Episode 409

‘Wait. That potion…’

Professor Lightningstep, shaking his head, sensed something off.

On smelling the potion, he detected royal mint; that recipe was quite old-fashioned.

In the past, potions with royal mint would be used to repel Qinee, but these days Qinee are trained to withstand that scent.

It won’t work, will it?

‘More importantly, where did he learn to make that kind of potion?’

“Uwaaahhhhh!”

Even before he finished thinking, a student was swept up into the air.

Once someone entered the course, the excited Qinee charged and wrapped its huge trunk around the person.

For the monster, it was playful; for the student, it was pure terror. Caught and tossed above and below by an invisible force, the student screamed.

“Wardanaz! Wardanaz! The repellent potion doesn’t work!”

“Dukema, you idiot! The potion isn’t a panacea!”

White Tiger Tower student Bartrek yelled from outside.

Coming from a family renowned for alchemy, Bartrek was always called on for any alchemical needs in White Tiger Tower.

“The repellent potion is just supposed to make the monster feel weird about you and avoid you! If you walk right up to it, it might just force itself to come at you anyway!”

“If you’d just, told, me that, urk, up front…”

“Throw another potion!”

“Isn’t it pointless to throw it now?”

The black-ink potion prepared to reveal Qinee’s location was useless once you’d already been caught.

The excited monster swung the student around, covered him in slobber, and only then set him down.

“Ugh… uuurrgh…”

“We’d better all be careful.”

Until just now, the students were brimming with confidence from the potions they’d prepared, but now their faces tensed.

Bartrek sighed and spoke to Lee Han and Yoner.

“People always underestimate alchemy. Making potions is important, but knowing how to use them is just as vital. After all that effort you two put in, people won’t even use it right…”

“…That’s right.”

“Unfortunate, really.”

Bartrek didn’t notice the subtle expression on Lee Han and Yoner’s faces.

They were talking silently with their eyes.

—Isn’t the effect too weak? I heard just the smell made Qinee back away.

—Did I mess up the recipe?

—I checked while you were making it. I don’t think there was a mistake. No point looking for mistakes now… There’s only one thing we can do.

—What’s that?

—Just pretend we don’t know.

—…?!

But surprisingly, it worked.

From then on, the students entering the course behaved much more cautiously than the first.

They splashed black-ink potion to reveal approaching Qinee, dashed along the track, dodged down slopes…

And sometimes, Qinee itself would blunder in confusion chasing them. The students cheered at this.

“It’s working! I’m sure it’s working! Qinee just made a mistake, didn’t it??”

“So that’s how you use the repellent potion!”

“Wardanaz always makes good stuff.”

“???”

At Bartrek’s praise, Professor Lightningstep looked baffled as he was grading.

That had nothing to do with the repellent potion.

‘Wardanaz can sell fakes that don’t work…!’

“…Wardanaz. You’re up.”

Lee Han carefully entered the course.

Now that he realized the potion didn’t work, he was naturally tense.

‘Identify it by sound and throw black-ink potion when it gets close.’

Qinee was gentle but loved pranks. Its turning speed was slow, but once it got going straight, it was hard to dodge.

So it was advantageous to keep it from gaining speed.

If so…

‘Scare it as much as possible.’

Direct attacks were out.

Irritating a gentle monster could get him tossed.

All he needed was to make it hesitate enough to feel threatened.

Fwoosh—

Lee Han summoned fire, and Professor Lightningstep smiled faintly.

Seeing even Wardanaz make a mistake, it reminded him he was human after all.

‘Qinee isn’t especially afraid of fire, Wardanaz.’

Summoning fire, Lee Han focused intensely in the direction Qinee approached.

—Don’t come any closer.

A strong intent.

Lee Han didn’t realize it, but as he focused, his mana naturally transformed into an impressive pressure and radiated outward.

Imperial swordsmen would call it presence or intimidation, exactly what the skull principal showed to new students at orientation.

Of course, compared to the principal’s skilled and seasoned pressure, it was no match—but for a first-year, emitting something like that was unbelievable.

‘Is that possible!?’

Professor Lightningstep nearly dropped his pen in shock.

That wasn’t something you could do just by being smart or knowing theory.

To turn your mana into a distinct field sensed almost instinctively—mercenaries with real experience were better at it than mages.

So how could Wardanaz…?

‘Ah. Now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense for Wardanaz.’

Startled, Professor Lightningstep quickly accepted it.

Of course, it was an absurdly fast pace, but everything Wardanaz did was unbelievable anyway.

Cautiously—

Sensing the pressure, Qinee began backing off.

Not all monsters were sensitive to mana.

Some, like spirits, sensed even hidden mana and were wary, while others couldn’t sense it at all.

Qinee was the latter type: dull.

But even it could feel such overt pressure.

“It… it’s backing away!”

“See? Wardanaz knows how to use potions, that’s why it works so well. That’s the right way to use a potion.”

Bartrek boasted to his friends nearby.

Professor Lightningstep clicked his tongue and marked a score of 6 out of 5.

Lee Han Wardanaz (6/5)

Next time, bring a tougher one. (Note: Be careful with security. Never let Wardanaz know.)

• * *

The skull principal’s classes were always filled with tension and novelty.

Though class hadn’t started, not a single student chatted—everyone gripped their wands with stiff faces.

Ready at any moment, even if a horde of undead burst in the door.

Greetings, Ironheads.

“Hello, Principal.”

The students answered in unison.

The floating skull continued in a careless tone.

Let’s start. Repeat after me: I will not ambush guests from outside and pick their pockets.

“…???”

“?????”

What is this? Am I being too soft and kind in my lessons?

“Er… I will not ambush guests from outside…”

“I will not pick their pockets?”

The students called out, puzzled. The skull principal yawned.

Again.

“I will not ambush guests from outside and pick their pockets!”

“I…”

Good. Now, move your quill pen with your wand and write that down. Magic training and a life lesson—how great is that?

Low curses muttered everywhere.

Why bother writing with quills by wand when you could just use your hand and save mana?

Lee Han, of course, raised his wand without emotion. He’d been worked to exhaustion since the first semester.

“Principal, why do we have to write this?”

Gainando grumbled.

White Tiger Tower students looked at him with admiration.

That prince might be rude, thoughtless, and dismiss knights as stinking muscle-brained oafs, but sometimes he was worth respecting.

No fear!

Why? So you remember it.

“It’s just common sense not to ambush guests and rob them.”

Right. I thought so too. Until your upperclassmen did exactly that.

“……”

“……”

Heavy silence reigned.

The skull principal seized the mood with just a word and continued in his slow tone.

Don’t be angry. Your juniors will be writing next that they’ll never break the dormitory barrier.

“Oh boy.”

Lee Han sounded regretful.

But he didn’t feel guilty.

It wasn’t his fault the juniors hadn’t come in earlier.

Alright. Write it again. Once you’re done, the next one is: -If I unavoidably ambush a guest and pick their pocket, I will make sure to disguise myself well and not get caught.-

“……”

One White Tiger Tower student couldn’t contain himself.

“Shouldn’t just Wardanaz write this part, honestly?”

“Such shameless bastards, are you serious?”

Blue Dragon Tower students were indignant at the slander.

“Have you forgotten you’re always ganging up to ambush Wardanaz?”

“You ambush lovers! Once you’re in second year, you’ll be in the Ambush Club for sure!”

White Tiger Tower students weren’t backing down.

“Wardanaz has ambushed us even more than we did him.”

“If we join the Ambush Club, Wardanaz is joining the Robbery Club.”

‘Did White Tiger Tower students always talk this much?’

The skull principal was amazed.

Traditionally, White Tiger Tower was a crew that acted faster than they talked, but ever since Wardanaz, a bunch of them had gotten strange eloquence.

Everyone, stop the ugly arguing. Besides, Wardanaz is the one who least needs to write that line.

“Huh? Why’s that?”

The White Tiger Tower student sounded disappointed and wronged.

Is it because the principal likes Wardanaz best?

If Wardanaz mugs someone, you can trust he’ll disguise himself well. No need to stress it.

“……”

“……”

The White Tiger Tower students shot regretful glances at Lee Han.

Lee Han replied with dignity,

“That’s a baseless slander.”

• * *

After class, the skull principal called Lee Han aside.

Are you going to ambush someone?

“…No.”

You’re not planning to?

“I have no plans.”

Are you sure you won’t get greedy looking at incoming guests?

“I’m an Einrogard student. Why would I attack a visitor to my school?”

The skull principal didn’t even hear Lee Han’s protests.

That’s odd… First-years must be quite short on supplies by now. Why are you so calm?

“If I don’t have anything, I just live without. That’s better than mugging guests.”

It wasn’t true.

This weekend, Lee Han planned to dash out and fill up his supplies thoroughly.

He was confident because he had something up his sleeve!

When I said that in first semester, you ignored me, didn’t you?

The principal asked, as if he couldn’t understand.

Back then, when I told you to let your friends starve and focus on yourself, you said, “My friends are me and I am my friends, friendship is everything to me,” and made me sick with that answer…

“…I didn’t quite say that.”

Close enough. Anyway, I get it. We’ll see if any mages complain about having their pockets picked… Have you handled any bones lately?

“Bones?”

Lee Han tilted his head, recalling Professor Mortum’s lesson.

Undead control and bone explosion magic must have reached the principal’s ears.

“I’ve been practicing bone explosion magic.”

…No, not that.

“There’s… something else?”

……

The skull principal looked at Lee Han like he was crazy.

Those precious bones I brought from the palace. You didn’t forget, did you?

“Oh.”

Only then did Lee Han remember the bones he’d extorted from the Ghoul King.

“I’ve been too busy.”

So busy, huh… All students are busy.

“Haha.”

Should I kill you?