Episode 1124
by Cristae‘Oops.’
Lee Han realized his mistake at the professor’s scolding.
No matter how kind the professor, nobody would approve of daydreaming during class. It was certainly rude.
He reflected and focused back on the lecture.
‘He must be really rattled.’
Erde of the Marcang family, a third-year senior in the Blue Dragon Tower, looked at Lee Han with slight concern.
After getting a word from Professor Kirmin, the junior had his head down, scribbling only with his quill.
‘He really doesn’t need to worry that much.’
Unlike professors in other departments, Professor Kirmin was an outstanding teacher with no grudges over such things.
As a member of the illusion magic faculty, Erde knew this well.
‘Right. I should comfort him.’
Erde decided.
He’d had a few run-ins with Wardanaz, after all.
He’d been caught during the smuggling incident at the start of last term, and had gotten food from him in the punishment room…
…Now that he thought about it, the connection was more embarrassing than good, but still, Erde had a sense of duty as a senior.
Same tower, same club, same department.
They hadn’t spoken often since Wardanaz was so busy, but that only made him want to offer advice more.
Outstanding top students are usually more fragile when shocked like this.
“Wardanaz. Don’t worry so much. The professor isn’t mad. Once, I even stole one of his favorite artifacts and—”
“Huh?”
Lee Han, busily scribbling with his quill, looked up in confusion.
At that reaction, Erde paused and glanced at the junior’s doodles.
To cast a spiritual double?
- Recognize the soul
- Interfere with the soul (current stage)
- Separate/extract the soul
The closest magic category? -Gonadaltes’ Fall-
…Apply Gonadaltes’ Fall to a cold-type double…
A letter to Pengerine? Can’t I reinforce the double with Professor Verdus’s composite enchantment magic? What about Royal Aurum Magic?
“……”
Half dazed, Erde tore his gaze away and checked his own notes.
☆Strongest Illusion Plant I Thought Up☆
-Grows huge in cold regions and fully manipulates cold element
-Modify Illusion Blight to grant strong hallucination effect as well
-Hybridize with hellish plants…
“Something wrong, senior?”
Slam!
Erde quickly closed his notebook. He couldn’t disgrace himself as a third-year Blue Dragon Tower student of Einrogard.
‘Wait. Is this guy prepping for graduation?’
Just from a glimpse, he could see how advanced this crazy junior’s thoughts were.
He seemed to have mastered recognizing and interfering with the soul. That alone was scary enough, but he could even skillfully use cold-type doubles.
In other words, his control and transformation of cold elements were already high-tier.
To make a cold element double—one of the trickiest elements—at this stage?
Plus, now he’s mentioning Professor Verdus’s composite enchantment, and “Royal Aurum”—who knew what kind of spell that was.
…Honestly, it’s terrifying!
Erde realized why people who were close to Wardanaz at the same level or above sometimes became quiet.
-Wardanaz? Mm… He’s a good, smart guy. His magic skills? Why do you keep asking? Ask him directly!
-Wardanaz? Pff. Good guy. Tried to smuggle and got caught? …Just saying, for your own good, absolutely don’t try to get revenge. I’m serious.
“Uh, no. I just didn’t want you to be discouraged from what Professor said…”
“Senior!”
Lee Han’s eyes sparkled at the unexpected warm encouragement.
He never thought Erde would say something like that.
It was truly worth bringing that food to the punishment room.
“Thank you. It was my mistake.”
“Haha. Good, as long as you’re okay…”
“By the way. May I ask you something about spiritual doubles?”
“…Wardanaz. No matter how lenient Professor Ku is, you shouldn’t keep talking!”
Erde sternly scolded his junior and quickly put distance between them. Lee Han could only stare in disbelief.
What the…?
Professor Kirmin, observing their exchange from afar, shook his head in exasperation.
‘I should tell Marcang to step it up as a senior.’
What an embarrassment as an upperclassman!
Even after the lecture ended, the illusion magic students stayed in the classroom, absorbed in their tasks.
Professor Kirmin straightened his glittering crystal cufflinks as he explained.
“These are minor commissions. Not big or particularly fun work, but not bad.”
Contrary to Professor Bol Mo’s disparaging remarks, the illusion faculty was always steadily in demand throughout the empire.
The needs were various.
Installing illusion labyrinths for guilds or mansions’ security, developing magic for performances or events, collaborating on requests from other faculties…
“Requests from other faculties?”
“Ah, mostly from the enchantment or divination faculties.”
With many artifact artisans, the enchantment faculty frequently collaborates with others.
No matter how skilled, it’s hard for one artisan to master all branches of magic.
Of course, madmen like Professor Verdus would forcibly handle everything themselves, but average magicians just contacted others to say, ‘Could you make this spell for me?’
“But Wardanaz, you’re not really interested in these requests, are you?”
Professor Kirmin knew just how busy Lee Han was.
Professors at Einrogard fell into two major camps regarding Wardanaz.
One was, “He’s so talented, he should take on more faculty work;” the other, “He’s so talented, he should get less.” Usually, the latter had some humanity left, the former was Professor Verdus.
As one of the former, Kirmin had no intention of giving Wardanaz more requests now.
He’d already gotten plenty as it was.
‘I’m actually interested.’
Lee Han replied inwardly and spoke up.
“Yes. Actually, I’m curious if there’s any way to read Professor Baegrek’s mind.”
“I knew this day would come.”
Professor Kirmin nodded as if bracing himself for this moment.
No matter how good-hearted a student, one could only accumulate resentment under someone like Professor Voladi.
In fact, the gentler the student, the more likely they were to harbor resentment.
A normal student would have run away from the department, but a good student stayed and, naturally, built up…
“It’s not easy to surprise Professor Baegrek, Wardanaz. But it’s not impossible.”
“…No, that’s not what I meant.”
He was curious about the rest of that sentence, but Lee Han returned to the point.
“It’s not?”
“No.”
“I thought it was, definitely… figured you’d want to ambush him…”
Professor Kirmin mumbled incredulously.
‘Is this guy really my friend’s protégé?’
“Then why do you want to know what he’s thinking?”
“You probably already know, but it’s because of the Sengiros cult.”
“…I do not!!”
Professor Kirmin was genuinely startled.
Why was the name of a long-destroyed cultist order popping up here?
“You don’t know?”
Now it was Lee Han’s turn to be shocked.
Professor Garcia knew, and so did Professor Voladi.
Even Lee Han knew.
‘Did Professor Ku also have some history with the Sengiros cult?’
“…Damn. I see the Headmaster’s reasoning now.”
For once, Professor Kirmin scowled in anger.
“He hid the info because he thought I’d take Professor Baegrek’s side.”
The Headmaster, careless as he might appear, was surprisingly meticulous in matters like this.
He hadn’t meant to inform Professor Voladi in the first place, so it was obvious he wouldn’t tell Voladi’s close friend, Professor Kirmin.
If Professor Voladi tried anything, would Kirmin help or try to stop him?
The Headmaster had apparently decided on the former.
“Were you planning to help?”
“I don’t know. But now that the Headmaster’s being like this, I kind of want to help just to spite him… Kidding. I’d stop him.”
Kirmin forced his expression back to normal for the sake of his student.
He hated the Headmaster’s thick-skinned tricks, but right was right.
He wasn’t so rigid as to completely condemn vengeance.
But even vengeance could be coldly and carefully planned. There was no reason to risk one’s life on a reckless gamble.
Unfortunately, his friend preferred the latter.
“Oh, so you just wanted to know what Baegrek would do if he found out?”
“No, he already knows.”
“……”
Kirmin almost dropped his teacup. Barely catching and replacing it in confusion, he asked, voice trembling.
“H-how did he take it?”
“Huh? He promised he wouldn’t act rashly, so…”
“And in reality?”
“He actually hasn’t done anything yet.”
“……”
Kirmin gently set down his teacup. If he held it any longer, he really would drop it.
‘Having a student truly changed him…!’
He almost wished he’d paid students to become Voladi’s disciples earlier.
“More than that, I ended up on their list…”
“You made the list?!”
Crackle!
Around them, students working on crafting illusion spells stared with wide eyes.
All the spells they were making lost control, veering toward Professor Kirmin.
“Professor…!”
“…I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.”
Regretting he’d grabbed the teacup instead, Professor Kirmin restored the disrupted spells.
Then he sat down again.
“You’re on the list? Why? Just because you sabotaged them too much?”
“I’m… not sure…”
“Oh. Was it the Ghoul King? Or the Frost Giant King? The anti-magic faction? Magical criminals? Was it because of your contract with Prince Joulin?”
“……”
Lee Han felt a bit dejected.
To hear not “That’s impossible!” but “I wonder why?” from someone after telling them he’s on a cult’s hit list…
If even Professor Kirmin reacted like this, who wouldn’t?
“Anyway, I get why you’re worried. You’re not talking about revenge—having a student on the list is a different matter.”
“Exactly?”
Professor Kirmin paused, then clapped his hands at a sudden idea.
“Let’s set the list aside for now. Wardanaz, let me accompany you and Professor Baegrek next time you go out on assignment. To observe, see if it’s safe to tell him.”
“…?”
Lee Han tilted his head, momentarily confused.
“By accompany, you mean, next time I leave on assignment…?”
“Exactly.”
“…Uh, is that okay?”
Sure, adding one more professor was one thing (not that it really was, though).
But what about the illusion faculty’s work?
Professor Kirmin nodded unconcernedly, then took out a paper bird. Diligent faculty had their own little weapons.
“Go.”
As the paper bird flew off, Lee Han carefully asked,
“What kind of letter did you send?”
“Asked the Headmaster to cover some of my illusion department work. He’s probably free lately anyway.”
“……”
Once again, Lee Han realized that, at Einrogard, it’s the kind-hearted ones who harbor the deadliest poison.