Episode 154
Episode 154
When Lee Han heard the name "Potion of Enemy Detection," the first thing that flashed through his mind was, naturally, the Skeleton Principal.
Setting aside emotional considerations, being able to pinpoint the Skeleton Principal's location would be extremely helpful for survival.
'Whenever I'm about to do something dangerous, I could just drink the potion.'
"The Flemeng Order's once-in-a-generation genius, Priestess Siana. How do you specify the target?"
There were several methods for designating the target of curses or potions.
You could chant the incantation while visualizing the target's name or face, or find an object related to them...
The potion likely required the latter method.
"You just need to add a single strand of the target's hair to the completed potion."
"Hair."
"Yes, hair."
"......"
Lee Han fell into deep contemplation.
'...Do Liches even have hair?'
No matter how he looked at it, the Skeleton Principal didn't have any hair.
He could try finding hair from when the Headmaster was alive, but considering the Headmaster's age, it would have long since rotted away to dust.
'Guess I can't use it on the Headmaster.'
Disappointing, but nothing could be done.
Priestess Siana, seeming intrigued, continued speaking.
"If Lord Lee Han of the Wardanaz family is making it, I'd be happy to assist."
"But isn't this a fairly difficult potion to brew on our own?"
"But Lord Lee Han of the Wardanaz family enjoys tackling challenging problems, doesn't he?"
"...Huh?"
Lee Han froze.
Where did that crazy rumor come from?
'Did those White Tiger Tower bastards spread that around?'
"That's not true."
"Even your humility... Haha."
"Really, it's not."
Though Lee Han's voice carried bitterness, Priestess Siana didn't seem to notice.
"Wardanaz. How should we finish this part?"
"Wait. Let's finish it together."
The friends who had gathered to complete Professor Alpen's magic circle called out to Lee Han.
Thanks to everyone's help, the magic circle was nearing completion.
'Wait. This part's empty?'
While drawing lines on the floor while referencing the book the professor had provided, Lee Han suddenly paused.
Whether by mistake or intentionally, one section of the magic circle had been left blank by the professor.
Normally, light orbs should appear at regular intervals along both sides of the hallway, with an illusionary statue in the center...
As it was now, several light orbs would be missing, making the whole thing look awkward.
'Should I go ask Professor Nayton?'
Lee Han pondered.
Asking professors about mistakes or things you didn't understand was more dangerous than one might think.
-You don't know this? What exactly have you been learning in my lectures?
-Are you suggesting I made a mistake? How absurd. Obviously I left that blank for you to figure out on your own!
Whether it was a mistake or not, the reactions could be unexpectedly intense!
Of course, Professor Alpen didn't seem that crazy, but all the other professors at the magic school had seemed perfectly normal at first impression too.
After much deliberation, Lee Han made his decision.
'I'll have to solve this myself.'
Thankfully, he'd received attribute training in Enchantment Magic from Professor Vible Verdus.
...Was that really something to be thankful for?
Shaking off distracting thoughts, Lee Han refocused.
"Step aside. I'm going to cast <Light Enchantment>."
His wand swung as he cast the spell.
Lee Han's <Light Enchantment> filled in the missing part of the magic circle.
While the other students marveled, the Princess tilted her head in confusion.
For installation-type magic circles like this, the organic connections between components were extremely important.
If the mana sources placed throughout the circle acted as batteries, then the complex lines drawn in the magic circle served as conduits to transmit that power.
But the Enchantment Magic Lee Han had used to fill the gap wasn't actually connected to the rest of the magic circle.
Wouldn't that mean the mana couldn't flow properly?
Tap tap-
The Princess pointed to a corner of the magic circle. Lee Han immediately understood what she was getting at.
"It's fine."
"...??"
He obviously knew who had prepared this magic circle.
But the magic circle Professor Alpen had provided wasn't something a mere freshman could fix or modify to completion.
So then?
'It just needs to work while people are watching.'
The original purpose of the magic circle was to decorate the surroundings with dazzling orbs of light and illusory statues.
As long as it functioned properly while people were watching, there wouldn't be any major issues.
"But won't it be difficult to maintain for long?" one of the Princess's followers asked curiously.
Extending the duration of an enchantment was an extremely challenging task.
It wasn't for nothing that semi-permanent enchantments were called artifacts.
An enchantment cast by someone like Lee Han—with no prior preparation, using only a wand and incantations—would struggle to last more than a few minutes.
"Right. But don't worry. I plan to reapply it every day. That way, it won't shut off."
"......"
"...???"
The Princess and her followers momentarily froze, unable to comprehend what they'd just heard.
Unfazed, Lee Han called out to Ashan.
"Ashan. Go fetch the professor. Just in case any other problems arise... No, actually, since we've completed it, we should show it to the professor."
"Got it. Wardanaz!"
Professor Alpen Naiten, who taught <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic> to the magic school's freshmen, was walking alongside his friend Kendri Baku.
Both being high-ranking imperial officials, they weren't alone.
Behind them were other guests who had come to visit the magic school.
"Are you from Baldrogard?"
"Yes. We came to witness the outstanding students and renowned education of Einrogard, but... it's rather embarrassing."
The mage leading the Baldrogard students looked ashamed.
No matter how much they claimed to be mere festival spectators, it would be a lie to say there was no competitive spirit between magic schools.
As a mage working at Baldrogard, he had hoped his students would demonstrate something impressive.
Understanding his feelings, Alpen and Kendri reassured him.
"A student's exceptional talent isn't something that can be forced or hastily displayed."
"Alpen is right. There's no need to worry about such things. Baldrogard is already educating its students splendidly."
Separate from Einrogard's handful of morally bankrupt individuals, the imperial bureaucrats held Baldrogard in quite high regard.
As for Einrogard's mages...
—Two thousand seven hundred eighty gold coins?! Who do you expect to shove this in front of? If you're not going to triple it, just take it all back! No! Wait, if you actually take it— Agh!! Those rotten, corrupt imperial officials are suppressing the free academic spirit of magic!
In contrast, Baldrogard's mages...
—Imperial funding? That's quite all right. We're not so poor that we need such support. We are nobles, not beggars. Please don't tarnish our honor.
No wonder the imperial bureaucrats preferred Baldrogard.
It was only natural for someone like Kendri to think Baldrogard's education was more... wholesome.
Einrogard, on the other hand...
Were they so obsessed with magic that they were ruining their mages' character?
"But I'm ashamed that we could only show such a pitiful performance against a fifth-year student from Einrogard. Of course, given the difference in grade, we couldn't win, but we should have at least put up a decent fight..."
"...?"
Alpen looked puzzled.
The fifth-year students weren't participating in the festival, though?
Kendri quickly whispered an explanation to Alpen in a low voice.
—Did Professor Bagrak beat up a Baldrogard student?
—No. Professor Bagrak's disciple did.
—A first-year student?!
—Magic combat is separate from magical skill. Without practice, one can be clumsy.
—Even so, it's not like first-years get many chances to practice magic combat...
—Let's not unnecessarily hurt the feelings of festival guests. What good would come from magic schools fighting among themselves for the empire?
—Fair point.
The two nodded in agreement and resolved to keep their mouths shut.
"What were you discussing?"
"Nothing important."
Just as he tried to change the subject, a first-year student came running from afar.
It was Ashan of the Dalkard Family.
"Professor. I've completed what you mentioned last time."
"You've worked hard. Let's go check it now."
Ashan bowed his head and ran ahead first—to inform his friends that guests would be arriving soon.
Watching Ashan's retreating figure, Professor Alpen paused.
"...Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"Didn't he just say he completed it?"
"He did. I checked once before, and he'd made considerable progress."
"But I never told him to finish the entire thing..."
Professor Alpen muttered, sounding perplexed.
-I wanted to entrust you with creating a simple magic circle.
He had said he wanted to assign them magic circle creation, not to complete the entire magic circle.
In the first place, it was beyond a freshman's level to fully complete such a thing.
So Professor Alpen had advised them to do their best with the help of their peers, working only up to the feasible parts...
"Well now. There must have been a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding indeed."
As the saying goes, "Blood is thicker than water," and the imperial bureaucrats generously overlooked their own mistakes.
"It must have been a good opportunity for the students."
"Indeed. How surprising. I never expected them to complete it..."
"May I hear the details?"
The mage from Baldrogard asked curiously.
After Professor Alpen explained what had happened, the Baldrogard mage praised him.
"Thanks to you not setting limits, Professor, the students were able to push further."
"Your praise makes me blush!"
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahaha!"
The mages laughed and complimented each other.
The second-year students from Baldrogard, who arrived late, asked in puzzlement:
"What's going on?"
The Baldrogard mage explained what he had heard.
Upon hearing this, the Baldrogard students reacted with disbelief.
"That level of magic circle, completed so quickly?!"
"No way! It must be incomplete!"
Regardless of the magic circle's difficulty, the speed was unbelievable.
Creating a magic circle wasn't just about sketching diagrams.
It required meticulous mana calculations and repeated testing—so much so that even mages often collapsed from mana exhaustion multiple times during the process...
"Well, it's possible. But even if it's incomplete, isn't it impressive that they completed it enough to show the professor?"
"Ugh..."
"Well... I suppose so."
The well-mannered Baldrogard students had no choice but to concede.
Even if it was incomplete, reaching a presentable stage was still a remarkable feat.
"Shall we all go take a look, then?"
"Yes, Professor."
Following the older mages, the Baldrogard students whispered among themselves.
"By the way, which year's students did this?"
"Hmm...?"
Upon arriving at the classroom, the Baldrogard students immediately nodded in understanding.
"It's the fifth-years."
"Why?"
"See that person? They said he's a fifth-year."
"Oh, I see."
The students nodded after seeing Lee Han's face.
Rumors about Lee Han had been spreading every time the third-year students from Baldrogard took increasingly harsh beatings.
"Wait a minute. That person... isn't that Princess Adenart?"
"Princess? Why her?"
"I thought she was a year younger than us...?"
"So she's a first-year? Then she must have worked with the upperclassmen."
It wasn't uncommon in Baldrogard for upperclassmen to collaborate with juniors in magic.
Seniors received assistance from juniors.
Juniors received guidance from seniors.
This was the esteemed tradition of a prestigious magic school.
'Fifth-years are here too?'
Lee Han, who had been sitting and resting, was puzzled by the word "fifth-year" coming from the visiting students.
He didn't recall seeing any fifth-year students from Baldrogard...
"Wardanaz. Impressive work."
"Thank you, Professor."
Lee Han bowed politely.
This moment of recognition from the professor.
The more demanding the professor, the more glorious this moment felt.
"I never assigned the complete task, yet you finished it..."
"...?"
"But you completed this part separately?"
"...Wait. Professor. Just a moment."
Lee Han unintentionally cut off the professor's words.
What did he just say?