Episode 152
Episode 152
Fortunately, Yumidihus wasn't a madman like Professor Voladi.
Had it been Professor Voladi, he would have shoved Lee Han deep under the river and said, 'Evaporate your way out!' But Yumidihus didn't do that.
After all, the purpose of today's outing was to open the young mage's eyes and make them aware of the vast world of water magic.
There was no reason to push them so harshly.
Experiencing and exploring the various properties of water magic was more than enough.
"The incantation is as follows."
Yumidihus meticulously taught Lee Han the incantation and gestures for the 1st Circle Magic, <Water Evaporation>.
Truthfully, <Water Evaporation> was a spell that was almost embarrassing to call 1st Circle Magic.
A quintessential trap magic!
Even within the same circle, the difficulty of spells varied immensely.
Spells significantly more challenging than others of the same circle were commonly referred to as 'trap magic.'
Though classified as 1st Circle, <Water Evaporation> was a spell far beyond the capabilities of novice mages.
That's just how difficult the evaporation attribute was.
"Give it a try."
After finishing his brief lecture, Yumidihus watched Lee Han.
Normally, water elemental mages practicing the evaporation attribute would place liquids before them to evaporate.
They'd start with easily evaporating liquids like strong alcohol, then gradually move to liquids with higher boiling points to increase the intensity of their magic.
But Yumidihus placed nothing before Lee Han.
He intended for Lee Han to first practice the gestures and incantation to complete the spell.
Yumidihus wasn't so cruel as to demand Lee Han 'evaporate a liquid!' immediately after just learning it without any practice.
"......"
Lee Han glanced at Yumidihus once, then turned his gaze back to the river flowing majestically.
'Is he telling me to evaporate the river water right now?'
Because Yumidihus had explained so little, Lee Han couldn't help but misunderstand.
It wasn't really Yumidihus's fault either.
Normally, when told to try a newly learned spell, one would practice the gestures and incantation first—who would immediately attempt to dry up the river beside them?
If anyone was at fault here, it was Professor Voladi.
Because of him, Lee Han was misunderstanding Yumidihus.
'No choice. I'll do my best. Even if it's just for show, at least I won't get thrown in the water.'
Lee Han had an intuition about what would happen if he kept failing at the spell.
Most likely, he'd end up in the river.
"Evaporate!"
"Wait...?"
Yumidihus was startled as Lee Han, without practicing the gestures or incantation, immediately cast the spell toward the river in one swift motion.
No practice...?!
Sssss!
Steam rose from the river's surface.
Though not as intense as Yumidihus's steam explosion, it was still a considerable amount.
"......"
Yumidihus was astonished.
'He's... truly a genius.'
Among the Empire's mages, the word 'genius' was often overused.
Everyone and their dog claimed to be one.
Every mage who came to learn magic from Yumidihus—except Voladi Bagrak—insisted they were geniuses.
-"Master Yumidihus. For the future of the Empire's magic, you must teach me to the best of your ability. I am one of the Empire's most exceptional geniuses."
-"Master Yumidihus. It's embarrassing for me to say this, but I am a magical genius. There's no need to teach me every little spell like this."
-"Master Yumidihus. In my opinion as someone with genius-level magical talent, this spell isn't even that great. It could use some improvement."
To be fair, they weren't entirely wrong.
The mages who sought Yumidihus were among the Empire's more outstanding practitioners.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to him in the first place.
But to a mage like Yumidihus, who had weathered every battle imaginable—land, sea, and air—their talents were merely the bare minimum expected of any serious magic researcher, not something to boast about as if it were some rare treasure.
But...
The boy before him was clearly different.
He exuded an aura that only the truly gifted could possess—completely distinct from the self-proclaimed "geniuses" that were a dime a dozen.
It seemed he possessed every trait that would earn one the label of "talented"—innate mana capacity, precise control, deep and rich cognitive abilities—qualities where even having just one would warrant recognition.
'A river, is it? Am I finally stepping into the river?'
While Yumidihus quietly marveled, Lee Han grew quietly uneasy.
From Lee Han's perspective, it seemed reasonably successful, but that wasn't what mattered.
What mattered was how it appeared in Yumidihus's eyes.
Had he failed after all?
'For a first attempt, isn't this pretty good?'
Lee Han wasn't the type to be arrogant, but even objectively speaking, the Evaporation Magic seemed to have gone quite well.
Compared to other spells, the evaporation attribute had good compatibility with Lee Han.
For one, he could visualize the concept of "evaporation" itself with precise clarity...
And above all, <Water Evaporation> was a spell that could be brute-forced.
Mages without as much mana as Lee Han had to meticulously and delicately manipulate their mana to complete the spell, but Lee Han could simply push through with raw mana to finish it.
For Lee Han alone, Water Evaporation was far easier than controlling a Water Orb.
"Well done. Truly excellent."
"!"
Lee Han inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn't have to step into the river after all.
"To be honest, I didn't actually tell you to evaporate the river. For a first magic practice session, a flowing river isn't the most appropriate target."
The sheer volume of water aside, the constant flow made casting magic several times more difficult.
Given that he'd managed it, the boy before him had every right to feel proud.
Yet instead of pride, Lee Han's expression stiffened.
'...What did he just say?'
Come to think of it, Yumidihus hadn't actually ordered him to test the spell directly on the river.
He had misunderstood on his own, recalling Professor Voladi.
"But seeing you accomplish it in one go, I think I understand why you cast the spell on the river. A justified confidence."
"No... It was a misunderstanding."
"Right. A misunderstanding, of course."
Yumidihus nodded with a benevolent smile playing on his lips.
"At first, I thought Voladi Bagrak had forced you into it..."
'That's exactly it.'
Lee Han muttered inwardly, but his words didn't reach Yumidihus's ears.
"...But now I see that wasn't the case."
It wasn't that Bagrak had forced him—it was clear that his disciple was simply absorbing every spell he was given far too quickly.
Yumidihus silently resolved to retract one of his misunderstandings about Bagrak.
"Yes..."
Lee Han replied with a voice tinged with faint sorrow.
The sorrow of not being able to openly curse Professor Voladi.
Lee Han wondered if, after graduation, he might end up seeking out Professor Voladi before even the Skeleton Principal.
Yumidihus didn't ask Lee Han to cast any more spells.
Having seen him master it in one go, what would be the point?
"You seem like you need to eat more than I do."
Instead, they took a break.
Lee Han prepared a seat for Yumidihus, laid out a blanket, and then brought food and drink to offer.
Yumidihus gazed at Lee Han with quiet appreciation in his eyes.
"I didn't expect to be treated like this."
"Ah... Have your other disciples never done this for you?"
"Never."
"...?"
Puzzled, Lee Han thought of Professor Voladi.
And then he understood.
'That makes perfect sense.'
Lee Han made milk tea using the black tea he'd swiped from Professor Thunderstep. The sweet, sugar-laden drink helped restore his fatigued mind.
Even with infinite mana, casting spells inevitably drained one's concentration and left them mentally exhausted.
For a Magic School student, recovering whenever possible was wise.
Professor Thunderstep would surely be delighted to know his tea was being put to such use.
"Third-years, perhaps?"
Yumidihus took a bite of his sandwich and cast his gaze into the distance.
Judging by their uniforms, they were unmistakably third-year students of Einrogard.
They were glancing around suspiciously as if hiding something in the mountains, swinging their staffs toward the ground. Clumps of earth erupted, revealing magical ingredients and reagents hidden within.
Though they'd gone through considerable effort to keep it secret, there was no fooling the eyes of a mage like Yumidihus.
"See them over there?"
"What are you referring to?"
"Ah, right. You wouldn't be able to see them yet."
Yumidihus recalled the Skeleton Principal.
Given how seriously he took isolating the freshmen, it was only natural they'd be magically prevented from perceiving certain things.
"Let me lift that for a moment. That alright?"
When Yumidihus swung his staff, Lee Han could now see the upperclassmen in the distance gathering magical ingredients and reagents.
"Can you see them now?"
"Yes. I can see them. But what are they...?"
"You'll likely understand once you advance in years, but procuring the materials and reagents needed for one's studies is also part of a mage's duties."
Yumidihus explained matter-of-factly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The way they were furtively glancing around while hiding things made it clear they'd either stolen or seized them.
'How tragic that even as third-years, they have to resort to this.'
Lee Han shuddered at the fate looming before him.
Couldn't they just provide materials and reagents in ample supply?
"Why don't you go take them for yourself?"
"...Excuse me?"
"I'd like to see how you fight. I'm sure you can win."
"......"
The issue wasn't whether he could win or not—it was the fact that he'd have to attack his seniors.
No matter if they'd stolen things, seniors were still seniors.
Lee Han stared at Yumidihus in disbelief, but the old mage showed no signs of reconsidering.
"Combat mages grow by drinking their opponents' blood. The sooner and more frequently you gain real combat experience, the better."
The way Yumidihus spoke such bloodthirsty words with the demeanor of a kindly grandmother sent a chill down Lee Han's spine.
He really is just an older version of Professor Voladi!
"Master Yumidihus."
"Don't tell me you can't do it. I know for certain you can. Even humility can be poisonous in excess. You'll learn soon enough that mages have no need to go easy on someone just because they're your senior."
"No, it's not that I can't... but would it be alright if I wore a mask?"
"......"
Yumidihus was genuinely impressed.
Lee Han didn't recklessly charge in just because Yumidihus told him to.
If they were third-years at Einrogard, they must have endured hardships several times worse than what Lee Han and his friends had gone through.
If he provoked them carelessly, he might end up on the receiving end instead.
Lee Han donned a mask and cast Invisibility Magic. The mask was essential in case his opponent dispelled his invisibility.
Then, carefully approaching from behind, he unleashed spells on the two seniors.
"Ghk!"
"Ghhhaaack?!"
The two ambushed seniors collapsed on the spot.
Lee Han swiftly grabbed the box containing the ingredients and reagents. A name was engraved on it.
-Osul Gonadaltes
Seeing that, Lee Han was stunned.
'Are they insane??'
By third year, were students already raiding the Headmaster's storeroom?
No—it was more likely the Headmaster had lured them into doing it rather than them stealing outright.
Either way, it was hard to believe.
'Oh no, this isn't the time.'
Lee Han quickly made his escape.
"Well done."
Yumidihus was thoroughly satisfied when Lee Han returned.
Even if it was Bagrak's doing, he hadn't wasted any time—it was near perfection.
Ambush, initiative, objective, retreat.
The very essence of magical combat.
"Was there any name written on whose belongings they were?"
"I believe they were items from the Headmaster's storeroom."
"Good. Then it's best if you keep them instead of returning them."
"...?!"
Lee Han was shocked.
Then he nodded obediently.
"Yes. I'll do that."
Seeing his compliant disciple, Yumidihus gazed at him with warm eyes.