Episode 136

Episode 136

When Lee Han arrived at the Blue Dragon Tower, he spoke to the students resting in the lounge.

“If you help me with what I’m working on with Asan right now, I’ll give you all…”

“Sure, why not.”

“Let’s go.”

The friends closed their books and put down their chess pieces even before Lee Han could mention their reward.

Lee Han was slightly taken aback.

“Are you okay with a boring task like this on the weekend?”

“Wardanaz, you always do stuff like this anyway.”

“……”

Lee Han was slightly moved by his friends’ warm words.

What on earth was the magic school doing with such students!

“Where’s Gainando?”

“He’s resting upstairs… Wardanaz, I don’t think Gainando will show up.”

The friends assumed Gainando wouldn’t come.

With his personality, weekend work was out of the question.

There was no way he’d participate.

‘But Gainando has to join.’

Lee Han was undeterred.

If Professor Alpen’s friend arrived at the school and found even a prince among the Blue Dragon Tower students, Lee Han’s skills would be evaluated even more highly.

“Don’t worry. I have an idea.”

Lee Han called Gainando down.

Gainando, who had been loafing in his private room, came down looking puzzled.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“Sorry about this, Gainando.”

Lee Han spoke with a voice full of regret, which made Gainando panic.

“Am I… am I going to detention?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Whew…”

“I was going to work on a magic circle with the others. But you can’t participate.”

“C-can’t?”

Gainando tilted his head.

Wasn’t that a good thing?

‘Wait. If I show it, they’ll drag me along.’

Gainando desperately tried to control his expression. These friends of his disliked seeing Gainando relax.

“Really sorry. I wanted to let you join.”

“O-okay.”

“Get some good rest then. Sorry again, Gainando.”

“…Hold on. Wait a second.”

Gainando stopped Lee Han as he was about to walk away.

Originally he’d had no interest, but Lee Han’s repeated apologies made him curious.

Maybe there was something going on?

“Lee Han. Why are you sorry I can’t help with the magic circle work?”

“It’s only natural to regret not letting a friend join in something this fun.”

“It’s fun?”

“That’s right.”

“…??”

For a moment, Gainando thought Lee Han had lost it.

But then he remembered—Lee Han was always like that.

A friend who liked studying to an odd degree!

‘How pitiful.’

Unfortunately, Gainando couldn’t cure Lee Han. He gave up and tried to let him go…

“That’s right. I really am sorry, Gainando.”

“We wanted to let you join too…”

“???”

But when the other friends said the same, Gainando was thrown into confusion.

Maybe, without him knowing, working on magic circles had become the freshman trend?

“It’s fun? Really?”

“Gainando… Do you still not know how fun working on magic circles is?”

Yoner spoke in an astonished tone to Gainando.

Gainando hesitated, then replied.

“…Of course I know!”

“……”

“……”

The friends stared at Gainando for a moment, but the prince didn’t catch the meaning in their gaze.

“Then why can’t I go?”

“The princess’s attendants are there. They don’t like you showing up.”

“Wh-what! Lee Han! How could you give in to threats from such scoundrels!”

Gainando was enraged at the idea of attendants of a princess he hadn’t even met.

Of course, while Adenart was more famous than Gainando, better at magic, brilliant in academics, and skilled in various cultured areas, aside from that there wasn’t much she had over Gainando.

That they would dare try to keep him away!

“Is that so?”

“Lee Han, you’re not the kind of friend to give in. You used to beat up anyone who picked a fight with you!”

“…Was I ever that extreme?”

“Yes! This isn’t like you!”

“But you weren’t interested anyway, right?”

“I’m really interested in magic circles! I want to do it!”

“Really? Alright. I’ll try to speak up strongly.”

Gainando’s face lit up at Lee Han’s words.

“Thanks! Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it.”

At the sight of Gainando running off excitedly, the Blue Dragon Tower students looked at Lee Han in awe.

• * *

Even with more students, the work didn’t speed up dramatically.

Students whose magic was depleted started to collapse one by one next to the classroom.

By the time about a third of the magic circle was finished, Lee Han ended up being the only one left.

“……”

‘Does everyone have so little magic?’

But complaining wouldn’t restore his friends’ magic.

Lee Han continued working silently. Before he knew it, the evening sun was setting.

“Not bad.”

“??”

Lee Han turned his head.

He expected Professor Alpen, but instead saw an unfamiliar face.

“Are you a professor?”

“In a way, yes.”

“?”

Lee Han was puzzled by the enigmatic answer.

A professor in a way.

What could that possibly mean?

‘Ah. I see.’

But, as an experienced student, Lee Han caught on right away.

“You must be working as the professor’s direct apprentice.”

Students who had not graduated even after their senior years often stayed to explore the depths of magic further through research with a professor.

They became the professor’s direct apprentice.

Such direct apprentices lived with their master, inherited their knowledge, and delved into the world of magic.

And sometimes they did the menial jobs in place of the master.

Like teaching students…

That’s how someone who was a professor but not a professor was created.

“No!”

“You’re not?”

The stranger glared at Lee Han, as if baffled.

Who was whose apprentice?

• * *

For imperial mages, the magic school Einroguard evoked many feelings.

For unschooled vagrant mages, it was a place of longing.

For mages from other schools, a place of jealousy.

And for those holding imperial office…

“I have no idea how much gold they’re bleeding us for.”

“Isn’t it a place to nurture the pillars of the empire?”

“I’m a mage too! No matter how excellent they may be, there’s no way it takes that much gold just to teach some young students. I’m convinced it’s really for the mages’ personal research!”

Imperial senior accountant Kendry Baku grumbled as he walked flanked by his guards.

He was visiting the magic school at the invitation of his friend, Professor Alpen Knighten…

But that wasn’t the only reason he was going.

Kendry intended to personally inspect the magic school with his own eyes.

It was spring festival time at the school—a good time to visit as a guest.

“You’ve arrived several days earlier than scheduled—is that alright?”

“Yes. I did it on purpose.”

Kendry lied about his arrival date for a simple reason.

If he arrived on the set date, those sly mages would hide anything incriminating.

It was better to show up unexpectedly. Alpen was a friend, but he wasn’t good at lying or hiding things. Even if Kendry asked, he’d probably get caught.

“I heard that Einroguard’s students are rigorously trained from freshman year to foster their hunger for magic, but perhaps the rumors are a bit exaggerated.”

The guard following Kendry said that as he saw one Blue Dragon Tower student carrying snacks.

Given they were carrying snacks, the rumors seemed exaggerated.

“Maybe they’re only like that this week because the priests visited.”

“But their faces look pretty well fed. Their clothes too.”

“Hm… I see your point.”

Kendry nodded at the guard’s words.

You couldn’t regain weight the moment the priests visited. And the student’s clothes were very decent too.

‘These students look better off than I heard. Were the rumors exaggerated?’

Kendry wondered if that was where all the gold was going, but shook his head.

It was still an excessive amount even taking that into account.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kendry toured around the dormitory tower and the main building’s classrooms.

Oddly, there were students practicing magic in the classroom despite it being the weekend.

His guard was impressed.

“As expected of Einroguard. The students are so passionate. Staying to practice at this hour too.”

“But why are so many lying on the floor like that?”

“Magic exhaustion, I suppose.”

Kendry immediately understood why the freshmen were sprawled out in the classroom.

Greenhorn mages unaccustomed to magic training often encountered magic depletion. They must have made a mistake working on the magic circle.

But one student kept working, not collapsing.

There was only one reason.

That student was calculating the use of magic perfectly while drawing the circle.

If you knew exactly how much magic each part of the circle required, you wouldn’t overdo it.

He was sure that student had spent months preparing for the circle, memorizing the plans so thoroughly they dreamed of it.

Feeling nostalgic, Kendry spoke up.

“Not bad.”

• * *

“Oh. So you’re the professor’s friend. I heard about you.”

Lee Han bowed his head very politely as he learned who the other was.

It wasn’t just because he was Professor Alpen’s friend, but because the visitor was a high imperial official.

‘But why is he here so early?’

“You heard about me?”

“Yes. We’re preparing this magic circle to show to the guest.”

“Typical Alpen. Sorry you had to work so hard.”

Kendry, sweeping back his curly hair, apologized.

“I bet you started preparing right when the term started.”

“Not quite that early.”

“How long did it take?”

Kendry asked absentmindedly.

Judging from the difficulty of the circle, the stage of completion, and the pace Lee Han worked, it seemed likely preparation began right at the semester’s start.

Lee Han hesitated a moment.

‘It won’t seem careless to say it only took a day, right?’

“We started today.”

“……”

Kendry was so surprised, he almost dropped his staff.

“Today?”

“Yes.”

“By any chance, are you from the Wardanaz family?”

“That’s right.”

Internally, Lee Han thanked Professor Alpen.

It paid off not to doze during class and pay attention.

That he’d told his friend about Lee Han’s name like that.

Lee Han neither hurried nor hesitated. He tried to appear as humble yet promising a mage as he could.

“I wondered if Alpen was exaggerating with his praise… but there was a reason.”

To reach this stage in a single day.

Even if he had studied the magic circle in advance, this was genius-level talent. Theory and practice were two different things, even more so.

‘No wonder Alpen said he was extraordinary.’

“Well, of course, this school is for raising students like this. In the imperial offices, even the untalented can find places, but only geniuses can research magic.”

“I think serving as an imperial official is as important as research.”

“Really? That’s unusual coming from someone of the Wardanaz family. Thank you. You’d fit right in if you took an office.”

Lee Han’s face brightened.

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course, I’m joking. A genius like you should dedicate yourself to research.”

“…But I could be a good official too.”

“I’m sure. But it’d be a waste of talent.”

“…I don’t have that much talent. I’m just making the circle by continuously feeding in magic until it works.”

“What did you say?”

“I just keep putting in magic and checking until it works…”

Kendry immediately understood the meaning.

If he truly understood the circle perfectly, he wouldn’t need so much trial and error.

The fact that he was doing this meant he hadn’t seen the circle for long.

Yet he still achieved this much.

He wasn’t just naturally full of magic, but clearly had an innate knack for magic circles as well.

“Truly genius!”

“……”