Episode 413
Episode 413
Meanwhile, the summoning mages beside Professor Millay sternly warned:
"If you keep embarrassing the summoning mages participating in this festival, I'll have to remind you that pit over there is still empty."
"W-wait, seriously...!"
"Please just let us control the golem once! Then you'll see we weren't talking nonsense!"
"What kind of ridiculous nonsense are you spou—!"
Before the storm of anger could break, Lee Han spoke up.
"I'll just show you."
"...Huh?"
"It was me controlling it earlier."
"Really?"
The nearby mages looked startled.
"But you just summoned a Paper Bird—that must have been quite taxing already..."
"It's fine."
"Professor Millay. Shouldn't you stop him?"
The mages worried this promising talent might get injured due to competitive pride.
Yet Professor Millay slowly shook her head as if it were no concern.
"I appreciate your concern...but stopping someone who wants to try isn't good either. Just watch for now. If it gets dangerous, we can stop him immediately."
'...The Professor looks really excited right now. Am I seeing this right?'
'From what I see, she's definitely looking forward to this.'
The seniors were baffled by Professor Millay pretending not to notice while barely containing her anticipation.
Was she really feigning ignorance just to subtly show off to outsiders when she could've simply explained...?!
The golems possessed an innate grandeur that made it understandable why summoning mages took such pride in them.
The sight of a mere first-year controlling a golem with such natural proficiency sent the summoning mages present into a frenzy.
-Whoooaaa! Did you see that? It moved its leg!
-Wooooah! Did you see that? It moved its arm!
-Gwaaaaah! Did you see that? It turned its head!
"Ugh. If only I'd been born a golem, I'd get praised like that too."
"......"
While Gainando spouted nonsense, the golem summoners watched transfixed.
The mages near Professor Millay who had praised Lee Han's magic earlier asked with genuine curiosity:
"How on earth are you controlling it like that?"
Other mages pretended not to listen while straining their ears.
How indeed?
"I just controlled it with mana."
"Just with mana? But the expenditure must be enormous—is that really okay?"
"Yes."
"......"
"......"
As the assembled mages trembled in shock and awe, the equally astonished golem summoners suddenly paused.
Huh?
"...Wait a minute. You black mages. This contradicts what you said earlier."
"What are you talking about?"
"You said there was a secret technique..."
"When did we ever say that? You misunderstood."
"......"
The golem summoners glared at the black mages with murderous intensity.
Yet nothing the black mages had said was technically wrong. Eventually, the golem summoners relaxed their furious stares and conceded.
"Fine. We'll admit it."
"Surprisingly quick to concede."
"Well, that student is a summoning mage, isn't he? When you think about it, it's a summoning mage's achievement—no reason to stubbornly deny it."
"What absolute nonsense!? He's a black mage! He's studying black magic!"
For over ten minutes, the golem summoners and black mages fiercely debated "Which school of magic does Wardanaz belong to?"
Having finished his golem summoning, Lee Han watched this exchange with disgust.
'I must never get involved in this.'
Why were they having such pointless arguments?
"Fine. Let's compromise."
"Agreed. Let's acknowledge both sides have some claim."
Seeing them reach reconciliation, Lee Han shook his head vehemently.
"Why even compete over such things..."
"Ah, there's actually a reason."
"?"
One mage kindly explained.
"Depending on which school of magic you belong to, it determines whether you can get invited to academic societies or gatherings, right? That's why they're acting like that."
"...???"
Magic, as an infinite field of study, was often too vast for even the most brilliant individuals to explore alone.
At such times, what proved most helpful were other imperial mages specializing in the same school of magic.
The fresh perspectives offered by mages with different viewpoints at academic societies and gatherings often provided breakthroughs for those who'd hit walls.
And one of the most crucial aspects of these societies and gatherings was...
"Inviting outstanding mages."
"That's... Wait. Then what happens if both of them keep conceding like that?"
"They both get invited, of course?"
"......"
Lee Han's face twisted in pain.
"Wouldn't inviting a first-year student seem... a bit presumptuous?"
"Haha. What matters is skill. If any school fails to invite a mage from Einrogard—no less—who just demonstrated such magic, they'd become the laughingstock of all circles."
The mage kept pressing relentlessly, oblivious to Lee Han's discomfort. Lee Han endured the agony silently.
"You've worked hard."
'How utterly detestable.'
Professor Milley's words made Lee Han's blood boil.
After ordering him around like that!
Thanks to this, Lee Han now faced continuous invitations from both the golem-summoning specialist and the black mage who'd participated today.
'Stay calm. He's a professor.'
Lee Han slowly tried to retreat.
After all, he'd accomplished everything he needed to do today.
He'd demonstrated summoning magic at the festival, and even showed off an unnecessary golem...
At this point, he could consider his performance beyond perfect.
Just then, a familiar face appeared from behind.
Professor Mortum.
"Ah! Professor Mortum!"
The black mages recognized him and greeted him warmly.
The disciple of the infamous Archmage Gonadaltes, and the great black mage who carried forward the legacy of the empire's ancient black magic!
Ahem. "Did Wardanaz show any undead?"
"No, he didn't."
"What a shame."
Professor Mortum looked disappointed.
Of course, he'd prophesied to Lee Han earlier that 'your skills will reveal themselves even if you do nothing,' but Professor Mortum was a black mage, not a diviner.
Even he couldn't have known whether Lee Han would actually demonstrate his abilities as a black mage.
'Did he just skip it?'
Professor Mortum glanced around searching for Lee Han.
Upon spotting him, he called out:
"Ahem. Young Wardanaz! Summon some undead for us!"
"...!"
"!!!"
Lee Han was forced to put on an impromptu skeleton warrior summoning show.
Only after the black mages wept tears of joy, exclaiming "Is this the birth of a new archmage?" did Professor Mortum finally apologize.
"Ahem. My apologies. I didn't realize you'd already demonstrated with a golem."
"......"
"But while golems overlap somewhat with summoning magic, undead are pure black magic. It couldn't have hurt."
"......"
"...Are you angry?"
"Me? Not at all."
"Ahem. That's a relief. Even after the festival ends, the black mages will stay in the nearby village for a few more weeks. Why not visit them? It might help your black magic studies."
"I'm under house arrest."
"...Ahem. Ahem."
Professor Mortum coughed nervously under a strange pressure.
It felt eerily similar to the oppressive aura Professor Garcia emitted when glaring at him in fury.
"R-right. My mistake."
"Wardanaz! We're doing spirit summoning over there—wanna join? You can summon spirits, right?"
As passing classmates called out to Lee Han, the mages attending the festival perked up their ears.
Professor Mortum quickly intervened to stop them.
"No, absolutely not! He can't summon spirits yet! You all seem to be making quite the mistake!"
"Oh? Really? Wardanaz, didn't you once summo—"
"Now! Hurry along and go watch! The spirit summoning is about to begin!"
Only after sealing the students' mouths did Professor Mortum finally let out a sigh of relief.
His sulky apprentice's expression seemed to soften just a tiny bit.
"Um. Professor Mortum."
"What is it?"
"Can you really not summon spirits? Couldn't you let me try just once?"
"...cough. Get lost."
As the exhausting week drew to a close and the weekend approached, smiles and anticipation bloomed on the students' faces.
Though school life was cold and hungry, at least the weekend promised relatively enjoyable things.
Just finish today's lecture, and it's the weekend!
'Once this is over, it's finally the weekend.'
'Though I still have my dorm duty shift.'
'And assignments are piling up.'
'And I need to go get food supplies.'
Thinking this, the students paused mid-step.
Huh?
"...?"
"Wardanaz, why are you coming this way?"
The lecture they were heading to was <Advanced Basic Dance and Socializing>.
Even from first semester, it was clear Wardanaz didn't take this class. The Blue Dragon Tower students assumed, 'It must be too easy for Wardanaz.'
"I'm planning to take it starting second semester."
"Why? You said you weren't interested."
Gainando asked casually. Lee Han straightened up and countered:
"Have you finished all your other course assignments?"
"...Did I do something wrong??!"
Lee Han had been forced to take this class due to the Skeleton Principal's wicked scheme.
Naturally, he wasn't happy about it.
'I'd rather have the Summoning Magic Festival.'
Though the festival meant every mage in sight pestering him to show off his magic, at least it was a solid step toward an A+.
Compared to that, Dance and Etiquette class was...
"Yoner. What's the professor like?"
Yoner, covering a yawn, wiped away a stray tear before answering:
"Very famous in Imperial Social Circle. Ever heard of Krinval Greenbell?"
"I don't really read the society pages in the Imperial News..."
"Honestly, neither do I—I only heard about him first semester."
Both Lee Han and Yoner were the type to scour the economics section of the Imperial News repeatedly but skim past the society pages.
Articles about which new club opened in the capital, which new social gathering formed, which socialite started a trend with flashy dancing—reading more than one line of that nonsense made them nod off.
"I'm more curious about personality... Anyway, he's a mage, right? Just not from Einrogard?"
"Yeah."
"Then his personality must be fine?"
"...Huh?"
Yoner tilted her head in confusion.
Something about the logic felt off.
"Is... is that how it works? Doesn't seem right..."
"Ah. Is his personality strange?"
"N-no... It's good."
"Then I'm right, aren't I?"
"???"
Yoner couldn't counter Lee Han's oddly logical argument and missed her chance to rebut.
"Now! Everyone, come in! Open the door wide and enter! Light on your feet! Dignified expressions! No matter how tired you are, when it's time to dance, you must forget your worries!"
In the center of the lecture hall, arranged like a ballroom, stood a spider-kin dancer in a splendid tailcoat.
Professor Krinval Greenbell, their instructor.
Clap clap clap!
Professor Krinval continuously applauded to welcome the students.
"Gainando! Why so gloomy? Now! Walk in with the steps we learned last time!"
"Sniff. I keep losing at Wizard Card, so I'm upset."
"Even if you lose at Wizard Card, dance will comfort you! Now! One, two! One, two!"
Lee Han, reassured by the professor's cheerful kindness, suddenly remembered something and asked Yoner:
"Does this professor give good grades, by any chance?"
"Hm? Pretty generous, yeah?"
"......"
Lee Han suddenly recalled his past self from first semester, when he'd sought out Professor Voladi's unpopular lectures hoping for an easy grade.
"...Sigh. I shouldn't have resorted to shortcuts..."
"??"