Episode 813
Episode 813
"Hey, junior. Are you really okay with this?"
Diret asked cautiously. The memory of his junior being kidnapped by an ancient entity and nearly dying was still vivid in his mind.
Of course, if he had the strength, Diret would have loved to plunge a dagger imbued with a vicious curse into that crazy doppelganger's back. But when you lack power, you have no choice but to bow your head.
There was no benefit in provoking a being that bordered on a natural disaster.
"No. That bastard keeps spouting insane nonsense."
Lee Han, on the contrary, was bristling with defiance.
He'd already been forcibly threatened into putting on a forbidden ancient magic show for the Kallarogard students, and now there seemed to be no end to it.
Even the cursed swords from old tales that brought ruin to their wielders wouldn't have been this blatant about screwing someone over.
"If we leave him be, he'll probably order us to attack the Headmaster next!"
"W-well, that may be true. But if we just turn it off without permission..."
"Hmph. Then we just won't go outside."
With the crazy doppelganger no longer in sight, Lee Han grew considerably bolder.
His anger at having his interpersonal relationships constantly sabotaged was actually stronger than his fear at this point!
[Fool.]
"!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the illusion began flowing out again.
Rather than expressing anger or reprimanding Lee Han for arbitrarily deactivating the Echo Stone, the crazy doppelganger simply stared at him with emotionless eyes.
Lee Han quickly averted his gaze and began scanning the Echo Stone again. 'There must be a way to reactivate it remotely. I need to disable that function too.' [You will acknowledge this royal's mistake.]
"!"
Both Lee Han and Diret jumped in surprise. Lee Han especially. 'Wait. It actually has the capacity to recognize its own errors?' If that were true, this might genuinely be an upgraded version of the Skeleton Principal.
Could this doppelganger actually be the original...?
"Are you referring to when you ordered us to attack our seniors or professors?"
[What nonsense are you speaking?]
The crazy doppelganger didn't understand what Lee Han was talking about.
[...Then what mistake are you referring to?]
[You handle the Echo Stone better than expected. You must be blocking my access now.] 'Gah!' Realizing he'd been caught, Lee Han hastily withdrew his mana that had been extending like tentacles.
To think it could detect his mana probing the Echo Stone from such a distance.
By sensing even the slightest fluctuations in its illusion, it had discerned exactly what Lee Han was doing.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been an act of insolence worthy of having a magic criminal's head severed multiple times over. But perhaps because it held its disciple's antics in relatively high regard, the crazy doppelganger magnanimously settled for a reprimand.
[Now leave the stone alone.]
"No."
"Hey, junior...!"
Diret, having turned pale, tried to stop Lee Han. Pushing his senior aside, Lee Han retorted sharply:
"You keep appearing uninvited and trying to kill me!"
[A royal tried to kill you? Fool. Where did you hear such slander...]
"What were you thinking, loudly ordering me to take down my seniors and professors?! Do you have any idea how strong and wicked this senior is with black magic? The professor is even stronger and more wicked!"
"......"
Despite knowing it was a lie, Diret felt slightly wounded.
[I was saying you should devise a clever strategy to defeat them...]
"That's exactly why you shouldn't say it out loud for everyone to hear!"
[Anyway, that black magician is too weak-willed and lacks cruelty...]
"No! Maybe by your standards, but that person is plenty wicked and vicious!"
A sudden heated argument erupted between the two, growing increasingly intense.
Diret wore a complicated expression as increasingly exaggerated tales of atrocities he'd never committed kept being added to the discussion.
And astonishingly, the junior was starting to gain the upper hand in the debate.
After all, the moment they cut contact and held their ground, it was the other party who stood to lose.
"The original agreement was for you to teach me remotely, not to interfere arbitrarily like this!"
"It was you who sought wisdom prematurely, not at the appointed time..."
"If you're going to be like this, I'll just contact you after the semester ends!"
The Crazy Doppelganger glared at Lee Han with eyes filled with shock, anger, resentment, and disgust—all the emotions a teacher inevitably feels when instructing an ungrateful disciple.
"How dare you...!"
Unable to stand by, Intarendals stepped forward to offer his counsel.
-"Master, disciples are universally ungrateful and shameless creatures. No matter how much a teacher sacrifices to teach them, they forget the kindness and act arrogantly."
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and Diret simultaneously cursed Intarendals in their hearts.
'What is that old man babbling about?'
'How utterly despicable...! No matter how ungrateful, how could he say such things...'
-"Do not mistake them for beings like yourself, Master! You must think of them as immature, young beasts. That's just how disciples are."
The Crazy Doppelganger spat out a few more dignified ancient curses in response to Intarendals' words.
Intarendals, sensing his master's displeasure, quickly fetched a Magic Criminal. Curses and the Magic Criminal's screams soon followed.
"Wh-what was that just now?"
"Hmm? I didn't hear anything."
The Crazy Doppelganger barely suppressed his rage and spoke.
"Fine. I shall forgive you. You may use the Echo Stone as you wish."
"Thank you!"
"You will surely regret rejecting your teacher's manifestation so recklessly."
Having obtained what he wanted through brinkmanship, Lee Han transformed back into a respectful disciple.
"What do you mean? I always hold your teachings deep in my heart. It's just that handling even a single 5th Circle spell is overwhelming right now, so I must prioritize."
"Huh?"
Diret asked, dumbfounded.
'What assignment did this junior receive while I wasn't looking...?'
"Do as you please, brat. You must pass down the leniency you received today to your descendants for generations."
"Yes, yes. I will."
In the end, the Crazy Doppelganger permitted his disciple to handle the Echo Stone and declared that he would not appear again to issue additional commands.
It was an astonishing display of generosity, even surprising the doppelganger himself. Intarendals wept tears of gratitude.
-"Such magnanimity has never been seen before and will never be seen again! What disciple could ever enjoy such benevolence?"
"Enough flattery, Intarendals."
-"It's not flattery!"
'Can't these two just disappear together?' Lee Han thought to himself, watching the oddly well-matched pair.
-"Then I shall take my leave and escort the disciple."
"Understood."
"Oh!"
"Master! Wait a moment!"
"?"
Diret was bewildered as Lee Han suddenly called out to the Crazy Doppelganger again, just as their knife-edge conversation had barely concluded.
'Why?'
'What now?'
"Could you explain the Black Emperor's Crown one more time? This disciple is slow-witted..."
"What an idiot."
Though the Crazy Doppelganger looked at Lee Han with pity, he began explaining again.
As he listened, Diret made a silent vow: 'I must never ask about magic in front of this guy again.'
It was truly an act of insane consideration for Lee Han to ask about the very same spell Diret had inquired about earlier, without forgetting it.
Yukveltire looked around, searching for Diret.
He wasn't in the usual lecture hall, nor in the 7th-floor Bone Wraith Workshop, so the only place left was the Black Rock Hall.
Sure enough, upon entering the Black Magic faction's magic tower, she spotted familiar black wings. Beside him was the talented junior from the same tower, Wardanaz.
"So... like this... Even if I replicate the Magic Circle exactly, manifesting the mana seems difficult..."
"I could... supplement the mana... like this..."
"Don't talk nonsense... Yu—no, there are already enough crazy mages around... If they hear you... we're in trouble..."
"Who's the crazy mage?"
"Gahhh!"
Diret screamed as he slammed shut the book he'd been recording Black Emperor's Crown magic in. He'd been so engrossed in the forbidden ancient magic that he hadn't even noticed Yukveltire's arrival.
"Wh-when did you get here?"
"I believe I mentioned I'd be visiting earlier."
"You didn't."
"Diret. It seems your hearing has deteriorated or your memory is failing. Likely the effects of a curse..."
"Hey. What you actually said was 'Help with my research, I'll come find you soon.' I clearly told you not to come."
"?"
As Yukveltire tilted her head in confusion, Diret bit back a curse. Swearing would be pointless anyway, and more importantly...
"Senior. Shouldn't you clarify that you've been falsely accused?"
"Hmm."
Diret hesitated at Lee Han's whispered suggestion. Someone had to take the blame for using evil ancient magic on an outsider. Should he reveal the truth for justice's sake and admit it was his junior's doing? Or should he shamelessly betray his longtime friend?
Diret made his decision.
"Let's just say she did it."
"?!"
Lee Han was stunned—he'd naturally assumed Diret would explain.
"But you said you hated being falsely accused?"
"What do you want me to do? Mages can't just do whatever they like. She should do some things she dislikes too."
When Diret snapped back, Lee Han was too overwhelmed by his intensity to argue.
"..."
"At least help with the research. That'll do."
"..."
"I'll help too."
"Hey. That's a bit—"
"No. I have a conscience too."
"Junior. You're too..."
Unaware that Lee Han had been spreading false rumors in the Watcher Club, Diret looked at him with pity. Where else in Einrogard would you find such a pushover?
Though Diret didn't know it, Lee Han was thinking something similar about him.
'When it comes to dealing with Senior Yukveltire, you become much more of a pushover than usual.'
"We'll both help with your research!"
"!"
Yukveltire raised her eyebrows in surprise. Diret chuckled.
"Surprised?"
"Yes. I see you've both finally decided to act reasonably."
"......"
"......"
The two Black Magic students suppressed their hatred and maintained their smiles.
"So what do you need help with?"
"As you know, there are several people at the school right now who scatter gold coins without a second thought. I plan to persuade them to become sponsors."
"Who are these people who scatter coins?"
"First, Lagesa, daughter of Torgerd. Admiral of the Privateer Fleet. She's already invested in Professor Verdus, so she'll invest in me too."
Lee Han's expression became complicated. Though Lagesa was an eccentric pirate, it pained him slightly to see every Einrogard student treating her like a pushover.
"Next is Duke Icaldoren."
"Duke Icaldoren? Why him?"
"I checked—he's already entered the school. We need to claim him before others do."
'Anyone listening would think we're talking about picking up items.'
From the Duke's perspective, this was truly an unpleasant conversation. Were they really discussing him like some random item found on the roadside?!
"We'll persuade Lagesa first. I've already prepared all the magic to show her. Just need some polishing. Diret, you check the optimization. Junior of the Wardanaz family, you handle the mana infusion."
"Yes! Understood!"
Normally, the two Black Magic students would have bickered. But with guilty consciences, Lee Han and Diret readily agreed. Just this once, they'd decided to help.
Unaware of their schemes, Yukveltire's cold face showed satisfaction.
"You've truly realized it, haven't you? Both of you thought well. Neither of you has any reason not to participate in this magic. It's far more valuable than anything you could research alone."
Lee Han saw Diret clenching his fist and urgently whispered,
"Senior. You must endure."
"Grrr... That's really..."
"It's just because you're in a good mood, Senior."
"I think she's genuinely in a bad mood..."