Episode 864
Episode 864
'What Did I Do Wrong to My Junior?' Diret thought for a moment.
Of course, last week, due to a minor misunderstanding, he had forcibly taught his junior the <Skeleton Golem Summoning> spell.
But that was done with nothing but good intentions, wasn't it? Someone with as kind a heart as his junior should be able to understand and forgive...
Or not?
"I'm sorry, Senior."
Lee Han quickly approached and whispered in a small voice.
Even Lee Han could guess how shocked Diret must be right now.
After all, he had brought two professors into the classroom...
"You must have been surprised to see professors entering the classroom."
"Yeah. But I was more surprised by the dragon."
Diret was horrified by his junior's nonchalant attitude toward the dragon. Lee Han awkwardly tried to explain.
"I'm sorry. I thought the professors would be more shocking."
"That's His Highness?"
"Yes."
Lee Han, gauging his senior's reaction, explained why Jowurin had come and why the professors had accompanied her.
Surprisingly, Diret accepted it quite readily.
It wasn't exactly common for a dragon to be wandering around Einrogard.
"Now that I think about it, maybe it's better for the professors to accompany him."
"I thought I might have overreacted a bit."
"Huh? Not at all. There are plenty of lunatics around, so it's absolutely the right call."
"......"
Lee Han was momentarily speechless at Diret's absolute distrust of juniors.
Meanwhile, a conversation was unfolding behind them.
A Black Magic lecture! Jowurin was beyond excited!
"That's right, Your Highness. Contrary to popular misconceptions, Black Magic is an ancient lineage—one could say it's the orthodox successor of Ancient Magic. Moreover, Student Diret is one of the most talented students in Einrogard."
Professor Garcia further stoked Jowurin's anticipation. The young dragon's large eyes sparkled like morning stars.
Wow! Like Gonadaltes?
"Indeed."
"......"
Diret broke into a cold sweat at the conversation behind him.
He could understand Professor Garcia, but why on earth was Professor Voladi acting like that? 'What do you mean, like the Headmaster...?' "Senior. Hang in there. I'll help you."
"Yeah. Thanks. But, Junior."
"Yes?"
"Go sit over there."
Diret looked at Lee Han, who was standing by the lectern ready to assist, and spoke as if it were absurd.
The junior was supposed to be the one listening to the lecture, not giving it.
Why was he standing there trying to help? 'Oops.' Realizing his mistake, Lee Han returned to his seat. Jowurin wrapped her forelegs around him like a doll.
Seeing his junior struggling in discomfort, Diret silently apologized. 'Sorry, Junior. I'm just a mere student, after all.' He lacked the courage to boldly stand up to the professors and the high-ranking imperial family to defend his junior.
"First, the <Poison, Bone, Blood> lecture... is an advanced lesson on certain elements frequently used in Black Magic but whose importance is often overlooked."
"Student Diret. Please proceed comfortably without minding us."
"Just pretend we're not here."
"......"
Diret choked back his frustration.
If they really wanted him to not mind them, the three of them should have waited outside!
"...Last week, you learned Skeleton Golem Summoning, didn't you, Junior?"
"Skeleton Golem Summoning?"
Professor Voladi turned to Lee Han and asked. Trapped between Jowurin's forelegs and barely able to move, Lee Han nodded with difficulty.
"Yes."
"I see." 'What do you mean, "I see"?' Lee Han flinched at the sound of Professor Voladi scribbling notes with his quill.
If he hadn't been trapped between Jowurin's forelegs, he would have checked what was being written.
"You taught Skeleton Golem Summoning in the first semester? Student Diret. Even if it is Lee Han, isn't that too harsh on your junior?"
"No, that's not..."
Diret felt wronged.
It wasn't that he had taught it—he'd just tossed it to his junior as a way to take a break and relax for a day, but the kid had somehow stubbornly completed it within the lecture time...!
"...Well... I suppose I was a bit too harsh on my junior..."
'What does "even if it's Lee Han" even mean?'
Jowurin asked curiously, and Professor Voladi kindly answered.
"An exceptional student requires teaching that matches their abilities."
Ah! Like how Professor Bagrak used to beat Lee Han all the time?
"That never happened."
"......"
Professor Garcia stared at Professor Voladi as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
What surprised her even more was that His Highness Jowurin knew about this. There were already enough baseless rumors about Einrogard—she suddenly grew worried that this might spread even further.
"Ahem. So, Student Diret. With midterms next week... how is the <Poison, Bone, Blood> lecture progressing?"
"Ah. Well..."
Diret hesitated.
Truthfully, for the <Poison, Bone, Blood> midterm, he had planned to let the students choose one topic they wanted and then have them learn a moderately difficult spell.
The problem was that <Skeleton Golem Summoning> was more than sufficient to cover the midterm requirements.
Given that his junior was already taking so many lectures, he had intended to just have him resummon it and use that for the exam...
But with two professors and a dragon present, he suddenly felt self-conscious.
'Still, Professor Garcia would understand, right?'
He trusted that, if nothing else, Professor Garcia would take his side. Hadn't she been a student of the same discipline before?
"Actually, this was what I had in mind..."
Professor Garcia listened carefully to Diret's explanation with a cautious expression.
Surprisingly, Professor Garcia didn't immediately agree. Of course, she knew Lee Han was struggling, but regardless, Diret might have to take responsibility later.
Given the Skeleton Principal's temperament, he might find fault and send Diret to the Punishment Room, so she had to judge carefully.
Diret ending up in the room next to Professor Verdus...
Just the thought of it was absurd.
"Sounds good to me."
"......"
Professor Garcia stared at Professor Voladi again, as if she couldn't believe him.
This professor was unbelievable!
"Professor!"
"?"
"What if the Headmaster picks a fight with you later?"
"I don't think that will happen."
"...Well, I don't think so either, but... Student Diret. Still, it should be fine."
Professor Garcia was inwardly suspicious.
Was Diret not worried because he wasn't Professor Voladi's student?
'Now that he finally has a student, he's even scarier...'
So it's settled, right? Lee Han, Lee Han! Show me the skeleton golem!
Crushing the psychokinetic defensive barrier wrapped around Lee Han with sheer force, Jowurin urged him on.
Seeing this, Lee Han once again felt grateful that he had learned psychokinesis magic.
'Well, the Crazy Doppelganger was helpful after all...'
Wait. Isn't this Stockholm Syndrome?'
"Please wait. I will summon it."
For Lee Han, the prospect of reducing his midterm lectures early was a welcome relief.
At first, he had been worried about how he would endure so many lectures, but if he could cut them down like this, things might become much easier.
'If <Advanced Illusion Magic and Theory of Ethereal Studies>, <Staff Materials and Magic Amplification>, and <Terribly Beautiful Creatures> are excluded from the exams, and <Poison, Bone, Blood> is also removed... then there's Professor Garcia's lecture, <Understanding Intermediate Combat Magic>, <Elemental Magic and Its Applications>, <Divination Spells That Drive You Mad>, <With a Drop of Potion Instead of Complex Magic>, <Sword and Life>, <The Languages of the Empire: Flesh and Blood>, <Tragic History of Ancient Artifacts and Summoning Magic>, <From Caterpillar to Dragon>, <Life of a Wizard with Plants>, <Practical Healing Magic>, <Essence, Qi, Spirit>... Hm. I should stop thinking about this.'
Lee Han quickly stopped himself as he tallied up the remaining lectures.
If he kept calculating any longer, he felt like he'd inflict severe damage to his own soul.
"...Move!"
After taking out the bones of a large monster infused with dark and blood elements, Lee Han chanted the spell along with the ritual and issued the command.
The bones transformed, settling into the form of a massive summon—a medium-sized Skeleton Golem reinforced with dark and blood elements.
Jowurin clapped her hands in praise.
Magnificent!
"Well done."
"Not bad."
At the compliments from the dragon and the two professors, not only Lee Han but even Diret secretly let out a sigh of relief.
With only one student in the class, after all, the evaluation of the lecture would directly depend on that one student's performance.
Lee Han! Lee Han! Make it move forward now!
"Yes. Yes."
Unlike contracted summons, ancient black magic summons—directly commanded and constructed by the mage—had the advantage of carrying out miscellaneous tasks without complaint.
Jowurin was practically jumping with joy as she looked at the Skeleton Golem radiating a crimson aura.
Having only seen much smaller races until now, she finally had a playmate of comparable size to mess around with.
Lee Han! Jowurin will knock that bad guy down!
"My, my. I place my full trust in Your Highness."
Flattering her, Lee Han carefully controlled the Skeleton Golem.
Since it absolutely couldn't harm Jowurin, the Skeleton Golem had to pretend to attack while delicately allowing itself to be hit.
Whoosh, whoosh—
As the Skeleton Golem swung its fist through the air, Jowurin swiftly spread her wings and dodged.
Lee Han was too focused to notice, but Professor Voladi made an additional note.
Reaction speed—
Top-tier.
Dragons were an extremely rare race in the Empire, and each individual varied greatly. Since they could grow and change drastically in just a day, it was necessary to keep track of their condition proactively.
That way, his disciple wouldn't get into accidents when fighting a dragon.
Jowurin's strike!
Jowurin shouted the name of her technique as she swung her foreleg.
Once Lee Han felt it was about time, instead of defending or dodging, he deliberately left the golem's chest wide open.
Though reinforced with dark and blood elements using the bones of a large monster as a base, it still couldn't withstand the claws of a dragon brimming with mysterious and powerful magic.
CRASH!
With a thunderous sound, the Skeleton Golem collapsed. Jowurin flapped her wings and cheered.
Lee Han! Jowurin defeated the bad guy!
"Your Highness is truly the future of the Empire!"
'Even if he's my junior, he's way too good at flattery.'
Diret thought to himself.
Even if the professors were one thing, the way he knew how to win the favor of high-ranking imperial royalty was something else.
He couldn't even begin to guess what Lee Han was planning for the future.
Was he aiming to become the headmaster of Einrogard or something?
Still exhilarated from wrestling with the Skeleton Golem, Jowurin cautiously gauged Lee Han's reaction before speaking up.
Jowurin wants to fight again...
"Shall I summon it? It's not that difficult."
Really?!
Since he could keep summoning as long as he had mana, it wasn't particularly troublesome. When Lee Han nodded, Jowurin let out a joyful scream and tried to hug him.
'Ugh. I need to strengthen my psychokinesis further.'
The happier she got, the stronger a dragon's physical strength became—Lee Han's barrier screamed under the pressure.
Hey! Can't you make this bad guy even tougher?
"Hmm. At my current level, it might be difficult."
Thanks to Diret providing the bones of a large monster, which Lee Han had personally reinforced with dark and blood elements, they were already near their limit.
Such enhancements weren't infinitely possible—they naturally had to stay within the material's limits.
He'd either need to find better reagents than large monster bones or improve his magical efficiency.
After hearing the explanation, Jowurin's eyes sparkled again as she spoke up.
Jowurin has a great idea!
"What is it?"
Here!
Jowurin stretched out her foreleg and unfurled it. There was an unfamiliar material resting on it.
"What is this?"
Jowurin's teeth!
"......"
Lee Han's face turned pale.