Episode 402
by CristaeEpisode 402
“It will take some time.”
When the returning Paragramnum Guild alchemists said so, Professor Thunderstep asked back as if he couldn’t understand what they meant.
“What are you… trying to summon that would take so long?”
“After calculating based on Lady Yoanen Meikin’s words, we thought that even if we reduced the oppressive aura, low-level spirits might simply get crushed.”
“It’s not that bad… I think.”
Lee Han meekly protested.
He had never actually seen a spirit get crushed just by being near him.
“It will take some time, so it’s best we check the other things first.”
“What do you mean, the other things?”
“Please wait a moment.”
One alchemist got up and went outside.
Lee Han and Professor Thunderstep looked at each other.
What’s going on?
“What’s this about?”
“Who knows…? I’m not sure either…”
A few minutes later, the alchemist returned with Professor Voladi.
“He has agreed to help us with the check. Thank you once again.”
“It’s what I should do as a professor.”
“……”
“……”
Lee Han and Professor Thunderstep sighed in unison.
Of all the many professors at the school, why him?!
- * *
Whenever a wizard cast a spell, it always left traces.
When a wizard wove magic with their will and changed reality, magical energy radiated from around them.
This released magic lingered for a while even after the spell ended, and sharp mages could pick up on such traces.
And one of the goals the Paragramnum alchemists aimed for with this potion was to conceal that emission of magic.
“It would be useful in combat.”
Professor Voladi, unusually, permitted a faint tone of satisfaction to show in his voice. Lee Han was filled with horror.
“Why make such a potion?”
“There are rare plants and animals that are affected when they sense magical remnants. This potion would be a great help in working with such flora and fauna.”
“In training students, as well.”
Professor Voladi added beside them, though the alchemists didn’t understand.
‘This is crazy.’
Thus far, Lee Han had three general ways to anticipate Professor Voladi’s attacks.
The emission of magical energy, killing intent, and visible movements.
In the matter of killing intent, Professor Voladi not only controlled it skillfully but used it for feints, making it hard for the inexperienced Lee Han.
He had barely been getting a feel for things through magical emission and movement, but now one of those was being taken away.
Whack!
When Professor Voladi took a sip of the potion and swung his staff, Lee Han just barely managed to block it. He was lucky to have been paying close attention, as it was several times more difficult than usual.
Perhaps Professor Voladi noticed this, for he nodded and requested,
“I’d like to receive several bottles of this potion.”
“We’ll send them when they’re completed.”
“……”
Lee Han decided he had to keep some for himself.
He never knew when he’d have to fight a profe… no, someone else.
What he learned fighting Professor Voladi was that finding an opening in a seasoned battlemage was extremely difficult.
‘Typical ambushes don’t work.’
Normally, the classic invisible magic plus ambush combination was foolproof.
But that didn’t work on battlemages.
Since everyone knew the trick of using invisibility magic for ambush, they all had countermeasures.
To catch a battlemage off guard, one needed creative tactics that surpassed their expectations.
-Paragramnum’s Shroud- could be one such tactic.
If someone standing right in front of you suddenly ambushed you with no indication, even the most seasoned battlemage would be rattled.
“The spirit is ready!”
“Finally?”
Lee Han grumbled, massaging his sore arm.
If it had been summoned just a bit earlier, there would have been no need to call Professor Voladi.
“Alright. This way…”
When they opened the door and stepped outside, cool wind brushed across Lee Han’s face.
A spirit shaped like a bird flickered in the air. Anyone could see it was a wind spirit.
“Oh. If I befriend it, can I make a contract with it?”
Lee Han asked with delight.
The only spirit he could summon at Einrogard was Perkuntra, famous for its poor efficiency.
Once called, it was like an ultimate move you couldn’t use again for a while—so it often wasn’t available when truly needed.
Even then, he doubted it would be truly useful.
But this wind spirit looked genuinely practical.
If only he had such a spirit, the time the White Tiger Tower guys went missing, he could have asked it to help find them…
Flutter!
As Lee Han stepped out, the wind spirit suddenly flapped its wings madly and returned at once to the spirit realm.
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence fell.
It was Professor Voladi who broke it.
“Even the spirit’s eyes could not be deceived.”
“We will improve it further!”
The alchemists replied with determination.
Such failures didn’t faze the alchemists at all.
New discoveries were only possible after hundreds of failed attempts.
Rather, such minor trials just before completion were something to be grateful for, since they let you raise the degree of perfection.
“……”
Of course, it couldn’t be helped that one student’s feelings were bruised.
- * *
It was the weekend, but Lee Han studied outside instead of returning to the tower.
In the main building’s front garden, clusters of first-year students giggled and hung out.
“Wardanaz. Don’t you need to drop by the Phoenix Tower?”
“Don’t ask dumb questions. It’s obvious who Lee Han thinks of as his real friends, right?”
Gainando answered triumphantly instead.
‘I just feel sorry seeing the priests argue.’
Right now, the Phoenix Tower priests were in the lounge, discussing matters as if it were a conclave, with deadly seriousness.
-The next holy magic should be learned from our order…
-No! The candidate’s wishes must be considered first! Since you’re listening to enchantment magic, join our order!
-But since you’re taking divination magic, shouldn’t it be us?
-I heard you want to raise a basilisk, so our order is best…
Seeing that, even Lee Han couldn’t help but feel pressured.
If the two orders had just gotten lucky up to now, and from here on he failed to awaken any holy magic…
The priests might not show it, but deep down they would be terribly disappointed.
“I don’t really want to go back to the tower right now.”
“Right?! See?!”
“But Gainando, are you even doing your assignments? Open your -Advanced Geometry and Arithmetic- book.”
“I… I didn’t bring it.”
“Go and get it.”
Gainando drooped his head and muttered as he trudged off to the tower. The Blue Dragon Tower friends urgently opened their books and looked down.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The princess, for example, simply glared at the pages of her open book, not caring about Gainando in the slightest.
“Why is she like that? Is she behind on homework?”
“Ah. Because of the Paragramnum alchemists.”
“We just got rejected, but apparently the princess was given detailed feedback to work on and return.”
Lee Han had already passed, but not every student had.
Most students simply gave up in the face of harsh grading, but a few received precise feedback and kept clinging to their work.
‘Wait a second. Those people were like Professor Voladi. Did they even explain properly?’
To Lee Han, the Paragramnum Guild alchemists were basically the alchemist version of Professor Voladi.
If those people got a little more proactive and aggressive, they’d become Professor Voladi.
…That is a good analogy, but many details remain unresolved. You should supplement methods for completely concealing energy. With the method written here, you cannot hide energy. If you come back with supplementary methods…
“……”
Looking at the potion the princess was researching, Lee Han was shocked.
She was surprisingly researching a potion similar to -Paragramnum’s Shroud-!
Of course, there were many gaps due to the difference in skill, but having completed even that much was impressive on its own.
Lee Han cautiously asked,
“Did the alchemists say anything strange to you?”
“??”
The princess, focused, didn’t notice at first that Lee Han had addressed her; when she finally did, she was a little flustered.
“What… do you mean?”
‘So they said nothing at all.’
Given the alchemists’ temperament, there was no way they’d advise, ‘Actually, we’re already on the verge of completing this, maybe try it like this and that.’
But at the very least they could have said, ‘This potion is a bit too advanced and complex for a first-year student; why not try another one?’
Professor Thunderstep would at least have given that much consideration.
But here they’d simply said, ‘Oh, just keep going.’
‘Definitely a less fierce Professor Voladi.’
Lee Han felt too sorry to see the princess struggling, so he hinted gently.
“Weren’t the alchemists a bit odd?”
“…?”
The princess tilted her head.
To be honest, all mages here were strange. Compared to the professors, the alchemists weren’t especially weird.
‘I asked the wrong question.’
Lee Han regretted it.
She was also an Einrogard student—a bit strange shouldn’t register as odd.
“They seemed to know a lot about this potion, didn’t they…?”
“They responded right away…?”
The princess stared at Lee Han, not knowing what he was trying to get at.
She had a feeling he wanted to say something, but couldn’t figure out what.
“Doesn’t something come to mind when you see that?”
“…Ah. The Paragramnum alchemists are skilled? So… their chances of winning the capital order for supplying potions to the knights will rise, and… the power structure among potion guilds in the capital could shift in the future!”
The princess looked at Lee Han with admiration.
Lee Han had a lot to say but held back and answered,
“…That’s true, but just try adding waterblossom, golden pheasant flower, and white quartz.”
Growing tired of hinting, Lee Han just told her the ingredients she needed right now.
It was a portion of the -Paragramnum’s Shroud- recipe.
“!!!!”
The princess looked at Lee Han, even more stunned than before.
To figure out the recipe from just one glance!
It was the kind of brilliance only the Paragramnum alchemists displayed.
A realm of natural genius one couldn’t even dream of matching!
“How did you…”
“Guys! The professor’s calling! Let’s go!”
Someone suddenly ran up shouting, and the Blue Dragon Tower students tossed their books aside and sprang up.
Students from other towers nearby also scrambled to pack and join.
Still not understanding the situation, Lee Han hurried to follow and asked,
“What? What’s going on?”
“To help the professor get ready for class!”
“…And everyone is running this eagerly?”
“He’s giving out food!”
“Ah…”
Lee Han was impressed by how his tower friends ran with abandon.
Back in first semester, they’d have said ‘Well, we’ve got plenty to eat anyway…’ and lazed around.
He found it oddly endearing that now they were so eager.
“Maybe I should just stay in another tower for second year?”
“?!?!?”
The princess, hearing Lee Han mutter this to himself, paled and waved her hands in protest.
- * *
It was Professor Lightningstep who had called the students.
“From here to there, dig the ditch and the path, and dig this spot very deep. Whatever comes out shouldn’t get out.”
“Yes, Professor!”
Watching his friends grin so innocently, Lee Han was shocked.
“Do you lot know what this means… Never mind. Forget it.”
He decided to keep his conclusions to himself.
Even if you knew that next week’s -Advanced Mount Training- would feature something terrifying, what good would it do?
“Dig carefully—Professor Millei will be using this area too.”
“……”
Even for summoning magic class?