Episode 209
Episode 209
You're probably vaguely worrying about it by now. What must one do to reach the truth? Which path should one walk?
'...I wasn't, actually.'
Though I had thought about which official position would be good, I hadn't been worrying about what to do to reach the truth.
But Lee Han remained silent.
The Skeleton Principal seemed serious, and there seemed to be no benefit in revealing that he'd been contemplating official positions.
Considering the hostility some professors had shown toward bureaucrats last time...
I'll give you one piece of useful advice. In my human days, I was a prince.
"Excuse me?????!!!!!"
Lee Han was so shocked his heart nearly stopped.
What kind of reaction was that just now?
"No wonder you exude such nobility."
Thank you. I was the prince of a beautiful small kingdom. Yet from childhood, I had many worries. Why must I decay from the moment I'm born? Why must the people of my kingdom suffer the Eight Pains, Seven Emotions, and Five Desires?
"I... see."
Lee Han was utterly overwhelmed by the Skeleton Principal's unexpectedly normal and admirable youth.
Then I attained enlightenment and abandoned my flesh. I became a Lich.
"...Uh, didn't you skip way too many steps in between?"
What's the point of listening to tedious details of training? The important thing is that by abandoning my flesh, I overcame the limitations I just mentioned.
"......"
The higher a mage's level becomes, the more virtues they must cultivate.
It's not just about controlling mana and understanding magic—one must govern their inner self and nurture their mental landscape.
From that perspective, emotions were also enemies a mage must confront.
If swayed by the Five Desires, Seven Emotions, and Eight Pains, even the most talented mage would easily lose their way.
The Skeleton Principal had cleanly severed those agonizing shackles in one stroke.
...Though his method had been the extreme one of abandoning his living flesh.
"Becoming a Lich is a bit..."
I'm not telling you to become a Lich.
The Skeleton Principal didn't seem particularly bothered by Lee Han's aversion.
I merely shared the path I walked. Abandoning one's flesh isn't necessarily the only answer. There are infinite paths toward truth.
Though only bones remained, flickering with blue light, an ineffable profundity emanated from his form that couldn't be concealed.
For the first time, Lee Han saw the Skeleton Principal as a sage.
Normally he seemed more like the final boss monster of an evil castle...
In my view, you could learn to govern yourself without becoming a Lich.
"Why do you say that?"
Lee Han felt slightly hopeful.
No matter how eccentric, he was still an Archmage.
Being highly evaluated by such a person couldn't help but make one happy.
At your age, deliberately suffering under multiple professors isn't easy. Such ascetic practices help cultivate both mind and body. You've made excellent choices. Keep it up.
"......"
Lee Han's expression darkened.
Though it was praise, for some reason it made him feel terrible.
'This isn't Philone Village.'
Lee Han was surprised by the prosperous cityscape visible outside the carriage.
Even Philone Village, being the closest to Einrogard, was quite thriving due to its special circumstances.
Ordinary villages normally didn't have so many mages, adventurers, mercenaries, and merchants.
But the city before his eyes dwarfed even Philone Village. Wherever he looked, vitality and prosperity overflowed.
'Granden City, then.'
The city closest to the magic school.
It was the very city where he'd heard the words, "The families waiting outside for students have all gone to Granden City," when visiting Philone Village.
Lee Han took a fresh look around.
Given his background, he wasn't awed by large cities, but it was undeniably refreshing in many ways.
When with the Wardanaz family, he'd only stayed at their mansion and estate.
"Go buy some gifts."
-Yes.
"?"
Lee Han paused when he heard the Skeleton Principal issue an order to a summon outside.
What kind of gifts?
We're visiting the Tower of Ogonin, aren't we? It would be rude to visit empty-handed.
"......"
He thought it was already rude enough to go for revenge, but Lee Han kept his mouth shut.
Right. And buy some snacks for this iron-headed brat too.
-Yes.
A short while later.
Several beautifully wrapped boxes of sweets flew into the carriage.
The boxes contained licorice candy, red bean jelly, honey cookies, and the like. The Skeleton Principal frowned at the selection.
What tasteless sweets. Aren't these the kind only children would like?
-These are the most popular sweets among young people these days.
I should've known. Foolish creature.
-My apologies.
Enough. Eat up.
However, Lee Han hesitated before reaching for the sweets. The Skeleton Principal looked puzzled.
What's wrong? They're not poisoned.
"If I eat these, does that mean the reward you promised me last time gets canceled?"
......
He was referring to the reward promised for handling the mess caused by Professor Verdus.
The Skeleton Principal couldn't help but feel impressed—a rare occurrence.
Among all the students he'd seen over the years, none had been this cautious.
That's unrelated. I'll keep my promise.
"Thank you."
...But don't go stuffing sweets into your coat pockets.
Watching the freshman about to do just that, the Skeleton Principal briefly reflected on the school rules he'd established.
Come to think of it, I heard the Spire Guardian gave you a gift.
"Ah. Yes."
Though it feels like too generous a gift...
'Hmm.'
Lee Han recalled the bundle the Spire Guardian had given him.
Admittedly, the necklace inside was a decent artifact.
...If only it hadn't been enchanted with invisibility magic.
For someone who already possessed an Invisibility Belt and knew invisibility spells, an invisibility necklace was a bit excessive.
"But I've already learned an invisibility spell."
What? That was quick. Which one did you learn?
"<Gonadaltes' Invisibility Cloak>."
At Lee Han's answer, the Skeleton Principal showed both surprise and satisfaction.
I didn't expect you to master it so soon. You're progressing quite fast.
'Damn. So I didn't actually need to learn it all at once.'
My spell is superior to other invisibility spells. You can take pride in that.
"You always say that."
And even artifacts with overlapping effects aren't useless. Even if you've already learned the same spell. Think carefully.
"?"
Lee Han tried to ponder the Skeleton Principal's words, but the latter gave him no time.
The Skeleton Principal grumbled as he inspected the gifts the summon had brought.
What kind of gifts are these? Even so, a bunch of cards? Really?
-But these cards feature Ogonin as well.
Just because Ogonin appears on them doesn't make them gifts. For heaven's sake...
Grumbling, the Skeleton Principal levitated the stack of cards midair before flinging them into a corner.
And why the hell are Ogonin's cards so high-performance anyway?
-But Master, you once said the card's performance isn't as important as the mage who wields it...
The summon outside abruptly fell silent. Lee Han was certain the Skeleton Principal had cast a silencing spell.
Here, you take these.
'I already have a complete deck...'
But Lee Han obediently accepted them.
Because the Skeleton Principal might have thrown another tantrum otherwise.
"......"
The card the Skeleton Principal tossed wasn't Ogonin.
It was himself.
Add it to your deck and use it well. It's a good card.
"Uh... Yes."
Lee Han's deck was a nimble, low-cost one designed to relentlessly target and rapidly deplete an opponent mage's health from the early game.
A high-mana-cost card like the Skeleton Principal would be hard to use, but...
Lee Han placed the card into his deck right in front of the Skeleton Principal.
Flattery must always come from the heart.
Indeed, the Skeleton Principal looked quite pleased with Lee Han's actions.
I'll have to go buy it myself.
"Huh? Is that really alright?"
Lee Han hesitated.
No matter how accustomed the people of the Empire were to all sorts of bizarre mages, he doubted they'd remain unfazed upon seeing a floating skull—a Lich—flying around.
But before Lee Han could even finish his question, the Skeleton Principal had already transformed into a human.
Clad in robes of deep blue silk, his movements exuded the refined elegance only a noble could possess as he grasped his staff. To anyone's eyes, he was unmistakably a noble from one of the Empire's great houses.
Lee Han wasn't surprised by the transformation itself. If a Grand Mage of the Skeleton Principal's caliber couldn't take on a human guise, that would have been the real shock.
What did surprise him was that the Skeleton Principal's human face was one he had seen before—a familiar face.
'The statue...!'
The very statue guarding the passage to the Forgotten Beast Statue's chamber on the third floor of the main building—the one he had seen while wandering around.
Back then, he had thought, 'I don't know who this is, but damn, they're ridiculously handsome.'
But why...?
"Truly, your dignity is beyond compare. I'm in awe."
Your second greatest virtue is that heart of yours, which understands what true dignity is.
The Skeleton Principal nodded in satisfaction at the flattery.
Lee Han thought to himself,
'Black Magic is truly terrifying.'
Even if the moon wanes after being full, how many people would actually look at that statue and think of the Skeleton Principal?
Let's go.
"Yes."
The master and disciple stepped out of the carriage.
Even amidst the bustling crowd, the two instantly drew everyone's gaze.
The Skeleton Principal pushed open the door to a bookstore lavishly decorated with ornate brass and bronze engravings.
It was a bookstore bearing the sign: Ikalthen's House of Absolute Stupidity.
"Welcome."
A neatly dressed employee straightened his posture and bowed the moment he saw them, immediately discerning their status.
"Do you have any magic tomes?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Give me the most basic introductory book on illusion magic. Wrap it up nicely."
"...?"
Lee Han was baffled by what the Skeleton Principal was up to.
Of course, a bookstore of this caliber would have magic tomes, but... the most basic introductory book on illusion magic?
"Are you... planning to give that as a gift?"
"You catch on quickly."
Lee Han decided to say nothing further.
'This has nothing to do with me. They'll have to sort it out themselves.'
When two mages held a grudge against each other, there was no benefit in getting caught in the middle.
Lee Han averted his gaze and skimmed through other books—until he spotted a familiar name.
"Is this a book written by someone named Ogonin?"
"Let me see... Ah, yes. A book he wrote in his youth—Advanced Applications of Illusion Magic in Barrier Crafting... Hah. Good idea. I should buy that too. I'll read it aloud in front of him."
"I didn't say anything."
"No need to wrap this one. I'll carry it myself."
"......"
As the time to visit Ogonin's Tower drew nearer, Lee Han began to feel uneasy.
The Skeleton Principal was the kind of person who could pick a fight anywhere and walk away without regrets, but Lee Han wasn't exactly someone with an infinite future ahead of him.
If the illusionists held a grudge—not against the Skeleton Principal, but against him...
'Should I use invisibility magic?'
After finishing their gift shopping, the carriage left the city and began racing across the sky.
Amidst the jagged peaks of a towering mountain range stood a sharply pointed mage's tower.
The Headmaster, having reverted to his skeletal form, abruptly spoke.
Life is but a sojourn; death, a return home.
Even the same words carried different weight when uttered by a mage.
And the words the Skeleton Principal had just spoken were no exception.
Lee Han realized those words had acted as a trigger, unleashing an immense spell.
The world itself was shaking.
Mages were beings who understood the order of the world and knew how to cunningly twist it—but occasionally, there were those who could rewrite the very fabric of that order to their will.
The Skeleton Principal was a mage who had reached such heights.
...The problem was that he was using that power to pick a fight at someone else's tower!