Episode 97
Episode 97
14 multiplied by 19 equals 266, not 417. Not a single digit was correct.
Lee Han asked in a suspicious tone:
"Gainando. How do you make a Lesser Mana Recovery Potion?"
The same question other students had asked earlier.
If it were truly a Potion of Wisdom, it should have been able to answer properly like before.
"You cut off the base of the Galamaldu, then slice the remaining part along with your pinky finger. At the same time, you need to tear the Snowscent Herb thinly by hand..."
Though it answered with the same calm and composed expression as before, Lee Han wasn't fooled.
Right now, wasn't the base of the Galamaldu being sliced along with someone's pinky finger on the cutting board!
"So it wasn't a Potion of Wisdom but a Potion of Confidence."
"......"
The students from the Blue Dragon Tower genuinely looked disappointed.
They could have easily passed all their assignments and exams!
"But couldn't we trick the White Tiger Tower kids by selling it as a Potion of Wisdom?"
"Ooh..."
"What's with the 'ooh'? No, we can't."
Lee Han stopped the students.
The Princess, who had been about to stand up with the potion in hand, caught Lee Han's disapproving look and subtly sat back down.
"Why not?! Wardanaz, you know how rude and arrogant those bastards are!"
"Last time they even insulted you!"
"I know. But... wait. What exactly did they say?"
Lee Han tried to let it go but couldn't resist asking.
"They said you're way better at Black Magic than upperclassmen."
'That doesn't sound like an insult, does it?'
Lee Han thought to himself.
Of course, he understood the implied meaning, but as far as insults went, it was rather weak.
The White Tiger Tower students probably thought they were being offensive in their own way, but to Lee Han, it wasn't particularly...
He would have found something like "Wardanaz will starve to death after graduation" or "Wardanaz will fail to graduate and get dragged away by the professors" far more insulting.
"That's fine. I'll handle my own business, so don't get unnecessarily angry on my behalf. Right now, the most important thing is the lake."
"!"
At those words, the Blue Dragon Tower students remembered—no, were forcibly reminded of—the assignment they'd been trying to forget.
The assignment given by the Skeleton Principal.
"Do we really have to go all the way to the lake?"
"Can't we just give up on one assignment? Why should we cooperate with those jerks? What matters is honor, not grades."
At that, Lee Han, Yoner, the Princess, and Ashan all turned to stare at the speaker with shocked expressions, as if he'd said something utterly absurd.
How could anyone claim grades weren't important??
"Grades are honor. What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
"Exactly. Grades are repu—no, I mean, honor."
Lee Han had been about to say, "You need good grades to succeed in life," but he hesitated.
Most of the students here probably thought, "So what if my grades are bad? I've got my family—it's not like I'll starve," so it wouldn't have been very effective.
And...
'Saying that might be dangerous later.'
From what he'd overheard Professors Voladi and Kirmin Ku saying, declaring something like "My goal is to become a bureaucrat and climb the social ladder" within the magic school seemed... risky.
Maybe it was better to keep that hidden until he'd firmly secured his position and was ready to leave.
"S-sorry. That was thoughtless of me."
The student who'd spoken without thinking couldn't withstand the combined stares of Lee Han and the others and apologized.
I see!
So grades really were that important...!
'I was hoping to find something useful in the potion box.'
Lee Han sighed regretfully as he looked at the lake.
Specifically, he'd wanted something like a Potion of Water Walking or a Potion of Underwater Breathing.
No matter how he thought about it, the Headmaster's assignment seemed designed to screw them over in some water-related way.
Falling into the water, swallowing water...
But the only confirmed potions in the stolen box were Imperial Western Wine (delicious), Cantus Potion (grants singing talent), and the Potion of Confidence.
Lee Han seriously considered secretly feeding the remaining potions to the White Tiger Tower students little by little.
It would be quicker if he just administered them himself...
'Though it would be a bit troublesome if there were strength-enhancing potions or gigantification potions among them. They'd probably come to kill me first.'
Considering the risks, Lee Han decided to abandon the idea.
After all, testing unverified potions on people was ethically wrong.
"Shield, unfold!"
Lee Han chanted the spell toward the lake.
Mages specializing in water elemental magic found it much easier and more powerful when water was nearby.
The mana and mental energy required to summon water decreased dramatically.
...or so he'd heard, but Lee Han couldn't feel any difference.
'Am I just too inexperienced?'
Whether he used the lake's water or summoned his own, it felt roughly the same to him.
Perhaps it was because he was using low-circle magic.
The difference might not be noticeable at lower circles, but become more apparent at higher circles...
Lee Han experimented by reshaping the summoned mass of water into various shield forms.
There was only one reason he was alone by the lake on this happy Sunday morning, doing all this.
He was trying to find a way to cross the lake.
'Now that I think about it, this thing is disgustingly huge.'
It wasn't unreasonable that some students from inland regions had mistakenly thought, 'Wow, there's a sea inside this school.'
From where Lee Han stood, he couldn't even see the other side of the lake.
He had to find a way to cross by next week. The Skeleton Principal wasn't the type to make allowances for excuses like having no solution.
"Ferry boat, appear!"
Lee Han attempted to modify the spell, trying to shape the water into the form of a ferry boat.
He was trying to summon a boat made of water.
If Professor Garcia had been present, he would undoubtedly have been horrified by this absurd attempt from his student.
-No matter how overflowing with confidence you are, can you even imagine how difficult it is to maintain the shape of a ferry boat?
Maintaining a water shield and summoning a water boat to cross the lake were on completely different levels.
For starters, shields and ferry boats differed in size and density.
Naturally, the mana required was vastly different too.
Moreover, no matter how simple you made the ferry boat's structure, it was still incomparably more complex than a shield.
And unlike a shield that just needed to float in the air, this had to continuously maintain its form on the water's surface...
Lee Han soon realized this fact as well.
Indeed, summoning a water ferry boat wasn't efficient.
'This is definitely questionable. Could I really maintain this if I floated it on the lake?'
There was also the possibility of monsters or even the Skeleton Principal leaping out from the lake to attack.
Considering such scenarios, a water ferry boat was too risky.
'It's a shame to give up after successfully summoning it, but I'll have to abandon this approach.'
Lee Han cleanly gave up. And he released the successfully summoned water ferry boat onto the lake.
Another sight that would have horrified Professor Garcia had he been present.
-You shouldn't just release something you managed to summon like that!
'Enchantment magic, then?'
If potions and water boats were out, the next option was enchantment magic.
The branch of magic that involved directly imbuing items, substances, or living beings with lasting effects.
Magic for water-walking or underwater breathing also fell under enchantment magic.
The problem was that Lee Han had only learned enchantment magic indirectly so far.
He'd learned application methods in lectures like <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic>, but hadn't received proper instruction yet.
And even if he did receive proper instruction, it seemed unlikely he could master water-walking or underwater breathing spells as a first-year...
'Black magic is useless in situations like this too. Alchemy and enchantment magic are closely tied to practical daily life, though.'
Lee Han imagined Professor Mortum shedding tears.
'Lightning spirits are just as useless. If it were Professor Thunderstep's ice spirit that helps store ingredients and reagents normally... It could have frozen the water to make a path even in this situation.'
Next, Lee Han pictured Perkuntra choking up.
'Magic is really quite weak when you think about it...'
"Be careful!"
"Don't worry. Here, let's push it slowly."
"?"
Hearing voices from beyond the bushes, Lee Han lowered his stance and approached.
Surprisingly, his White Tiger Tower friends were building something resembling a small ferryboat. Even Lee Han, who knew little about such things, could tell it was nearly complete.
"!"
"Can we launch it like this?"
"Of course. I've done this many times."
Angrago, the goat beastman, answered with complete confidence.
Whenever knights were granted long breaks, Angrago would visit his mother's homeland with his parents, sailing across the seas.
Not only did he have ample experience handling small boats, but he was also confident in building one himself.
"Once we confirm it floats, let's go back and tell everyone!"
"Right! They must all be waiting. Wait... What if we find the way to the island directly?"
"That's a brilliant idea. Moradi would love it."
Angrago nodded enthusiastically.
While Moradi and the others' admiration would be nice, more than anything...
Just imagining that Wardanaz brat staring at him with a mix of respect and frustration sent a thrill down his spine already.
Heh. Angrago Alpha. I acknowledge you. To find a path I haven't discovered yet... You're far more impressive than I thought. I was a fool for underestimating you...
Even a Wardanaz who has mastered all dark arts wouldn't possess this kind of nautical wisdom.
Rustle—
With the sound of something moving through the bushes, Lee Han emerged holding his staff.
"Hey there."
At Lee Han's call, Angrago and his friend instinctively raised both arms. The staff pointed at them felt as sharp as a blade's edge.
"You... you bastard...!"
"Cowardly...!"
Angrago trembled with indignation, his horns shaking.
This was the ferryboat they'd painstakingly built over several days, sacrificing sleep.
They'd even named it 'Baphomet,' pouring their hearts into its creation—only to have it stolen by a staff-wielding bandit like this.
He wanted to fight back, but remembering the magic Lee Han had displayed last time made him hesitate.
Wouldn't Lee Han's staff strike faster than he could draw his sword and charge?
"My ferryboat! My ferryboat, just like this...!"
"Don't move."
The moment Lee Han issued the warning, he realized his mistake.
'Why am I threatening them?'
Originally, he'd approached the White Tiger Tower students to ask about their sailing plans and how they intended to navigate.
But when they suddenly raised their arms as if confronted by a robber, Lee Han had reflexively blurted out, "Don't move."
Habits are truly terrifying!
"Wait, no."
Lee Han lowered his staff.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I didn't come to steal your boat. I just wanted to ask how things were progressing."
"R... really??"
"But you pointed your staff and threatened to curse us if we didn't hand over the boat..."
As he spoke, Angrago realized that hadn't actually happened. In his panic, he'd misremembered.
"Must have been a misunderstanding."
The two White Tiger Tower students quietly lowered their arms. Lee Han also nodded, pretending not to notice.
"A misunderstanding."
"So you came because you were interested in the ferryboat I built?"
"Yeah. But..."
Lee Han paused and took a fresh look at Angrago.
This guy built the boat?
'This might be even more dangerous than one made by Gainando...'
"What?"
Unaware of Lee Han's rude inner thoughts, Angrago just looked puzzled.