Episode 548
Episode 548
"No... think about it carefully."
Perhaps sensing his student's sorrowful gaze, Professor Thunderstep began to explain.
"I'm trying to prevent the spirits from coming, not make enemies with them."
Mages who could command spirits largely fell into two categories.
The first were those who controlled spirits through threats and oppression.
These were not the mainstream in the Empire. Fundamentally, this approach brought more harm than good.
Just look at how much effort black mages put into appeasing fierce undead creatures.
Having bad relations with beings from the Otherworld never ended well.
Moreover, such infamy was contagious—if a mage kept associating with notorious practitioners, their own reputation among spirits would worsen as well.
As a result, those who controlled spirits through force and oppression usually operated in the Empire's underworld or shadows.
But those who built friendships and contracts through dialogue with spirits were different.
These mainstream practitioners in the Empire remained relatively safe even from spirit threats, and a good reputation with one spirit often spread to others.
The more such mages interacted amicably, the more their favorable standing among spirits grew, making it easier to negotiate with even more powerful spirits...
"Professor. Professor."
"What?"
"Why are you telling me all this now?"
Lee Han asked with a slightly stern expression.
"Don't tell me you think I belong to the first category...?"
"No, of course not!"
Thunderstep flinched.
Truthfully, he had been subtly hinting at it while explaining.
"You've never threatened or oppressed a spirit, have you?"
"Nope. But fighting them fairly is fine, right? It was practically self-defense."
Professor Thunderstep naturally took a step back before speaking.
"Anyway, the important thing is that I'm trying to stop the spirits from coming, not make enemies with them."
Those like Professor Thunderstep, who valued their relationships with spirits, tended to respond mildly even when spirits played pranks or caused harm.
Blocking ice spirits from entering and messing up the cabin was about as far as he'd go.
With his level of skill, he could easily banish spirits if he wanted—but he had no desire to provoke them unnecessarily.
"...??"
Lee Han tilted his head again.
Even after listening to the end, he still didn't understand.
"Uh... so you're saying I should block their approach gently, without making them angry?"
"Exactly."
"But what does that have to do with my contract being unreasonable?"
"Well, if a Wardanaz chases after them demanding a contract, they might take it as a threat or oppression...?"
"......"
Lee Han suddenly fell silent.
Professor Thunderstep felt slightly guilty, as if the Wardanaz boy had genuinely been hurt.
"Hey. Don't be too sad. You don't need a spirit's love to be great. Look at the Headmaster. The spirits despise him, yet he's still a Grand Archmage, isn't he?"
"I'm not as strong as the Headmaster yet."
"It won't take long, I'm sure..."
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Forget I said anything."
Professor Thunderstep, being a truly wise man, demonstrated the prudence of not making an enemy out of a future powerful archmage.
"Right. Didn't you say you made a contract with a spirit last time?"
"Yes... I barely managed it by using the insignia of a spirit monarch who holds the title of Tribune of the Great Sea and Rainstorms."
"......"
Professor Thunderstep regretted bringing it up.
There was no need to highlight the sad fact that Lee Han had only managed a contract with the help of a spirit monarch.
"What happens once can happen again. The spirits will surely come around. Trust me, Wardanaz. The Spirit World is infinite."
"So if I see a spirit that doesn't run away, can I try making a contract?"
"No."
"......"
Professor Thunderstep placated Lee Han by doubling his food allowance, but the boy kept grumbling.
"A teacher stopping his student's ambitions..."
"......"
"......"
Priest Siana and Joner, who had come along to help Lee Han, exchanged bewildered glances.
-Did something happen?
-Seems like he was stopped from making contracts with spirits...
"Why not?"
"Because if bad rumors spread among the spirits, it'll be troublesome when the professor calls them."
"Why would bad rumors spread among the spirits?"
"Well... um... I'm not really sure?"
Yoner deftly changed the subject as she spoke.
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't explain without saying something unfavorable about her friend.
Bubble bubble
"Will this be enough?"
"It's excellent."
Priest Siana looked at Yoner with respectful eyes.
The priests of the Flemeng Order respected those skilled in alchemy, but among them, those who made substantial donations to the order were particularly revered.
What was boiling in the cauldron now were eight types of medicinal herbs, three lumps of shade-grown mud, and two handfuls of coarse beast hair.
It wasn't poison meant to kill someone—they were brewing a soup that spirits favored.
Mischievous and playful spirits often returned without causing much trouble if they were fed well.
"Could you summon a spirit for a moment?"
Yoner nodded and summoned a spirit. A wind spirit shaped like a flying squirrel appeared and cautiously approached the cauldron.
"It seems to be eating well? Lee Han, do you want to check yours too?"
There wasn't really a need to summon Lee Han's spirit as well, but Yoner spoke up to cheer up the sulking Lee Han.
It wasn't absolutely necessary to contract with a new spirit, after all.
If she reminded him of the value of the spirit he already had, such thoughts might easily disappear.
"Just a moment."
At her words, Lee Han also took out his staff and summoned his spirit.
It might have been Yoner's imagination, but his expression seemed to brighten slightly.
Whoosh
-A fierce flame-formed sparrow spirit materialized in midair and surveyed the students in the hut with an intense gaze.
Yoner and Priest Siana instantly exchanged glances. Without saying a word, they understood each other's thoughts. 'Now?' "Wow! Amazing!!"
"What an adorable sparrow spirit!!"
"Really?"
Lee Han looked at the sparrow spirit with slight delight.
After all the hardship he went through to make the contract, it was impossible not to feel happy.
"She's quite clever, actually. Last time I summoned her, I asked her to fly between books, and she did it perfectly without burning a single page."
"That's really impressive!"
"Absolutely incredible!"
Encouraged by his friends' enthusiastic praise, Lee Han smiled contentedly.
"Want to try eating this?"
When he pointed at the cauldron with his fingertip, the sparrow spirit nodded solemnly as if to say she understood.
Then, with a flutter, she flew down, took a bite of the firewood beneath the cauldron, and ignited it.
Whoosh!
The sparrow spirit returned to her original spot in an instant, not resting for even a moment. There was an unyielding, ironclad determination in her, as if she wouldn't disobey even the slightest command.
"No... I meant for you to try the soup..."
The sparrow spirit looked startled, fluttering her wings as if asking if she was really allowed to eat such a thing.
"...Just eat a little."
The sparrow spirit flew down as if to comply. After pecking a few times, she showed no greed and immediately returned to her original spot.
Lee Han glanced at Yoner's flying squirrel spirit.
Unlike his own, it was still puffing its cheeks, eating without a care in the world.
In contrast, his sparrow spirit behaved like a battle-hardened soldier with not a single moment of carelessness, as if...
"She looks scared..."
"Shh."
Yoner quickly nudged Priest Siana's side. Realizing her mistake, the priest shut her mouth.
"......"
"......"
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.
"Let's just finish our work."
"Right!"
"Good idea!"
* * *
Professor Thunderstep's method was simple, but the wisdom behind it was extraordinary.
He drew simple magic circles around the hut and garden, placing spirit-repelling soup along paths where spirits might enter and spirit-attracting soup along paths where they might leave.
Though it sounded easy, it required knowledge of magic circles that could guide spirits, as well as the exact soups they disliked and favored.
Yoner and Priest Siana honestly marveled and took notes.
"This is incredible. I always thought you just had to chase spirits away."
"I didn't know we could use potions this way either."
Professor Thunderstep, pleased by the passionate attitude of his alchemically gifted students, stroked his beard and said:
"Indeed. The truth is, an alchemist learns not just during lectures, but outside them as well. Did you record all the preparation methods?"
"Yes."
The dwarf professor skillfully poured the potions into containers.
The potion disliked by spirits went into a bone bowl, while the one they favored went into a wooden bowl.
"Hmm. We might be slightly short on quantity."
Professor Thunderstep realized the amount of spirit-repelling potion was a bit insufficient.
"I'll fetch more."
"No need. We've already used up all the tarasque scales in the cabin. A skilled alchemist should know how to substitute in such situations."
At the professor's words, Yoner and Priest Siana's eyes sparkled.
Meanwhile, Lee Han stood to the side with an indifferent expression, meticulously completing the magic circle and arranging the finished potions regardless of the conversation.
"Now. Everyone, speak up. How might we substitute it?"
Tarasque scales contained elements of a being that spirits feared and found unsettling.
Without such an intimidating reagent, how could they replace it?
"I'd like to try using clove from a flame tree. Wouldn't frost spirits feel repelled by it?"
"Good thinking. But you're making two mistakes. First, we don't only have frost spirits here. If their numbers increase, other spirits might come visiting too. Second, the moonstone mixed in here would neutralize that effect."
"Ah!"
"Oh no...!"
The two talented alchemists let out sighs of regret.
After deep contemplation, Priest Siana spoke up:
"What if we used akal tree leaves? Since they cause confusion effects, the spirits might—"
"Tsk. That's a method for emergencies, not suitable for this situation. Angry, disoriented spirits could become dangerous."
Professor Thunderstep chuckled heartily before continuing:
"Times like these call for an alchemist's brilliant inspiration. Wardanaz. Come here for a moment."
"?"
Lee Han, who had just finished the magic circle, approached with a puzzled look.
"You called?"
"Mind lending me a strand of your hair?"
Though perplexed, Lee Han plucked a hair and handed it to Professor Thunderstep.
The professor tossed it into the cauldron. The potion's color shifted, completing the mixture.
"There. It won't be as potent as tarasque scales, but this should suffice. Everyone understand? How to cleverly source what you need from your surroundings?"
"......"
Lee Han stared blankly at the professor.
After a hearty laugh, a belated realization struck Professor Thunderstep, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"It's educational, isn't it? This was for your friends' sake—you're not actually upset, are you?"
"......"
"Fine, fine. Take the pickling jar from the basement too! That's valuable stuff!"
* * *
After finishing the setup and waiting for spirits to arrive in the garden, Lee Han tried to reassure his friends.
"I'm not actually angry or anything. You all know that, right? There's no way I'd get mad over something like this."
"Uh, uh-huh."
"Of course."
"I've got too many spells to learn to get hung up on one little setback."
In the distance, an ice-formed squirrel appeared. Judging by the spiritual energy it emitted, it was a frost spirit.
The squirrel-shaped spirit wandered along the magic circle's path, sniffed the repelling potion, and hastily retreated.
"It's working."
"Working well. Thanks to you two."
Yoner praised Lee Han and Priest Siana.
Hearing this, Priest Siana felt pressured to return the compliment.
"Actually, it's thanks to both of you. Especially Lord Wardanaz's hair... Ah. Aah."
"......"
"......"
Despite the roaring fireplace, an inexplicable chill hung in the air.
Thud
"?"
Yoner, sipping ginger tea, spotted a seething figure charging furiously from afar.
Its disregard for the magic circle was alarming. 'Should I block it?! Wait, attacking spirits is forbidden...'
"Flash!"
Lightning crackled violently from Lee Han's staff.
The struck enemy let out a pained shriek and tumbled. Only then did Priest Siana recognize it and shout:
"It's undead!"
"What? It was undead?"
"Lee Han?"
"My mistake. I meant to say I thought it was undead."