Episode 274
Episode 274
Even with the same amount of mana, that mana was never truly identical.
Some mana carried a slightly stronger attribute of flame, while some leaned more toward the yin attribute. Other mana could be turbid, filled with impurities.
Mana with fewer impurities and higher purity could produce far stronger effects even in the same quantity.
Naturally, any mage would want to carry only the purest mana within their body...
...but that was practically impossible.
For living beings, existence itself meant decay and death.
Even just breathing generated impurities—no living being could harbor perfectly pure mana without a single speck of contamination.
That was why mages honed and refined their mana through various arcane methods, using spells to enhance its purity.
But exceptions did exist.
There were mages born with inherently high-purity mana who didn't need to go through such efforts.
Though the boy from the Wardanaz family before them was... a bit too high.
—Don't tell Vible.
—Obviously.
The Skeleton Principal and Professor Garcia exchanged words telepathically.
If Professor Verdus found out about this, he would undoubtedly become even more of a nuisance.
"What's wrong?"
Stay still. Why are you fidgeting so much?
The Skeleton Principal obscured Verdus' vision before forcibly twisting his neck with sheer force. A dull crack sounded as Verdus' head turned unnaturally.
Meanwhile, Professor Garcia swiftly dispersed the remaining mana—ensuring Verdus wouldn't notice anything.
Hurry up and cast the spell.
"Hold on. My neck kinda hurts."
I'll heal you later. Do it before the mana you received dissipates.
"Fine, fine."
Grumbling, Professor Verdus still did his job.
After swinging his staff a few times and tapping it sharply, a flame-resistant spell enveloped all the students present.
Once preparations were complete, the Skeleton Principal asked with clear interest.
So, how do you plan to exhaust the Phoenix's stamina now?
"First, I'd like the two of you to assist me."
?
The Skeleton Principal was baffled when Lee Han pointed at him and Professor Voladi.
You dare?
If you think I'll kindly help you, you're sorely mistaken, brat.
'You said you'd help...'
The students were flabbergasted, but Lee Han wasn't surprised.
That was just the kind of person he was!
"But you'll help to some extent, won't you?"
Only within the limits of what a professor can do.
"Yes. That's all I'm asking for."
So, what is it?
......
The Skeleton Principal stared blankly at the Phoenix before turning to Professor Voladi beside him.
Why did you agree to this again?
"?"
Just moments ago.
Lee Han had made this request:
—Please herd the Phoenix for us.
—What? You want us to drive the Phoenix using magic? That goes beyond what professors are allowed to do.
—I'm not asking you to use magic.
—Then?
—Just get close to it.
—......
The Skeleton Principal had to admit—Lee Han had used his head well.
Unlike actively driving the Phoenix with magic, simply approaching it wasn't particularly difficult.
Moreover, phantasmal beasts like the Phoenix possessed instincts so sharp they bordered on extrasensory perception.
Creatures capable of posing a threat—like the Skeleton Principal—were highly likely to be avoided.
But there was a reason the Skeleton Principal couldn't refuse...
—Fine. But Professor Bagrak here wouldn't be inclined to—
'Refuse in his place, Professor Bagrak.'
—Understood.
—!?
Professor Voladi accepted far more easily than expected.
From the Skeleton Principal's perspective, it was utterly absurd.
Since when had he been so cooperative with Magic School affairs??
"It's necessary for teaching, isn't it?"
......
The Skeleton Principal's jaw dropped.
Though he was a grand archmage who had abandoned worldly desires and reached enlightenment, Professor Voladi's words shook his emotions.
'That... that bastard...!'
Had Professor Garcia said something like that, the Skeleton Principal would've understood perfectly.
If it had been Professor Alpen or Professor Mortum who had said something like that, the Skeleton Principal could have accepted it to some extent.
But to hear such nonsense spewed by Professor Voladi, who was even more self-obsessed than Professor Vible when it came to education, made his anger boil over.
Where had this attitude been all those times when the Skeleton Principal had subtly hinted, "No matter what, if you keep having zero disciples, shouldn't you at least reconsider your approach?!"
Th-that... that...!
"?"
...Never mind.
The Skeleton Principal gave up on trying to reason with Professor Voladi.
After spending so long at Einrogard, there was only one thing he had learned.
Talking to a wall only hurt your own mouth.
People like Vible or Professor Voladi weren't the type to be persuaded just because the Skeleton Principal said something.
'Should I have stopped that Wardanaz brat from attending the lecture...'
The Skeleton Principal felt a phantom bitterness in his nonexistent stomach.
Right about now, Professor Voladi was probably thinking, 'Seeing a disciple pass the curriculum I created proves I was right all along.'
Just the thought of it gave him a headache.
Enough of this.
The Skeleton Principal approached the phoenix.
Startled by his sudden movement, the phoenix, which had been frolicking playfully in the sky, let out a sharp cry.
■■■! ■■■! ■■■■ ■!
Shut up, you overgrown matchstick of a bird. I allowed you to play in my garden, so don't get cocky.
Terrified, the phoenix immediately turned and began flying in the opposite direction—straight toward where Professor Voladi was already waiting.
Floating in the air just like the Skeleton Principal, Professor Voladi stared expressionlessly at the phoenix.
'Maybe it'll just fly past him?'
The Skeleton Principal held onto a sliver of hope that the phoenix might ignore Professor Voladi.
Unlike the Skeleton Principal, whose very soul radiated overwhelming presence, Professor Voladi wasn't an ancient monster who had lived since antiquity.
Moreover, Professor Voladi was a battle mage who had reached the pinnacle of his craft.
When it came to controlling and concealing emotions, he was a mage at the peak of mastery.
In that case, maybe the phoenix wouldn't sense any threat and just fly past...
Whoosh!
The phoenix immediately changed direction and fled.
The Skeleton Principal blinked in disbelief.
...Had Professor Voladi ever attacked this phoenix before?
"I only tried to capture it once."
......
The Skeleton Principal let out a deep sigh.
In the distance, he could see the phoenix darting into the main building of the magic school.
"Close it!"
As the phoenix flew inside, Lee Han shouted to the students.
Despite the heavy sound of the main gate slamming shut behind it, the phoenix showed no sign of panic.
Instead, it fluttered toward the students as if asking to play.
"Wardanaz! What do we do now?"
"We catch it."
"And after we catch it?"
"We hold out until it tires."
"...Huh? Th-that's it?"
The glorious imperial bureaucrat, Iunrade, smiled reassuringly at his escorts.
"There's no need for concern, everyone. Einrogard isn't that dangerous of a place."
"E-even if you say that..."
"A colleague of mine once escorted an official to Einrogard, and after that, he never spoke about the place again."
The adventurers hired as escorts wore deeply tense expressions.
Experienced and seasoned adventurers knew exactly which parts of the empire were relatively safe and which were perilous.
...And Einrogard was one of the most notorious danger zones in the empire, as far as adventurers were concerned.
Not because of harsh natural environments or powerful monsters roaming about.
Simply because Einrogard's mages were notoriously eccentric.
And now they had to go inside that very Einrogard.
No matter how hard they tried not to tense up, it was impossible not to.
"You're all worrying too much. I wasn't going to mention this, but... I'm actually an Einrogard graduate."
Iunrade revealed his alma mater to the adventurers, thinking it might ease their anxiety.
But it had the opposite effect.
"...!!"
"W-what? You're from Einrogard?!"
"Did we take the wrong request?"
"B-but... it's an imperial commission. Surely they wouldn't sacrifice us to Einrogard?"
"You can't blindly trust something just because it's an imperial request!"
"......"
The adventurers grew even more terrified upon learning that Yi Eunrade was from Einrogard.
They trembled violently, fearing he might capture them to be used as test subjects. Yi Eunrade had to spend hours persuading them.
"...Do you understand now? I have absolutely no intention of handing you over as test subjects. I'm simply carrying out my duties as an imperial bureaucrat."
"O-oh, I see..."
"We'll... trust you for now..."
The adventurers stiffly nodded, their expressions uneasy. Yi Eunrade suppressed a sigh at their reaction.
'Honestly, these baseless rumors make my job so much harder.'
This was supposed to be a simple mission—inspecting the students' conditions at the magic school as an imperial bureaucrat. He never expected the adventurers to be this terrified.
Baseless rumors were complicating everything.
"Most rumors about Einrogard are false. Don't believe them carelessly. Understood?"
"Y-yes..."
"Th-then... what about last year's incident in the imperial newspaper? The one where all the goats near Einrogard turned into demons? Was that also just a rumor?"
"Ah. That was... an unfortunate accident."
"......"
"......"
The adventurers exchanged glances.
Then, cautiously, they asked another question.
"What about the year before last? The incident in the imperial newspaper where a black mage from Einrogard broke into a knight order's cemetery to steal corpses? Was that also a rumor?"
"Well... that one did happen. But with so many graduates, isn't it natural that at least one troublemaker would emerge?"
"...R-right!"
"Absolutely correct!"
The adventurers nodded along while whispering among themselves. Their eyes and faces were filled with fear and dread, but Yi Eunrade didn't notice.
'We should arrive within an hour.'
Yi Eunrade surveyed the familiar path and checked the sky. Dawn hadn't broken yet, but it wouldn't be long before morning arrived.
Since final exams were starting this week, he was cutting it close but still arriving on time.
"Alright! Everyone, stay sharp."
"Understood, mage."
"We took the silver coins, so we'll see this through to the end."
The adventurers nodded and swung their lanterns to light the way.
Even though this was a well-maintained imperial road, caution was necessary in such darkness. Monsters could leap out from the nearby thickets at any moment.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!
"!??!!"
"Battle formation!"
A deafening roar erupted as a massive monster suddenly charged out, startling the adventurers into drawing their weapons.
But Yi Eunrade stopped them.
"No need to fight."
"Eh???"
"Look at the inscription on its shoulder. It's a chimera that escaped from the magic school. A restraining spell prevents it from attacking humans."
"......"
"......"
The adventurers stared at Yi Eunrade with eyes full of mixed emotions.
It was impressive that he could spot the inscription in this darkness, but more than that...
'Shouldn't he be alarmed that a chimera escaped from the magic school?!'
"U-um, mage... shouldn't we call the guards?"
"Haha. No need. It's not that big of a deal."
"...I see!"
How much time had passed?
Finally, the massive walls and main gate of the magic school came into view.
The moment the gates opened, some kind of monster came rolling toward them, howling.
"■■■■! ■■! ■■■■ ■■■!"
"?!?!"
"Battle formation agai—"
"No need to fight."
"Eh???"
"That's a fourth-year who failed a transformation spell. They'll return to normal soon."
"......"
"......"
The adventurers gave up on being surprised.
At this point, nothing could shock them anymore.
SCREEEECH—
The main building's doors opened.
Inside, young students with hollow eyes were desperately wrestling down a struggling phoenix, panting heavily.
As if determined not to react this time, the adventurers calmly asked Yi Eunrade:
"Is this some kind of school event?"
"Is this... part of the training to become a mage?"
"...Wh-what in the world are they doing, Headmaster?!?!"
Yi Eunrade, however, was the one who panicked this time, shouting at the Skeleton Principal.
Even by Einrogard's standards, this was too much!