Episode 563
Episode 563
At Lee Han's words, Professor Alpen double-checked as if he might have missed something.
The arrangement was indeed outstanding—so much so that one could tell Professor Verdus had taught him well.
The way the artifacts were efficiently and neatly placed without any waste was something even Lee Han's seniors probably couldn't have improved upon.
But no matter how he looked at it, the mana consumption hadn't been reduced as much as Lee Han had concluded.
"How?"
"Excuse me?"
"I mean... look. Wardanaz. Just take the artifacts positioned at the southern gate here. Aren't they enchanted with <Hardness Reinforcement>, <Corrosion Resistance>, and <Enemy Detection> spells? That alone would consume at least three crates of intermediate-quality magic stones per day."
"Ah. My apologies. I forgot to write that down."
Lee Han added while apologizing.
"The calculation was based on the assumption that the artifacts were overcharged with mana during their creation. Among the artifacts deployed in the fortress, simpler ones can maintain their function for over ten years without additional mana supply if they're overcharged with mana during production."
"?"
"??"
Both Professor Alpen and the guild members had question marks on their faces.
They couldn't quite grasp what the first-year student before them was saying.
"Does... does such a thing exist? Professor. We may not know much about magic, but are there really artifacts like that? This is the first I'm hearing of it."
"Hmm. To my knowledge... theoretically, such an effect is possible."
Professor Alpen explained to the bewildered guild members.
Broadly speaking, an artifact's structure could be divided into the core that constituted the magic and the power source that supplied mana to that core.
Enchantment mages would painstakingly carve and refine magic circles to improve the efficiency of this power source.
The amount of mana consumed by an artifact depended on how well this part was crafted.
But theoretically, what if—instead of putting in all that effort—you saturated the core with mana to its limit and then sealed it tightly?
Then, even without external maintenance, the artifact could sustain its own mana supply.
"But no mage actually makes them this way, right?"
Exactly.
There was a good reason why Professor Alpen and the guild members were so baffled.
Because mages who crafted artifacts in this manner were exceedingly rare.
Designing a structure to withstand overcharged mana or reinforcing its durability were minor issues. The biggest problem was that there simply weren't mages capable of infusing that much mana in the first place.
Why go through the trouble of pumping in dangerous amounts of mana—enough to risk a mage's life—when regularly supplying mana was far more stable?
It wasn't like they were making artifacts that could never be recharged again...
"Huh? They don't exist?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"......"
Lee Han was bewildered.
This was a method he had used so routinely while studying under Professor Verdus or assisting him.
-Professor.-......
-Professor.-......
-Professor! Professor! Professor!!
-Agh! Why are you screaming in my ear? What's wrong with you?
-My apologies. You weren't responding.
-What are you talking about? You didn't call me.-...
Anyway, Professor. I have a question. The Enchantment Magic tomes I've read don't mention infusing artifacts with this much mana. Isn't overcharging them dangerous?
-It's fine. It's fine. Look. More mana means better efficiency, right?
-Well, yes, but why don't the tomes—?
-It's because those tomes were printed ages ago.
-But this one was published last year?
-That's ages ago. And the guy who wrote it was an idiot.
-But... he's an experienced mage with multiple published papers...?
-Still an idiot. See? It's fine, isn't it? No issues? Efficient, right?
-Is it safe, though?
-That's why you have to do it right so it doesn't blow up. The fact that none have exploded so far means we're doing it right.
-Professor, you're not just saying this carelessly because you're annoyed right now, are you?
-Why don't you trust me? Trust me.
'Damn it. I did trust him.'
Lee Han gritted his teeth as he recalled Professor Verdus.
To think he'd fall for it again after what happened last time!
He'd suspected something was off—apparently Verdus didn't perform this well outside.
'Well, there's no way he'd normally do things like this.'
Looking around at the others' expressions, Lee Han wondered why he hadn't noticed sooner.
Does entering Einrogard somehow lower your intelligence?
If they proceeded this way, the mage's mana would be excessively drained, and the risk of accidents would skyrocket if even a single mistake occurred during production...
"I apologize. Working with Professor Verdus so much made me unconsciously calculate it this way."
"Professor Verdus, you say? Is this how he taught you?"
"Yes."
Seeing the old professor react so strongly, Lee Han felt a flicker of hope.
'Is he going to go beat up Professor Verdus?'
If so, he wouldn't mind watching.
"Truly remarkable. Professor Verdus! A genius is a genius for a reason, indeed."
"...???"
Unaware of Lee Han's shock, Professor Alpen continued.
"Indeed. I'd heard rumors that Verdus's genius was so overwhelming it made teaching disciples difficult, but seeing this, those claims seem exaggerated. To pass down his legacy so brilliantly to his student..."
"No... um... legacy? This?"
Lee Han was flustered.
Of course, if it was a secretly inherited method, you could call it a legacy—but by that logic, even "Sneaking Snacks During Lectures" from the Guidance could qualify.
But wouldn't people think you were insane if you went around calling things like that "legacies"?
"It's absolutely a legacy. Wardanaz. Look how much more efficient the artifact is now. You might not fully grasp it yet due to inexperience, but this is truly an exceptional result."
"But... the mana consumption is dangerous... and the accident risk..."
"You said you worked with Professor Verdus continuously without any issues, didn't you?"
"...That's true..."
Professor Alpen gave Lee Han's shoulder a firm pat.
"Wardanaz. I usually advise students to be humble. But for you, I must offer different advice: be moderately humble! This is something you can rightfully take pride in. Both you and Professor Verdus, who taught you."
Feeling deeply wronged, Lee Han deployed his last resort.
"But Professor... doesn't Professor Verdus usually act a bit... eccentric?"
He began dragging Verdus's reputation through the mud like a drowning man clinging to anything.
No matter how rarely Professor Alpen was at Einrogard, if he recalled even a few incidents involving Verdus, he'd realize this wasn't "a beautiful passing of the torch from genius master to genius disciple" but rather "a mad master overworking his disciple with zero regard for safety."
"That's true."
"Right?"
"But isn't that the case for most Einrogard professors?"
"......"
For the first time in a while, Lee Han was left speechless.
The guild members who'd listened to the explanation were on the verge of tears from emotion.
A disciple personally taught by Einrogard's genius professor was going to arrange the fortress's artifacts using a secret legacy?
"This... we might be witnessing a historic moment right now."
"Y-yes, exactly."
Though they came from different guilds, their hearts swelled with identical awe.
"It's almost like..."
"The <Miracle of the Three Mages>, indeed."
The guild members murmured in unison without realizing it.
The Miracle of the Three Mages.
Back then, Ganisthalas Castle's coffers had been completely emptied by rebellion and raids.
The three castle mages had a budget of less than 1/10th the usual amount in gold coins.
Yet despite this, the three mages joined hands with the construction guilds of Ganistalas and achieved a miracle.
This miracle was not solely the mages' doing.
It was also a miracle of the guild members who helped the mages complete the castle gate.
While mages trembled at the greatness of magic in that tale, the guild members wielding hammers and chisels trembled at the beauty of craftsmanship in that same story.
'Why bring up that kind of story?'
Lee Han was appalled as he listened to their conversation.
Why were they so moved by that horrendous tale of a wicked lord exploiting mages and guild members with less than a tenth of the usual budget?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand.
But the guild members paid no heed and continued their discussion.
"Buildings crafted with soul never disappear—they remain eternal. Yes. Perhaps this <Pocket Knife Fortress> will become our <Miracle of the Three Mages>."
"Let the empire know the name of our guild!"
"That's right, let the empire know the name of our guild!!"
The stonemasons and carpenters, who had been awkward around each other just moments ago, shook hands and made a firm vow.
Watching this, Professor Alpen wore a touched expression.
Of course, the professor was aware of their strained relationship.
Since multiple guilds had pooled their efforts to secure the contract, they had no choice but to calculate gains and losses meticulously.
But now that the possibility of earning glory for the empire was within reach, they united like true craftsmen.
"Wardanaz. Are you seeing this? Your magic has brought them together."
"No... Even if I stretch it, that's not it..."
"Hoho. I did say it's fine to be modest, but this is too much!"
'Did I take this commission for nothing?'
Lee Han had never regretted accepting a well-paying job before.
But this time, he felt a twinge of regret.
'Now that I think about it, all of this might be Professor Verdus's fault.'
Once this was over, Lee Han vowed to get his revenge on Professor Verdus.
Stepping out of Professor Alpen's room, Lee Han felt several times more exhausted than before.
-"We will absolutely spread the fame of the great mage throughout the empire!"
-"Ah... Thank you. But honestly, I'd be perfectly happy with just the payment..."
-"No! Please wait and see!"
'Hmm. They won't delay the payment, will they?'
No matter how excitedly the guild members boasted about "creating a structure that would be known across the empire," it didn't resonate much with Lee Han.
Instead, he was worried they might get too carried away.
At a glance, worrying about someone else's enthusiasm might seem odd, but his concern had a reason.
If they built something with the empire's budget → got excited and tried to enhance its quality → ended up costing more than the initial estimate → "We're so sorry, mage, please wait just a little longer!"
After all his efforts to cut costs, he was afraid they might try to raise the quality elsewhere.
'Just in case, I should mention it to the professor again later.'
To avoid sounding rude, he planned to phrase it as, "I'm worried about the guild members—shouldn't we keep it reasonable?"
"Lee Han. Lee Han."
"Ah! Professor!"
When Professor Garcia called, Lee Han perked up happily.
At Einrogard, there were very few professors whose summons brought genuine delight—and Professor Garcia was one of those rare exceptions.
"What is it, Professor?"
"Would you come inside for a moment?"
Without a hint of suspicion, Lee Han followed Professor Garcia into the classroom.
At the center of the room was a pit so deep and dark that the bottom was invisible.
"...I trusted you, Professor!!"
Lee Han immediately drew his staff and rolled aside.
Professor Garcia looked flustered.
"Wh-what? What did I do wrong?"
"...You weren't going to push me into that pit, were you?"
"..."
Lee Han. Has Professor Bagrak ever pushed you into a pit like this before?""