Episode 1191
by CristaeEpisode 1191
While the two were having a conversation, another scream echoed.
“Aaaargh!”
“Shouldn’t we go in and check?”
“Why?”
“Well, what if the professor is being attacked… Oh. Sorry.”
Sigunting realized he had said something stupid and deeply reflected on it.
If Professor Verdus was being attacked, one should drink tea slowly outside, watch the birds fly by, and ponder what magic and life are, rather than rush in.
As expected, Anpagon, being a senior by a year, was very wise.
“This is nonsense!”
“Doesn’t sound like someone’s being attacked.”
“Damn.”
Sigunting felt betrayed.
He’d trusted in the junior’s recklessness, but it really wasn’t an assignment to attack Professor Verdus. For some reason, that felt unfair.
“Mmmnghh…”
“That’s… the sound when magic is blocked.”
‘Will I become like that, too, in my fourth year?’
Sigunting suddenly felt sad seeing Anpagon grasp the professor’s mood just by the groans.
He really didn’t want to end up that way.
“If that’s the sound of magic being blocked, doesn’t it seem odd? It’s not like magic would suddenly get blocked.”
“Well, there’s usually some warning signs.”
Anpagon nodded in agreement.
There were times when Professor Verdus would fall into madness because of magic, but usually there would be signs.
Mostly he would mutter questions to students like, ‘What do you think of this magic?’ or ‘Why isn’t this working?’
But this time, there hadn’t been anything like that.
“Maybe this is because of the assignment the junior submitted?”
“Driving the professor mad isn’t easy… Even if it’s Wardanaz…”
Anpagon fell into thought.
Mad junior or mad professor, both were not easy characters.
But if you really had to choose, Professor Verdus would be the one crazier—could one assignment really do that to him?
“No thoughts of going in to check?”
“Are you crazy? If you want to go in, call the mercenaries. There’s no way I’m going in.”
Anpagon looked regretful at Sigunting’s vehement refusal.
If he’d been a dumb junior, maybe he could’ve tricked him into going in…
Bang!
“?!”
At the sudden noise, both turned around in surprise.
Yukveltire, who hadn’t shown up in a while, was staring at them intently.
“Is something wrong, Senior? For the record, I’m busy, too.”
“Same here. Don’t even think about giving me work.”
“I wouldn’t ask useless juniors like you to do it, so stop the pointless talk.”
Sigunting, hurt by the cold and emotionless voice, protested.
“That time I made a mistake, it’s because it wasn’t my main field…”
“Calm down. I’m not talking about you. I’m pointing out the mistakes I made.”
Anpagon stopped Sigunting from making excuses. Yukveltire explained kindly.
“I meant both of you.”
“……”
“……”
Any student of the Enchantment Magic School had experienced the semi-forced orders from Yukveltire and been thrown into extremely difficult tasks.
When you entered the school as a lower-year and received an order from a senior, you’d just follow along without much thought.
And almost all students would make at least one mistake during such a task.
Being suddenly given a difficult task as a second-year—it was impossible not to slip up.
The only people who didn’t make mistakes there were crazy top-of-the-year types.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Did any of you touch -Yukveltire’s spear-?”
“……”
“……”
Both answered, managing their expressions though shocked.
“No.”
“Why would we touch it?”
“Hmmm.”
Yukveltire fell into thought. Sigunting asked carefully.
“Was the item… lost?”
“No.”
“Pardon? Then…”
“It’s about three degrees off from its original angle. That’s strange.”
“……”
Sigunting almost screamed.
What kind of maniac is that?
To remember even the angle at which he placed his artifact.
“You must be, um, mistaken.”
“Sorry, but I don’t make mistakes. Junior. It’s not like you confusing acceleration and amplification attributes.”
‘Geez.’
Sigunting cursed mentally.
If Sigunting were to die in the distant future, Yukveltire would probably come to the funeral and recite this eulogy:
-To the junior who confused acceleration and amplification attributes and ruined one of my artifacts…-
Whoosh!
At that moment, the spatial distortion blocking Professor Verdus’s workspace was released.
With the saddest and most miserable face in the Empire, Professor Verdus trudged out from inside.
“…I really hate to ask, but did something happen?”
“Do you guys know how to use a magic called -Eye of Ahrak-?”
Professor Verdus threw out an abrupt and unexpected question. The students were all dumbfounded.
“I’ve never even heard of it… Is it dark magic? If it’s Ahrak…”
“Then what about -Living Wall-?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you know, then!”
Professor Verdus stomped his foot in frustration.
This was not at all like the usual professor, who would just brush it off with, ‘Of course you wouldn’t know that’ or ‘Well, I wouldn’t expect you to.’
Instead of getting angry, the students eyed him suspiciously.
No way?
“Do you not know either, Professor?”
“……”
Professor Verdus hung his head deeply.
In fact, it wasn’t embarrassing at all for an enchanter to not know how to cast a difficult dark magic they’d just seen for the first time.
There hadn’t been any detailed explanation, and the outline in the other plan was all there was.
But Professor Verdus, who wanted to know everything, was devastated if there was anything he didn’t understand.
How in the world do you cast this spell?
“We’re disappointed, Professor. You always emphasized magical ability to us, yet you don’t know.”
“That’s right! You should take this chance to quit your professorship!”
The students knew as much but didn’t care, and hurled reproach at him.
There’s no other time to insult Professor Verdus than this.
Insulting while you can was the Enchantment Magic School’s way.
“It’s because I didn’t have time.”
“You said only incompetent magicians make excuses about lack of time.”
“If I could just get a few dark magic books from the library…”
“You also said only pathetic magicians make excuses about magic books! Hahaha!”
“…J, just you wait!”
Defeated thoroughly by his past self, Professor Verdus went back into his workshop.
He was determined to reproduce the magic no matter what it took.
At that figure, the students of the Enchantment Magic School smiled widely. Even Yukveltire allowed himself a faint smile.
“Oh, he left this.”
Sigunting absentmindedly picked up the junior’s assignment that Professor Verdus had dropped.
Well, the professor would have memorized it at a glance, so there was no reason to carry it around…
“……”
Sigunting’s expression became very serious. Curious, Anpagon peeked over his shoulder.
“Hmmm…”
Anpagon’s expression became identical to the junior’s.
The two were confused because they couldn’t even guess what kind of dark magic it was.
It seemed that Professor Verdus had figured out at least the effects, but the two of them couldn’t even…
‘Was Imperial script always this hard? Is this really written in Imperial script?’
“Senior, could you maybe take a look at this?”
They handed the blueprint to Yukveltire, who took it and read quietly.
The juniors looked up at their senior with hopeful eyes. With such an unfriendly senior, surely he would give a proper explanation.
“I’ve read it all. In any case, if neither of you touched the item, I’ll be going.”
“W-wait…”
As the senior turned and left, the two were left flustered.
Just leaving like that?
“He’s really heartless. Doesn’t he care what this is?”
“I’ve felt it before, but that senior has no heart. Sometimes he’s even worse than Professor Verdus.”
As the two juniors grumbled, Yukveltire walked away quietly, sending a paper bird to a friend.
The reply came instantly.
How would I know how to cast -Eye of Ahrak-!? Ask the -Heirs of Ahrak-!
“……”
A faint look of disappointment flashed across Yukveltire’s face.
And then another paper bird arrived.
“!”
He hastily opened it and read the following:
And I just borrowed your spear for a bit, so don’t take it out on the juniors!
“……”
While the seniors of the Enchantment Magic School were shocked, the professors were also feeling similar shock.
Professor Thunderstep apologized with a regretful look.
“My apologies, Professor Reji. I should have stopped him.”
There was no response from Professor Yonramo.
That was because the sight of his disciple transformed into a dragon was so overwhelmingly shocking.
Professor Garcia, who had come out of curiosity after hearing the rumors, was also at a loss for words at the sight of an actual transformation.
“To think he would really transform into a dragon…”
“By the way, where is Professor Verdus?”
“Who knows?”
“Hmph. At least we don’t have to see him showing off—that’s a relief.”
Professor Thunderstep grumbled.
If Professor Verdus were here, he would have made such a fuss about being right.
In that sense, it was lucky he wasn’t here.
“He transformed into a dragon?!”
However the rumor spread, more professors who had nothing to do with it started showing up one by one.
It made sense for Professors like Millei or Kirmin, but when even Alcassis, the elusive professor of the Healing Magic School, appeared, everyone was startled.
“Professor! I didn’t expect you to come!”
“If someone can transform into a dragon, I need to be aware of it ahead of time, after all.”
“……”
……
Not just Professor Garcia but even Lee Han, who had transformed into a dragon, had a sour look.
How harshly would they try to exploit him now, coming personally to check?
Still, the mood among the gathered professors was quite good. Once Professor Yonramo overcame his shock, he was quite pleased.
“Being able to transform into a dragon is truly impressive.”
“Th-that’s right. It’s because you taught him so well, Professor.”
Professor Garcia quickly flattered. Even if it wasn’t to that extent, the other professors gave high praise as well.
If a student could use such outstanding magic, of course it would reflect well on the professor.
“Now that this is possible, it’s likely to have quite an effect on summoning magic as well. Dimensional dragons tend to be closed off, but if one can transform…”
“They’d be even further removed from common elementals, right?”
“Isn’t that only natural, Professor Garcia? Why ask?”
“Ha, haha. Nothing at all.”
“Everyone, if the Wardanaz student who can transform into a dragon supports this Jorzik, doesn’t that increase the chances His Majesty will approve the headmaster position for Einrogard?”
“……”
“……”
“Th-that’s right! We support you, Professor Benmalfa!”
“We support you, too, Professor Benmalfa!”
“Thank you, thank you, everyone!”
While the professors chatted, the last professor arrived.
It was Professor Bendozol.
“…Boohoo!”
The moment Professor Bendozol saw Lee Han transformed into a dragon, he burst into loud tears. The professors subtly moved away.
Professor Thunderstep mouthed, “Who called him here?”
Professor Jorzik approached the prostrate Professor Bendozol with a touched expression.
“I was also moved, Professor Bendozol. At your disciple’s achievement…”
“Get lost!!”
“!?”