Episode 822
Episode 822
However, Lagesa had carelessly let her guard down.
The boy from the Wardanaz family, who had been dragged to the second-year area, was surprisingly quick-witted in these matters.
"Professor Lagrinde!"
"??!"
The Healing Magic students stared at Lee Han in shock.
Just what kind of audacity did this junior have to call out to a professor like that?
Summoning Professor Alkasis during such a busy time required immense resolve.
If this junior dared to ask something trivial, he might very well end up lying on one of the patients' beds himself.
Professor Alkasis, who had been holding a patient's intestines in one hand while casting plague-removal magic with the other, slowly turned his head.
Dark circles layered under his eyes from exhaustion.
The elven professor fixed Lee Han with a murderous glare that clearly said, 'If you've called me for something pointless, I'll kill you.'
"What is it?"
"Professor! Lady Lagesa, daughter of Torgerd, has arrived as a guest!"
"......"
Lagesa, who had been descending the stairs, was left speechless in disbelief.
How could a mere second-year be so adept at pulling an Einrogard-style maneuver?
"Lady Lagesa?"
"...Oh, long time no see."
She briefly considered pretending not to hear, but resisting a mage in their own tower would only bring her disadvantage.
Lagesa gave up cleanly. If she wasted time resisting pointlessly here, Professor Alkasis would undoubtedly bill her for it too.
"Good timing. Lend me a hand. Come over here."
"Brat. I came here as a guest..."
Lagesa grumbled, but Professor Alkasis paid her no mind. This was a man who would put even the Emperor of the Empire to work if he visited the tower.
"Well done."
"Haha. I merely informed you that a guest had arrived."
It was exceedingly rare for Professor Alkasis to praise any student.
Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Lee Han bowed his head flatteringly.
"By the way, why did you miss the last lecture?"
"...Uh, I was kidnapped by an ancient being."
"......"
Though Professor Alkasis was not one to overlook his students' laziness, even he was momentarily stunned into silence by this answer.
"I-I see. Glad you made it back. Have you decided on an alias yet?"
"Not yet."
"Don't take too long. It's not something to procrastinate over."
Professor Alkasis rasped gruffly as he swung his staff.
Letters began floating in the air and combining.
"This spell will determine a suitable alias for you."
-It might be 'Basilisk.'
'I doubt that.'
When the baby basilisk spoke with hopeful enthusiasm, Lee Han felt slightly guilty.
"Basilisk?"
The exhausted dark elf professor stared piercingly at Lee Han's sleeve. The frightened baby basilisk coiled even tighter around his wrist.
"Ah. Yes. I happen to be raising one."
"......"
"......"
The nearby patient and a senior from the Healing Magic school simultaneously turned to stare at Lee Han.
Since when could someone just "happen" to raise a basilisk?
"Basilisk venom is a potent remedy for Lavaweed Plague, Ajasha's Curse, and Malachite poisoning. Good choice."
"It's still young and can't produce venom well yet."
Fearing the baby basilisk might be taken away like the Alchemy students had attempted, Lee Han quickly made an excuse.
Professor Alkasis then asked with genuine confusion,
"If it can't even make venom, why are you carrying it around?"
"......"
-I-I can make it!
Should I make some?
-Be quiet.
Meanwhile, the floating letters in the air fully combined. Without even looking, Alkasis slashed through them with a stroke.
"Take this. It came out well."
"..."
"Thank y..."
"Os, what does he mean by 'came out well'?" Lee Han suspected that Professor Alkasis had not only thrown the spell carelessly without looking but might have also cast the magic half-heartedly.
* * *
After the brief conversation with the professor, Lee Han and the other students were all deployed into actual practice. The second-years had their own struggles, the third-years theirs, and Lagesa had to move about laboriously and unhappily on her own.
"So, let's see... if blue spots bloom on your back like this... it means you either ate Blue King Mushrooms incorrectly, or you're already a corpse and have been affected by Black Magic!"
"..."
"Do I look like a corpse to you, mage?"
"Ah, no. Have you eaten any mushrooms recently?"
"Yes..."
Angrago avoided the patient's suspicious gaze and hastily ran to fetch a potion from the shelf.
The massive shelf was crammed with all sorts of labels, nameplates, potions, and ingredients—just looking at it was enough to make one dizzy.
[Potion for Dead Patients Affected by Poisonous Mushrooms]
[Potion for Patients Who Can't Speak Due to Poisonous Mushrooms]
[Potion for Poisonous Mushrooms That Lets You Walk After Consumption]
'Found it!' Angrago grabbed one of the potions above the [Potion for Poisonous Mushrooms That Lets You Walk After Consumption] and rushed back.
Though it was easy to get confused because of Wardanaz, cases where someone single-handedly treated dozens of critically injured patients in an emergency were extremely rare.
Normally, healing mages were given a bit more time.
Patients who made it this far usually had peculiar or stubborn ailments that couldn't be resolved nearby, and since diagnosing them was the top priority for healing mages, this was even more the case.
Thus, a significant portion of the work was resolved not through magic but through pre-prepared potions and ingredients like these.
Of course, the trial-and-error process sometimes involved asking patients if they were corpses...
Angrago popped the cork and tipped the vial into the patient's mouth, making them gulp it down.
As the blue spots vanished in an instant, Angrago beamed. 'Three already!' At this rate, he could consider breaking his personal record.
Feeling confident, Angrago glanced sideways, curious about how Wardanaz was doing.
"Gonadaltes, hold the patient tight. It's fine. He's undead, but a good one. This should clear right up with Cold-Soaked Jade Lily."
Without even turning around, Lee Han waved his staff.
From far away, the Cold-Soaked Jade Lily flew off the shelf. The skeleton warrior caught it, swiftly tossed it into a small pot, and began steeping the contents.
"Done. Next! You say your arm is broken and you see hallucinations every time you breathe?"
'What?' Angrago tilted his head in confusion. He couldn't recall any illness involving a broken arm and hallucinations upon breathing.
"Let me check. Hmm. You've been afflicted with a mana mutation curse. I should fetch a potion, but... eh, I'll just push it out with mana. Hold your breath. Done. I've expelled the curse. Try breathing now. Better? Now, let's fix that broken arm. Next!"
"......"
Lee Han began clearing the patients before him at an absurd speed.
Having assisted senior healing mages all last year and gained various practical experiences, Lee Han was not only knowledgeable about diseases but also sharp in detection and diagnosis.
And if he thought he could resolve it with his mana, he simply pushed through with mana.
Thud!
Spirits, evil spirits, and curse-based ailments couldn't withstand the impact of high-purity mana.
Watching Wardanaz heal ten patients in a minute using nothing but mana, Angrago felt not just shock but something stranger. 'Wait a minute... Does it seem like only those kinds of patients keep ending up in front of Wardanaz?' Sensing something odd, Angrago looked around.
Just then, a patient had arrived in the third-year section.
"How are you feeling?"
"I...I was patrolling near a graveyard at night for work, and ever since then, whenever I close my eyes, I keep hearing this eerie laughter... Ugh..."
"A weak spirit has possessed you. Do you see the second-year section over there? See that junior whose line keeps disappearing quickly? Go ask him to blast it away with his mana."
"......"
Finally realizing the truth, Angrago was outraged.
Not just the third-years—even the fourth-year seniors were pulling the same trick!
"Tch. This one's gonna be a headache to treat... How many potions would it take? <Lagrinde's Reverse Flame Potion>, <Dobruk's Blooddrop Potion>, <Birch Bark Potion>..."
"Just send him to Wardanaz and have him blast it with mana."
"Won't that drain too much mana?"
"Nah. Look at that line. He's got plenty to spare."
"Wardanaz! You're being tricked!"
"Huh?"
Startled by Angrago's shout, Lee Han was taken aback.
Being tricked?
Did he mean his enrollment at Einrogard?
"The seniors are sending patients to you!"
"...I know. Angrago, focus."
"Senior Alpha, please focus."
Not just Lee Han—even Dijiling shot him a reproachful look. Angrago sat down in confusion, utterly bewildered.
'Wait, am I the weird one here?! Aren't the seniors the ones acting strange?!'
"Break time!"
As no more wyverns arrived, Senior Falkrius cheerfully announced.
Students quickly lay down wherever they could.
Seasoned Einrogard students could sleep anywhere. They spread their cloaks on the ground, cast simple cushioning and warmth spells, and immediately dozed off.
"Phew. You worked hard, Wardanaz."
"Ah, Senior Falkrius. Does this mean we passed the exam?"
"You were getting full marks anyway... And honestly, grades aren't that important in the Healing Magic department. Staying sane is what matters."
"??"
Lee Han looked as if the sky had fallen.
Grades not important? How could that even make sense?
"What do you mean?"
"Huh? There are so few Healing Mages that grades barely matter. Even if you flunk, you'll get hired right after graduation."
"......"
Faced with this harsh reality, Lee Han tried to deny it.
"But surely better grades help... like getting assigned to the Imperial Capital or..."
"Bwahaha! They already have Healing Mages there!"
Places like the Imperial Capital—safe and comfortable—had little demand for Healing Mages, and the positions were already filled.
Most new Healing Mages ended up in rough, dangerous places where injuries were common.
'...'
Well, at least I'm studying other schools of magic too...'
Lee Han quickly shielded his mind.
One of the few perks of cross-department enrollment was the ability to mentally switch fields if your own seemed doomed.
"Phew. Anyway, if you're not sleeping, come with me for a sec. I'll show you something good."
"Huh? Hold on."
Lee Han tried to call his friends along.
But they were already fast asleep. He considered splashing water on Angrago but held back.
Ever since becoming second-years, even the White Tiger Tower students had started developing dark circles under their eyes.
"Let's go. But what's this 'good thing'?"
Lee Han imagined snacks, an escape plan using outside patients, or perhaps some shady backdoor deal.
If someone lasted until fourth year in this department without any of those, that would be terrifying.
Wouldn't that mean they endured purely out of goodwill and responsibility?
'No way Senior Falkrius is like that. I believe in him.'
"See that mage lying over there? He's from the Water-Horse Mountains Magic Tower."
"Yes. Did that mage propose some kind of deal? Like letting us sneak out?"
"What? No, I called you because the disease he brought is unique and interesting!"
"......"
Lee Han glared at Senior Falkrius with utter betrayal in his eyes.
So this was the kind of person he was!