Episode 155
Episode 155
"Aha! What a misunderstanding!"
After hearing Professor Alpen's explanation, Lee Han let out a short sigh.
How could such a misunderstanding happen!
"Quite ironic, isn't it?"
"...Indeed it is!"
"But thanks to that misunderstanding, the students' skills improved even more. I suppose you could call this a happy mistake, no?"
Lee Han had been carefully controlling his facial muscles to maintain composure, but the words from the visiting mage from Baldrogard nearly made him lose his grip on sanity.
'Did they use mental magic on me?'
Otherwise, there was no way they could say something so infuriating.
"Hahahaha!"
"Ahahaha!"
"...Haha. Haha."
Lee Han forced himself to laugh along to maintain the cheerful atmosphere.
One of his friends behind him asked in confusion:
"So you mean you didn't actually need to complete the whole thing, yet you went through all that suffering for nothing?"
"Suffering? What are you talking about? How can trial and error in learning magic be called suffering?"
Lee Han spoke firmly to shut his friend's mouth.
Of course it had been suffering, but he couldn't admit that in front of the professors.
The mages nodded in admiration.
"Well said."
"Truly splendid, Wardanaz. With that mindset, no wonder you completed it so quickly. Though regarding that additional completed part..."
Lee Han quickly made an excuse.
Even for the same result, how you phrase it makes all the difference.
"Thanks to the professor giving us the opportunity to solve it ourselves, we were able to temporarily complete it this way."
A student's diplomatic words tactfully covering the professor's mistake.
But Professor Alpen wasn't one to care much about such things.
"Ah... that was a mistake on my part. My apologies."
"......"
"How was it?"
"Magnificent."
After examining all the magic circles, the mages stepped outside the classroom to discuss.
Regardless of Lee Han's feelings, Professor Alpen couldn't help but be impressed again.
Since he hadn't actually intended for them to complete everything, there were naturally empty sections in the latter part.
Yet a freshman had solved it with his own wisdom.
And that sphere of light.
It seemed to be maintained by enchantment magic, yet it remained intact even after several minutes.
"To maintain its form without disappearing after several minutes... The freshman must have improvised additional magic to connect it with the existing magic circle."
"Truly remarkable."
"What a shame. The imperial bureaucracy could use talent like that..."
At Kendri's words, Professor Alpen gave him a stern look.
"I was joking. Just a joke. I know better. Of course he should focus on magic."
"Isn't that our responsibility and duty?"
The two mages exchanged meaningful glances and quietly vowed:
Let's help this young genius devote himself solely to magic!
"It's not all bad. The professor praised you highly, didn't he?"
"Right, Wardanaz."
"Yeah. The visiting guests were utterly amazed too."
Unlike Lee Han, his friends quickly recovered from the shock.
Though initially surprised they'd done unnecessary work, the professor's praise and the visitors' admiration felt far more rewarding.
Seeing people marvel at their completed magic—
Isn't this the true reward of being a mage?
"It's not all bad. The professor praised you highly, didn't he?"
"???"
"Wardanaz? What's wrong? You agreed a moment ago."
"It's not all..."
"Wardanaz! Wardanaz! What's wrong? Are you okay?!"
His friends from the Blue Dragon Tower shook him worriedly.
Only then did Lee Han regain his composure and steady his mind.
'Right. It's not bad.'
After all, wasn't the whole point of doing something even Ashan could handle alone to make a good impression on Professor Alpen?
In a way, it could be considered exceeding expectations.
No matter how rigid and strict Professor Alpen was, Lee Han's name must have left at least some impression on him.
'Maybe I can even get a recommendation letter when I apply for a position later...'
While Lee Han was trying his best to indulge in happy thoughts, the Baldrogard students were racking their brains trying to find flaws in the magic circle.
"Here seems a bit unrefined, don't you think? If it were me, I would've merged these three lines into one for efficiency."
"But doing that would cause a mana collision, cutting off the mana supply to this sphere."
"Damn it all! How did they draw this magic circle so quickly? It's not like they have infinite mana!"
"Shh! Have some decorum!"
"S-sorry. I almost tarnished Baldrogard's honor."
'What are they doing?'
Lee Han watched the Baldrogard students whispering among themselves in confusion.
It was only natural to find it strange—while the guests were outside talking, they were still huddled over the magic circle, muttering to themselves.
'Should I say something? But...'
Lee Han felt awkward about initiating the conversation.
Because...
He had beaten the Baldrogard students way too hard.
In his focus on not letting Professor Voladi's exit permit slip away, he hadn't been able to hold back in the fight.
'Looking back now, I could've gone a little easier on them.'
If he spoke up now and one of the students he'd beaten picked a fight, things would get messy.
Right at that moment—
Crackle—zzzt!
"!!"
"What the hell are you doing?!"
One of his friends shouted sharply in alarm.
A Baldrogard student had touched the illusory statue placed at the center, causing it to vanish.
"N-no! I didn't mean to!"
"What do you mean you didn't mean to?! How underhanded... Is this what Baldrogard teaches?!"
"No! I said no! This has nothing to do with Baldrogard! It was my mistake!"
The student in question panicked as his mistake threatened to tarnish Baldrogard's reputation.
He looked like he was about to burst into tears any second.
Though they were technically seniors, they were only a year older than the Einrogard students—hardly experienced enough to smoothly handle such mistakes.
'This isn't good.'
Lee Han decided he had to step in.
If the professors or guests returned and saw this situation, they wouldn't be pleased.
Not only would the Baldrogard student who made the mistake get scolded, but the Einrogard students who had pushed him too hard would also face reprimands.
'Even if the other side made a mistake, they're still guests. Pushing them too hard will only backfire.'
"You Baldrogard brats who can leave campus whenever you want!"
"You'll be out playing in the city even on holidays, won't you?!"
The Baldrogard students couldn't understand the Einrogard students' anger at all.
"W-what's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with that?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?!!"
"We'll never forgive—!"
"Everyone, calm down."
Lee Han stopped his friends. The moment he stepped forward, the heated atmosphere cooled abruptly, as if doused with cold water.
The boy from the Wardanaz family had a natural presence.
Even those who had been shouting in anger moments earlier would suddenly regain their composure when met with the cold gaze of the Wardanaz heir.
"But Wardanaz, the statue we worked so hard on is ruined."
"Without the central statue to decorate it..."
The magic circle was meant to be complete only when the spheres of light adorned the sides and the illusory statue stood proudly in the center, displaying its grandeur.
'Fixing the magic circle right now is impossible.'
Lee Han clicked his tongue as he examined the damaged magic circle.
It had been crushed and mixed up due to the Baldrogard student's accidental misstep.
In that case...
"I'll summon something to replace it. Don't worry."
"?!"
Lee Han took out the magic he had been forced to learn from Professor Vible Verdus.
Basic light or fire magic would have sufficed, but because of Professor Vible, who insisted on summoning a dragon made of light as a firework, he had no choice but to learn it.
It was the <Azirmo Enchantment>.
Among the dragons of the empire, the famous ones often left their names in history.
Azirmo was one of them.
Since it was a legendary dragon that appeared in fairy tales and folklore, even the Baldrogard students quickly recognized its form.
"It's Azirmo!"
"He's summoning that...!"
Not just the Baldrogard students, but even the Einrogard students watched in awe as Lee Han chanted the incantation.
Poof!
'Oops. I failed.'
As expected, the <Azirmo Enchantment> was difficult. It required reshaping and intricately twisting light elements, making it incomparably more complex than the simple <Light Enchantment>.
"Did he fail...?"
"Idiot! If he had failed, he would've taken backlash. That's just the preparation phase."
"O-Oh, right."
'It was a failure.'
Listening to the Baldrogard students' whispers, Lee Han quickly tried again.
It was in everyone's best interest to fix the situation before the professors returned.
After six attempts, Lee Han finally succeeded in enchanting Azirmo into the center of the magic circle.
Fwoosh!
Though its appearance was entirely different from the previous statue, the majestic and beautiful form of the dragon left all the students speechless.
The Baldrogard student who had made the mistake approached Lee Han with reddened eyes.
"Really... really..."
"No need to say anything."
Lee Han replied kindly.
Since he had decided to resolve the situation amicably, there was no need to humiliate the other party further.
Of course, Lee Han still felt a surge of anger whenever he heard about how Baldrogard students freely went out every weekend to indulge in revelry.
But that was that, and this was this.
Besides, given that he had once beaten them with a Water Orb, he had to be at least this courteous...
"Thank you so much."
"?"
"Senior! If we meet outside, please visit our family's estate!"
"...???!"
Lee Han realized he was being strangely misunderstood but couldn't clear up the misunderstanding.
By the time the professors returned and saw the altered magic circle, they were utterly shocked.
The Baldrogard mage immediately grasped what had happened just by looking at the damaged magic circle and the students' expressions.
-"I'm truly sorry!"
-"No, don't be. The students resolved it among themselves amicably. If anything, this would render their efforts meaningless."
-"...Thank you."
The Baldrogard mage called Lee Han aside to express his gratitude once more.
-"I've heard much about the Wardanaz family's reputation, but I sincerely thank you."
-"Not at all, Professor. But I think the Baldrogard students have misunderstood me..."
-"If any student fears you based on rumors about the Wardanaz family, I'll firmly remind them that nobles of the empire shouldn't be swayed by such gossip."
-"No, that's not it..."
-"Ah. I must take my leave now. Once again, thank you for your generous response."
-"......"
"Aren't the Baldrogard guys a bit annoying?"
At Lee Han's words, Ashan nodded vigorously in agreement.
"They're insufferable. They go out whenever they please, and on top of that, they wreck magic circles."
'Ah. So this is why magic schools end up hating each other?'
Lee Han snapped back to his senses at Ashan's vehement reaction.
Before enrolling, he had wondered, 'Why bother with such pointless rivalry?' But after suffering at Einrogard, he found himself irrationally resenting students from other magic schools.
This was highly irrational behavior.
'Get a grip. I can't fall for the Skeleton Principal's tricks.'
"Wardanaz! Did you hear?!"
"Hear what?"
"Gainando got an Outing Pass!!"
"!"
Lee Han's eyes widened. Ashan spoke urgently beside him.
"Wardanaz! Before someone else takes it, we should—!"
"......"
"...Forget what I just said. That was too disgraceful. As a member of the Dalkard family, I'm ashamed."
"No. I understand the sentiment."