Episode 993
Episode 993
"Wardanaz. It's fine."
"We don't care at all."
Fortunately, the power of friendship was stronger than expected.
When his friends cheered him on as if telling him not to worry, Lee Han was moved.
"You guys..."
"Wardanaz, you've always been like that. It's not even surprising."
"Right. Last time, you mastered it as soon as you sat down."
"......"
Lee Han was flustered by the slightly different reaction from what he had expected of friendship.
"I-it's not that bad, is it?"
"What do you mean? You've mastered things even before sitting down before."
"True. Honestly, what you just said was even an understatement."
Baffled by his grumbling friends, Lee Han wanted to give an example like, 'I also struggle while learning magic like you guys,' but it wasn't easy.
Cornered, Lee Han unknowingly opened his mouth.
"Small wo..."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"...Never mind."
No matter how he thought about it, saying, 'Lately, I've been struggling while learning the Small World technique' would be insane. Lee Han quickly regained his senses.
"Now! Let's begin the lecture! Everyone, a round of applause for Lord Gonadaltes, who has agreed to assist with today's lecture!"
"Stop."
Clap—
Gainando, who was about to clap, cautiously stopped after sensing the mood.
Despite the Crazy Doppelganger's cold demeanor, Professor Rosine remained unfazed.
Professor Rosine had once been an imperial bureaucrat, and imperial bureaucrats were fundamentally accustomed to dealing with insane mages.
"You should still accept our thanks."
"That's right, Master. This is what proper etiquette looks like these days."
'Are you insane?'
Professor Rosine, despite having rebelled herself, stared at her student with horrified eyes.
But the fox beastkin professor's shock was understandable.
Professor Rosine had been carefully gauging the situation before speaking, whereas the boy from the Wardanaz family just...
...seemed to be outright provoking him.
"Tch. Fine. Hurry up."
Clapclapclapclapclapclap—
The most ominous applause in Einrogard's history filled the lecture hall. The Crazy Doppelganger scornfully glared at Gainando, who had made eye contact.
"Is this all the gratitude you can muster while clapping? Mage, is this the extent of your appreciation?"
"Eek!"
Gainando, on the verge of tears, clapped even harder.
"Alright! Let's continue studying the ancient script we covered in the last exam. Unlike mages of the past, modern mages must learn far more scripts and languages. It's unfair, but what can we do?"
"A valid point. And mages must never forget this fact—scripts and languages are lost and buried over time. In every era, mages have had to learn numerous scripts and languages."
"Thank you for those wise words, Lord Gonadaltes! Everyone heard that, right? No more complaints from now on."
Professor Rosine was thrilled by the ancient archmage's supporting remarks.
Oripulas tried to disrupt the lecture by saying things like, 'Why bother learning scripts and languages when you can just make a contract with a demon who knows them and solve it in one go?' but the Headmaster's doppelganger was clearly different.
"Is there any magic that lets you learn scripts and languages all at once?"
Gainando, still clinging to hope, asked.
Despite the professors and friends scolding him with 'Magic isn't that convenient,' he stubbornly persisted like a true mage.
As if rewarding his courage, the Crazy Doppelganger answered readily.
"There is."
"...Huh!?"
"Y-you mean it really exists!?"
Not just Gainando, but the other students were also stunned.
Such magic actually existed?
Lee Han asked in disbelief.
"How can such magic exist? Replacing the vast amount of information a mage doesn't know with magic is..."
"You still insist on imposing limits on magic. Use the Unique World."
"...Ah. Right."
The students quickly deflated.
No matter how lazy Einrogard students were, they weren't foolish enough to learn the Unique World just to avoid studying ancient languages.
Gainando refused to give up and whispered to Yoner:
"Maybe Lee Han would teach us?"
"...Never say that in front of Lee Han..."
Of course, Lee Han had already heard everything.
As Lee Han internally reduced their snack rations by 30%, Professor Rosine continued the lecture in a satisfied voice.
"Did you all hear that? There are no shortcuts in magic. Now! Student Lee Han! As the top scorer on the last exam, would you share with your classmates how you interpreted the texts and what references you used?"
The midterm exam had involved independently deciphering given ancient texts.
Since it wasn't an on-the-spot test, its purpose naturally focused on something beyond quick thinking or memorization.
Even now, the Empire is filled with countless ancient languages and scripts.
The true goal was to gain experience in independently researching from scratch, so they wouldn't panic when encountering such texts and could decipher them.
Professor Rosine wanted the Wardanaz family's boy to share the book titles he'd found with his classmates, as it would be helpful reference material for them.
"Uh... well..."
"It seemed quite antiquated, didn't it? From what I can tell, you referenced relatively old books rather than recent ones. Am I correct?"
"Well..."
Lee Han hesitated.
The Crazy Doppelganger grew impatient as his disciple wasted time.
"Answer quickly."
"...Actually, I asked an imprisoned magic criminal..."
"......"
"......"
The classroom atmosphere instantly turned icy.
Even Lee Han's usually tolerant friends—who would normally say "That's just how Wardanaz is!"—were left gaping.
"An... an imprisoned magic criminal? Where?"
"Did Wardanaz lock one up in his private room?"
As classmates whispered things like "Wardanaz locked up a magic criminal in his private room?", Gainando flared up.
"No! That's not it! Lee Han never locked up a magic criminal in his private room! He's just... somewhat friendly with a magic criminal trapped in the workshop!"
"......"
This explanation was still bizarre enough on its own. Lee Han sighed deeply.
"How can you even become friends with a magic criminal trapped in the workshop? Are you mistaken, Your Highness?"
"Maybe he mistook getting beaten up by Wardanaz for friendship..."
"Well, those White Tiger Tower guys do get beaten up all the time and still think they're friends."
"Hey, what did you just say?"
"Everyone, stop. He just transformed him into a hamster and locked him up. I only asked while feeding him."
Even the student who loved hamsters the most would now flinch at the sight of one after this statement.
The Crazy Doppelganger spoke disapprovingly.
"There was no need to ask such a lowly slave."
"The question was too trivial to bother you with, Master."
Though the Crazy Doppelganger would have dismissed it as a pointless question, Lee Han, as a seasoned disciple, knew how to flatter.
Meanwhile, Professor Rosine, having recovered from the shock, spoke again.
"A living mage would naturally provide better instruction than books or scrolls! Excellent work, Student Lee Han!"
"Professor... but a hamster magic criminal is a bit..."
One student hesitated, wondering if this was acceptable, but Professor Rosine quickly pretended not to hear.
Frankly, she was too shocked to think of a proper response.
Cough!
A cough echoed from behind, and Lee Han turned his head absentmindedly.
Then he froze in shock.
Because the one covering his mouth and coughing was none other than the Crazy Doppelganger.
'What?!'
While Gainando, who slept kicking off his blankets, could catch a cold, the Crazy Doppelganger wasn't a being with such a physical body.
Yet he was coughing like that?
Lee Han asked in a bewildered voice:
"Master, are you alright?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You just coughed like you were unwell."
"Never happened. Focus on your lessons. Spouting nonsense like this shows you've grown far too undisciplined lately."
"......"
In the past, Lee Han would have flinched, but now he didn't even blink.
Instead, he stared at his teacher with suspicion-filled eyes.
'This reaction is even weirder?'
"Teacher. Did you happen to drink or eat anything?"
Professor Thunderstep was a cunning and ruthless professor, so it wouldn't have been strange if he had secretly poisoned the Crazy Doppelganger without Lee Han knowing.
In front of Einrogard's professors, Lee Han always remained humble. The professors were beings capable of doing things far beyond his expectations.
"Such insolence has crossed the line. Do you think I can't discipline you just because you're a prince's disciple?"
After speaking, the Crazy Doppelganger grimaced and coughed again. Lee Han was horrified.
"It's poison!"
"What!? Where!?"
"Did that prince brat spill something!?"
"Hey! We should suspect the Alchemy School first!"
"The Black Magic School is even more suspicious..."
"Professor! I think Teacher has been poisoned. I'll take him outside for a moment!"
"Lee Han! Wa—"
Professor Rosine, sensing something was off, tried to stop him.
It was highly improbable that a Great Mage, who was essentially the Headmaster's avatar, could be poisoned without anyone noticing.
But before she could intervene, Lee Han swiftly escorted his teacher outside. Then, he sent a Paper Bird to Intarendals.
"Lord Intarendals! Over here!"
"Lord Lee Han. What is this...?"
Intarendals, who had rushed over urgently after receiving the message, was startled by the sight before him.
Lee Han was running toward him with the Crazy Doppelganger floating above his head using Psychokinesis. It was a surreal and bizarre sight.
"I think Teacher was ambushed! Even after all this, he hasn't retaliated!"
"Ah, even so, carrying him like this is..."
Intarendals quickly grabbed the Crazy Doppelganger and respectfully lifted him with both hands.
No matter how much mages were obsessed with efficiency, this was going a bit too far.
"Let's move to the workshop. I actually had something to tell you, Lord Lee Han."
Upon arriving at the mountain workshop, Intarendals escorted the Crazy Doppelganger inside.
After being told to wait, Lee Han felt his calm returning during the break.
'...'
Could it not be Professor Thunderstep?'
Upon reflection, the culprit might not have been Professor Thunderstep after all.
No matter how he thought about it, Thunderstep had little motive and lacked the opportunity to pull it off.
Rather...
-What's going on?
"Teacher collapsed."
-Much faster than expected.
Hamster answered coldly from within the wood shavings. Lee Han was startled and asked,
"You knew about this?!"
-Of course I knew. Don't tell me you didn't?
Hamster was baffled that Lee Han genuinely seemed unaware.
Granted, Thought-forms weren't common, but for a formal disciple to not have heard anything...
"Don't tell me..."
-You've guessed it, haven't you? That's exactly it.
"...Lord Intarendals is the culprit...!"
-Thought-forms can't last long in the material world. If they could persist indefinitely, Gonadaltes' avatars would have taken root all over the Empire, ruling as lords.
"...Ah. Because it's a Thought-form."
-What did you just say?
"Nothing. Indeed. I had my suspicions too."
Lee Han brushed it off and organized his thoughts.
Listening to Hamster, something clicked in his mind like a puzzle falling into place.
It was true—the Crazy Doppelganger's behavior had been odd lately.
If that was because its lifespan was running out...
"Then what should we do?"
'This brat. Am I your teacher now?'
Hamster seethed inwardly but held back.
After all, the other was a mage holding a grape, and he was just a hamster.
-We have to end it quickly.
Thwack!
The grape struck Hamster's back sharply. He squeaked in pain.
-Why!?
"Is that really something you should say right now?"
-It's the truth, you dim-witted brat! Do you think a Thought-form will just fade away peacefully? It'll devastate everything around it before— Stop throwing those grapes, damn it!