Episode 120
Episode 120
"...Thank you."
Lee Han spoke with genuine sincerity.
He couldn't help but feel grateful to Bikelintz.
The knight could have easily refused to acknowledge his defeat if he wanted to save face, yet he had graciously conceded for the sake of a young freshman.
"By any chance, are you interested in the White Poplar Knights?"
"Huh?"
Lee Han froze.
The White Poplar Knights were...
'A thankless job where all you get is honor.'
Though it was the kind of remark that would anger any White Poplar Knight who heard it, it wasn't entirely wrong.
Given that they never stayed at headquarters and instead roamed the empire alone for honor and conviction, their hardships were unimaginable.
"I'm still lacking in many ways, and I'm even more inadequate as a knight."
Lee Han politely declined.
But Bikelintz seemed to interpret his words differently.
The White Poplar Knight spoke in a solemn, weighty tone.
"You're not lacking. Of course, you still have much to learn now, but if you train here for a few more years, you could become a far more exceptional mage than any in the White Poplar Knights. And no one expects a mage working with the knights to possess knightly abilities, so you needn't worry about that."
"......"
Lee Han was taken aback when he realized the knight wasn't just making polite conversation but was seriously recommending this path.
Uh...
Uhh?
"Moreover... you're not lacking in knightly abilities either. As a mage, you're more than sufficient—overflowing, even. Other knights would be put to shame."
"Now, now. Calm down, Sir Bikelintz."
Professor Ingoldel intervened.
"He's still just a freshman, isn't he? It's too early to decide his future."
Lee Han was moved by the professor's words.
Then he snapped back to reality.
'Wait. That guy brought them here in the first place.'
"You're right. I got carried away and grew too greedy."
"Not at all. I'm simply delighted you think so highly of my students."
While Professor Ingoldel and Bikelintz exchanged warm words, the other White Poplar Knights who had finished their own matches approached.
"Are you done, Sir Bikelintz? How did it go?"
"Sir Bikelintz, I hope you weren't too harsh on the students?"
"I lost."
"WHAT?!"
Bikelintz kindly explained everything that had happened in detail to the belatedly arriving knights.
Each time he pointed at Lee Han and said something, the knights stared at him with looks of admiration and awe, making Lee Han feel uneasy.
'This is...'
Lee Han subtly hid behind Giselle. Giselle shifted her feet with an extremely displeased expression.
"You all did splendidly."
Professor Ingoldel praised the trio.
Not just Lee Han, but the other two had also struggled tremendously.
They had fought relentlessly, constantly binding Bikelintz's movements with magic throughout the battle.
"Full marks. This wasn't a match meant to be won, yet you managed to pull it off."
'Ah.'
Only then did Lee Han remember that victory hadn't been the goal of this pop quiz.
Bikelintz had been so fiercely aggressive that he'd momentarily forgotten.
"But seeing students exceed expectations like this is truly the greatest joy a teacher can experience. Thank you all for giving me that supreme delight."
"Not at all!"
Durgyu, caught up in the moment, shouted emotionally, but Lee Han and Giselle remained somewhat indifferent.
'No matter how I think about it, the White Poplar Knights are just...'
'Do they not know the meaning of moderation?'
From the moment Professor Ingoldel had brought the White Poplar Knights here and thrown them into the mix, he had crossed the line into "This is way too much, even for you."
"The knights of the White Poplar Order were also very satisfied with today's sparring. They said they'd make sure to share what happened today with their comrades."
"?"
"They even insisted we must invite them again if such an opportunity arises, so it wasn't just polite talk—they genuinely enjoyed it."
"...Yes. It certainly seems that way."
Lee Han couldn't help but feel uneasy.
'Please tell me I won't have to fight the White Poplar Knight Commander during the midterms...'
"......"
"Lee Han?"
After class, Durgyu, who was walking with Lee Han, looked puzzled when his friend suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong? Did something... Are you okay?!"
Thud—
Lee Han dropped to his knees.
It was the aftereffects of <Piblicus' Great and Tremendous Magic Missile> he had used earlier.
'...Ugh.'
Lee Han wanted to grab Piblicus, the guy who labeled this as a 1st-circle spell, by the collar.
How could this possibly be called a 1st-circle spell?
Instead of firing it, you compressed an enormous amount of mana in front of yourself to induce instability and detonation.
The only principle involved was gathering mana, but its destructive power and danger far exceeded expectations.
It was essentially throwing a bomb right in front of the caster and detonating it...
This spell had only one safety measure.
When the mana exploded, the mage had to push all their mana outward with full force.
What if control failed?
Then you'd just get hit along with it. It was truly an insane spell.
'Blood mages... The empire should really ban them.'
Even though he thought he'd controlled the mana well enough to avoid the shockwave, his vision was still blurry and spinning.
At least now he fully understood what kind of people blood mages were.
The kind who remove all safety measures for the sake of efficiency!
Lee Han vowed to rename <Piblicus' Great and Tremendous Magic Missile> to <Piblicus' Insane Mana Explosion>.
"Lee Han! You can't die!"
"Durgyu... It's not that serious, stop overreacting."
Lee Han spoke to Durgyu, who was making a fuss beside him.
Durgyu seemed to be misunderstanding something, but it wasn't that bad.
What worried him more was something else.
"Durgyu."
"What is it?! Tell me if you need anything!"
"The White Tiger Tower guys mustn't notice my condition... Keep your voice down."
"......"
Durgyu was at a loss for words.
It was the kind of solemnity you'd expect from a knight commander on a battlefield.
'You're a first-year, Lee Han...!'
But Durgyu did as Lee Han asked.
Even to Durgyu, showing weakness in front of the White Tiger Tower guys didn't seem like a good idea.
"Wait. Lee Han. I'll take you to the infirmary."
Durgyu supported Lee Han and started moving. One of the White Tiger Tower students looked at them curiously and asked,
"What's going on?"
"...Training!"
"O-oh, really?"
Desperately, Durgyu led Lee Han toward the infirmary.
"Mild mana shock symptoms. What kind of crazy professor detonated a mana explosion near first-years?"
When Lee Han opened his eyes, he heard a voice by his ear.
It was a conversation between Durgyu and the owner of the infirmary.
"Um... I can't tell you. Sorry."
"Afraid the professor will retaliate? Honestly. I don't get why the rest of the empire fears us. They should fear mages more."
'Come to think of it, this is my first time in the infirmary.'
Given how often injuries occurred, the magic school naturally had a place like a nurse's office.
During the bloody fight with the anti-magic zealots, the Skeleton Principal had personally taken him away, so he hadn't needed to visit the infirmary...
But today, he'd somehow ended up here.
It was more ordinary than he'd expected.
Clean and sterile white surroundings with beds arranged neatly, and the person in charge of the infirmary, shaped like a book, was talking next to Durgyu...
'...?'
Lee Han blinked.
Even upon a second look, the owner of the infirmary was shaped like a book. A floating, fluttering book was speaking to Durgyu.
"The mana shock symptoms came from experiencing a mana explosion at close range while fatigued. I've applied recovery magic, so you'll be fine."
"Thank you! I was really... fine for a while after the explosion, but then I suddenly collapsed... I thought something serious had happened with my mana."
The book in the infirmary looked utterly baffled by Durgyu's words.
"You remained fine for a while after the explosion?"
"Yes."
"What kind of ignorant... Never do that again."
There was only one possible reason someone could appear unharmed after being near a mana explosion.
Sheer willpower.
Upon hearing the explanation, even Durgyu looked stunned.
"That's impossible. There's no way Lee Han would endure so stubbornly... Hmm. No, wait."
"......"
Come to think of it, Lee Han was absolutely the type of person who would do that. Lee Han felt slightly betrayed by Durgyu's initial doubt.
"Thank you for the treatment."
As he cleared his throat and spoke, the fluttering book drifted closer. Lee Han hesitated, unsure how to address it.
"I am the Demon of the Infirmary."
"...Pardon?"
"You seemed unsure what to call me."
"Ah... I see."
Lee Han wasn't even surprised when the talking book declared itself a demon.
Even if he had been, he could now maintain a calm expression and reply composedly. The magic school had truly tempered him.
"How dull. Other freshmen usually scream in shock."
"Let me guess. The Demon of the Infirmary was captured by the headmaster and forced to work here, correct?"
"!!!"
The talking book was startled.
How did he know!?
"Impressive! That's unusually sharp of you!"
"You flatter me."
Lee Han waved his hand dismissively.
Anyone who had met the Skeleton Principal a few times could easily deduce that.
Of course, Durgyu, unaware of the circumstances, was deeply impressed.
"Correct. I was summoned and captured by Gonadaltes, so now I work here in this book form."
The talking book's voice held no resentment. Noticing this, Durgyu asked:
"Judging by your tone, you're satisfied working here?"
"No?"
"Huh? But..."
"Don't tell me you assumed I have no complaints just because I sound cheerful?"
Lee Han cut into their conversation.
He couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Probably because if you acted unfaithfully, the headmaster would punish you."
"Brilliant!"
The Demon of the Infirmary—the talking book—was astonished again.
For a freshman, he understood its predicament far too well.
Given Gonadaltes' eccentric temperament, grumbling in the infirmary would likely result in having its pages torn out.
"You're too sharp... Wait. You're not Gonadaltes in disguise, are you...?"
The talking book trailed off suspiciously, then immediately cast a spell.
"...Mana Detection!"
The overwhelming mana radiating from Lee Han left the book stunned.
"Gonadaltes! It really is you!"
"That's not true."
"Lee Han just has an unusually large mana pool!"
Thanks to Durgyu desperately stepping in to explain, the talking book stopped suspecting.
Though it still cast several verification and detection spells afterward...
"He's been with me the whole time. Definitely not the headmaster."
"Fine. I'll believe you. But freshman, remember this—Gonadaltes can replace your friend in the blink of an eye if you look away."
"......"
Durgyu assumed the book was joking.
But Lee Han took it seriously.
'I really need to be careful.'
"Then again, if it were Gonadaltes, he would've revealed himself the moment I cast a spell. Not one to stay quiet... My apologies, freshman."
"It's fine."
Lee Han stood up.
Thanks to the talking book's healing magic, his body had fully recovered. It was time to leave.
"Wait. Take this."
The book tossed Lee Han a small leather pouch as he turned to go.
"What's this?"
"Simple healing supplies."
"But... haven't I already recovered?"
Lee Han was puzzled.
His condition seemed perfectly fine—was there still something left to treat?
"No. It's just a gift so you'll visit more often."
"......"
Lee Han felt both gratitude and unease simultaneously.