Episode 913
Episode 913
Lee Han had truly left to submit his assignment.
Considering it was a result barely obtained by borrowing the power of an evil magic criminal, it was far too regrettable to just let it go.
Of course, to the Magic Criminal Hamster beside him, that attitude seemed utterly insane—
'Is he really thinking of submitting this while that tyrant is trapped in the workshop??'
"If I don't submit this, it's not like my master will regain his sanity."
The hamster trapped inside the cage realized there was no point in arguing further.
'From now on, when new magic criminals boast about their madness, I should bury them upside down...'
Newly emerged magic criminals often flaunted their insanity to leave a strong impression in front of the existing seniors.
But in Hamster's eyes, that was just pathetic posturing.
True madness should radiate subtly and profoundly, just like this.
Enough to make Hamster's fur stand on end!
"Why are you acting like this?"
Nothing.
"More importantly, the Yacha King recommended <Gonadaltes' Downfall>. What do you think?"
'What do I think?'
Hamster squeaked in bewilderment.
Even a magic criminal like Hamster had no objections regarding the Yacha King's power and abilities.
If <Gonadaltes' Downfall> was the best method in this situation, then that statement was undoubtedly correct.
"Do you have any other advice? Things to watch out for, key points to focus on..."
"Hmm..."
As Hamster flicked his whiskers in thought, he suddenly realized something odd.
Why was this guy asking him?
'Why are you asking me? Do you think I'm your master or something?'
Thinking about it, it was absurd.
Even if he had questions, he should be asking the Crazy Doppelganger, not him.
That guy who hadn't helped him once while he was trapped as a hamster in a cage?
'Well, he did give me grapes.'
"Ah, why are you like this? We need to cooperate to overcome this crisis quickly. For escape, my master needs to regain his sanity—in his current tyrant state, he can't even undo the magic, right?"
Lee Han, as if proving he was the tyrant's disciple, sharply assessed Hamster's situation and struck a nerve.
Originally, Hamster's plan was to temporarily banish the Crazy Doppelganger and escape once the magic binding him disappeared in the chaos.
But far from being banished, the Crazy Doppelganger was rampaging even more violently in its reversed state, making it impossible for the binding magic to be undone.
Even worse, if left unchecked, the Yacha King would eventually be overwhelmed and reverse-summoned, allowing the Crazy Doppelganger to seize control.
If the Crazy Doppelganger took control, its disciple might at least serve as a commander, but Hamster, trapped as a slave, could end up as a sacrificial offering.
'From now on, when new magic criminals boast about their wickedness, I should swap their arms and legs before attaching them back...'
Unbeknownst to him, Lee Han had raised the standards for magic criminals even further. Hamster asked:
'And the guy who knows all this is wasting time like this? Surely you're not planning to deal with the tyrant after finishing all your remaining exams?'
"If I submit this, I'm pretty much done with the exams. I already finished them in advance."
'From now on, when new magic criminals boast about their planning skills, I'll sew their mouths shut.'
While Lee Han was submitting his assignment, Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi began a serious magical discussion.
"<Gonadaltes' Downfall> is a truly peculiar spell. I looked it up, and in ancient times, it was used offensively."
"Indeed. A regrettable affair."
"Professor, aren't you interested in this spell?"
Professor Voladi slowly shook his head.
As a combat magic professor with extensive experience and established theories, he was actually quite picky when it came to selecting new spells.
"It's not suitable for combat."
Although the black mages of the Three Kingdoms era had modified this spell for offensive use, Professor Voladi found it inefficient.
Fundamentally, this spell was originally created to transfer another's decline onto oneself, so attempting to use it offensively had inherent limitations.
"Well, that's true. Besides, the conditions are already so demanding... What do you think about what that person said?"
The 'that person' referred to here was, of course, the Yaksha King.
To Lee Han, he was more likely to be called 'that bastard' or 'that punk,' but in Professor Garcia's eyes, the Yaksha King was an otherworldly being worthy of respect.
It was rare to find someone who would exert their full strength in matters unrelated to them, simply because of a karmic connection.
"He's probably right."
"Hmm. I thought as much."
Professor Garcia let out a light groan.
The reason for their current dilemma was simple.
In truth, the Yaksha King had strongly recommended Lee Han as the solution to the Withering issue. And it wasn't just a casual suggestion.
-Hmm. In my opinion, Os's disciple would be the best candidate to cast it.
-But with this spell, even Professor Bagrak or I could learn it sufficiently, couldn't we?
-Learning the spell itself would be possible, yes. But the essence of this magic doesn't lie merely in learning and casting it.
The Yaksha King explained the nature of the spell as he understood it.
Simple pain, wounds, or curses could be transferred just by learning and casting the spell.
Such concepts were already well understood even by ordinary mages.
But if what needed to be transferred was an ancient, deep-seated grudge of a grand mage, the situation changed entirely.
If the mage attempting the transfer didn't truly comprehend it—or only thought they did, grasping it superficially—
-There's no way Os would hand it over so easily, is there?
The two professors shuddered as they grasped the implication of the Yaksha King's words.
Hearing it laid out like this, the task was far more demanding than they'd initially thought.
If the Einrogard students heard this, they'd likely rage, "What kind of nonsense is this?" But in truth, magic was at its easiest when it was purely about theory, numbers, and diagrams.
The moment you introduced elements like soul, spirit, conviction, and intent—no matter how skilled the mage, without luck, they'd never reach that realm.
And now they had to deeply understand the Skeleton Principal's youthful convictions to cast it properly?
Did that even make sense?
-Can't we just kill him?
-Hmm. I must say, you are truly destructive and combative—fitting for the guardian and captain of this territory's defenses. But no.
-......
Professor Garcia, embarrassed for having spoken thoughtlessly, fell silent.
Professor Voladi listened quietly before finally speaking.
-I'll try to understand the Headmaster. Wake him.
-Hmm. Are you close to Os?
-Uh... Well... That is... We're on good terms, but...
Professor Garcia hesitated.
While Professor Voladi was relatively closer to the Skeleton Principal compared to other professors, was that really enough to call them 'close'?
-Very well. I'll wake him briefly. Everyone, be cautious.
The Yaksha King roused the Crazy Doppelganger, who had been held captive with his eyes closed.
Emerging from his suspended consciousness, the Crazy Doppelganger asked indifferently:
"Have you come to surrender, King of Yaksha?"
-No. This mage here wishes to understand you.
"Get lost."
With that, the Crazy Doppelganger shut down his consciousness again, conserving his energy until the Yaksha King's hold weakened.
-It was a failure.
Professor Voladi stated flatly. Professor Garcia, feeling even more awkward, hurried to console him.
-I-It's just because the Headmaster is in his younger state! If it were his recent self, he would've listened!
-That does make sense. Os is currently in a state where he's strongly bound by honor. He won't listen to outsiders. Wouldn't it be better to leave it to Os's disciple?
-Um. It seems you're not aware, Yaksha King, but Lee Han is still a mage with little experience.
-Hmm. Clearly that mage demonstrated enough ability to contract with the Guest Star last time... The reason you're saying this now—could it be that you're overprotecting him by projecting your past self onto your disciple?
-Wh-what? No! That's not it!
-Hmm. Seeing you get angry gives more weight to my earlier speculation. In any case, I strongly recommend entrusting this to Os's disciple again. Don't tell him about this conversation—just guide him naturally. If he finds out, he might feel unnecessary pressure.
"Still, maybe there's a way I can try to understand him?"
Professor Voladi shook his head again.
Professor Garcia wanted to extract only the necessary information from Lee Han and then cast the Withering herself, but the bond between a master and disciple was something outsiders couldn't easily replicate.
Most Einrogard students couldn't accept Professor Voladi's teachings, but why was Lee Han able to?
It was because of his trust in his master.
That crazy doppelganger would be no different.
"Ugh..."
As Professor Bagrak kept giving evasive answers instead of agreement, Professor Garcia let out a sigh.
After agonizing over it, Professor Garcia finally asked in a resigned voice:
"Fine. If Lee Han has to be the one to solve this, how exactly should we make him understand? Honestly, following the thought process of the Headmaster's doppelganger isn't easy, is it?"
It wasn't simple to genuinely comprehend the mindset of someone who, dissatisfied with the world's suffering, sincerely believed in conquering and ruling it himself.
If Lee Han had understood immediately, Professor Garcia would probably have started looking at him differently from the next day onward.
"I've been thinking about it. The best method is still Time Magic."
"Time Magic...? Ah!"
Professor Garcia was puzzled at first by Professor Bagrak bringing up his own field of expertise, but then it dawned on her.
Time Magic wasn't just about manipulating the present—peering into the past was also part of it.
Few things aided understanding as much as experience and firsthand observation.
And as luck would have it, Professor Garcia happened to possess an artifact perfectly suited for this situation.
"With the <Scepter of Kairos>, we can directly observe and experience the past. If the professor and I accompany Lee Han to assist him, it should work."
"...Professor Garcia, are you sure about this?"
Professor Voladi looked at her with slight concern. Regretting her usual lack of combat magic practice, Professor Garcia exclaimed:
"I-if we prepare thoroughly, it'll be fine! If we take precautions beforehand, we can handle any fights that break out!"
Professor Voladi still hesitated.
Professor Garcia was kind-hearted and lacked ruthlessness—she wasn't the type to even kill a bug.
Peering into the actual past was akin to visiting another dimension, and when a fight was necessary, one had to fight decisively...
After some deliberation, Professor Voladi finally nodded.
He could just assign the task of protecting Professor Garcia to his disciple.
"Thank you, Professor!"
"I should be the one thanking you."
-Perfect score, perfect score, Lee Han! Truly amazing! But there's one thing I'm curious about...
-Gasp. Did I make a mistake somewhere?
-Ah, no! Lee Han! I was just wondering why you wrote in such an archaic style. It sounds like something an elderly scholar would write. This was supposed to be a lighthearted example sentence. Did you use an old dictionary instead of a modern one?
-......
Having received full marks and now returning to the two professors, Lee Han grumbled incessantly.
"How could you interpret it like this?"
-......
Frustrated, Hamster burrowed deep into the cage and buried himself in the wood shavings.