Episode 646
Episode 646
While the kind penguin beastman mage went outside to handle a request (after selecting an assistant, and Gainen happened to be chosen), Lee Han carefully unfolded the Fake Kingdom-era music score and thoroughly examined it.
Now that he could actually understand its contents, it was far more fascinating.
'How extraordinary.'
If one had to describe Imperial magic in a single word, it would be "efficiency."
The history of continental magic was longer than that of the Empire, and as such, its variety and schools were far more diverse. Even now, the discovery of Primitive Magics and ancient spells unknown to the Empire proved this.
How could one possibly unify countless magics that differed by region and were tangled across eras?
Imperial mages used efficiency as their standard to weave them together.
Outdated and inefficient magics were discarded.
If multiple spells produced the same result, the faster and more concise one was kept.
This method was undeniably effective.
After all, even when mages from the westernmost edge of the Empire collaborated with those from the easternmost—despite their differing customs and histories—they could conduct research together without major issues.
As evidenced by old fairy tales like The Unfortunate Accident of Two Mages with Different Flame-Creation Methods, cooperation between mages of differing traditions was inherently dangerous.
In that regard, Lee Han agreed with this methodology.
However, as with all theories, exceptions existed.
Some magics, though outdated and inefficient, were occasionally revived to demonstrate their power.
Such was the case with the magic of the Fake Kingdom-era mages.
By modern Imperial standards, this could be classified as Music Magic—a spell that sought to dominate its surroundings in an extremely inefficient manner.
By imbuing sound with mana to exert control!
Though nothing could manipulate surrounding mediums as swiftly as sound, there was a reason no one practiced this.
'Imbuing mana into the incantation itself is absurdly difficult, and even if you succeed, the mana waste is extreme.'
The Skeleton Principal hadn't advised attempting this over Word Magic for no reason.
A mage's incantation was originally a form of self-suggestion—if one infused mana into the incantation itself, it essentially became the foundation of Word Magic.
Naturally, this was impossible with ordinary willpower and concentration.
Even Lee Han could only manage a few songs in a limited capacity...
The mages of the Fake Kingdom era had been well aware of this limitation. Their wisdom in overcoming it left Lee Han astonished.
First were the Magic Circles resembling the tomb's relief carvings. These served to increase the surrounding mana density.
'They must have needed a certain level of mana to use Music Magic.'
Since Lee Han already knew this, he wasn't surprised.
And frankly, it wasn't particularly important to him—he could compensate with his own mana reserves.
'Next... Artifacts?'
Surprisingly, the Fake Kingdom-era mages had used musical instruments as Artifacts.
They would select a single composition, then craft an instrument Artifact solely for that piece.
This Artifact was enchanted to maximize the musical resonance of that specific melody, resonating with the mage's song to compensate for its inherent shortcomings.
Who would have thought Music Magic could succeed this way?
It was an astonishing level of dedication.
'Practicing just one song for 20 to 30 years with a dedicated instrument... No wonder they could infuse mana where none existed.'
Though efficiency had been thrown to the winds, Lee Han couldn't help but feel awe.
Moreover, from his perspective, he couldn't think of any other way to properly implement Music Magic now.
Surely, the seniors at Einrogard researching Music Magic couldn't recklessly waste mana or infuse it into incantations like Lee Han, right?
'This is a good method for me too.'
Though Lee Han could currently sing a few songs akin to Music Magic, he didn't truly understand how he managed it.
This couldn't even be called proper magic. True magic required understanding what one was doing.
By borrowing the instrument's power to fill in the missing elements of spell completion, Lee Han could practice Music Magic far more smoothly.
"Come to think of it, I do have that instrument the Skeleton Principal gave me..."
Jing
-As Lee Han took out the violin and began to play, his friends turned their gazes toward him.
"This song is <Here Comes the Bad Dragon>, right?"
"Yeah."
At Ratford's question, Yoner nodded while propping her chin with one hand.
Their friend's violin skills were so excellent that she'd momentarily wanted to just listen.
It was an old nursery rhyme about how a red dragon came and broke the fence, a black dragon came and destroyed the house, and a white dragon came and trampled over the wreckage before leaving...
Here comes the headmaster and breaks the fence. The cruel headmaster! Could there be any disaster more dreadful?
Then the headmaster's clone comes and destroys the house. The wicked headmaster!...
When Ratford, Yoner, and Nilia sang the Einrogard version, Eandurde tilted his head in confusion.
"It's not...dragons?"
"Y-yes! Dragons. I definitely said dragons."
"You said headmaster..."
"No! Dragons!"
Belatedly noticing their junior's presence, the seniors hastily corrected themselves.
Meanwhile, Lee Han, having finished his practice, slowly played the musical score. 'Based on the Dark Element, spreading mana around, praising and mourning the king's sacrifice...'
A slow, mournful song began to play. Lee Han sang along with the lyrics.
"All praise the king's sacrifice, for as the king sacrifices, all enemies..."
As the song continued, Yoner stood up and extended her hand to Nilia.
The two began dancing slowly and gracefully.
Imperial dances weren't just for joyous occasions—there were also dances performed during funeral rites.
Ratford clapped while thinking, 'Huh. Are we allowed to dance without the presence of the Gyeongdan?' If they found out, they'd probably cry buckets...
"Umm."
"Eek! Why'd you stop so suddenly?!"
When Lee Han abruptly halted the violin, Nilia nearly lost her balance.
It was only thanks to her mountain training that she didn't—otherwise, the awkward dance would've been completely ruined.
"While listening to the song just now, none of you felt anything special, right?"
"???"
His friends tilted their heads in confusion at Lee Han's question.
"Each of you, say something."
"The bassline is rich and delicate?"
"I don't know who this king is, but if he died to a song like this, there must've been a lot to steal at his funeral?"
"When on earth did the Wardanaz even practice violin? Do you live two days in one?"
After answering, the other two (excluding Yoner) looked embarrassed.
They were supposed to be appreciating the song, but they'd said something completely unrelated.
"Hmm. As I thought, the mana isn't being infused into the song."
At Lee Han's words, Yoner spoke with disbelief.
"You're trying to imbue the song itself with mana? Is that even possible?"
"That's exactly what I'm—"
As Lee Han explained what he'd been studying while reading the sheet music, Yoner looked both fascinated and concerned.
"That's interesting. But I'm a little worried."
"Why?"
"In second year, you're definitely going to take classes up to the limit—and you're planning to do this on top of that, aren't you?"
"...No. It's not decided yet that I'll take classes up to the limit."
"You'll take them up to the limit."
"You'll definitely take them up to the limit."
Nilia and Ratford stated coldly.
Unlike Lee Han, who was still in denial, his friends were brutally realistic.
Just the professors who favored Lee Han had already nearly filled his limit.
Add a few more of their other lectures, and he'd hit the cap immediately.
"I think the problem isn't the melody but the lyrics."
After carefully examining the sheet music, Lee Han reached a conclusion.
"It's not Einrogard's fault...?"
"If the melody creates the magical effect, then the lyrics serve to help contain the mage's mana itself. In other words, the lyrics can be changed. No—they should be changed."
Lee Han scribbled notes fervently with his quill.
Thanks to his experience exploring Music Magic while following the Skeleton Principal around, he could make decisions a little faster.
In magic, just as incantations aid a mage's self-suggestion, the lyrics clearly served a similar role.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense why some songs worked for Lee Han while others failed.
'Adapt it to suit me.'
During the Fake Kingdom era, mages would train with a single song for decades—just to reshape themselves to fit that song.
Lee Han decided to compromise by adapting parts of the song to suit himself instead.
"A hymn, a dirge... lyrics that I can emotionally connect with... I need your help. It's too hard to come up with them alone."
"Mm!"
"Umm!"
"Ummmm!"
His friends felt an immense burden at his request.
Nilia regretted not volunteering for gathering duty instead of Gainando.
"I barely scraped by in Imperial Literature class..."
"I once wrote in a composition assignment that thieves should be legally permitted under Imperial law, and the professor called me in separately."
"......"
Effectively left alone, Yoner felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
He had to come up with something—anything—to throw at his struggling friend.
A hymn, a dirge... lyrics that Lee Han could emotionally connect with.
"Guys?"
"Uh..."
"Uh?"
"Uh, what about Einrogard?"
"Einrogard? Go on, Yoner."
"Well, Einrogard is... um... if you're in Einrogard, you could sing a dirge for it, right!"
"......"
Nilia and Ratford were baffled, but Lee Han found it plausible.
"Exactly. That makes sense. The hymn would then praise the nobility of the students who sacrificed to enter Einrogard on behalf of the Empire."
"I-I didn't mean it that deeply..."
Yoner was taken aback by how far his friend was running with the idea.
But Lee Han seemed to have already found his inspiration.
"Good. A song based on the Dark Element, mourning and praising the newly admitted students of Einrogard... This might actually be better than Ashan's composition. Don't you think?"
"Why, out of all possible songs, does it have to be compared to Dalkard's?"
When they imagined a song that went Einrogard, Einrogard, how I love thee as a scam, his friends recoiled in horror.
"Lord Pengerin! I can't get through these bushes!"
"Don't worry. I'll guide you. First, hold your wand and cast a severing spell at the base. Not the top—it's too tough to cut through. Once there's an opening, crawl under."
"Ugh... Why just me..."
Gainando crawled under the bushes, sniffling, carefully harvested the thorn mushrooms, and crawled back out.
Inside the mansion, the penguin mage was unbearably cute, but outside, Alsicle transformed into a strict senior mage.
For Gainando, who had hoped to gather only easy materials and skip the difficult ones, this was a bolt from the blue.
"Can't we just say it was too hard and go back?"
"Gainando. Do you really think the Wardanaz would accept that excuse?"
"They'd probably just think I couldn't do it because it was too hard, right?"
"...Climb the tree. Now."
Alsicle gestured, conjuring an ice ladder for him.
This prince had about as much pride as the Skeleton Principal had conscience—which was to say, none at all.
Gainando grumbled as he climbed. When his complaints didn't stop, Alsicle tried to placate him from below.
"Think about it, Gainando. Wouldn't it be better to finish quickly and go back?"
"That's true... But Lord Pengerin seems like he wants to stay out here longer."
"That's nonsense. I want to finish quickly and return too. I'd like to see Wardanaz researching Music Magic, you know."
Alsicle spoke sincerely.
Watching a junior mage like Lee Han delve into rare and unfamiliar magic was pure joy for a mage.
It was an opportunity to learn and realize many things oneself.
"Uh. Lord Pengerin."
"What now?"
"If that's the case, shouldn't you return right away? Lee Han learns magic so fast—if you go back late, he might already be done!"
"...Are you treating my intelligence like that of a sardine?"
Unable to hold back, Alsicle began pelting Gainando with snowballs conjured midair.
Gainando shrieked in protest.
"I-I'm serious! I mean it!"