Episode 271
Episode 271
"There are countless beasts in the Empire. Tame ones, ferocious ones, timid ones, brave ones... Memorizing the traits of all these creatures is no easy feat, even for the most exceptional mages. But a clever mage knows how to act wisely—by understanding their instincts."
If one knew the behavior patterns or weaknesses of a certain monster, they could roughly deduce the traits of similar monsters within the same category.
Outstanding explorers often prepared in advance by identifying the instincts of related monsters in this way.
'But how am I supposed to figure out Cerberus's instincts?'
Of course, this method didn't always work.
Like right now.
'...Can I treat Cerberus like any other dog or wolf-type monster?'
The moment he reached out to scratch Cerberus's chin, fear surged—what if it suddenly bit him?
"Of course, expecting you to grasp their instincts right away is too much, isn't it? There's a better method. One that works for most beasts."
Professor Lightning Step lightly kicked the bottom of the cauldron with the tip of his boot.
"Food."
Students gasped all around—more out of bewilderment and concern than joy or enlightenment.
'Feed Cerberus?'
'What if we end up becoming the food instead?'
"Up until now, feeding them hasn't been too difficult, right?"
"Excuse me???"
Students who had suffered the humiliation of getting headbutted or spat on by horses every time they visited the stables were horrified.
But Professor Lightning Step ignored them and continued.
"Horses are relatively easy to feed—they're not picky and eat just about anything. But the Empire doesn't just have horses. If you want to handle the beasts you'll face next semester, you'll need to learn how to feed them properly."
Lee Han couldn't bring himself to ask what kind of beasts awaited them next semester.
"Now then... begin! Feed Cerberus in the order you finish preparing the food!"
At the professor's command, the students hurried toward the cauldrons.
In the open space in the center, there were cuts of meat from various beasts, along with common vegetables like carrots, potatoes, onions, and cabbage—even rare fruits, mushrooms, and spices whose names were hard to guess.
Students picked up baskets and murmured among themselves, debating what ingredients to choose.
"What kind of dish would a three-headed dog like? I've been feeling confident about my onion soup lately—should I try that?"
'Come to think of it, a three-headed dog is still a dog... Is it okay to feed it onions?'
Lee Han frowned as he gathered ingredients.
At the very least, he was picking things that dogs would generally enjoy.
Sweet fruits like apples, meat, fish...
"Are there no sweet potatoes? Gye-nan, you haven't seen any, have you?"
"Why are you asking me?"
Gye-nan tilted his head, confused about why Lee Han was asking him.
"You like sweet potatoes."
"...Wait. Did you seriously ask me because you thought I took them all?"
Lee Han didn't answer and moved elsewhere. Gye-nan, indignant, chased after him.
"Hmm. Guess there aren't any sweet potatoes."
"Hey!"
'No choice, then.'
Lee Han pulled out a paper-wrapped sweet potato from his coat pocket.
It was one he had dug up from Professor Thunder Step's garden—roasted, peeled, sliced, and dried.
Professor Lightning Step, watching from a distance, asked in disbelief.
"Why on earth are you carrying dried sweet potatoes in your pocket?"
"In case I get stranded and need food?"
"......"
While the professor was at a loss for words, Lee Han moved toward the cauldron.
Since he didn't know what Cerberus liked, making something complex or elaborate was out of the question.
'Keep it as simple and straightforward as possible—try multiple dishes.'
He planned to observe which ingredients the creature responded to when presented with various cooked foods.
As Lee Han ground meat and shaped it into sticks, a few fearless students stepped forward first.
"Oh, great three-headed hound! We have brought food for you here!"
-Woof!
Cerberus's left head barked in response. The students carefully placed well-grilled pork ribs on a plate and cautiously approached.
"Easy... easy..."
"Y-you're really not going to attack, right?"
No matter how prepared they were, having six enormous eyes staring intently at them made their bodies stiffen uncontrollably.
Trembling, the students offered the grilled meat to Cerberus.
Chomp!
Cerberus's left head took a huge bite of the grilled meat. After chewing it a few times, it spat it out to the side.
"?!?"
"W-what?!"
Professor Lightning Step, who was standing nearby, chuckled and said,
"You'll be in for a big disappointment if you treat that guy like just any wild monster. He grew up eating only the finest things, so his tastes are extremely picky. Besides, he was given snacks before coming here, so he's already half-full."
"...Then does that mean he won't eat anything we give him?!"
"Only those who can still make him eat despite that are exceptional mages."
"......"
Sizzle—
The students fell silent, and the sound of meat grilling suddenly seemed much louder.
Most of them had thought, 'If we grill the meat well, he'll eat it happily.'
'This is bad. I thought the same way.'
Various seasonings or cooking methods were actually unusable. If the aroma was too strong, Cerberus wouldn't even try it—he'd just spit it out.
Shyles of the Richmond Family, a beastman, called out to Lee Han in a low voice.
"Wardanaz."
"What is it?"
"I have something to tell you—just you."
Shyles glanced around before slipping a small vial into Lee Han's hand. Inside was a powder of intricate colors.
"This is a secret powder only our family uses. Animals go crazy for it."
True to his family's reputation as one of the empire's top carriage transport guilds, Shyles was skilled in handling animals.
"You helped me last time, so now it's my turn to help you. Take it. Mix it into the food—he'll love it."
"Such a precious thing... Thank you, Shyles."
Lee Han meant it sincerely.
And honestly, the last time he'd helped Shyles, he'd done it for silver coins!
Shyles winked, then ladled some soup into his bowl and stood up. The other top students murmured in surprise.
"What's he thinking? Didn't he just see what happened?"
"No, it's Richmond. He must have a plan!"
Shyles's friends watched with a mix of anticipation.
As if answering their expectations, Shyles set the bowl down. Cerberus approached and sniffed.
Ptooey!
All three of Cerberus's heads simultaneously spat saliva onto Shyles's face.
Drenched in drool, Shyles turned to Lee Han and said,
"...Sorry, Wardanaz. Doesn't seem to work."
"......"
With Shyles's failure, no other students stepped forward.
But Professor Lightning Step was strict. When time was up, he began pushing the students forward one by one.
"Alright. Time's up. Bring out the food you've made!"
"W-wait! Professor! Just a little more time, please!"
As expected, the students were swept aside like fallen leaves in autumn. Cerberus swatted plates away with his paws, snorted at them, and rejected them in various ways.
Before long, it was Lee Han's turn. Holding the dishes he had prepared, he suddenly wondered why he was even doing this.
'This doesn't feel like the path of a mage...'
-Woof!
Cerberus's left head barked. It was the same reaction he'd shown earlier to the students. Lee Han moved his hand to his wand, ready to summon a shield if saliva came flying.
Slurp slurp slurp—
"...?"
But Cerberus's reaction was slightly different than expected.
He was enthusiastically inhaling the food Lee Han had set out—specifically, the dried sweet potatoes Lee Han had taken out.
Because the left head had stuck its neck out first, the other two heads were fidgeting restlessly with sulky expressions.
"Wait. Let's eat together."
-Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
-Woof!
-BARK!
The head that had its food stolen showed a violent reaction, but the other two were thoroughly satisfied. Lee Han turned to ask Professor Lightning Steps:
"Were sweet potatoes the correct answer?"
"...No??"
Professor Lightning Steps replied in a flustered voice.
There was no way an ingredient he hadn't even taken out could be the correct answer.
Cerberus didn't even like sweet potatoes normally.
"Did it digest while waiting? Enough! Heads up!"
At Professor Lightning Steps' words, Cerberus' three heads simultaneously froze upright and corrected their posture.
Lee Han looked down at the bowl he'd placed on the ground. Only the sweet potatoes had completely disappeared.
"Those were from your garden, right?"
"Yes."
"They were tasty, but... to this extent?"
Professor Lightning Steps looked intrigued.
Since it was his nephew's garden, he'd occasionally gotten to eat dishes made with the vegetables and crops grown there.
They were fresh and hearty—clearly the result of spirits helping to absorb an exceptionally strong vitality...
But seeing Cerberus react like this made him wonder if there was something else at play.
"I'm not sure?"
"The other students must have eaten them too, so you'd have seen their reactions, no?"
"Uh... they eat anything I give them, you see."
At Lee Han's words, the students from the Blue Dragon Tower wore awkward expressions.
Truthfully, as long as Lee Han put it in a pot and boiled it, they'd wolfed it down like possessed men, mindless of ingredients or anything else.
They probably would've happily eaten buttons and pebbles if those had been substituted for potatoes and carrots.
"How curious... Alright. Let's verify this once more. After lectures end, dig up some sweet potatoes and dry them."
"...Professor. My final exams..."
Ever since he'd begun living as a student, Lee Han had learned to fill his eyes with profound sorrow.
Seeing that excellence-filled gaze, Professor Lightning Steps found himself apologizing unconsciously.
"My apologies. It would indeed be difficult now. Let's test it next semester."
"Thank you!"
-Woof! Woof woof!
Cerberus' three heads barked in protest from the side.
It was as if they were objecting—what were they supposed to do during the break?
Night.
Lee Han suppressed his mounting fatigue and frowned.
"Everyone doing alright?"
"...Ugh."
"Ughhh."
"Guess they're fine."
At his friends' groans from where they sat scattered around the lounge, Lee Han nodded.
To clear his mind, Lee Han poured hot coffee into a tin mug and walked to the tower's window.
Staring into the magic school's pitch-black darkness, where stars seemed ready to pour down, made all this hardship feel trivial...
'...Not really.'
Lee Han blinked as he sipped. Something felt off.
'...It's still midnight, right?'
Though it was midnight, the surroundings were gradually brightening.
As if dawn was approaching.
His friends, who'd been nodding off like ghouls, seemed to sense the increasing light and turned their heads.
"What's that?"
"What's happening?"
Only when the outside had brightened to near-morning levels did the students realize what was going on.
A phoenix had come right in front of the Blue Dragon Tower.
"Whoa... whoaaaa!"
The students gasped at the mystical sight.
Turning midnight into broad daylight—truly, it was no ordinary phoenix.
"I was sleepy, but I'm wide awake now. Right?"
"A phoenix appearing isn't always bad..."
"...Close the windows!"
Lee Han shouted urgently and moved. His friends panicked.
"Wh-what?! Why?!"
"Close the windows! The phoenix is coming this way!"
Having spotted the students inside the tower, the phoenix was approaching with an innocent gleam in its eyes.
As a few feathers flew in through the still-open windows, flames bloomed in the lounge.
"...!!!"
"Ah, no! My assignment! My assignment!!"
"Your assignment isn't the priority right now! Put out the fire first!"