Episode 235
Episode 235
Lee Han apologized again.
"I'm truly sorry, Professor. Actually, last weekend I experienced an attack from intruders, so..."
Enough. No need to apologize. Stop this nonsense and change your transformation already.
The fake Gainando stood up and instantly altered his appearance.
Now standing before Lee Han was the most sculpturally handsome man he'd ever seen.
'Where have I seen... Ah.'
Lee Han realized.
That was the Skeleton Principal's appearance from when he was alive.
You. Do you want me to beat you too?
"In the name of Solitude, I express my regrets. Gonadaltes."
The professor apologized and changed his form again.
This time, he appeared as a middle-aged male parrot beastman.
Hmm... Isn't this too similar to last year's?
"Is that so?"
It lacks a certain freshness.
The professor's form shifted once more.
Now a young female chameleon beastman.
"How about this?"
That's from two years ago.
"Overlap doesn't seem to be such a big problem... Is it really not allowed if they overlap..."
Muttering to himself, the professor attempted several more transformations.
-Mediocre.
-Do you have no creativity whatsoever?
-Even first-year blockheads show improvement. Why can't you?
The reactions were decidedly unimpressive.
"...How about this one?"
This time, the professor transformed into a Skeleton Warrior. The Skeleton Principal immediately expressed admiration.
Magnificent!
"Keheheh. Thank you."
"......"
What do you think?
Lee Han quickly considered what would be the most appropriate response in this situation.
"It's truly magnificent, sir. All the students will be completely focused during your lectures."
This one. His eyes are as sharp as his magic skills.
The professor in charge of Transformation Magic, Professor Yonlamo Lezhi, was surprisingly a doppelgänger.
Lee Han was astonished to see one of the rarest species among magical beings.
'This school really has every kind of person imaginable!'
Though when he thought about it, who could be a better expert to teach Transformation Magic than a doppelgänger?
With shapeshifting as their innate racial ability...
But how had he noticed Professor Lezhi's disguise?
"Uh... Gainando doesn't call me Wardanaz."
"Keheheh. So that was the problem."
Both the Skeleton Principal and Lee Han paused awkwardly upon seeing the Skeleton Warrior complaining in a crafty voice.
...Should we tell him to change?
Whoever taught him did an excellent job.
"Rare to hear you praising Professor Bagrak, isn't it?"
Professor Lezhi remarked without tact.
The Skeleton Principal summoned bones to trip Professor Lezhi by the ankles.
Crash!
I'll take my leave now. Though Professor Lezhi made a foolish mistake, he's exceptional in Transformation Magic. Learn well from him.
"Yes."
Come to think of it, you were studying Alchemy, weren't you? Transformation Magic has deep connections with Alchemy too. It'll be helpful to learn.
"I'll keep that advice in mind."
After the Skeleton Principal disappeared, Lee Han froze.
...Huh?
Somehow, it felt like his enrollment in Transformation Magic had just been decided.
'Strange?'
"Keheheh. I look forward to working with you, Wardanaz. I have high expectations for your skills."
Professor Lezhi draped an arm over Lee Han's shoulder in a friendly gesture.
Lee Han hesitated as he looked at the professor. At that moment, the professor's nasal bone snapped off and fell.
"Oops. That spot where I got hit earlier..."
"...I'm sorry!"
"Kehehe. No, no. It's the caught one's fault. The Headmaster was right."
Professor Lezhi casually reattached the fallen bone.
Witnessing this, Lee Han found himself unable to speak.
How could he possibly say "I'm not sure about learning Transformation Magic" to a professor whose nose he'd just knocked off?
"Professor, where did you go get beaten up?"
"Kehehe. I just fell."
"But why... a Skeleton Warrior? I thought you decided on this year's..."
"Keheheh. This one turned out better."
'That doesn't seem right.'
Professor Garcia stared at Professor Luge with bewildered eyes as he entered the classroom.
Though it was customary for doppelgangers to appear in all sorts of forms throughout the year, a Skeleton Warrior didn't seem like a good choice.
Look!
Aren't the students all wondering, 'Why on earth is that professor like that?'
'But since it's the professor's choice... let's respect it.'
Professor Garcia respected Professor Luge's preferences.
If Professor Luge wanted to wander around as a Skeleton Warrior this year, that was his prerogative.
"Now. Today, Professor Luge has come to teach us what Transformation Magic is. Professor Luge is a born Transformation Mage."
Before Garcia could even finish speaking, Professor Luge transformed four times in succession—into Professor Garcia, Professor Voladi (Lee Han nearly toppled backward), Professor Alpen, and Professor Lightning Step.
Gasps erupted at the sight.
The students, who had been bewildered just moments ago, now had entirely different expressions.
"Transformation Magic... is the magic of understanding the mysteries within matter and immersing oneself into its essence to comprehend the truths it holds. Outstanding alchemists excel at Transformation Magic, and outstanding Transformation Mages excel at alchemy. Students taking Alchemy are recommended to take Transformation Magic as well. Ah. Lee Han... you don't necessarily have to."
Lee Han resented Professor Garcia for that.
How could he refuse when Professor Luge was standing right there listening?
"No, Professor."
"Are you really sure?"
"...I'm really sure."
Gainando, standing beside him, tilted his head in confusion.
"You don't seem fine at all..."
Professor Garcia continued the explanation.
Fortunately for Lee Han, Transformation Magic was useful in many ways.
The ability to transform matter held immense significance for a mage.
Being able to substitute expensive materials with cheap ones—what a revolution for mages.
"Why not just buy gold coins?"
"Right...?"
Lee Han's heart ached at the nonsense spouted by his Blue Dragon Tower friends.
How could they not understand how incredible this was?
Lee Han shook his head vigorously before locking eyes with Yoner.
Yoner was shaking his head too.
Nod!
The two awake students nodded in mutual understanding.
"...Not only that, but it can also transform the mage themselves and even the surrounding environment. I often seek Professor Luge's help when redecorating my workshop."
Gainando let out a long yawn.
Seeing this, Professor Luge swung his staff. In a flash of light, Gainando turned into a white mouse.
Squeak squeak squeak squeak!
"Oooh... ooooh!"
"Th-that!"
The students' eyes sparkled again.
Though they were noble-minded students dedicated to honor, scholarship, inquiry, and truth, sometimes they too felt the urge to turn their friends into mice.
"Professor Luge...!"
Professor Garcia growled lowly.
It was a blood-chilling sound, laced with killing intent.
Professor Luge hastily swung his staff again.
"Kehehe. Just kidding. A joke. Right? It's fine, isn't it?"
-Yes! It's fine!
"He says it's fine!"
Gainando was dumbfounded by Professor Luge mimicking his voice perfectly.
No...!
"What an amazing professor."
"I want to learn that spell."
"You savages! Does that even make sense right now?"
Gainando scolded his friends, but they were already halfway convinced.
"Damn it. Tricked us."
"I was looking forward to it."
"I told you so!"
Gainando chided the grumbling students.
Those who had wanted to learn the spell to turn friends into mice waved their staffs with disappointed expressions.
Of course, the magic to turn a friend into a rat wasn't a low-circle spell.
In fact, it was a magic one could only learn in the higher grades.
'I prefer this one, though.'
Lee Han swung his wand to practice the <Component Detection> spell Professor Lergi had taught them today.
What benefit would there be in turning a friend into a rat?
In comparison, being able to explore the composition of materials with just a wand was quite useful.
"Kekekeke. To transmute a material means to understand its deepest essence. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Professor."
Lee Han responded seriously to the Skeleton Warrior's cunning voice.
Though the voice was still hard to get used to, the meaning behind it was quite important.
Changing a material's properties or form might seem simple on the surface, but it required deep understanding.
Just as summoning magic might appear to be as easy as tossing a single reagent to summon something, when in reality it required countless preparations, transformation magic was the same.
"Professor, I've figured it out."
"I've got it."
"I've identified it."
Students who had discerned the composition ratio of the iron rods raised their hands from various spots.
'All familiar faces.'
Perhaps because those who took alchemy were naturally suited to it, their grades tended to be good.
Professor Lergi clapped his bony hands together as if pleased.
"Kheh kheh. Excellent, everyone. Then, shall we try one more simple spell?"
The cloak fluttered before settling gently onto the desk. The professor tapped the desk with his hand.
"This cloak is made of sheep's wool. Soft and fluffy, isn't it?"
A wand was swung. In an instant, the cloak transformed into a solid lump of steel.
"!"
"...!!!"
The eyes of the students gathered near the desk sparkled.
Since they were all students seriously interested in alchemy or transformation magic, they showed far more enthusiasm for this spell than for turning friends into rats.
Though it was a simple spell, this magic demonstrated numerous possibilities.
What if it was transformed into a material other than iron?
Or into a different form? Or, delving deeper, what if the inherent properties of the wool itself were reversed?
'It pains me that transformation magic can't be used to make money.'
Lee Han found himself thinking differently.
Since the magic was too well-known, there were plenty of countermeasures. Becoming rich by creating fake silver or gold was practically impossible.
"Heh heh heh. It's good to see everyone so passionate. Then, let's practice. One piece of advice—rather than recklessly casting the spell right away, it's better to first understand the properties of the wool."
Following the professor's advice, the students began practicing in various ways—touching their cloaks, sniffing them, detecting their components, and so on.
The Princess twirled her wand with a flourish. The texture of the cloak hardened like metal before loosening again.
"The duration... seems too short."
"That's how transformation magic usually is. Student, if you think about enchantment magic, you'll understand faster."
The Skeleton Professor kindly explained.
Since this branch of magic involved weaving mana according to the mage's will and infusing it into a material to alter its form, such spells generally didn't last very long.
"Don't obsess over the duration. If you master the proper casting method, it'll gradually increase. What's important is precise control to manifest the desired material—"
Professor Lergi finished his explanation and glanced around.
Some students were still analyzing the components, while others were attempting the <Steel Cloak Transmutation> spell.
"How is it? Like steel?"
"Hmm... Feels like the hardness is a bit lacking."
"Let me try swinging it once."
Yoner, holding a cloak in one hand and a wand in the other, cast the transformation spell.
Then, he swung it hard toward the cloak Lee Han was holding.
Clang!
"Seems better than before."
"Good. I'll try again. Wait a sec—let me drink a potion first."
"Sure. Take your time."
The heartwarming sight of students helping each other practice magic made Professor Lergi rattle his skull in satisfaction.
"...?"
Then, he suddenly noticed something odd.
Why did it make that sound when he swung at the cloak?