Episode 1026

‘No!’

Professor Garcia inwardly screamed as he saw his innocent student approaching, completely unaware of the situation.

He quickly gestured to the student, who noticed his face and greeted him with joy.

The “skull” sign he made with his hand was a well-known “No entry, danger” signal to any Einrogard student.

‘Just wait a minute, Lee Han!’

“Hello, Professor.”

“No!”

Professor Garcia sighed reflexively when he realized his hand signal failed to get through.

“Why are you here!”

“Uh? You told me to come to this cafe…”

“That’s not it! My hand signal just now…”

“Hand signal? What did that mean?”

Lee Han looked puzzled, as if he had no idea what Professor Garcia was talking about.

This shocked Professor Garcia.

‘…They don’t use this anymore these days!’

To find that a gesture from his student days was no longer understood was a real blow, even to a wizard like him.

Meanwhile, the Petrogard wizards looked Lee Han up and down.

“Greetings. You must be an Einrogard student.”

“Yes, I am. I’m Lee Han of House Wardanaz.”

“!”

A great ripple crossed both wizards’ eyes.

So many rumors followed that name.

There were stories of fighting the Ghoul King or the Frost Giant King, of battling magical criminals and anti-magic fanatics…

But to these two, only one rumor mattered.

The new student currently favored by the Skull Headmaster!

“Are you the one personally instructed by Duke Gonadaltes…?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“The one destined to join the Cone Lily Tower after graduation?”

“That’s not true.”

“I figured as much, too.”

The Petrogard wizard quickly accepted it.

Frankly, the credibility of Cone Lily Tower wizards was low. Even with Professor Garcia, they had boasted he’d join their tower.

“In any case, you’re currently the Duke’s only personal student, right?”

“Why such an unpleasant way of putting it?”

Lee Han was a little annoyed at the strangers’ unpleasant words.

They even talked as rudely as Einrogard professors, just like their student attire.

“There are plenty of others. Professor Kim here, and Professor Baegrek, and Professor Mortum, too.”

“Ah, yes, but they have all become independent as professors, right?”

‘If you become a professor, you’re not counted as a student anymore?’

Lee Han was intrigued.

So, becoming a professor was a way to escape being labeled the Headmaster’s only student.

“Currently, as the only one remaining a pure student, we have a favor to ask of you, Student Wardanaz!”

“If it’s handing over Professor Verdus, then forget it.”

At their desperate request, Lee Han replied warily.

• * *

“Lee Han! Why did you do that!”

Professor Garcia whispered urgently so the other two wizards couldn’t overhear.

Amazingly, this upright student had agreed to the Petrogard wizards’ request!

For Professor Garcia, who had done everything to avoid getting Lee Han entangled, it was a shocking result.

“Uh, but didn’t they say they’d only grant your request if I agreed?”

“You did it for ME?!”

Professor Garcia was even more appalled.

Sure, he wanted tighter cooperation between magic schools, but not at the cost of sacrificing his innocent student.

Einrogard had gotten along just fine on its own, after all.

“No, it’s not just that.”

“Then…?”

“Well, you said all this happened because of the Headmaster’s former student.”

“That’s not confirmed. If we’re lucky it might just be a magical criminal.”

Lee Han ignored Professor Garcia’s muttered words.

“Even so, I feel a certain duty… I want to help as much as I can.”

“…!!!”

After inheriting much from the Clone of Ambition, Lee Han felt a strong sense of duty regarding promises.

In the past, he might have responded, “If the Headmaster’s former student caused trouble, should I just submit an anonymous letter?”

…Now, he’d actually step up personally to help persuade!

“And I can’t just leave you to deal with someone like that on your own, Professor.”

“…Lee Han!”

Professor Garcia was deeply moved.

If not for several friends whose bones had been broken back in his own school days, he’d have hugged Lee Han then and there.

“About that letter earlier—did you really run into a spell you can’t solve? What kind of magic is that?”

The mages were now visiting the villa before heading to Petrogard, since Lee Han mentioned a magical problem there.

“Well, there’s a crazy wizard ghost in the basement…”

At first, Professor Garcia listened lightly, but his face gradually stiffened.

An infinite space labyrinth?

No way…

“Isn’t that Mad Wizard Noenchenf???”

“Who?”

Lee Han was baffled.

“Mad wizard” was an all-too-common label for wizards, wasn’t it?

“There was this infamous wizard, Noenchenf, some time ago.”

Professor Garcia began, recalling old memories.

When Garcia was a student at Einrogard, the Mad Wizard Noenchenf had made the Imperial newspapers.

Strange building found near West Gate of Isran City! A wizard’s curse?

Anonymous local wizard testifies: ‘Seems an Einrogard alumnus was responsible…’

Also seen in Flaher City! Suspicious magic in a basement of an alchemist’s shop!

Was it really an Einrogard alumnus’ doing?

A mad wizard had installed unsolvable space labyrinths under various houses and business buildings all over the Empire.

Naturally, the prime suspect was a wizard from Einrogard, and the Skull Headmaster quickly dispatched wizards (and then scolded undergrads not to follow the example of alumni).

But, astonishingly, the culprit wasn’t an Einrogard alumnus at all, but a uniquely crazy wizard.

A wizard who spent his life researching space-time magic and, in the end, ended up leaving unsolved problems all over the Empire!

‘Truly a menace.’

Lee Han firmly resolved never to leave his own unsolvable spells lying around the Empire.

What a terrible nuisance!

“Was it ever solved?”

“No. If it had been, there wouldn’t be any problems in your villa’s basement. Those underground labyrinths are all part of one spell. If one is solved, all the others reset to normal.”

Since it wasn’t an Einrogard alumnus and it was almost impossible to solve, most wizards simply destroyed the magic and exorcised the ghost.

Since the magic in the basement was just an “entrance” to the labyrinth, destroying it wasn’t very difficult.

They couldn’t actually solve the root problem, but at least the house became peaceful.

“!”

Lee Han’s face brightened at the straightforward solution.

Now that he thought about it, if he couldn’t solve the puzzle, this was an option.

‘If that’s all, maybe I can do it.’

The ghost didn’t have much fighting power anyway…

“But, Lee Han. If you use that method, the house will collapse.”

“…Sorry???”

“If you destroy the magic, there’s no way shockwaves won’t spread and usually the ground or first floor shakes as well.”

“……”

Lee Han was so shocked he couldn’t speak.

Professor Garcia thought,

‘He seems more shocked by this than about the Headmaster’s old student…’

No way, right?

“If… if I just leave it alone, Professor?”

“Yes?”

“Like, just leave the wizard ghost and coexist?”

“…If it’s not threatening, I guess that’s possible… But do you really want to, Lee Han?”

Professor Garcia was surprised by the crazed resolve of his student.

To actually plan to keep living with a mad wizard ghost…

“I’m fine. Previous wizards managed it, so why can’t I?”

“???”

• * *

Without knowing about Professor Garcia’s and his student’s conversation, Petrogard mage Dalser knocked on the villa’s door.

“Wow, it’s really neat!”

“House Wardanaz is a grand noble, so it’s only natural their villa would have polish.”

Likewise, Benjamin of House Garnock, also of Petrogard, nodded as if it were nothing to be surprised about.

“Let’s resolve the problem quickly and head to Petrogard afterward.”

“Exactly. Oh—there are other students here.”

The two mages saw students moving around inside.

-You little brat, stand still!

-N-no, Prince! Is it really so wrong to snag a meat pie? You’re so stingy, unlike Wardanaz!

-Shut up! How can you snatch food before it’s even ready!

“…Um, aren’t those Einrogard students?”

Dalser was a bit confused.

He was sure he saw students of different towers gathered together—something that never happened at Einrogard, right?

“May I help you?”

“Ah, we’re visiting with Lee Han of House Wardanaz… He’ll be here soon.”

“Come on in.”

Salko opened the door without a care.

Even if princes or White Tiger Tower brats lost a bit of face in front of outsiders, that had nothing to do with him.

“So, why did you come with Wardanaz, if I may ask?”

“Heard there’s an unsolved magic problem in the basement. We’re here to help.”

“…Just the two of you?”

Salko looked the pair up and down.

“If Wardanaz failed, how can just the two of you…”

“…We’re from Petrogard, you know. Understand?”

“Yes, but if Wardanaz failed, how can just two of you…”

“……”

Dalser was speechless.

He knew Einrogard wizards liked to turn others’ conventions upside down, but for a second-year to be this good…

“We’re… basically Einrogard professors, you know! At Petrogard.”

“Yes, I know, but if Wardanaz failed, how can just two of you…”

“Just show us in!”

As their voices rose, other students looked over. Siana asked curiously,

“Oh, guests?”

“Hello, we’re…”

“You’re here to solve the basement magic, I heard.”

“Both of you?”

“……”

The two Petrogard wizards started to feel faint.

…Could Professor Garcia have invited them here as a prank?

‘No, no way. Not Duke Gonadaltes, not Professor Kim… that’s impossible…’

“Wait, you two!”

Professor Garcia arrived, rushing.

“The thing is, the basement—”

“Don’t worry, Professor Kim. We’ll take care of it right now!”

Dalser was unusually fired up. Professor Garcia tried to stop him.

“No, you see, this isn’t a normal—”

“Just wait for us!”

With capes swirling, the two Petrogard mages headed for the basement with confidence.

Professor Garcia, left behind, muttered in distress.

“What if they end up hating Einrogard, too…”

“…I’ll do my best at Petrogard.”