Episode 151

Episode 151
Professor Garcia, who had been quickly counting numbers, stopped thinking.
It was because it was meaningless.
No matter how many there were, the fact that the outstanding student in front of him was about to be crushed to death by magic did not change.
‘Should I stop him…?’
Professor Garcia hesitated as he was about to speak.
Was Professor Garcia qualified to stop this?
It was true that Lee Han had a genius talent for imbuement magic.
If he were to crush that, it might be a great loss for the Empire, the magical world, and Lee Han himself.
Hadn’t Professor Garcia himself not attended all the lectures he could when he was at the magic school?
Was Professor Garcia really qualified to stop Lee Han?
The troll professor thought not.
‘…Yeah. Just up to this point. Let’s let him learn just up to this point.’
From the next magic, he would really stop him…
“Good luck, Lee Han.”
“Thank you as always, Professor.”
Lee Han politely greeted and stood up from his seat. Professor Garcia, suddenly curious, asked.
“Are you going to enjoy the festival with your friends now?”
“Yes.”
Seeing the treasure chest tucked under Lee Han’s arm, Professor Garcia smiled.
It wasn’t good for freshmen to focus only on magic.
Building friendship and memories with friends like that was also something that needed to be done…
“After I meet Lord Yumidihus for instruction, and after I meet the Afha Order priests for fire element magic training.”
“……”
Watching Lee Han bow and leave, Professor Garcia regretted that he should have just stopped him.

• * *
  Yumidihus was waiting, dressed as if about to go on a picnic.
  From the straw hat to block the sunlight and the tough pants made of sturdy cloth, there was a sense of abundance as if he personally ran a rural farm.
  But Lee Han did not let his guard down.
  ‘That person is Professor Voladi’s master.’
  That alone made Yumidihus one of the most dangerous people in this magic school.
  “Shall we depart?”
  “Are you going to climb the mountain?”
  “That’s right.”
  Lee Han did not ask, ‘What are you going to do on the mountain?’
  “If you’re going up the mountain, I’ll pack some food and drink.”
  “Oh… Did you not have lunch? You can eat before we go.”
  “No. I had lunch as well, but if we climb the mountain, won’t Lord Yumidihus get hungry?”
  “…”
  Yumidihus was shocked.
  A student trying to take care of his master.
  It was an amazing sight that could never be seen from those who had come to learn magic from Yumidihus until now.
  -Lord Yumidihus. I’ve come to learn magic. When do we start? Let’s start quickly. I don’t have much time, you see.
  -Lord Yumidihus. Are you ignoring me right now? To think you believe I can’t even do a magic like this. How rude
  -Lord Yumidihus. If I may speak objectively, this magic isn’t very good. It’s fine. Anyone can make mistakes. Please teach me another magic.
  When he closed his eyes, the words and actions of those who had come so far flashed by.
  In fact, this was to some extent Yumidihus’s own fault.
  Basically, the more talented and skilled a wizard is, the more ill-mannered they become.
  Yumidihus had set up all sorts of trials and traps around the tower in the remote place where he lived.
  Wizards who could break through such things and come find him were mostly arrogant and rude.
  ‘…How did a student like that come from someone like Voladi Baegrek?’
  “Are you alright?”
  As Yumidihus stood still with his eyes closed, Lee Han asked in surprise.
  “I was quite surprised, but I’m fine. Then I’ll accept your hospitality once.”
  “Yes.”
  Lee Han turned and went to the hut.
  -Professor. Please give me some food.
  -…Did you leave it with me?
  -Lord Yumidihus said he wanted to see the mountain range. We can’t go empty-handed, can we?
  -…I’m giving it to you because I know you’re working hard at the festival. Got it?
  -Of course. Thank you, Professor. There’s no one like you.
  -You don’t mean that…
  Lee Han packed plenty of food and drink in a basket.
  Large smoked hams and sausages, jars of sour pickled cucumbers and vegetables, white bread with soft jam and sauces to spread on it. He even borrowed the black tea and milk that Professor Thunderstep had just brewed to drink.
  Yumidihus, who thought he’d be lucky to get some jerky or a leather canteen of water, was startled.
  “All this?”
  “Oh. Is it not enough? I’ll bring more.”
  “No, no. It’s enough”
  Yumidihus was flustered but amazed at the generous snacks.
  He also knew how the freshmen at this magic school were being bullied by Gonadaltes.
  But the boy in front of him was procuring food as if pulling things out of his own pocket.
  It was truly impressive resourcefulness.
  “Then let’s go, Lord Yumidihus. I’ll carry the luggage for you.”
  “It’s not heavy at all since I’ve strengthened it with magic?”
  “Still, since you’re going to teach me, I think it’s right for me to carry it.”
  “…Are you planning to keep learning from Voladi Baegrek?”
  Yumidihus spoke without realizing it.
  Thinking that someone like Professor Voladi would be living in luxury with such a good student made his blood boil without realizing it.
• * *
  ‘Amazing. Truly amazing’
  Walking with Lee Han, Yumidihus marveled every few minutes.
  It wasn’t because of Lee Han’s magical abilities or talent. He had already seen enough of that in the previous underground dungeon.
  If a freshman could catch a Demon Ghoul alone, there was no need to ask about magical ability or talent.
  What Yumidihus admired was Lee Han’s upright character.
  A brilliant character that could never be seen in the Empire’s outstanding wizards
  A person’s nature could not be hidden to the end.
  Even if you hid your intentions once or twice, if you kept conversing, your true feelings would show.
  But Lee Han, even while conversing with Yumidihus, did not show a hint of conceit or arrogance.
  Even when Yumidihus said a simple word, he listened with a very polite attitude and full attention.
  At this point, Yumidihus seriously wondered.
  Why were the laws of the world like this?
  ‘Why does someone like Gonadaltes or Baegrek have a student like this?’
  Of course, Yumidihus, being of age, knew that not only righteous people were rewarded…
  But still, people like Gonadaltes or Baegrek didn’t need to be rewarded.
  This was really too much.
  ‘I don’t know what kind of look that is.’
  When Yumidihus looked at Lee Han with a complex and subtle gaze, Lee Han became even more tense.
  Already, after hearing that he was Professor Voladi’s master, Lee Han was acting even more thoroughly than usual so as not to be found fault with.
  ‘What is he thinking?’
  Yumidihus just looked at Lee Han as if he felt sorry for him.
  Then the old wizard clicked his tongue a few times and opened his mouth.
  “Look at that river.”
  There were quite a few thick rivers in the mountain range. Yumidihus pointed at the river with his staff.
  “If you’ve heard my rumors, you’d know, but I’m quite skilled with the water element.”
  Lee Han nodded.
  In fact, the expression ‘quite skilled’ was very modest. If he were really just ‘quite skilled,’ his fame could not have spread so widely in the Empire.
  “Can you guess why I’m researching water element magic?”
  “Is it related to aptitude?”
  “That’s one of the correct answers.”
  Yumidihus swung his staff.
  Bang
  Then, with a huge roar, the river water turned to steam and exploded. A white pillar shot up and spread around as a cumulus cloud.
  The birds in the mountains were startled and flew in all directions. But Yumidihus didn’t bat an eye and spoke.
  “But the correct answer is that water element magic is the most suited for combat.”
  “……”
  The young student in front of him didn’t change his expression. His sculpted face silently stared at the river water.
  Seeing that, Yumidihus nodded in satisfaction.
  ‘He’s enterprising.’
  A person who freezes up at seeing a great magic they can’t understand could never become a great wizard.
  A good wizard should see that great magic and burn with a desire to surpass it.
  ‘As expected of Professor Voladi’s master, he does crazy things out of nowhere.’
  Lee Han thought to himself.
  To show that water magic was combative, he had to do something so ruthless…
  Simply evaporating water wouldn’t cause an explosion. Only by evaporating it rapidly would the volume expand quickly and cause an explosion.
  Yumidihus had used that principle to create a steam explosion with magic.
  It was amazing and impressive, but there was no need to blow up water without saying a word to his student…
  ‘Wasn’t there?’
  But Lee Han said nothing.
  It was because he was afraid of Yumidihus.
  Misunderstanding the silent student’s attitude, Yumidihus asked in a slightly cheerful voice.
  “Can you guess what kind of magic I just showed you?”
  “Did you rapidly evaporate the water to create a shock?”
  “”
  Yumidihus was truly surprised.
  Beyond just having a lot of magical power, controlling it delicately, and having strong control…
  ‘Sharp’
  An outstanding wizard had to be able to think deeply and richly.
  Wizards learning magic often complained like this.
  -I’m just studying one magic, so why do I need so many abilities?
  But it couldn’t be helped. That was reality.
  The ability to think deeply and richly was necessary for a wizard who had to bring their own mental image into reality.
  And the boy in front of him already had that.
  What other wizards could only gain after years of traveling the Empire and honing their observational skills, he already possessed.
  Yumidihus admired the boy’s talent and truly wanted to kill Voladi Baegrek.
  ‘That guy who did nothing…’
  “You got it right. Sharp.”
  “Thank you.”
  Lee Han had no idea of the thoughts that had quickly passed through the old wizard’s mind.
  “Wizards who don’t know much about or are clumsy with water magic think it’s just about summoning water, gathering it, and changing its shape here and there. But that’s just the beginning. The world of water… is much wider and deeper.”
  Yumidihus clenched his fist.
  Then the water level of the river rapidly dropped and the surrounding land began to lose its vitality.
  ‘Moisture absorption’
  It was certainly amazing.
  When it came to water magic, perhaps because he had suffered so much under Professor Voladi, he only thought of shape transformation or manipulation…
  But it could be expanded into areas like evaporation or absorption.
  ‘I thought water magic was a bit ambiguous for combat, but I was wrong.’
  “You’ve already mastered the basics of shape transformation and manipulation, right?”
  “I’m not that good.”
  Lee Han spoke sincerely, but Yumidihus just thought he was being modest and let it go in one ear.
  “That’s why you’re practicing rotational properties. Right?”
  “No. That was an accidental incident.”
  “That’s a natural process and a path every wizard should take, but…”
  ‘Is he hard of hearing?’
  Lee Han only thought this to himself.
  If Yumidihus blinked, he might dry up all of Lee Han’s blood on the spot.
  “At the same time, focusing too much on manipulation can narrow your perspective. The reason I called you today was to show you that there are other areas in handling the water element.”
  Yumidihus spoke like a kind grandmother. Of course, because of what he had just done, Lee Han was not fooled by the atmosphere.
  “Now. Then try it.”
  “…Yes?”
  Try what?