Episode 591
Episode 591
'What an absurd school.' Lee Han grumbled as he worked on the curse ward.
After all, even if he complained, the professors wouldn't listen.
"Divide and dwell."
With the incantation, magic settled into the purple bone.
Though it was called a Divination Magic lecture, in terms of actual time spent, they had learned more about other magics than Divination itself.
One of those was the <Lesser Cost Dispersion> he was currently casting—a spell that distributed the risks and backlash of magic onto other objects.
Of course, for powerful Divination Magic, even this spell wouldn't be enough to handle the burden, but for the level of fortune-telling first-year students performed, this much was sufficient.
Beside him, Priestess Dijiling skillfully overlapped triangles to construct his ward.
The priests of the Prisinga Order, who specialized in handling cursed artifacts, were adept at enduring and defending against such curses.
Using numerology—shapes and numbers—to reinforce the structure of the ward was also one of the Order's wisdoms.
Having completed the first stage, Dijiling wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief before glancing sideways.
Surprisingly, the boy from the Wardanaz family was still wrestling with the bone.
"...?!!"
"Ugh. This damn thing is ridiculously tough."
Lee Han gritted his teeth as he tapped the bone.
Generally, materials used for artifacts shared the trait of high mana conductivity—meaning they had to allow mana to flow smoothly and linger for artifacts to function well.
But whatever material this purple bone Professor Paselet had (forcibly) given them was made of, it kept repelling the magic.
A curse ward artifact needed to be sturdy, but if the magic itself wouldn't latch on, no amount of sturdiness would make it useful.
Lee Han closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
'No choice but to chip away at it bit by bit.'
If the magic wasn't failing to take hold but was instead being repelled continuously, then there was still a way.
Lee Han gripped the bone and poured mana into it like a madman. Under normal circumstances, it should have exploded instantly, but the bone merely vibrated, somehow enduring the strain—likely due to its absurd durability.
'Tame it!'
It was a brute-force method, but a method was still a method.
If the object was saturated with Lee Han's mana, there was a high chance it would stop repelling his magic.
Once.
Twice.
Three times...
While the other students altered their ward structures using beads made of various metals and semi-precious stones, testing them with simple divinations, Lee Han carved and carved at the bone.
"Wardanaz. You okay? Time's..."
"Ah, rice doesn't become rice until it's boiled enough! Does raw rice turn into a meal just because you rush it?!"
"N-no, I was just worried..."
"Rushing makes it rougher and slower. Artifacts need to be made properly. What good is carving if you mess it up?"
'Ah, an artifact master!?'
The friend who had spoken glimpsed the phantom of a decades-old artifact master in Lee Han's demeanor.
Lee Han huffed and inspected the bone again.
"At this point, it should take... Still not enough?"
"Wardanaz, seriously, time's—"
BAM!
Having finished the foundational work on the bone, Lee Han moved onto the next step like lightning.
In an instant, he swung his wand, splitting the bone and reshaping it before immediately beginning to cast spells over it.
"Divide and dwell. Divide and dwell. Divide and..."
Spells were cast in rapid succession at a speed beyond what the other students could fathom.
The way he chanted incantations so quickly was concerning—worries of mana depletion, exhaustion, or magical backlash came to mind—but Lee Han didn't even blink as he worked.
And even after that, his hands didn't stop. The split and reshaped bones moved into precise positions.
"G-gods...!"
"Is Avalkain reborn or something?!"
Lee Han's speed was so astonishing that even the name of an artifact master from centuries ago was invoked.
The students could only blink as they watched the process unfold.
Clack clack clack clack clack!
After completing the assembly and final touches, Lee Han placed the curse ward on the table.
Immediately, applause erupted from all directions.
"Wardanaz! Wardanaz!"
"The genius of slave labor!"
"Isn't that an insult?"
Professor Paselet, sitting at the front of the classroom, remarked indifferently.
"This is an exam."
"Ah. My apologies, Professor."
After the exam concluded and Paselet inspected the curse ward Lee Han had submitted, he couldn't help but marvel.
It was on an entirely different level compared to the other students.
'Impressive.'
—Impressive!
Truthfully, the materials did play a significant role in artifacts.
The bones the Skeleton Principal had left behind were none other than those of a Hell-Blood Vein Sheep, so it wasn't entirely surprising that the artifact crafted from them outperformed others.
What was truly astonishing was how Lee Han had managed to tame and refine those bones into a fully functional curse ward within the limited time frame.
In fact, even Professor Paselet had been skeptical halfway through, wondering, 'Can he really complete this in the remaining time?'
While the sheer strength required to subdue the materials was one thing, the flawless speed and precision of the subsequent work were equally remarkable.
"Did you learn this from Professor Verdus?"
"..."
Grrrk.
Lee Han let out a pained groan, like a mage afflicted by a tongue curse. For a moment, Paselet panicked, wondering if Lee Han had actually been cursed.
"Are you alright?"
"..."
"I'm fine. Yes, I learned it from Professor Verdus."
'What was that just now?'
The professor was puzzled, but Lee Han's grave expression discouraged further questioning.
"You made an excellent curse ward. It wasn't an easy material to work with, but you managed to tame it well. At this level, it should withstand several minor curses without issue."
"Thank you."
Lee Han concealed his hatred, anger, resentment, and sorrow, maintaining a composed expression.
At least until the professor spoke again.
"To be honest, when I first heard you volunteered for this, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. But then again, the future is always unpredictable."
"Wait... what? Volunteered?"
"You did volunteer to make this, didn't you?"
Lee Han fell silent for a moment.
Then he asked,
"Did the Headmaster say that?"
"Yeah."
"Professor, do you... not think the Headmaster might be lying?"
Lee Han could understand many things, but this part baffled him.
How could Professor Paselet, a master of Divination Magic, fail to see such an obvious deception?
When the Skeleton Principal cackled and handed something over, wasn't it natural to be suspicious?
'Is he pretending not to know because he's in on it?'
Lee Han shot him a doubtful look.
"Well, you started the exam without saying anything, so I assumed you really had volunteered."
"......"
As Lee Han stepped out of the classroom, Dijiling thought she noticed a faint redness around his eyes.
'A trick of the light, surely?'
There was no way an ice-cold boy like him would be shedding tears.
"Are you alright?"
"Priestess Dijiling. Someday, I want to defeat a Lich."
"..."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing. Did your exam go well?"
"I scored a 95."
"Oh. Don't be too disheartened. You'll do better next time."
"..."
For a moment, Dijiling was so dumbfounded she couldn't speak.
"Th-This is actually a good score, I think..."
"Right. That positive attitude is what matters. Well done."
"..."
Dijiling, who remained calm even when swindlers tried to sell cursed artifacts to the temple at exorbitant prices, found that this boy from the Wardanaz family had an uncanny talent for manipulating others' emotions.
Gasp!
She suddenly realized she had been gripping her staff too tightly and quickly loosened her hold.
What in the world was he doing?
'I need to change the subject!'
"What exams do you have left?"
"Dancing, Illusion Magic, and Healing Magic."
"I've already finished all of mine for this term."
Dijiling was startled by her own response.
Her voice had carried a hint of boastfulness.
'...'
Did I just brag about finishing my exams faster than him?'
"A-ah, no?? That's not it! I absolutely didn't mean it that way!"
Dijiling hastily denied it.
She couldn't believe she'd done something like this!
"It's fine if you want to brag... Really, it's okay. If I feel bad hearing it, that's my fault, not yours."
"It was truly a mistake."
"That happens. Everyone gets excited when exams end."
Though the real reason wasn't exam-related, Dijiling chose to remain silent in repentance rather than explain further.
"?"
As she tried to maintain this silence, the priestess noticed something odd.
"But..."
"Do you have something to ask?"
"Haven't you taken the <Repetitive Training in Basic Magic Combat> exam yet?"
"...Oh. Right? Haha. Look at me spacing out. I completely forgot about that."
Lee Han laughed heartily.
Dijiling observed him, sensing there was some hidden secret behind that reaction.
What could it be?
"There's no way you'd forget some..."
"Ah, Priestess Dijiling! Look outside the window! The kids embroidered Einrogard's mottos on banners! Not bad, eh?"
Students from the Basic Imperial Literature class had proudly hung banners, each displaying mottos they deemed fitting for Einrogard.
-Freedom through constraint!
-The caught are the guilty!
-More stealthily than starlight, more coldly than moonlight!
"...That?"
"I-it's decent, isn't it?"
"Uh..."
"This is the illusion magic exam, right?"
Students who arrived before Lee Han were bewildered by the sight near Professor Kirmin's Magic Tower.
While the surroundings of an illusion master's workshop were always unpredictable, today was particularly unusual.
Instead of the Magic Tower, dozens of barns stood in its place.
"Everyone's here! I've been waiting."
Professor Kirmin welcomed them with his usual twangy voice.
"Good afternoon, Professor Ku."
"Wait, isn't the final exam supposed to be an illusion magic duel?"
Quite a few students had assumed the final would involve illusion magic battles, given how heavily it was emphasized during lectures.
But Professor Kirmin cheerfully shook his head.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just because we covered something extensively doesn't mean it must appear on the final."
'What a shame.'
Lee Han felt slightly disappointed that the exam wasn't an illusion magic duel.
He could've easily aced that.
"You seem relieved, Wardanaz. Then again, our last duel was... something, wasn't it? Good thing the exam won't be like that."
"Huh? Aren't we pairing up with other students for the exam?"
Professor Kirmin laughed delightedly at Lee Han's question.
Then paused.
"Oh. You were serious."
"...Yes."
"That wouldn't work. It'd be meaningless."
"Sometimes meaningless things serve as confirmation..."
"Nonsense. Voladi would be disappointed if we conducted exams in such a trivial way."
'Would it hurt to disappoint him a little?'
People don't die from disappointment—but fighting a professor might kill you.
"Now then! Today's final exam is simple: creating a miniature labyrinth. As you'll come to realize during your time at Einrogard, protecting your own space is more important than you think."
As seen in imperial fairy tales, mages always loved building their own towers for workshops.
Of course, such places weren't just about construction. A true workshop required powerful defenses to safeguard a mage's treasures.
Skilled illusionists could hide their traces even from an army of thousands.
"You'll each have two days to build your labyrinth. Afterward, you'll attempt to infiltrate others' labyrinths. We'll evaluate how well each labyrinth keeps intruders out. Any questions?"
A few students raised their hands.
"Go ahead. What's unclear?"
"Wardanaz—oops. How will infiltrators for other labyrinths be chosen?"
"......"