Episode 564
Episode 564
"No. I've never pushed anyone into a pit before."
"Phew. That's a relief."
Professor Garcia, who had sighed in relief upon hearing the answer, suddenly paused.
'Didn't he just say <into the pit>?'
Did that mean he had pushed someone somewhere else, just not into a pit?
"Lee Han, stude—"
"Then what is this pit for?"
When Lee Han asked with blatant wariness, Professor Garcia felt a pang in her heart.
Her first thought was that she needed to dispel this outstanding student's suspicions as quickly as possible.
"It's for the final exam."
"I see."
"?"
Professor Garcia was puzzled.
Lee Han's reaction was far too calm.
Of course, the boy from the Wardanaz family wasn't the type to be overly emotional or excitable, but even so, this level of composure?
"Then are there monsters hiding at the bottom of the pit?"
"There aren't any??!"
Professor Garcia's voice rose without her realizing it.
"You're not mistaking me for the Headmaster, are you, Lee Han?"
"How could I entertain such a rude thought? Absolutely not. But if it's a final exam, I assumed there'd at least be monsters hiding..."
Professor Garcia let out a deep sigh and explained.
"It's prepared to test the spells you've learned this semester. There are no monsters."
During the first semester, Professor Garcia had introduced students to various schools of magic and taught them the basics.
And now, in the second semester, she was in charge of the <Basic Practical Magic> course, teaching students a variety of useful spells.
Examples included <Underwater Breathing>, <Undead Repellent>, <Undead Detection>, and <Lesser Undead Reverse Summoning>, among others.
'Though there does seem to be an unusual focus on undead.'
Somehow, anti-undead spells had ended up making up a significant portion of the curriculum, but Professor Garcia's class was still the most practical course of the semester.
Above all, what stood out was that it was a class taught by a genuinely caring Einrogard graduate.
It was a course that exclusively taught spells students could immediately apply in their daily lives.
"Ah, but you taught us undead-related spells—does that mean there are no undead?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. When did I ever teach undead-related spells?"
"You taught us <Undead Repellent>, <Undead Detection>, and <Lesser Undead Reverse Summoning>..."
"I don't recall that? Aha. You must be confused from attending too many lectures, Lee Han."
"......"
Lee Han was speechless, but he understood what Professor Garcia was implying.
She was keeping it a secret because if the Skeleton Principal found out who had taught them, he might retaliate with even more twisted schemes.
'Couldn't she just say that outright?'
Still, Lee Han felt slightly hurt. He could take most things, but being jabbed about attending too many lectures stung.
"Understood. So excluding undead-related spells... then it's <Underwater Breathing>, <Lesser Detoxification>, <Waterproofing Enchantment>, <Vision Amplification>, and <Lesser Lockpicking>?"
"Exactly."
Lee Han cautiously approached the pit and peered down.
After casting <Gonadaltes' Dark Vision> and infusing his eyes with mana to enhance his vision, he could see the structure at the bottom of the pit.
'So the professor will fill this with water, and students will have to swim and dive deep to proceed.'
At the bottom of the pit, there was a small passage leading sideways.
Inside that passage, there would likely be simple poisons or locks.
Once the pit filled with water, visibility would worsen, so the final exam would involve using magic to overcome those conditions, find the passage, and deal with the poisons and locks.
Having pieced this together, Lee Han suddenly felt a question rising in his mind.
"Professor. So you'll fill this with water, and we'll have to dive in to find that hidden passage, right? And there are traps inside the passage?"
"Oh. Correct, Lee Han. Good observation."
Professor Garcia beamed with delight as Lee Han grasped the situation so neatly.
"But why are you standing like that?"
"I'm being careful so I don't fall into the pit."
"...Lee Han... I told you I wouldn't push you..."
"I'm afraid I don't quite follow what you mean."
Despite Professor Garcia's words, Lee Han lowered his stance and balanced himself while observing the pit below, preparing in case someone pushed him from behind.
"Anyway, Professor. I understand the structure now, but..."
"?"
As Lee Han trailed off, Professor Garcia looked puzzled.
She couldn't comprehend why her outstanding student was hesitating like this.
"...This is the final exam... Is it really okay for me to know about it in advance?"
Even as he asked, Lee Han felt slightly nervous.
There was always the possibility that Professor Garcia might suddenly say, 'Oh no! Lee Han. I accidentally let it slip. I suppose I'll have to prepare a more difficult exam just for you.'
After all, while Professor Garcia was more good-natured compared to other professors, she was still a professor at heart.
"Ah. Does it matter?"
"...It doesn't matter?"
"Well, you're going to get full marks anyway, Lee Han. That's why I called you here."
"......"
Lee Han was momentarily speechless.
Wait...
Wait...? 'Is that really how it is?' The logic made sense and yet didn't at the same time, so Lee Han asked again.
"But shouldn't we only know the exam results after taking the test?"
"I've seen you cast magic so many times now... It's fine. I'm certain even without seeing it. Don't some of the other professors think the same way?"
Professor Garcia swung her staff, creating a seating area for students during the exam.
She then infused the surroundings with warm energy so they could warm up a little after finishing.
"Well... I have met some of them, yes."
"Right? Didn't those professors also tell you to spend your time on something more productive rather than taking a meaningless exam?" 'They just gave me harder ones instead.' Lee Han recalled Professor Alpen saying during the midterms, 'This was too easy, so I prepared something more challenging.'
But mentioning that to Professor Garcia didn't seem like a good idea.
If he did, she might react with, 'Oh! That's a good idea!'
"It was somewhat similar."
At Lee Han's response, Professor Garcia nodded as if she had expected as much. While preparing for the second semester's final exams, the professors had been venting their own frustrations.
-Transformation potions are just too difficult. But I already gave firework potions last year... Ugh, should I just call that Wardanaz kid and have him make the test for me?
-Professor!
-J-Just kidding. Just kidding. How are you preparing, Professor Verdus?
-Me? I'll have them make artifacts from discarded materials.
-That's... actually not a bad exam. Seems well thought out.
-Yep. Gonadaltes told me to do this. -...... -......
-Right. I should ask Wardanaz to prepare it. Almost forgot.
-Professor Verdus, could you step into the lounge for a moment?
Of course, there were a few shameless professors, but generally, the prevailing thought among them was, 'Why make a student who's going to get full marks take the exam anyway?'
Professor Garcia herself had once been told by a kind-hearted professor during her school days:
-Garcia. You don't need to take this exam. Focus on other tests instead. And when you hit your friends, use your palm instead of your fist, alright?
"So, Lee Han, instead of wasting time preparing for an exam you'll ace anyway, focus on your other tests. Not all professors will just pass you unconditionally."
"Thank you, Professor."
Lee Han sincerely appreciated Professor Garcia's consideration.
Of course, the fact that Lee Han had the skill to score full marks played a big part in her suggestion, but still...
But more than that, Professor Garcia probably wanted to give Lee Han, who was taking too many classes, a chance to rest by exempting him from at least one exam.
If he didn't have to worry about Professor Garcia's exam, he'd gain at least a little more breathing room.
'Under no circumstances should I mention Professor Alpen's method.'
"In return, Lee Han, could you check the difficulty level of this final exam venue for your fellow students? After all, a student's perspective would be more accurate than a professor's."
"Professor Garcia, you truly are an incredible person. I'm fortunate to have met you."
"Wh-what's this all of a sudden?"
When Lee Han spoke with a voice thick with emotion, Professor Garcia was utterly flustered.
The praise had come far too abruptly.
"I'll do my absolute best to check everything thoroughly."
"You really don't have to take it so seriously..."
Professor Garcia grew slightly uneasy as his student prepared with excessive enthusiasm, inadvertently filling the pit with water.
He had only wanted a casual check, but now he worried that his overly diligent student might be unnecessarily burdening himself.
Splash!
Lee Han resurfaced almost immediately after diving in.
Shaking off the water from his waterproof cloak, he reported to Professor Garcia.
"I think the water should be darker."
"Ah. Really?"
Professor Garcia picked up his quill and jotted it down.
Water naturally darkens the deeper it gets, so he hadn't added any special magic—yet it still seemed a bit too bright.
'Is the light source too strong?'
"Yes. Should I summon some Dark Element?"
"Don't be ridiculous. There's no need for you to do that, Lee Han. Preparations are my job."
Professor Garcia waved his hand dismissively.
He had only called Lee Han for simple feedback, but the boy was being far too earnest.
"Understood. Then I'll go back in for a moment—"
"Ah, there's no need to go back in—"
Splash!
A short while later.
Lee Han resurfaced again.
"Professor. The tunnel entrance is a bit small, but since there aren't any other openings nearby, staying calm should make it easy to find. What if we added some fake tunnels?"
"Hmm... Got it."
Professor Garcia made another note.
Without giving him a chance to stop him, Lee Han kept diving in and out, in and out, in and out.
-The poison seems to be the type that obstructs vision, but wouldn't one that hinders breathing be better?
-I tried picking the lock myself, and even a dexterous student could open it without magic. Shouldn't we reinforce it?
-I expected something when climbing back up, but there was nothing. Wouldn't adding undead be better?
"......"
Professor Garcia closed his notebook and looked at Lee Han.
"Lee Han. By any chance, have your friends been acting distant toward you lately?"
"Huh? Not particularly...?"
As Lee Han left Professor Garcia's classroom, he felt a slight unease.
He worried that he might have failed to meet the professor's expectations.
'Were my suggestions not good enough?'
Professor Garcia had gone out of his way to exempt him from the exam and asked for his input, yet he hadn't provided any useful improvements.
The thought that the professor might be disappointed weighed heavily on his chest.
'I should fix things and bring them next time I see him.'
"Lee Han. Don't you dare bring any fixes next time."
Professor Garcia poked his head out the classroom door and shouted. Startled, Lee Han asked back.
"Did you use Divination Magic to see that?"
"No. Just a professor's intuition. Anyway, you've already been a huge help, so don't bring any fixes!"
"Yes. Understood."
Though he wasn't entirely convinced that he'd actually been helpful, he could tell Professor Garcia meant it sincerely.
Feeling quietly moved once more, Lee Han descended the stairs.
"Ah! Wardanaz! Over here!"
When the walking beaver called out to him, Lee Han pretended not to hear and quickened his pace.
Professor Verdus flew over lightly and blocked his path.
"Are your ears clogged or something?"
"Ah! Professor Verdus!! When did you get here? You startled me!"