Episode 538
Episode 538
"Music Magic?"
Professor Voladi stared at Lee Han as she asked the question.
Though her face remained expressionless, surprisingly, a quiet shock could be felt beneath the surface.
It was as if she were saying, 'You're learning such trash-tier magic? What exactly did I do wrong to deserve this act of rebellion?'
A similar incident had happened back at the Blue Dragon Tower.
—Gainando! What... what is that blood?! Don't tell me you're dabbling in forbidden dark arts just because we banned card games?!
Of course, the substance smeared all over Gainando's clothes wasn't blood but jam—but regardless, the emotions displayed by his friends and Professor Voladi were strikingly similar.
"Professor. Allow me to explain."
Lee Han spoke as quickly as possible.
Just as explaining that Gainando's stains were jam had prevented him from being dragged to the Punishment Room, Lee Han needed to explain himself swiftly to avoid being attacked by Professor Voladi.
"Music Magic won't be of much help."
"......That's exactly where the blind spot lies!"
Lee Han proceeded to recount the day's events in as much detail as possible—with some embellishment.
A desperate urgency gripped him—if he failed to properly convince her of Music Magic's merits, he might very well be attacked.
As he rambled on, Ifadur gazed at Lee Han with moved eyes. 'To show such deep interest in Music Magic...' The Wardanaz family was known for their general disinterest in arts like music, but this boy was clearly different.
Ifadur resolved to do everything in his power to support this Wardanaz boy's passion for music.
If other renowned imperial musicians or bards heard that a Wardanaz boy was this enthusiastic about music, they would surely find it intriguing and offer their help.
"......So that's why I did it!"
"I see."
Professor Voladi nodded as if satisfied. 'Did it work?'
"Then why not just learn Word Magic?"
'It didn't.'
Lee Han inwardly scolded his own arrogance, thinking the ordeal was over.
Traces of the pride he should have left behind at Einrogard still lingered in his heart.
"The Headmaster said Word Magic would take this long to master."
Lee Han held up a single finger. Professor Voladi remained unfazed.
"Of course, if you truly delve into Word Magic, it could take nearly a thousand years."
"......"
Lee Han was horrified to realize he had missed a zero.
The Skeleton Principal had subtly tried to deceive him.
"But if you can just imbue your words with mana, the story changes. A simplified, combat-focused version—not true Word Magic, but..."
"That's exactly why I wanted to learn Music Magic!"
Sensing danger, Lee Han cut Professor Voladi off.
"I'm trying to overcome the limitations of Word Magic through Music Magic in my own way!"
"Hmm."
Professor Voladi fell silent.
Lee Han, unable to read her thoughts, grew extremely tense. The baby basilisk hidden in his sleeve hissed softly. 'Hold back. You'll lose.' Unfortunately, even if the baby basilisk attacked Professor Voladi, it stood no chance of winning.
It would probably struggle even as an adult...
"I still believe Word Magic is the better choice, but I won't stop you from trying."
In Professor Voladi's view, a good teacher was one who supported their student's aspirations to the fullest.
Though she remained skeptical about Music Magic, she had no intention of standing in his way if he wanted to attempt it.
Who knew? Perhaps an entirely new form of magic might emerge from this.
"Thank you, Professor. I'll do my best to repay your faith."
"Good. Did you rest well outside?"
"Yes. It was enjoyable."
An ordinary student would have left it at that, but Lee Han, being a professional student, added one more remark.
"But even while resting, I kept thinking about the spells I should be practicing, which made me feel quite restless."
Ifadur, unaware of Lee Han's true feelings, marveled once again.
To think such a diligent genius existed in this world!
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
"...?"
When Professor Voladi briefly checked the time, Lee Han sensed impending doom.
Upon reflection, he realized Professor Voladi wasn't just any ordinary professor—he was a professional among professors.
"You still have time before bedtime. I'll help you practice."
"......"
Lee Han, who had underestimated the professional professor, bit his lip.
"But I was supposed to have dinner with Ifadur..."
"No, no. It's fine, Wardanaz student. Don't mind this old man—focus on your magic. I'm already deeply grateful for your help today."
'Are all bards just a bunch of bastards?'
Lee Han began to understand why the Wardanaz family had little interest in music.
Though Professor Voladi took an interest in every magical discipline Lee Han studied, his recent obsession was Lightning Element Shape Shifting.
The Lightning Element was among the most peculiar of the elemental magics.
Its uncontrollable destructive power and amorphous form made it notoriously difficult to master.
But conversely, if one could control it as easily as the Water Element...
"It would give you an advantage in battle."
As Professor Voladi spun a spear made of lightning, the baby basilisk whimpered.
It was clear the creature had lost all confidence in defeating this mage.
"But Professor, is Lightning Element really necessary in standard one-on-one combat?"
Even the Water Element, often criticized for its relatively weaker destructive power, could be devastating when applied skillfully.
Just look at Yumidihus—from steam explosions to bodily fluid manipulation, he did all sorts of outrageous things with Water Element magic.
"Good question. Generally, Lightning Element Shape Shifting is most useful against powerful mages."
Professor Voladi explained calmly.
Among mages, those skilled in defensive magic could easily block Lee Han's Water Element spells or other projectile-based attacks.
In such cases, close-quarters combat was an unexpectedly effective strategy.
Moreover, Lightning Element was uncommon, making it even harder to prepare against.
'...But if they can block all that, wouldn't they be several levels above me? Should I even be fighting them?'
At that point, shouldn't the professors be the ones handling it?
Though Lee Han had his doubts, he quietly kept them to himself.
"Here."
The professor handed him a hefty silver ingot.
Startled by the unexpected gift, Lee Han exclaimed,
"Thank you!! I'll treasure it and use it wisely!"
"...?"
Professor Voladi gave him a puzzled look, wondering what he was talking about.
Lee Han, realizing he might have misunderstood, grew flustered.
"You don't need to conserve it—it's meant for shape-shifting practice."
"Ah."
Understanding the professor's meaning, Lee Han felt sheepish.
Shaping pure lightning without any medium was an incredibly difficult task.
Taming lightning with nothing but a mage's willpower?
But pure silver had a solid form and was relatively compatible with lightning.
Mastering shape-shifting with lightning-infused silver would eventually help in manipulating lightning itself.
"Thank you. But where did you get silver like this?"
"From the Headmaster's office."
"......"
Lee Han decided not to ask whether it was borrowed or stolen. Some answers were better left unknown.
Crackle-crackle-ZAP!
'This is torture!'
Lee Han thought as he watched the lightning scatter across the floor.
It wasn't that the spell had failed—the practice itself was progressing well.
The problem was that the silver kept evaporating bit by bit with each failure.
KRAK!
When the silver, shaped into a spear, twisted under the lightning's force before collapsing with a sizzle, the discharged energy sent sparks flying in all directions, warping the silver beyond use.
Since the condensed lightning's power was so immense, even the slightest mistake would cause even sturdy metals to fail to withstand it and warp uncontrollably.
And in the process, some of it would evaporate...
As Lee Han visibly struggled, Professor Voladi spoke up.
"You're doing well now. You're maintaining the shape transformation."
"Thank you."
With a bitter expression, Lee Han stood up.
Just thinking about how much silver would be consumed before this spell was completed made him feel like his spirit was already crumbling.
As the sky gradually darkened and it was time to head back, Professor Voladi checked his pocket watch and said,
"Ah, by the way. Can we start tomorrow's lecture a little earlier?"
"How much earlier do you mean?"
"About two hours."
"......"
The lecture was scheduled for Monday at 9 AM, so moving it up by two hours was absolutely not "a little."
But Lee Han was a professional student.
'Think of it as ending two hours earlier.'
"Haha. Of course, that's possible. But why? Is there something you need to prepare?"
"No. I have to meet the giants."
"......"
-Human mage! It's the human mage!
-Welcome, welcome!
Early in the morning.
As the second semester neared its end, each day grew colder than the last.
If you didn't cast a warming spell over your coat, the cold would seep into your very bones.
Lee Han exhaled a breath and greeted the giants.
"Good to see you all."
-We want to see magic. Magic!
"Huh?"
Lee Han pondered what kind of magic he should use.
If it was just to satisfy the giants, would Professor Voladi understand if he fired off one Water Prison Bomb?
-That one! That one!
A giant held up a thick wooden bowl and tapped it loudly with a spoon.
"...Ah, it's about cooking."
Pushing through the crowd of giants gathered with eager faces, the smartest among them, Ikurusha, stepped forward.
-Good to see everyone. Professor Bagrak. Have you been well?
"I've been well. Thank you."
-With finals approaching, all the professors must be busy. Did you really have time to come here?
"It's fine."
"......"
Lee Han almost blurted out, 'Professor, I'm your only student, aren't I?' but caught himself in time.
Badmouthing a professor in front of others would be insane.
"With exams coming up, I'd like to get closer to the giants. I want to help out with their tasks."
-Do as you please. Honestly, when I first heard the professor's words, I wondered what he was talking about.
Ikurusha recalled the first time he heard Professor Voladi's mad plan—'Borrow the giants' strength to test the freshmen.'
At the time, it had seemed like a slightly insane idea, so he had argued, 'Even if we do test them, wouldn't it be better to do so after getting a bit closer to the giants first?'
After all, there was absolutely no benefit in pitting a young mage against a giant.
Who knew if some grand archmage with a title like <Giant Slayer> might appear in the future...
Since it was difficult for outsiders, especially mages, to befriend giants in a short time, Ikurusha had planned to use that as an excuse to persuade the professor again if the boy failed to get close to them.
But contrary to expectations, the boy from the Wardanaz family had quickly befriended the giants.
He helped tend the sheep, studied cooking diligently, and succeeded in winning the giants' favor.
In fact, the giants had even called Ikurusha to ask about him.
-When is that mage coming?
-I don't know.
-Go down and ask.
-I did, but they said they don't know.
-Then go down again! Again!
It wasn't easy for giants to show such favor in such a short time, so it was truly remarkable.
Now that things had turned out this way, Ikurusha had no choice but to acknowledge Professor Voladi's plan.
If they had grown this close, the boy was more than qualified to spar with the giants.
-To think they've gotten so friendly...
"Only natural."
Ikurusha nodded as he watched Lee Han being tossed into the air by the giants alongside Professor Voladi.
Unaware that he was digging his own grave, Lee Han basked in the giants' cheers.
-Long live the mage! Long live the mage!
-Our friend!
"Haha. It's all thanks to your kindness. I'm always grateful."