Episode 532
Episode 532
Friends firmly shouted.
Lee Han was slightly taken aback by his friends' vehement reactions.
"Why?"
"'Why'? If it's no good, then it's no good!"
Nilia waved her hands to express her feelings about precognition.
Gainando agreed as well.
"Lee Han. There are many wizards who ruined their lives by misusing precognition. You shouldn't rely on such potions."
"Didn't you say you'd give me the precognition potion once it's complete, before exams?"
Gainando pretended not to hear and turned his head away.
Lee Han decided to ask the alchemy experts instead.
Since Priest Yoner and Priest Siana might have different opinions from those amateurs.
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"......"
Lee Han's face fell slightly. 'After all the effort I put into making it...'
"Wardanaz. I have a slightly different opinion."
"Right. It might be dangerous if taken frequently, but wouldn't it be quite useful if used appropriately when truly needed?"
"Thank... No."
When his friends from the Blue Dragon Tower spoke with slightly crazed looks in their eyes, Lee Han hesitated. 'These guys' eyes are terrifying...'
"What's wrong, Wardanaz? Should we go get it now?"
"Ah, no. It's not even finished yet."
A slight frown formed on Professor Alpen Naiton's forehead as he taught <Advanced Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic>.
It was natural for students to become distracted as the weekend approached, but today they were particularly unfocused.
"Everyone, quiet down."
"So if we go outside..."
"I told you, setting fires is the last resort."
"But when else would we get to set something on fire?"
Faced with the uncharacteristic defiance from his usually obedient students, the old professor sighed in disappointment and spoke.
"Since everyone seems unable to concentrate today, instead of the lecture, we'll have a simple pop quiz..."
"We're sorry, Professor!"
"Can't you keep your mouths shut?!"
Students who lacked confidence in exams quickly silenced their chattering classmates.
Gainando, who had been secretly playing cards, was hit by a magic missile and tumbled to the floor.
As the classroom quieted, Professor Alpen nodded and resumed his lecture.
"Precise calculations are essential in the preparatory stages of magic. Remember that without mastering this, you'll face difficulties later. By your second year, you'll be expected to take the lead in magical research..."
Though the old professor often said this, magic wasn't just about chanting spells and waving wands.
Preparing reagents, drafting magic circles, calculating mana flow—these were all crucial.
A wizard who couldn't handle such groundwork would never achieve greatness.
"Today's blueprint is that of the famous Ganisthalas Castle gate. It's also known as the <Miracle of the Three Mages>. Since it's so renowned, I assume you're all familiar with it..."
Gainando tilted his head and asked.
"Why is it called the Miracle of the Three Mages?"
The professor, unfazed by the pitiful question, answered with dignity.
"At the time, the Ganisthalas lord's treasury had been completely emptied by successive rebellions and raids. So when rebuilding the gate, the budget allocated was less than a tenth of the usual amount."
Bam!
Lee Han slammed his fist on the desk in outrage.
"How could such a thing happen!"
"......"
"I-is that really something to get so angry about?"
Gainando was bewildered by his friend's uncharacteristic outburst.
But Professor Alpen nodded as if sharing Lee Han's indignation.
"No. It is indeed something to be angry about. A truly regrettable piece of history. Had others helped the lord, it could have been resolved much sooner... Regardless, the castle's three mages completed the gate despite those dire conditions. That was nothing short of a miracle. Now, the blueprint we'll study today is that very gate."
Intrigued by the professor's historical tale, the students eagerly took the designs.
Lee Han, however, was unimpressed. 'Are they seriously framing this as an inspirational story?' The lord slashed the budget to a tenth, and the mages somehow pulled through with blood, sweat, and ingenuity—so now we're supposed to learn from that?
At first glance, it sounded like an inspiring tale, but Lee Han was well aware of the sinister structure hidden beneath such feel-good stories.
This was always how it worked—outstanding individuals unwittingly tormenting ordinary people behind them with their achievements.
If three mages had completed a city gate with only one-tenth of the budget, the proper response should have been, "Let's analyze and reflect on the systemic issues that led to only one-tenth of the budget being allocated," not "Let's all learn from their wisdom!"
Lee Han grumbled internally as he moved his quill.
"Wardanaz."
"!"
At the old professor's call, Lee Han momentarily feared his inner thoughts had been exposed.
"Yes?"
"You don't need to look at that."
"Ah, no... Why is that? I deeply admire the miracle achieved by the three mages of Ganisthalas. I aspire to become such a mage myself."
Flustered, Lee Han hastily defended himself without even moistening his lips.
Professor Alpen looked pleased at this response.
Unlike other mages who squandered reagents extravagantly without a care for budgets, this boy from the Wardanaz family had a truly broad perspective.
"A touching sentiment... but it's fine."
"Why is that?"
"Because you've already seen this material during your midterm exam."
"......"
"......"
Not just Lee Han—even Yoner, who had been sketching blueprints while calculating beside him, was so stunned he dropped his quill.
What exactly did I just hear?
"I... see."
Unlike his horrified classmates, Lee Han was the picture of professionalism. He nodded without changing his expression, maintaining perfect composure.
Even if recalling how he alone had taken a different exam during midterms made the professor seem like a madman, he couldn't very well say, "You're insane," could he? 'That's just professorial privilege.'
"Follow me."
"Yes."
While his classmates studied the blueprints, Lee Han followed Professor Alpen out of the lecture hall.
Outside the main building windows of Einrogard, the cold winter sky glittered. 'If it snows, would it be okay to throw some at the professor?' Creak.
—Professor Alpen opened a door and gestured for Lee Han to sit.
Still contemplating snowball strategies, Lee Han quickly snapped to attention and took a seat.
This room was different from the professor's usual quarters. Instead of comfortable furniture or personal clutter, only one large communication artifact dominated the space.
The mirror-like artifact was familiar—Lee Han had seen similar ones in the Skeleton Principal's office before. He'd used such devices for magic lessons with Ogonin.
Static—Your Excellency, Administrator Nayton.
The figures appearing through the mirror bowed to Professor Alpen. The old professor shook his head in response.
"I'm no longer an administrator. Call me professor."
—Ah. My apologies. 'Who are these people?' Lee Han studied the figures beyond the mirror with interest.
He couldn't fathom why Professor Alpen had connected him with these individuals.
"I heard before, but let me confirm one last time. You're the ones who secured the contract for this Pocket Knife Fortress construction, correct?"
—Yes, that's correct. Is this gentleman perhaps...
"Indeed. He is."
At Professor Alpen's confirmation, the people beyond the mirror gazed at Lee Han with mingled expectation and curiosity.
Only then did Lee Han realize who they were. 'They're builders!' Stonemason Guild, Carpentry Guild—various construction-related figures stood beyond the mirror, each wearing their respective equipment.
—It would be an honor if an Einrogard student assisted us! Which year are you in? Third year? Fourth?
The voices from beyond the mirror were jubilant.
In the Empire, mages were always premium talent, and among them, those capable of calculating and implementing the magical frameworks for architecture were especially rare.
"Those self-taught mages who learned magic while wandering battlefields or those who developed their own magical senses in isolation in the mountains simply can't participate in such collaborative work."
Given that, students from Einrogard were considered the highest caliber of personnel one could hope to secure for such projects.
Anyone would want to recruit them—if only the students weren't already swamped with work to the point of having no time to breathe.
Professor Alpen answered nonchalantly.
"First year."
"......"
"...???"
The people were stunned.
Lee Han was also stunned.
"Uh, Professor. Isn't it a bit too early for me to take this on?"
"How modest of you."
'Why can't Einrogard professors grasp the concept of refusal?'
Lee Han felt bitter at the professor's reaction.
No matter how many times Lee Han declined, the professors always took it as modesty and praised him for it.
Couldn't they consider that he might genuinely be refusing?
"But Wardanaz here possesses more than enough skill to take on the challenge."
"And what makes you say that?"
"Didn't I personally review his midterm exam answers?"
"......"
Lee Han was at a loss for words.
When the other party put it like that, there was nothing left to say.
"Administrator... I mean, Professor. Are you really sure about this?"
"I stake my name on it. You can all trust me."
"No..."
The fact that Professor Alpen had staked his reputation without even being asked made Lee Han feel immense pressure.
What if Lee Han made a mistake? What then?
"Well... If His Excellency—no, if the Professor says so..."
"But even if he's an Einrogard student, can a first-year really participate in such construction work? To my knowledge, this is usually handled by third-years at the earliest..."
"I thought so too. But then again, Einrogard is full of unbelievable rumors, isn't it? We must have been mistaken."
"True. There was even that ridiculous rumor last time about Einrogard students having to fight for their meals. I must have been mistaken. We don't interact with them much, so such rumors must spread easily."
"......"
Lee Han listened to their conversation with a gloomy expression.
Knowing the truth but being unable to speak it was more painful than he'd thought.
"Professor, exactly what role will I be taking in this fortress construction?"
"Hmm. You'll mainly be handling magical calculations."
Any structure of a certain scale inevitably required artifacts.
And so, calculating the required mana for these artifacts, securing sufficient mana sources, and ensuring they were placed in optimal positions to prevent malfunctions—all of this fell under a mage's duties.
In short, it was excruciatingly tedious work that required endless calculations.
'Just hearing about it makes me dizzy.'
"...Will I be able to finish it within the time limit?"
"Hmm... I believe you'll have more than enough time before the final exams."
Lee Han felt something was off as he listened to the professor.
"Before the final exams? Shouldn't it be finished before finals?"
"Wardanaz, what kind of joke... Haha. Naturally, taking on this project means it will substitute for your final exams."
Professor Alpen laughed at Lee Han's words.
Even with all his confidence, expecting to finish a project of this scale before finals and then take the exams on top of it—
Truly, the confidence of a genius.
Of course, as a responsible professor, Alpen had no intention of overworking his student.
"Thank you, Professor."
Lee Han felt a slight relief knowing he wouldn't have to worry about finals.
And then came the self-loathing.
'Damn it. This isn't something to be happy about.'
Thinking about it, the only reason this arrangement was acceptable was that Lee Han had already been tested on material beyond the midterm scope during his midterms.
He had no reason to feel grateful to Professor Alpen at all.
"Professor, where should we send the gold coins?"
"Next eagle courier would be appreciated."
"What gold coins?"
At Lee Han's question, Professor Alpen replied as if it were obvious.
"Since you're taking on an external commission, you should be compensated. It'll help with your magic research next year, Wardanaz."
"...Could I have the fortress documents, please? I'll do my absolute best."