Episode 136
Episode 136
Upon arriving at the Blue Dragon Tower, Lee Han looked at the students resting in the lounge and spoke.
"If you all help me with what I'm doing with Ashan right now, I'll—"
"Sure, whatever."
"Let's go."
His friends closed their books and set down their chess pieces before Lee Han could even finish mentioning the reward.
Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
"It'll be tedious weekend work though—are you sure?"
"Wardanaz, you're always doing stuff like that anyway."
"......"
Lee Han felt mildly touched by his friends' warm words.
What kind of magic school was this, producing students like these!
"Where's Gainando?"
"He's resting upstairs... Wardanaz. Do you really think Gainando will come?"
The friends doubted Gainando would participate.
Weekend work? With his personality?
There was absolutely no way he'd join.
'But Gainando must participate.'
Lee Han remained firm.
When Professor Alpen's friend arrived at the school, having even the imperial prince among the Blue Dragon Tower students would further elevate Lee Han's standing.
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
Lee Han summoned Gainando.
The prince, who had been lounging in his private room, came down looking puzzled.
"What? What's going on?"
"I'm sorry about this, Gainando."
Lee Han spoke in a voice filled with regret. Gainando immediately grew alarmed.
"Am... am I being sent to the Punishment Room?"
"No. It's not that."
"Phew..."
"We're about to go work on magic circles with the others. But unfortunately, you can't participate."
"That... that's it?"
Gainando tilted his head in confusion.
Wasn't that good news?
'Oh no. If I show relief, they might drag me along.'
Gainando struggled to control his expression. These friends of his had the nasty habit of disliking when he rested.
"I'm truly sorry. I wanted to include you."
"Uh, yeah."
"Well then, rest well. Again, I'm sorry, Gainando."
"...Wait. Hold on."
Gainando grabbed Lee Han's arm as he turned to leave.
Originally uninterested, Gainando found himself growing curious precisely because Lee Han kept apologizing.
Was there something special about this?
"Lee Han. Why exactly are you sorry about not being able to include me in this magic circle work?"
"Of course I'd feel bad not letting a friend join such fun work."
"Fun, you say?"
"Yeah."
"...??"
For a moment, Gainando thought Lee Han had gone crazy.
But upon reflection, Lee Han had always been like this.
A friend who bizarrely enjoyed studying!
'Can he really be this disappointed?'
Unfortunately, Gainando couldn't cure Lee Han of this affliction. The prince was about to give up and let him go when...
"That's right. We're really sorry, Gainando."
"We really wanted to include you too..."
"???"
But when even the other friends chimed in like this, Gainando became thoroughly confused.
Had magic circle work somehow become a trendy activity among freshmen without Gainando knowing?
"It's fun? Really?"
"Gainando... do you still not know? How fun magic circle work is?"
Yoner looked at Gainando with an expression of shock.
After hesitating, Gainando replied:
"...Of course I know!"
"......"
"......"
The friends all stared intently at Gainando for a moment, but the imperial prince failed to grasp the meaning behind their gazes.
"Then why can't I come?"
"The princess has followers. They weren't happy about you showing up."
"Wha... what! Lee Han! How could you give in to threats from such scoundrels!"
Gainando grew furious at these unknown followers of the princess.
Sure, Adenart might have greater fame than Gainando, be better at magic, excel academically, and be more cultured—but aside from all that, was he really any better than Gainando?
And yet they dared try to keep Gainando from attending!
"Is that so?"
"Lee Han. That's not like you. You were always the one to thoroughly beat up anyone who picked a fight with you!"
"...Was I really that extreme?"
"No! This isn't like you at all!"
"But weren't you not that interested?"
"I'm very interested in magic circle work! I want to do it!"
"Really? Alright. I'll try speaking strongly on your behalf once."
At Lee Han's words, Gainando's face brightened.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
"It's nothing to make such a fuss about."
As Gainando ran off excitedly, the students of the Blue Dragon Tower looked at Lee Han with admiring eyes.
The increased number of students didn't make the work overwhelmingly faster.
Students who had exhausted their mana lay down one by one beside the classroom.
By the time about one-third of the magic circle was completed, only Lee Han remained.
"......"
'Doesn't everyone have too little mana?'
But grumbling wouldn't restore his friends' mana.
Lee Han silently continued his work. Before he knew it, the evening sun was sinking low.
"Quite impressive."
"??"
Lee Han turned his head.
He thought it might be Professor Alpen since they were in the classroom, but it wasn't. It was an unfamiliar face.
"Are you a professor?"
"In some ways, yes."
"?"
Lee Han was puzzled by the enigmatic response.
A professor in some ways?
What on earth did that mean?
'Aha. I see.'
But Lee Han, being an experienced student, immediately figured it out.
"You must be working as a professor's direct disciple, right?"
Students who hadn't graduated from the magic school even in their senior years often researched with professors to explore the profound world of magic more deeply.
They became the professor's direct disciples.
These direct disciples lived with their mentors, inheriting secrets and exploring the world of magic.
And they occasionally handled trivial tasks for their mentors.
Like teaching students...
Thus, they became entities that were professors yet not professors.
"No!"
"No?"
The other person stared at Lee Han as if he were absurd.
Who was whose disciple here?
For the Empire's mages, the magic school Einrogard evoked various emotions.
For untrained novice mages, it was a place of envy.
For mages from other magic schools, it was a place of jealousy.
And for mages working in the imperial bureaucracy...
"I can't fathom how much gold they're siphoning off."
"It's a place nurturing the Empire's pillars, isn't it?"
"I'm a mage too! No matter how outstanding they are, there's no way teaching young students requires that much gold. No matter how you think about it, that gold must be for the mages' own research!"
The Empire's senior accountant, Kendri Baku, grumbled to his escorts as he walked.
He was heading to the magic school after receiving an invitation from his friend, Professor Alpen Naughton, but...
That wasn't the only reason he was going to the magic school.
Kendri wanted to see the magic school with his own eyes.
Coincidentally, it was the magic school's Spring Festival period, making it a good time for visitors to look around.
"You've arrived a few days earlier than promised. Is that alright?"
"Yes. And it's intentional."
Kendri had lied about his arrival date for a simple reason.
If he arrived on the scheduled date, wouldn't those sly mages hide anything that might incriminate them?
It was better to arrive early. Though they were friends, Alpen was clumsy with lies and deception. Even if Kendri asked, the chances of being found out were high.
"I heard Einrogard students are harshly trained from their freshman year to cultivate their hunger for magic, but it seems the rumors might be exaggerated."
An escort following Kendri remarked while observing a student from the Blue Dragon Tower.
Seeing them carrying snacks around, the rumors did seem a bit exaggerated.
"Maybe it's because the priests visited this week."
"But judging by their faces, they're clearly eating quite well. Their clothes too."
"Hmm... I see. That makes sense."
Kendri nodded at the guard's words.
Even if priests had visited over the weekend, lost weight wouldn't have been regained so quickly. Moreover, the clothes the student was wearing were quite decent.
'It seems the students are living much better than I'd heard. Were the rumors exaggerated?'
Kendri briefly wondered if this meant more gold coins had been spent, but soon shook his head.
Even accounting for that, the amount was excessive.
"Let's go inside."
"Yes."
Kendri walked around the dormitory tower and also inspected the main lecture halls.
Strangely enough, even though it was the weekend, there were students practicing magic in the lecture halls.
The guard marveled.
"As expected of Einrogard. The students are so passionate. Who would've thought they'd stay this late to practice."
"But why are they lying down like that?"
"Must be mana exhaustion."
Kendri understood perfectly why the freshmen were sprawled out in the lecture hall.
Novice mages with insufficient mana training often suffered from mana depletion. They must have made a mistake while drawing magic circles.
Yet one student continued working without collapsing.
There could only be one reason.
He was perfectly calculating his mana while drawing the magic circle.
If one knew exactly how much mana would go into each part of the circle, they could avoid overexertion.
Clearly, this student must have spent months preparing this magic circle, memorizing the blueprint to the point of dreaming about it.
Reminded of his own past, Kendri spoke up.
"Impressive."
"Ah. You must be the professor's friend. I've heard about you."
Upon hearing who the visitor was, Lee Han bowed very respectfully.
Not because they were Professor Alpen's friend, but because they were a high-ranking imperial bureaucrat.
'But why did they arrive so early?'
"You've heard about me?"
"Yes. In fact, I was preparing this magic circle to show our guest."
"Typical Alpen. I feel bad for making you go through unnecessary trouble."
Kendri smoothed his wavy hair apologetically.
"At this level, you must have started preparing right when the semester began."
"It wasn't quite that much."
"How long did it take?"
Kendri asked casually.
Given the magic circle's difficulty, its current completion level, and the pace Lee Han had been working earlier, it was highly likely he'd started preparing at semester's beginning.
Lee Han hesitated briefly.
'Would saying one day make me seem insincere?'
"I started today."
"......"
Kendri was so shocked he momentarily dropped his staff.
"Today?"
"Yes."
"Are you by any chance from the Wardanaz family?"
"That's correct."
As he answered, Lee Han silently thanked Professor Alpen.
His efforts to stay awake and focused during lectures were paying off.
To think the professor had told his friend about Lee Han by name.
Lee Han neither rushed nor hesitated. He tried his best to appear as a humble yet promising mage.
"I thought Alpen was exaggerating his praise... but now I see why."
To complete this much in just one day.
Even assuming prior study of magic circles, this was genius-level talent. Theory and practice being different made it all the more impressive.
'So this is why Alpen said he was exceptional.'
"Then again, this is exactly what magic schools exist for - to nurture students like this. The imperial bureaucracy can employ mediocrities, but magical research requires true genius."
"I believe imperial service is just as important as research."
"Oh? Unusual words from a Wardanaz. Thank you. You'd fit right in if you joined the bureaucracy."
Lee Han's face brightened.
"You think so?"
"Of course I'm joking. A genius like you belongs in research."
"...I could do well in government service too."
"Of course you could. But that'd be wasting your talent."
"...I'm not particularly talented. I'm just pouring mana into this circle until it works."
"What did you say?"
"I keep feeding it mana and testing until it functions..."
Kendri immediately grasped the implication.
If one perfectly understood a magic circle, such trial-and-error wouldn't be necessary.
This trial-and-error approach meant he'd only recently seen this circle.
Yet he'd completed this much.
Clearly, he possessed not just enormous innate mana but also an extraordinary natural sense for magic circles.
"Truly a genius!"
"......"