Episode 494
Episode 494
Third-year Balpatan wasn't being reckless or wasteful—this situation had arisen because magic was fundamentally an extremely costly field of study.
No matter how much support the Emperor provided, or how the Skeleton Principal invested and supported them—even occasionally emptying his own pockets—this limitation was structurally impossible to overcome.
Yet they couldn't just demand more funding from the Empire's budget either. Even now, the bureaucrats under the Imperial Treasurer clutched their chests and complained of breathing difficulties whenever Einrogard was mentioned.
"Y-you want us to give more gold to those lunatics?! Just step on me instead! If we have that kind of money, let us build the relief centers for the poor we've been postponing due to budget shortages!"
"You know exactly how much of the Empire's treasures those Einrogard highway robbers are already taking! I'll never forget how they wasted the golden pillars donated by His Majesty's decree as fuel for their flame experiments!"
"No matter how many fines we slap on those shameless mages for their accidents or how much we charge them for restoration costs, it's never enough! Just hearing the name Einrogard makes my blood boil and my hair stand on end!"
...In any case, no matter how much budget they secured and distributed among the departments, there inevitably came a time when funds ran dry during research.
In preparation for such times, Einrogard students diligently saved up what they considered substantial sums...
...but that amount of money would melt away like snow after just a few magic experiments.
Ultimately, it was inevitable that students like Balpatan would occasionally have to pawn their family heirlooms to borrow necessary reagents.
Knowing this, Professor Thunderstep felt both ashamed and heartbroken.
"Balpatan isn't lazy or wasteful by nature."
"We know. Don't worry."
The members of the Maykin Family smiled kindly.
"Isn't gold the true necessity of magic—more than intellect or emotion?"
"...Haha."
It was a self-deprecating joke among mages. Professor Thunderstep could only laugh bitterly.
"How profound..."
Lee Han, who had been listening nearby, spoke with genuine admiration. Professor Thunderstep's expression turned stern.
"What's so profound? What."
Somehow, it seemed this boy from the Wardanaz Family had interpreted it in a completely different way.
"Wardanaz. Go calm the wyverns down."
Professor Lightning Step, who was checking safety equipment for departure, gave Lee Han the order.
The wyverns were supposed to be calmly waiting, but they had gotten carried away playing among themselves and were now rolling around on the grass.
"Understood."
Lee Han nodded and stood up.
Having studied monsters separately with Professor Lightning Step, he had some knowledge about wyverns.
When they got playful like this, the approach was to be firm and unwavering...
"?"
"??"
The friends sitting beside Lee Han exchanged puzzled looks before turning to Professor Lightning Step.
"Professor. No matter how capable Lee Han is, wyverns are..."
"Right, right. He's good with them."
"!?"
Before they could even finish speaking, Lee Han had already separated the playing wyverns and was gently patting their heads.
The creatures that had been tearing up the grass moments ago now bowed their heads like well-behaved lambs.
"...H-how did you do that?"
"I told you to read more, Batrek. With wyverns, first you maintain eye contact..."
"If it were that easy, why would people still get bitten by wyverns?!"
"Well, I've gotten close to them during this trip."
Lee Han said it as if it were obvious.
Of course, as Batrek pointed out, simply following methods from books wouldn't immediately make one capable of handling wyverns. They weren't that easy to deal with.
But Lee Han had built rapport with the wyverns during their journey.
He had fed them, polished their scales, tucked them in with blankets, stood guard while listening to Professor Voladi's nagging by their heads...
'Cancel that last one.'
Come to think of it, the last thing probably wasn't friendship but closer to annoyance.
Anyway, thanks to all these experiences, while not as much as Professor Lightning Step, the wyvern clearly regarded Lee Han with some familiarity.
After all, wasn't it actually listening to him so well right now!
"......"
Nilia thought to herself.
'No matter how I look at it, it seems scared...'
Every time Lee Han turned his head, the wyvern kept sneaking glances at him, gauging his mood—a classic example of a monster intimidated into obedience.
"Really? How did you get so close so fast?"
"It's called affection, Batrek. You should join me next time when we feed them."
"Uh, no... why... that's scary."
"I told you it's not scary. Right? You're not scary, are you?"
When Lee Han turned to the wyvern and asked, the previously lethargic wyvern suddenly perked up its head, put on an exaggeratedly docile expression, and nodded.
"See? There's a reason people say wyverns are easier to tame than griffins. They're generally good-natured."
"......"
Nilia decided to say nothing.
-Quest success, arrived within estimated time.
Hmm.
The Skeleton Principal nodded in satisfaction at the report from the port city.
'I was worried, but they handled it well.'
He never doubted the abilities of the professors or students involved, but the situation had indeed been somewhat complicated.
Given how long-standing the conflicts were, things could have easily spiraled into a drawn-out mess...
But it seemed they had resolved it neatly.
Some students spread absurd rumors like, "The Headmaster seems addicted to excitement—if a day passes without an incident, he gets bored out of his mind," but few were as much of a peace-seeker as the Skeleton Principal.
He was someone who earnestly wished for everything to conclude without major issues.
Though he did occasionally enjoy seeing students suffer—but that was just a minor exception.
-Sea Serpent sighting, request for cooperation, students participated in extermination, contact with Magic Criminal, arrest made
...?!?!
But the next report left the Skeleton Principal utterly shocked.
The fact that a Magic Criminal had made contact was surprising enough, but the arrest was even more startling.
'What? Did some brainless idiot actually approach them?'
Magic Criminals who earned that title usually had long-established infamy and rarely made clumsy moves.
Even when they made contact, they did so cunningly, ensuring multiple escape routes before acting.
And yet, they had managed to arrest one?
Frankly, it was nothing short of miraculous.
'Please tell me Bagrak didn't just stab some random person...'
The Skeleton Principal felt a twinge of suspicion.
He wondered if Professor Voladi, with his chronic paranoia, had stabbed some suspicious passerby, and the others had just collectively agreed, "Well, we have no choice—let's just call them a Magic Criminal!" to cover it up.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
You... have no curiosity at all?
After concluding his meeting with the returning Professor Thunder Step, the Skeleton Principal immediately summoned Lee Han.
The matter concerning the Magic Criminal Ianov was simply too astonishing.
His proactiveness was shocking, his capture even more so, but the most baffling part was...
"Why would you believe that?"
...Are you even a mage?
...It was the boy from the Wardanaz family, who hadn't hesitated to immediately call the professor.
Sure, thanks to that, the matter had been neatly resolved—but for a mage to show no interest in such a situation?
"A mage who entertains such offers is the weird one. In my opinion, the ethics lectures should add a case study about ignoring suspicious contacts."
Do you think we haven't tried? It's pointless.
The Skeleton Principal was unimpressed.
"Don't dabble in forbidden magic, don't associate with shady mages from outside..."
"Of course it's the right thing to say, and there's nothing wrong with that advice."
Yet students tended to disobey more than one might expect.
The moment you told them not to dabble in forbidden magic, some would immediately think, 'Ah, so forbidden magic exists? I wonder what it's like...' and go looking for it.
"How about locking them in the Punishment Room for the entire vacation?"
"......"
The Death Knights standing nearby gasped in shock.
To a first-year student, this proposal was excessively cruel—borderline tyrannical.
I'll consider it. By the way, you performed quite well...
The Skeleton Principal spoke while recalling the report.
He had expected the Wardanaz boy to be helpful, but not this helpful.
To mediate and reconcile conflicts between multiple guilds?
'Truly, this kid possesses social skills far beyond what one would expect from a Wardanaz.'
It had always been his observation, but one of the Wardanaz family's easily overlooked strengths was precisely this sociability.
Just the fact that he could coexist with Professor Bagrak was proof enough of how remarkable it was.
Considering how many upperclassmen were so socially inept—or outright morally bankrupt—this trait shone even brighter.
'Once he becomes a second-year, I should assign him to accompany those morally bankrupt brats when they go outside.'
Without Lee Han's knowledge, the Skeleton Principal added another task to his mental list.
What did you learn about magic?
Far more important than the mission details were his insights on magic.
The Headmaster's voice grew solemn.
Since he considered Lee Han a potential successor to his legacy, he couldn't help but take this conversation seriously.
"I learned the precautions needed when harvesting flowers firsthand. Though you could just buy them with silver coins, gathering them myself made it clear what distinguishes high-quality from low-grade specimens."
Good. Some magicians dismiss such meticulous work—those fools will never achieve greatness.
The Headmaster was pleased.
A true mage must obsess over every minute detail of their craft.
Those who arrogantly delegated preparations to servants or attendants would never reach mastery.
"Thanks to that, I think I'll be better at haggling prices when buying things in the future."
...I didn't need to know that... Fine. What else?
Uninterested in such petty ambitions, the Headmaster moved on.
"I was more surprised than expected by the magic of the Magic Criminal. Skilled combat mages were far beyond what I could've anticipated."
Naturally.
The Headmaster was satisfied again.
Though similar in principle to the earlier point, a mage who overestimated their own strength would meet a grim end.
Especially since magical combat wasn't about who could cast the most complex spells—it was about who could most efficiently sever their opponent's lifeline first.
Even the slightest lapse in vigilance or a stroke of bad luck could allow some back-alley spellcaster to kill a renowned archmage. Thus, a true combat mage had to prepare multiple contingencies.
The one you captured, Ianov, was a subordinate of Antagondals.
"You mean that archmage criminal?"
Archmage, my nonexistent flesh!
The Headmaster bristled instantly.
The very idea of that green, arrogant Magic Criminal being called an archmage was offensive.
He may have been trained by Antagondals and gained some experience, so I understand why you were impressed.
"True."
Lee Han agreed.
The moment the wall exploded, Ianov had instantly activated an Artifact to shield himself, amplified his physical abilities, and prepared separate offensive measures—all in one fluid motion.
It was the kind of seamless proficiency that would require thousands of repetitions to achieve.
So what did you take away from that?
"I thought that from now on, I should bring Professor Bagrak whenever I go to suspicious places."
"......"
The Skeleton Principal glared at Lee Han, unimpressed by his lack of ambition.