Episode 135
Episode 135
It was a rude remark, but Professor Garcia found it hard to refute.
If one were to pit the Skeleton Principal against Professor Voladi to see who had fewer close students, it would be an extremely fierce competition.
"Well, why do you ask?"
Professor Bagrak must have been assigned something for the festival this time—seeing him pass by like that is concerning.
"I'm sure he'll handle it well."
No. You misunderstand me, Professor Garcia.
The Skeleton Principal spoke decisively.
Professor Bagrak has no close students, so the likelihood of him calling upon the boy from the Wardanaz family is quite high.
"...Ah."
Professor Garcia understood what he meant.
Just as the Skeleton Principal, who had no close students except Lee Han, had done, the probability of Professor Voladi doing the same was considerably high.
It was truly unfortunate for Lee Han.
"How about you make a concession, Headmaster?"
Did I hear wrong?
"Headmaster, you should make a conces..."
Even after hearing it again, it didn't make sense. What did you say?
"...Right. There's no way you'd make a concession."
Professor Bagrak! Professor Bagrak!
The Skeleton Principal called over Professor Voladi, who was trying to pass by in the distance. The pale vampire mage approached without a single change in expression.
...So this is the situation. Do you understand?
"Wouldn't it be fine if the Headmaster made a concession?"
Hahaha... Don't talk nonsense.
"I wasn't talking nonsense."
Professor Garcia already felt a headache coming on from the conversation between these two mages, who were far from the concept of compromise.
But contrary to his worries, the two didn't fight.
Then how about a compromise? Why not split the time in half?
"Agreed."
"......"
Predators know how to respect each other's territory.
The Headmaster and Professor Voladi quickly reached an agreement.
The only ones left pitiful were the herbivores who would be preyed upon by these predators.
Wait a minute. Professor Thunderstep is passing by over there...
"Professor Thunderstep has plenty of close students, so just exclude him!"
Professor Garcia desperately tried to intervene.
No matter what, dividing it into thirds would be too cruel!
Unaware that his schedule had been expanded without his knowledge, Lee Han was lost in thought with Ashan.
Professor Alpen had called it a "simple" magic circle, but of course, that was by professor standards—to Lee Han and Ashan, it was anything but simple.
"So, once completed, it's supposed to project spheres of light at regular intervals along both sides of the hallway and display an illusionary statue in the center?"
"That seems to be the case."
Ashan, who had read the book given by the professor, spoke with confidence.
"Wardanaz. Professor Nightun is 100% insane."
'Your language has gotten rougher since coming to school.'
But Lee Han could understand why Ashan would say that.
The magic circle was far too difficult for two freshmen to handle.
Lee Han wondered if they could just use his mana to create the light spheres and place an actual statue instead of an illusion.
<Imperial Banquet Temporary Magic Circle Installation and Production Specifications>
For magicians lacking in eloquence, flashy magic is a way to compensate for their deficient social skills at banquets.
Some foolish magicians take attending banquets and building connections lightly, but this is truly shortsighted—securing sponsorship from nobles is a crucial skill for a mage.
Let me share an anecdote to illustrate its importance...
'For all its unnecessary rambling, it's quite fascinating.'
Even when covering simple topics, mages' books never stuck to just the key points.
They'd write a bit about their personal lives, what they ate yesterday, how the weather was today, throw in some insults at their rivals, and only then get to the main point.
The book Professor Alpen had given them was no exception, but its content was quite relatable.
'Methods to squeeze money out of nobles, huh...'
Magic research required an enormous amount of money. Among the empire's fields of study, magic was by far the most expensive.
Even basic reagents could have astronomically high prices if they were rare, and for unique artifacts, you often couldn't buy them even if you had the money.
So who could possibly fund such expenses? The answer was obvious—wealthy nobles and the rich.
Though Lee Han wasn't particularly serious about his research, he was very serious about extracting money from them.
'Impress them with Illusion Magic... dancing... music... literature... art... Hmm... Isn't there an easier way?'
"Wardanaz?"
"Ah. My apologies. I was lost in thought."
Lee Han snapped back to attention.
Ashan was fidgeting with his quill, deep in thought. Finishing the specifications didn't mean the problem was solved.
...Draw the following diagram and channel mana equivalent to two musk shrews. If done correctly, it should operate smoothly. Place light-element mana stones, but ensure the mana isn't excessively strong. Occasionally, the mana flow may be disrupted by environmental factors, which can be resolved by adding a very small amount of the following reagents...
Given the abundance of metaphors and explanations only the writer would understand, most of it had to be tested firsthand.
Unlike Ashan, who muttered curses at the professor and damned the world, Lee Han silently began his preparations.
For Lee Han, this kind of absurdity was already a familiar fate.
"Let's get started."
"...I'm really glad you're helping me, Wardanaz."
Ashan also pulled himself together and began gathering his materials.
Using Light Spirit Ink—a highly mana-conductive ink for light-attribute spells—they drew white lines on the floor and slowly infused them with mana.
If the mana was insufficient, the flow would stop mid-line. If it overflowed, the lines themselves would be destroyed. Concentration was key.
And above all else...
"...Ghk!"
Ashan collapsed to the side, his face turning deathly pale. Trembling, he fumbled through his coat and pulled out a potion bottle.
It was the Lesser Mana Recovery Potion they had brewed during Professor Thunderstep's class.
"Wo... Wardanaz. If I collapse... avenge me against Professor Nayton in my stead..."
"Just rest."
Lee Han laid Ashan down and proceeded with the test alone.
Having an abundance of mana wasn't always a disadvantage.
During repetitive tasks like this, while other mages had to take forced breaks due to mana depletion, Lee Han had no such need.
'...Why do I feel lonely? How strange.'
Shaking off the pointless thought, Lee Han continued pouring mana into the circle, gradually completing the magic formation.
Click—
"?"
Lee Han and Ashan looked up. Someone had opened the classroom door and entered.
"Professor?"
The one who stepped in was Princess Adenart of the imperial family.
The silver-haired royal, accompanied by her followers, had opened the door to study together but froze in surprise at the scene inside.
"Lord Wardanaz!"
"Good to see you."
"What are you doing on the weekend... Ah!"
One of her followers nodded knowingly.
"You're studying even on the weekend. I'm impressed."
"......"
"...No! Are you blind?!"
Ashan flared up in irritation.
Sure, Lee Han was among the most studious students in the Blue Dragon Tower, but this wasn't that.
Who in their right mind would do this willingly?
"The professor made us do it!"
"The professor? Why?"
"A friend of yours is here..."
The princess's followers listened intently to Ashan's explanation.
And then they were impressed all over again.
"That's incredible!"
"...Well, it is impressive, but..."
Ashan made a frustrated face but couldn't argue further.
It was impressive—not something just anyone could do.
But when you're stuck doing this on a precious weekend, impressive or not, you just want to fire a Magic Missile straight into Professor Nayton's face.
"Oh. Wardanaz. I just thought of a good idea—would you hear me out?"
"Speak."
"Let's mobilize Her Highness the Princess and her followers. Wouldn't that be much more helpful? I estimate a 96% probability it would help."
"Oh... But no."
Lee Han refused outright.
Ashan was taken aback.
"Why not?"
"Well..."
The reason Lee Han was helping Ashan instead of finding a way to escape school this weekend was simple.
Wasn't it to gain favor with the professor and his friend?
But if the Princess joined in...
—Wait, is that...? Your Highness the Princess? What an honor to meet you like this. Truly, your abilities live up to your reputation. To complete such an intricate magic circle as a freshman—remarkable!
...Such a scenario was highly likely to unfold.
Among the numerous royals, Adenart's reputation was particularly illustrious, so Imperial Bureaucrats would undoubtedly recognize her.
'Sorry. For the sake of my future prospects, the Princess cannot participate in this tedious and bothersome task.'
"...Because the professor entrusted this task to just the two of us."
"Ugh. I see. If you say so, then I suppose there's no choice."
Ashan respected Lee Han's decision.
If he wouldn't listen to a friend who had sacrificed his weekend to help, whose words would he heed?
However, things didn't go as planned.
"Um, Lord Wardanaz."
"?"
"Her Highness says she wishes to help. May we join you?"
"......"
Lee Han was stunned.
Why on earth would she want to help with this?
'Does this look fun to her?'
If Gainando had been the same kind of royal, he would've fled at the mere sight of a magic circle, unwilling to run errands. Yet here she was, approaching because she wanted to participate.
It was unbelievable.
Fortunately, Ashan stepped in.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. This task was entrusted solely to the two of us."
"Lord Dalkard, Lord Wardanaz might feel differently."
"Wardanaz likely shares my view."
The Princess gave Ashan a cold stare. It didn't seem to carry friendly intentions.
After glaring daggers at him, she whispered to one of her followers. The follower, having heard everything, approached.
"Lord Wardanaz."
"What is it?"
"Um... Her Highness says she will provide snacks if she may join the task."
"W-what?!"
Ashan was even more shocked.
Offering snacks?!
This was an unimaginable level of commitment.
"Wardanaz. I never expected her to go this far...!"
'Has he not fully recovered his mana yet?'
Lee Han stared at Ashan, baffled by his dramatic reaction.
It seemed his intelligence had taken a slight dip due to mana depletion.
'Hmm.'
Lee Han fell into thought.
'If I refuse now, the Princess will hold a grudge.'
Those born into high status were naturally narrow-minded—just look at Gainando for proof.
And unlike Gainando, the Princess had many followers.
People who could make Lee Han's life very complicated...
'Damn cowardly royals.'
"What's going on here?"
Professor Alpen, passing by, looked at the students gathered in the lecture hall with puzzlement.
"Some other students offered to help us."
Lee Han answered, secretly hopeful.
Given Professor Alpen's strict personality, there was no way he'd let this slide.
Please kick them out!
"Impressive."
Professor Alpen relaxed his stern expression and gave Lee Han a slight smile.
"Huh?"
"Other students stepping up to help? You've made good friends. Accepting assistance is also a skill. Since it's come to this, why not lead them and give it a try? Managing a group is an ability in itself."
With those words, Professor Alpen left. Ashan turned to Lee Han.
"If he says it like that, it should be fine, right? Wardanaz. It's okay to let them join, isn't it?"
"Ashan."
"??"
"We should go back to the dorm and fetch the others who are resting."
"W-wait, that far?!"
Ashan was stunned.
This should be enough...!
'He's truly thorough. I should learn from him.'
'Since he put it that way, increasing the numbers will earn higher praise.'