Episode 1236
by CristaeEpisode 1236
Gainando, who had been sniffling, only opened his mouth after Direte comforted him several times (to be exact, after even getting angry).
“In fact, Lee Han was doing well…”
“?”
Direte tilted his head.
Imirg and Raphadael also tilted their heads.
Huh?
“Th-then, isn’t that a good thing?”
At the Senior’s words, Gainando faltered.
“Weren’t you mad at Lee Han?”
“I am… angry, but… more than that, if he’s doing well, that’s good! Haha! Hahaha!”
To change the mood, Direte spoke more cheerfully than usual and patted Gainando’s back with a big gesture.
Gainando honestly found it painful, but he endured. It was because the Senior was scary.
“H-ha ha ha. Ugh. Then if Lee Han is doing well, you’re not mad, right?”
“Of course. In what way is he doing well? Is he just lying down reading a book?”
He would have liked to distract his Junior from magic as much as possible and make him rest fully, but Direte knew very well that he couldn’t do that.
That’s why when he visited, he handed over the magic books needed for this semester’s lectures, but didn’t take any special measures.
Regardless, his Junior would end up practicing magic even if he were hung upside down…
‘Yeah. If he’s just lying down reading a book, that’s decent enough rest.’
Direte was already ready to compromise halfway.
“Um, he’s also playing mage cards with the Professor.”
“…Really?!”
It was an unexpected statement, but Direte’s face brightened even more.
He really is resting!?
‘Wait a minute. How do you play mage cards inside the punishment room? Can you play it by talking?’
“Joulin and His Highness Uman also came and comforted the two.”
“……”
“…???”
Other Black Magic School students faltered as well.
…Could it be that Gainando accidentally inhaled some contaminated reagents?
“Who came and comforted you??”
“Joulin and His Highness Uman.”
“Ah. They came to comfort you?”
Raphadael tried to be as rational as possible and offered his opinion.
But Gainando shook his head.
“No. They were both imprisoned.”
“……”
“…Keep going. What else happened?”
Direte already felt a headache coming on.
Why did those two dragons end up getting thrown into the punishment room as well?
‘His Highness Joulin… might have just followed along. I don’t know why His Highness Uman went down, though.’
“Then Sir Meikin came and gave a request…”
“Meikin? Which Meikin? Who are they to enter the punishment room?”
Direte’s voice instantly became sharp.
Why was a commission suddenly appearing here?
Terrified, Gainando answered while trembling.
“I-I-I heard that the He-headmaster gave permission…”
“……”
At the rotten state of Einrogard, Direte looked up at the ceiling of the Black Magic School workshop.
The cracks and cobwebs everywhere seemed just like the current Einrogard.
‘And they even allowed that?’
Direte felt he understood why Professor Garcia was angry.
At the very least, at times like this, Lee Han should be allowed to just rest, not sent commission requests.
“But Senior. If it’s a commission, didn’t Wardanaz agree too?”
“Quiet. Even if my Junior asked to do it, they should’ve refused. They keep allowing things like that, which is why he ends up fighting against evil gods directly.”
“……”
Ogoldos just shrank further and huddled up.
He didn’t know what allowing requests during rest had to do with fighting evil gods directly, but he didn’t have the courage to rebuff.
“Sigh. Fine. My Junior probably accepted gladly… What else? What else happened?”
“P-Professor Baegrek’s class was held in the punishment room. Lee Han helped.”
“That’s… well. At least that’s not so bad.”
“He kept giving my Junior full marks for helping, so he was kicked out.”
“……”
“……”
The Black Magic School students faltered again. Imirg grimaced as he looked at his project.
He didn’t think today’s project was usable.
Everyone’s attention was just too distracted during their work.
“Well… That can happen. Combat Magic School… They don’t have many students.”
“There are only two, aren’t there?”
“That’s why I said few! Isn’t two a small number?!”
“S-s-sorry.”
Now, the atmosphere in the Black Magic School was stifling. Professor Mortum wanted to cough but forced it down.
“Anything else?”
Direte spoke again. He had said it without any special intent, but to Gainando it felt like immense pressure.
It sounded like, “If you can’t think of anything, I’ll bury you out in the underground reagent pit.”
“Th-th-th… Ah! Lee Han made His Highness Uman hallucinate… control… flatter… no, I mean persuade! He persuaded him to make the Professor assign him to make a curse neutralizer instead of you, Senior Direte!”
“……”
“……”
“What!?”
Professor Mortum couldn’t hold back and shouted.
So this wasn’t just the headmaster skeleton’s mischief!?!?
“…What are you talking about. My Junior would never do such a thing. You must have misheard.”
Direte denied it, but the strictness on his face was already half gone.
As the tension eased a bit, the students breathed sighs of relief.
‘I survived!’
‘I guess I won’t die here today.’
“I-it’s true though…”
“You misheard.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Gainando immediately accepted.
I must have misheard!
Direte spoke to the other Juniors in the Black Magic School.
“My Junior cares about the Black Magic School, that’s why such stories come up. Of course, what you just said must have been a misunderstanding.”
“That’s right! I think so too!”
“Wardanaz must respect you so much for such a story to come up, Senior! Wardanaz is probably honored to receive your advice in the punishment room!”
The Juniors began fiery flattery.
It was obvious that Direte had been worrying if he had been too cold to the Junior locked in the punishment room, so now was the time to flatter and lift the mood.
Not just Imirg, but even Raphadael began to chime in about ‘how much Wardanaz respects the Senior’, and Gainando, feeling pressure, thought he had to say something too.
“Le-Lee Han respects you so much, Senior, that he even told His Highness Uman that the Black Magic School professor should be changed to you!”
“…What!? Really!?”
“Cough, cough!”
Even the flattering friends were so shocked that they turned their heads. Professor Mortum couldn’t hold back and coughed.
Could the Black Magic School professor be replaced tomorrow?
As all the wizards in the room drilled their gaze into him, Gainando, unable to bear the pressure, confessed the truth.
“T-that was a lie… Sorry…”
“…Come on. Really.”
“It’s okay. I understand, Gainando. If it’s Wardanaz, it wouldn’t be weird to say that. He respects the Senior very much.”
“That’s right. Truly.”
The atmosphere in the Black Magic School instantly warmed.
Direte tried not to show it, but couldn’t quite hide the faint smile on his lips.
The students, happy that their respected Senior’s mood had lifted, enthusiastically returned to their work.
Thank goodness!
“……”
Professor Mortum watched all this and thought to himself.
‘You rascals!’
The skeleton headmaster had not been wrong.
No matter how much you raise disciples…
“What? He’s really not getting help from the Headmaster?”
“The young Headmaster, I mean.”
Yoner quickly corrected himself.
Someone could overhear and misunderstand.
Professor Thunderstep wore a dissatisfied expression.
Though he was glad that Lee Han wasn’t using the young skeleton headmaster’s power, somehow, hearing it was suspicious in its own way.
No way…
“A trap…”
“Here you go.”
“?”
When Yoner handed him a letter, Professor Thunderstep took it, puzzled.
The contents were short and simple.
It’s not a trap.
Lee Han Wardanaz
“…Of course I believed him. Where is a teacher who doesn’t trust his student?”
‘But… you didn’t trust the Headmaster…’
Perhaps embarrassed, Professor Thunderstep cleared his throat a few times before speaking.
“Alright. I’ll trust him. By the way, he should be in the punishment room—how is Wardanaz keeping up with lectures?”
Professor Thunderstep worried about the poor conditions of the teachers’ punishment room.
It was more spacious and comfortable than the regular one, but must have lacked useful items.
From tools and equipment to reagents. A master alchemist never had much spare space at home.
“Yes.”
“Really? But he must not have proper tools or equipment?”
“Oh. I put them in an empty solitary cell. My sister brought them to make him work.”
“……”
Only then did Professor Thunderstep remember that Lee Han was doing outside commissions even in the punishment room.
But even so, doing it on that scale…
‘This tough guy…!’
As they were talking, they saw a golem walking ahead on the street.
At first, they thought someone had summoned it, but its movement was clearly different from a regular summoned creature. The two realized that this golem was a person.
Professor Thunderstep spoke in exasperation.
“Are you still transformed into a golem?”
“When bad luck turns to good, I’ll undo the transformation.”
“Divination wizards, they’re all maniacs.”
“In my eyes, the other schools have too little sense of crisis.”
The golem student was absolutely composed.
This outstanding divination wizard would stop at nothing to avoid misfortune.
Even if that meant moving around as a golem!
‘That Senior always seems to be in golem form, every time I see them.’
“I interpreted my dream and saw there will be great misfortune for me this week. I must be extra careful.”
“If you throw out ten of those, one is bound to be right…”
Even at Professor Thunderstep’s words, the golem student didn’t care.
If you could get one right out of ten, you’d be at a master’s level among divination wizards.
If you could avoid one misfortune by being careful ten times, that was no loss at all.
“So where are you going?”
“To the teachers’ punishment room. I received instructions from my Professor.”
“……”
“……”
Professor Thunderstep and Yoner froze.
Seeing the golem student’s face so calm and poised, the Professor asked, just in case,
“By any chance… do you not know what’s happened lately?”
“Huh? Did something happen?”
“……”
Many divination students were eccentric enough that many were reclusive.
In particular, this golem student would stop at nothing to avoid misfortune, so staying holed up in the dorm or the magic tower for a week or two was nothing unusual.
“What orders did Professor Craer give you?”
“Oh, I can’t say. The Professor told me to keep it a secret.”
“…You’re heading down the path of death now!”
“??”
At Professor Thunderstep’s outcry, the golem student just found it odd.
“How is going to the teachers’ punishment room a path of death? Ah. I understand. You’re trying to trick me into doing menial errands again… Do I look like a first-year student to you?”
“Hey! No! And you’re still holding on to that old incident? Let it go!”
Flustered, Professor Thunderstep wanted to explain what had happened to the student, but the golem student’s distrust ran deeper than he thought.
At that, he removed his leg part and whoosh, flew away.
“I said stop! Come back!”
When the other vanished, Professor Thunderstep let out a deep sigh.
“Divination wizards are all pretentious know-it-alls.”
“Maybe Professor Garcia has calmed down a bit, don’t you think?”
“I doubt it…”
Professor Thunderstep answered, rubbing the still-aching bruise.
Please, let Professor Paselete entrust him with something normal!