Episode 359
Episode 359
Black mages didn't linger near graveyards because they liked them.
Of course, there were some peculiar black mages who did enjoy graveyards, but it was rare to find a mage who would choose a cold, gloomy cemetery over a warm and cozy fireplace.
Black mages stayed near graveyards because it was advantageous for their dark magic.
By becoming accustomed to the aura of death, they could grow more familiar with undead summons, gain additional mana for various black magic spells, and, most importantly, conduct magical experiments without worrying about prying eyes...
...In truth, that last reason was quite significant.
Most people didn't want black mages conducting research next door.
Even black mages themselves didn't want to perform experiments in their own manor courtyards.
Once all kinds of poisons were sprayed on the flowers and undead trampled across the grass, even the most beautiful courtyard would inevitably turn into a graveyard.
And if it was the estate of a prestigious and ancient noble family, that was even more true...
"Ah. Senior, you're here?"
Lee Han, who had been controlling the undead in the front garden of the manor, brightened upon seeing Diret.
The undead bowed their heads with slow, awkward movements. Seeing this, Diret was startled.
'He's already gotten this far?!'
He knew Lee Han had been struggling with undead control.
In a way, it was only natural.
After all, he was just a first-year student attempting to command undead in the classical black magic style.
The fact that he had managed to make them move at all was impressive in itself.
"How did you get them to move?"
"Ah. I still have a long way to go. They should be moving more elegantly..."
The refined, orthodox method involved intricately weaving dozens, even hundreds, of commands into a single directive.
For living beings, walking was as natural as breathing, but making a mindless Skeleton Warrior walk required dozens—no, hundreds—of precise instructions like, "Put force into the sole bones," "Apply strength to the shinbones," "Transfer it through the thighbones," and so on.
Of course, no one could possibly issue each command individually, so a mage had to weave all those dozens—or hundreds—of commands into one and simply order, "Walk."
That intricate flow of mana and comprehension was absolutely not something a first-year student could grasp through trial and error. Countless experiences were essential.
So Lee Han resorted to a shortcut.
"I just poured in more mana."
"...!"
Instead of issuing meticulous commands one by one, he flooded the undead with an overwhelmingly powerful burst of mana alongside the order to "Walk."
Naturally, the results were pitiful.
The undead moved excruciatingly slowly.
If he had given them detailed instructions one by one, they would've been much faster.
But the important thing was that they moved at all.
Once he got them moving, he could refine his control through repetition and instinctive adaptation. And, incredibly, this junior still had mana to spare despite such an absurdly wasteful method.
It might have been a much faster path than exhausting his brain calculating every single command.
"That's actually a really good method."
"Senior..."
Lee Han looked at Diret with a slightly wounded expression. Diret was taken aback.
"What?"
"I'm not an idiot, you know. I can tell when someone's forcing praise. You don't have to pretend to compliment me."
"No... Hey!"
Diret felt deeply wronged.
Sure, it was a crude method, but he genuinely thought it was good—and this junior had the nerve to—!
"I'm serious!"
"Right. If you say so, Senior."
Lee Han's response painted Diret as a "bullying senior who abuses his authority," making him so indignant that his wings trembled.
Meanwhile, Lee Han snatched the luggage Diret had brought.
"Let me carry that for you. What's this?"
"Ah, that's the housewarming gift..."
Lee Han peeked inside the box. It was filled with mysterious bones.
When he probed them with his mana, a chilling surge of yin-attributed energy wafted out.
"Thank you so much, Senior. I never expected to receive such a gift..."
"Is that so?"
Diret made a slightly awkward face. It was a gift he'd put thought into selecting, but he hadn't expected his junior to like it this much.
"Please have a seat here. I'll prepare some drinks."
"Ah, I should—"
"You're our guest, that wouldn't be proper. By the way, the others..."
"They're juniors taking Black Magic classes too."
"Indeed!"
Lee Han's eyes sparkled momentarily.
Seniors from the same academic faction, no less.
...Come to think of it, Lee Han had no choice but to meet seniors from all factions, but seniors from his own faction always left a good impression regardless.
"Everyone please sit. I'll bring drinks shortly."
"Y-yes."
"Ahem. Well... not bad."
The Black Magic students did their utmost to project an air of "I'm very accustomed to this kind of treatment."
Of course, their strained attempts only made them look awkward, giving Lee Han a different impression.
'Are they feeling unwell?'
As Lee Han politely bowed and disappeared, the Black Magic students—who'd been sitting in stiff, haughty postures—immediately relaxed and began whispering.
"What the hell?? Did you curse him or something?"
"Did you threaten him?"
"......"
Diret regretted bringing these idiots along for no reason.
"Are you seriously saying that now—"
"A Blue Dragon Tower student, no less from the Wardanaz family, learning Black Magic is strange enough! But why is he so excessively polite??"
"It's creepy seeing a Blue Dragon Tower student act like that???"
"He is from the Blue Dragon Tower, right?"
The Black Magic students murmured among themselves.
Fundamentally, Blue Dragon Tower students didn't study Black Magic.
Why would those who had to worry about external factors like honor, dignity, and family reputation bother learning Black Magic?
Even if there truly was an exceptional Blue Dragon Tower student, another question remained:
Why in the world was he so excessively polite?
'True enough.'
Diret could understand his juniors' bewilderment.
Generally, Magic School students didn't bother being so formal with seniors from other towers.
While they avoided outright rudeness inside the school—since getting beaten to a pulp was a real possibility—outside, it was common to brush others off with a "Do I know you?"
This went double for Blue Dragon Tower students.
They might bow their heads inside out of fear, but why would they do so outside?
They rarely crossed paths with others to begin with, and when they did, Blue Dragon Tower students usually ignored them and went about their business.
Which made them even more infuriating.
At least the White Tiger Tower students growled and snapped at people...
"We met in the Punishment Room. We got close when he brought me meals there."
"He did??"
"Well... no... he did bring them, but—"
"......"
"...????"
The juniors stared at Diret with eyes full of shock, suspicion, and utter confusion.
How in the world had he managed to make a Blue Dragon Tower student from a great family serve him meals in the Punishment Room?
No matter how hard they tried to believe him, only one explanation came to mind:
'It's a curse. 100% a curse.'
'No. Poison. Cleaner and harder to detect than a curse. Administered weekly in exchange for antidotes...'
'Shouldn't we stop Diret-senpai? If this makes the Empire's newspapers again...'
"I don't know what you're thinking, but knock it off, you little shits."
When Lee Han personally served them with a teapot and glass bottles of juice so cold they were beaded with condensation, the Black Magic students looked at him with pity.
"?"
"Junior... explain something. These idiots—these guys think I'm threatening you."
"What nonsense... I'm not being threatened at all."
Despite Lee Han's words, the Black Magic students nodded with sympathetic looks that said, 'Sure, of course you'd say that.'
"...Is there any point in explaining further?"
"I must've been insane to bring them. What was I thinking... Did you call the other first-years?"
"Yes. I called them."
Upon hearing the purpose of today's gathering, Lee Han had also called his other friends.
Come to think of it, the crown prince was among them.
'...The misunderstanding is something the seniors will sort out themselves.'
Lee Han left it to Diret to handle, figuring he'd take care of it. Honestly, he couldn't be bothered.
"Can I ask a few questions?"
"Yes."
Lee Han could sense that not all the seniors present were favorably disposed toward him.
That was only natural.
In any world, if there were people who looked kindly upon newcomers, there were also those who viewed them with hostility.
What the newcomer was thinking, how sincere they were, and so on.
This was the time to show his true colors—doing so would make things much smoother in the future.
'I'm ready.'
Lee Han was aware of his own weaknesses.
The fact that he was studying magic from too many different schools at once.
...It wasn't intentional, but regardless, it could look a bit questionable.
However, Lee Han was confident he could make up for it.
Honestly, where else would you find a first-year student as dedicated to Black Magic as he was?
"Earlier, I saw you summoning skeletons. Is it really okay to do that in the front yard of the mansion? It'll get dirty."
"It's actually better if it gets dirty. It'll help with practicing Black Magic."
"...Earlier, it looked like you were summoning undead in a slightly different way?"
"Yes. I've always had a strong interest in Black Magic, and I had the ambition to research forgotten techniques and make new discoveries. Fortunately, Professor Mortum thought highly of my ambition, so I was allowed to practice like this."
The fact that the Skeleton Principal and Professor Mortum had forced him into it was neatly repackaged as Lee Han's own initiative.
The Black Magic students, unaware of this, could only gaze at Lee Han with admiration.
Why would someone like this choose Black Magic?
"Hmph."
But unlike the others, the senior who had asked the questions wasn't so easily satisfied.
As if to emphasize his difference from the rest, he shook his head a few times before pressing on with even more persistent questions.
"Ambition is something anyone can have. What matters is how you achieve it. I'm curious—are your fundamentals solid? Can you cast curses?"
"Yes."
"Poisons?"
"I can make Acid Poison."
Diret chimed in from the side.
"He can also manipulate the Dark Element."
"...!"
At that, the senior's expression shifted to one of surprise before he nodded heavily.
Though he didn't say it outright, it was a silent surrender—he had no more questions to ask.
"Sorry about that, junior. Ogoldos isn't usually that prickly."
While the others drank their beverages, Diret pulled Lee Han aside to apologize.
"He's just really serious about Black Magic. He hates it when new juniors dip their toes in and then vanish."
"I understand. It's only natural."
Truthfully, Lee Han didn't find seniors like Ogoldos particularly unpleasant.
The real lunatics were among the professors—no matter how skilled the seniors were, they couldn't compare to the genuine madmen.
"...Sometimes, I wonder if I'm really threatening you with poison or something. To have a junior as promising as you in Black Magic..."
"But I'm also studying other schools of magic."
"I know, so shut up."
Diret went on to explain how often these gatherings were held and why.
Black Magic students exchanged information, shared useful job opportunities or prospects during breaks...
"By the way, I heard a rumor that the professors fought in the streets to recruit you. That's fake, right?"
"No. It's true. But where is Professor Mortum right now?"
"Professor Mortum? He's usually in Granden City during our gatherings. ...Wait, it's true?"
"He's in Granden City? Why?"
"He said to call him if we ever needed help with magical research. But usually, we don't discuss research much during gatherings. Hey, junior. About earlier—"
"...Senior. Hold on."
Lee Han felt a strange unease and cut Diret off.
Professor Mortum wasn't around, but for some reason, he felt like he could hear his voice.
A voice saying, 'Call me too!'