Episode 583
Episode 583
However, once lost, trust does not return so easily.
The students of the White Tiger Tower, carried down on stretchers, glared at Professor Ingoldel with the betrayed eyes of puppies who had been tricked out of their treats.
"Everyone..."
The students sharply turned their heads away.
"I apologize to all of you. I misjudged the difficulty of the exam."
"It happens."
Lee Han, who had been leading his group at the front, reflexively responded.
When Giselle beside him stared at him as if he were insane, he quickly defended himself.
"Sorry. It was a habit."
When a professor apologized, the automatic "It's fine" just slipped out—there was nothing he could do about it.
"Were you defeated by the slimes?"
The knights asked in surprise.
For slimes, the number of victims was unusually high.
Shifting Slimes were frustrating monsters that exploited weaknesses, but they weren't overwhelmingly powerful.
He had assumed that once a few students were caught off guard, the rest would naturally adapt and counter them, but...
"Ugh... ugh."
"Answer me."
A knight of the White Poplar Knights sternly called out to the apprentice knights.
This final exam was not only a test for Einrogard students but also an evaluation of the apprentice knights' abilities.
While Professor Ingoldel was responsible for disciplining the students' mistakes, the knights were the ones who had to reprimand their own apprentices.
"If you had known shape-shifting monsters were appearing, there should have been ways to counter them, no?"
Against monsters like Shifting Slimes, the best strategy was to stay in confirmed groups and maintain distance.
Creatures of that nature would eventually expose their flaws if pressured—provided one had enough patience.
"W-well... we weren't defeated by the slimes."
"You weren't defeated by the slimes?"
The knight was taken aback as the apprentice spoke hesitantly.
"Ah. I see. Did you encounter a giant, then?"
"Are there giants in the mountain range!?"
The apprentice knight was startled.
At that reaction, the other nearby apprentices gasped and began whispering among themselves.
"I thought that was just a rumor..."
"Ahem! Never mind that. Anyway, if you encountered another monster, that makes sense."
That would explain it.
If the students had to change plans due to the Shifting Slimes and were ambushed by another monster while hastily moving...
"What kind of monster was it?"
"W-well, actually..."
The apprentice knight hesitated, then pointed a finger. That finger was directed at Lee Han.
"?"
"We were defeated by the Wardanaz..."
"......"
The knights fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. The apprentices, sensing the mood, bowed their heads in shame.
"Explain what happened."
The apprentices did their best to recount the events.
The Shifting Slimes that had transformed into Lee Han's group were so cunning and deceptive that they easily lured the students in. And then, this guy tricked them into attacking the real Lee Han's group...
"...I see."
"But surely not all of you fell for that, did you? Why were the rest of you defeated?"
The other apprentices desperately explained.
The Shifting Slimes that had transformed into Lee Han's group...
"Enough! Enough!"
The knights flushed red and shouted.
For every single one of them to be fooled in the exact same way!
Even if one or two fell for it, the rest should have been suspicious and cautious—this was utterly shameful.
"Unbelievable! Exams are competitions! No matter how close you are, how could you trust others so easily? What have you even learned!?"
"The Wardanaz just seemed so trustworthy... Sniff. We were wrong."
The knights of the White Poplar Knights reflected deeply.
Professor Ingoldel's exam hadn't been excessive. Rather, they had been far too complacent.
"I've failed in guiding you properly. To think you couldn't handle a situation like this."
"N-no...! It's those Einrogard brats who fell for it first—we had no choice!"
"Quiet! Stop making excuses. When we get back, it's training time!"
While the apprentice knights were being scolded, Professor Ingoldel apologized to the students once more.
"Everyone. I promise I won't prepare such an exam for the first-year finals again. You've all worked hard."
"No."
"?"
Lee Han, who had been listening, turned his head.
What lunatic student would say something like that in front of a sword-wielding professor?
"Professor. We'd like you to prepare this same exam for next year's first-years too."
"...He's right! It'd be such a waste if only we had to suffer through this exam."
"It's not your fault, Professor! We understand your true intentions!"
The White Tiger Tower students gnashed their teeth as they shouted.
"Everyone!"
"Professor!"
The students hugged Professor Ingoldel, staging a touching reconciliation.
Lee Han was horrified by the sight. 'These damn trash.' How could they pull such a stunt just because they couldn't bear being the only ones to suffer?!
'Huh?'
Arriving at Professor Mortum's workshop, Black Rock Hall, to take the Black Magic exam, Lee Han received the test paper and looked puzzled.
"Professor?"
"Cough. What?"
"Uh, is this all?"
"Yes. Why?"
"It's nothing."
Lee Han scanned the classroom with wary eyes.
But there was nothing inside.
Gainando, sitting beside him, munched on a sandwich while staring blankly at his friend acting strangely.
Unable to stand it, Rafael asked Gainando:
"What the hell is he doing?"
"Huh? What?"
"The Wardanaz kid. Wardanaz."
Ever since they arrived, Wardanaz had been on high alert like a knight infiltrating enemy territory.
His behavior was so unnerving that even Rafael grew suspicious.
Was there something around here?
"Lee Han's always like that, isn't he?"
"......"
Rafael regretted asking this prince. 'This guy wouldn't notice if Wardanaz's head disappeared.'
"Cough. Mr. Wardanaz. There's nothing hidden in the classroom."
"Is that so?"
Lee Han summoned a Paper Bird to check outside the classroom. Professor Mortum sighed and said:
"There's nothing hidden outside either."
"Ah. I see."
Lee Han then cast Ogonin's Emotion Perception to gauge Professor Mortum's emotional state.
Seeing this, the professor decided it was better to just explain.
"Cough. The last midterm was too chaotic. So this final exam will be simpler."
"......Y-you mean the department's reagents are all gone, so you're doing it like this?"
Lee Han asked in a worried tone.
From what the seniors had said, the Black Magic department wasn't exactly swimming in funds.
During the last midterm, they'd struggled because of reagent shortages...
"......Cough, did the seniors say something else about the Black Magic department?"
Professor Mortum grew suspicious of what nonsense those immature seniors might've spouted.
Were they really whining to a fresh-faced first-year about how 'our department's so broke we're dying' when they should've been inspiring dreams and hopes?
He'd already been furious hearing how a new student had gone to another department to borrow reagents last time...
"What do you mean, sir?"
"Like the Black Magic department being in dire straits..."
"They never said anything like that."
If Professor Mortum was a master of Black Magic, Lee Han was a master of student diplomacy.
The moment the professor asked, he'd already grasped his intentions.
Gainando, listening nearby, tilted his head in confusion.
But the seniors had clearly said...
"Uh, our department's so f— cough!"
Lee Han elbowed Gainando's ribs in an invisible motion. Gainando slumped forward, his head dropping.
"......Anyway, the Black Magic department isn't that desperate. Cough. So stop overthinking and just solve the problems quietly."
"Yes. Thank you."
Lee Han felt slightly relieved at Professor Mortum's words.
It seemed this was genuinely the exam, without any hidden traps.
Of course, it could still be a trick. Lee Han decided to relax just enough while keeping that possibility in mind.
A skilled mage must always consider every possibility.
[Select the creature that resides in the undead category.]
1. Skeleton
2. Quinee
3. Sand Octopus
4. Rock Drake
5. Shadow Wraith
'Hmm.' Lee Han pondered the question.
At first glance, it seemed easy, but this was a trick question.
'Skeletons aren't living creatures.'
The correct answer was "None of the above." Lee Han wrote his answer with a quill and moved on.
Beside him, Gainando looked at him smugly and said,
"Lee Han. Too easy, right?"
"You read the question properly, didn't you?"
"Of course!"
'This punk. I'll have to check later.'
Lee Han made a mental note to scold Gainando harshly if he had written "Skeleton" as his answer.
What kind of fool falls for a childish trick question like that?
'Lee Han, really.'
Gainando, on the other hand, was inwardly annoyed at Lee Han.
After studying together, shouldn't he trust his friend instead of asking if he read the question properly?
[Select the creature that resides in the undead category.]
3. Sand Octopus
No matter how he thought about it, the only possible answer was the Sand Octopus.
"Um, Professor."
After all four of them submitted their exam papers, Raphael cautiously raised his hand.
Gainando, chewing on the leftover sandwich from earlier, stared blankly at Raphael.
"Still, I'd like to have my undead summoning skills evaluated, considering all the practice I've done this semester."
"Ghk—"
Gainando nearly spat out his sandwich.
"Are you insane!? The exam's over!"
"...But we should still get our summoning practice evaluated. That's what exams are for."
"What kind of Lee Han-like nonsense are you spouting!? Are you crazy!?"
Lee Han and Imirg also stared at Raphael in surprise.
They hadn't expected Raphael to say something like that.
'What's he thinking?'
Professor Mortum coughed and asked,
"You seem to have grown quite close to your summons."
"N-no! I haven't gotten close at all!"
Raphael hastily denied it.
How could such words be spoken to someone from an honorable knightly family learning Black Magic to combat dark mages?
But Professor Mortum nodded knowingly.
"Cough. That's how all Black Mages who learn undead summoning end up."
Unlike other summons, undead summons were unruly by nature, often disobeying their masters and constantly seeking opportunities to rebel.
However, enduring and training them eventually led to a moment when one could command undead summons as effortlessly as one's own limbs.
The pride in that achievement was incomparable to any other summoning.
'Is that so?'
Lee Han found Professor Mortum's words puzzling.
He couldn't quite relate.
Sure, undead could be finicky, but summoning them didn't exactly bring a sense of accomplishment...
'This kid's overthinking useless things.'
Professor Mortum clicked his tongue at Lee Han.
Well, being a Wardanaz, it was only natural he wouldn't relate to such sentiments.
"You must have had some recent epiphany... Cough. Fine. Since we have time, let's do a quick undead summoning demonstration."
Gainando let out a short scream, but Professor Mortum had no intention of changing his mind once decided.
"You bastard! What's gotten into you? You hated Black Magic! Go back to the you who hated it!"
"...I still don't like it much."
"That's a lie!! A complete lie!! If you didn't like it, why did you prepare all this!?"
While Gainando was grabbing Raphael by the collar, Lee Han picked up his staff, eager to go first.
'A Dark Element Skeleton Warrior would be best.'
Among all undead summons, it was the one he could control most confidently.
Thanks to his relentless efforts, he could now even make a single summoned entity perform martial arts.
A Skeleton Dancer would surely earn full marks...
"Cough. Wardanaz."
"Yes?"
"You don't need to demonstrate."
"......"