Episode 1287
Episode 1287
"The correct answer was the Small World Euangelion."
This ancient outer garment, which infinitely repelled enemies attempting to breach space by splitting dimensions, shared the same roots as the Authority displayed by the Frost Giant King.
It warped space-time to manifest the outcome desired by the mage.
Upon hearing the answer, Lee Han made excuses like any student who'd gotten a question wrong.
"Couldn't the Small World Dynamis also break the curse by drawing upon future possibilities?"
"Are you seriously saying that now?"
"...It was a joke."
Seeing his teacher's expression twist into something fearsome, Lee Han quickly changed his tune.
While Professor Garcia wasn't particularly fond of other Small World magics either, her aversion to Small World Dynamis was on another level. No one knew what would happen if someone got caught casting it.
The concept of a mage drawing upon the potential of spells they might cast in the future was so radical that even mages accustomed to bending reality's rules found it absurd.
Naturally, the caster also bore an immense burden.
In Lee Han's case, having recklessly spammed Small World Dynamis while bleeding profusely right in front of Professor Garcia had earned him particularly strong disapproval.
"By any chance, have you been practicing Small World Dynamis while I wasn't looking?"
"Of course not. How could I?"
"If it's Lee Han we're talking about, sneaking out to the capital when no one's watching wouldn't be difficult at all. In that case, practicing Small World Dynamis wouldn't be much of a problem either."
"......"
Cold sweat trickled down Lee Han's back.
He'd thought he'd been forgiven, but apparently there was lingering resentment.
'But compared to other professors, she's still the most lenient and kind.'
If one were to rank Einrogard professors by how long they held grudges, Professor Garcia would still be at the very bottom.
When Professor Verdus showed lingering resentment, one thought 'What does he even want?', but when Professor Garcia did, you couldn't help but think 'I must have done something wrong.'
Rather than feeling unjustly treated, Lee Han accepted this as his karmic retribution and kept bowing his head.
"Haha, how could that be? Absolutely not. I can't imagine why you'd think such a thing, Professor."
'What kind of conversation are they even having?'
Trapped within the ice, Ivanna couldn't contain her curiosity about the exchange happening behind her.
The discussion of space-time magic had already been shocking enough, but the subsequent mentions of Small World magics were even more mind-blowing.
Did that second-year junior really master all of that?
She'd thought he was insane when she heard he was learning magic under Professor Bagrak, and even crazier when she learned he was taking courses from every department, but this defied all possible description.
'I must be misunderstanding. I must have heard wrong or something.'
"Anyway, I wasn't talking about dangerous, sloppy magic like Small World Dynamis that should be banned immediately. I meant the Euangelion."
"I completely agree. I don't know why the bureaucrats haven't banned it yet."
Professor Garcia glared at her student's shameless flattery before finally relenting.
Not just anyone could smile while spitting venom. That was a skill reserved for the likes of the Skeleton Principal or Professor Verdus.
"Though Lee Han borrowed the cloak's power when deploying the Small World Euangelion, the magical sensation itself must still remain within you."
Lee Han nodded.
Magic wasn't just about theoretical knowledge—the sensory aspect was equally important.
That's why once you succeeded in casting a spell just once, by any means necessary, your success rate would skyrocket afterward.
A mage's firm will, mental imagery, and experienced sensations all dramatically improved.
Though Lee Han had been introduced to ancient Small World magic through the legacy inherited from the Young Prince, he hadn't relied entirely on that inheritance.
Small World Magic wasn't so docile that it would obediently follow a mage who tried to relinquish control rather than take direct rein.
"Yes. I know what it feels like."
"That sensation is crucial. Since you've already mastered intermediate-level spatial teleportation magic, Student Lee Han, it's about time you started utilizing all that accumulated experience."
THUD!
Professor Garcia summoned a massive cauldron in midair.
From this three-legged cauldron flowed a strange magical aura. Lee Han felt astonished by this unfamiliar artifact.
"What is this?"
"It's Professor Garcia's Demon Inquiry Cauldron."
Professor Voladi answered from the adjacent room instead.
This peculiar cauldron was one of the artifacts that proved Professor Garcia's genius.
Though the Empire had artifacts with all sorts of effects, this magical cauldron's function stood out even among them.
It possessed nothing less than the power to guide Small World learning.
"That's possible?!"
"Since the cauldron itself has a newly designed Small World Magic embedded within it, of course it's possible."
"Professor Bagrak. I didn't call for you."
Still angry at the senior, Professor Garcia snapped at the unseen professor in the next room.
Unable to watch any longer, Lee Han intervened with an excuse.
"Professor Bagrak is just trying to help."
"...I suppose that's true. Actually, he did assist me when designing this."
"Really?"
Lee Han was greatly surprised by this unexpected revelation.
"Did he perhaps... procure materials for you by stealing them?"
"Student Lee Han..."
'Does he not like Professor Bagrak that much?'
Ivanna, who'd only been listening, thought to herself.
She'd heard they were not only studying under Professor Bagrak but were actually quite close—was that just a rumor?
Professor Garcia was momentarily speechless from disbelief before responding.
"Professor Bagrak doesn't always resort to violent methods. He's quite profound in magical knowledge too."
"My apologies. That was just the first thing that came to mind... So it wasn't material theft but collaborative design assistance."
"...He did gather some materials too."
"......"
"(......)"
Both Lee Han and Ivanna, trapped in ice, were at a loss for words.
So the junior was right after all?
Noticing their gazes, Professor Garcia hastily added:
"A little! Just a tiny amount! It's not like they were sold anywhere—they were possessions of evil magic criminals, so it was legal under Imperial law!"
"R-right."
Realizing any further discussion would only lead to badmouthing her senior in front of her student, Professor Garcia cleared her throat to change the subject.
"Ahem. Student Lee Han. Let's end the small talk and begin the lesson. Please dip your hand into the liquid inside the cauldron."
"Professor. Do you truly believe I'm at a level where I can formally attempt Small World Magic?"
'Exactly!'
Ivanna unconsciously cheered internally.
After hearing so many outrageous statements that defied common sense in this room, the junior's words suddenly felt refreshing and heartwarming.
It was such a reasonable and logical point.
Professor Garcia nodded as if understanding.
"The Small World magics you've learned are somewhat unique or limited, true. But conversely speaking, having experienced and practiced that many varieties of Small World Magic means you're fully qualified to attempt this."
"It still seems like it won't be easy."
'Right!'
Ivanna internally cheered again.
Though she'd be in trouble if the junior failed to learn this, she found herself strangely defending his stance.
That's how much this conversation had shaken Ivanna's common sense.
"Don't worry, Student Lee Han. It's not like you have to master it perfectly in one go. Even an incomplete Small World Magic is fine. Like Hidor."
Though Lee Han hadn't yet fully perfected Small World Hidor, he had succeeded in honing his Water Prison Bomb to the point where he could infuse concepts close to Hidor.
The Small World that Professor Garcia was about to teach was similar.
Small World Terminalia.
This Small World possessed exceptional power in countering and breaking through spatial Authorities.
Like the 1st Circle Magic <Spatial Perception>, it was a magic that secured a mage's senses within distorted environments—but its scope and level were on an entirely different dimension, befitting a Small World magic.
Even if he could only learn this Small World incompletely, it would not only help counter the Frost Giant King's Authority but also prove immensely useful in overcoming future challenges in spacetime magic studies.
"Ah. It's okay if it's incomplete? Then I think I can do it."
"That's exactly it, Lee Han!"
'......'
Ivanna decided to simply give up and accept everything.
The Empire was vast—there might just be a mage like that out there!
...Though she still couldn't comprehend it at all...
As he plunged his hand into the cauldron, a splashing sound echoed. The water inside offered no resistance, as if it had no mass.
"Lee Han. Try to recall what we discussed earlier."
While preparing to teach Small World Terminalia, Professor Garcia instructed her student.
All the spacetime magics he had learned and experienced so far.
Her plan was to have all these magics rise and amplify within the cauldron, then use that momentum to immediately guide him into the Small World.
As Professor Garcia had said, fragments of various magics began to manifest.
Small World Euangelion.
Numerous spatial teleportation magics from the spacetime magic school.
And <The Witch's Dimensional Phase Distortion>...
"?"
Professor Garcia sharply turned her head to stare at her student. There had clearly been a magic she hadn't seen before.
'When did he even learn that?!'
Lee Han pretended not to notice and focused on the magic. In truth, he really needed to concentrate.
"Lee Han. You'll soon experience Small World Terminalia directly, so focus! Here we go!"
"Yes!"
The Small World Professor Garcia unfolded inside the cauldron swirled like a storm.
Lee Han, directly receiving that Small World, absorbed it deeply as if it were his own experience, never losing track of its flow.
'Good. First hurdle cleared!'
Professor Garcia looked at her student with relieved eyes.
The first challenge of this experiential cauldron was accepting an unfamiliar Small World.
Without proper experience and training, even acceptance itself would be impossible. No matter how much the cauldron helped, there were limits.
The second challenge was somehow re-expanding the accepted Small World back into the cauldron.
Only by doing this would the sensation remain clearly within his body.
'...It's working! Hang in there, Lee Han!'
As her student attempted to unfold the Small World magic without faltering, Professor Garcia's joy grew even greater.
This meant he had practically overcome the second hurdle as well.
At the very least, he should be able to cast an incomplete Terminalia now.
"...????"
But then, Professor Garcia froze mid-celebration.
The Small World magic her student had unfolded was different from what she'd expected.
'What is this?'
This wasn't Terminalia.
Another tiny droplet swimming through the water inside the cauldron.
Professor Garcia knew this Small World magic all too well.
'That's Hidor?!'
For a moment, she thought the transmission had failed.
Terminalia was supposed to emerge—so Hidor appearing out of nowhere was undeniably abnormal.
But upon reflection, this was strange too.
After all that focus on spacetime magic, why would an unrelated Hidor appear?
'...No, it's not Hidor!'
Only then did Professor Garcia clearly grasp the situation.
This wasn't the destructive, ferocious concept that formed Hidor.
Though it looked identical on the outside—a mere droplet—what lay within resembled the rules of Terminalia.
In other words...
'A new Small World!'
Professor Garcia couldn't contain her astonishment at the realization that her student wasn't inheriting an existing Small World but creating a new one.
"To think he'd create a new Small World...!"
"(Professor. Could you please unfreeze me now?)"
Unable to contain her curiosity, Ivanna sent a telepathic message, but Professor Garcia, utterly absorbed, didn't hear it.