Episode 399
Episode 399
But the excited Priest Siana didn't listen and kept running.
Before long, priests began scrambling out of Phoenix Tower in a fluster.
"Is it true?!?!"
"Ah... what a waste! If only I'd properly drawn the lot, she surely would have awakened our order's Divine Magic!"
"Gah!"
Lee Han was flabbergasted by the priests who weren't even trying to hide their true intentions anymore.
Was it really okay to treat Divine Magic like that?
"Divine Magic is something you just..."
"Me! Give me the chance this time! If I try today, it might work!"
At the priest's words, Nigisor and Siana shook their heads in response.
"Divine Magic puts quite a strain on the body, and she's already cast it twice today."
"That's right. Try another time."
"...They succeeded just now!!"
"Ah, no... We should take turns..."
"Aren't you stealing the true glory that should have gone to Lord Wardanaz?!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The priests of Phoenix Tower began arguing, raising their voices at each other.
Of course, compared to the Blue Dragon Tower or White Tiger Tower, it was a much more mild and polite dispute, but the mere fact that priests were arguing to this extent was quite shocking.
Even the Skeleton Principal flying in from afar thought the same.
No...! Just how did you...?!
Having flown over without much thought, the Skeleton Principal became utterly enchanted by this unbelievably entertaining scene.
Just how did you manage this?
"......"
Lee Han inwardly cursed, thinking the Skeleton Principal would have attacked immediately if he weren't a Grand Archmage.
Traditionally, the sheep-like followers of Phoenix Tower never fought each other no matter what! Wardanaz. I'm truly proud of you!
Though he received the Skeleton Principal's sincere praise, Lee Han didn't feel the slightest bit happy.
Lee Han sighed and asked,
"Why did you come?"
Ogonin is waiting for you. You're weeks late, so it's only natural he'd be waiting.
"Ah."
The illusion mage Ogonin had been remotely teaching Lee Han illusion magic.
Since the second semester had started weeks ago, he must have been waiting quite a while.
"I'll go now."
Let me watch the fight just a little longer. When else would I get to see something like this?
"...Couldn't you just stop them?"
Lee Han couldn't hold back from asking.
But the Skeleton Principal answered seriously,
Fighting like this is good for those priests too.
"Huh?"
Imperial priests, regardless of order, are usually raised under similar vicious virtues. Devotion, sacrifice, endurance...
"Those aren't vicious virtues but actual virtues..."
Priests forced into these vicious virtues have their thought processes and values hardened rigidly, making free thinking difficult. I've always wanted priests to break out of that shell and think beyond their world.
"......"
Lee Han was honestly impressed by the Skeleton Principal's words.
It was true that imperial priests all grew up within temples from childhood, knowing only the world of their orders.
No matter how benevolent their faith, growing up like that would inevitably rigidify their thought processes.
Why must they fight? To learn how to reconcile with others. Avoiding conflict might sound good at first glance, but it means suppressing what you truly want without expressing it. If you can't even voice your desires, how can you discuss faith? To continue living as priests, they must learn to express their will and clash with others.
"Headmaster..."
Lee Han called out to the Skeleton Principal with a slightly choked voice.
This was the first time he'd genuinely been moved...
Hiyah! Grab them by the collar! That's right! I said grab them by the collar! Ugh, since they've never fought before, they just keep trembling! I said grab them! Grab them!
"......"
'I shouldn't have been moved.'
Lee Han immediately regretted it.
-Sorry. I've been busy...
-Ah, not at all. You're learning fast enough as it is.
Indeed, Ogonin was truly kind.
When Lee Han mentioned that he hadn't been able to practice much Illusion Magic due to his busy schedule, Ogonin kindly replied that it was understandable.
-"I'll work harder."
-"...Just mastering Barku Magic alone is already impressive enough!? You just need to polish what you've learned! Don't push yourself unnecessarily!!"
Lee Han felt oddly guilty at Ogonin's kind words.
If he slacked off just because Ogonin taught kindly while other professors would grab him by the collar and attack if he failed to learn, that wouldn't be right.
What fault did the benevolent Ogonin have?
'I should work harder.'
It's over. Good work.
By the time the lecture ended, the Morning Star was already rising. Unbeknownst to him, the week had passed, and Saturday had arrived.
'This is bad. I haven't finished preparing for Alchemy yet.'
"Thank you."
What's there to thank? It was Ogonin who taught you. By the way, the stench has faded a lot from your soul.
Despite being undead himself, the Skeleton Principal described the aura of undead as if it were a foul odor.
It shouldn't fade this quickly... Did you attend group prayers with priests every single day?
"Something like that. I practiced Divine Magic."
What? Such a waste?
"...It might lack systematic structure and a bit of theory, but I wouldn't call it a complete waste."
Divine Magic certainly had its uses.
The power to overcome paths far more complex and difficult to achieve through magic, simply through faith.
Of course, to a grand mage like the Skeleton Principal, it sounded utterly unimpressive.
That's precisely why it's a waste... Wait. Could the commotion among the priests earlier be...?
The Skeleton Principal was shocked.
He'd wondered what could have caused such a stir among the priests, but if this Wardanaz had awakened Divine Magic, it made perfect sense.
It was bait on an entirely different level from mere donations or visits.
You awakened it? So?
"Yes."
Impossible! Was he that foolish?! No, if he were that foolish, he wouldn't have been able to learn magic until now!
"...Isn't it too harsh to judge me just for awakening it twice? Maybe I was just lucky."
If Divine Magic could be awakened by luck, why would priests undergo such rigorous asceticism? One would need fanatical devotion just to have the slimmest chance. Huh? Twice?
The Skeleton Principal, mid-sentence, sensed something off about Lee Han's number.
"But Headmaster. There's something I'm curious about."
Is this really the time for other questions? You said twice?
"Just because I did it once doesn't mean I can't do it twice... Why is that such a big deal—"
What nonsense are you spouting when you don't even have faith?
The Skeleton Principal was genuinely astonished.
Awakening two Divine Magics?
Now he understood why the priests were going wild. To them, Lee Han's devotion must have seemed like the realest of the real.
Though, judging solely by outward behavior, there was no one more devout and diligent than him...
Even now, it's hard to believe... Divine Magic. And from a Wardanaz, no less.
Already, various religious orders had been expressing great favor toward Lee Han, a Wardanaz, for his consistent visits to temples and displays of interest.
Among the Empire's prestigious noble families, none were as indifferent to faith as the Wardanaz.
But awakening two?
If this got out, it wouldn't just be the Phoenix Tower priests going wild—priests outside would likely lose their minds too.
If Lee Han had at least shown unwavering devotion, the Skeleton Principal might have thought, 'Ah, your deep faith and foolishness must have summoned multiple Divine Magics.' But no matter how he looked at it, Lee Han seemed far from that.
It was truly baffling.
The undead's miasma would fade quickly, then. So, what was it you wanted to ask earlier?
"Do you know about spatial magic?"
Of course I do. I can even use it. But no matter how talented you are, learning it now is impossible. Physically impossible. Even Professor Garcia would say the same.
"...I'm not asking to learn it."
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
Why on earth did the conversation take that turn?
You weren't? I thought you wanted to learn.
"Just because I ask about magic doesn't mean I want to learn it, does it?"
Then why else would you ask?
"Yes. There is a reason. More importantly, why did you mention Professor Garcia?"
Because it's Professor Garcia's main field of research. So if you don't want to learn it, why are you asking?
"Well, while I was wandering around the school, I got beaten up and chased by some enemy using teleportation magic..."
The Skeleton Principal laughed.
The Skeleton Principal laughed uproariously.
The Skeleton Principal laughed until the headmaster's office shook, the windows shattered, and finally, the entire main building reverberated with his booming laughter.
After laughing for what felt like long enough to create a new world, the Skeleton Principal finally spoke in a delighted voice.
Wow! That's terrible!
"...Yes. Well. Anyway."
Lee Han wasn't shaken by the Skeleton Principal's mockery. He hadn't expected anything from him in the first place.
"Is there any way to deal with someone like that?"
There is.
"What is it?"
Go ask Professor Bagrak for help.
"......"
Lee Han glared at the Skeleton Principal with a stern expression.
Under that murderous gaze, the Skeleton Principal sighed and explained as if exasperated.
This time, I'm not messing with you.
"Then what about just now...?"
Listen carefully. If you got beaten up that badly, it must have been someone who cast spells so fast you couldn't even react, right? With Einrogard's mana, that kind of casting speed is entirely possible.
The Skeleton Principal held Lee Han's combat abilities in fairly high regard.
Crazy... no, thanks to enduring Professor Voladi Bagrak's teachings and his innate mana reserves, Lee Han had quite a few advantages over other talented mages when it came to pure combat ability.
Battles weren't decided by who could cast more complex and difficult spells. They were decided by who could drive a dagger into their opponent's heart faster.
Given that Wardanaz's constitution and training were both specialized for the latter, ordinary spatial magic wouldn't be enough to subdue him.
Whoever the opponent was, they had clearly overcome the usual slow and complex casting process.
"Yes."
With the magic you currently have, countering that kind of strategy won't be easy.
Normally, mages grow stronger when given time to prepare, but this was an exception.
The sheer power of spatial magic that had overcome its weaknesses was tricky enough that even a mage like Lee Han, who had studied spells from all schools, would struggle to counter it.
No matter what strategy you prepare, it won't be easy.
But there's always a gap somewhere. Even if the magic seems flawless, the mage casting it always has weaknesses.
No matter how flawless the magic, the mage always has flaws.
The flow of mana before casting spatial magic. The habitual positioning when casting spatial spells...
If you analyze these thoroughly and prepare, you can block at least one attack.
Moreover, since Lee Han had an affinity for all types of magic, this brute-force method actually had a decent chance of working.
You even have an affinity for divination magic. Lucky you.
"I understand... but why does that mean I have to ask Professor Bagrak for help?"
Because to get familiar enough with spatial magic to catch those tells, you need someone to keep attacking you—and there aren't many people who can do that. Professor Garcia is too soft-hearted for that kind of thing.
Get beaten up by Professor Voladi repeatedly, learn to sense the precursors of spatial magic and read patterns, then go back underground to analyze the statue's weaknesses (you'll probably get beaten up a lot during this too).
Lee Han was impressed by this wise advice.
And he made a decision.
'I should just avoid the basement altogether.'
If you're too embarrassed, want me to talk to him for you?
"Haha. No, I'm fine."