Episode 345
Episode 345
The Princess, sensing something ominous in Puyo's response, tugged at Lee Han's sleeve.
Yet Lee Han judged that this much was still acceptable.
'He could have cursed much worse but didn't. By enchantment mage standards, this is actually considerate.'
Puyo could have called them something far worse than "idiots," but he'd settled for just that.
In a way, it could even be considered kind.
"Don't you agree?"
At Lee Han's explanation, the Princess blinked rapidly as if coming to an understanding. When the other party remained silent, Lee Han assumed his point had gotten through.
"I see you've grasped the situation."
"Wai—"
The Princess belatedly snapped out of it and tried to object, but it was too late.
"Then let's begin our work."
Puyo swung his staff.
Immediately, the shelves, storerooms, and drawers inside the workshop stirred as though alive, vomiting forth their contents.
Crash—!
The sheer mountain of materials overwhelmed the Princess.
Though she was among the top two students in Einrogard when it came to academic workload, the sheer volume of materials Puyo had produced exceeded all expectations.
Surely he didn't expect the two of them to process all of this?
Without realizing it, the Princess turned her gaze toward Lee Han.
Seemingly understanding her unspoken question, Lee Han whispered,
"If you try skimming materials from the start, even Master Puyo won't overlook it. Let's focus on the work for now."
"...What in the world are you—?!"
Despite being known for her unshakable royal dignity, the Princess couldn't stop the outburst from escaping her lips.
There was a stereotype that mages would do anything for the sake of the magic they pursued.
Of course, this was just a stereotype.
Most of the mages Lee Han had met did fit that description, but not all mages were like that.
Unfortunately, Puyo fell squarely into that category.
Once work began, he lived up to his reputation as Granden City's finest artifact craftsman by dumping an overwhelming workload on them.
His attitude made it clear that he didn't care in the slightest that they were first-year students.
-Now polish these remaining staves.
-Understood.
-Once that's done, cast a luminescence enchantment on the mineral orbs in that box.
-Understood.
-Ah, finished already? Good. Now transcribe and fill these blank scrolls.
-Underst—
Lee Han, mid-reply, paused when he noticed the Princess glaring at Puyo.
Her face was expressionless, but the murderous intent in her eyes was unmistakable.
'This is bad. It's too soon for this.'
Sure, Puyo was driving them hard, but it had only been three days.
Wanting to kill him already was premature.
'If the Princess picks a fight with Puyo and gets kicked out, I'll have to do all this work alone.'
Lee Han tried to soothe her.
"Your Highness. Please endure just a little longer."
"......"
Though the Princess had grown slightly more talkative after losing some of her entourage, working in Puyo's workshop had rendered her silent again.
Even when Lee Han called to her, she remained wordless, glaring only at Puyo.
"Enchantment magic is traditionally learned through harsh training like this."
"......Is that truly the case?"
After a long silence, the Princess finally spoke, her voice icy. Unfazed, Lee Han continued.
"Yes. Enchantment involves mastering numerous spells and handling vast amounts of materials."
By that logic, all magic should be grueling—but the Princess didn't question Lee Han's words.
When it came to enduring harsh training under other mages, Lee Han was the most experienced.
Hearing him say so made her think, 'Maybe it really is like that.'
"Very well."
The Princess stopped glaring at Puyo and lowered her gaze to the materials on the table.
Lee Han exhaled in relief and urged her toward the next task.
"I'm glad you understand. Now, please draw magic circles on all these papers here. I'll infuse them with mana while checking them."
"......"
At Lee Han's request to engrave magic circles on the towering stack of papers piled nearly to her forehead, the Princess felt overwhelming despair for the first time in her life.
"My mana..."
"Your mana?"
"...Won't you run out of..."
Engraving magic circles already required tremendous concentration, but infusing them with mana while checking was no less challenging.
Especially the latter consumed an enormous amount of mana.
The Princess's eyes held a desperate plea as she looked at Lee Han.
"Ah, my mana? I'll be fine. Please proceed with your work."
"......"
As she spread out the papers and began drawing magic circles with various inks and powders, the Princess silently pondered.
She had met countless people across the Empire, but never someone as unfathomable as the Wardanaz boy beside her.
After three days of working with reduced sleep, Puyo seemed somewhat satisfied.
"You've all worked hard. The urgent tasks are done. Go back and rest properly. I'll call you when it's time for the next project."
Of course, the two couldn't leave immediately.
Stifling yawns from exhaustion, they had to focus on deciphering the mysterious staff work.
Only after dedicating half a day did they finally complete one reasonably decent staff.
With careful hands, the Princess passed the staff to Lee Han. Then she waited with visible tension.
"...This seems acceptable. Then let's head ba—"
Crash!
Before Lee Han could finish, the chair the Princess was sitting on flew backward.
She had stood up too abruptly.
"......"
Without a word, the Princess hastily picked up the chair and set it upright.
"Good work."
"Ah, you worked hard too, Your Highness."
As if afraid someone might stop her, the Princess swiftly exited through the workshop door.
Watching this, Lee Han grew uneasy.
'She better not refuse to come next time.'
If the Princess didn't return, Lee Han would have to handle all that work alone—an absolutely unacceptable scenario.
He resolved that if such a situation arose, he would visit her residence and drag her back if necessary.
"Leaving already?"
"!"
Hearing Puyo's voice behind him, Lee Han shuddered.
Of course, he didn't think Puyo would stop him after saying, "It's done, go rest."
But weren't all enchantment mages madmen?
Madmen tended to forget their own words quickly.
"Seems I worked you too hard. My apologies."
Noticing Lee Han's hesitation, Puyo gave a bitter smile.
"I don't know how to teach in moderation. I was taught this way too."
'Someone needs to break this chain of hatred.'
Lee Han genuinely pitied Puyo's words.
Wouldn't those taught under Puyo create more victims in the same way?
"But I can say with certainty that this training helps. What do you think?"
"I've definitely learned a lot."
It wasn't empty praise—working in Puyo's workshop had taught him much.
How to prepare objects to align with mana flow before enchantment for maximum effect.
Methods to engrave various 1st and 2nd Circle spells onto scrolls and items.
Since he had to personally cast what was only theoretically covered in school, the experience was invaluable.
Normally, he should have been proud and exhilarated by his growth, but he was simply too exhausted.
"Indeed. An enchantment mage's strength grows through experience. No matter the talent, without tempering, it won't shine."
"Very true. Then I'll be goi—"
"I heard you made a separate staff after finishing."
Lee Han regretted sending the Princess ahead.
Had he stopped her, he could have used her as a sacrifice and escaped first.
"Yes."
"It's good to practice, but at your current level, it would be difficult to make a decent staff."
"Yes. I'm aware."
Not a trace of arrogance could be detected in Lee Han's attitude.
Such humility was rare for a mage blessed with such extraordinary talent.
Seeing this, Puyo realized he'd been worrying needlessly.
'Seems I spoke out of turn.'
"Right. If you're aware, then there's no issue with practicing. But... is that staff by any chance a gift from a wood spirit?"
"Ah. Yes, it is."
Lee Han nodded.
Magic School students were generally only permitted to use staves provided by the school.
Given that they weren't even allowed to bring in outside clothing, staves were certainly no exception.
However, exceptions were made for staves obtained or crafted within the school grounds. That was why Lee Han could use the Staff of the Tree Spirit.
"I received it from an oak spirit in the mountain ranges within Einrogard."
"Impressive."
Puyo smiled warmly—a craftsman's smile rarely seen in his workshop.
Being a spirit half-blood himself, Puyo keenly sensed the nature of Lee Han's staff.
The spirit's unique vitality resonated intensely with the mage's mana, amplifying it powerfully.
Though the owner didn't seem to have noticed yet, this staff had likely revealed glimpses of extraordinary vitality multiple times already.
"Have you ever tried earth or plant-based elemental magic?"
"A few times, though I don't primarily use them."
"I see. Healing Magic—you're still a freshman, so you probably haven't learned it yet."
Puyo almost asked if Lee Han had ever learned any healing spells that directly utilized vitality, but stopped himself.
Come to think of it, a freshman wouldn't have even learned basic Healing Magic yet.
"It's a fine staff. I can feel the spirit within it willingly following its master."
"Wait, really?"
"...Is that so surprising? Has the staff ever rejected you before?"
"Every spirit I've met has kind of... avoided me..."
"......"
Rather than digging deeper into what seemed like a sore spot, Puyo deftly shifted the topic.
"By the way, what kind of gemstone is embedded in the tip of your staff? An Ice Spirit? No, it feels off for an Ice Spirit. What is it?"
Puyo carefully examined the gemstone, growing increasingly puzzled.
Given it was a freshman's staff, he'd assumed it might be a lower-tier Ice Spirit, but the energy felt coarse and domineering—far from a spirit's nature.
'Is there a frost-wielding monster among ice or frost creatures that fits this?'
"I can't tell. Could you enlighten me?"
"A Frost Giant..."
"Ah. I didn't consider that. ...Wait, Frost Giants don't usually leave marks like this, do they?"
"...It's a stone given by their king."
"......"
Thanks to the Frost Giant King, Lee Han—exhausted as he was—had to spend an extra hour explaining instead of heading straight home.
After hearing the astonishing and mystical tale of what had transpired in Einrogard, Puyo voiced his foremost question.
"Why did a first-year like you have to face the Frost Giant King?"
"...There are circumstances I can't discuss."
Lee Han deflected the question.
Taking in Lee Han's bitter expression, Puyo didn't press further.
"This stone is radiating frost energy. If not for the staff's inherent vitality, it could've been somewhat dangerous..."
Lee Han flinched at Puyo's words.
Had they just embedded something that hazardous without warning?
'Wait. Shouldn't the professors have warned me if they saw it? How could they just ignore it because the balance seems fine now?'
It was absurd, especially considering Professor Voladi had seen it up close!
"Is it very dangerous?"
"For now, it's fine. But to be safe, it'd be best to add other gemstones as safeguards. If you're alright with it, I can do it for you. Since we've crossed paths like this, it's only right."
"!"
Lee Han was moved by the Enchantment Mage's kindness.
'Enchantment Mages really are people of principle!'
"The best method would be to amplify Flame Energy to suppress it—"
"W-wait, hold on a second!"
Lee Han interjected hastily.
Adding Flame Energy to his staff was absolutely out of the question.