Episode 192
Episode 192
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?"
The students of the Blue Dragon Tower looked at Professor Lightning Step as if asking what he was talking about.
-We're already close!
That only made Professor Lightning Step even more dumbfounded.
"Look! It's trembling, isn't it?"
"Eh? Isn't it just shivering from the cold?"
"......"
Of course, instilling fear was one way to tame creatures.
In urgent situations where there's no time to build rapport, sometimes you have to scare them into obedience.
But now wasn't the time for that.
And if they tamed it that way, wouldn't the snow lizard just run away the moment Lee Han wasn't around?
If they lost it the very next day after entrusting it to survive the blizzard period, that would be ridiculous in its own way.
"Try getting close like those black Turtle Tower students over there. Stop scaring it!"
"That's strange... I thought we'd gotten close."
"Weren't we already close?"
Even as the Blue Dragon Tower students questioned, the snow lizard just hiccuped and rolled its eyeballs around.
Unable to bear it any longer, Professor Lightning Step shook his head and called Lee Han over.
"You, come here."
"Technically this isn't my fault, but..."
"I know. But the world isn't always fair."
Professor Lightning Step also knew Lee Han hadn't done anything wrong.
It wasn't Lee Han's fault that the mana-sensitive snow lizard trembled in fear just from his proximity.
But the world isn't always fair.
Given the circumstances, Lee Han would just have to stay separately.
"Sorry. Next time I'll bring a monster that's insensitive to mana."
"Oh? Do such things exist?"
"...They do exist, but it might take some time to procure one."
"......"
Lee Han looked glumly at his friends who were now mimicking the snow lizard.
Feeling apologetic, Professor Lightning Step tried to console him.
"At least you don't look as ridiculous as them, right?"
"Professor. They can hear you."
After class, the students returned to their towers with their newly tamed snow lizards.
Crunchcrunchcrunchcrunch!
The snow lizards instantly carved paths through the mountainous snowdrifts.
Still feeling somewhat guilty, Professor Lightning Step took Lee Han to his cabin.
"Don't take it to heart. You can't get along with every monster. Snow lizards are just naturally skittish and mana-sensitive. A mana-insensitive, fearless monster wouldn't have this problem."
"Such creatures are quite rare—"
Professor Lightning Step kicked his nephew's shin under the table. Professor Thunder Step bit his mustache and screamed internally.
"Bring us something to drink."
"Yes..."
Professor Thunder Step opened the lid of a milk jar, warmed it, then mixed in some tea.
With an expressionless face, Lee Han discreetly slipped a warm scone into his coat pocket.
"The snow lizards won't be needed for long. Once the blizzard ends, we won't need them anymore."
"When will it end? This week?"
"Uh..."
"Hmm..."
The two professors hesitated.
Lee Han suddenly grew uneasy.
Surely they wouldn't have to keep attending classes through blizzards for the rest of the semester, right?
"It's something the students need to resolve themselves."
"...But as seniors, they should handle it well, shouldn't they?"
"Well, you see..."
The two dwarf professors kept trailing off.
Lee Han seemed to still trust them as seniors, but reality was slightly different.
As students advanced in grade, their abilities improved.
And so did the quality and quantity of tasks they needed to handle.
So what happens when a heavy snowfall hits the school?
-There's a blizzard, but it doesn't inconvenience me much, so I'll just handle my immediate tasks first and check later.
-There's a blizzard, but I'm managing fine, so I'll do my magic experiments today and think about it later.
...The likelihood of such procrastination was high.
'No way.'
From the two dwarf professors' attitudes, Lee Han sensed an ominous sign.
'Are the seniors putting off resolving this?'
It's human nature to postpone what isn't immediately urgent.
Realizing the truth, Lee Han was furious.
'Just what grade level caused this accident to be handled so irresponsibly?!'
"Still, if we wait, won't it get resolved eventually?"
"And what if it doesn't?"
"If it doesn't... then there's no choice but for you to solve it yourself, no?"
"If you solve it personally, the professors in charge would certainly think highly of you."
Lee Han was at a loss for words at the two professors' absurd remarks.
How could a freshman possibly resolve an accident caused by upperclassmen during their exams?
"Calling that a solution now..."
"Right. Even I think that's a bit much."
"You both agreed to it together."
Professor Thunderstep grumbled. Professor Lightning Step shrugged his shoulders and said:
"But nothing we said was wrong. If upperclassmen are being lazy, there's no choice but to step up and solve it yourself."
"Don't actually try to resolve it, though. I don't know what kind of accident the upperclassmen caused to create this mess, but it won't be easy to fix."
Professor Thunderstep warned him just in case.
He hadn't looked into it closely, but for an accident of this scale, the magic involved must be considerable.
This wasn't something a freshman should attempt to resolve.
"What do you take me for... Do I look like the kind of person who'd recklessly jump into such a situation?"
"Yes."
"You do."
"......"
Lee Han felt slightly hurt by the two dwarf professors' reactions.
Why this misunderstanding?
"That's not true."
"Fine. Got it. We'll trust you, so pack some snacks and head back. Oh, and don't get too close to the frost lizards when you return to the tower."
"And don't get tempted by rewards. There's no reason to rush in just to receive recognition from the professors in charge. Just wait for the upperclassmen to solve it."
"Ah, I understand."
Grumbling, Lee Han opened the cabin door and stepped out.
The two dwarf professors watched his retreating figure and muttered:
"Doesn't he still seem like he'll jump into it?"
"He probably will."
To the two dwarf professors, Lee Han already appeared to be a freshman who'd dedicated about half his life to magic.
Even if he denied it, they believed his thirst for magical knowledge would ultimately drive him to take action!
'Should we have dissuaded him more strongly...'
Evening.
Students gathered for the additional Black Magic class busily moved their quills in Professor Mortum's workshop.
The 2nd Circle spell [Summon Bone Restraints], an advanced version of the 1st Circle spell [Summon Bone Hand].
And other curse spells from the same lineage as the initially learned 1st Circle [Lesser Paralysis Curse]—[Lesser Silence Curse], [Lesser Blackout Curse], [Lesser Fracture Curse], and more.
That wasn't all.
In the poison category, beyond just [Acid Poison Creation], there were various other toxins.
In the summoning category, not just bones but multiple undead summons.
They hadn't even begun studying necromancy or the essence of negative energy in dark magic yet, and already the curriculum was this extensive.
Gainando's pupils were visibly spinning beside him. Raphaël was clutching his head, groaning.
Cough. "Of course, I'm not teaching this expecting you to master it all now."
Gainando's face brightened.
Cough. "But if you plan to study Black Magic seriously next year, it'd be good to perfectly master one or two of these. The world of Black Magic is vast, so you'll need to choose and focus."
Gainando's face darkened again.
Cough... "Ah, these idiots had to go and make the school even colder..."
Professor Mortum coughed irritably, his expression strained.
Suddenly curious, Lee Han asked:
"Professor, do you know the reason behind this accident?"
Cough. "Yes. One of my students was involved."
"!"
Lee Han had to make an effort to control his expression.
It wouldn't do to show too much hatred toward a senior from the same workshop.
"I see... How did such an unfortunate accident occur?"
"Fools with more greed than sense."
Professor Mortum coughed and gave a brief explanation.
One Black Magic major, one Summoning Magic (elemental spirit) major, and one Ancient Magic major.
-"We found a spirit incantation in the ruins! It's incomplete, but if we restore it properly, this year's Imperial Summoning academic scene will be ours! We need your help as an Ancient Magic expert!"
"This seems to follow the Olodel School's style. There's black magic mixed in. Let's call a black magic specialist."
"You called one? Wait. This summoning spell is incomplete, isn't it? Why would you call someone over something like this?"
"Don't worry. I completed the incomplete parts with substitute spells. See? Stable, isn't it?"
"But from what I, an ancient magic specialist, can see, it still lacks power. It seems to need amplification. Let's use an artifact for amplification. We have some research funds left."
"Wait."
"Why? Don't tell me you're going to call this reckless like some coward?"
"No, that's not it. If we're amplifying it anyway, let's amplify the negative energy too. From what I see, the spirit seems to be a mix of frost and darkness, and the negative energy is too low—the balance looks dangerous."
"See, this is why we called a black magic specialist. That's an excellent idea."
"......"
"......"
The freshmen present began wishing death upon these seniors they'd never even seen before.
Even Imirg, the kindest soul among them, had a sharp glint in his eyes.
Were they really suffering through their weekend because of these insane people?
"Professor, please give them a good scolding!"
Cough. "I already am. I've been telling them to fix it quickly, but they're not making much progress," Professor Mortun grumbled.
Seeing this, Lee Han suddenly felt his hatred subside.
Of course, the other seniors might have been slacking off, but at least the ones directly involved were clearly getting an earful from the professors right now.
Lee Han wasn't cruel enough to hate such pitiful people.
Cough. "Right. It wouldn't be bad for the freshmen to take a look too."
"What do you mean?"
Lee Han, who had been the first to forgive them, was also the first to sense the danger in those words.
"The scene of a failed summoning. Seeing it will be very educational."
Professor Mortun was well aware that few students chose to study black magic.
So, in truth, he also wanted to show them the appeal of black magic.
Though whether this would actually make black magic seem appealing was anyone's guess...
'So there was a path like this.'
Professor Mortun knocked on the main building's walls, pushed open the ceiling, and raced through the building's interior unimpeded, moving in three dimensions.
Lee Han wanted to memorize the path but gave up. Watching the professor chant spells made it clear this wasn't a route his current magical abilities could replicate.
"What floor is this?"
"Uh, well..."
The freshmen had long since lost their sense of direction.
'A chill...'
As Lee Han emerged from the passage, he suddenly felt a hellish wave of cold wash over him.
This chill was fundamentally different from the blizzard outside.
It was a cold that seemed to spread with mana itself taking on the attribute of freezing.
And then, the sounds of undead reached them.
-■■■■■...
-■■■■...
"Gah!"
Gainando hid behind Lee Han. When Professor Mortun swung his staff, the frozen corpses melted away instantly.
"Why are undead roaming the main building's hallway?"
Cough. "This mess happened because they botched the spirit summoning."
Had they summoned the spirit with the proper procedures and methods, this wouldn't have happened.
Due to the incomplete spell, arbitrary interpretations filling the gaps, and amplification from artifacts or other means, what had been summoned to this floor was closer to a rampaging monster than a communicative spirit.
And not just any monster—one that passively warped the surrounding space into another dimension.
Since the base spirit was a mix of frost and darkness, it was only natural that undead would emerge from the hallway space where dimensions had melted together.
"Can't we just go in and defeat it?"
Lee Han was amazed by Gainando's innocent question.
'If any seniors were nearby, they'd kill him for saying that.'
Cough. "You're not wrong. Wait here a moment."
Professor Mortun picked up his staff and walked off somewhere. To anyone watching, it was clearly the back of a professor about to scold his incompetent students.
Lee Han clicked his tongue sympathetically and glanced down the hallway.
The eerie spectacle of frost and darkness swirling together was honestly breathtaking.
'If only this weren't blanketing the entire school in a blizzard, it'd be beautiful.'
-Come inside...
"?"
-Come inside... You who seek power...
Lee Han froze when he heard the telepathic message from someone within the dimensional rift at the end of the hallway.
Then he shouted.
"Professor! Someone's talking from inside the dimensional rift!"
-...You cowardly brat!