Episode 1182

Regardless, Lee Han didn’t pay much attention. It was truly evident that he had no interest in the black magicians.

Instead, he hesitated over whether to take out the magic books related to the lectures he was currently attending.

Titles such as -Forbidden Rituals of Black Magic-, -Basics of Spirit Use Clones-, and -Elemental Magic Commentary- briefly appeared from the lecture list.

“Hmm, I’m not sure if I should ask for help like this. These spells are so trivial.”

-Not at all, disciple.

If it were the Skull Headmaster, he would have said, “Then get lost,” and if it were the Mad Clone, he would have sternly scolded, “How dare you waste your master’s time,” but the young prince waited patiently.

He waited, trusting his disciple to bring it up in his own time.

-Your expression is full of anxiety, disciple. Did something happen?

“It’s a long story…”

-I have time, tell me. Even if it’s trivial wisdom, it might help you, disciple.

While waiting, the young prince personally roasted the tea leaves inside the painting. After checking the fragrance, he nodded in satisfaction.

Lee Han hesitated for a moment and then confided what had happened.

“So, uh… I clashed with the most wicked outlaws in the Empire, and it just so happened that one of them has a past grudge with the professor…”

-Did Disciple Voladi disappear, by chance?

“?!”

Lee Han was startled by the prince calmly giving the answer without hearing it all.

Could he have been listening to everything from inside here?

“How did you know?!”

-If you’re this anxious, it’s obvious. Disciples must also learn to hide their emotions, you know.

Even when Lee Han said Professor Voladi had disappeared, the young prince wasn’t particularly surprised.

For a prince who had wandered the continent engaging in bloody battles, this sort of news was something to hear over a quiet cup of tea.

If a disciple is attacked, a master must step up.

That was how the loyalty of a magical sect worked.

Especially if it was an old enemy of the master’s…

-If your skills were outstanding, you might have accompanied them, but since there are still areas to be refined, that’s why you weren’t brought along.

“Still, couldn’t they at least have said something before leaving?”

-Who knows?

The prince lightly shrugged his shoulders.

-A master isn’t supposed to explain everything to a disciple. Guessing that intent is part of the disciple’s job.

“Well, even if the professors don’t say anything, it’s the disciple’s role to do all the busywork in advance…”

-…That seems like an odd interpretation, but I believe the core point got across, disciple.

While he was gentle and kind, the young prince also had some absolutely unyielding beliefs.

One of those concerned the master-disciple relationship.

Lee Han didn’t stubbornly try to challenge him on that. Agitating the young prince and making him blow up like the Mad Clone would serve no purpose.

“They told me it was because my magic skills were lacking.”

-Whoever said that is very rude.

“……”

The truth was, it was the Skull Headmaster who had said it, but Lee Han kept his mouth shut.

-Of course, it’s true that your lack of magical skills prevented you from going along, but to point out only that and ignore the special nature of the master-disciple relationship? That’s truly malicious.

“…Ugh. Sorry for being lacking.”

Lee Han reflected.

After all, wasn’t it just confirming that his magic skills were insufficient?

The young prince comforted him as if saying it was all right.

-Everyone has times when they fall short, disciple. And that’s why we pursue wisdom. You have good teachers. And among them, the best teacher is right in front of you.

“…I see.”

Lee Han found himself almost spellbound by the words.

-There are three things a disciple can do now. The best option is to trust your master’s abilities and wait quietly.

“I’ve already prepared to track him down though.”

-I thought you would. Then the next option is to use every resource and set off to track him down yourself.

“So what’s the worst option?”

-The worst option is to plan everything by yourself without telling anyone, but you wouldn’t do that, would you?

“I’m sorry…”

The young prince waved off the apology with a smile as if it didn’t matter. That only made the pressure feel greater.

‘Wouldn’t it be better if he just got mad?’

The Mad Clone might physically attack, but at least he didn’t hold a grudge.

Lee Han suddenly missed his former master.

-So, what are those spells you’ve brought? Do you need to master all these before tracking can begin?

“Yes.”

-All right. I’ll do my best to help, so let’s finish up these children’s games as quickly as we can.

“Excuse me?”

-Just a joke. Joke.

“……”

---

-You’ve got quite the nerves.

Squeaking came from the hamster cage atop Lee Han’s personal desk.

At those words, Lee Han hesitated for a moment.

‘What’s he talking about?’

He’d done so many things lately that he couldn’t guess what the hamster meant.

-…Going to meet that thought-form without fear, I mean.

“Oh, that.”

Lee Han was relieved.

Honestly, the things he’d been up to lately weren’t something he could write off with, ‘This much is fine,’ if anyone pointed it out.

“My master is strict with villainous magical criminals like you, but he’s rather kind to me.”

-Spewing crazy nonsense, I see.

The hamster squeaked in disbelief.

Of course, the hamster didn’t think or claim he himself was a good person.

But at the very least, he was sure that he was far saner and more reasonable than Gonadaltes’s thought-form.

How could a magician who constantly drew lines of good and evil and fought until he broke himself possibly be mentally sound?

It would be better to be greedy and selfish like himself.

Lee Han responded to the hamster’s claim by splashing cold water on him.

-Ack!

“That’s quite the way to dress up your greed.”

-Dress up? I didn’t dress up anything! Why would I dress myself up for anything? I’m saying that thought-form is terrifying. Think about it carefully. Have you really never felt fear from that thought-form?

“……”

Lee Han inadvertently became lost in thought.

To say he never felt any chill from the young prince would be a lie.

At first, he had thought the prince was just a perfect, superior version of the Skull Headmaster in every way…

…but there were moments when he did feel a chill.

For example, when dealing with the spirit Saratan.

When Baquantalana’s dimensional staff spell was cast, the prince hadn’t blinked an eye at the idea of sacrificing Saratan.

Of course, Saratan wasn’t a benevolent spirit.

Their first encounter had been threatening, and considering Saratan’s violent past, Lee Han could intellectually understand the young prince keeping the spirit down.

But it was inevitable to feel a bit of coldness about such things.

‘Ah. I fell for the tricks of a wicked magical criminal.’

Lee Han splattered some ink on the hamster beside him. The hamster squeaked with rage.

“What nonsense is this.”

-You damn little brat. If you don’t want to believe me, then fine, but what’s with the violence!

The hamster’s fur, now instantly dyed black, vibrated as his whiskers trembled.

-If you want to keep hanging around that thought-form, do as you please. It’s not like you’d listen even if I tried to stop you anyway, would you?

“That’s true, but it’s still annoying. Also, my master is helping me like this. What have you done for me?”

Lee Han shook the magic book thick with writing.

It was ridiculous to accuse Lee Han of “not having done anything for you” after transforming and imprisoning him, but the hamster didn’t mention that.

From his experience associating with this magician, he knew all too well that complaining served no purpose.

He asked what he was actually curious about instead.

-What’s that?

“These are the notes the professor gave me for the upcoming midterms. I want to finish them in advance, but it’s a bit much to prepare all by myself.”

-……

He’d thought Lee Han was absurdly fearless for meeting the thought-form, but the reason was something so trivial.

The hamster was so speechless he couldn’t even squeak.

“Want to take a look?”

-…Sure.

Honestly, he was bored anyway, so the hamster nodded.

Seeing the title -Advanced Alchemy for Idiots-, it seemed to be an alchemy lecture.

‘This magician is pretty twisted.’

Just seeing the lecture name spoke volumes about its creator. For someone to name a lecture like that meant he was just as twisted as the hamster himself.

…The following divination incense is a branch of the School of Divination Magic, enhancing a magician’s five senses and improving the accuracy of prophecy.

The method for making this incense is as follows. Incense, cinnabar, mugwort, bones from a magical beast over thirty years old…

-Hmm. For something written by that thought-form, it’s rather plain and ordinary.

The hamster was slightly surprised.

He thought such an ancient, powerful magician would have written up unimaginably bizarre magic.

“Oh, that page is what the professor wrote; my master’s notes are on the next page.”

-I see.

“Aren’t you going to look?”

When the hamster just stood there in a daze, Lee Han wondered aloud.

The hamster then exploded in anger.

-You have to turn the page for me to see it!

“Oh.”

Lee Han grumbled internally about how foul-tempered the hamster was as he turned the page.

…The following divination incense is a branch of the School of Divination Magic (strictly speaking, it’s more about applying its principle to alchemy, so it’s not exactly pure Divination School).

Enhances magician’s five senses

*Note: sense of taste is practically meaningless

…Improves accuracy of prophecy…

The method for making this incense is as follows. Incense,

cinnabar (even a tiny amount, recommend using actual gold)

mugwort, bones from a magical beast over thirty years old

*Note: Can’t believe they act like getting magical beast bones of thirty-plus years is so easy. This is why alchemists… Infusing bone fragments with dark element should be an acceptable substitute.

-……

The hamster’s eyes widened enormously.

As expected of a crazy ancient Archmage, he tore into it savagely.

If the hamster had been the alchemist who wrote this recipe, he would have been floored by rage and humiliation.

‘Isn’t this too harsh? Surely even alchemy recipes have leeway for personal preference.’

There’s no absolute answer in magic, but that’s especially true of alchemy.

Do you pay the extra cost for stronger, purer effects, or not?

It might be substitutable with effort, but should you propose the harder method, or not?

A typical mage would respect others’ opinions and leave room for flexibility, but this Archmage marked up everything mercilessly as if grading a disciple’s homework.

“Isn’t he really kind?”

-To you, maybe. …You’re not going to show this to the other mage, are you?

“Why would I? I’ll just show him the completed result.”

-Good. That’s a relief.

The hamster paused for a moment.

Why did he even think that was a relief?

What did it matter if an Einrogard mage suffered humiliation!

‘…I must get back to normal as soon as possible…!’