Episode 840
Episode 840
"Ah, no, that's not it."
Lee Han's lie came half a beat too late, having been struck right in his weak spot.
Professor Garcia grumbled as if she already knew everything.
"You don't have to cover for him, Lee Han. Lady Lagesa has always been like that. She was the type to say it wasn't fun if she wasn't tormenting students."
"'Seriously?'" Lee Han was dumbfounded. 'If you exclude Professor Garcia, what value do the rest of the Einrogard faculty even have?' It was an extremely dangerous thought, but it could have easily turned into something worse than Baldrogard.
"Please ignore such nonsense."
"I am ignoring it, Lee Han. Then, shall we take the exam?"
"..."
"Yes."
"Just kidding. There's no exam."
The lecture on <Understanding Extremely Difficult and Obscure Divination Magic (Those Who Lack Confidence Should Not Attend)> did not include a pop quiz.
From Professor Garcia's perspective, there was no need to create a separate pop quiz to test the students for this particular lecture.
"Professor!"
"Are you happy?"
"Ah, well, I am happy, but I'm worried about you, Professor. Won't the Skeleton Principal send you to the Punishment Room?"
"......"
Professor Garcia's heart ached at the sight of her student, who had already matured far too much for a second-year.
"Don't worry, I won't be sent there."
"'Really? Professor Verdus gets sent to the Punishment Room whenever he skips exams on his own, though?'"
'Ugh.' Professor Garcia cursed Verdus internally.
She was really setting a great example for her students.
"As you know, Professor Verdus has his own... um... objectives..."
"You mean that objective where he wants to abandon students and focus solely on his own magic research?"
"...Thank you for spelling it out so clearly, Lee Han. Anyway, Professor Verdus has a long record of past offenses, so he frequently gets sent to the Punishment Room. I, on the other hand, have no such record."
No matter how much the Skeleton Principal enjoyed sending people to the Punishment Room, he didn't do so without reason.
This was especially true for faculty members. Losing even one would immediately create a gap in the curriculum.
Thus, the Skeleton Principal had strict criteria for sending someone to the Punishment Room.
If Professor Verdus skipped a pop quiz → Since it's Verdus, he must have done it with malicious intent → Punishment Room.
If Professor Garcia skipped a pop quiz → Since it's Garcia, she must have done it with good intentions → No problem.
"That's how it works."
"'Huh. Surprisingly fair, isn't he?'" Lee Han was slightly impressed.
Who would have thought the Principal would be so impartial in these matters?
"Plus, if I were sent to the Punishment Room, there would be a significant gap in Einrogard's affairs... For similar reasons, fifth-year students are rarely sent there either."
"What about Professor Verdus?"
"Honestly, even if he disappeared, there wouldn't be much of a trace left behind."
"......"
Lee Han was speechless. 'Just how much does he coast by...?!'
"Thank you, Professor."
"Ah, Lee Han, you don't need to thank me. I decided there was no need for an exam, that's all. You must be busy this week, so take it easy during today's lecture."
Professor Garcia handed him a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
Today, she was more interested in asking Lee Han how he had been doing rather than focusing on the lecture.
"By the way, Lee Han, I heard you all visited the Spirit King's domain together."
"Cough."
When Lee Han made a choking sound, Professor Garcia was greatly startled.
"Are you okay?! Was the coffee too hot?!"
"Ah, no. I was just surprised. The speed at which information spreads among the professors is... impressive."
"Well, teaching students is an important matter."
'That doesn't seem like something you can just brush off like that.'
Lee Han soothed his burning throat and set down the coffee cup.
"Is that your new staff?"
"Yes. It's not fully completed yet. I still need to process the Black Magnetite and fit it properly."
"Lee Han, this looks too much like an ancient magic style. Did the Headmaster ask you to do this?"
Professor Garcia looked puzzled as she examined the half-finished Caduceus-style staff.
Most staff designs in the Empire these days consisted of a special core material that served as the staff's heart, wrapped in stabilizing outer materials. This structure was efficient and allowed for stable magic casting.
But this method—simply intertwining two materials without a separate core—severely compromised stability. The mage would have to be far more careful, sacrificing output power as a result.
And on top of that, using two absurdly incompatible materials like Black Magnetite and the Spirit King's Sacred Tree...
"Yes."
Lee Han, who was already blaming the Black Book, immediately agreed. Professor Garcia grew visibly upset at his response.
"I don't understand why they'd recommend an outdated staff design too! You're already using dangerous enough magic as it is—it's not like they're telling you to use even riskier spells!"
'She's probably right...' Lee Han thought to himself before cautiously asking,
"Can I change its form?"
"If there's a powerful high-ranking spirit inside, it'll be difficult, Lee Han. You'd have to wake it up and subdue it again..."
Waking it would require considerable effort, and subduing it would be even harder. Lee Han recalled the King of Fighting Tree Spirits throwing a tantrum back then. Though it had been beaten into submission and lowered its tail, that thing would definitely come at him again once it regained strength. 'Guess I'll just have to deal with it.'
"Well... if there are drawbacks, there must be advantages too. I'll try to focus on the benefits."
Lee Han forced himself not to grit his teeth as he spoke. Professor Garcia nodded understandingly.
"Then let's ask Professor Verdus—I mean, request his help."
"Request what?"
"Processing the Black Magnetite. Professor Verdus is good at that."
"Is that possible? Ah, in exchange?"
Professor Verdus was the type who would rather die than do something he didn't want to, but surprisingly, he was quite willing when it came to exchanges. If Lee Han offered labor in return for processing the Black Magnetite, he might agree.
"An exchange? What would you exchange, Lee Han?"
"Helping with work, or..."
"No need. I've helped Professor Verdus before, so he should return the favor."
"...Professor...!"
Lee Han was deeply moved by his teacher's kindness. She was making Verdus repay a debt he owed her by helping Lee Han instead.
"After class, let's go tog—... No, it's better if I go alone."
"Let's go together? It might be better to show him the staff right away."
"Hmm..."
Professor Garcia hesitated. She knew that visiting Verdus would inevitably lead to some unpleasant exchanges, and she didn't want to drag her student into that.
-Professor, last time I patrolled for you, graded exams for you, prepared assignments for you, crafted artifacts for criminals you had to deal with, and managed materials for you... So could you take a look at Lee Han's staff?
-Huh? No.
-Hey!...
She really didn't want a second-year student hearing that kind of conversation.
But Lee Han wasn't naive either. He had already anticipated this. 'Professor Garcia is too kind-hearted—if she meets someone like Professor Verdus, she could get scammed.' If Verdus ended up piling on more requests while collecting his debt, Lee Han might clutch the back of his neck and collapse in frustration.
Suddenly, Lee Han remembered Diret flaring up in anger. '...Huh. Was this why Senior Diret got mad every time he saw me?'
After a moment of contemplation, Lee Han shook his head.
He was different from Professor Garcia. Unlike the kind-hearted professor, he was perfectly capable of acting selfishly. 'I'm definitely not the same.'
"Sigh. Alright, Lee Han. Let's go together after class. Was there anything else?"
"Hmm..."
Lee Han recalled the conversation he'd had with the Crazy Doppelganger just before coming here.
Aside from the story about the Skeleton Principal's past and an hour-long scolding, there had been a few other topics discussed.
"So you cast Small World?"
"Yes. With Dendrobium and Basileus..."
"Then you should be able to use it now."
"No...?"
"......"
"Sorry. But I can't even use 5th Circle spells right now..."
"Does saying 'sorry' suddenly make impossible magic possible? Hurry up. When exactly do you plan to gain even the minimum honor befitting a disciple? 'Probably not until the end of time.'"
The Crazy Doppelganger had encouraged him to practice casting Small World a few more times using the Black Book.
There were often cases where forcibly imprinting high-level magic into one's brain and attempting to cast it—whether it made you vomit blood or not—would eventually lead to mastery through sheer repetition.
And given the talent of a Wardanaz family boy, the possibility was even higher.
"But wouldn't I go insane if I fail?"
"You're worrying about madness before even attempting the casting?"
"Ah, yes..."
Finishing his recollection, Lee Han made a decision.
'I shouldn't tell Professor Garcia!'
'She might faint from shock if I do.'
"Lee Han. Are you currently debating whether to omit dangerous details to spare my worry?"
"'Gasp.'"
No. Why would you think that?
""
"Suddenly, that thought occurred to me..."
""
"It's not that. I was just thinking about something else. Professor, do you know about the Headmaster's past?"
""
"There's too much to know which part you mean."
""
"Um... when he was alive, I mean. Did you know he was a prince of a small kingdom?"
""
"Well, of course."
""
Lee Han was surprised.
"Ah. You read about it in history books?"
""
"No... The Headmaster mentions it whenever he's bored, Lee Han."
""
Come to think of it, that made sense.
While students might not know, professors would have heard far more of his boasts given their longer exposure.
"Then have you heard this too?"
Lee Han explained the goal the Crazy Doppelganger had in mind.
The ambition to purge the world's poison using magical power.
Professor Garcia listened to her student's words with a serious expression.
"No. I've never heard that before."
""
"What do you think?"
""
"Usually, mages like that end up as Magic Criminals..."
"......"
"Ah, no. Sorry. I should've thought before speaking, Lee Han."
""
"Thank you for your honesty..."
""
Professor Garcia's impression wasn't entirely wrong.
Mages who pursued unreachable goals either became eternal Sisyphus figures or went mad and turned into Magic Criminals—wasn't that how it went?
"I'd dismiss it if it were any other mage, but since it's the Headmaster's doppelganger, I'm a little worried. What exactly does he plan to do with something so impossible?"
""
"Is it truly impossible?"
""
"Well, Lee Han. I don't know everything about magic. The more I learn, the more I realize how little we truly understand. Maybe it is possible. But rather than debating possibility, shouldn't we question whether the method itself is right or wrong? Lee Han?"
""
"That's a fair point."
""
Lee Han agreed with Professor Garcia.
It wasn't about whether it was possible—it was about whether the path itself was right or wrong.
"Actually, that doppelganger asked me to continue walking the path in his stead. I suspect his lingering attachment to this world stems from that very goal."
"..."
"You should've led with that!"
Professor Garcia shouted in frustration.
How could they be having such a calm conversation when he might be shouldering an unimaginable burden?
"Ah, no. It's not confirmed yet. For all I know, the doppelganger might give up out of sheer frustration while teaching me."
""
"That seems... highly... unlikely..."
""
To the professor, the least plausible scenario was the Crazy Doppelganger abandoning his disciple out of dissatisfaction.
No matter how she looked at it, finding another student like Lee Han wouldn't be easy.
"Sigh. Fine. You won't listen even if I try to stop you, will you? You'll just go back to learn more magic."
""
"That's... not it."
""
Seeing the clear disappointment in his trusted professor's expression, Lee Han flustered.
