Episode 69
Episode 69
It may sound belated now, but the Magic School was not a safe place.
Even excluding the professors, it was an environment where dangerous incidents were bound to occur.
First-year magic students learning spells couldn't avoid causing accidents even if they tried.
The rampaging summon right now was just one example.
Upperclassmen who had prepared summons for magic experiments at the start of the semester had lost control over them.
'...No, even if they lost control, does it make sense for them to rampage like this on school grounds? Isn't this a fundamental problem with the school's system?'
Listening to Professor Garcia's explanation, Lee Han was dumbfounded.
Still clinging to a sliver of hope, Lee Han asked again.
"I heard other summons have escaped too... They'll be rounded up soon, right? The empire's greatest mages are here at this school, aren't they?"
"Of course."
At Professor Garcia's words, Lee Han felt relieved.
So they can handle it!
"It'll take about a month to capture them all, Lee Han."
"......"
Lee Han's face stiffened. It was dark, and Professor Garcia, focused on the vine monster, didn't notice his expression.
"...Then what are we supposed to do for the next month?"
"You'll just have to be careful, won't you?"
Professor Garcia was dead serious.
It wasn't said with malice—if escaped summons were lurking around campus, they really would have to be careful.
...Of course, from Lee Han's perspective, this was utterly absurd.
'Professors will be professors!'
No matter how kind they seemed, every professor here had a certain amount of madness lurking beneath the surface.
Swoosh!
"Th-thank you! Thank you!"
Professor Garcia summoned a sharp ring of wind, severed the vine monster's tendrils, and safely rescued the trapped White Tiger Tower student.
Though it looked simple, it was actually a highly complex sequence of spells—first threatening the vine monster with mental magic, then cutting the vines with wind elemental magic, and finally using gravity distortion magic to safely catch the falling White Tiger Tower student.
Lee Han could hardly believe Professor Garcia had executed all of this in one fluid motion without even pausing to breathe.
'Incredible!'
Unlike the last time when things had been chaotic, seeing Professor Garcia cast magic with such composure now reminded Lee Han of a ballerina.
Just as a master ballerina could create an untouchable aura with nothing more than an extended arm or a lifted leg, so too did Professor Garcia.
"Are you alright?"
"Sobhicsob!"
The White Tiger Tower student, clearly terrified, forgot their knightly family pride and burst into tears.
Or perhaps it was because this was the first time a professor at this school had spoken to them with such warmth.
"But why were you outside at this hour?"
"Sob... The Wardanaz brat... came into the lounge... our tower's flag..."
"......"
Professor Garcia turned her head with a baffled expression.
It was absurd enough that they were out at night, but breaking into the lounge's magic barrier was even more unbelievable.
How?
But Lee Han was already gone. He had fled long ago.
Though he had successfully retrieved the flag, the expressions of the Blue Dragon Tower students were complicated.
Before they could even celebrate, an announcement echoed from outside.
Summons have escaped on campus. Students are advised to exercise caution. Let me repeat. Summons have escaped on campus...
The students were at a loss for words.
This school never failed to deliver fresh shocks every week.
Just when they thought, Surely nothing more could surprise us now?—something new would always appear.
How were they supposed to stay constantly vigilant even inside the school?
"......"
"...Do you think one of the professors let them loose on purpose?"
One of the Blue Dragon Tower students muttered.
If this had been the first week, reactions like "Don't be ridiculous" would have followed. But now, everyone exchanged serious, suspicious glances.
The students had nothing more to say.
This school never failed to deliver new shocks every week.
Just when they thought, 'Surely there can't be anything more surprising,' something new always appeared.
How were they supposed to stay on guard even inside the school?
"......"
"...You think one of the professors let them loose?"
Someone from the Blue Dragon Tower muttered.
If this had been the first week, they would've dismissed it as ridiculous, but now, everyone was seriously considering the possibility with suspicious glances.
"It's definitely a professor. I bet it was the Headmaster..."
"No! Professor Thunderstep is the suspicious one!"
"More importantly, why aren't they catching them right away?"
Lee Han, who had been listening quietly, thought to himself:
'Could it be because the professors just can't be bothered?'
Come to think of it, the whole "it'll take about a month" thing was strange too.
Just how many mages were there in this vast Magic School?
If all those outstanding professors mobilized and set up a perimeter, they should've been able to quickly deal with it—whether it was a rogue Summon or even an escaped dragon.
But fundamentally, professors rarely took direct action.
They'd have their subordinates handle even their own mistakes, and when it came to their students' mistakes, they'd push it onto the students even more.
So there was no way they'd personally move for something like a Summon breakout...
'If I say this out loud, everyone will be shocked, so I'd better keep my mouth shut.'
Out of consideration for the other students, Lee Han kept his thoughts to himself.
"At the very least, they should tell us what kind of creatures escaped! Aren't the seniors being way too irresponsible?!"
"Exactly!"
Their anger shifted from the professors to the faceless upperclassmen.
The freshmen grumbled and cursed the seniors.
Weren't they suffering because of their incompetent upperclassmen?!
"Stop complaining and eat your breakfast. Since you all had a rough night, I put in extra effort."
Lee Han lifted the large cauldron hanging by the fireplace.
The rich red hue of the tomato beef stew brought smiles to the faces of the Blue Dragon Tower students.
Though the amount of ingredients he'd brought from outside was substantial, Lee Han had no intention of wasting them—who knew when they'd get another chance to go out?
Still, given the current situation, he figured it wouldn't hurt to be a little generous. They'd all been through a lot.
'I should try growing more vegetables.'
Lee Han considered expanding the cottage garden.
Not just sweet potatoes and potatoes, but also wheat, maybe even some fruit trees around...
'I'd like to raise more chickens too. But if I start keeping pigs, will Professor Thunderstep think I've lost my mind?'
Tending to the garden had made him realize just how important fresh vegetables were to human life.
Simply having access to fresh produce could drastically improve the quality of meals.
Even this tomato beef stew was proof of that.
The umami and aroma came from the tomato sauce and spices, while the visual impact came from the large chunks of beef...
But what truly gave this stew its deep, rich flavor were the vegetables—onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms—all sautéed beforehand as part of the prep work.
'Wait, what am I even thinking about right now?'
Lee Han paused mid-revelation.
Somehow, ever since coming to this school, he'd been gaining more epiphanies about things unrelated to magic than about magic itself.
The Blue Dragon Tower students, exhausted from the night's ordeal, happily filled their bowls with stew and enjoyed their breakfast with bread.
Basking in the sunlight streaming through the stained glass of the lounge, the warm morning meal made them feel as if they'd returned home.
"Summons have escaped within the school grounds. Students, exercise caution. Let me repeat: Summons have escaped within the school grounds..."
"...This is ruining my appetite..."
"Then should I eat yours?"
"Get your hands away, or I'll challenge you to a duel."
Lee Han stood up, bowl in hand, and headed toward the Princess's private room.
By now, he didn't even need to be asked—it had become routine.
"?"
But unlike usual, the door didn't open. After knocking several times with no response from the Princess, Lee Han gave up and turned back.
"What's wrong? Did Her Highness say she wasn't eating?"
"No. She's not answering."
"Ah. She must be asleep. She must've been exhausted after last night..."
The students who attended the Princess nodded in understanding.
Well, given what had happened yesterday, it made sense that she'd be tired.
Lee Han felt a slight pang of guilt.
'She's not still holding a grudge about me using her as a hostage, is she?'
Unlike Gainando, Adenart was both capable and had many devoted followers among the students.
Even if not now, if Adenart were to say during vacation, "The Wardanaz kid held me hostage," it would become quite troublesome.
That's why he'd even been generous with the beef in the stew...
"Then let's not wake her unnecessarily. Wardanaz, thanks. The Princess has always been particular about food, but when you personally deliver it, she can't refuse out of courtesy."
"...?"
Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.
Was that so?
'I could've sworn she ate heartily before...'
Beside him, Gainando, scraping his wooden bowl clean with a spoon, asked:
"Isn't it better to wake her early than let her go hungry? You can sleep anytime, but eating..."
"Don't talk nonsense, Gainando! Do you think the Princess is like you?"
"Exactly! She's not that obsessed with food!"
Truthfully, Lee Han shared Gainando's opinion.
Since you can sleep anytime, wouldn't it be better to wake up, eat, then go back to sleep...?
'Whatever. Her followers would know best.'
"But Lee Han."
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to be okay for morning class?"
"Morning class... Oh."
At Yoner's words, Lee Han checked his schedule and froze.
"It'll probably be fine."
"......"
Yoner's eyes clearly said, 'No matter how I look at it, that doesn't seem fine.'
"......"
"......"
Basic Swordsmanship class.
Given what had happened last night, the White Tiger Tower students were glaring at Lee Han with extremely displeased expressions.
The only one who spoke to Lee Han was Durgyu.
Durgyu said firmly:
"You didn't need to do that for my sake, Lee Han."
The moment he was struck and fell, Durgyu had realized—
That the honorable Lee Han had willingly played the villain for Durgyu's sake.
After waking up, when White Tiger Tower students angrily asked, "Do you know what that bastard said about you?", Durgyu remained unmoved.
"If you can't do what's right because you're worried about others' opinions, then they're not true friends. Real friends understand both honor and friendship."
"Touching words, Durgyu."
Internally, Lee Han thought, 'Yesterday when I snuck in to steal the flag, it wasn't exactly about honor,' but he nodded respectfully to Durgyu nonetheless.
When the person you punched forgives you, it's best to keep quiet and accept it.
"So you don't need to play the villain anymore."
"Sure, sure."
Of course, Lee Han fully intended to act the same way if similar situations arose in the future, regardless of what Durgyu said.
Even if Durgyu didn't mind, the other White Tiger Tower students certainly would.
Even now, they were glaring daggers at Lee Han.
"Durgyu's being fooled again...!"
"Don't let him near that bastard!"
Some students were grinding their teeth and physically blocking the way as if forming a human wall.
Anyone seeing this would think Durgyu had been brainwashed by Lee Han.
"Good morning, everyone."
The elf swordsman and professor, Ingoldel, appeared leaning on his sword like a cane. The previously scattered students immediately straightened their postures and bowed politely.
Professor Ingoldel continued in an uncharacteristically gentle voice for a swordsman:
"Upon waking, I noticed escaped Summons roaming the school. It made me realize what an absurd place this is."
"......"
All the students nodded in agreement. It was something any tower resident could relate to.
"But since students must continue living here... I've been thinking. What might help?"
"?"
Lee Han suddenly felt uneasy.
When professors "thought about what might help students," it rarely ended well.
"So I've captured one of the escaped Summons. Let's practice by facing it together."
"......"
Lee Han began seriously worrying whether Professor Ingoldel was becoming corrupted by the school's influence.