the type who enjoys the thrill of controlling instability and danger."
"When did I ever say such a... Actually, I suppose I did."
Sigunting had a keen interest in high-firepower, high-output disposable artifacts and held Lee Han in high regard for choosing such disposable artifacts as his research topic.
Of course, Lee Han hadn't created them for those characteristics but rather to sell disposable artifacts in bulk at low prices...
...but he couldn't bring himself to reveal the truth in front of his senior, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment.
-I enjoy such risks. I feel my magic boiling over as I control that instability and danger.
-I knew it! You crazy bastard!
'Your memory is annoyingly sharp.'
If it had been Gainando, he might have forgotten, but of course, it had to be the seniors from the Enchantment Magic school who remembered such things.
"Impressive."
Anpagon muttered.
Though distracted by his junior's insane boldness, even setting that aside, the design was truly remarkable.
From the rapid current mitigation spell to the magic guiding nearby ships—everything was meticulously compressed into the design.
Had his junior not revealed it, he might have thought Yukveltire had designed it, it was so polished.
'This is <Vible's Mana Emission Enchantment>, and this is <Vible's Mana Curvature Enchantment>...'
As Anpagon read through it intently, he realized one thing.
This junior had mastered far more of Professor Verdus's unique spells than expected.
Despite being part of the Enchantment Magic school, most students under Verdus had learned very little from him.
After all, the admission requirement for Einrogard's Enchantment Magic school was "self-study capability."
Without the genius to learn desired spells through self-study, one couldn't survive in this school.
Thus, the magical repertoire of the school's students was a patchwork of whatever spells they needed, with no overall coherence...
...Yet astonishingly, this junior was using far more of Professor Verdus's spells than expected.
He might have even inherited the most from the professor among all students.
Not even Yukveltire or any other student had ever volunteered to assist Professor Verdus so diligently!
"Could it be...?"
"Huh?"
As Anpagon kept muttering to himself, Lee Han grew puzzled.
He wondered if there was some mistake in the design.
"Wardanaz, I was thinking... all those times you volunteered to help Professor Verdus might have ultimately honed your exceptional Enchantment Magic skills. If that's the case, then even the professor's absurd demands..."
"...Senior, every single word you just said, from start to finish, is completely wrong. What kind of bastard spread such baseless rumors??"
Lee Han was uncharacteristically furious.
He had never worked hard, never volunteered, and it was absolutely not thanks to Professor Verdus.
Anpagon flusteredly apologized, but a slight distance had formed between the two.
'Huh?'
The students gathered for the request sensed something amiss.
The chosen site for the lighthouse construction was the riverside of the 'River of Endless Sorrow.'
Named decades ago after students raiding the Headmaster's storage had to abandon all their loot to escape pursuit, this river—with its swift current and wide breadth—was an ideal location for testing the lighthouse.
There were mines nearby (though one had to be cautious due to occasional Giant appearances) and forests (though a student occasionally ambushed them under the pretense of protecting it), making it even more advantageous for construction.
The problem was that the arrived location had far more obstacles than expected.
"Why are there so many trees growing here?"
"Pfft. Either the forest spirits have become active, or some student overstimulated the forest's vitality."
Swish!
A tree branch grabbed a student's ankle and hung them upside down.
Seeing this, Falkrius nodded.
"Given how abnormal this is, it must be a student's doing."
"Get me down now!"
"Be careful not to approach the trees. They're full of hostility—who knows what kind of potion they were fed."
The spreading forest wasn't the only issue.
Some recent incident had twisted the terrain, with massive boulders embedded everywhere, obstructing their view.
-What's going on?
-Little mages! Little mages! Watch out or they'll steal our sheep!
Even the giants nearby were murmuring and staring in their direction.
The students protested indignantly.
"We're not stealing any sheep! Do you think we're crazy enough to steal your sheep?"
"We couldn't even steal your sheep if we tried! They're way too big!"
Despite the seniors' desperate persuasion, the giants snorted in disbelief.
Mages are skilled liars, after all.
"Why is everyone fighting?"
Lee Han, who arrived late, was puzzled to see the seniors and giants shouting at each other from a distance.
-They tried to steal sheep! They tried to steal sheep!
"We didn't!"
"...Let's all calm down first."
Seeing both sides shouting as if they were in a courtroom, Lee Han tried to mediate.
Falkrius asked worriedly,
"Pfft. Are you sure about this? I think we might have chosen the wrong location."
"No. We picked this place knowing full well what it was like."
"Really? It looks impossible to build anything here."
How could they possibly erect a lighthouse in this area filled with boulders and aggressive trees?
Lee Han looked up at the sky and shouted,
"Now would be a great time for some help!"
Got it!
Instantly, the sky darkened as something massive blotted out the sun.
It was the Black Dragon.
Uman, an imperial prince and this semester's inspector, had volunteered immediately upon hearing the students needed assistance.
For this dragon, clearing trees and pulverizing boulders was as easy as breathing.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the site was completely leveled. Not a single trace of the earlier obstacles remained.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Don't mention it!
"......"
"......"
Not just the students, but even the giants stared at Lee Han in shock.
What in the world had just happened?
-H-he really does control a dragon at will, just like the rumors say!
"Senior. Stop spreading nonsense..."
Lee Han turned his head, suspecting some troublemaking senior was spreading baseless rumors again.
This was purely Uman acting out of goodwill toward the students—Lee Han certainly hadn't controlled him...
"We didn't say anything?"
"??"
Surprisingly, it was the giants who had shouted this time.
When their eyes met, the giants quickly hid, though their massive size made it rather pointless.
"No way. Who the hell is spreading rumors even to the giants?!"
Lee Han was stunned.
He could understand rumors spreading among the seniors.
Sure, Lee Han had never controlled Uman, but from an outsider's perspective, misunderstandings could happen.
Einrogard had plenty of corrupt, scheming seniors, so it was inevitable.
But how did the giants in the mountains even hear about this?
-W-we heard it from Ikurusha.
True to his reputation as the wisest and most intelligent among the mountain giants, this one was well-versed in Einrogard's gossip.
Lee Han pressed again, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Perhaps Elder Ikurusha heard it from someone else."
"Ah, probably from that old Yaksha."
'This is why Yaksha are the worst!'
Lee Han was starting to harbor resentment toward the entire Yaksha race.
From the Yaksha King down to this old Yaksha—why were they all like this?
Falkrius, who had been listening nearby, interjected with a voice full of curiosity.
"And who did that Yaksha hear it from?"
"Probably from the Archmage...? They're close, after all..."
"......"
"......"
Though there were many in Einrogard's territory who could be called 'Archmage,' in reality, only one person truly bore that title.
The students all fell silent. They couldn't help but feel a little sorry for their junior.
"...Let's just drop it. Everyone, back to work. We were actually planning to ask the giants for help."
One of the reasons Lee Han had chosen this location was its proximity to the mountain giants.
Their immense strength—something no ordinary magic could replicate.
With their help, the construction timeline could be drastically shortened.
"Huh? Us?"
Though the giants were on friendly terms with Lee Han, they had no such rapport with the other young mages, and their reaction was understandably skeptical.
What if they helped, only for these kids to steal their sheep?
"I'll personally guarantee the safety of your sheep. And if you help, I'll prepare meals—"
"You'll cook for us?!"
The giants' eyes lit up.
This mage from the Wardanaz family had, since last year, earned the unofficial title of 'Supreme Chef' among the giants (though he himself was unaware). His spicy, salty, and intensely flavorful dishes were a mystery even the most skilled giant chefs couldn't replicate.
"...I was going to offer, but on second thought, I don't feel like it anymore. Just help us out."
"Why?!"
The giants were baffled.
He'd clearly been about to promise them food—why change his mind now?!
Working within Einrogard's territory meant facing all sorts of unexpected dangers.
Lee Han had anticipated and prepared for threats from both the giants and Ilendil, but he'd made one critical oversight.
The evil menace floating up the river.
-♪♪♪♪!!!
-♩♩♩♩♩!!!!
Few things annoyed sirens more than construction work near rivers or seas.
The noise, the mud—all kinds of pollution directly affected them.
Today, the sirens gathered here intended to teach Einrogard's mages a valuable lesson:
Don't build by the river!
Under the cover of night, the sirens sped through the water. Even as they fought against the current, their speed didn't falter in the slightest.
Truly befitting a race that prided itself on having spirits as ancestors.
Parthenope, the siren, swung her dagger—a blade she'd received as payment from an Einrogard professor long ago. It had the ability to absorb and sever magic.
If the students had set up any defensive spells along the river...
...But the dagger showed no reaction. Some of the sirens scoffed.
Clearly, unlike students of the past, the current ones were lazy and careless.
Parthenope thought the same.
To undertake such construction without setting up a single defensive spell—had they inherited no wisdom from their ancestors?
Grrrrumble—
-?!
The sirens in the water startled at the sound of something shaking the ground.
Cautiously peeking out, Parthenope was shocked to see giants snoring nearby.
Though sirens and giants had never gotten along, even she knew it was rare for giants to help students.
Why were giants here?
Confused but undeterred, Parthenope signaled for the others to keep moving. They couldn't stop now.
-♪♪♩...
In the distance, their target came into view. The lighthouse was already nearly complete—proof of how quickly the work had progressed.
As the sirens prepared to flood the riverbank, Parthenope peeked out one last time to confirm.
And locked eyes with Lee Han.
"......"
-......