Episode 990
Episode 990
'I worried for nothing.' Giselle decided that even if Wardanaz said things like 'I'm tired from getting involved with crazy spirits,' 'I'm suffering from getting entangled with crazy demons,' or 'I'm annoyed from dealing with crazy giants,' she should just ignore him.
Everyone has moments when their words don't match their true feelings.
Even the White Tiger Tower students, when faced with a polo match proposal right before exams, would say things like 'I really don't want to do this, but I guess I have no choice just this once' while getting up.
Wardanaz was probably in a similar situation.
"It seems this lecture deals with the study of learning."
"?"
Lee Han, sitting in front of the Crazy Doppelganger, tilted his head in confusion.
The books the Crazy Doppelganger was currently reading were related to <Magic Algebra and Arcane Geometry>.
"Magic Algebra and Arcane Geometry..."
"In the era of the royal family, they weren't called that. There's been quite a lot of progress in the content as well."
"!"
Lee Han's face lit up.
If the Crazy Doppelganger's words were true, then at least for this lecture, the Crazy Doppelganger might be a bit lenient.
In the past, the names were different, the subjects weren't as specialized, and many convenient formulas discovered later wouldn't have existed.
In that case, the current Einrogard students would be much further ahead in the curriculum than expected.
"Indeed. Then shall we just skip this lecture?"
"However, I see overly complacent aspects. As learners, you shouldn't just blindly memorize the formulas you handle—you should be able to prove and understand them."
'Huh?' Lee Han suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
It was an instinct honed as an experienced student.
Could it be...?
"Gather the other mages. I shall begin the royal lecture."
"...Yes..."
As he went to call his friends, Lee Han thought to himself, 'It's fortunate that <Magic Algebra and Arcane Geometry> is a second-year lecture.' Sharing the same pain with friends would make it somewhat more bearable...
Of course, there was no guarantee his friends would feel the same way...
"Mage. Using only a straightedge and compass, construct a cubic holy reliquary twice the size of this cubic holy reliquary."
"Huh?"
Gainando, who had dragged a chair over and sat in front of the Headmaster—no, the Crazy Doppelganger—along with the other friends, was taken aback by the sudden command.
"I... I can't do it!"
"Naturally."
The Crazy Doppelganger nodded.
Though there were many shortcomings, like true peers of a disciple, their fundamentals were solid.
The problem the Crazy Doppelganger had just posed was, from the start, one that couldn't be answered.
"This is a problem that cannot be constructed without borrowing the power of arcane arts or magic. It's been a famous problem since ancient times. Twenty-three mages even died trying to solve it..."
"Wow. How did you answer that so quickly?"
The Blue Dragon Tower friends were slightly impressed.
Of course, upon reflection, it was a problem they'd learned before, so it was possible to recall it, but Gainando had answered immediately without any hesitation.
Could it be that Wardanaz's education was finally bearing fruit?
"I just said I didn't know because I couldn't do it."
"......"
The friends shot him looks of contempt and turned their heads away. Gainando felt somewhat wronged.
He'd just honestly admitted he didn't know...
"However, there's a difference between simply memorizing that it's impossible and fully understanding why. As mages, you should naturally strive for the latter. You mages ought to be able to explain it."
As the students listened to the Crazy Doppelganger's explanation, a question suddenly arose, and they turned to Lee Han.
"Wardanaz. Wardanaz."
"Why are you calling me?"
"Is this the topic for the final exam?"
This semester's <Magic Algebra and Arcane Geometry> was proceeding in a rather unusual manner.
Due to the professor's absence, Senior Yukveltire had been conducting the lectures in their place.
Fortunately, Senior Yukveltire's lectures were far more coherent than expected (to be precise, much more so than Professor Ber Mo's). The students, who had initially panicked when the professor disappeared, had now all adjusted.
However, what the Crazy Doppelganger was currently teaching differed from the material Senior Yukveltire had recently covered.
What's going on?
"Uh... Probably not. There's no way the Headmaster would know our final exam topic in the first place."
"..."
"But why is he teaching this then?"
"Hmm. That's a reasonable question."
Nodding at his friend's words, Lee Han raised his hand and asked,
"Headmaster."
"What is it?"
"Isn't our final exam on Spirit Polynomials? If we're following the syllabus correctly..."
"That is unimportant."
"?"
The gathered students buzzed with murmurs.
How could that be unimportant?
"What do you mean it's unimportant?"
"Is he canceling the exam?"
"Is that even possible?"
"Well, since he's the Headmaster's doppelganger, maybe he has the authority..."
Despite the students' whispers, the Crazy Doppelganger remained expressionless as he spoke.
"What matters is for you mages to trace back and reflect upon the origins of the knowledge you're learning."
"......"
"......"
"Let us begin again. The purest and most artistic elements of Arcane Geometry are straight lines and circles. Great mages could depict countless transformations using just these two. Even after numerous tools, spells, and laws were discovered, the wisdom contained within never disappeared..."
"Wardanaz. What do we do?"
"Are we in big trouble here?"
"How noisy. Stand up."
"!"
Several whispering students were forcibly made to stand by the Crazy Doppelganger's command. Gainando was among them.
"Explain the impossibility of the construction problem I just mentioned."
"Uh... That is..."
"W-well... Without the help of magic or spirits... it's... difficult... because..."
"To achieve what you just described, one must be able to construct irrational numbers using only straight lines and circles, which is impossible. Constructible numbers are..."
"!!!!"
Everyone—both the students who had been forced to stand and the others—was stunned as Gainando rattled off his explanation.
"Did Wardanaz teach him that?"
"That's... insane. At this rate, he could teach a rock to sing."
Once Gainando finished, the Crazy Doppelganger waved his hand, and the standing students were allowed to sit again.
"Imperfect, but you grasp the essence. I'll let it pass this once. Should you disrupt a royal's teachings again, there will be due punishment. Mages, take heed."
The seated friends exchanged silent signals of gratitude while asking,
-How did you answer that?
Gainando also responded in silent signals.
-Lee Han told me.
-What? How? There was no chance!
-He stuck a paper note to my hand with Psychokinesis when I stood up.
"......"
The students were awestruck.
It wasn't the prince's magical skills that were improving—it was Wardanaz's.
'That monstrous guy. How did he manage that in such a short time...?'
'Is it even possible to control Psychokinesis with such precision?'
'Beyond that, the fact that he did it without getting caught while talking is even more impressive.'
While his friends marveled and the Crazy Doppelganger lectured, Lee Han was lost in his own thoughts.
'Am I taking a different exam again this time?'
Surprisingly, Professor Knighton, who taught <Magic Algebra and Arcane Geometry>, had an unconventional educational philosophy—he tailored separate exams (specifically, for one student) based on individual skill levels.
Thanks to this, since last year, Lee Han had been solving far more difficult problems on his own. Even now, it still felt like an absurd imposition.
Still, this time, since the professor wasn't even at the school and the Crazy Doppelganger was supposedly helping, he had hoped things might be slightly better...
'Hmm. Actually, it might be worse.'
Instead of spending time studying for the exam, he was now listening to the Crazy Doppelganger's lectures on ancient history and the foundational theories of Arcane Geometry. Was this really the right approach?
While Lee Han was lost in thought, the Crazy Doppelganger called out to him.
"Disciple, you must teach the other mages."
"Excuse me?"
"You don't seem to understand. We need someone to properly explain the royal teachings at their level."
When Lee Han raised his head, his friends were staring at him with hollow, devastated expressions.
It seemed the Crazy Doppelganger's relentless questions had already worn them down.
"...Ah. So that would be me."
The Crazy Doppelganger nodded as if to say, "Finally, you get it."
Grumbling internally, Lee Han rose from his seat.
'Yep. It definitely got worse.'
Intarendals, the Chamberlain serving the Crazy Doppelganger, emerged from the mountain workshop and made his way to Einrogard, following his master's orders.
Fortunately, with the Skeleton Principal absent, he didn't have to worry as much about the Death Knights keeping watch.
Had the Skeleton Principal been present, wandering near the Main Building in broad daylight would have been unthinkable.
'Still... hasn't the master been acting a bit strange lately?'
Recently, Intarendals had been sensing something off.
It was a subtle unease—something only a Chamberlain who had served his master with unwavering loyalty for so long could detect.
Who was his master, after all?
A seeker who sought to mend the flaws of this world through magic.
True, an unfortunate accident had cost him his physical form, turning him into a Thought-form exiled from the world—but to a great archmage, that was merely a trial.
Even now, his master's extraordinary nature was evident.
In the short time since his descent, he had already found a successor to inherit his legacy and was passing on his teachings. This wasn't just extraordinary—it was the kind of feat only one blessed by the heavens could achieve.
But...
'Shouldn't he be more aggressive in passing down his magic?'
The very reason his master sought a disciple was to fulfill the tragic ambition he could no longer achieve himself after being cast out from the world.
With the Skeleton Principal—that vile remnant obstructing his master—now absent and silent, why was his master hesitating?
"Master. Now that the situation has settled somewhat, I shall prepare to pass down the higher-tier magic."
"No need. Wait."
"Then, the Small World—?"
"No. That won't be necessary."
"??!"
"Wait. The royal has his own considerations."
Intarendals wondered if this was due to the recent awakening of the darker aspect within his master.
Admittedly, it had been shocking—but no more than that.
The timing and intensity had been unexpected, but both the Crazy Doppelganger and Intarendals had known such a thing could happen.
That was the nature of being a Thought-form—stripped of flesh and exiled from the world.
A life of constant rejection, never knowing when corruption might take hold...
If anything, shouldn't he be pushing the disciple even harder?
If his master was considering the possibility of being Reverse Summoned, this complacent teaching made even less sense.
The more aggressively he taught now, the more his legacy would remain when he inevitably descended again.
But this lax attitude... It was utterly incomprehensible.
Intarendals debated whether, as Chamberlain, he should overstep his bounds and offer advice.
'These items don't even seem necessary to pass down to Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family right now...'
What Intarendals was carrying from the workshop were items the Crazy Doppelganger had instructed him to retrieve.
Reagents and materials gathered to establish the workshop and set up surrounding spells after his descent.
And a few books written by the Crazy Doppelganger himself.
They were undoubtedly valuable, but giving them to a disciple who was already growing complacent would only encourage further laxity.
"This is strange... Even after the royal personally taught them, the remaining material has only increased?"
"Maybe it's because you keep adding content that won't be on the exam, Master!"
"!?"
Witnessing the scene before him, Intarendals nearly fainted.
What in the world was happening now?