Episode 702
Episode 702
"What is this?"
At the senior's voice, cold as ice, Lee Han quickly replied.
"You looked cold, senior."
"Do you call that an explanation?"
'Huh?'
Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
This excuse had worked perfectly fine with Professor Verdus...
Apparently, Yukveltire had higher social intelligence than Professor Verdus.
'But why is someone like that behaving like Professor Verdus?'
While Lee Han was pondering this, Yukveltire removed his cloak and stared at him. His gaze held an equal mix of indifference and contempt.
"Place your hand on the clock again."
"...?"
Lee Han was surprised once more.
Amazingly, the other party didn't recognize Lee Han!
'What is this? Beginner's luck at the start of second year?'
There was a reason they called it beginner's luck.
Perhaps fortune was smiling upon Lee Han, taking pity on him as a freshly promoted second-year.
'It's not over yet. I need to get out of this without raising suspicion.'
Meanwhile, Yukveltire took out a small magnifying glass to examine his junior.
It was a magnifier equipped with a self-made high-grade mana recognition lens.
Though manipulating mana was what made a mage, being a mage didn't mean one could perfectly perceive the flow of mana.
Even in spaces that appeared perfectly calm and motionless, countless streams and fluctuations of mana were occurring.
The flow of mana was so complex that even those born with innate mana sensitivity struggled to grasp it purely through sensation.
This simple artifact created by Yukveltire allowed her to accurately perceive her junior's mana flow.
Determined to see for himself what nonsense the junior had pulled to make the artifact stop, Yukveltire activated it.
Crack!
The moment it activated, the magnifier's lens shattered to pieces.
"......"
"......"
Yukveltire tilted her head slightly in confusion. Then he cast a spell on his own eyes.
"Pierce through."
<Bakwantalana's Azure Eye>
As the spell activated, expanded spatial information flooded directly into Yukveltire's brain.
Though poor at remembering faces, Yukveltire was excellent at remembering mana signatures. He quickly recalled his junior's mana from memory.
"Second-year from the Wardanaz family?"
"...Could you be mistaking me for someone else?"
Lee Han made one last attempt at resistance with a resigned tone.
Having recognized his junior, Yukveltire now displayed a much friendlier attitude.
Of course, this didn't mean he offered tea or refreshments.
Simply initiating conversation and asking questions first already counted as extremely friendly behavior by Yukveltire's standards.
"Have you considered joining my research?"
'Here it comes.'
Bracing himself for the senior's question, Lee Han prepared his response.
Fortunately, he had prepared an answer for exactly this situation.
"I would be honored, but unfortunately I have a prior commitment. Also, that person said they wouldn't forgive me if I participated in other research simultaneously..."
"What rude individual would say that?"
"Senior Diret."
"......"
Yukveltire's expression showed slight disappointment.
Just as it was hard to imagine Professor Verdus making a disappointed face, seeing this senior do the same surprised Lee Han considerably.
"To say that to me and then try to monopolize you himself. Diret, how disappointing."
'Must not argue back. Must not argue back.'
Lee Han suppressed the urge to defend Diret.
After all, Diret had given him specific instructions:
-Junior, since you're in the Blue Dragon Tower, you might run into Yukveltire.
-What should I do if I meet him? Play dead?
-That's not a bad idea, but it won't work. Yukveltire would check your pulse immediately. Just use me as your excuse.
-Huh? Should I say you killed me?
-...No! Say you don't have time for other research because of me!
-But... wouldn't that be too damaging to your reputation, senior?
"My life's been at a loss ever since I decided to become a fifth-year. A little more loss here won't make any difference."
"......"
"...Sorry. That wasn't something I should've said in front of a junior. Anyway, using me as an excuse will probably work best with Yukveltire. Remember—no matter what Yukveltire says about me, just stay quiet. Don't argue back. The moment you argue, you'll get dragged in."
Though classmates mockingly called Yukveltire titles like "Verdus' Top Disciple," the truth was, Yukveltire was quite different from Professor Verdus.
If Professor Verdus had zero social intelligence, Yukveltire had it but simply chose not to use it.
Since they wouldn't hesitate to use any means necessary, they couldn't be taken lightly. The best course was to just keep quiet.
'Endure.'
As Lee Han steeled himself, Yukveltire smiled coldly.
"But I must say, I'm satisfied. Has Diret finally stopped wasting time looking after juniors beneath his level and devoted himself to his magic?... Now that he's a fifth-year, perhaps his mindset has changed."
'...If I challenge them to a duel, would I lose?'
For a moment, Lee Han nearly challenged the senior in front of him.
How could anyone insult Diret like that?!
Unaware of Lee Han's thoughts, Yukveltire continued in a frosty voice.
"If it's for Diret's research, I can make a small concession."
"Really?"
"Of course. I can just persuade Diret later."
"......"
Lee Han suddenly felt deeply worried for Diret.
Professor Verdus' idea of "persuasion" was basically tormenting someone until they couldn't take it anymore...
Just how different would their disciple be?
'I might really have to subdue them here!'
Completely unaware that a mere junior was seriously considering assassination, Yukveltire turned their attention back to the artifact.
"So, junior of the Wardanaz family... I've been thinking about why the artifact stopped functioning. You said you're taking quite a few schools of magic, correct?"
"Yes."
"That's likely the cause."
Yukveltire examined the massive lecture clock artifact and issued a command.
"Exclude replaceable lectures!"
If someone took many schools of magic, the number of lectures naturally increased as well.
Yukveltire ordered the artifact to exclude lectures that overlapped with others or could be substituted.
Then—
Ting!
"......"
"......"
The clock clattered briefly before stopping. Yukveltire's brows furrowed ever so slightly.
As an Enchantment Magic specialist, their pride had been wounded.
"I didn't anticipate this scenario."
"I-I'm sorry."
"Not your fault. It's mine. I overlooked it despite Professor Garcia's precedent."
"......"
Lee Han remained silent with a complicated expression.
He wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad.
"Then... let's try finding excludable schools."
"That's possible too?"
"Yes. I included some Divination Magic as well."
"!"
Lee Han was startled by the senior's words.
He'd known the artifact was complex, but it was far more impressive than he'd imagined.
To think it even incorporated Divination Magic...
"How exactly does this clock function?"
"There's a priority system. I mentioned schools, interests, and aptitude, right? Next are talent and professors."
"Talent and... professors?"
Lee Han frowned and repeated the words.
Talent made sense, but professors?
"Talent refers to abilities you might not even be aware of. If unusual lectures appear, assume you have an aptitude for them. As for professors—it's simply about compatibility. After all, learning is harder if you don't get along with your teacher."
"That kind of function exists?!"
Lee Han looked at it with awe.
He almost thought Einrogard should've used this magic instead of the Skeleton Principal's grand spell when selecting new students.
"Shouldn't the professors' priority be higher?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? In magic, compatibility with one's teacher is the least important factor."
Yukveltire looked at her junior with a pitying expression. Lee Han sulked.
Click, click, click... Ting!
"......"
"......"
While they were talking, the clock stopped again.
The furrow between Yukveltire's brows deepened slightly more than before.
"Why is it doing this now?"
"...It seems there isn't a single academic field where you lack talent. How astonishing..."
Yukveltire scrutinized her junior from head to toe once more.
He had thought Lee Han had exceptional talent in Enchantment Magic (along with spirit affinity as a bonus), but seeing this, he was absurdly versatile in every field.
How could someone be so evenly talented across all academic disciplines?
"I apologize for not lacking talent in any field."
"No. As I said, this is my mistake. Don't apologize."
A skilled enchanter doesn't fear discovering flaws.
The more flaws are found, the more artifacts can be improved...
Though he doubted another junior like this would come along...
"Fine. Then... let's search again for fields we can exclude. Focus on the professors you're least compatible with!"
"!"
When Yukveltire ordered him to find excludable fields based on the lowest priority—compatibility with professors—Lee Han was startled.
'Who on earth would be the professor I'm least compatible with?'
Honestly, he was curious.
There were so many likely candidates that it made it even harder to guess...
Ting!
The clock stopped again.
"......"
"...It seems there isn't a single professor you don't get along with."
"This thing is broken!"
Lee Han snapped angrily.
What kind of insane clock was this?
Or perhaps Yukveltire had made a mistake in her Divination Magic. What kind of enchanter even dabbles in Divination Magic?
"Do you have any idea how much I despise some of the professors?"
"I suppose. But it seems those professors don't dislike you. Given how the results turned out."
"......"
Lee Han felt a chill run down his spine at his senior's blunt explanation.
Thinking about it, considering the personalities of some professors, it wouldn't be surprising if they forced additional lectures on him if he tried to avoid them.
If this clock had foreseen even that...
'That's terrifying...!'
"No choice, then."
After a moment of contemplation, Yukveltire spoke again.
"Is there another way?"
"Exclude the easy courses you can self-study and focus on the difficult ones."
"Wait, what kind of—?"
Click!
The clock let out a puff of smoke and finally completed a full day's schedule.
From morning till night, the schedule was packed with barely any empty spaces.
Yukveltire nodded as if to say, "Copy it down." Lee Han reluctantly transcribed it with a deeply conflicted expression.
"<Staff Materials and Magic Amplification> is worth learning. Mastering it will significantly reduce minor errors in your research. Before the lecture, gather the following materials..."
Once the schedule was fully transcribed, Yukveltire gave additional explanations for some courses.
Before attending <The Tragic History of Ancient Artifacts and Summoning Magic>, he needed to prepare at least three mental-defense artifacts...
As Lee Han diligently took notes, he felt a slight sense of gratitude.
"Thank you, Senior. I didn't expect you to explain everything in such detail."
"I'm spending time explaining precisely so you'll feel grateful. So, has it made you want to help with my research?"
"No?"
Even after the explanations ended and evening arrived, Lee Han and his friends couldn't rest.
Before exploring the tower's new spaces, they had to deal with the smuggled goods first.
'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.'
Some were hidden in their personal rooms, some in the secret base, some in the cabin, and some in the second-year lounge...
Given the sheer quantity, they might not finish even if they worked all night.
"Junior."
"!"
As Lee Han was leaving the tower, he was startled to spot Diret.
"Senior. Lower your voice!"
"...Hey. You're a second-year now. Talking to me won't send you to the Punishment Room."
"If I meet a first-year, I'll get sent to the Punishment Room."
"What are you talking about? First-years can't even see you."
"The restriction doesn't apply to me."
"......"