Episode 524
Episode 524
"Finally!"
"Well done."
When Lee Han succeeded in changing his hair color, Professor Yonlamo gave him a round of applause.
Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.
'Is this really applause-worthy?'
The other students had already changed their hair color, and fast learners like Yoner were even attempting to draw patterns on their fingernails...
Noticing Lee Han's bewilderment, Professor Yonlamo subtly stopped clapping and spoke.
"There's no need to worry just because you're a little behind. Think about it—you've already transformed other materials."
There was no doubt about Lee Han's talent in Transformation Magic.
Just look at his metal transmutation—hadn't he somehow managed to succeed in the notoriously difficult mercury transformation, despite the odds?
Even if transforming external objects and transforming oneself were different, the underlying principles were ultimately the same...
Fwoosh!
Professor Yonlamo froze for a moment as he watched Lee Han turn a single strand of his hair into roaring flames...
...Perhaps it might take a little longer?
* * *
While Lee Han's friends desperately tried to cut off a strand of his hair that had turned into steel, Professor Yonlamo cleared his throat and spoke.
"The final exam will be on Transformation Magic. I know you're all having fun changing your hair or nails, but this is just the beginning."
He didn't want to ruin the students' excitement, but there was no helping it.
The final exam couldn't possibly be graded on something as simple as changing the color of hair or nails.
"W-wait, do we have to transform our entire bodies?!"
"Of course not to that extent."
Professor Yonlamo chuckled and swung his arm.
In an instant, his arm transformed into something resembling an ogre's.
"You only need to transform one limb."
"......"
'It's still difficult, though...'
The students' faces fell—they had been hoping for something as small as a single finger joint.
Professor Yonlamo was slightly taken aback by their reaction.
'Huh?'
Compared to other professors, transforming just one limb was already lenient. He had expected responses like, 'Wow, our professor is so generous!' or 'We're so lucky to be learning Transformation Magic!'
'Strange...?'
"Is transforming one limb difficult?"
"......"
"N-no!"
"Not at all!"
The quick-witted students hurriedly spoke up.
Their instincts, honed by experience at Einrogard, told them that irritating the professor wouldn't end well.
"Whether it's inorganic or organic, it's best to choose something that suits your aptitude. Keep the characteristics in mind and start with what you're familiar with. For example, Shyles might pick his favorite animal, Yoner might choose a reagent she's worked with often, and Lee Han..."
Professor Yonlamo glanced at Lee Han and hesitated slightly.
"...Well, just do whatever you want."
"?!"
The overly casual remark left Lee Han stunned.
'Hmm. Hearing it put like that makes it even more unsettling.'
Being told to pick something he was familiar with only made the choice harder.
Right now...
'Lightning, water, or dark element... probably not a good idea.'
Turning his arm into something formless—like lightning, water, or dark element—was among the most difficult forms of Transformation Magic.
Maintaining a stable form while using volatile, irregularly fluctuating elements as part of his own body required an immense amount of control.
'Professor Voladi would probably cry tears of joy.'
Given that Professor Voladi had been persistently pushing him to deepen his understanding of lightning element, she'd likely be thrilled and immediately encourage him to try.
For the sake of his own safety, Lee Han needed to pick a safer option.
'I haven't worked much with wood or earth. Steel... maybe steel?'
As he pondered, he briefly considered shifting his options from inorganic to organic.
"Hmm... Familiar creatures... Sharkan, griffin, basilisk, skeleton...?"
"......"
Yoner, who had been contemplating brass transformation nearby, shot him a horrified look at his muttering.
"Lee Han. You do know that if you accidentally transform into a dangerous creature, you could get attacked in return, right?"
'More importantly, a skeleton isn't even a living creature,' Shyles thought to himself from the side.
The dangerous aspect of creature transformation lay in its unpredictability.
Mages who transformed their hands into parts of monsters only to be attacked by those very monsters were common occurrences.
"Well, it's true that sharcans, griffins, and basilisks are quite violent."
The young basilisk listening quietly was taken aback.
While sharcans and griffins might fit that description, it couldn't understand why basilisks were included in that list.
"Hmm. Maybe I should practice by imagining a sharcan's foreleg..."
Deciding to start with the sharcan's claws and gradually increase the resemblance until he could fully manifest a sharcan's foreleg, Lee Han swung his staff.
"O arm, become the beast's foreleg—"
Boom!
Lee Han's arm suddenly transformed into a skeleton's arm, then simultaneously changed into a troll's arm.
It didn't stop there. Next came a giant's arm, then a sharcan's foreleg, followed by a griffin's foreleg, then a basilisk's head, and finally a dragon's foreleg...
After rapidly cycling through uncontrollable transformations, his arm barely managed to return to normal.
His nearby friends had already recoiled in shock.
"...I think I need to practice more calmly."
Lee Han resolved to prepare better before attempting again.
It seemed the method of gradually increasing transformable body parts like his classmates did wasn't suitable for him.
"Haha. Today, let's just lightly run a hundred laps around the field, tag that mountain peak and come back, then cross the river while wearing these specially prepared weights."
"......"
"......"
As the final exams approached, Professor Ingoldel's lessons were growing increasingly harsh.
Lee Han wasn't sure whether this was the original curriculum or if Professor Ingoldel had been influenced by Einrogard's atmosphere.
Truthfully, Professor Ingoldel's teaching wasn't wrong.
While mages explored phenomena through theory and academics, swordsmen had no choice but to rely on their bodies and senses.
Want to master complex and profound swordsmanship?
You have no choice but to throw your body into direct experience.
Want to learn the hidden secrets of swordsmanship?
Again, you must throw your body into direct experience.
Want to awaken your aura?
Even more so, you must throw your body...
"That's why you must not regret the sweat you shed," Professor Ingoldel said sternly, tapping his wooden sword.
Einrogard students, primarily mages by trade, often lacked sufficient training even if they came from knightly families.
While understandable, Professor Ingoldel saw it as his role to prevent that.
"Does everyone understand? The sensations from a trained body help control mana—"
"Gasp, wheeze."
"Huff, gasp."
"P-professor."
A White Tiger Tower student, drenched in sweat with bloodshot eyes, managed to ask:
"Why isn't Wardanaz running?"
"......"
Lee Han glared at the White Tiger Tower student. 'This bastard.'
Just when Professor Ingoldel had said, "Wardanaz should rest today," and he'd promptly replied, "Thank you!" before sitting down, this guy had to drag him into it like a drowning man pulling others down. Instead of being glad his friend survived, he was being utterly shameless.
"I'm not from a knightly fami—"
"Wardanaz hasn't fully recovered yet due to participating in the festival melee."
Professor Ingoldel stretched his arm muscles and spoke as if it were obvious.
Lee Han, who thought he'd been spared for not being from a knightly family, froze in surprise.
"Oh. You knew about that?"
"Of course word reaches my ears. Wardanaz. How could it not?"
The elf swordsman looked at Lee Han as if he found it ridiculous.
The seniors of the White Tiger Tower were already whispering among themselves.
-To think such talent exists in our tower!
-Professor, do you happen to know which family's junior he is? Just which family could produce someone like...
Professor Ingoldel couldn't bring himself to disappoint the excited White Tiger Tower students, so he remained silent.
"The Headmaster said you lent your body to a demon?"
"Ah, that. Actually, the demon forcibly took it."
Lee Han, anticipating a lecture, subtly shifted the blame to Anpursas.
Being a demon, Anpursas probably wouldn't care even if he got cursed at a bit.
"But the Headmaster said Wardanaz willingly lent it?"
"...He was deceived, essentially."
"Ah, is that so?"
Professor Ingoldel didn't particularly care either way.
Whether deceived or not, taken forcibly or not—none of that really mattered.
"So when can you summon that demon again?"
"Uh... Well? Why do you ask?"
"I think it would be good if you could summon him again as soon as possible."
"......"
Lee Han doubted his ears.
'Did the Skeleton Principal threaten him with a sword? Or... did he possess his body?'
Contrary to Lee Han's suspicions, however, Professor Ingoldel was speaking out of pure goodwill.
"Wardanaz. Every swordsman in the Empire values the opportunity to learn from a superior swordsman more than gold. And you, Wardanaz, have gained the chance to personally wield the sword techniques of a swordsman far greater than yourself!"
"......"
Though Professor Ingoldel spoke with unusual fervor, Lee Han's gaze remained as cold as the abyss.
'Did the Skeleton Principal possess his body...?'
Admittedly, the professor's words had some logic to them.
But by that same logic, Professor Voladi's claim that fighting giants in the Giant Mountain Range would improve magical abilities also made sense.
Wasn't Lee Han's life more important than logic?
Lee Han nearly retorted harshly but caught himself upon remembering the other's status.
"Unfortunately, the demon doesn't obey me willingly. Even if I tell him to come out, he won't."
"What a shame."
Professor Ingoldel sighed regretfully.
What a wasted opportunity!
"Gasp—P-Professor! But... is Wardanaz really... not feeling well?"
"I told you, yes."
"...Don't lie, you bastard! You played polo just fine earlier!"
One White Tiger Tower student, collapsed on the floor, shouted in outrage.
Lee Han didn't even change his expression.
"Professor Lightning Steps drugged me with anesthetic and made me play."
"......"
"......"
The White Tiger Tower students silently got back up and resumed running.
Professor Ingoldel looked horrified beside them.
No matter how important the match was, was that really necessary?
"Guh—hah—khuhk."
"Cough, cough."
The returning White Tiger Tower students glared at the professor with eyes full of resentment.
Ignoring them, Professor Ingoldel surveyed the collapsed students and spoke.
"The reason I trained you lightly today wasn't just to improve your stamina in preparation for the final exams—but also because I have something new to teach you."
Surprisingly, Professor Ingoldel didn't teach swordsmanship itself.
If a student asked about techniques, he wouldn't avoid answering, but he rarely taught new sword styles or forms.
This was largely because the White Tiger Tower students were all from knightly families.
They had grown up learning their family's swordsmanship, and even if another style seemed better, they wouldn't easily switch.
Given this, the professor focused on imparting general principles rather than interfering with their existing techniques.
For such a professor to say he had something new to teach—despite their exhaustion, the students perked up with interest.
"It's the method of imbuing your sword with Intent. Wardanaz, do you have anyone you resent in your daily life?"
"Eh?"
Lee Han froze at the professor's question.
There were simply too many.