Episode 679
Episode 679
Dilette, maintaining his dignity as a senior, suppressed the urge to yell and guided Lee Han inside.
As expected, the old mansion revealed an entirely different scenery once they passed through the door.
The vast, dome-shaped space painted white was brimming with an academic atmosphere.
Mages dressed in peculiar outfits of all kinds gathered in small groups, conversing with serious expressions.
—You're saying the research funding was cut off?
—Yes! Sniff Of course, I did embezzle some gold, but that was solely for the sake of greater magic!
—I know. I know! Cutting off research support just because of a little embezzlement? How rude. What do they think magic is? It's because of people like them that magical progress stagnates!
—What do you think about the wand styles trending in the capital?
—Creating such an unstable structure just for one fire element? How vulgar! The trend will fade soon enough!
While mages were engaged in discussions at the front of the dome, those scheduled to present at today's Exchange Meeting were preparing at the back.
Spotting Gawon among them, Lee Han silently wished her luck.
After signing the guestbook, Dilette called out to Lee Han.
"Junior. Over here. You should start looking from here."
"What is it?"
"Snacks. The refreshments at this Exchange Meeting are decent."
Dilette personally picked up a plate and served him some fruit slices (fruit slices) and dasik (tea sweets).
"Remember this. The apricot fruit slices and chestnut dasik here are delicious."
"Ah, yes."
Lee Han was slightly taken aback by Dilette's unexpectedly serious demeanor.
For a moment, he had mistaken him for the Ga-inan Taoist.
"Um, Senior Dilette. Shouldn't we be preparing for magic or something like that at an Exchange Meeting?"
"Hm?"
Dilette, sipping his tea, chuckled at his junior's words.
"More than half of what gets presented at these meetings is garbage anyway. If you don't at least pick out the tasty snacks, you'll just be wasting your time."
To be honest, saying "half" was being generous.
Though he had claimed to be here for inspiration, the kind of magic that could inspire a mage like Dilette wouldn't even amount to one or two presentations today.
And that was only if luck was on his side.
"Fortunately, Princess Yukveltire is participating in today's Exchange Meeting. Her work should be worth seeing."
"Who is that?"
"Ah. You wouldn't know. She's a friend of mine. Also one of your seniors. She's moving up to fifth year too..."
Dilette tried not to show it in front of his junior, but his last words carried an unmistakable hint of anxiety and gloom.
Lee Han cheered him on.
"Hang in there. You'll do well, Senior."
"...What are you talking about?"
Realizing he had shown weakness in front of his junior, Dilette feigned ignorance with a forced cough.
"So, what was that about the headmaster earlier?"
"Well. It's a bit of a long story."
"We've got time to spare anyway. It'll take a while before things really get started."
Dilette shrugged as he replied.
"So, the reason we ended up going to the Sorrow Mountains was..."
Lee Han started from why they had gone to the Sorrow Mountains and went all the way to explaining why the headmaster had taken the unicorns with him.
At first, Dilette leisurely munched on his snacks, but before long, he had set down his teacup and was fully engrossed in the story.
"And then? What happened next?"
"The unicorns! Those poor unicorns?!"
Even nearby mages had joined in.
Lee Han and Dilette exchanged bewildered glances at the surrounding mages.
"Uh, this is an internal matter of Einrogard, so it might not be appropriate for outsiders to—"
"P-please! We'll keep it a secret!"
"Tell us! Gah! What happened?!"
Despite their desperate pleas, Lee Han and Dilette coolly stood up and moved to another seat.
"...So that's why the headmaster took the unicorns with him."
Only after hearing the full story could Dilette finally take a deep breath.
"Junior, you're really..."
"?"
"...There are so many things to point out that I don't even know where to begin. It's a miracle you're still alive!"
"I got lucky." 'More like unlucky,' Dilette thought to herself without voicing it aloud.
"Leaving everything else aside, I'm a bit worried you're getting too close with the Headmaster."
"Because my friends might mistake me for a spy?"
"...No... I meant magic. It was about magic. The Headmaster's magic isn't something to take lightly."
Dilette stared at her junior with a look of utter disbelief. 'Well, true enough.' Considering the absurd assignment Lee Han had received when they parted ways in the Sorrow Mountains last time, he could deeply relate.
"So Professor Bendozol is returning this year, right?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, stay strong, junior."
At Dilette's words, laden with unspoken meaning, Lee Han suddenly felt uneasy.
"...Is he really that bad?"
"A little? I still can't forget the time I had to fish a friend out of a kraken's stomach by accident."
Dilette gazed into the distance with a nostalgic look in her eyes. Of course, Lee Han couldn't share in such sentimental reminiscing. He stared at his senior with horrified eyes.
"Don't worry too much, junior. We've all been through it. Though the second-year lectures might get a bit harder, you've already been through plenty of difficult ones. It shouldn't be too different."
"Thank you for the... warm comfort..."
Lee Han replied with mixed emotions, unsure whether to feel happy or sad.
"By the way, Senior Dilette. Do you know what Small World magic is?"
When Lee Han asked, remembering what the Skeleton Principal had mentioned, Dilette gave him a puzzled look.
"I do, but why? It's not the kind of magic you should be concerned about yet."
Though confused, Dilette pulled out a piece of paper and began sketching a simple diagram while explaining. After all, they had time to spare, and in Dilette's eyes, this junior was so obsessed with magic that his curiosity wasn't surprising.
"You being you, I assume you understand what it means for a mage to cast magic?"
"To alter reality according to the mage's will..."
Since it was such a well-known saying, Lee Han answered without hesitation. Dilette nodded and continued.
"Right. But strictly speaking, most magic doesn't truly alter reality. It's closer to cleverly deceiving it."
Dilette pointed to a passing mage who was cloaked in a dazzling light spell. The cloak shifted through seven colors, emitting a unique mana wavelength.
"That's probably <Asen's Seven-Colored Illusion Cloak>. The standard method to cast it requires two magic circles, five types of reagents, and an incantation of at least four phrases. So why can't you just cast it with will, incantation, and gestures? Wouldn't that be much simpler?"
"Because of insufficient mana."
Lee Han answered immediately.
"......"
Dilette stared at her junior, slightly taken aback by the unexpected response.
"Well... that's not wrong, but that wasn't the point I was trying to make, junior. I was trying to say that altering reality isn't as easy as you might think."
Magic wasn't a discipline that created something from nothing without cost.
Any phenomenon required a price to achieve—whether it be mana, reagents, incantations...
"The reason all these convoluted methods exist is because, fundamentally, we're not changing reality but deceiving it. All these techniques are employed to cleverly trick it. To truly alter reality, lower-tier magic isn't enough. You need much higher-level spells and all sorts of arcane knowledge... and one of those is the realm of Small World magic."
Having said this much, Dilette fell into thought, wondering how best to explain.
"Do you know about Unique World magic? Probably not..."
"I know. I've seen it before."
"Ah. You know about that? ...Wait, what? Where have you seen it?!"
Diret was utterly shocked.
Had he seen it at the Wardanaz family?!
"I'll ask about that later... The Unique World magic is the pinnacle and supreme realm of magic. It literally alters the world itself according to the mage's will. But precisely because of that, it's an extremely abstruse and difficult magic... and very few even aim for it."
Not all mages dreamed of attaining magic like the Skeleton Principal's Unique World.
Since a mage's fundamental goal was the pursuit of knowledge, only magic relevant to their purpose mattered.
Magic that remained out of reach despite a lifetime of effort was simply inefficient as a means.
In comparison, Small World magic was far more localized and limited, yet it altered reality through principles similar to Unique World magic.
'So it's like a mass-produced version of Unique World magic.'
Lee Han reached his own understanding after hearing Diret's explanation.
Then again, even the Skeleton Principal had some semblance of conscience (though he had urged him to learn Word Magic immediately), so he couldn't outright demand he master the Unique World right away.
Instead, it was clear he had recommended starting with the Small World, which more people had managed to learn.
Unique World magic was the supreme realm of a mage—something no one could teach you.
In contrast, Small World magic had been somewhat theorized and was attainable with enough time and talent.
"Once you can unfold a Small World, you can truly say you're altering reality. The variety of magic you can wield within it also expands."
"Senior Diret, can you use it too?"
"Only... only with extensive preparation, and even then, just briefly under very limited conditions."
Diret gave a brief explanation of the Small World he had mastered—'Pentagrammaton.'
It was a Small World technique that removed the limits of Black Magic within the mage's body and immediate vicinity.
"But honestly, there's hardly ever a need to use it. It's far more convenient to just prepare things differently than go through the trouble."
If Diret ever needed magic beyond his limits, he'd simply fortify his workshop with various spells to dominate the area strongly, then amplify his own abilities with elixirs.
After all, strongly dominating an area with magic and amplifying one's abilities roughly produced effects similar to a Small World.
Mages were beings who always pursued efficiency.
"That's amazing!"
Lee Han gazed at Diret with eyes full of admiration.
"I told you I can only use it briefly."
"Even so, amazing is amazing. I respect you."
At his junior's words, Diret awkwardly averted his gaze. Receiving praise wasn't unpleasant, but it was still a little embarrassing.
Clearing his throat, Diret changed the subject.
"But why the Small World? Did someone tell you to learn it?"
"Yes."
"...What kind of lunatic?!"
When his joking remark was met with confirmation, Diret was horrified.
"The Headmaster told me to master some 5th Circle magics by the end of the year so I can get started."
"That lunatic has lost his mind!"
Diret was furious.
Seeing this, Lee Han was even more moved than before.
How many people would get angry at the Skeleton Principal for their junior's sake?
His loyalty surged on its own.
"This won't do. Junior, I'm writing a petition."
"Ah, no. It's fine."
"What do you mean, fine?!"
"I was planning to make excuses and get by."
"How?"
"I was just going to focus on easier magics, then claim I did what he asked."
"......"
Diret, who had been fuming, was left speechless in disbelief.
So right now...
Did this mean he was confident he could master the easier 5th Circle magics?
Once again, Diret felt the stark difference between himself and the genius before him and shook his head repeatedly.
"...Fine. Junior. It's your business, so I'll respect your decision. But if it ever feels impossible, don't hold back—tell me."
"Alright. If it gets too hard, I'll just tell His Majesty directly."
"Good... Huh?"
Diret, who had been nodding along, suddenly tilted his head in confusion.
Wait, did he just say 'directly' instead of 'petition'?