Episode 896

Episode 896

‘Aren’t these people magic criminals?’

After hearing the rest of the explanation, Lee Han thought to himself.

Perhaps these knights were even worse than magic criminals.

At least the magic criminals hadn’t harmed Lee Han, but these knights were directly causing harm.

“How could you suggest such a ridiculous idea?”

“It’s not that ridiculous…”

The knights, feeling slightly hurt by Lee Han’s attack, retorted.

They thought it was a pretty good idea.

“It is a ridiculous idea! I mean, what kind of test is it to secretly join forces in a group battle?”

Lee Han usually showed a relatively kind attitude toward external authorities, but today had brought too many shocking events.

The knights before him looked too evil for him to even put on a mask…

“Hm. The advantage of this test is that it’s hard for you to notice. You don’t notice, and the students don’t notice, but you get to have a test that suits you naturally. No need to be burdened or nervous. Isn’t that great?”

“Not at all. This is the worst test.”

“……”

The knights were also slightly offended by Lee Han’s attitude.

As expected of an Einrogard magician, it seemed he couldn’t hide his arrogance.

“We just wanted to help a friend, nothing more.”

“That’s right. And the biggest reason for this is because of you.”

“…What? How is a sneaky, wicked collaboration because of me?!”

“How hard do you think it is to design a test for a student who rides dragons and subdues monsters? Hmph. Professor Ingeldel did his best, too.”

Lee Han was at a loss for words.

The triumphant knights nodded with proud smiles.

“Do you appreciate Professor Ingeldel’s favor now? See how great a professor he is?”

“Riding a dragon to subdue a monster isn’t the only good test. Magician. Our teaming up is a pretty good test in its own way.”

“…Everyone, stop bothering Wardanaz.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Professor Ingeldel stepped up to hold back his friends.

• * *

“…Are you not going to catch the intruder?”

After some time had passed and Lee Han regained his senses, he changed the subject.

Only then did the knights realize their oversight.

“Well… In front of a contract with a dragon, something like that is trivial.”

“Hmmm… It’s not a bad thing to teach a criminal some fear. If we just catch him, he won’t learn anything.”

‘Are they kidding me.’

Lee Han cursed inwardly.

With time to watch a dragon contract, shouldn’t they be chasing down the remaining intruder!

“Oh. Professor Baegrek.”

Professor Ingeldel, who was about to comfort Lee Han, saw Professor Voladi walking from below and greeted him. Next to him was Student Catten of the Jahan family.

“Even Jahan? What brings you here?”

“Jahan! It’s been a while. Have you thought about the proposal I made last time?”

“The order needs a talent like you.”

Pushing his friend Professor Ingeldel aside, the knights swarmed around Catten.

Their eyes burned with the desire to recruit Catten into the order at any cost.

Lee Han commented idly as if it were someone else’s business.

“Senior Catten must have it hard too. So popular. Ha ha.”

“……”

Professor Ingeldel inwardly couldn’t believe it.

The Wardanaz household’s boy will go through the same, only with dozens of times the intensity…

‘No, no. Wardanaz has had it hard enough today. There’s no need to point out a difficult future now.’

Despite the knights’ fervent courting, Catten didn’t waver.

“I appreciate the offer, but I wish to pursue the path of magic.”

“Ugh…! You, Einrogard!”

“This cursed magic school! There are so many other magicians!”

The knights were angry at Einrogard for not letting go of talented individuals.

They gathered talents from all over the empire anyway; couldn’t they let at least one go?

Though Catten of the Jahan family was an excellent magician, he would surely be an even better knight…

“?”

Listening to the conversation, Lee Han asked curiously.

“Professor. What do you mean, Senior Catten is an excellent magician?”

Lee Han wondered if they were talking about realizing magic through swordsmanship. That certainly was a magic no one else could imitate.

Professor Ingeldel whispered with a slightly embarrassed face.

“…These friends don’t really know about Jahan’s magic.”

There was no need to talk to outsiders about Einrogard’s education, and it was obvious the knights would be even more persistent if they knew Catten’s situation.

Also, Catten himself was a bit shameless about magic matters.

“Hehe. There have been remarkable achievements in magic recently.”

“Ugh. That’s enough, Catten! Don’t flaunt your wizardry in front of us.”

“As you sincerely offered, I am sincerely responding to you.”

“Hoo… Yeah. Since you chose the path of magic, let’s celebrate your achievement. The empire has one less great knight, but Einrogard gained one more excellent magician.”

‘No. He’s quite shameless!’

Lee Han was dumbfounded at Catten’s words.

Remarkable achievements in magic, he says.

What on earth is he talking about?

“Thunder Transformation (Noehwa). I saw it well.”

While Lee Han was watching Catten idly, danger was creeping up quietly from behind.

Lee Han was startled by Professor Voladi’s voice, who had approached without him noticing.

“What? What is Thunder Transformation?”

“Advanced application of the lightning element.”

Even if his student didn’t understand, Professor Voladi explained kindly.

Currently, there were several areas where Lee Han, without any prompt, was tackling advanced studies by himself.

Starting from the improvement of Water Orb Projectile, implementing Blue Flame with Professor Jorzik, soul magic with Professor Kirmin, higher undead for black magic…

And in the realm of lightning elements, there was Thunder Transformation.

Perhaps because he had made a contract with a powerful lightning spirit since long ago, the Wardanaz household’s boy had been very interested in the destructive power of the lightning element.

Thunder Transformation was also a power of that spirit.

More precisely, it was a magician’s interpretation of that power. Even if a spirit could do it as naturally as breathing, a magician had to interpret and implement it as magic.

A powerful combat magic that complexly applied lightning elemental magic and transformation magic to temporarily turn the magician’s body into lightning.

That was Thunder Transformation.

Unlike the power of Perkuntra, called Lightning Incarnation, the magic Lee Han was aiming for was comparatively limited and restrictive, but that didn’t mean it was weak or easy.

He had just defeated a summoned demon beast.

The already powerful concept of the lightning element was now combined with the magician’s existence. This addition of concepts turned it from simple lightning into an attack containing intention.

Maybe the Wardanaz household’s boy felt pressure to take down the demon beast as quickly as possible because of Joulin.

Otherwise, there was no reason to hastily cast such an incomplete spell in his attack.

“That’s what it is.”

“…Wait, I used Thunder Transformation magic?”

Lee Han, who had been absentmindedly listening to Professor Voladi’s explanation, snapped to his senses, surprised.

I did that!?

‘Is this guy bluffing?’

Lee Han reflexively doubted Professor Voladi.

Wasn’t he twisting the chaotic combat situation to his advantage and saying, ‘Since you succeeded once, you can do it again. Now try Thunder Transformation’?

“Yes.”

“Your Highness. Your Highness.”

Hm?

Joulin, who had been crouching and observing, cocked his head when Lee Han called.

“I used lightning magic, right?”

Yes. That’s right.

“That was just ordinary lightning magic, wasn’t it? Just normal Perkuntra lightning…”

Hmmmm!

Joulin activated his brain at Lee Han’s question.

It had been a confusing situation, but the keen mind of an outstanding dragon recalled and accurately reconstructed the event.

No, it was not! The reasons are as follows. First, if it were ordinary lightning magic, there would have been a spell chant heard first. Second! If it were ordinary lightning magic, it should have come from Lee Han’s staff, not from his empty hand! Lastly, in Joulin’s view, the lightning’s penetration and destructive power were unlike ordinary lightning magic! There was something extraordinary!

“…If you’re so calm and analytical, why do you randomly shoot breath and attempt close combat?”

?!

Joulin, who was enthusiastically deducing, suddenly became tearful when lightning flew by.

‘Uh oh. Now I remember, too.’

When he heard Joulin’s words, Lee Han’s memory suddenly came back.

Come to think of it, it was such an urgent situation that he missed it, but it seemed the hand without the staff turned into a streak of lightning.

He didn’t recall chanting a spell either…

‘The destructive power was also different from ordinary lightning. No matter how much you charge a normal lightning bolt with mana, it doesn’t pierce like that.’

If the lightning was the transformed existence of the magician himself, then the power being different made sense.

Lee Han resolved that he should stop showing mystery novels to Joulin when he got back.

His mind was too brilliant, and only in useless situations.

“I apologize, Professor. It took me some time to recall what happened.”

“No need to be discouraged.”

“!”

Lee Han brightened at Professor Voladi’s unexpectedly kind words.

‘Could he be saying that, since there’s so much going on, I can put off Thunder Transformation until later?’

“It’s common for a spell that succeeds in an emergency situation to not be maintained.”

“Oh. Was that what you meant…”

“?”

“It’s nothing.”

That was a kind thing to say in its own way, too.

A difficult spell isn’t truly mastered just because you succeeded once.

A spell is only truly mastered when the magician can freely use it; if it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, it’s not mastered.

If it succeeded in an emergency like this, even more so. Instead of rushing, you had to try again more slowly.

“I was indeed lucky, or it was a coincidence, or the heavens helped, or the aura from the dragon enhanced my capabilities, or maybe it was a fortunate day according to divination magic, so the spell succeeded, but I don’t know if I can succeed again in the future. I’ll have to practice steadily and slowly.”

Lee Han piled on as many reasons as he could in his answer. The more he justified, the easier it would be for him later.

“What about recreating another emergency?”

‘Are you kidding me?’

When Professor Voladi seriously suggested fighting another demon beast, Lee Han cursed inwardly.

How could he?!

“Wouldn’t it be hard to induce that artificially?”

“No. If you allow, I could prepare it without you noticing.”

The knights in the back interjected. Lee Han ignored them as if he hadn’t heard.

“Professor. I think I need more solo practice with Thunder Transformation. At this level, it’s too embarrassing to talk about.”

“?”

“??”

The knights stared, not understanding what nonsense he was spouting, but Lee Han ignored them again.

“So please turn a blind eye as if you haven’t seen it, Professor.”

“Hm.”

After a brief pause, Professor Voladi nodded at his student’s words.

“I promised Professor Yonramo before, but I won’t mention it.”

“…What request?”

“A request related to Thunder Transformation.”

When it came to the active sharing of information about certain students in the staff lounge, Professor Voladi was quite proactive.

Since Professor Yonramo, who handled transformation magic, heard about Thunder Transformation, he was naturally interested.

-Are you really preparing Thunder Transformation magic?

-Yes.

-If you really succeed, let me know. If that’s successful, there’s hardly any need for a test.

-I understand.

“…Let’s keep it between us, Professor?”

Lee Han spoke with resignation, feeling even he realized how unrealistic it sounded.