Episode 992
by CristaeEpisode 992
‘I don’t think that’s the case.’
Yoner thought to himself as he opened the tower door with the key.
The door of the tower, shrouded in darkness, opened with a click, and the warm air of the workshop wafted out.
“The professor won’t be here, right?”
“At this hour, he’s in the Einrogard desert tending to cacti. Let’s go in.”
Gainando was surprised at his friend’s thoroughness, knowing the professor’s schedule down to the hour.
“How does Lee Han remember all that?”
“You remember every single letter on the magic cards, too.”
“W–why are you bringing that up!”
While the two chatted in the back, Lee Han quickly began checking from the first floor.
No matter how certain you were that the professor was absent, you couldn’t let your guard down inside the magic tower.
You had to check for any new warding magic or traps that might have been added without you knowing.
‘Nothing here.’
Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.
It was all due to Professor Thunderstep’s carelessness.
No matter how much you trust your students and hand them your keys, that was still an irresponsible attitude toward security.
‘Professor really is too lax.’
Of course, thanks to that, Lee Han was able to pillage the place comfortably, but that was one thing—fulfilling his duty as a disciple was another.
While checking the room, Lee Han found an envelope on the table. Surprisingly, the handwriting on top looked very familiar.
‘…Wait. Isn’t this a letter from Professor Baegrek?’
Lee Han was shocked for several reasons.
He was surprised first that Professor Voladi had written a letter, and next, that it was addressed to Professor Thunderstep.
As a loyal disciple, normally he should keep the professors’ secrets—but unfortunately, the letter had already slipped out of its envelope and was lying open on the table. This too, was due to Professor Thunderstep’s carelessness.
‘Professor, really… so careless. Can’t be helped.’
Lee Han picked up the letter so it wouldn’t fall, and in the process “accidentally” read it.
Capital. Urgent. Summons. Lord Gonadaltes. Request to exchange lectures.
Voladi Baegrek
“????”
Lee Han thought it was a cipher for a moment, then realized belatedly.
‘Ah. So the headmaster has summoned him urgently to the capital?’
That in itself was surprising as well.
Already, several professors were with the skull headmaster in the capital, but now even Professor Voladi?
‘…Is there some kind of revolt happening in the capital??’
Lee Han couldn’t understand.
He had no idea why so many Einrogard professors had to be gathered in the capital.
If he didn’t know the Emperor’s race, he might have thought the skull headmaster was really starting a revolt.
‘Surely it’s not because Joulin caused trouble, right?’
Feeling uneasy, Lee Han shook his head.
The headmaster and the professors had headed to the capital before that happened—Joulin’s escape couldn’t possibly be the reason.
…Probably!
‘But what’s this “exchange lectures” about? Surely he’s not saying he’ll swap lectures later because of canceled classes.’
Unaware that he had accidentally stumbled upon the correct answer, Lee Han fell into thought.
Anyone leaving for the capital in a hurry wouldn’t be leisurely worrying about canceled classes…
“Lee Han?”
“Sorry. It’s nothing.”
Lee Han snapped out of his thoughts at his friends’ voices.
No matter what, Professor Voladi had gone to the capital, and they needed to continue their own task.
In a way, it was good luck.
If Professor Voladi and the mad clone were to lecture together…
“……”
Just imagining the combination sent a chill down Lee Han’s spine.
“Lee Han is acting weird. Did he get hit by magic?”
“But none of these potions or incenses here could affect Lee Han…”
As Gainando and Yoner whispered, Lee Han waved his hand apologetically.
“Sorry. I’m really fine. I was just surprised because Professor Baegrek went to the capital.”
“Huh. Did Professor Mortum go too???”
“No.”
“Dang.”
Gainando was downcast.
Why wasn’t Professor Mortum invited to this, either?
“More importantly, we need to check what Professor Thunderstep was doing. Can you both help?”
His friends nodded.
The three carefully approached the section of the workshop that Professor Thunderstep used and started deducing clues.
“High-quality paper, water bottles, brushes, tobacco leaves, acacia sap… What kind of magic is this, Lee Han?”
“…That’s just the professor making cigarettes by hand.”
“Oh.”
Gainando grumbled.
Why would anyone confuse people by making cigarettes by hand in the workshop?
“He was using poison grass.”
“He brewed two new potions…”
Still, with the two prodigies from the alchemy schools, their clue deduction proceeded quickly.
They set aside materials and potions recently used, and from there, separated out the ones likely used for lectures.
“Cockatrice poison—do you think that’s for lectures or not?”
“That’s for lectures. I heard he used it in a fourth-year class.”
‘Shouldn’t have asked…’
Yoner scratched a line on his paper with his quill, feeling even more miserable now that he knew about the unlucky future in advance.
“Mercury sulfide, feathers of a three-year-old crow.”
“Thunderbird’s wail, ghoul giant’s claw.”
“Crystal golem core, foul band mushroom, mandrake…”
“…Cinnabar, wait. Isn’t this Arlkan’s Eternal Severance??”
Yoner shouted in surprise.
Since it was a recipe created by his family ancestor, he could spot it first.
Pulling out the Arlkan family’s arcane compendium he always carried, Yoner quickly flipped through the pages to compare.
“Looks like it matches?”
“Sorry, Yoner. I know a lot about -Meikin family’s sweet pan chocolate- and -Meikin family’s magical chocolate eclair-, but not ‘Eternal Severance’…”
“…R–right.”
Normally, people wouldn’t even know about the chocolate or eclairs, but Yoner calmly explained.
“It’s a poison. It works on the soul…”
Literally, it was a vicious poison that severed the soul’s connection forever.
Even if your flesh or blood had high poison resistance, this sort of poison was hard to withstand.
‘Why did he make this?’
Lee Han wondered why Professor Thunderstep brewed such a poison.
Gainando was startled and cried out in terror.
“Is… is this meant for Lee Han? Because poison doesn’t work on Lee Han, so he got mad…”
“……”
“…No, this probably won’t work on Lee Han either. If you have high magic power, even soul-based stuff doesn’t work.”
‘Couldn’t you have denied it some other way?’
Lee Han thought to himself, but stayed quiet.
The most likely hypothesis was that Professor Thunderstep made it to counter the mad clone.
The mad clone gave impossibly absurd orders, and, feeling fed up, Professor Thunderstep decided to use poison…
“…I’ll at least find out the antidote. Yoner, can I see the arcane compendium?”
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
Yoner wasn’t the type to hide this sort of thing, but even so, handing over the family’s arcane compendium so readily was something only possible with great trust in a friend.
Lee Han expressed his gratitude as he accepted the book.
“……”
“……”
“…Lee Han, you’re not looking at the chocolate eclair recipe, are you?”
“S–sorry. It’s just so remarkable… So the secret was raspberries. I only thought of custard cream…”
“If you’re curious, I’ll show you later, so check the antidote part.”
Yoner urged his friend with a slightly annoyed voice.
Although he was secretly proud to have their family secrets admired, it was unbelievable to see someone stare at the eclair recipe like they were bewitched, given the current situation.
No matter how much cooking was part of alchemy…!
“Thanks, Yoner. Found it.”
“You going to make it?”
“…I should probably have it ready.”
Lee Han looked grim as he spoke.
He couldn’t be sure whether Professor Thunderstep would actually use the poison, but as a disciple of both magicians, Lee Han had to be prepared.
“Let’s gather the ingredients. It’ll be hard to make with just what’s in the storage room.”
“Lee Han. Lee Han!”
“But if we do, they’ll know we were here.”
“…Lee Han! Hey! Yoner!”
“Should we use the ones the seniors made…”
“Look over here!!”
While the two ignored him and talked, Gainando stomped his feet. Only then did the two realize someone was calling.
“What’s up?”
“Isn’t this the antidote the professor made?”
“……”
Lee Han checked the potion bottle Gainando was shaking. To his amazement, it was indeed the antidote.
“Where’d you find this???”
“Professor left it on the table where he was rolling his cigarettes.”
“…We’re not ones to talk, but isn’t the professor way too careless?”
At Yoner’s words, Lee Han instinctively nodded.
- * *
“Master. If anyone offers you something to eat or drink, don’t accept it.”
“…Are you losing your mind?”
Morning.
Heading together to the ‘Imperial Languages that Become Your Blood and Flesh’ lecture hall, the mad clone gave Lee Han a look that all but said, ‘What on earth is my disciple up to now?’
He was already unpredictable, but today’s remarks were truly perplexing. The mad clone couldn’t even guess what he meant.
“There’s supposedly a craze for poisoning food and drink in Einrogard these days.”
Even as he said it, Lee Han wondered if this was complete nonsense. However, the mad clone nodded, to his surprise.
“That could happen. It’s common among wizards. My student, perhaps you have no need to fear poison by birth, but do not let your guard down.”
“…Yes!”
As they conversed, from the opposite direction came Oriphulas, the devil who had served as the empire’s magistrate for 132 years.
A reliable assistant who helped with lectures together…
Aaaaaaaaagh! No! No! I haven’t done anything wrong yet!
Oriphulas suddenly screamed and tried to flee in the other direction.
Of course, the shackles of contract would not allow the devil to be left alone. Professor Rosine, seeing the devil choked by the binding contract as he tried to escape, was startled.
“What’s wrong? You know you can’t get away anyway!”
The devil didn’t give up. He hit himself hard enough to inflict heavy damage, and was momentarily reverse summoned.
“……”
“……”
As Lee Han stared in disbelief, the mad clone replied as if it were nothing.
“There’s no need for the devil’s advice when the royal family is here. It’s actually a good thing.”
“…Sorry, professor.”
“N-no, it’s okay, Lee Han. I didn’t expect Magistrate Oriphulas to disappear like that, either.”
“Demons tend to do odd things from time to time, you know.”
Lee Han answered shamelessly.
Professor Rosine cast him a reproachful look that seemed to ask, ‘Are you saying that with a straight face?’ but Lee Han pretended not to see.
Meanwhile, the mad clone strode into the lecture hall. The second-year students, now used to it all, greeted him politely.
“Hello, Archmage.”
“Oh, where’s the devil magistrate?”
When someone voiced the question, Lee Han replied quietly.
“Today, my teacher will help instead.”
“…Wardanaz, at this rate every professor will disappear within two weeks!”
His friends whispered with excitement.
Wardanaz claimed it was coincidence, but it was a fact that this semester, the number of professors was particularly dwindling.
If only a few more of the headmaster’s clones remained, this might really turn into a blissful year with only Einrogard students left…
“Did any of you reach enlightenment about the arcane geometry we discussed last time?”
“……”
The students all fell silent and averted their gazes. The mad clone showed his dissatisfaction with the dull achievements of his disciple’s peers.
“Even after more than a day, this is it? My student understood it on the spot.”
“No…!”
Lee Han tried to cover the mad clone’s mouth.
Right now, his teacher was about to socially destroy him among his friends!