Episode 926

“And Sharkan isn’t the type to hold a grudge, either.”

‘Then you’re saying I am that type?’

The baby basilisk protested inwardly.

He believed he was plenty mature and grown-up. If anything, Joulin was the most childish.

“Right. No undead familiar would sulk just because you haven’t summoned it?”

Gainando nodded in agreement with his friend.

Unlike in other fields, even Gainando knew quite a bit about black magic.

Basically, undead summons didn’t get upset or sulky just because they weren’t summoned often.

“You’re right, Lee Han. Makes sense, right? If you’re playing a card game in another dimension and a mage suddenly summons you, who’d like that? They probably prefer NOT being summoned. I bet spirits are the same way.”

“No, spirits prefer being summoned regularly.”

“……”

Gainando pouted.

Mages contracted with spirits did care more about affinity, so they summoned them regularly to keep up the bond.

Even Lee Han, who didn’t always summon Sharkan, routinely summoned his fire sparrow spirit, ice squirrel spirit, and darkness orb spirit in his room (though the spirits weren’t always thrilled)…

“I wish my undead liked being summoned by me…”

“You’ll get closer one day.”

‘Or you’ll just subdue them with power.’

From Lee Han’s view, Gainando standing a better chance subduing his undead with mastery of black magic than with friendliness.

Summoning undead wasn’t based on affinity like summoning spirits.

‘But if it’s not sulking, then what is it?’

Lee Han fiddled with Sharkan’s bone, which was bound by contract, and tried summoning again, but there was still no reaction.

If Sharkan were sulking, maybe there’d be some resistance, but this was just puzzling.

“Cough, is there some issue?”

“Oh, Professor!”

Just then, Professor Mortum of the Black Magic School emerged, coughing dryly.

Lee Han took the opportunity to ask his question.

“I have something to ask.”

“You want to ask something?”

The perpetually sickly-looking professor cocked his head in surprise.

If it were Gainando, Imirg, or Raphadael it’d make sense, but it was rare for a Wardanaz boy to ask questions.

“Must be something difficult.”

“It’s nothing like that.”

“Really? Go ahead.”

When Lee Han denied it was hard, Professor Mortum changed his mind.

Given the way Lee Han said it, it must really not be a big deal.

“Sharkan won’t summon.”

“…Cough! Cough, cough, cough!!!”

Professor Mortum began hacking violently, as if something had gone down the wrong pipe.

Lee Han asked in surprise,

“Are you all right?”

“Cough… Didn’t you say it wasn’t difficult!”

“Oh, I just thought it was a trivial issue?”

Still coughing, Professor Mortum shook his head.

Sharkan failing to summon was actually a pretty serious matter.

Originally, Sharkan was a powerful monster, born between the Rocky Mountains and leopards, worshipped among leopards.

Summoning such a powerful beast as an undead was inherently risky.

A strong body guaranteed a strong being would inhabit it—especially if that being was of the undead.

No matter that Professor Mortum was an Einrogard professor, he wouldn’t gift a dangerous undead to a mere freshman on purpose. He had prepared plenty of safety measures.

“……”

Lee Han made a displeased face.

‘Was there such a thing?’

He’d never felt any safety measures.

Sharkan had always been a powerful, destructive undead. If Lee Han hadn’t subdued or persuaded him, Sharkan might’ve attacked at any moment.

“So the safety measure was… it couldn’t attack me? Sharkan did act pretty friendly…”

“Cough. Not exactly. I just weakened its strength.”

“……”

Lee Han’s gaze turned cold.

‘Does he not know what “safety measure” means?’

‘No wonder his cough won’t get better, spouting nonsense like that.’

You’re supposed to ban it from attacking you, not just “weaken” it!

“So, this safety measure… you… weakened it how?”

“Cough. Sharkan is a ‘clone.’”

“?”

“The original is a prominent figure in the undead world. I took the clone when its power was weakened.”

“What???”

Sharkan’s bloodline was even more extraordinary than Lee Han had thought.

He stole whose what?

Not only the skeletal headmaster, but plenty of beings could split into clones.

Look at hydras: each of their nine heads had independent thought.

If such a hydra grew stronger or gained the ability to clone, their divisions would become even more distinct.

Of course, the more divided the being, the weaker it would be than its original self.

…but you still shouldn’t steal it!

“No, what have you done? Just because they’re weakened, you go and steal from them?!”

Lee Han lost composure and berated the professor.

To go stealing openly just because someone got weakened.

No member of a teleportation club should ever make such a rookie mistake.

If you rob a devil duke’s mansion just because he’s feeling unwell, what vengeance do you think you’ll face once he recovers?

And this wasn’t even just some treasure—but a literal clone of himself.

“Cough. Listen to the rest. I didn’t just steal it blindly. I did steal it, but only after negotiating with the other side.”

“That sounds like a very different concept of ‘theft’ than what I know…”

Professor Mortum coughed but added more details.

He’d encountered a strong being while traveling the undead world.

This being lived in a constantly shifting palace, made with obsidian mirrors that exhaled smoke, and if you stared long enough a massive leopard’s shape could be glimpsed.

Having recognized its power, Professor Mortum immediately prepared to raid the palace and claim its treasure.

“……”

Lee Han was speechless, but kept it together.

“Cough. I could tell it was weakened from a fight. Normally you don’t harass a local boss from another dimension unless you’re pretty confident.”

‘Even if they’re weak, you don’t just bust in right away. Geez.’

Regardless, Professor Mortum seized his chance for loot and took action.

And, of course, the being noticed.

Despite the palace’s presence and all titles announced, when the magician tried to enter, the being withdrew and suggested a deal.

-Magician, do not invade the palace of the beast that rules death and darkness. I will gift you one of my clones; this clone will become a powerful undead.

-Cough. And if I still force my way in?

-Then you’ll be destroyed.

Even in its weakened state, the being’s force was undeniable. Professor Mortum chose not to get greedy and withdrew.

A clone of a strong undead was already valuable enough.

“Cough. But the gift was so stingy. Just a fragment, a clone with no ego.”

Professor Mortum still grumbled, as if he’d been ripped off.

“Please go on. What happened to that clone?”

“Oh, that.”

The professor nodded slowly as he continued.

The clone, obtained from the powerful undead, did indeed contain extraordinary power, but it was a newborn, a clone with no ego or reason—just like an infant.

That wasn’t cost-effective for Professor Mortum to manage or train.

After considering, he bound the clone to Sharkan’s remains, bringing it back as an undead monster.

The result was a success. The newly born undead monster Sharkan became a reliable helper for freshmen, accomplishing all sorts of tough jobs.

“…Professor. I have a question.”

Lee Han, trying to remain as calm as possible, forced a cold expression and raised his hand.

He could accept that Sharkan was no ordinary undead, but the offshoot of an extraordinary undead lineage.

“So… what exactly was the safety measure you mentioned?”

“Cough. Like I said. I weakened its power. At the level of a mere fragment, it’s not particularly dangerous.”

“……”

He’d suspected it, but that was really the safety measure.

Lee Han promised himself to hit Professor Mortum with some magic later, then say, “This doesn’t even hurt, right? Haha.”

Even a fragment with no ego is dangerous if it had a powerful monster’s body.

Sharkan had fought exceedingly well, hadn’t he?

If Lee Han hadn’t subjugated or tamed him, all that attack power might have come at Lee Han himself…!

‘No wonder his antics were a bit childish.’

If it was just a recently split-off clone, it made sense. Acting like a kitten or a puppy was understandable.

“So why won’t he summon now?”

“Cough. There could be many reasons. The likeliest is, the original might have recovered its strength.”

“!”

Lee Han realized what Professor Mortum was saying.

The original had only given up a clone when weakened—once it recovered, it would surely reclaim it.

“Wait. You went to all that trouble to steal, and it turned out to be such a bad deal? And it only lasted a year!”

“Cough. Strange, isn’t it. I expected it to last at least a century…”

Being a mage, Professor Mortum understood the loophole in the deal.

If it was a clone, once the original healed and regained strength, of course it would take it back.

But by his reckoning, that recovery should have taken a good hundred years.

How did it only take about a year?

“Weird. Very weird. Cough. Did Sharkan maybe absorb magic separately?”

“Huh?”

“Cough. If the clone absorbed magic, the original would also have absorbed it, so the recovery…”

Professor Mortum shook his head.

The amount of magic required to heal injuries of the being he met in the undead world was unimaginable.

No matter how much magic the Wardanaz boy possessed, if he lost that much he’d have noticed, and there’s no way he’d look so healthy…

“……”

Lee Han’s complexion became pallid.

Professor Mortum, seeing this, was more shocked than at any other point that day.

• * *

“Cough, to waste magic like that!”

“You’re the one who gave me the thing without any warning, Professor! If I’d known, I would’ve gotten rid of it!”

Lee Han wanted to force Einrogard professors to explain things by rule.

Why do they keep handing out dangerous things to students with no explanation?

Now that he thought about it, there was a wicked, violent presence asleep in his staff, too.

‘Is there a demon sleeping in the school’s issued cloak too?’

Direte, yawning as he came out, was startled to see professor and student arguing loudly.

The black magic school might not have many virtues but harmony was one of them.

“What the? What’s going on?”

“Senior! I almost died because of Professor!”

“Cough, how dare you slander me for giving you a gift…”

“Wait. Explain calmly.”

Direte calmed the younger student and listened to the explanation.

With each word, Direte’s face looked more and more peculiar.

“…So, you mean you nursed a powerful being from the undead world back to health just by going about your daily life?”

“It’s all Professor’s fault!”