Episode 251

Episode 246

Maybe it was because it was so absurd, but instead of anger, I felt admiration.

‘Is there really a method like this?’

There was no need to persuade the students by saying, ‘My school of magic has these advantages.’

You could just forcibly kidnap the students as your disciples.

If Professor Mortum heard about this, he would slap his knee at the ingenious solution!

“P-Professor? I have no intention of learning healing magic.”

“I’m already majoring in one subject, but if I have to major in two… how am I supposed to keep up!”

“It’s already so hard I could die!”

“……”

The innocent protests of his friends made Lee Han’s heart ache.

Lee Han gave a bitter smile.

“Everyone, be quiet. I’ll explain in your place.”

Professor Garcia stepped forward.

“You all know about healing magic, right?”

The students nodded.

Healing magic.

If you were to name the magic most familiar to the general populace of the Empire, healing magic would be among them.

There were many opportunities to encounter it, it was widely used, and so wizards who could use healing magic were respected.

There was no need to explain how a necromancer and a healing mage would be received if they visited a village.

For that reason, of course, there were many wizards who wanted to study healing magic professionally.

‘Is there any reason to forcibly bring in students for something that isn’t even black magic?’

Most of the priests of the Phoenix Tower would want to learn healing magic, and a considerable number of students from the White Tiger Tower would want to learn healing magic as well…

“There are too few healing mages right now.”

The dark elf professor spoke in a tired and rough voice.

“So we increase the numbers.”

“???”

Before the students could get more confused, Professor Garcia continued to explain.

Healing magic was a discipline that took quite a long time before a mage could function independently.

Because it concerned human lives, unlike other magic, it was difficult to mobilize students who were still learning when something was needed.

Moreover, the difficulty and complexity of learning the magic meant that although many students entered to learn, the dropout rate was extraordinary.

“We already had a problem last year when a plague broke out in the Pessian region and there weren’t enough healing mages.”

So the healing magic professor, Professor Alkasis of the Lagrinde family, directly requested permission from His Imperial Majesty and the skull principal.

What should be done to solve the problem of too few healing mages?

The answer was to increase the number of students learning it (even forcibly).

If the number of students were drastically increased, even with many dropouts, the overall number of healing mages would rise.

So today, by simply testing the students and, if they showed even a little aptitude for healing magic…

“…We give them the opportunity to learn magic like this. Does everyone understand?”

“…Uh… If it’s forced, why is it called an opportunity?”

Professor Garcia pretended not to hear.

Sometimes, professors become cowards.

Professor Alkasis spoke in a tired and hoarse voice.

“Everyone be quiet. We’re busy, so no unnecessary questions. Only ask what’s absolutely necessary.”

“Professor. I’m currently majoring in summoning magic, so healing magic is…”

The voice of the student who was asking a necessary question faded away.

Realizing that the professor’s silence magic was no joke, all the students closed their mouths.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“Right…”

‘Isn’t this just the average for a magic school?’

Unlike the students who were shocked and whispering, Lee Han wasn’t particularly shocked.

It was just like, ‘Ah, they’re professors, after all.’

“What time is it now?”

“It’s three-thirty.”

At Professor Garcia’s answer, Professor Alkasis blinked dry eyes and nodded.

They had a packed schedule even after the lecture, so they needed to check the time.

“What are you going out for this time? Don’t tell me it’s the Krongdul Guild internal conflict that was mentioned before?”

Professor Alkasis was so tired he didn’t even answer with words. When he just blinked, Professor Garcia sighed.

“My goodness… Adventurers brawling among themselves. And inside the city, no less. It’s truly unforgivable. Will you be alright without help?”

“That’s why I’m taking the third years with me. Water, please.”

“Here you go.”

While Professor Alkasis quickly emptied a water bottle, Professor Garcia continued.

“Taking even the third years with you…”

“The second years aren’t much help even if I take them.”

“…I wasn’t asking why you’re not taking the second years.”

Professor Garcia spoke with a tired expression.

And Lee Han also listened with a tired expression.

‘This place is hell in its own way, too.’

A different kind of hell from what the skull principal, Professor Voladi, or Professor Verdus would create.

This wasn’t the professor’s fault.

It was the fault of the Empire.

There were many who were injured and dying, but too few healing mages, so the workload for healing mages was unbelievably high.

Hearing that even the third-year students would be taken out…

“Professor. I really have no interest in healing magic…”

“No exceptions.”

“Professor. I’m already taking two majors! Two!!”

“As I said, no exceptions. Be quiet.”

Professor Alkasis spoke with the firmness of a rock, without the slightest tremor.

It wasn’t that, as a professor, he didn’t feel sorry for the students who had no interest in healing magic and were struggling with other magic.

But there was no other way.

The Empire needed more healing mages for its sick.

Professor Alkasis resolved once again to be heartless.

No excuse could move Professor Alkasis’s heart.

“Professor! Lee Han here is already taking black magic, summoning magic, illusion magic, imbuement magic, divination magic, transmutation magic… what else?”

Gainando stopped counting and asked Lee Han instead. Embarrassed by his friend, Lee Han pretended not to hear and looked away.

“He’s taking all of these! Isn’t that too much!”

“Don’t lie.”

“It’s true! Ask the other professors!”

“……”

Professor Alkasis stared at Lee Han as if he couldn’t believe it.

Lee Han hadn’t done anything wrong, but he still somehow felt guilty.

‘Anyone would think I’m taking them all on purpose.’

After biting his lip and pondering for a few minutes, Professor Alkasis finally spoke as if spitting the words out.

“…No exceptions. Be quiet.”

“It’s too much…!!”

“Just stop it.”

Lee Han made Gainando close his mouth.

‘I really need to hurry up and learn the silence curse.’

• * *

Professor Mortum was a person who coughed a lot (probably because of the environment in the tower), but Professor Alkasis was just as prone to losing his words.

He would stagger while talking, cough as if his mouth was dry, and even break out in a cold sweat and sit down to rest for a moment, until Professor Garcia, unable to watch any longer, stepped in.

“I’ll do the basic explanation. Is that alright?”

“…Please do.”

“Alright. Everyone. You just connected the sprout in the flowerpot, right? This sprout is a plant that’s been bred to make mana resonance easier. That’s why you were able to heal it so easily. But the principle isn’t so different. Restoring and repairing damaged and broken parts like this is the core field of healing magic.”

Although they were forced to attend, the students listened with surprising focus.

In fact, since healing magic was so popular, the students would have listened well even if they hadn’t been forced.

‘But I doubt increasing the number by just a dozen or so will solve the shortage.’

“Of course, healing magic isn’t just about this kind of recovery. There’s alchemy, for analyzing various status effects like poisoning and making the right healing potions. Imbuement magic, so that patients can endure various procedures and arcane treatments. Divination magic, to check prognoses in advance… If necessary, healing mages are known for learning other schools of magic without hesitation.”

‘Isn’t black magic excluded?’

Lee Han held back from saying that black magic was left out.

He thought that mentioning it would only make students learning black magic sad.

“Uh… Then do we have to learn all of that?”

One of the students asked with a frightened expression.

Professor Garcia answered kindly.

“Of course not. You only have to learn it when necessary.”

“Ah, I see… That’s a relief!”

Listening, Lee Han felt something was off and asked.

“But Professor, since there are so few healing mages, they have to deal with a lot of patients. Wouldn’t it actually not be enough even if they learned everything you just mentioned?”

Professor Garcia pretended not to hear Lee Han’s words.

This is why clever students are a handful!

Meanwhile, Professor Alkasis, having recovered his strength, stood up from his seat.

“I’ll continue the explanation. As Professor Garcia just said, a healing mage doesn’t focus on only one direction but needs a broad and comprehensive understanding. Not just magic, but studies in other fields as well. Suppose there’s a patient with a broken bone. If you want to heal this patient’s bone, but you don’t know the structure of the bone, could you heal it?”

Professor Alkasis pantomimed breaking a rib with his hand as he spoke.

“Even if you healed it, it would heal in a strange direction, right? In that case, it’s better not to do it at all. Healing mages must be familiar with the structure of the body.”

The priests from the Phoenix Tower and the students from the White Tiger Tower listened as if entranced.

It was a natural reaction, given their greater interest.

Besides, the structure of the body—

The priests of the Phoenix Tower and the students of the White Tiger Tower were somewhat used to it and felt confident.

“Bring it in.”

The door opened, and two students who looked as tired and exhausted as the professor came in.

The two seniors didn’t just come in alone. They dragged a coffin big enough for a person to fit in.

Bang!

Surprisingly, when the coffin’s lid opened, there was a person tied up tightly inside.

“Chains.”

At the professor’s command, the two seniors removed the prisoner’s chains and gag. The prisoner then protested violently.

“You damned wizards! Even if I killed a few people, to treat me like this… Ghk.”

Lee Han was startled.

Not because Professor Alkasis stabbed swords into the prisoner’s neck and limbs (though that was surprising), but because the skill was so lightning-fast.

The professor summoned swords from the air, grabbed them one by one, and drove them into the prisoner’s body with incredible speed.

Even the students from the White Tiger Tower could sense the professor’s swordsmanship was extraordinary, and they murmured.

‘Do you get skilled in swordsmanship after working as a healing mage for a long time?’

The prisoner’s body turned pale in an instant. The swords had absorbed all the blood.

“Open it.”

The two seniors opened up the prisoner’s chest. Fresh organs were revealed.

Thunk!

A few students fainted from shock. Professor Alkasis spoke cynically.

“Wake them up. I’ll explain the structure of the human body. Listen carefully.”

“U… urgh!”

Gainando almost vomited. Lee Han quickly cast -Ogonin’s Full Satisfaction-.

“Th-thank you, Lee Han.”

“M-me too. Me too!”

• * *

Professor Alkasis possessed both swordsmanship so quick the eye couldn’t follow when dissecting a body, and a deep understanding of human anatomy to back it up, but that didn’t ease the students’ suffering.

After Professor Alkasis wrapped up the lecture and restored the prisoner, the students wore expressions like their heads would explode from the unfamiliar, intimate sight of a person and the complex information.

Professor Garcia opened a window and asked.

“Is everyone alright?”

“……”

“……”

The students looked at Professor Garcia with eyes full of betrayal and hurt.

Professor Garcia felt very sorry.

“The theoretical explanation is roughly done. Everyone, pick up the string in front of you.”

Strings made from plant fibers appeared before the students.

“Cut it and reconnect it with magic.”

“I did it.”

“Keep repeating.”

“……”

The students felt themselves getting dumber as they cut, connected, and cut the string again.

It looked a bit silly, but it was an effective training.

If someone couldn’t even properly connect the simplest plant string, how could they connect a severed blood vessel in a person?

With repetition came mastery, and it also reduced the waste of mana.

For healing mages who had to heal all sorts of body parts, wasting mana was an absolute taboo.

By consuming mana through this repetition, unnecessary waste would naturally decrease.

“Do it properly.”

“?”

Lee Han, who was cutting and connecting and cutting and connecting, was puzzled by the professor’s remark.

Did he do something wrong just now?

“…Ah, Professor. Please come over here for a moment.”

Professor Garcia pulled Professor Alkasis aside.

Come to think of it, the professor was so busy he wasn’t around when the other professors were chatting!