Episode 51
Episode 51
"Cough. That student over there, come to my workshop during break time."
"????"
Professor Mortum cleared his throat as he addressed Gainando.
Gainando looked as if he'd just been slapped across the face.
Why?
What did I do wrong??
Could he possibly hold some grudge against imperial royalty???
"And that student too."
Professor Mortum also pointed at Lee Han.
Lee Han wasn't as shocked as Gainando.
From the start, he'd seriously considered Black Magic as one of his options for credit management.
But the students of the Blue Dragon Tower interpreted this differently.
"Gainando, you bastard! Because of you, even the Wardanaz kid is getting dragged into this!"
"Can't you even die stupidly by yourself?!"
"Quick, tell them you'll go alone!"
They mistakenly believed Lee Han was being forcibly taken along because of his friendship with Gainando.
The students were furious.
Lee Han already had several responsibilities to deal with—why drag him along like some drowning ghost instead of going alone?
"Y-you bastards... I'm absolutely not going alone! We're going together!"
Gainando bristled at his friends' scolding.
"Take it back!"
"No!"
"I said take it back!"
"Everyone. Professor Mortum has already left."
Professor Garcia looked at the Blue Dragon Tower students with utter disdain.
To put it simply, a mage's workshop was a kind of research lab.
A place where a mage's disciples voluntarily explored topics of interest through endless experiments and research—working 25 hours a day without rest.
Of course, phrased like that, it sounded like a hellish place where people withered away and got ground down. And that was exactly what it was.
Depending on the mage, workshops varied drastically, but life as a disciple under any mage was inevitably harsh.
Even Lee Han had heard plenty of stories about mage apprentices studying in workshops back in his family.
-Once upon a time, there was an apprentice learning magic under a mage. This apprentice had to wake up at dawn, polish wands, prepare experimental reagents according to alchemical secrets, regulate the mana flow for magic circles, then venture outside to gather necessary materials—all before lunch. Being clever, the apprentice ate lightly while working to save time and finish the next tasks quickly. And so the next day...
-Is the ending where the apprentice kills the mage and takes over the workshop?
-Young master, what kind of absurd joke is that? The ending is, of course, that the hardworking apprentice becomes a great mage.
-......
No world was a paradise for students.
Fortunately, there was no need to worry about that right now.
Because Lee Han was still a first-year!
Since he hadn't committed to studying under any professor yet, there was no reason to fear anyone.
If a professor seemed insane, he could quietly walk away.
"Sniff... sob..."
"...Are you actually crying?"
Lee Han was taken aback.
Gainando's eyes were genuinely red.
"What did I even do wrong... Summoning us separately to some gloomy, isolated place like this..."
"It's not necessarily because we did something wrong, right?"
"Then what else could it be?! Hah! It's obvious—he's calling us separately to torment us because his twisted Black Magic-user mind is warped!"
The two were currently heading to the location Professor Mortum had indicated.
And in Lee Han's opinion, the location of Mortum's workshop was... questionable.
'Isn't this excessively eerie?'
The path grew increasingly desolate and quiet, then gradually the wind grew louder, and ghostly whispers seemed to emerge from the woods lining the road...
They even passed a few graveyards.
Not that it was entirely unreasonable.
Black Magic fundamentally required Yin-attribute mana, and researching undead would naturally require corpses...
Given all those conditions, it was inevitable for the place to feel this ominous.
'But if they complain about why no freshmen are coming after making a place like this... that just seems downright shameless...'
In the distance, the building of Professor Mortum's workshop, known as <Black Rock Hall>, came into view.
At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary four-story tower, but it was common knowledge that a mage's building could never be judged by its exterior alone.
And already, there were several hints near the tower.
Shattered skulls and bones rolling about haphazardly.
Crudely carved and planted tombstones.
A crate of highly toxic potion bottles bearing a sign that read <CAUTION!!! TOUCH AND YOU DIE!!>.
It was easy to guess what kind of experiments and research were conducted in this workshop.
Gainando's face had already turned as pale as an undead creature, clearly sensing the atmosphere.
"Anyone here?"
Creeeak—
The door opened on its own when knocked. Lee Han and Gainando stepped inside.
Gainando trembled violently, even trying to clutch at Lee Han's sleeve. Lee Han flicked his hand away dismissively. Gainando wore a deeply betrayed expression.
"Cough, cough... You're here."
The workshop was filled with thick black and blue smoke, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead. From within the smoke, Professor Mortum's voice echoed.
"Diret. Guide the freshmen in."
"Are you in your right mind, Professor? The headmaster explicitly said upperclassmen shouldn't interact with first-years."
"Ah. Right. Cough. What a bother... Can't you just secretly ignore that?"
"I just got out of detention not long ago. Do you want me to go back there?"
"It's not detention, it's the disciplinary chamber... Cough. Fine. Stay where you are."
Professor Mortum swung his staff, forcefully expelling all the smoke outside.
Then, the interior came into view.
Inside was far more normal than expected.
Perhaps it had been tidied up like this to lure in freshmen...
Tables, chairs, and bookshelves.
It gave off the atmosphere of a library.
'...Wait. Those are all bones?!'
Lee Han realized belatedly and was horrified.
Every piece of furniture was made entirely of bones.
Of course, for a black mage skilled in bone conjuration, crafting furniture from bones was a highly cost-effective choice.
Just a bit grotesque, that's all.
Gainando, oblivious to the fact that they were bones, cautiously took a seat while glancing around.
Professor Mortum struggled to put on his most benevolent expression as he spoke.
"Cough, cough. You must already know why I called you here?"
"I've done nothing wrong, Professor!"
"I called you both because I believe you possess exceptional talent in Black Magic. Wait, what did you just say?"
"Nothing at all."
Gainando clamped his mouth shut.
This wasn't what he had expected.
'Me? Exceptional talent in Black Magic?'
"Lee Han. He says I have exceptional talent in Black Magic?"
"I have ears too. I was standing right next to you, so obviously I heard."
"Ah... What do I do? I have no interest in Black Magic. But I have talent? Ah... What do I do?"
"......"
Lee Han couldn't help but marvel at Gainando's fickle nature.
How could someone be so easily swayed?
Professor Mortum rubbed his palms together before pulling out a few candies from somewhere. They were wrapped in paper printed with skull designs.
"Have some while you listen. Now. Since both of you have outstanding talent in Black Magic, I thought it would be good for you to hear firsthand just how wonderful Black Magic truly is. There are many misconceptions about Black Magic, but they are truly just that—misconceptions. Cough, cough. Black Magic is the most beautiful and profound field among all magic."
"......"
Gainando looked half-entranced, but Lee Han listened with a twinge of pity.
It was a story he had heard many times before.
Professors of popular fields were arrogant and aloof.
-You want to study under me? Let me consider your talent first.
But where there were popular fields, there were also unpopular ones.
Professors of unpopular fields were downright pitiable and desperate.
-The advantage of our department... is that there's nowhere left to fall.
-......
-Isn't it nice to think that the only way left is up?
-......
Professor Mortum's words carried the typical sorrow of an unpopular field professor.
Seeing someone who couldn't even coax students properly handing out candy while saying such things...
"...That's why Black Magic is the magic of magics, the king of magic. Do you understand?"
"I've become interested in Black Magic!!"
"I had no idea Black Magic was such a great form of magic!"
At Gainando and Lee Han's responses, Professor Mortum's face bloomed into a wide smile.
'Ah, do I really have to learn Black Magic? I didn't know I had talent in it. But Black Magic has that kind of image... Still, if it's absolutely necessary... Ah, but still...'
Ignoring Gainando, who was humming excitedly beside him, Lee Han skimmed through the gift he had received from Professor Mortum.
The professor had given carefully wrapped presents to the two students who had responded positively.
...It was a bone of unknown origin.
-What is this?
-When you return to your room, take a look at this bone. Then you'll think of Black Magic.
-No... What is it, really?
-Hehe. Cough cough.
Professor Mortum wiped under his nose with a bashful expression.
As if he couldn't bear to rob the student of the joy of discovering and realizing this secret for themselves.
Of course, from Lee Han's perspective, it was a rather creepy gift.
Just what kind of bone is this?
'Is there magic imbued in it?'
Lee Han's first guess was that it was a Makeshift Artifact containing magic.
Hadn't he already been tricked once by the book the principal gave him in the Punishment Room?
For all he knew, it might be a trend among professors at this magic school to casually gift students artifacts imbued with magic without any explanation.
Like giving something sweet to a lover on an anniversary...
'Even though it was my own thought, that's a truly horrifying analogy.'
Lee Han decided he would examine it more closely later.
"Lee Han. Lee Han."
"?"
"If I start learning Black Magic, you absolutely won't tell Maykin, right?"
Lee Han immediately understood what Gainando was thinking.
This was the same Gainando who had been teased by Yoner for learning Alchemy.
If word got out that he was learning Black Magic, how much more would he be mocked?
Lee Han answered with a smile.
"Of course."
'I'll tell her right away.'
Elf swordsman Professor Ingoldel was the instructor for both the Basic Swordsmanship and Basic Physical Training courses.
And these were classes primarily attended by students from the White Tiger Tower.
In such classes, Lee Han, the sole student from the Blue Dragon Tower, stood out very, very conspicuously.
However, the atmosphere was slightly different from the previous swordsmanship class.
If the last class had been a situation where everyone was itching to pick a fight but couldn't find a way, this time, everyone avoided making eye contact with Lee Han.
If they messed with him, they'd get crushed!
'This is comfortable.'
Lee Han thought his outburst had been a good idea.
Truly, sometimes a person needed to go a little wild to make life's difficulty level easier.
Of course, that outburst didn't lower the difficulty of the class itself.
"Everyone, keep running without rest. Without stopping! While using your entire body's muscles is important, don't forget to sense your mana through your breathing. If you keep circulating mana within your body, you'll be able to use your muscles far more efficiently."
Mages used mana only for magic, but swordsmen used it for their physical bodies.
Mana, flowing and circulating endlessly like a river within the body, prevented fatigue from accumulating and created a defensive effect against external toxins.
...Of course, just because he said that didn't mean the young freshmen could actually do it yet.
Everyone was just panting and running, mana circulation be damned.
"Professor, I have a question."
"What is it?"
Professor Ingoldel responded warmly to Lee Han's approach.
Just what was he about to ask?
"I'm planning to enter the mountain range soon to gather materials... Do you have any advice...?"
"Hmm. You should give up."
"......"
"You really should give up."
At Professor Ingoldel's serious advice, Lee Han grew uneasy.