Episode 350
Episode 350
Lee Han wiped his tears with a handkerchief. Strangely, his vision was blurry.
'Is it raining?'
"...You should eat something. I'll go buy it for you."
"No. We should be the ones treating you."
"New students aren't joining as it is—if word gets out that we took a junior's silver to buy ice cream, even fewer will come."
The seniors sat Lee Han down by the fountain and walked toward the ice cream stall.
-...I said no, really...
-...We can't accept this either...
"??"
Lee Han was bewildered to see the seniors arguing with the ice cream vendor.
'What's going on? Did they fail to haggle the price?'
If that were the case, Lee Han thought he should go help.
"Why are they doing that?"
"Ah... The merchants we know usually refuse to take our silver coins."
"!"
-We can't accept it. We won't take it.
-Hoho. You healing mages are being too modest. How could we possibly take your silver after all you've done for us?
-Exactly. Here, we made some crêpes—please have some.
-What? Are the healing mages of Einrogard here?
As the argument dragged on, nearby merchants began swarming over.
Recognizing the students of Einrogard, the merchants piled up armfuls of their snacks and neatly stacked them in front of them.
The seniors floundered, unsure how to react.
-It's fine...
-By the heavens, you're all skin and bones!
-That's a stereotype...
-It's true! You need to eat more!
-We're healing mages—why would you say something so absurd...
-Please take this too!
Thoroughly drained—down to their very souls—by the onslaught of merchants, the seniors returned with dazed expressions.
Then they unceremoniously dumped the mountain of snacks onto the table.
"Eat up, junior."
"...Y-you'll have some too, right?"
"Yeah. But we've been working so much we've lost our appetite. You need to eat more."
"......"
Lee Han decided he would eat until he burst.
'At least they're popular—that's something.'
When Black Mages went to shops, there were times when merchants refused their silver too—but that was different in meaning.
Here, the healing mages were genuinely being treated without any expectation of payment.
The seniors each took an ice cream cone, some watching the fountain, others playing Wizard Card, and some rolling dice for a game of horse racing.
Everyone's faces were filled with quiet happiness and peace...
RUMBLE!
"What was that noise?"
"Must be an accident in the guild district! That thing—the new construction they were working on...!"
"That smoke—is it a fire?!"
"......"
The seniors silently stared at the ground before rising to their feet.
"Seniors... You're not..."
"Sorry, Wardanaz."
"You never know. The professors might need our help."
"Today was really fun. We're lucky to have a junior like you."
"No...!"
Before Lee Han could stop them, the seniors each grabbed a donut and sprinted toward the accident site.
"The Headmaster is there, so it should be fine...!"
Lee Han called out helplessly, but the seniors just waved and left.
Left alone with the mountain of snacks, Lee Han sighed.
'After a few more years like this, even the kindest person would turn grumpy.'
With even the merchants gone to gawk at the accident, the plaza grew quiet.
Then, a voice came from behind.
"Why are you eating all by yourself?"
"...!"
Lee Han turned at the familiar voice.
An elderly mage with the gentle impression of a kind grandmother stood behind him.
"Yumidihus...!"
"It's been a while."
Yumidihus, the Empire's renowned Water Elemental Mage, sat across from Lee Han and pointed at a waffle.
"Of course you can have some."
"Thank you."
Without any visible movement, the syrup on the table rose and gently draped itself over the waffle.
After taking a bite, Yumidihus looked at Lee Han and asked,
"Why are you so tense?"
"Well..."
While Yumidihus himself was just your typical moderately insane mage, the mage who would appear after Yumidihus was a different story.
"...Didn't Professor Bagrak go to find you, Lord Yumidihus, to prepare what he needs for the second semester lectures?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
Yumidihus nodded.
"So you were worried that Voladi Bagrak might not have found me."
"...Ah, yes."
Lee Han kept his facial muscles under control as he answered.
Yumidihus continued in a tone that suggested it was no big deal.
"Well, he found me just fine, so no need to worry."
"Yes..."
Gulp.
"By the way, I'd like to see some water elemental magic. Can you show me?"
Lee Han gripped his staff. Yumidihus spoke in a gentle yet firm voice.
"Go ahead and cast it."
"Spring forth!"
"Change form."
"Become a wall!"
"It's about time you started doing it all at once. Try casting it in one go."
Lee Han's spellcasting speed was among the fastest compared to other mages.
This was only natural, given the rigorous combat mage training he was undergoing.
Because of this, casting water elemental magic in separate stages wasn't much of an issue for him.
But Yumidihus was now telling him it was time to graduate from that approach too.
Like an accomplished mage—all at once.
Lee Han nodded.
'Well, it is about time.'
Of course, if his friends had heard this, they would've said, "Wardanaz, get a grip—you're still a first-year, what do you mean it's about time?" But Lee Han's sense of normalcy had already been slightly warped by the other professors.
"Water, become my shield!"
He neatly compressed the actions of summoning water and transforming it into a shield into a single spell and a single motion.
"Excellent."
"I got lucky. It's the element I'm most familiar with..."
"That familiarity comes from your own efforts, so you shouldn't call it luck."
As Yumidihus waved his hand, the fountain's water surged up and transformed into a wall.
"Now, let's see the Rotation Attribute. Do you think you can pierce this wall?"
"I'll try."
Among the advanced attributes of water elemental magic, the Rotation Attribute was one Lee Han had been practicing consistently since the first semester.
Of course, that didn't make it easy.
He had used it a few times in limited ways against the Rakshasa Hungry Ghost, but there was no getting around the fact that it took time.
At Lee Han's current level, properly wielding the Rotation Attribute meant either sacrificing some power and settling for a moderate rotation or committing to a time-consuming process.
Yumidihus was curious to see how far Lee Han had overcome this challenge.
Of course, for an average student, it would take until their second or third year of effort—but the student before him was hardly average.
Swoosh!
"?!"
Yumidihus was startled.
Lee Han had summoned dozens of Water Orbs.
'What's he thinking?'
"Rotate!"
With the incantation, several of the dozens of Water Orbs lost form and vanished.
The Rotation Attribute had been applied clumsily, causing them to lose cohesion and cancel the magic.
Lee Han focused his mind on the orbs that had successfully taken the rotation among the surviving ones.
As the rotation accelerated, a few more orbs dissipated. Undeterred, Lee Han sped up the remaining ones.
"......"
Yumidihus was honestly impressed.
Not by Lee Han's magical talent—he had already been impressed by that long ago.
What impressed Yumidihus was Lee Han's way of thinking.
No matter how much mana one had, mages who could utilize it like this were rare.
Sacrificing dozens of spells just to perfect one?
To most mages, it would seem like absurd wastefulness—but for Lee Han, it wasn't particularly difficult.
In less than a few minutes, a single, fiercely rotating Water Orb was completed.
Thunk!
When the orb effortlessly pierced through the barrier Yumidihus had erected, the archmage applauded.
"Well done. I'm honestly surprised."
"Really?"
Lee Han brightened.
He had been worried that even after his honest effort, Yumidihus might say, "Is that all you've got?"
But seeing him so satisfied put my mind at ease.
"Of course you did well. Why are you surprised?"
"I still have many shortcomings..."
"It seems Voladi Bagrak has prevented you from making a proper self-assessment. You're doing well indeed."
"Thank you."
Hearing Professor Voladi's praise always lifted his spirits.
Lee Han bowed his head.
"I was originally going to offer advice if you got stuck, but with this method... I don't think you need any advice from me."
"Eh? No, please. I'd appreciate your advice."
Lee Han felt wronged.
There's no way that brute-force method of floating dozens of orbs could be ideal.
If a great mage like Yumidihus offered proper guidance, it would surely be far more effective than this crude approach...
"No. You're doing fine."
Yumidihus actually thought Lee Han's method was excellent.
There are no shortcuts in magic.
Especially for spells like the Rotation Attribute where subtle sensations are crucial—continuous practice and accumulation of experience are paramount.
Lee Han's current approach of floating dozens of orbs like a madman and applying rotation to all of them was surprisingly very effective.
If he kept at it like this, he would soon grasp the essence of the Rotation Attribute.
"You're late. My apologies."
When Professor Voladi approached, Lee Han's heart sank.
The professor's attire was so tattered it looked like he'd just walked straight off a battlefield.
'What on earth did he hunt this time?'
Since Lee Han would have to face whatever Voladi had captured during second semester, fear inevitably welled up in his soul.
"Why are you late?"
"The other professors requested my help dealing with an accident site."
"How unusual for you not to refuse."
"Archmage Gonadaltes also made the request, so I couldn't decline."
"Gonadaltes?"
Yumidihus was startled.
The Skeleton Principal wasn't the type to personally intervene in such matters.
Normally he'd just order disciples or professors to handle it...
"Was it that serious?"
"Not particularly. I believe he just wanted to give the students some rest."
Unable to hold back, Lee Han interjected:
"Did the students end up participating after all?"
"No. Professor Garcia made them rest."
Lee Han was moved.
Yumidihus nodded and said:
"Rest is important too. Frankly, the young healing mages at Einrogard are severely overworked."
"Yes. Rest is important."
"???"
Lee Han stared blankly at Professor Voladi.
And this was coming from someone who had acted like that until now?
"Now that Voladi Bagrak is here, let's get to the main point. I came because I heard you have an aptitude for Frost Element Magic."
Lee Han looked at Professor Voladi again.
The professor seemed to understand the meaning behind that gaze and gave a small nod.
Lee Han couldn't even begin to imagine what that nod was supposed to signify.
"It's not exactly an aptitude..."
"If you can summon frost, that's an aptitude. Rare elements are hard to summon without natural affinity. Anyway, Frost Element Magic is deeply related to Water Elemental Magic, and learning to apply both together would be educational in many ways. So for second semester when you'll be using... Ah. I shouldn't say the name, right?"
Professor Voladi nodded again.
Lee Han glared holes into the professor's collar. He had half a mind to grab it.
"That's what I caught, and that's why I came to find you like this."
"Thank you."
Lee Han didn't have any major objections to Yumidihus's proposal either.
Unlike other professors, Yumidihus taught in a relatively sensible manner.
Learning Frost Element Magic while staying at the mansion didn't seem like a bad idea.
'Plus, it'll make a good excuse when other professors come looking.'
"Shall we depart then?"
"Ah. We're not learning at the mansion?"
"Learning at the mansion would be a bit awkward. There's a tower where mages indebted to me reside."
"Are they your disciples?"
"Not disciples exactly, though they did receive some instruction from me."
'Isn't that what a disciple is?'
Lee Han paused mid-thought.
Come to think of it, wasn't Professor Voladi also Yumidihus's disciple?
"Is that person... similar to Professor Bagrak?"
"No."
"Ah, I see."
Lee Han felt relieved.
Until Yumidihus continued:
"He's much ruder."
"......"