Episode 229

“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to encounter one so soon.”

“?”

Lee Han was puzzled by Professor Millei’s comment.

He’d once visited the spirit realm with Professor Thunderstep’s guidance, and the beings from other realms were generally curious about intruders.

‘Don’t they usually approach even if you just stand still?’

…It was strange for them to run away from Lee Han; normally, spirits should be even more eager to approach.

“That’s true under normal circumstances. But as I said, there are safety measures in place.”

“Ah.”

The safety measures that kept powerful beings from approaching also hid the presence of the wizards.

Since their presence couldn’t be sensed, the number of otherworldly beings they could meet naturally decreased.

“But we still met one?”

“It must be because of your mana.”

Professor Millei looked at Lee Han as he spoke.

Even with the safety measures, not all of Lee Han’s mana could be hidden, so the undead must have been drawn to it.

‘So it wasn’t because of the others.’

He’d thought it was because he was with students talented in black magic, but apparently not.

Gainando looked at Lee Han with a face full of betrayal.

No wonder the undead kept showing up!

“So it was you, Lee Han…”

“Any complaints?”

“N-no. Thanks for summoning the undead.”

Gainando resolved that if he ever had to go to a graveyard in the future, he would never bring Lee Han along.

“I’ll keep this magic circle open until the weekend. Students who didn’t manage to make a contract today, keep trying.”

“!”

Lee Han perked up at the news that the magic circle would remain open until the weekend.

‘I might be able to find a skeleton mage.’

He had already contracted with a skeleton warrior, but getting one more wouldn’t hurt.

Clack—

Sharkan, who was inside the bone fragment, tilted his head.

He was asking why Lee Han would waste his mana on that.

“Gainando. Raphadael. Good news. The professor will keep the magic circle open, so let’s go back in and look for a new undead. There might be undead you two can contract with.”

“Wo… Wardanaz, that’s a bit…”

Raphadael shook his hand with a slightly pale face.

Lee Han, thinking he was making excuses, said firmly,

“Don’t pretend it’s hard, Raphadael.”

“…I really am out of mana, you jerk!”

Raphadael was angry.

He’d tried to hold out, not wanting to seem weak in front of Lee Han, but returning from another realm always took a lot of mana and mental strength.

Gainando, too, was sitting in his chair munching chocolate, clearly exhausted.

“Ah. You’re out of mana.”

“That’s right!”

“Then let’s rest for now and go back in during the next break. When’s your next break? Tell me.”

“……”

Raphadael felt a chill as Lee Han immediately tried to check his class schedule.

‘This… this guy!’

A fear of a fundamentally different kind, something even a big, rough-looking knight couldn’t inspire, stiffened Raphadael’s body.

“Hurry up and tell me.”

“There’s… there’s no need to bring me every time, right?”

“No way. I just feel safer with a fron—no, vanguard around.”

“Were you about to say ‘meat shield’ just now?”

“Don’t put strange labels on me. So, when’s your break? Don’t even think of lying. I can just ask the White Tiger Tower students.”

Gainando tried to quietly back away during the exchange. Without looking back, Lee Han said,

“Gainando, I already know your class schedule, so you don’t need to say anything.”

“…!!”

• * *

After class, once all the students had left, Professor Millei tidied up the room.

Since they’d drawn magic circles with various materials, the area was quite messy.

‘Is this the magic circle drawn earlier?’

Professor Millei noticed the magic circle Lee Han had left at his seat.

Since he’d tried to summon a shield form, it was probably not very far along.

But even failure would be a good lesson, so that alone was…

“?!”

Professor Millei was startled when he saw the incomplete magic circle Lee Han had drawn.

A first-year student who had never properly handled shield-type magic had completed a magic circle of this level?

…Was he truly a genius??

• * *

Raphadael wanted to avoid Lee Han and rest until his mana fully recovered.

And if they met again, he wanted to face him with at least four others.

But that wish didn’t come true.

“……”

“Hey. Nice to see you.”

Less than two hours later, he ran into Lee Han again at the black magic class.

“Cough. I sense a different mana from you three. Did you visit the undead realm or something?”

Professor Mortum asked, unaware of Raphadael’s inner thoughts. Lee Han nodded and explained what had happened.

“Cough, very well done!”

Professor Mortum coughed and cheered, his body shaking from the force.

“Is it that impressive?”

“Of course. Cough. Black magic isn’t just necromancy, but there’s no great black magician who can’t do necromancy.”

Handling the dark element, poisons, and curses were all part of black magic, but what most people thought of was necromancy—summoning the undead.

The secret magic of raising the dead.

“Cough. It’s a bit unfortunate you did that during summoning magic class… but still, it’s something. Didn’t the other students look at you with envy?”

“……”

Lee Han paused.

When he’d said he contracted with a skeleton warrior, the students’ reactions were…

‘They weren’t envious.’

They were amazed, but there definitely weren’t any who said, ‘Wow, I’m jealous, I want to learn black magic too.’

But Lee Han couldn’t bring himself to reject Professor Mortum’s wistful look.

“I think they did.”

“?”

“I knew it! Of course. Cough.”

Professor Mortum was delighted as if it were his own achievement.

Raphadael sent Lee Han a look that said, ‘That’s not how it went.’ Lee Han ignored him.

“Of all the otherworldly beings you can contract with and summon, the undead are the greatest and most beautiful. Once a wizard discovers the appeal of undead, they can’t help but be interested in necromancy. Cough. What’s the use of wielding sword and shield?”

There was a huge difference between a wizard imbuing mana and commanding every detail, and summoning anotherworldly beings with their own will.

No matter how you looked at it, the latter was far more convenient.

Of course, the latter also had its drawbacks.

Having their own will meant summoned beings didn’t always obey the wizard.

But if you’d already subdued and contracted with them, that problem was solved.

If not…

There were ways to eliminate the hostility of summoned undead, like living in a grave or smearing oneself with decayed matter.

Professor Mortum tactfully glossed over that method.

“Cough. Anyway, well done on the contract. Who did you two contract with?”

“Uh.”

“Ah.”

“?”

“We… haven’t yet…”

Professor Mortum frowned at Gainando’s reply.

“That’s not good. Cough. It’s rare to get a chance to go to the undead realm and contract.”

“Don’t worry, Professor. I’ll take them back before the weekend and make sure they contract.”

“Cough. You’re the only student I can trust.”

“Not at all. You flatter me.”

“……”

Gainando and Raphadael glared at Lee Han.

He was being extra annoying today, even as a friend.

“Cough. Imirg, you should go contract with an undead too.”

“M-me?”

Imirg, the giant-blooded student who had been quietly sitting, was startled.

He didn’t even take summoning magic, and had no interest in necromancy.

‘I don’t need Imirg, at least.’

Lee Han, who had already calculated things with just Raphadael, decided to spare his remaining friend.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to join…”

“No, we should all go together!”

“It’d be best if we all go. The professor said so too.”

Gainando and Raphadael cut in like lightning. Lee Han thought to himself,

‘What trashy friends.’

Dragging a friend along just because they didn’t want to go themselves!

• * *

Professor Mortum taught them the characteristics and how to deal with monsters commonly seen in the undead realm, in preparation for contracts.

And he told the students learning summoning magic, if any showed interest in undead, to take turns persuading them how great undead were, how excellent necromancy was, and how glorious black magic was.

‘It’s painful just to listen.’

Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Cough. Wardanaz.”

As the class was ending, Professor Mortum called Lee Han, who nodded as if he understood.

“Don’t worry, Professor. I’ll guide my friends and help them contract with a useful undead monster.”

“Cough. That’s not it.”

“?”

“Take this.”

Professor Mortum handed over a thick brown book. Even compared to the books Lee Han had seen so far, it looked quite old.

‘-Ancient Basics of Necromancy—On True Undead Summoning-?’

“May I ask why you’re giving me this book?”

Lee Han wondered why he was being given such a book out of nowhere.

Professor Mortum coughed and spoke.

“Cough. How many methods do you think there are for undead summoning in necromancy?”

“Two, right?”

One was summoning an uncontracted being.

Since they weren’t bound by contract, you had to control them with magic and soothe their hostility in various ways, but the advantage was a relatively free summoning.

The other was summoning a contracted being.

You didn’t need to control or soothe them, but the contract itself was a drawback.

“Cough. Wrong. There are actually three.”

“Three? …Don’t tell me?”

Lee Han paused.

“You figured it out.”

He had a hunch.

‘Is he talking about the magic item method?’

As he’d learned in Professor Millei’s class, for items without will like swords or shields, the wizard had to program all the movements and actions one by one.

But with undead, that was a waste among wastes.

You could just summon undead—why would you build it from nothing, step by step?

Starting from the mana required, everything was much harder—an extremely inefficient method.

Of course, it wasn’t used anymore. That’s why Lee Han had answered, ‘Two, right?’

“Cough. Correct.”

“These days, I heard nobody uses that method…”

“Not almost nobody—nobody. Cough. It’s a method from ancient times. This book contains that ancient method.”

“!”

Lee Han was surprised again.

It was surprising to be recommended a method not used anymore, and even more surprising to wonder why it was being recommended.

‘What’s the advantage… Wait. There’s a reason people stopped using it, isn’t there?’

“Why me?”

“Cough. The principal ordered it. He insisted that you should be able to summon undead even with this method.”

“……”

Lee Han’s face went stiff.

He’d thought maybe he was being recommended it because of some hidden aptitude or his abundant mana…

“Yes. Well. I’ll do my best.”

‘I’d better just brush this off.’

He was already managing his black magic grades well enough.

He could get perfect marks without learning such an outdated method.

“Cough. I believe in you. I’m sure you’ll master it. The principal said to check your progress every week. He said to send you to the punishment room if there’s none. What a joker…”

“……”