Episode 405
Episode 405
At Lee Han's protest, Professor Millay fell into thought for a moment before accepting his argument.
"Very well. Give it a try."
"......"
Even with the professor's permission, Lee Han felt uneasy.
Because Professor Millay was watching his every move intently without the slightest change in expression.
Given how strict and upright the professor was, it was impossible not to feel tense.
'Didn't she usually let other students practice without putting this much pressure on them?'
Grumbling inwardly about the unfair treatment, Lee Han unfolded the paper inscribed with magic.
Archmages who had reached the pinnacle of their craft could effortlessly create summons on the spot without such tools, but for most mages, preparation was a far more crucial process than one might think.
Reagents, scrolls, artifacts, and so on.
<Summon Paper Bird> was also a spell that required preparation.
Without a pre-inscribed scroll, the mage would have to manually fill in every structural detail of the summon, making the act of inscribing the magic circle arguably the most important step in the spell.
Swish, swish, swish—
The quill glided smoothly across the paper. <Summon Paper Bird> was a famously well-known spell in the Empire, and its magic circle was fairly widely recognized—but reproducing it was a matter of the mage's skill.
If simply tracing a magic circle was enough to cast a spell, why would countless aspiring mages struggle and shed tears against the wall of their limitations?
The magic circle for <Summon Paper Bird> was by no means simple. Even Einrogard students typically made mistakes several times before getting it right.
'...Did suffering under Professor Verdus actually help me in this way?'
And Lee Han was surprised.
Even by his own standards, the magic circle had turned out far too cleanly.
He hadn't noticed it before because he'd only drawn it a few times in the first semester and hadn't practiced during the break, but...
When had his skills improved this much?
Seeing this, Professor Millay slowly parted her lips as if she had expected this all along.
"Let's add a voice."
Lee Han began weaving in the characters with even more focus than before.
Modifying an already completed magic circle wasn't as simple as just adding lines and letters.
One had to understand the principles of the magic circle and anticipate the resulting changes.
If forced recklessly, instead of the paper bird producing a voice, it might stab the mage themselves.
'Inscribe it here... I'll need to add more ink. Is the circuit flowing properly? A short might occur here, so I'll detach this part...'
So immersed in his concentration, Lee Han didn't even realize he had finished. Professor Millay was the one who spoke first.
"You've completed it."
"Ah. Yes. But whether it actually works properly still needs to be checked—"
"No need. Let's raise the difficulty."
Professor Millay turned away as if there was no more to say.
At the same time, the makeshift scroll Lee Han had created blossomed into a paper bird.
The newly formed paper bird flew toward the students of White Tiger Tower and shouted at the top of its voice:
—FOCUS ON THE LECTURE!!!
"GYAAAH!"
"I-I was focusing!! What the—what is this?!"
Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, the White Tiger Tower students flinched and looked around in shock.
It was a perfect modification.
The friends from Blue Dragon Tower beside Lee Han turned to him and spoke.
"Let's raise the difficulty."
"Yeah, raising the difficulty seems right. Wardanaz."
"...You're not getting dinner."
"!??!"
Professor Mortum still seemed a little awkward, her face flushing slightly in embarrassment when Lee Han arrived.
"Ahem. Did you handle the golem well?"
"Yes, Professor. Is Senior Ogoldos alright?"
"He's fine... Though normally, it should be Ogoldos worrying about you, not the other way around."
Even though she was the senior receiving concern from a junior, Professor Mortum didn't blame Ogoldos.
It wasn't because she feared her already small number of disciples shrinking further.
It was because she understood Ogoldos's circumstances.
"Honestly, even if there had been other students, it wouldn't have made much difference!"
"Today's lecture is about the Dark Element, right? What should I prepare?"
Despite the bizarre situation where a student who arrived two weeks late grasped the lecture content better than others and was even preparing in advance, Professor Mortum wasn't surprised.
What was there to be surprised about at this point? With a calm demeanor, Professor Mortum replied.
"The other students will continue with the Dark Element... cough... but you'll be working with Bone Elemental Magic."
"??"
Lee Han was bewildered.
"Huh? Did I miss some part of the curriculum?"
"No. You already know how to use the Dark Element, don't you?"
"But there are still many areas where I'm lacking..."
Professor Mortum dismissed Lee Han's response.
It was nonsense not even worth responding to.
"Cough... More importantly, I heard something from Ogoldos... It was so hard to believe that I waited to confirm it myself."
"Ah, you mean about the Ghoul King?"
Lee Han answered as if he'd been waiting for this.
"Surprisingly, it turns out he really is the master of that palace. Despite his actions, he's actually—"
"...coughcough! Who asked about that?"
Professor Mortum retorted, sounding exasperated.
Of course he already knew the Ghoul King was the master of that undead palace. Who else would it be otherwise?
"Then what was so hard to believe, Professor?"
"Apparently, you summoned over ten undead, floundered about saying they were too hard to control, then only realized they became manageable after reducing them to just one... and were surprised by that revelation..."
"......"
For the first time in a while, Lee Han felt ashamed.
"That was just... a habitual thing during practice..."
"Cough How could that possibly be a habit?"
No matter if it was for practice, the moment a mage summons more than ten undead, they should feel the precarious tension of their mana being on the verge of depletion.
You'd be gasping to reduce the undead with every breath—how comfortable must you have been to forget such a basic truth as 'it gets easier if you reduce them'?
"Well... I did learn that it becomes easier to control when reduced to one."
"That's... not something you 'learn'... It's something any human brat would naturally... cough Never mind. Let's get back to the main point."
Professor Mortum kindly shielded his student, who had missed a truth even the empire's biggest fool would know.
"As the Headmaster agreed, the reason we gave you the <Ancient Basic Necromancy> textbook was because we believed you had the potential to advance ancient necromancy."
"Really...? I see."
Lee Han almost blurted out, 'So it wasn't just to torment me?' but held back.
While his peers summoned contracted undead from the undead realm, Lee Han had been forced by the Skeleton Principal and Professor Mortum to summon undead the old-fashioned way.
The ancient necromancy method meant weaving undead solely through the mage's own power.
Naturally, it was several times harder. There was a reason the old ways were the old ways.
"Cough You've grown somewhat accustomed to controlling them, and you've even attempted various enhancements..."
"There's still much room for improvement..."
He could only control them smoothly after merging them into one, and the enhancements were limited to simple methods like combining bones to amplify strength.
He was still far from being an outstanding Black Mage.
Of course, Professor Mortum ignored this again, just like before.
"...Now it's time to progress further. Cough."
Originally, this year's goal was to control just one undead summon, but since he'd already succeeded, there was no reason to stay idle.
Instead of explaining what the original goal had been, Professor Mortum presented the next objective.
The reason enemies feared Black Mages skilled in Bone Elemental Magic was due to its tenacious nature.
Unlike other summoning magic, it allowed rapid regeneration after destruction, and even shattered remnants could become the mage's tools again—an endless cycle of power.
If a mage skilled in such techniques catches you, you'll be dragged in like sinking into a swamp.
"Conversely, this means bone elemental mages can't stay idle after summoning and must continuously cast spells."
"I understand."
Cough. "What bone elemental spells can you currently use?"
The bone elemental spells Lee Han could use were limited to fragment projection, summoning armor or shields, and binding restraints.
For a first-year student who attended lectures across all schools of magic, having access to 1st and 2nd Circle bone elemental spells was impressive enough. But for a mage capable of summoning Skeleton Warriors through ancient necromancy, it lacked a certain flair.
"You'll need to learn Bone Explosion Magic."
Bone Explosion Magic, which ignites the gas inside bones with mana to cause detonation, was the simplest way to meet firepower requirements. Thus, it was an essential step for Black Mages aiming to specialize.
"Huh? Doesn't that start at a minimum of 3rd Circle?"
"Indeed. Is there a problem?"
"...No, nothing at all!"
Lee Han gave up questioning when Professor Mortum asked back as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Asking that maddened face would only yield useless answers anyway.
Cough. "Of course, it won't be easy. Do you know what you must focus on most when learning Bone Explosion Magic?"
"Hmm. The mana connection, right?"
The farther a mage was from an object, the trickier it became to directly apply mana to it.
A mage summoning and manipulating bone elements had to launch bones at a distance while simultaneously maintaining control to cast spells on them.
For that, the mana connection needed even more attention...
"Wrong."
"Is that so?"
"What you must focus on is controlling the explosion's force. Cough. Ensure the blast doesn't injure you."
"......"
Lee Han was left speechless by the brutally practical advice.
No, seriously...
"I've set up a defensive magic circle here, so practice inside it. If the circle seems close to breaking, call me immediately. Cough. Don't wreck the training hall—it'd be a nuisance."
"Yes..."
Gainando, Lafadell, and Imirg were baffled by the loud BOOMs echoing from inside.
"What in the world is Lee Han doing in there? It sounds like he's being tortured..."
"Hey, you dimwitted prince. Why would the professor torture a Wardanaz?"
"You're the idiot here, you fool. Then why did the headmaster attack us?"
"......"
Cough. "Everyone, focus."
At the professor's words, they all flinched and turned their attention back.
But the booming noises from inside continued to unsettle them.
"Ah, Professor."
Lafadell cautiously raised his hand. Mortum turned his gaze, signaling him to speak.
"I heard summoners are visiting soon. Is there anything we should prepare?"
One might wonder why Black Mages would care about a summoners' festival, but their domains overlapped more than expected.
After all, wasn't Undead Summoning one of Black Magic's core disciplines?
Naturally, some Black Mages would participate in the festival.
Given Professor Mortum's personality, he wouldn't want Black Mages to appear inferior in front of other summoners.
Cough. "It's fine. No need to worry."
"Ah, really?"
"Yes. Just relax and enjoy yourselves."
Lafadell was slightly surprised.
He had expected the professor to give detailed instructions regarding the festival.
Gainando scoffed beside him.
"What were you expecting? Do you realize how much magic we still need to cover? You think he'd waste time on a festival?"
Imirg nodded in agreement.
No matter how proud the professor was, he wouldn't send his students to a summoners' festival just to prove a point...
Cough. "The Wardanaz will handle the proving. The rest of you can just play around."
"......"
"......"
Somehow, the booming noises from inside seemed to have stopped.