Episode 921
Episode 921
While the ancient archmage and the king of another dimension were left dumbfounded, Lee Han was taking his <Practical Healing Magic> exam.
Most exams in the Healing Magic department followed a similar pattern.
Enduring while healing an onslaught of patients.
"Junior, congratulations! We're lucky!"
"Excuse me???"
Lee Han was baffled by his senior's words.
The hunter before them had been continuously vomiting purple slime since earlier.
What exactly was so lucky about this?
Yet the Healing Magic department senior was beaming with genuine happiness.
"The patients came to the school themselves! There's been rumors lately that wild flying monsters have increased drastically, blocking the roads!"
Patients from across the Empire had visited Einrogard for various reasons, but that was only possible when the roads remained open.
No matter how much someone wanted to visit Einrogard, it wouldn't be easy if wild wyverns were rampaging across the skies in frenzied swarms.
If such conditions persisted, the worst-case scenario would involve things like:
-'Gather artifacts. We'll have to make the trip ourselves.'-......
For already exhausted Healing Magic students, breaking through external obstacles just to reach patients would be several times more difficult.
But contrary to rumors, the patients had arrived at Einrogard by their own means.
How incredibly fortunate was that?
"O-oh. I see. That is lucky."
"Right?!"
The Healing Magic senior burst into a relieved laugh and rushed toward a new patient. The newcomer's left hand kept transforming into various metals. 'I think the senior needs treatment as much as the patients,' Lee Han thought to himself.
Of course, it was good that the senior was happy, but...
There should still be limits.
"Gag, cough. Gaaack."
The hunter who'd been vomiting purple slime since earlier flailed his arms. Batrek quickly grabbed a bucket and threw the contents into a magical bonfire to burn.
"Here. Vomit some more."
"Gaaack."
The hunter glared at Batrek with resentful eyes.
Shouldn't a mage be trying to heal him instead of constantly telling him to vomit?
But Batrek was following standard procedure. 'Aside from the slime vomiting, everything else is normal. In cases like this, leaving it alone is correct.' Batrek checked the hunter's condition again. There was nothing particularly unusual about his temperature or pulse.
He'd likely been exposed to tainted magic or a curse—for such cases, it was best to wait for natural recovery unless the person's life was in danger.
Poking around to identify the cause might only strengthen the magic or curse, putting the patient at greater risk.
"Batrek. From what I see, there's a weak parasite attached to his soul right now."
"Huh? What??"
The dwarf friend who'd been fetching another bucket froze at Lee Han's words. 'Did he check in that short time?!' Without using detection or scanning magic, there was no way to assess someone's condition.
Batrek frowned, wondering if his Wardanaz friend had acted recklessly while he was moving buckets.
"Wardanaz! We agreed not to use magic unnecessarily since it could worsen things!"
"I didn't use magic."
"What?"
"I said I didn't use magic. Look."
Lee Han slowly extended his hand.
The weak parasite attached to the hunter's soul began being pulled outward.
He hadn't cast any spells or used any other methods. It was pure willpower interfering with another's soul.
"There."
With a gesture, the parasite drawn out from the soul vanished into nothingness. The hunter blinked in shock at his suddenly lightened body.
"H-how... how did you know there was a weak parasite on my soul without using magic? And how did you remove it??"
Batrek stared at Lee Han with a horrified expression and shouted.
Even the hunter, who had been vomiting purple slime, gave him a shocked look. So stunned that he kept the remaining slime in his mouth without spitting it out.
Not only had he sensed a soul without using any special magic, but he had even interfered with it?
"G-g-guh...?"
"Did you really not use any magic at all? Was it some kind of blessing or something?"
"Well. That's the thing."
Lee Han pondered where to even begin explaining.
There's currently a crazy magic thought-form in the mountain range, and while helping this guy, I happened to grasp an ancient magic technique, and upon realizing it, my abilities related to souls expanded... 'This is going to be way too long of a story.' "The explanation might get a bit lengthy. Is that alright?"
"Of course!"
"G-g-guh!"
Both expressed their agreement.
Fundamentally, perceiving and interfering with souls was a special talent, much like perceiving and interacting with spirits.
Not just the Illusion Magic school, but many other magic schools had fields that dealt with souls.
From observing the colors or wavelengths emitted by a soul to discern emotions or thoughts, to seizing and tearing out souls, or even temporarily separating and replicating one's own soul—there were numerous techniques.
However, the ability the young Wardanaz had just demonstrated was simple yet extraordinary.
To perceive and interfere without even casting a spell—such influence was unheard of.
"Right now, there's something resembling an ancient archmage's thought-form in the Einrogard mountain range..."
"......"
"......"
The story began much further in the past than they had anticipated, and both their faces stiffened slightly.
"...So, I ended up tricked by that wicked King of Yakshas into making a contract I didn't need to. Do you follow so far?"
"I'll hear the rest next time. Wardanaz!"
Batrek eventually gave up listening and had to return to tending to the patients.
Professor Alkasis was glaring at them with murderous eyes.
"Thank you, mage! I won't forget this kindness."
Meanwhile, the hunter, who had finally spat out all the slime in his mouth, also expressed his gratitude.
Lee Han picked up his quill and asked,
"But how did you end up infected with such a parasite? Soul-attaching parasites aren't exactly common."
Beyond mere curiosity, records like these would serve as valuable references for other students later, so he needed to document it properly.
The hunter answered with an embarrassed expression.
"W-well, I made a bet with a friend... to enter and exit a ruin."
"A ruin? What kind of ruin?"
Even among ruins, danger levels varied drastically.
Ruins like old hunting lodges used by hunters in the past were generally safe, but ruins like magic towers used by ancient magic criminals were as perilous as the upper echelons of Einrogard.
'It wasn't that strong of a parasite, so it must've been a minor magic tower ruin or something.'
"I heard rumors that it was a ruin where an evil god from ancient times once resided."
"......"
Lee Han's expression immediately turned grave.
The hunter, aware of how reckless he had been, averted his gaze to the floor.
"Uh... sorry about that. It's just... you know how alcohol and bets can be!"
"If you ever get cursed from a bet like that again, go straight to Baldrogard."
That said, thinking coldly, the likelihood of it being a soul parasite related to an actual evil god wasn't very high.
If it had been that powerful, it would've been far stronger—certainly not something that could be pulled out by Lee Han's willpower alone without any special magic.
'Probably just a false rumor, or contamination left behind by mages who experimented in the ruins afterward.'
What am I even doing right now?
"!"
Lee Han brightened and greeted the illusion of the Crazy Doppelganger that emerged from the <Echo Stone> embedded in his staff.
"Master! You've regained your senses!"
A prince never loses consciousness. Know your place and refrain from such presumptuous concerns.
'Hmm. If I bring up the past, he'll get angry, won't he?'
Lee Han restrained himself from citing the young Skeleton Principal of ancient times as an example and asking, 'Wouldn't it be nice to regain the gentler demeanor of your past self?'
Come to think of it, if Professor Verdus came and said, "Wardanaz, return to how obedient you were as a freshman!", Lee Han would probably punch him too.
What am I doing right now?
"I'm reviewing the exam."
You fail to grasp the intent behind the question. It wasn't a literal inquiry about what you're doing...
-Wardanaz! Over here!
"Ah. I'll contact you again later. I'm busy right now."
Lee Han turned off the stone and hurried over. Seeing the senior call him like that meant he probably needed help.
A moment later.
How dare you?
"No! I said I'd contact you again later!"
Lee Han was dumbfounded by the reappearing illusion of the Mad Clone.
He had clearly promised last time not to appear arbitrarily—so why was this happening?
'Could it be that the shock from the reversal conveniently made you lose your memory?'
Now, compare the vast ocean of magic laid before you, my disciple, to these worthless, insignificant beings scattered here. Which holds more value?
"The latter. I told you, I'm in the middle of an exam."
Lee Han scolded the Mad Clone as if asking what nonsense it was spouting.
It was fortunate that it had regained its senses, but perhaps remnants of the shock remained, as it kept spouting gibberish...
No matter how much you've contributed, this attitude now...
The Mad Clone, with an icy expression, was about to reprimand its disciple for lacking manners.
Regardless, Lee Han checked the patient and then chatted with the senior.
"No way. How did their organs turn into cotton?!"
"Calm down! It's not the worst-case scenario yet."
"How is a pile of cotton not the worst... Let's call the professor!"
"No! The professor is busy too right now!"
"Then... Ah. Master. Since you're here, could you help? Do you know what kind of magic this is?"
A curse using triple-layered Transmutation Magic. Pathetic. To be fooled by such a superficial trick.
"As expected...! Such deception!"
A common trick used by lowlifes.
Lee Han marveled at the Mad Clone's advice and immediately followed it.
Indeed, the curse had layered Transmutation Magic to confuse mages trying to dispel it.
But more importantly now...
"Master, should we heal this curse right away, or is it better to just restore them with a potion and leave it at that?"
Of course, leave it. Is that even a question?
The Mad Clone answered again.
Ignoring it wasn't an option—its disciple kept asking such idiotic questions that it couldn't just let it slide.
The words of royalty mean this: Do not waste time on such a worthless exam. Return at once and receive the arcane teachings, disciple.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll finish this and contact you again for real."
Having gotten all he needed, Lee Han mercilessly turned off the Echo Stone.
The senior from the Healing Magic faction, standing nearby, asked curiously,
"What kind of artifact was that just now? Its performance is incredible!"
"Haha. Thank you."
There were many wise artifacts that answered their masters' questions, but the stone embedded in Lee Han's staff was among the most exceptional.
Well, given the status of the one answering...
With the nuisance gone, Lee Han's work speed naturally increased.
After treating all the patients in his assigned area and clearing the beds, surprisingly, a brief break came.
"Break time! Break time!"
"Hurry down and collapse!"
The seniors rang a bell and waved their arms.
When rest was possible, hesitation meant certain failure. Lee Han and his friends boldly dashed down the stairs.
'To the sleeping bags!'
As he ran, Lee Han used telekinesis to unfurl his friends' sleeping bags near the warm fireplace. Batrek and Dijiling gave him touched looks.
"Wardanaz...!"
"Why go so far for this?"
Alongside his friends, Lee Han swiftly dove into his own sleeping bag.
Then, a familiar face appeared above.
It was the Mad Clone of the Skeleton Principal.
"......"
"......"