Episode 528
Episode 528
"Isn't Something Strange?"
Priestess Dijiling tilted her head and asked the professor.
The unusual glint in Lee Han's eyes still hadn't faded even after time had passed.
Professor Paselet, having noticed it as well, looked at Lee Han with slight bewilderment.
"...Are you alright?"
Lee Han gave no answer. He simply stared blankly into empty space as if something were there, remaining silent.
Realizing that the student was peering into the future with enhanced divination abilities, Professor Paselet muttered in a troubled voice.
"This shouldn't be happening..."
"What shouldn't be happening?!"
Priestess Dijiling's voice grew urgent as she sensed the situation was far from normal.
"Normally, it should only last a few seconds... but if it's this long... the future he's seeing must be that much longer."
Those who knew nothing about divination might think peering into the future was simple, but the more experienced a divination mage was, the more cautious they became.
Seeing the future meant confirming one possibility out of countless others.
From the moment it was confirmed, that possibility was no longer just a possibility—it became an intense fate that pulled the mage in.
In a way, the mage who glimpsed the future became a puppet of fate.
Briefly catching fragmented glimpses of the future was relatively safe, but enhanced divination was a different story.
The visions became far more detailed and varied, increasing the likelihood of being bound to them.
And hadn't they known all along that this student had exceptional divination talent?
"Then... cut off the divination!"
Priestess Dijiling shouted in a voice louder than usual.
In contrast, Professor Paselet's voice grew quieter.
"His mana... is too dense... external interference is..."
"......"
Priestess Dijiling was confused at first, but after desperately racking her brain, she finally understood.
So, because the boy from the Wardanaz family had too much resistance to external interference, there was no proper way to intervene?
"Is there no other way?!"
"Only waiting..."
"How long?! No, more importantly, why is the effect lasting this long?!"
"...Because his talent is too exceptional...?"
Professor Paselet called upon her other personalities to step in, but they remained silent as if dead.
The personalities who had eagerly suggested giving the student spring water earlier were now collectively keeping their mouths shut now that trouble had arisen.
"Since when does exceptional talent make the effect last longer?!"
"Normally, it's almost impossible, so we never accounted for it..."
Thud.
Lee Han, who had been staring into empty space, lowered his head before raising it again.
Then, he slowly spoke.
"I understand."
"...???"
"Wait! I don't know what you're thinking right now, but whatever you're thinking isn't necessarily the absolute truth!"
Professor Paselet tried to stop him.
Mages who fell too deeply into divination often became convinced that the future they saw was the only truth, acting with absolute certainty.
But it was merely one possibility among many, and there was no benefit in becoming overconfident—
"Professor. I already know what I must do."
Lee Han's voice was calm, but it carried a fanatical certainty unlike anything seen in him before.
Professor Paselet despaired.
Her student was about to repeat the same mistakes countless mages had made before him.
"Think carefully. Why won't you listen to the words of a mage with more experience and skill than you?"
"Because you professors keep deceiving us."
"......"
Honestly, even if Professor Paselet had ten mouths, she wouldn't have been able to argue.
"Priestess Dijiling. Let's go. We have work to do."
"Ah, yes."
The boy from the Wardanaz family already had a strong presence, but now, bound by the future, his aura was even more overwhelming.
His tone left no room for argument, and Priestess Dijiling unconsciously straightened her posture without realizing it.
* * *
The students of the White Tiger Tower were enthusiastically exchanging opinions in front of a work golem.
"So Lafadell. Why the hell can't we get this thing to move?"
"...I told you! Just because you learn Black Magic doesn't mean you can automatically control every golem!"
"Then why the hell are we learning Black Magic if we can't even— gack."
"Break it up! Break it up!"
As the enraged Lafadell grabbed his friend by the collar, the White Tiger Tower students quickly intervened to stop the fight.
"We have to get that golem moving somehow. There's way too much work to do."
"Exactly. Why do you think we're learning magic? For moments like this."
The White Tiger Tower students' assigned chore for the week was cleaning out the large storage warehouse on the west side of the main building.
The problem was that the stored items were mostly massive stone blocks meant for fortification walls—construction materials too heavy to move manually without taking forever.
While this was precisely the kind of situation where magic should help, the task was far beyond what first-year students could handle on their own.
Their best bet had been the golem they'd excavated earlier, but even that proved difficult to activate and control...
"Let's just call Wardanaz. I've even prepared the payment for him."
"Ugh. With finals coming up, we need to save money. If we call that Wardanaz bastard for exam prep too, it'll cost us even more."
"......"
Lafadell debated whether to point out that his friends were referring to food as "money" or that they were planning to rely on Wardanaz's help for finals preparation.
"Why won't this thing work? I poured in plenty of mana..."
"Try amplifying it more."
"What if it breaks?"
"It won't break from that. That Wardanaz guy's mana didn't break it..."
Tap tap
-Lee Han arrived at the scene where the White Tiger Tower students were gathered around the golem, lightly tapping the floor with his staff.
The White Tiger Tower students jumped in surprise.
"Wo... Wardanaz!"
"What brings you here?"
"Did someone call you?"
Ignoring their flustered reactions, Lee Han coolly surveyed the area and spoke.
"Follow me."
"...?"
"????"
Without another word, Lee Han abruptly turned on his heel.
Watching this, the White Tiger Tower students bristled and shouted.
"Hey, Wardanaz! You can't just tell us to follow without explaining!"
"Exactly! You think we'll just obey when you say 'follow me'? Is that how you see us?!"
Despite their protests, the students trailed after Lee Han as he walked ahead.
"......"
Priestess Dijiling, standing beside Lee Han, gave the White Tiger Tower students a bewildered look. 'But they are following...' He couldn't understand why they were grumbling while still obeying.
Judging by their words alone, it sounded like outright refusal...?
"Tutanta. Any idea why Wardanaz is acting like this?"
"No. Moradi. I was about to ask you the same thing."
The students from various towers, gathered in the middle of the night, exchanged puzzled whispers.
They had followed Lee Han after he knocked on their doors with a stern face, but they were still clueless about the reason.
Gainando, who had been yawning, glanced at the two leaders from other towers and asked,
"What? You guys came without knowing either?"
"Yeah. Your Highness. Do you happen to know anything?"
"No. I don't either. But if even you two don't know... did you come for the same reason as me?"
"Same reason?"
Giselle frowned, not understanding what he meant.
Was Gainando implying there was another reason for being here?
Given how close he was to Wardanaz, he might have heard something.
"You came because you were afraid of getting scolded by Lee Han, didn't you?"
"......"
"......"
"Oh, was I wrong?"
As the two furious friends moved to attack, Gainando hastily retreated behind the Blue Dragon Tower students for protection.
Unbeknownst to him, his words had struck a nerve.
Under normal circumstances, neither of them would have obeyed such an abrupt, unexplained order.
They had been completely overwhelmed by Lee Han's uncharacteristic intensity!
Now, realizing this through Gainando's remark, their pride stung, and their faces flushed red with embarrassment.
"I have something to say."
"?"
Priestess Dijiling called the two of them over.
With a cautious expression, the priest spoke quietly so the other students wouldn't hear.
"Right now, Lord Wardanaz's condition... is not normal."
"...I knew it!"
"Honestly, I had a feeling."
"???"
Priestess Dijiling was taken aback by their reactions.
"How... did you know?"
"Priest. I've worked in the guild for quite some time. Just by looking at someone's expression, I can tell if they're normal or not."
'What does that have to do with anything?'
"Priest. I was born into a northern knightly family and raised alongside blades. Just by the look in someone's eyes, I can tell what state they're in."
'Do knights have that kind of ability?'
Priestess Dijiling was puzzled, but since that wasn't the important part, he moved on.
"I see. Since the two of you already knew, this makes things easier."
The priest briefly explained Lee Han's current condition.
Salko, who had initially suspected that Wardanaz might have summoned a spirit or demon and lost control of his consciousness, asked in surprise,
"So, right now, he's in some kind of awakened state...? Because he saw the future and got fixated on it?"
"Something like that. He's concentrating all his mental energy to fulfill the future he saw himself."
While Priestess Dijiling was speaking, Yoner arrived with a sullen expression.
"I tried to make him take a vomiting potion, but he refused."
"It wouldn't work anyway. If his foresight weakens now, it would interfere with completing the future he saw. Ah. Lord Maykin. These two already knew about it."
"What? Really?"
Yoner looked at them in surprise, unable to comprehend how they had known beforehand.
"...We didn't know for sure. We just guessed."
"That's not important right now. So, Maykin. What about forcing the vomiting potion down his throat?"
"Is that even possible...?"
Yoner tilted her head in doubt.
Their friend had always possessed overwhelming combat prowess, but now he also had razor-sharp foresight.
Any attempt to approach him would be detected and punished in advance.
"......"
Realizing this, the others frowned.
"Everyone gathered? Let's go."
Lee Han glanced at his friends before turning away.
Then, one of the White Tiger Tower students cautiously tried to crawl away on all fours into the bushes.
'I can't spend the rest of my time working like this!'
Thwack!
Without even looking back, Lee Han fired a Water Orb, subduing his friend.
Everyone was stunned by his overwhelming display.
'There's no opening...!'
'His casting speed is way faster than usual!?'
The fact that the already monstrously strong guy had grown even stronger was suffocating.
"...Isn't it possible that Wardanaz saw a future that benefits all of us?"
Salko spoke up, trying to find some positive aspect.
Giselle wavered slightly at those words.
It was true that Wardanaz was a bit crazy, but he wasn't the kind of petty person who would scheme for his own benefit alone.
Could he really be moving toward a future that would help all the students?
"Wait. This place..."
"No way...?"
The students who followed Lee Han into the main building felt a sense of unease.
The second floor of the main building, the storage room, the connecting passage...?
-Welcome, challengers.
A massive statue strode forward as if greeting the students.
The same powerful statue that had effortlessly subdued Lee Han and his friends before.
At its appearance, the students froze in place.
"What is it? Why are you all like this?"
"What is that thing?"
The students who didn't know the statue's identity remained careless, not even wary of its approach.
Snap!
In an instant, the statue teleported a student's wand into its grasp.
"...?!?!?"
"Wh-what the hell is this?!"
Even the students unfamiliar with magic could instinctively sense the statue's overwhelming power.
There was a statue like this here?
"Do not retreat."
Lee Han spoke in an emotionless voice.
"That enemy is not one to fear. It is an enemy we can defeat."
"Wardanaz, right now, you're scarier than—"
The friends were torn between whether the statue in front of them or Wardanaz behind them was more terrifying.
"Advance!"
With a shout, Lee Han drove his friends forward, pressing them onward from behind.
Today, they would defeat this statue and seize the secrets hidden beyond it!