Episode 343
Episode 343
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Lee Han snapped back to his senses.
Though the princess's group's extravagant sense of money was dizzying, it was undoubtedly helpful in this situation.
'Well, even if I went to the professors and begged, it wouldn't do any good.'
The pro... no, the professors were unlikely to comply willingly anyway.
In that case, it was far more convenient to rely on the goodwill of their sponsors.
"Then let's go get the staff."
However, Lee Han's face was twisted in discomfort.
Seeing this, Rowena whispered worriedly,
"I'm concerned that the effects of the earlier battle might still linger."
"Well, given Wardanaz's personality, he probably wouldn't say anything even if he was struggling."
"We should stop by for a checkup on the way."
Upon arriving at the staff shop, Lee Han couldn't help but ask in confusion,
"Why did we meet a healing mage just now?"
"Uh, just because I wasn't feeling well, so I thought I'd get checked..."
"Not feeling well? Shouldn't you rest then?"
Lee Han wondered if Rowena was overworked.
So he quietly muttered to Kltran, just loud enough for him to hear,
"Does the princess tend to overwork people?"
"?!"
The princess's eyes widened in indignation.
"T-that's not it!"
"The way you're stuttering makes it suspicious."
"I said it's not!"
The healing mage they had met earlier had examined Lee Han and confirmed that he couldn't possibly be healthier.
Even when Rowena and Kltran insisted, "He fought a Toxic Contaminated Being!" "That's right, please examine him more thoroughly!", it was useless.
There was genuinely nothing wrong—what more could they do?
Instead, the other three received their own diagnoses.
-It seems you've recently overused magic to the point of exhaustion. You pushed your mana to the brink, so some residual damage remains.
-It appears you've been practicing alchemy all night. Even for a mage, improper ventilation while handling reagents can lead to poisoning, so be careful.
Kltran, realizing that further explanations would only invite more misunderstandings, quickly opened the door.
The sign reading <Puyo's Banyan Tree Staff> spun lightly as the door swung open.
"Master Puyo is the most outstanding staff artisan in Granden City."
Located in the central district, the shop's exterior had a distinctly antique charm, making it clear that its history was anything but short.
That alone was proof of an experienced artifact artisan.
"Would he know Professor Verdus?"
"Hmm...? I'm not sure about that."
Rowena also tilted her head in confusion.
The princess's group had been able to visit Puyo's shop thanks to their sponsors' connections with him, not because they were personally close to the artisan.
In truth, Puyo was far from the kind of person freshmen could easily befriend.
An experienced artifact artisan was, by extension, a seasoned enchanter.
Becoming close with mages decades older than oneself was no easy feat.
"Is this your first time meeting him?"
"I exchanged greetings with him once outside before, but this is my first time visiting him like this..."
"Is everyone here?"
A piece of wood walked out from inside.
To be precise, Puyo was a spirit half-blood with wood-like features—his face, hands, and arms resembled tree branches, which was why he had been mistaken for a tree.
"It's an honor to see you again, Master Puyo."
"Spare me the pointless pleasantries."
Puyo detested unnecessary formalities.
Had it not been for the sponsors' earnest requests, he would never have allowed young students into his workshop.
"You said you needed staffs with no magic cast on them?"
"Ah, yes."
Rowena, slightly intimidated by Puyo's imposing presence, stumbled over her words.
Lee Han, however, wasn't particularly fazed.
Among the professors, there were far crazier people than Puyo.
In fact, someone as blunt as Puyo—who just said what needed to be said—would rank in the top 5% in terms of personality.
Clatter—
With a wave of Puyo's hand, several boxes stacked on the shelves opened, and long staffs came tumbling out.
The wands were still completely untouched by any magic, made purely of wood.
"Work only in this area. Don't come inside. Don't touch anything in the shop carelessly. Since you're Einrogard students, I assume you've learned the basics of Enchantment Magic."
The students nodded.
"Then I trust you won't cause any unnecessary accidents."
With those final words, Puyo disappeared into the inner workshop.
Only then could Rowena and Kltran finally let out the breaths they'd been holding.
"That was intense."
"Right. I thought I'd suffocate... Wardanaz. What are you doing?"
"Huh? Oh. Just checking if there are any usable wands."
Lee Han had been looking around regardless of whether the other two were talking about Puyo or not.
He'd been considering taking anything that looked decent.
"Didn't you have any thoughts about Master Puyo?"
"Not particularly. He just said what needed to be said, didn't he?"
Work here, don't cause accidents, don't touch other things.
Since he'd only said what was truly necessary, there was no reason to be unnecessarily intimidated.
"Let's sort the wands first. Long ones over here. Short ones over there."
"Got it. Uh... but Wardanaz. Why are we sorting them?"
At Kltran's question, Lee Han stared at him as if looking at a complete idiot.
Then he answered with a smile.
"Because generally, the longer the wand, the stronger the effect."
"Ah... r-right, that's true!"
As the artifact that most directly assists a mage's spellcasting, wands were highly sensitive—even minor changes in materials could drastically alter their performance.
Generally, the longer the wand, the greater its power, and the sturdier it was, the more stubborn the magic became.
Naturally, anyone handling wands should memorize these basic tendencies like laws.
Of course, Kltran didn't actually know this, but he answered as if he did.
"That sounds right!"
"Kltran. If you don't know, just say you don't know."
"...Sorry. I didn't know."
"Did you sleep during Enchantment Magic class? This is in the textbook."
"......"
Kltran felt deeply wronged.
'You told me to answer...!'
A student from the Blue Dragon Tower wouldn't have fallen for such a simple trick, but Kltran, lacking experience, had no choice but to take the bait.
Puyo tried to focus on his work but eventually set his tools down.
With other people in the workshop, concentrating wasn't easy.
Though he couldn't refuse due to his patrons' earnest requests, he was already regretting it.
It wasn't just the discomfort of having outsiders in his workshop.
Even if they were Einrogard students, they were still freshmen.
Even if they'd learned Enchantment Magic, their training was brief and their experience likely minimal.
Giving high-quality wands to such students was practically a waste.
The thought of their boundless potential—still unrefined—being whittled away by clumsy magic and turning into failed experiments pained him.
'I can't stand this.'
Puyo approached the door and peeked to see how the students were working.
No matter how much the princess's patrons had requested this, if they were being outrageously careless, he wouldn't just sit back.
He was prepared to make up any excuse to stop them and send them away...
"Alright, Kltran. You said you understood, so tell me now. A mage specializing in Fire Elemental Magic and Summoning Magic has come to you. Their race is dwarf, and their previous wand was maplewood with an embedded fire spirit stone. What kind of wand would you recommend?"
"Uh... uh..."
"Start with length."
"W-well, since it's Fire Elemental Magic, I'd prioritize power, so something long—"
"Wrong. Fire Elemental Magic doesn't always prioritize power. Control can be more important. And above all, since they're a dwarf, recommending a long wand would just make it inconvenient to carry. Are you sure you actually learned Enchantment Magic?"
"Hng..."
Kltran was completely deflated. Rowena, standing beside him, was so frightened that she clung to the Princess, afraid that if she strayed even a little, she'd be subjected to the same barrage of questions.
'????'
Puyo, who had been watching, was taken aback by the unexpected situation.
He had assumed the students would recklessly handle the staffs and waste materials, but they were systematically preparing everything in advance.
It was astonishing.
"But wouldn't it be okay to just try things out and get a feel for it as we—"
Thwack!
Lee Han struck Kltran with his staff.
"Do we have staffs to spare?"
'We do have spares...'
Kltran grumbled inwardly, but he didn't dare say it aloud, intimidated by Lee Han's staff.
"You have to calculate everything perfectly before starting. Alright, Kltran. Answer me. Among water, wind, and light elements, which should be enchanted first? And which staff would be most suitable for each?"
"...C-Can't you ask Rowena too?"
"!!"
Rowena's long ears shot up in shock.
She glared at Kltran with betrayal in her eyes, but Kltran was in no state to care about that right now.
'Survival first!'
"Uh, um, Your Highness?"
"......"
Adenart stared straight at Rowena. Embarrassed, Rowena ducked her head low.
Instead of reprimanding her followers further, Adenart picked up a staff.
"Nettlewood staff. Excellent choice. Kltran, the reason water should be enchanted first is that it's more stable compared to the other elements—"
"Ugh...! I could've answered that! Really!"
"Just listen."
Puyo, overhearing the students' exchange, reconsidered his earlier assumptions.
He had heard much about the Princess's exceptional talent, but seeing it firsthand, it was clear that even among the gathered geniuses of Einrogard, she stood out.
And that boy over there was impressive too.
It wasn't just his knowledge of Enchantment Magic.
As a master artisan, Puyo could gauge a person's skill by how they prepared for their work.
From that perspective, the boy seemed as though he had done this kind of work many times before.
Even if he had learned at Einrogard, becoming this proficient so quickly didn't make sense. He must have received the same education as the other students.
It was unmistakably innate talent.
'Truly astonishing. To think such talent exists.'
Unaware of how Lee Han had been ruthlessly drilled by other professors, Puyo marveled purely at the idea that such skill could come from talent alone.
"Alright. This is the magic circle we'll use for the water element today."
While Puyo was still marveling, Lee Han flipped through a book and selected a magic circle.
Kltran timidly asked,
"Wardanaz... is there a reason you chose this one for water magic?"
"It's a circle I'm familiar with from practice."
"I see. ...Wait, wasn't this never assigned as homework?"
"I worked on it separately with Professor Verdus."
At that, Kltran was impressed.
To have worked with a professor individually—truly, this was Wardanaz.
"That's amazing, Wardanaz. I'm jealous—"
"Kltran. Before you say you're jealous, think carefully about what you're saying."
"......"
Kltran reconsidered.
And upon reconsidering, he realized he wasn't actually that jealous.
Though not to Lee Han's extent, all students learning Enchantment Magic had experienced Professor Verdus's madness to some degree.
Rowena asked curiously,
"But when did you find the time during the semester?"
"We worked on it during break..."
"Ah..."
A heavy silence suddenly settled over them.
Even the Princess, usually comfortable with silence, grew flustered, unsure how to break the awkward atmosphere, and glanced around nervously.
"Were you Verdus's disciple?"
It was Puyo who shattered the silence.
When Puyo stepped out from the back, Lee Han hesitated.
'...If I say I'm his disciple, I won't get attacked, right?'
No matter how he thought about it, anyone who knew Professor Verdus was likely to have a poor relationship with him.