Episode 1236
Episode 1236
It took several attempts (and precisely after Diret lost his temper) before the sniffling Gainando finally spoke up.
"Actually... Lee Han is doing quite well..."
"?"
Diret tilted his head in confusion.
Imirgue and Lafadell also tilted their heads in bewilderment.
Huh?
"Th-that's a good thing, isn't it?"
At the senior's words, Gainando hesitated.
"You... you're not angry at Lee Han?"
"Angry... well yes, but... more importantly, if he's doing well, that's great! Haha! Hahaha!"
Trying to lighten the mood, Diret spoke more cheerfully than usual and gave Gainando a hearty pat on the back.
Gainando honestly found it painful but endured it. Because he was scared of his senior.
"Hahaha. Oof. So... you're not angry even if Lee Han is doing well?"
"Of course not. How is he doing well? Lying around reading books?"
In his heart, Diret wanted to divert all attention from magic and let his junior rest properly, but he knew full well that wasn't possible.
That's why when he visited, he'd simply handed over the required magic textbooks for the semester without taking any special measures.
After all, this was a junior who'd practice magic even if hung upside down...
'Right. If he's just lying down reading books, that counts as proper rest.'
Diret had already half-resigned himself to this compromise.
"H-he's been playing Wizard Cards with the professor too."
"...Really?!"
Though unexpected, Diret's face brightened even more.
He's actually resting!?
'Wait. How do you play Wizard Cards in the Punishment Room? Can you do it verbally?'
"His Highness Jowurin and His Highness Uman came too and calmed them both down."
"......"
"...???"
The other Black Magic students also froze.
...Had Gainando accidentally inhaled some contaminated reagent?
"Who came to calm them down??"
"His Highness Jowurin and His Highness Uman."
"Ah. Did they come to comfort him?"
Lafadell offered his interpretation, trying to be as rational as possible.
But Gainando shook his head.
"No. They both got locked up too."
"......"
"...Keep going. What else happened?"
Diret could already feel a headache coming on.
Why would two dragons end up in the Punishment Room?
'His Highness Jowurin... might have followed along. But why His Highness Uman went down, I have no idea.'
"Then Lord Maykin came with a request..."
"Maykin? Which Maykin? Who does she think she is, entering the Punishment Room?"
Diret's voice instantly turned sharp.
Why was a request suddenly being mentioned here?
Trembling in fear, Gainando stammered out:
"I-I heard the headmaster gave p-permission..."
"......"
Diret looked up at the Black Magic workshop's ceiling, disgusted by Einrogard's rotten behavior.
The cracked ceiling with spiderwebs hanging everywhere perfectly mirrored the current state of Einrogard.
'He gave permission for that too?'
Now Diret understood why Professor Garcia had been so furious.
At a time like this, they should just let him rest, not approve request applications.
"But Senior. If it's a request, didn't Wardanaz agree to it too?"
"Quiet. Even if our junior asked to do it, they should have stopped him. If they keep allowing this, next thing you know he'll be fighting an Evil God directly."
"......"
Ogoldos shrank back, thoroughly cowed.
He didn't understand how allowing requests during rest time related to fighting an Evil God, but he lacked the courage to argue.
"Sigh. Fine. Our junior probably agreed to it too... What else?"
"P-professor Bagrak held his lecture in the Punishment Room. Lee Han helped with it."
"That's... okay. That's somewhat better."
"But he kept giving full marks to his junior during the help, so he got kicked out."
"......"
"......"
The Black Magic students froze again. Imirgue frowned while examining his work.
It seemed today's work would be unusable after all.
Everyone's minds had wandered far too much during the task.
"Well...that's understandable. The Combat Magic department...has few members."
"There are only two, aren't there?"
"That's why I said few! Isn't two considered few?!"
"My b-b-b-bad!"
The atmosphere in the Black Magic department had now become so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Professor Mortum coughed but forcibly suppressed it.
"Anything else?"
Diret spoke again. Though he hadn't meant anything particular by it, to Gainando, it felt like intense pressure.
It sounded like a threat—if you can't remember, we'll bury you in the underground reagent pit outside.
"Th-th-th—Ah! L-Lee Han used illusions...control...flattery...n-no, I mean! Persuasion! He persuaded His Highness Uman to make the professor do work! He got him to make curse neutralizers instead of Senior Diret!"
"......"
"......"
"WHAT?!"
Professor Mortum couldn't hold back and shouted.
This couldn't possibly be the Skeleton Principal's mischief, could it?!?!
"...What nonsense. Really. There's no way a junior could do such a thing. You must have misheard."
Diret denied it, but half the severity had already left his expression.
As the atmosphere lightened somewhat, the students let out sighs of relief.
'We survived!'
'We won't die here today.'
"But...but it's true..."
"You misheard."
"Ah. Right."
Gainando immediately accepted it.
I must have misheard!
Diret addressed the other juniors in the Black Magic department.
"It seems our junior holds the Black Magic department in such high regard that such rumors emerge. Of course, what just happened must have been a misunderstanding."
"Exactly! I think so too!"
"How much must Wardanaz respect his senior for such words to come out? Wardanaz would consider it an honor to receive a scolding from his senior in the Punishment Room!"
The juniors began showering him with fiery flattery.
It was clear that Diret had been brooding over whether he'd been too harsh on the junior trapped in the Punishment Room, so now was the time to flatter and lift his spirits.
Even Imirgue—and surprisingly, even Lafadell—started chattering about 'how much Wardanaz respects his senior,' making Gainando feel pressured to contribute something himself.
"L-Lee Han respects you so much he even told His Highness Uman that the Black Magic department professor should be replaced with you!"
"...WHAT?! Really?!"
"Cough, cough!"
Even the flattering friends turned their heads in shock. Professor Mortum couldn't hold back and burst into coughing.
Wait, is the Black Magic department getting a new professor tomorrow?
As every mage in the room stared at him, Gainando, unable to withstand the pressure, confessed the truth.
"Th-that was a lie... I'm sorry..."
"...Oh. I thought—"
"No, no. I understand, Gainando. If it were Wardanaz, it wouldn't be strange for him to say that. He respects his senior immensely, after all."
"Right. Exactly."
The mood in the Black Magic department instantly warmed.
Diret tried not to show it, but he couldn't hide the faint smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
As the students saw their respected senior's mood recover, they happily returned to their work with renewed focus.
What a relief!
"......"
Professor Mortum watched this entire spectacle and thought to himself.
'These little brats!'
The Skeleton Principal hadn't been wrong.
No matter how you raise disciples...
"What? You're really not going to ask the Headmaster for help?"
"The Young Headmaster."
Yoner quickly corrected herself.
Someone might misunderstand otherwise.
Professor Thunderstep wore a dubious expression.
It was good that Lee Han wasn't relying on the Young Skeleton Principal's power, but hearing it outright made him suspicious.
Don't tell me...
"A trap..."
"Here you go."
"?"
When Yoner handed over the letter, Professor Thunderstep received it with a puzzled expression.
The letter's contents were brief and simple.
Not a trap.
Leehan Wardanaz
"...Of course I believed him. What kind of teacher wouldn't trust their own student?"
'You didn't even trust the Headmaster from the start...'
Perhaps feeling slightly embarrassed himself, Professor Thunderstep cleared his throat several times before speaking.
"Alright. I'll trust him then. By the way, since he's in the Punishment Room, is Wardanaz keeping up with his lectures alright?"
Professor Thunderstep was concerned about the poor conditions of the Professor's Punishment Room.
Though it was more spacious and comfortable than the regular Punishment Room, it likely lacked proper equipment.
From various tools and apparatus to reagents—truly skilled alchemists never had any spare space left in their homes.
"Yes."
"Really? But there shouldn't be any tools or equipment there?"
"Ah. We moved them into the spare solitary room. My sister brought them in to make him work."
"......"
Only then did Professor Thunderstep belatedly recall that Lee Han was also handling external requests even while in the Punishment Room.
But even so, to manage on such a scale...
'That ruthless bastard...!'
As the two conversed, they spotted a golem walking ahead on the path.
At first, they wondered if someone had summoned it, but its movements were distinctly different from those of a typical summon. The two soon realized that the golem was actually a person.
Professor Thunderstep spoke incredulously.
"Are you still transformed into a golem?"
"When misfortune turns to fortune, I shall release this transformation."
"Divination mages are all lunatics, every single one of them."
"From my perspective, mages of other schools seem far too lacking in crisis awareness."
The golem student remained utterly unfazed.
This exceptional Divination mage would stop at nothing to avoid misfortune.
Even if it meant transforming into a golem and wandering around!
'Every time I see him, he's in golem form.'
"I interpreted my dreams and found that I have a great misfortune awaiting me this week. I must be even more cautious."
"Even if you predict ten things, only one might come true..."
The golem student paid no heed to Professor Thunderstep's words.
If one out of ten predictions came true, that already placed a Divination mage at the level of a master.
If being cautious ten times could prevent even a single misfortune, it was no loss at all.
"So where are you headed?"
"I'm going to the Professor's Punishment Room. I received instructions from a professor."
"......"
"......"
Professor Thunderstep and Yoner froze.
Seeing the golem student's expression remain so calm and composed, the professor hesitantly asked,
"By any chance... do you not know what's been happening recently?"
"Huh? What happened?"
"......"
Divination mages were notoriously eccentric, and many of them tended to remain secluded.
Especially this golem student—he would stop at nothing to avoid misfortune, so holing up in the dormitory or magic tower for a week or two was nothing unusual.
"Professor Kraer... gave you instructions?"
"Ah. I can't tell you that. The professor ordered me to keep it a secret."
"...You're walking straight to your death right now!"
"??"
At Professor Thunderstep's outburst, the golem student looked utterly confused.
"How is going to the Professor's Punishment Room a path to death? Ah. I see. You're trying to trick me into doing chores again... Do I look like a first-year student to you?"
"Hey! No! And you're still holding onto that old grudge?! Just let it go already!"
Flustered, Professor Thunderstep wanted to grab the student and explain the situation, but the golem student's distrust ran deeper than expected.
He promptly detached his leg parts and flew away with a whoosh.
"I said no! Come back!"
As the other disappeared, Professor Thunderstep let out a deep sigh.
"Divination mages are all half-witted geniuses."
"Maybe Professor Garcia has cooled down a bit by now?"
"Doesn't seem like it..."
Professor Thunderstep rubbed his still-throbbing bruise as he replied.
Please, let Professor Paselet have assigned him something reasonable!