Episode 1072

Chapter 1072

Puyo showered praise after seeing the magic completed by the two Einrogard students.

“For student mages to complete something like this! Professor Verdus must be truly happy!”

“??”

From under the table, Professor Verdus tilted his head.

How could he be happy, crawling on all fours because of his devious students’ trickery?

“But… No, I’ve never seen this ancient magic before. Where did you find this?”

Avalkaigen, who had been staring intently at the magic inscribed on the plate, exclaimed in surprise.

It was astonishing enough that dimensional rods and refraction were combined and inscribed into a single plate, but upon closer inspection, he saw that several ancient magics—no longer seen today—were supporting the operation and structure of the magic circle.

Even Avalkaigen, an expert on ancient artifacts, was seeing this ancient magic for the first time.

“Did you perhaps receive instruction from Lord Gonadaltes?”

“Nope. That guy is so petty he won’t teach anything easily.”

At the answer from below, Avalkaigen looked down in disbelief.

Though Lord Gonadaltes was subject to some talk within the Empire due to his dogmatic ways, he was still the guardian of the Empire’s Magic Barrier and the Imperial Commander of Demons.

And that damned beaver beastkin below was also an Einrogard professor, which made Lord Gonadaltes his superior.

Yet he spoke with such rudeness.

‘The Einrogard Enchantment Magic School is pitiful indeed! No matter how talented, to have to serve such a madman as their master…’

Avalkaigen looked at Lee Han and Yukveltire with eyes full of pity.

Yukveltire misunderstood that look and whispered to her junior.

“Be on your guard.”

“About what?”

“I’m sure he’s eyeing the magic we completed with greed.”

“…That’s a look of sympathy. For us, Senior.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re Professor Verdus’s students.”

“……”

Normally, Yukveltire would never accept pity from anyone, but this time, she was at a loss for words.

After some hesitation, Yukveltire spoke up.

“Still, there must be at least a tiny merit? Junior, try to refute him on my behalf.”

“I refuse.”

No matter how confident Lee Han was in speech, he didn’t want to step forward on such a topic.

There simply seemed to be no chance of winning.

“May I ask where you found this?”

“Uh… We found it by chance inside Einrogard.”

“I see. Thank you for answering so sincerely even though it was a rude question.”

He worried he’d answered sloppily, but Avalkaigen accepted it surprisingly easily.

Even before the founding of the Empire’s magic schools, Einrogard was a place where all sorts of magic flourished. It was no surprise for long-lost magics to turn up there.

After closely inspecting the magic several times, Avalkaigen sighed. No matter how hard he tried to find fault, it was near-perfect magic design. As if an ancient archmage himself had drawn it.

“I concede, I surrender. Professor Verdus, I recognize it. As a master, you’re a step above me.”

“No, Professor!”

The disciple Avalkarn blurted out involuntarily, feeling guilty.

He might be lacking, but nothing about his master was lacking.

“That’s right! Absolutely not!”

-Please don’t say such things!

“???”

The orc mage looked around in confusion at the intense outcry from the Einrogard group, including Lee Han.

-There’s absolutely nothing lacking about Sir Avalkaigen. Please don’t think strange things!

“My senior Yukveltire and I suffered through making this, so how is it due to Professor Verdus? Please mind your words!”

The Death Knights were one thing, but as far as Avalkaigen was concerned, Lee Han was still just a green rookie.

Yet despite that, Avalkaigen was overwhelmed by the boy from the Wardanaz family.

A murderous energy as if facing a mortal enemy!

“I-I must have misspoken. I apologize.”

“…No, I’m sorry. I may have gotten too excitable. Also, I belong to all the schools of Einrogard, so I have multiple masters. It is never thanks to Professor Verdus.”

“……”

One thing Avalkaigen was certain of.

Einrogard Enchantment School students hated Professor Verdus—regardless of their grade.

• * *

“Now then!”

As the boring student introductions ended, Professor Verdus immediately brought out the most interesting topic in the Empire—his own magic research.

A small sailing vessel, barely big enough to fit in the palm, was placed atop the table, causing the mages to gasp in admiration.

Even Lee Han was inwardly surprised.

“This… Did you perhaps shrink a real ship with magic?”

“Sharp eyes. Ah. Did you hear beforehand from Professor Verdus because you’re close… No, never mind. I apologize.”

“N-no, not at all.”

The air between Avalkaigen and Lee Han became slightly awkward. Lee Han reflected deeply.

‘How rude, acting this way to someone I just met.’

Lee Han was not originally this impolite.

But when being asked if he was close to Professor Verdus himself, a surge of murderous intent erupted before he realized it…

“Anyway, it’s impressive. I didn’t know it was possible to shrink something to this extent.”

“You have to admit Professor Verdus’s skill.”

Transformation magic wasn’t all-powerful.

Especially, reducing the size of real objects by magic grew exponentially more difficult depending on volume and duration.

The mages present could perceive just how precise and powerful the shrinking magic comprising the sailing vessel was.

At this level, the original would easily be big enough to fill the room.

“Wait. Doesn’t the original sailing ship look a little different?”

Puyo, with his keen appraisal, picked up on the incongruity.

It did differ from the sailing vessel Professor Verdus had drawn several times in letters.

“You’re right. What is it? Why is it different? Did you make a new one?”

“Lagesa stole it.”

Professor Verdus grumbled, as if still fuming when he thought of it.

“Lagesa? As in… the Admiral of the Southern Privateer Fleet?”

“Probably. She’s one of Professor Verdus’s patrons, after all.”

“Wait, then it wasn’t stolen, was it?”

Avalkaigen asked, not understanding.

Why call it theft if a patron took something they invested in?

“It’s theft! She took it without my permission!”

Professor Verdus protested indignantly.

It took so much time and money to recreate the small sailing vessel from scratch after the old one vanished.

Lagesa did send more gold afterwards, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

“Did she take something other than what she invested in?”

“Nope. She took exactly what she invested in.”

“……”

-……

While everyone present grappled with their feelings, Professor Verdus muttered again.

“Wardanaz was bribed and handed it over.”

“Please, everyone, don’t misunderstand. I didn’t get bribed—Lady Lagesa seemed truly furious at the thought of not receiving the completed ship again this time…”

“No one here would ever misunderstand, so don’t worry about it.”

At Puyo’s words, the knights nodded unconsciously.

None of those present were inclined to take Professor Verdus’s side in anything.

If Professor Verdus cried, ‘My disciple Wardanaz set fire to the workshop, stabbed me, then looted all my treasures!’ everyone here would take Lee Han’s side.

“Wait. The shape of the hull is different?”

“You’re right. The front mast is changed too…”

The two mages, invited by Professor Verdus, were flustered by how different the newly made vessel was from the original.

This was more important than it seemed.

All preparations made for this day had been set for the old vessel.

From the ancient artifact meant to stabilize climate in flight by attaching to the hull, to the mast refitted as a magic staff to allow the ship itself to cast spells.

Both were delicate magics; if the vessel’s form changed, everything needed adjustment.

“While I was at it, I changed the designs I disliked, too.”

“…You should have told us that!”

Avalkaigen almost growled.

What the hell was this crazy beaver mage doing!

“You can just fix it here, right?”

“How much time do you expect us to waste? After being invited all this way!”

Feeling they’d wasted unnecessary effort, Avalkaigen jumped up and stormed out the door.

Having been invited because collaboration was necessary, he already regretted coming.

“Whew…”

Standing outside the door, sighing in gloom, he was joined by the knights. Avalkaigen apologized.

“Sorry. You came just for escort and I show you this disgraceful side.”

-No, that’s not the issue. More importantly, mage, you said you prepared the magic for the previous sailing vessel?

“That’s… true… but?”

Avalkaigen couldn’t understand why these Death Knights were asking this.

-If we had that original vessel, could you work on it?

“You mean Lady Lagesa didn’t actually take it?”

-She later gifted it to someone else. It’s a long story. Anyway, so it’s possible—good to know.

“???”

The knights, without waiting for any more answers, were about to go back inside to fetch Puyo.

But Puyo came out first. Avalkaigen bowed to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Professor, because of me…”

“Ah, ah. Not at all. I came out because Professor Verdus kept nagging me to cut off a part of my body.”

From the old days, Professor Verdus, knowing Puyo was a tree spirit hybrid and outstanding mage, was overly interested in Puyo’s body.

Every time they met, he would pester Puyo to donate a piece, knowing it was a superb material.

“Why are the knights gathered out here?”

The knights repeated their earlier question. Puyo reacted the same way.

“Didn’t Lady Lagesa take it??”

-It’s a long story. Anyway, understood!

The knights returned inside, this time bringing out the skull headmaster’s top disciple.

Lee Han looked confused, unable to grasp the situation.

“Are you planning to attack Professor Verdus?”

-No.

The Death Knights were tempted, but shook their heads. But they thought they might try it seriously one day.

-Successor.

“Shh. A lot of people are listening.”

‘Successor?’

The two mages wondered inside, but didn’t interrupt.

-Understood. Wardanaz. Remember that sailing vessel you received last time.

“Yes.”

-What would you think of leaving it to these gentlemen?

“???”

The two mages couldn’t hold back and jumped into the conversation.

“Wait. Didn’t Lady Lagesa take it?”

“Lady Lagesa gave it back to me.”

“Why?”

Avalkaigen was bewildered.

That little flying vessel wasn’t some trivial thing. Lagesa must have invested massively with Professor Verdus for it.

To give it back to the detestable mage’s student…

“I don’t know the exact reason, but if I had to guess…”

The two mages listened closely.

What possibilities had Lagesa seen in this genius?

“Wouldn’t she have just pitied me for learning under Professor Verdus?”

“……”

Avalkaigen almost felt convinced for a second, but quickly snapped out of it.