Episode 1195
by Cristae-Imagine the opponent is Professor Verdus, successor.
One of the Death Knights whispered advice to help Lee Han.
It was no help at all, of course.
‘You call that advice?’
Lee Han was flabbergasted. Unable to watch any longer, Professor Kirmin stepped in.
“If the master does what she wants, shouldn’t the disciple, too?”
“The two don’t have the same authority.”
“So Wardanaz searched much more quietly for you than you did!”
“?”
-?
Lee Han and the Death Knights hesitated.
D-did he…?
Did he, really?
The Death Knights thought back to Lee Han’s actions after his teacher disappeared.
He’d stormed into random cities, grabbed any criminal he could find, shouted things like ‘You bastard are a dark-god worshipper! No? If you’re innocent, go get a real dark-god worshipper and bring him here!’ and caused commotions everywhere…
Compared to Professor Voladi, who preferred quiet assassinations, this was much, much louder.
“……”
But, unable to get an accurate read on her disciple’s situation after fleeing, Professor Voladi quietly fell into thought.
The knights smiled wickedly at the sight.
‘She really doesn’t know!’
-He’s right. You wouldn’t believe how quietly he searched.
“There were rumors, though, that Einrogard mages were tearing through cities…”
-Nonsense. Rumors.
The Death Knights were not only wicked, but shameless.
Professor Voladi, knowing there was no profit in bickering with these Death Knights, turned back to her disciple.
“Anyway, you’ve heard the explanation, so now go back and focus on your studies.”
Professor Voladi took up her usual position.
A second-year student should be buried in magical studies on campus, not chasing after a teacher off on a hunt.
Professor Kirmin shuddered at the brazen hypocrisy.
‘She breaks every rule, but scolds her disciple for the same. She’s my friend, but truly shameless.’
Lee Han opened his eyes.
Thanks to the time bought by the Death Knights and Professor Kirmin, he’d had a moment to collect his thoughts.
‘Stay calm.’
Some professors possessed an overwhelming aura just by interacting with them.
You couldn’t let yourself be swept up at such times. You had to be just as brazen in return.
Even the weird advice to “just treat her like Professor Verdus” was making more and more sense…
“I refuse.”
“?!”
Professor Kirmin was even more surprised than Professor Voladi.
He hadn’t expected his disciple to defy outright like that.
“Why?”
“There’s nothing for me to learn if I go back. I’ll just self-study and keep hunting dark-god worshippers.”
“……”
-……
It was such an outrageous statement that even Professor Kirmin and the knights gaped.
Well, well, well…!
‘Still, the successor is at least entitled to act this way.’
After all, he’d been ahead by two years—if anyone could get away with such an audacious claim, it would be Lee Han.
“That is a misconception.”
Despite Lee Han’s rare rebellion, Professor Voladi explained calmly.
Of course, Lee Han’s talent was extremely rare, and his achievements remarkable, but magic, the faster one runs, the more corners are cut.
This was all the more so for someone cultivating multiple schools at the same time.
There really are mages who can bring down mountains with a snap of the fingers but can’t boil tea in a cup.
So even having accomplished all the semester’s goals, he should not become arrogant, but examine and refine the gaps he’d leapt through quickly.
“I see.”
“Then go back now.”
“No. For a long time, I’ve wanted to raise the standing of House Wardanaz and ease His Majesty the Emperor’s worries, so I will continue to hunt dark-god worshippers.”
“……”
As Professor Voladi fell silent, even the knights choked up.
‘Who would have thought we’d see this day…!’
They recalled all those times when Voladi would never listen, no matter how hard they tried to stop her.
Hadn’t they hoped that one day, someone would give her a taste of her own medicine?
‘Karma really is real. After all the trouble she’s caused refusing to listen!’
As teacher and disciple squared off, Professor Kirmin intervened carefully.
“Voladi. Since you two are at an impasse, how about just returning to school for a while? Wardanaz has to sit his midterms, too.”
Against the long, bitter grudge with the dark god cult, Einrogard’s midterms seemed so trivial, but Professor Kirmin knew his friend.
It was at least something she would weigh and consider.
But, as always, Professor Kirmin’s friend exceeded expectations.
“It’s already handled. Sir Garzidahaca has agreed to oversee them in my stead.”
“…Who’s that?!”
Not just Professor Kirmin, but even Lee Han and the knights were floored.
‘When did she set that up?’
Just hunting down the cult remnants must have taken all her time!
“Sir Garzidahaca is—”
“That’s enough, enough. I don’t care who that is, so you really have no intention of returning to school?”
“I already gave my reasons.”
Professor Voladi replied, upright and unfaltering.
If the cause was out here, why would she return to school?
“Fine. Then I’ll travel with Wardanaz and help hunt the cultists. The knights here can help as well.”
At Professor Kirmin’s words, Lee Han’s face lit up and he nodded.
“Great idea. Just like last time, let’s scour every city and hunt them down!”
“…That’s not quite what I meant, but… all right! If you insist, Wardanaz.”
-We’ll join too!
Professor, student, and knights were now united.
You can’t back down when facing a stubborn vampire.
They looked at Professor Voladi as if to say, “What about you?”
But Professor Voladi asked a completely different question.
“Just like last time?”
“……”
-……
She looked puzzled.
To hunt the cultists by scouring every city, just like last time?
Lee Han quickly changed his tune.
“That was just a slip of the tongue. What matters is, if you won’t return, we’ll proceed with our own hunts.”
-With more numbers and support, it’ll be far more spectacular—and loud.
“We can even call in Professor Kim to help.”
Relentless pressure.
But Professor Voladi now showed once again why she gave the Death Knights such headaches back in her school days.
“Agreed.”
“……”
-……
Lee Han and the Death Knights looked at the professor with exhausted eyes.
To the mage standing before them, negotiation or compromise seemed not to exist.
Professor Kirmin sighed.
“Looks like we have no choice. We’ll use the last option.”
“What? There’s still a secret move left?”
Lee Han shot him a resentful glance.
If there was, why not use it sooner!
Professor Kirmin replied with a bitter face.
“It’s a method you know too, Wardanaz.”
“Huh?”
“Just put her to sleep and lock her in the deepest part of Einrogard until the purges are over. Let’s see if that new dimensional escape works even there.”
-You won’t escape like you did as a student, Professor.
Even as friend and knights advanced threateningly, Professor Voladi remained unfazed.
As if she knew she could escape again in a few days even if captured.
“Wait, wait. This isn’t right.”
Lee Han finally surrendered first.
No matter how he thought about it, knocking the professor out and locking her up until it was over didn’t seem right.
He felt like she’d just escape anyway…
-Don’t worry, successor. We know the opponent’s abilities too. Escaping won’t be so easy.
“That’s not what I’m worried about…”
“Wardanaz. I wanted to avoid this with my friend, but there was no choice.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, sorry. I mean, I didn’t want it to come to this, but there was no other way.”
“…There will be a way. One that both the professor and we can agree on.”
“There’s such a…?”
One hour later.
The entire group was moving together.
Professor Kirmin followed behind Professor Voladi with a very complicated, conflicted expression.
‘Is this really right?’
Amazingly, there had been a method both Voladi and Wardanaz could agree on.
It was for everyone to accompany Voladi on her quest for revenge.
When she first absconded, Voladi had left her disciple coldly behind, but this friend was far from an idiot; she was stubborn and foul-tempered but not dumb.
Now that her disciple had proven his capabilities, she wouldn’t stubbornly insist on going it alone.
It was far more reasonable to keep everyone together—not least to avoid putting them in danger separately.
Of course, what was logical for Professor Voladi might not be so for everyone else.
If Inspectors like Uman or Garcia heard about this, Professor Kirmin already wanted to run for his life.
-So you went to bring her back and ended up going on a revenge hunt together? With a second-year student? …Are all Einrogard professors like you?
-Professor Kirmin Ku. I’m surprised you told me this. And why surprised? Because last time you left without telling me, so I figured you thought I wasn’t worth informing. No. Don’t apologize. I plan to treat you the same from now on. In fact, there’s no reason to even call you Professor Kirmin Ku. I’ll just call you a stranger the next time we meet.
“……”
Professor Kirmin sighed. His friend’s nape looked more punchable than ever.
‘Right. At least it’s better to have the annoying people visible than unseen…’
Tap tap—
As Professor Kirmin mused, Professor Voladi tapped him on the shoulder.
Kirmin’s tone was three times sharper than usual as he replied.
“What? What do you want?”
“I’d like to hear about Wardanaz’s academic status.”
“…Oh, that’s what you wanted.”
Hearing his friend wanted to know how much progress the student had made in various lectures, Professor Kirmin smiled brightly.
And raised his middle finger.
-He’s the top of his class…
The Death Knights following behind nodded in agreement.
Insulting, but not inaccurate.
Professor Voladi was unfazed, whether Kirmin raised a middle finger or index finger—she simply sought out the next target.
“Wardanaz’s…”
The Death Knights immediately turned stony.
-You think we’d tell you?
Even when rejected by the knights, Professor Voladi didn’t bat an eye. When it was Ibinta’s turn, he paled.
In this gloomy, bizarre party, he was the lowest-ranking member.
He desperately wanted out of this fight.
“Uh, I really don’t know. I don’t even know magic.”
“I see.”
With all her questions denied, Professor Voladi pulled out a paper and started writing a letter.
Professor Kirmin, resolved to ignore it, couldn’t help but sneak a glance.
To the Headmaster
Request for detailed update on Wardanaz’s academic status…
“…Hey, just tell her! Stop that!”
Professor Kirmin snatched and burned the letter.
This one really doesn’t understand the meaning of ‘flight’!