Episode 56
Episode 56
But Rowena no longer had time to ponder the secrets of the Summon.
More urgently, she needed to figure out how to deal with the Mud Golem before her.
"It attacks if we step outside."
"That's insane! So we're trapped?!"
"Don't jump to conclusions yet. Let's test it!"
"Stop! If we attack recklessly, it could be dangerous."
The students buzzed with opinions, their voices growing louder and more stubborn as fear and panic took hold. Seeing them about to launch into another pointless argument like before, Nilia hurriedly approached Lee Han.
To control these (Nilia-ignoring) friends, she needed Lee Han's authority.
"Wardanaz. Wardanaz."
Lee Han was frowning, deep in thought. Nilia grabbed his arm and shook it, calling again.
"Wardanaz!"
"Ah. Sorry. What is it?"
"You're the one who should answer that! Those bastar— I mean, friends are about to argue again. You need to step in."
Lee Han nodded. Suddenly curious, Nilia asked,
"So what were you thinking about so hard just now?"
"Ah. I was carefully analyzing this situation."
"!"
Nilia's long ears perked up.
Come to think of it, this boy from the Wardanaz family had insights unlike others.
Whether it was his high regard for the hunters and scouts of the Shadow Patrol, his appreciation for hunters' wisdom, or even his willingness to befriend someone like her—his unique perspective might have found a solution to their predicament.
"What is it? What did you figure out?"
Not just Nilia, but the other students also turned to Lee Han with hopeful glances.
Lee Han slowly opened his mouth.
"I think this might be the professors' trap."
"......"
"......"
The unexpected opinion left everyone speechless.
"Please release me."
Seriously, Professor Ingoldel.
The Skeleton Principal spoke soothingly as he undid the magical chains binding Professor Ingoldel's wrists and ankles.
Professor Ingoldel stared at the Skeleton Principal and Professor Thunderstep with disbelief.
One moment his vision had darkened, and the next he'd been whisked away—only to realize the Skeleton Principal had kidnapped him.
What kind of insane wizards existed in this world?!
"I have a perfectly valid reason for bringing Professor Ingoldel here. You'll understand once you hear it."
"And what might that reason be?"
Well, with a dependable swordsman like you around, the students lose the chance to grow on their own when faced with crisis.
"......"
Professor Ingoldel was left speechless by the sheer absurdity of what he'd feared might be coming.
Taking his silence as agreement, the Skeleton Principal and Professor Thunderstep nodded approvingly.
"Professor Ingoldel seems to understand now."
"I do NOT understand! There are plenty of other ways to help students grow—structured and repetitive training, proper dueling practice, a master's attitude and correct teachings...!"
The Skeleton Principal shook his head at Professor Ingoldel's words, as if to say, 'This is why swordsmen are like this.'
Wizards aren't raised that way.
"Correct, Professor Ingoldel. Wizards shouldn't be trained like that. Facing already-known crises won't cultivate a wizard's creativity."
"......"
Professor Ingoldel resisted the urge to draw his sword. This was a magic school, not a knight academy.
'At this point, I'd rather go back to the knight academy.'
The Skeleton Principal mused that while Professor Ingoldel was confused now, he'd eventually understand.
"...Fine. Let's say I accept that you're subjecting the students to 'crisis'—making them trek for hours into the heart of these mountains, endure terrible weather, and ambush them with unprepared situations."
Professor Thunderstep looked embarrassed at Professor Ingoldel's words.
"No need to praise us so—"
"That wasn't praise. The mountain range is full of other dangerous monsters. The terrain is treacherous and complex enough to get lost if you lose focus for even a moment. What exactly do you plan to do if an unexpected situation arises, like another monster appearing?"
At Professor Ingoldel's question, the Skeleton Principal and Professor Thunderstep tilted their heads simultaneously and responded.
Shouldn't the students overcome it themselves?
"Shouldn't the students overcome it on their own?"
"......"
Professor Ingoldel's shoulders slumped in defeat.
'I was an idiot for trying to reason with mages...'
The more exceptional the mage, the more likely they had a bizarre psyche.
Any mage qualified to be a professor at this school was half-mad to begin with.
Professor Ingoldel gave up on further discussion.
"Fine... If problems arise or if there are missing persons requiring a rescue team, call me as well."
There there. Seems you're coming around now.
"I haven't changed my mind."
As Professor Ingoldel sighed, Professor Thunderstep soothingly handed him a warm cup of tea.
Then he added reassuringly:
"Don't worry too much, Professor Ingoldel. What I've prepared isn't that dangerous. Just some bulls enhanced with potions."
Professor Thunderstep had meticulously prepared for this alchemy assignment.
He'd carefully placed monsters near the locations of required ingredients, just like last time.
The students might curse him now—'That damn Thunderstep bastard'—but in the distant future, when they became outstanding alchemists, they'd gratefully say, 'Ah, Professor Thunderstep. Thank you.'
"If it's just bulls, the students should definitely be able to handle them."
Hearing that, Professor Ingoldel felt somewhat relieved.
Even if enhanced by potions, among the freshmen who'd entered the mountain range, there were quite a few exceptional students who could cleverly deal with them.
Do they breathe fire?
"They do not."
Teleportation?
"No."
Other elemental attacks? Sword-proof blessings? Terrifying presence? Roars?
"Are you planning to invest enough gold to buy several mansions into a single bull?"
Professor Thunderstep retorted incredulously.
Enhanced strength and agility were sufficient—bestowing all the abilities the Skeleton Principal mentioned would require an astronomical sum, and even that might not be enough.
The Skeleton Principal grumbled, as if deflated.
How boring. Let some other monster appear then.
"Do you really think monsters will show up just because you say so?"
At first, Lee Han's opinion sounded absurd.
But as time passed, his friends began to find it plausible.
For one, Lee Han himself had credibility.
Had Gainando said the same thing, they'd have dismissed it as 'more nonsense,' but coming from Lee Han, they thought, 'Well, a Wardanaz wouldn't spout nonsense without reason.'
And above all, Professor Thunderstep had a track record.
The students still vividly remembered their first alchemy lecture.
The sheer malice of Professor Thunderstep, who'd sent crazed boars to ambush them!
With a professor like that, it wouldn't be strange if he'd stationed a Mud Golem as well.
"Then where did Professor Ingoldel go?"
"He must have planned this with Professor Thunderstep beforehand."
"That's too much...!"
"Honestly, professors! You can't trust any of them!"
The students grew indignant at Lee Han's speculation.
Even Professor Ingoldel, whom they'd trusted, was on Professor Thunderstep's side.
Lee Han calmly reassessed the situation.
'No matter how I look at it, it's too coincidental.'
They arrive at a location teeming with herbs and materials, only for Professor Ingoldel to suddenly vanish, rain to pour, and a monster like a Mud Golem to appear...
It was too perfectly orchestrated to be mere coincidence. At this point, suspicion was warranted.
"Wardanaz. If this is Professor Thunderstep's trap, what should we do?"
"Not much changes. We still need to figure out how to deal with that Mud Golem."
Lee Han answered Ashan composedly.
Seeing the gloom on his classmates' faces, Lee Han tried to lift their spirits.
"Cheer up, everyone. Since it's a trap set by Professor Thunderstep, there must definitely be a way to solve it."
"That's right!"
It certainly was.
If that mud golem was a monster prepared by Professor Thunderstep, then there must surely be a way to overcome it.
The students, who had been intimidated by its overwhelming appearance, regained their composure and began considering how to deal with the mud golem.
"What if we throw fire or an acidic potion at it?"
"That's how you deal with gar... no, I mean trolls. It seems to attack when we cross the line—should we try erasing the line?"
"Do you really think such a cheap trick would work? Let's try obstructing the golem's vision. If it can't see, it might not notice us escaping."
"Let's try shooting it with arrows first!"
Listening to the students' discussion, Ashan once again thought that Wardanaz needed to take charge of the situation.
If this continued, they'd just keep suggesting increasingly ridiculous methods.
Rowena approached and said,
"Her Highness the Princess suggested using spirits to draw the golem's attention... Wait. Where did Wardanaz go?"
"Huh?"
Ashan looked around in confusion. Lee Han was nowhere to be seen.
"Has anyone seen where Wardanaz went?"
"D-don't tell me he was kidnapped?!"
"I'll break through the golem and find him!"
Everyone was now in a far greater panic than when the mud golem had first appeared.
But Lee Han hadn't disappeared.
Yoner was startled when she suddenly saw Lee Han emerge from behind the mud golem.
"!!"
"Wardanaz?!"
The chattering students also rubbed their eyes in disbelief as they watched Lee Han pass the boundary line and appear behind the golem.
The mud golem stood there stupidly, doing nothing to catch Lee Han, who had already crossed the line.
"How?!"
"Magic. I used invisibility magic."
While his friends clamored, Lee Han conducted a simple experiment.
He tested whether the mud golem would notice him while using the invisibility magic tied to his belt.
Fortunately, the mud golem didn't detect Lee Han passing by.
Moreover, there was an additional discovery.
Once you crossed the line once, the golem didn't react even if you dropped invisibility afterward!
This was a big deal.
"You already mastered invisibility magic...?!"
"No. I borrowed the power of an artifact."
"You're already crafting artifacts...?!"
"...Not crafting."
The Black Turtle Tower students watching Lee Han were puzzled.
Huh?
Did we sell an artifact like that?
"We had that kind of artifact?"
"This wasn't made at the academy. It was a gift from the church."
"Wow. Which church would give such a gift?"
"The Prisinga Order."
"......"
"......"
Both tower students recoiled at the mention of the Prisinga Order. Lee Han felt slightly hurt.
Though Lee Han had escaped, the situation hadn't changed much.
The other students were still trapped in front of the mud golem.
"Wardanaz! Go down and call the professor!"
"We can't send him alone! What if Wardanaz abandons us...?"
"Do I look like some kind of villain to you? Stop talking nonsense!"
"S-sorry. That was out of line..."
Lee Han ignored his friends' words.
Since this was likely Professor Thunderstep's trap, even if he went down to call the professor, there was a high chance he wouldn't come.
'We have to solve this with our own strength.'
The only consolation was that if Professor Thunderstep had prepared this, it must be solvable at a freshman's level.
"Move!"
Lee Han threw an iron ball and swung his staff. The ball began spinning in midair.
'Find the core that forms the golem.'
Lee Han planned to pummel the mud golem indiscriminately to locate the position of its core.
Yoner called out worriedly,
"Will that work? It's a golem, after all..."
Even if it was made of mud, a golem was still a golem. The thickness of its body was anything but ordinary.
She was concerned whether a freshman's magic could penetrate it.
But Lee Han nodded confidently.
If this had been a wild golem, he might have considered other methods, but this was a kind of test prepared by Professor Thunderstep.
'Then it shouldn't be that strong!'
The staff swung, and the iron ball slammed straight into the golem.