Episode 783

Lee Han desperately tried to escape.

He didn’t want to raise the difficulty with optional side quests after getting the map and having hopes for a relaxed semester in summoning class.

‘If it’s a relic my brother is searching for, it can’t possibly be a normal item.’

Arsil was the Wardanaz family’s collector.

Other collectors might gather beautiful, peaceful works of art, but Wardanaz collectors collected bizarre items from other worlds and listened to their screeches.

‘Just think of the gifts I got from him before.’

Past gifts from Arsil had been absolutely horrific.

At first, Lee Han had even wondered if it was some power play in the Wardanaz family—a way to warn off the new youngest brother.

But surprisingly, Arsil had no malice. He just didn’t have a clue what his much younger sibling would actually like.

Frankly, giving an evil dimensional polyhedron or strange merged demon as a present… malice would have been better.

Luckily, things had improved recently.

Having kept giving gifts, Arsil finally realized, “Oh, maybe a dimensionally evil polyhedron or weird merged devil is too much for a brother under a hundred years old.”

But this wasn’t a present Arsil prepared in advance—it was a relic he’d been searching for.

Lee Han might get another taste of Arsil’s pure, eldritch madness after finally forgetting it for a while.

“I really don’t need this, it’s okay.”

Arsil firmly shook his head and pointed at the map, saying something.

Salko nervously asked, “What did he say?”

“He says if we won’t go after the relic, he’ll take the map back. He can’t let us rob ourselves of a learning opportunity.”

“Tell him we’ve learned enough, Wardanaz! Taking a map from someone else is part of being a wizard too!”

“My brother didn’t go to Einrogard, so that logic won’t work here…”

Any Einrogard alumnus would have nodded and said, “Stealing the map is part of the process, I agree,” but Arsil wasn’t an Einrogard grad.

Outsiders couldn’t understand the school’s aesthetic.

As expected, Arsil insisted again.

We believe you can become a better magician than Lord Gonadaltes, Lee Han.

“That’s… kind of overestimating me…”

He couldn’t even keep pace with his siblings who were only a century older—how was he to ever catch up to the thousand-year-old skeleton principal?

Lee Han tried to be realistic, but Arsil ignored him, pointing again to several places on the map and telling him to be sure to check them out.

“…Yes. I’ll do my best.”

Since Arsil insisted, there was nothing Lee Han could do. The butterfly spirit at his side fluttered as if to cheer him on.

‘Cheeky little thing.’

Lee Han swore at the butterfly spirit inside.

It’s always more annoying when the high-level spirit is the one egging you on, not your brother.

After encouraging Lee Han with a smile, Arsil gathered the others and started handing out gifts from his old backpack.

“Gainando, you already got one, so he says your next one’s later.”

“No way…! Is it because I lost at magician cards!?”

“I don’t think so.”

As Lee Han lined up his friends and translated, Arsil conferred with the spirits about what present would fit each person.

When there were disagreements, he got into a deep debate with the butterfly spirit and called over Lee Han.

“Yes, Brother. Uh… I think that’s a bit dangerous. Wouldn’t that destroy the dormitory?”

Arsil sighed in relief, happy he’d asked. The butterfly shot Lee Han a dirty look for foiling its plan.

-That spirit is so uppity!

“I agree, but it’s way stronger than you, so say it only in your head.”

Lee Han consoled the baby basilisk and called his friends.

They all approached, nervous and awed, and accepted Arsil’s gifts with care.

“Th-thank you!”

“It’s an amulet, to ward off enemies and warn you of danger when exploring other dimensions. Be sure to let it charge under the full moon.”

“This is…?”

“That’s a Weight-Reducing Badge. Stick it on your pack, and your load will feel lighter. If you add too much, it’ll break, though…”

One by one, the students were surprised to receive useful, decent gifts.

They’d been worried about “Wardanaz family people,” but Arsil was kinder than expected.

“Sorry, Wardanaz. I thought he’d be scary.”

“He is scary. He commands spirits at will.”

“But if spirits love him so much, he can’t be bad.”

“So you didn’t hear what I just said?”

“?!”

Last in line, Adenart got a bowl that doubled the size of any liquid put into it once a day.

Lee Han nodded in approval.

“Good pick. Royals love to eat, so an artifact like that is perfect.”

?

Arsil and the butterfly spirit both cocked their heads.

They’d given it as a thoughtful alchemy-related item, but…?

• * *

Professor Millei checked his watch and stood, flicking his staff.

With a zap, the dimensional magic circles activated, summoning students back to the classroom.

Pop!

Like deep-sea divers with safety ropes, magicians traversing other worlds used similar safety magic.

Professor Millei arched an eyebrow, curious at their responses.

What expressions would they wear upon return?

Having taught long at Einrogard, Millei could mostly predict the patterns.

There were some students who returned half-catatonic.

This happened with classes that failed to cooperate or came ill-prepared.

‘Not all bad.’

Summoners who had a rough experience became more careful afterward. It was a good lesson.

Other times, students returned after great initial success.

This happened with well-prepared or lucky years.

But when you told them the map wasn’t done and they’d be mapping all semester, they always lost heart.

It couldn’t be helped.

Magic was not about flashes of inspiration, but slow, steady investigation and effort.

‘Feels like this group will be the latter.’

Millei rated this cohort highly.

They worked together and prepped well—he expected they’d handle a new dimension just fine.

“…?!”

But the students’ faces looked gloomy and troubled.

That threw him.

“Well done, everyone. How was the trek?”

“We struggled, but we got good results.”

“We made camp together, Professor.”

“…!”

The professor was stunned by their report.

Such accomplishment was rare on the first day.

“…Very well done. You’re all even better than I expected. But why those faces?”

“We ran into frost giants seeking relics.”

“Sigh… How are we supposed to rob those things…”

As the students groaned about how to steal from frost giants, Professor Millei’s eyes trembled.

He hadn’t expected this cohort to be so brash and bold!

• * *

As a short cat beastkin strode up, Gainando, lying on the seventh-floor lawn flipping through mage cards, looked up.

‘Who’s that? A senior?’

“Good day, junior.”

The cat beastkin senior greeted with even finer manners than imperial prince Gainando. Removing his hat and speaking humbly, he startled Gainando into trying to respond in kind.

“Uh… um… may the spirit of sleep greet you!”

“That’s more an evening greeting… Anyway, do you know where Lee Han Wardanaz of the Wardanaz family is?”

“!”

With his knowledge of proper etiquette in overdrive, Gainando’s instincts rang an alarm bell.

A senior looking for Lee Han.

Couldn’t be good.

“Uahdarnaz Gahmoon’s Ean? N-never heard of him.”

“Lee Han Wardanaz, junior.”

“Never heard of Wardanaz, never heard of Lee Han.”

“Never heard of Wardanaz family?”

“Yes.”

“Junior… are you under a memory-loss curse?”

The cat beastman flicked his wide-brim hat in concern.

If someone in the Empire, even at Einrogard, didn’t know Wardanaz, they might have big problems.

Only then did Gainando realize his mistake.

‘Oops. I should’ve admitted to knowing the family.’

“I… I get amnesia a lot. I’m in the black magic school…”

“Ah, that explains it. I envy such talent.”

“I’m in black magic.”

“I have no school.”

“What?”

As Gainando puzzled over this, a second-year from White Tiger Tower passed by.

Catten called, “Jahan-senpai!!!”

“Junior, do you know where Lee Han Wardanaz is?”

“Gainando there is close with him!”

“……”

Catten stared, and Gainando said tearfully,

“M-my amnesia curse is just now clearing up.”

“Well, then. Please lead the way.”

Gainando slumped and led Catten toward Lee Han.

Luckily, when they arrived at the cooking club—where Lee Han was smoking meat with kitchen seniors—he didn’t scream or run. Gainando breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ah, Senior, over here. Would you like some choripan?”

A juicy slab of meat inside a soft bun: an alley snack outside, but in Einrogard, a treat for royalty.

“I’m fine, junior.”

“Wardanaz, Jahan-senpai survives even on dew alone!”

“Not quite… but for bodily challenge and training. Junior, you ought to try too.”

‘Is this a new kind of torture?’

Lee Han was baffled at Catten’s suggestion they subsist on dew after all his food smuggling.

A nearby White Tiger Tower student glared at Lee Han with envy.

“Wardanaz… ugh! Just wait. I’ll get recognized by Jahan-senpai this year!”

“Aren’t you confused? The reason I was picked by Catten-senpai wasn’t swordsmanship.”

“What, you saying I don’t have a chance this year? Maybe next—well, even if not me, Moradi or Choi will get recognized!”

Lee Han hesitated trying to correct the misunderstanding.

“Do Moradi and Deorgyu also want to learn from Catten-senpai?”

“Of course.”

“O… well, Catten-senpai’s lessons really are amazing and unique. I wish I wasn’t the only one learning like this.”

“That’s… a bit much…”

Beside Lee Han, Senior Catten coughed modestly at the praise.

“If Moradi and Deorgyu can also join, would that be alright, senior?”

“Hm. As you know, I still have much to learn, so my teaching time is limited. Coaching swordsmen at different skill levels…”

“They’re about my level! Teach them just like you do me!”

“Is that so? Then…”

“There you have it! You should go fetch Moradi and Deorgyu before he changes his mind!”

“R-right!”

The White Tiger Tower student nodded and ran off, but stopped halfway.

Seeing Lee Han smile, he wondered if he’d been caught.

‘Did I overplay it?’

“Wardanaz.”

“…What’s up?”

“Thanks. For speaking up for my friends.”

“…For something like that? Ha.”