Episode 43
Episode 43
Lee Han carefully tucked the exit permit into his chest pocket. His cautious movements betrayed his fear that someone might snatch it away at any moment.
Both Professor Garcia and the Skeleton Principal simultaneously thought to themselves:
'No one's going to steal it...'
"Are you physically unharmed?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now that you've received your reward, it's time for your punishment."
"......"
Lee Han stared at the Skeleton Principal with utter disbelief.
The Skeleton Principal spoke in a pained tone:
"Don't look at me like that. It pains me too. But rules are rules."
'That's a 100% lie.'
From Lee Han's perspective, it was obvious the Headmaster was enjoying this.
"Just to clarify, since you might misunderstand—you're not being punished for attempting to leave without permission."
"Then what is it for?"
"You're being punished for getting caught."
"......"
'So I was supposed to just stand there and watch Professor Garcia get stabbed?'
The words rose to Lee Han's throat, but he swallowed them.
Since ancient times, talking back to a professor had never ended well.
'Stay calm. Hold it in.'
"The sun has just risen. Until the next sunrise, you shall contemplate in the Punishment Room how not to get caught next time."
With those words, the Skeleton Principal tossed a book at Lee Han.
Bound in plain black leather, the book gave off an oddly eerie vibe.
"What's this?"
"A book to keep you from getting bored in the Punishment Room. Give it a read."
A look of 'Can I even trust this?' flashed across Lee Han's face for the briefest moment.
The Skeleton Principal was inwardly pleased to see his student's immediate suspicion.
"Escort the student to the Punishment Room."
The Headmaster's summoned undead approached and lifted Lee Han to his feet.
From this morning until tomorrow morning—
Lee Han would be spending his time in the academy's Punishment Room.
Down the underground stairs, through a corridor, down another set of stairs, through another corridor...
They must have repeated this dozens of times. Even if he hadn't been blindfolded, Lee Han doubted he could have memorized the path.
Thud!
"Hmm."
As the door closed behind him, leaving him alone, Lee Han took in his surroundings.
The Punishment Room didn't look much different from a dormitory's private quarters.
Instead of natural sunlight, flickering artificial lights cast dim shadows—that was about it.
'This is the Punishment Room? Not as bad as I thought.'
Lee Han figured he could endure this for weeks if needed.
As a former graduate student, he'd lived in far more cramped spaces with multiple people.
Compared to that, this was downright luxurious.
He made a mental note to tell Nilia later: "The Punishment Room isn't as bad as you'd think."
Though he couldn't be sure Nilia would feel the same way.
—Lee Han of the Wardanaz family.
"?"
A stiff, undead voice called from outside.
—Here.
A small hatch at the base of the door slid open, and a large basket was pushed through.
Freshly baked bread, a bowl of salt and pepper, a whole roasted lamb leg seasoned with sauce, baked apples with sugar and butter, freshly fried eggs, almond-chocolate biscuits still warm and slightly crisp...
'Huh?'
Lee Han was baffled by the unexpectedly lavish meal for a Punishment Room.
What was this?
—A gift from Professor Garcia.
"Ah... Please convey my thanks."
—It's not over yet. Take more.
"Wait, hold on—"
Lee Han grew increasingly flustered as more baskets kept coming.
How was he supposed to finish all this in one day?
Fortunately, the subsequent baskets contained more preserved goods—
Chocolates and candies wrapped in foil, salted peanuts, round flat cookies and tea leaves in tins, bottled apple and orange juice...
'Did she just throw in everything because she didn't know what I'd like?'
Grateful for Professor Garcia's generosity, Lee Han set the baskets aside.
At least his mouth wouldn't get bored during his stay in the Punishment Room.
Slurp—
Lee Han brewed some black tea, added milk and sugar, then sipped it slowly as he sank into thought.
Even now, the fight against the Imperial Anti-Magic Zealots felt chillingly intense. To the point where he couldn't help but think, 'How the hell did I manage to fight like that?'
The reason he had remained so composed during the battle...
'It must be thanks to Alarong's teachings.'
If Alarong had been here, he would've scoffed and said, "No, I never taught you such tactics for magical combat or real battles." But Alarong wasn't here.
Though Lee Han didn't realize it, he truly had a natural talent for combat. It was a fact all the professors acknowledged.
'Thank you, Alarong.'
Lee Han cast [Lesser Manipulation].
"Move."
The quill pen floated smoothly into the air and began gliding effortlessly.
It was a level of fluidity he couldn't have even imagined when he first learned magic.
Lee Han set the quill down and cast the spell on a steel ball.
A near-perfect circle traced itself in the air.
'It's a bit frustrating that Professor Voladi was right.'
Sometimes, certain professors had a way of angering students by being right rather than wrong.
Who would've thought Professor Voladi's words—"Real combat will sharpen your skills"—would be proven like this?
Though he had felt it during the fight against the Anti-Magic Zealots, his abilities had genuinely skyrocketed.
'A few more real battles, and I'll be an archmage. Or dead before that.'
Lee Han set the steel ball down. Though it hadn't been intentional, he didn't feel too bad about it.
'Speaking of which, that swordsmanship...'
He carefully recalled the swordsmanship he had used against the enemy leader.
Just as Alarong had taught him, reviewing battles—whether won or lost—was crucial for improvement.
'...No matter how I look at it, that wasn't normal swordsmanship, was it?'
At the time, the opponent had been so strong that he had swung wildly without thinking, but now, upon reflection, that definitely wasn't standard swordsmanship.
What kind of swordsmanship involved pouring mana like a madman and smashing it into the enemy?
It was only thanks to Lee Han's abundant mana that nothing disastrous had happened.
Hell, even his sword had shattered in the end.
Alarong had said that skilled swordsmen condensed mana within their blades to create aura, but what Lee Han had done seemed less like aura and more like...
'...I don't even know what to call it, but I should be more careful from now on.'
He resolved not to recklessly end up in the Imperial Gazette's "This Year's Most Foolish Deaths" column.
After finishing his tea, one last thing caught his eye.
...The black book the Headmaster had given him.
'Should I open this?'
Lee Han pondered seriously.
Was this truly a gift from the Headmaster—or a trap?
If it was a gift—> The Headmaster was human, after all. He must have known Lee Han fought hard to save the professors. Though he had followed the rules and sent him to the Punishment Room, he must have felt guilty. This could be an apologetic gesture.
If it was a trap—> Strictly speaking, the Headmaster wasn't human but undead. He had no human emotions. And the Headmaster had clearly enjoyed sending him to the Punishment Room earlier. So then...
'...It feels overwhelmingly like a trap.'
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a trap.
Lee Han decided to postpone the decision and tried to push the book aside.
That was when—
Sluuuurp!
"!?"
The moment Lee Han reached for it, the black-bound book forcibly opened on its own.
Then, the letters on the exposed page writhed as if alive, leaping out to wrap around his hand and burrow into his skin.
"!!!!"
Lee Han felt an impact as though someone was hammering knowledge directly into his brain.
'What the hell—?!'
It was chaotic and agonizing, but he could tell what the book was trying to do.
The book was now attempting to impart a single spell.
Lee Han's mouth opened instinctively. And then he recited the spell's name.
"Gonadaltes' Agile Footsteps...!"
Snap!
As the transmission ended, the book closed shut with a firm thud. Even when Lee Han tried opening it again with a bewildered expression, it wouldn't budge—as if nailed shut.
'What kind of book is this?'
Clutching his throbbing head, Lee Han skimmed through the magical knowledge he had just received.
As if he had read and memorized it long ago, the knowledge of <Gonadaltes' Agile Footsteps> remained vividly in his mind.
From the incantation to the movements.
Of course, that didn't mean he could cast the spell right away. It was up to Lee Han to internalize and master that knowledge through practice.
'In short, it's a book that forcibly teaches magic...'
Just from the spell's name, it was clear that the Skeleton Principal himself had created it.
If that were the case, the headmaster could have summoned Lee Han for one-on-one instruction. So why resort to such an eccentric method of transmission?
'Probably because the headmaster's a madman. Well, I've heard teaching for too long drives people insane.'
Lee Han convinced himself easily.
Of course, the real reason the headmaster didn't teach him directly was to avoid complaints from other professors or outsiders—"That insane archmage is trying to ruin another young talent!"—but...
Lee Han had no way of knowing that.
"O feet, tread upon the earth. O feet, tread upon the earth. O feet, tread..."
With nothing else to do, Lee Han diligently recited the newly learned incantation.
Though Lee Han himself went around saying, "I'm not that obsessed with magic," objectively speaking, he was a magic-crazed individual.
Most freshmen would goof off if they had nothing to do—they wouldn't think, "Since I'm free, might as well study" like Lee Han.
Thud thud thud—
"...?"
Lee Han paused at the sound of knocking coming from somewhere.
What was that?
"O feet, tread upon the—"
Thud thud thud—
He hadn't misheard. Carefully, Lee Han pressed his ear against the solid wall of the Punishment Room.
Thud thud thud—
The sound grew slightly louder.
Lee Han knocked back in response. The other side hesitated briefly, as if listening.
Then, a rough, husky low voice spoke.
"...Can you hear me?"
"I can."
"What year are you?"
"I just enrolled this year."
"Ah, Iron. Tough luck."
"And you...?"
"Gold."
Gold.
The title symbolizing a fourth-year at the academy.
Lee Han was surprised that an upperclassman was locked up in the adjacent room.
'What do you have to do to get locked up as a fourth-year... Wait, I'm not one to talk.'
Lee Han quickly reflected on himself.
After all, he wasn't in a position to judge—having been caught while trying to escape.
"What landed you in the Punishment Room? Did you start a fight between dorms?"
"No."
"No? Then did you steal from your Tower mates?"
"No. I got caught trying to escape."
A muffled chuckle came from the other side.
"This year's freshman is impressively quick. Trying to escape after just a week? Let me guess—you went for the mountains? Most get caught there. They don't realize there's a wall."
"I didn't go to the mountains."
The student on the other side fell silent, seemingly surprised.
"Don't tell me you went underground?"
"Yes."
"That's... impressive. Figuring out the underground. But that place is a trap. The moment you touch anything, alarms go off, and the Warehouse Keeper is a monster specialized in tracking. What got you caught?"
"Nothing did."
"...Nothing?"
"Right. I made it out through the underground passage. Got caught after leaving."
"......"
The fourth-year beyond the wall was stunned.
Not only had this freshman discovered the underground passage in just a week, but he'd also bypassed the warehouse traps and the Warehouse Keeper's tracking to escape outside???
'What the hell is this kid? Is he really a freshman??'
"Wait. Then how did you get caught?"
"I took a carriage out, but Imperial Anti-Magic Zealots ambushed us. While fighting them, the headmaster noticed and caught me."
"......"