Episode 60
Episode 60
Once Lee Han realized it was working, his reaction became even more exaggerated.
Lee Han slapped his forehead and exclaimed:
"Amazing! As expected from Priest Siana of the Flemeng Order!! Incredible!!!"
"...Are you feeling unwell?"
Yoner whispered in a voice too quiet for others to hear.
No matter how he thought about it, Yoner suspected Lee Han must have eaten something bad.
But everyone else was satisfied. Especially Priest Siana, who wore an extremely, extremely pleased expression.
"As expected of Lord Lee Han from the Wardanaz family... You truly have an eye for quality."
"Even a blind man without eyes could recognize how extraordinary this potion is."
"You flatter me too much."
Priest Siana covered her rising smile with her sleeve and gave a small laugh. Lee Han smiled back at her.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Priest Siana returned to the Phoenix Tower students with an immensely satisfied expression.
Lee Han let out a sigh.
'That was exhausting.'
Putting on such an exaggerated reaction when he didn't truly feel that way was more tiring than he'd expected.
But his performance had been worth it.
Priest Siana was already praising Lee Han to the Phoenix Tower students.
-As expected from the Wardanaz family, so polite and discerning...
-Did something happen, Priest?
-Nothing happened, he just truly has an eye for...
Seeing that reaction, Lee Han figured he didn't need to worry about the Phoenix Tower students.
"Yoner. Even if you get first place in Alchemy class, I won't poison your cup."
"Are you sure you're not sick somewhere?"
Yoner's eyes filled with genuine concern.
The students who had finished emergency treatment began their return.
Those with unhealed broken legs were carried by uninjured classmates.
Fortunately, no monsters appeared during the descent.
"Batrek. The Wardanaz kid didn't do anything strange to you, right?"
"Batrek. Did Wardanaz maybe brainwash you..."
"Batrek. Did Wardanaz use forbidden Black Magic on..."
"I told you he didn't do anything!"
Batrek was dumbfounded.
Even when he explained that Lee Han had helped him, no one would listen properly.
"And we're all first-years! How could he possibly cast forbidden Black Magic?"
"I thought the same at first. That it must be rumors. But then I saw Wardanaz's magic ability."
"I didn't believe it either, but after seeing Wardanaz, the rumors started carrying weight."
The White Tiger Tower students nodded with grave expressions.
Surprisingly, they half-seriously believed the rumors.
"Probably received secret magic training from childhood within the Wardanaz family."
"Truly terrifying, the Wardanaz family."
Lee Han's display of powerful telekinesis (though it missed its mark) and his performance in basic Black Magic lectures had already become exaggerated rumors.
Students from other towers who'd interacted with Lee Han more didn't have such strange misunderstandings.
At worst, they thought things like:
- "As expected from the Wardanaz family, he's quite charismatic"
- "I heard he rules the Blue Dragon Tower students with ruthless, merciless discipline"
But the White Tiger Tower students were different.
They genuinely found him terrifying!
"Wardanaz doesn't seem as scary as Moradina and others said—"
Batrek tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
Having saved his life, he felt he owed Lee Han at least this much.
"Batrek. Who summoned that magic that took down the golem?"
"...Well, Wardanaz did summon it."
"Do those flames look like normal magic to you?"
Batrek was speechless. He couldn't refute that.
To think he'd be logically cornered by idiots believing such ridiculous rumors...!
"Hey."
"!"
While the White Tiger Tower students were chattering, Lee Han approached.
The students who noticed him instinctively grabbed their wooden swords, their eyes trembling nervously as their bodies tensed up.
'...What kind of herbivores are these?'
"Wh-what's going on, Wardanaz...?"
"Nothing much... You've all worked hard, so you must be exhausted."
Lee Han took out the snacks he'd brought in his backpack.
Though they were the oldest snacks stored in the food storage—no, his personal pantry—they were still perfectly tasty.
Flatbread with sweet jam and sugar-dusted cookies.
Lee Han had decided to clear out the food before it expired while also scoring some goodwill points.
The White Tiger Tower students had picked a fight first, prompting Lee Han to think, 'Who says they dislike me for no reason? I'll give them a reason,' but truthfully, he wasn't the type to enjoy meaningless fights either.
"Th...thank you, Wardanaz."
The White Tiger Tower students wore conflicted expressions, torn between 'Is it safe to eat this?' and 'But I'm so hungry.'
In the end, the latter won.
At an age where they could chew rocks, no one could resist such hunger.
"Batrek of the Bark family? I heard you're from the east. Here, take this rice ball and rice cake."
"...!"
Batrek was slightly moved by the food Lee Han offered.
Who would have thought Wardanaz would go as far as to make such considerate gestures, knowing Batrek was from the east?
Given the empire's vast size, students usually had little interest in foods outside their own region.
Besides, Wardanaz wasn't even from the east himself.
Yet here he was, showing such kindness.
Maybe the rumors about Wardanaz were exaggerated after all.
After Lee Han left, the White Tiger Tower students, hastily stuffing their faces with the snacks, seemed to think similarly.
"Maybe we misunderstood—"
"Did you hear?! I overheard the Blue Dragon Tower guys talking—apparently, Wardanaz took down a Mud Golem with a single water spell! They said he summoned a water dragon or something?!"
"......"
"......"
The White Tiger Tower students were stunned.
Seriously...
Wardanaz is terrifying!
Professor Thunderstep, who had been exchanging drinks with the others, suddenly realized something.
'Huh? The vegetables are gone?'
His student Lee Han had harvested vegetables and brought them along, but now, upon closer inspection, they had all vanished.
There was no way the Skeleton Principal had eaten them, so there was only one culprit.
"Is something the matter?"
Professor Ingoldel, noticing Professor Thunderstep's gaze, asked with a puzzled expression.
"Ah, it's nothing. It's just... you really like vegetables, don't you?"
Oh dear, Thunderstep. Still holding onto that outdated stereotype that all elves must love vegetables—something that might have worked in ancient times. As a representative of this school, it's downright sad. So, do you like beer just because you're a dwarf?
"I do, actually?"
"Oh. My apologies."
Professor Ingoldel apologized.
"It's not that I only like vegetables, but they were strangely delicious, so I kept eating them."
"Is that so?"
But you don't even like vegetables that much, do you?
"That's not true? I eat them just fine."
At best, you'd dip them in meat juices and nibble a little. Why are you scolding Professor Ingoldel over something like this?
"I'm truly sorry—"
"Enough! Please stop!"
Professor Thunderstep vowed never to invite the Skeleton Principal to his cabin again.
Since the headmaster couldn't eat food or drink, he seemed to find his joy in tormenting others.
'Still, I'm curious.'
Human nature is such that forbidden things become all the more intriguing. Professor Thunderstep suppressed his appetite.
Ah, the students are returning. What was it I said earlier? That they'd manage just fine on their own?
"!"
Professor Ingoldel suddenly shot up and sprinted toward the door. Watching this, the Skeleton Principal shook his head disapprovingly.
With a heart that soft...
The students weren't surprised to find Professor Thunderstep and Professor Ingoldel waiting for them.
They already knew because Lee Han had told them.
Instead, they glared at the professors with resentful eyes.
'Once I become the Empire's Grand Mage, I'll trample these professors first.'
'Once I become the Empire's greatest swordsman, I'll crush these professors first.'
'Once I become a high-ranking official of the Empire...'
Professor Thunderstep burst into cheerful laughter.
"You all made it back safely!"
"Yes... Thanks to you, Professor, it was truly delightful."
"Seeing how none of you look surprised, I guess you figured it out. Exactly. This is what alchemy is about. It's best to never let your guard down. Danger can strike at any moment, in any situation."
"......"
"......"
The students seriously contemplated plans to ambush Professor Thunderstep.
They wanted to throw an unexpected crisis at that professor!
Professor Ingoldel apologized with a guilty expression.
"I'm truly sorry, everyone. I really meant to stay behind, but..."
"Sure you did."
"Hmph. They're all the same."
"?!"
Even the White Tiger Tower students glared at Ingoldel. The professor was flustered.
"I swear! The Headmaster appeared and forcibly teleported me—"
"That's enough, Professor."
"We won't trust anyone anymore. Isn't this exactly what the school wanted?"
Having endured the trial, the students had matured—and hardened—another level.
Regardless of which tower they belonged to, they now fundamentally distrusted the professors.
Seeing the students, with whom he had shared swords and soulful exchanges, cast such distrustful gazes, Ingoldel felt his heart tear with pain.
"......"
Professor Thunderstep pretended not to notice Ingoldel being glared at.
'Not my fault, Professor Ingoldel. Blame Gonadaltes.'
Lee Han tilted his head as he observed Ingoldel's reaction.
'Huh? Did Professor Ingoldel really not know?'
Of course, that reaction could have been an act, but Ingoldel's response felt genuine.
Even though his excuse—that the Skeleton Principal had kidnapped him—was so absurd that no one believed it...
'It's not that absurd, though. He's absolutely the kind of person who would...'
Clatter clatter—
The Bone Summon rattled as it pointed toward the cabin.
"!"
A faint surge of mana, similar to the one they had sensed in the mountains, emanated from the cabin.
At that moment, Lee Han recalled whose mana that was.
That was the Headmaster's mana.
'He was telling the truth?!'
Lee Han was stunned.
No, even so, just kidnapping a professor out of nowhere?
'Now that I think about it, it's not that surprising. It's exactly the kind of thing he'd do.'
Lee Han quickly regained his composure. Then he turned to Ingoldel.
"Professor, I believe you. The Headmaster must have kidnapped you."
"Wardanaz student...!"
Ingoldel was so moved that tears nearly welled up in his eyes.
After confirming all the students were safe, Professor Thunderstep suddenly grew curious.
How had these students overcome the trial he had prepared?
"So, how did you solve it?"
"Wardanaz used <Yumidihus' Water Prison Bomb> to blast away the Mud Golem."
"And the other Mud Golems were burned to death by Wardanaz's fire."
"...?"
Professor Thunderstep was momentarily stunned by the unexpected answers.
He didn't even know where to begin pointing out the issues.
"Wait... wait. Hold on."
"??"
"Why were there Mud Golems? What about the bulls? Where did the bulls go?"
"What now... Professor, give it a rest. Do you really think we're that naive?"
The Blue Dragon Tower students scoffed.
Professor Thunderstep was clearly trying to trick them again.
They wouldn't fall for it now!
"No...! Seriously, why were there Mud Golems? I didn't prepare any Mud Golems!"
"Ha. Sure, sure. They just 'happened' to appear, right?"
"Did you all hear that? Professor Thunderstep says they just happened to appear! Let's believe him!"
"......"
Professor Thunderstep reflected—just slightly—on his life choices.