Episode 676
Episode 676
Kururururung!
The two professors, who had been glaring at each other with burning hostility, suddenly sensed something amiss and raised their heads.
The sky had turned pitch black.
"What in the...?"
"What's this?"
Both professors were experienced and well-traveled, so they immediately recognized that this phenomenon was far from ordinary.
As the sky above the mountain range darkened completely, the sun was swallowed within it. The surroundings rapidly grew dim.
"Are the Docheols behind this?!"
"Don't be ridiculous! Not even a hundred Docheols could pull off something like this!"
No matter how skilled the Docheols were at manipulating the Dark Element and curses, this was beyond their capabilities.
How could mere Docheols cause such an unnatural phenomenon?!
Even if a large number of them gathered, they couldn't possibly darken the sky and swallow the sun.
"A grand mage capable of this would be one of the Empire's rarest..."
"Could it be the Headmaster?"
"Why would Gonadaltes come here?! Does he have time to spare?!"
Professor Bendozol berated Professor Lightning-Step.
The Skeleton Principal was an extremely busy mage, even during vacations.
Aside from dealing with new students and funding, he spent all his remaining time in the depths of Einrogard, immersed in grand schemes to fend off threats to the Empire. There was no way he would come to the Sorrow Mountains.
At most, there were only a few Docheols here!
"If it's not the Headmaster, then the situation is even worse."
"Hmm!"
Professor Bendozol fell into deep thought.
Indeed, if it wasn't the Skeleton Principal, then the problem was far greater.
A grand mage of that caliber wouldn't appear here without reason—and it was unlikely to be a good one.
The darkened sky split apart.
And a voice echoed.
Who is it? Who dared interfere?
The familiar Thought Wave made the two professors turn pale.
Shockingly, it was Gonadaltes who was now approaching!!
And he was in an extremely foul mood!
Is it my former disciple? My insane doppelgänger? Or some insignificant magic criminals? If it's magic criminals, I'll give you one last chance to die. Kill yourselves now. I swear, if I catch you, you'll regret it.
'Just who is he suspecting first?'
Lee Han was dumbfounded upon hearing the Skeleton Principal's words before his arrival.
He could understand why the Headmaster might think someone had attacked Lee Han—after all, Lee Han had activated his emergency signal ring.
But to suspect his own former disciples first?
'No. I can even understand that.'
Hadn't the Emperor himself mentioned it when they met?
Traditionally, the Skeleton Principal's disciples either tried to burn down the continent, burn themselves, or burn the Headmaster.
It was possible that some of his surviving disciples still held grudges. That much was plausible.
But what in the world did he mean by his insane doppelgänger?!
'What kind of nonsense have you been up to?!'
I clearly gave you time!
As the words ended, a dark force, like lightning, crashed down from the split sky. The immense power surged like a torrent, forming a pillar.
From that pillar emerged a familiar mage—the Skeleton Principal in human form.
"Which of you... Wait a moment."
The Headmaster, who had been about to unleash his cold fury, paused upon seeing the gathered professors and students.
This wasn't what he had expected.
"Professor Lightning-Step. Greetings."
"G-Greetings, Headmaster."
"Professor Bendozol."
"Greetings."
"Greetings? I prayed you were unharmed, but seeing you unharmed makes me want to kill you. Keep your mouth shut."
Professor Bendozol, who had committed many sins, obediently sealed his lips.
Meeting a unicorn before the new semester and failing to return was indeed a grave crime.
Professor Lightning-Step, suppressing his bewilderment, spoke up. Truly, he displayed the composure of a battle-hardened explorer.
"Headmaster. What brings you here?"
"I was the one who called him."
"......"
"......"
Both Professor Lightning Step and the students—even the unicorn—seemed to be staring at Lee Han in shock.
"Hey!!! You crazy bastard!!!"
Professor Bendozol shouted, looking as if he might faint from astonishment.
It was shocking enough that Gonadaltes had actually come when called, but the one who had called him was just as ridiculous.
Was this kid out of his damn mind?!
"There are people you can call and people you can't! Have you lost your mind?!"
"You're the one who's lost his mind."
"Shut u—"
At the Skeleton Principal's icy voice, Professor Bendozol hastily tried to defend himself. In an instant, eleven high-level spells interposed themselves as if to protect the professor, forming a defensive barrier.
But the Skeleton Principal tore through the magic with a single gesture, then with another, slammed Professor Bendozol into a pillar of dark energy.
The professor let out a scream as he was dragged up into the sky.
'Incredible!' Having just witnessed Professor Bendozol subduing the Dochul, Lee Han could feel that the professor was a powerful mage.
Not only was he skilled in transformation magic, but he was also a flexible caster capable of freely wielding various schools of magic—particularly those useful for handling or caring for animals.
Among exceptional mages, those who could master multiple schools of magic were rare, making this an extraordinary ability.
Moreover, given that he traveled the empire's remote regions tending to animals, he must have had considerable experience in real magical combat.
Yet the Skeleton Principal had subdued such a professor in a single strike before sending him back to Einrogard. It was an unbelievable display of power.
"You all seem curious why Professor Bendozol lost so pitifully."
Noticing the students' stunned expressions, the Skeleton Principal kindly began to explain.
Even if they didn't understand right now, it might prove invaluable to them someday.
"Wardanaz. Pay attention. You must understand this immediately."
"Wait—"
Lee Han was speechless at the Headmaster's extra harshness toward him.
"First, Professor Bendozol was careless. The moment he spotted me, he should have struck first. Letting a mage stronger than himself seize the initiative? Pathetic carelessness."
To wait for the Skeleton Principal to act first, despite being both weaker and injured—what a fool.
Professor Bendozol should have immediately unleashed his most powerful spell to block the Headmaster and then fled the scene as fast as possible. That was the only path, however slim, that offered any chance of survival.
Gainando raised his hand and asked,
"But wouldn't he get punished even worse if he got caught?"
"Of course he would! But when escaping, no one worries about what happens after they're caught. Remember this well, all of you. Once you make a decision, you must not hesitate."
Magic was influenced by the mental state of the caster.
If you resolved to flee, you had to commit everything to that escape. Half-hearted actions out of fear of consequences would only lead to failure.
"I-I see...! So that's why I couldn't escape Einrogard—"
The Skeleton Principal hung Gainando upside down mid-sentence and continued.
"Second, the spells he had prepared were pitiful. How many spells did Professor Bendozol have active?"
At the Headmaster's question, the upside-down Gainando answered in confusion.
"Professor Bendozol had spells active?"
"Is there no one else?"
The Skeleton Principal silenced Gainando too. The students exchanged opinions among themselves.
"Wasn't it six?"
"I thought it was five."
"Wardanaz. You answer."
"I counted up to eleven..."
"!?"
His friends were startled by the absurd claim.
They had all been watching, yet none of them had noticed.
"Well spotted. The rest of you—don't believe everything you see. Do you think a mage protecting themselves would reveal their defenses so plainly?"
Offense was important, but defense required just as much skill.
Exceptional mages didn't simply display straightforward defensive spells. They layered multiple spells, twisted and entangled them, making their true nature difficult to discern.
The very fact that the defensive spells' true natures remained unknown was itself a considerable advantage.
Just now, the Skeleton Principal had simultaneously projected mana toward each of the eleven defensive spells to quickly break through them, analyzed their principles, then released them all at once. It was Reverse Magic.
But had he made even the slightest mistake, or if the spells had been more numerous and complex, there would have been an extremely slight delay.
In that case, Professor Bendozol would have swiftly reinforced his defenses and attempted an escape.
Outwardly, it appeared the Skeleton Principal had subdued him effortlessly in a single strike, but beneath the surface lay a razor-thin, fierce battle of wits.
"The last reason is because I had several powerful ancient spells already cast."
The Skeleton Principal pointed to the dark pillar of energy connected to the sky behind him.
That was certainly an unusual and powerful magic he didn't normally show. Lee Han asked in puzzlement:
"Why did you cast them?"
"You called me saying it was an emergency!"
Whack!
The Skeleton Principal telekinetically snatched Lee Han's staff and smacked him once with it.
Since it seemed to be a spell he was quite fond of, Lee Han suddenly felt apologetic.
"S-sorry."
"So why did you call me? I can guess, but..."
"The professors were fighting each other..."
"I thought as much."
The Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue and glanced at Professor Lightning Step.
With Professor Bendozol and Professor Lightning Step growling at each other, the students must have been at a loss.
"...I also called because there might be a bounty involved."
"...You didn't call just for the bounty, did you?"
"That wasn't the only reason I called, absolutely not."
"Hmph."
The Skeleton Principal shot him a suspicious look before shrugging.
"Next time, only call me when it's truly dangerous. Do you know the story of the Shepherd Giant?"
"Not really. What is it?"
"Once upon a time, a giant tending Mountain-Destroying Sheep grew bored and lied that wolves had appeared to summon other giants."
"......"
"...?"
The students, not understanding, asked questions.
"What's a Mountain-Destroying Sheep?"
"Can wolves even catch Mountain-Destroying Sheep?"
"Quiet. And it's not that the wolves took the sheep—the giants liked hunting wolves, so they called them. They enjoy chasing wolves. Anyway, if you keep lying, eventually no one will believe you."
"But unrelated to that, if wolves really appear..."
"What even is a Mountain-Destroying Sheep?"
"Do Shepherd Giants actually exist?"
As the students pestered him, the Skeleton Principal shuddered in annoyance.
"Silence! Since I'm here, I might as well finish this business. You said Docheols are roaming around?"
"Yes. Strangely, they're moving in groups..."
"Must mean a leader has appeared. Occasionally, when one emerges, other Docheols gather under it. They're cunning and selfish creatures, but with a leader, they act as a pack."
"I've never seen that before."
"It's an exceptionally rare occurrence, so that's understandable. Professor Lightning Step—I can't even remember the last time I saw it myself."
With that, the Skeleton Principal declared:
"Wicked rabble, come forth before me!"
The dark pillar of energy writhed and pulsed violently before an arcane command spread from the darkness-engulfed sky toward the mountains.
Then, the scattered groups of Docheols hidden in the remote corners of the vast Sorrow Mountains floated into the air before being dragged before the Skeleton Principal.
The Docheol leader let out a bloodthirsty cry, thrashing in an attempt to kill the Skeleton Principal. Dark Element seethed wildly, shifting forms.
Wham!
With a single gesture, the entire pack of Docheols was swept away. The Skeleton Principal turned his attention to the next matter.
"The unicorn?"
"It's injured. Is there a safe place where it can recover?"
"Einrogard would be ideal, I suppose."
"!"
Not just Lee Han, but the unicorn itself brightened.
Few places were as safe as the domain of an Archmage.
But surprisingly, the Skeleton Principal seemed hesitant.
"There's a problem."
"What problem?"
"If we let it stay in Einrogard, Professor Bendozol will come pestering us, won't he?"
Lee Han thought the Skeleton Principal was joking.
But the unicorn looked genuinely troubled.