Episode 137
Episode 137
Lee Han sensed something was off.
It was already strange that he had to claim he lacked talent in this situation, but he did his best to defend himself.
"Relying solely on abundant mana to create magic circles like this... isn't that just a crude approach?"
"Even humble too. That's a rare virtue among mages."
"No, I..."
"Wait. Were you being serious just now?"
Kendri looked puzzled.
He'd naturally assumed Lee Han had spoken out of humility.
There were two main types of exceptional magic circle creators.
The first were the cerebral types.
Those gifted in magic circle theory and structure, who thoroughly studied until they completely understood a circle in their minds before attempting to create it.
The second were the intuitive types.
Those who crafted magic circles through instinct and intuition, relying less on calculations or deep understanding, instead channeling mana while following their senses to shape the circles.
At first glance, the latter might seem simple-minded or unsophisticated, but it was actually far more difficult.
Magic circles didn't just form because someone had abundant mana.
Everything else had to be filled in by the mage themselves.
Anyone who called this approach simple or mindless repetition didn't understand magic at all.
Without innate talent, no amount of mana would allow someone to create magic circles this way.
'Getting praised for something that suits my aptitude... yet feeling this displeased is a first.'
Though told he had talent in magic circle creation, Lee Han felt more bewildered than pleased.
"The latter type... would also suit imperial service, I think."
Having heard the explanation, Lee Han offered this weak resistance.
But Kendri just stared at him as if to ask what nonsense he was spouting.
"You're both."
"Excuse me?"
"You're both types. No matter how sharp your instincts are, a freshman completing magic circles to this extent would need considerable mental processing power too."
Even intuition had its limits.
For a freshman to complete them at this speed proved his theoretical understanding of magic circles went far beyond mere instinct.
Excelling at just one would qualify someone for imperial service.
But excelling at both?
That meant he should devote himself to magic for the empire's future.
'Just as expected from the Headmaster's friend—completely unreasonable.'
Lee Han quickly gave up.
Seeing this kind of response, it'd be faster to persuade someone else to aim for the position.
The imperial bureaucracy couldn't possibly be full of people like this!
"Thank you for the praise."
"Right. Thanks for praising us bureaucrats. Mages usually don't think highly of us."
"I do, though..."
"Hahaha! Good joke."
'I'd like to punch him.'
Lee Han seethed inwardly at Kendri's condescending attitude toward a freshman just because of his higher status.
"Anyway... I've seen something good today. I'll be cheering you on. Raising a student like this... maybe Gonadaltes isn't as bad as I thought."
'Feel free to think badly of him.'
Lee Han swallowed his words. There was no telling where or when the Skeleton Principal's ears might be.
"Contact me if you ever need help later. Supporting mages like you is our role as bureaucrats."
"!"
Lee Han's face brightened.
"We'll try to support at least one research project of yours, whatever it may be."
"......"
Lee Han's face darkened again.
That kind of help wasn't what he needed.
'Don't they support young mages' startups, not just research?'
"There'll be some external visitors this week—don't get distracted and stay focused. Understood?"
"Are there others besides the priests?"
"Well..."
Kendri hesitated briefly, unsure if he should share this with a freshman.
Lee Han lied without missing a beat.
"I heard from the Headmaster... seems it wasn't a joke after all."
"Ah, you heard? Anyway, Gonadaltes is really... tch. My apologies. I shouldn't criticize a teacher in front of students."
Mistakenly thinking the Skeleton Principal had already mentioned it, Kendri continued.
"With the festival period, people interested in Einrogard will likely visit. Other magic schools do the same... Einrogard's reputation is renowned, after all."
"From another magic school?"
Lee Han paused in surprise.
This was an unexpected guest.
He had assumed only priests would be visiting...
"I'll make sure to spread word about what I saw today to others as well."
"No... that's quite alright."
"Why? The sooner you build your reputation, the better. It'll help with your future research."
"Really, it's fine."
'For someone from the Wardanaz family, he's surprisingly humble, isn't he?'
Kendri found it peculiar but nodded in agreement.
Truthfully, there was nothing wrong with a talented mage being humble.
After all, one of the reasons mages notorious among imperial bureaucrats accumulated resentment was precisely because of their arrogant attitudes.
-This estimate lacks sufficient explanation; you'll need to rewrite it...
-You can't understand this estimate? That just proves you're an incompetent loser! You bastard! You're just jealous of my overflowing talent, aren't you?!
The thought made Kendri marvel at Lee Han all over again.
'I hope he grows up just like this.'
He sincerely wished Lee Han would become an outstanding mage while staying exactly as he was now.
The empire's other officials could handle all the trivial worldly matters, after all.
As the sun fully set, Lee Han stopped working and had the students eat dinner.
The students, having exhausted their mana to the limit, devoured the grilled meat the moment it was ready. The sound of fat dripping and sizzling in the flames filled the air.
"Yoner, how did the potions turn out?"
"I managed to identify a few!"
Yoner replied with a bright expression.
Thanks to the help of the Flemeng Order's priests, they had succeeded in identifying several potions.
"First, one of them was alcohol."
"......"
Lee Han was slightly dumbfounded.
'Why would they store not just one, but multiple bottles of alcohol in a potion crate?'
Well, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
Given the nature of this magic school, it was only natural that seniors would eventually turn to alcohol.
"What about the others?"
"A transformation potion. I'll need to check further to see what it transforms into, but it's probably some kind of animal."
'Not bad.'
Though the exact animal hadn't been confirmed yet, a transformation potion had high potential for usefulness.
If it was a winged creature...
'I don't know how the skies of the magic school are regulated, but it might be worth trying.'
"Oh, right. That potion Gainando drank last time was indeed a Confidence Potion."
"I thought so."
"And a Curse-Breaking Potion. The priests said it's extremely potent. Oh, and besides the Confidence Potion, there was also a Calmness Potion."
"...!"
The nearby students perked up with interest.
"A Calmness Potion? If you drink that..."
"Wouldn't it be risky if the professors found out?"
"You should focus on not getting caught."
The students of the Blue Dragon Tower were adapting quickly to life at the magic school.
They had begun to see exams not as battles against themselves, but as battles against the professors.
"I'll check the remaining ones next week. I plan to finish identifying them while the priests are still here."
"Thanks, Yoner. You must be busy."
"Not as busy as you... Professor Thunderstep was worried about you."
"?"
Lee Han froze.
"What worry?"
"He said he wanted to call you but couldn't bring himself to."
During the festival, Professor Thunderstep, who had been forcibly assigned preparations, summoned students skilled in alchemy.
Naturally, Yoner was called too.
The summoned students were puzzled when they noticed Lee Han's absence.
-Isn't Wardanaz here?
-I couldn't bear to call him. Felt too sorry for him.
"...Wait."
A chill ran down Lee Han's spine.
Could it really mean the Skeleton Principal had intended to summon him?
'Hold on. Professor Thunderstep isn't the type to hold back just because of the Skeleton Principal alone.'
If not just him, then...
A certain vampire professor flashed through Lee Han's mind.
"Ahhhh!"
A Blue Dragon Tower student who had entered the lounge first screamed. Startled, Lee Han jerked his head up.
"Is it another ambush by the Headmaster!?"
"That's not it!"
"What a relief!"
'Is it really a relief?'
Lee Han thought to himself as he stepped forward.
The lounge looked as if a thief had ransacked it.
Tables and chairs were overturned and scattered in the corners, while books from the shelves lay strewn across the floor.
His friends turned to Gainando and asked,
"Don't tell me you did this for food..."
"You lunatics! We were together the whole time!"
"Ah. Right."
The culprit was quickly revealed.
Sharkan, who had been left behind in the lounge for magic circle work, was growling with something clenched in his mouth.
Lee Han spoke firmly to Sharkan.
"Sharkan!"
At the sound of his master's angry voice—something he had never heard before—Sharkan flinched in fear. A surge of powerful mana trembled through the air, making the summon shrink back.
But there was no helping it—this was for the sake of the poor, misunderstood white horse.
Sharkan continued to growl, carefully holding the curse-breaking potion in his mouth.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I should've kept Sharkan with me."
"It's not your fault. We all spoiled Sharkan too."
"Who would've thought Sharkan would do something like... Hey! Wardanaz! Sharkan's running away!"
Instead of repenting, Sharkan seized the opportunity and bolted outside. The students from the Blue Dragon Tower were too stunned to stop him.
'Honestly, I miss when he was just bones!'
Lee Han grumbled internally as he sprinted after him.
Back when Sharkan was just a skeleton, he never caused trouble—but ever since regaining his body, he'd started acting up.
It was still better than trying to kill his master, but this kind of mischief was getting really annoying.
"Yornell! Sharkan stole a potion! What kind was it?"
"That... wait a second...!"
Yornell squinted at the potion clenched in Sharkan's mouth as he ran.
A vivid green.
It was either a curse-breaking potion or an animal transformation potion.
"I'm not sure! There are similar ones, so...!"
Meanwhile, Sharkan had already put some distance between them and reached the stables.
The moment Sharkan entered, a cacophony of noise erupted from inside.
The horses began neighing wildly as if suddenly terrified out of their minds.
'What the hell is going on?!'
Tense with fear and worry, Lee Han sprinted ahead.
The moment he stepped into the stables, it became immediately clear what kind of potion Sharkan had stolen.
"...He stole a transformation potion."
Yornell, who arrived late, exhaled in shock.
There was a griffin inside the stables.
"A griffin...!"
"Yeah. Must've been a griffin transformation potion."
Transforming into a griffin—a creature that preyed on horses—it was no wonder the horses were panicking.
Yornell whispered to Sharkan,
"Maybe the horse asked for this? Monsters like Sharkan are pretty intelligent, you know."
"Asked him to find a transformation potion?"
"Yeah. Could be. Or... you know, maybe he wanted to show off to you."
Lee Han immediately understood what Yornell was implying.
Among prideful animals, some would go out of their way to prove themselves if they felt underestimated.
Of course, that was usually seen in monsters, but it wasn't impossible for a white horse to have that kind of pride.
Just as Yornell said, maybe the white horse, frustrated that Lee Han didn't trust him enough, had asked Sharkan to find something that would make him stronger.
"I apologize. I doubted you too much."
The griffin—no, the horse that had transformed (or rather, returned) into a griffin—lifted its front hooves in delight at Lee Han's words.
Pop!
As the potion's effects wore off, the griffin reverted back into a white horse. The curse was too powerful for the potion to completely break it.
Still, the griffin was satisfied.
After all, Lee Han had finally realized its true nature!
Yornell spoke to soothe the griffin.
"You're smart. I'll trust you."
—Snort??
"But Yornell... Is there any chance it's not a transformation, but actually a real griffin?"
—Snort! Snort-snort!