Episode 182

Just like the saying that the bird with the most beautiful song dies the fastest, it was quite common for a wizard with too much talent to have a short life.

A wizard without talent wouldn’t be overly greedy, but a talented wizard would become as greedy as their talent allowed.

Magic was like the sun.

If you got too close, you’d burn to death.

‘Isn’t there anyone to warn him?’

Direte bit her lip.

The wicked professors of this magic school only cared about their own fields.

When a talented freshman appeared, all they could say was, ‘You must learn this magic!’ They didn’t care that the freshman was learning other magics as well.

By the time the innocent freshman realized what was happening, it was already too late.

They would be dragged into a magic hell from which they couldn’t escape.

‘Only an eccentric like Professor Garcia can endure that…!’

Moreover, now that midterms had just ended, he would probably study even more magic fields for the rest of the term.

Someone had to warn him.

Right now!

“Junior!”

Direte steeled herself and shouted.

“Be careful! You’re being tricked by the professors right n—”

“???”

Lee Han turned his head in confusion at the sudden shout from behind.

Pop!

But when he looked back, there was no one there.

“……”

“W-what was that just now?”

“I don’t know, but it feels ominous.”

Lee Han frowned at the faintly familiar mana he sensed in the empty hallway.

‘This feels like the skeleton principal’s mana…’

No way?

• * *

With a bubbling sound, the color of the potion in the cauldron slowly began to turn leaden.

Lee Han carefully turned off the heat.

Now only the final step of the remained.

‘All that’s left is to add a freshly picked thistle flower.’

“Why is mine blue? Why is it blue?!”

“D-doesn’t this look lead-colored? Doesn’t it look like lead?”

Leaving behind friends in denial about reality, Lee Han exchanged glances with Yoner.

Let’s go pick thistle flowers!

“Once tomorrow is over, the exams will be finished.”

At Lee Han’s words, Yoner nodded.

It had only been a week, but it felt like several weeks had passed.

To think they had to do this all over again…

“It was really tough.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“……”

Yoner had to hold back from saying, ‘Lee Han, didn’t you dig your own grave?’

If it were Gainando, he would have said it, but this was Lee Han.

He was already having a hard enough time.

“Did you do well on your exams?”

“So-so.”

“Huh?”

Yoner looked puzzled at Lee Han’s words.

There were several students in first year who were good at studying, but Lee Han was overwhelming even among them.

Usually, if you were good at lecture A, you’d be weak in lecture B, and if you were good at B, you’d be weak in C—everyone had some weakness…

But Lee Han seemed perfect, as if he had no such weaknesses.

And yet he said he did so-so?

“Did you mess up in black magic? What score did you get?”

“No. I got a perfect score.”

“Then in summoning magic?”

“No.”

“…Illusion magic?”

“I got a perfect score in illusion magic too… Hmm. Now that I think about it, I did well. Sorry, Yoner. It was just a habit.”

For the first time, Yoner almost got angry at Lee Han.

“What’s going on?”

Where the thistle flower field should have been, students were gathered and whispering.

Lee Han approached, puzzled.

And was shocked.

“…!”

All those thistle flowers were completely gone.

“Did you guys pick them all?”

Lee Han asked as politely as possible.

Of course, just because his attitude was polite didn’t mean his voice sounded friendly.

The killing intent in his voice made the gathered students flinch and step back.

“No, Wardanaz. When we got here, someone had already picked them!”

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

“Think about it, Wardanaz! You need freshly picked thistle flowers, right? Why would we pick them first? We wouldn’t be able to use them either!”

The White Tiger Tower student shouted, clutching his wooden sword and trembling.

Because of everything that had happened so far, there was already a saying in White Tiger Tower: ‘When dealing with Wardanaz, always go in groups of at least four.’

To think he’d have to face him alone like this…!

“That does make sense.”

Lee Han lowered his staff for now. The White Tiger Tower student let out a sigh of relief.

‘Wait a minute.’

“Move aside.”

Near the thistle flower field, there were messy footprints. They were left by students who had arrived earlier.

But Lee Han focused on the footprints inside the flower field. He’d seen those footprints before.

‘These are…’

Lee Han carefully checked and measured the shape of the footprints.

A Black Turtle Tower student asked in amazement,

“Are you distinguishing the footprints of whoever entered the flower field first? How?”

They couldn’t understand how Wardanaz, who wasn’t a hunter, could use such a skill.

But Lee Han asked back as if he was the one who didn’t understand.

“Don’t you have Nillia in your tower? Why didn’t you learn?”

“…B-because I’m not a hunter?”

“??”

Lee Han gave a look of utter incomprehension. The Black Turtle Tower student felt like he’d done something wrong, even though he hadn’t.

‘Where have I seen that look before…?’

The Black Turtle Tower student realized belatedly.

It was the look a professor gave when looking at him with disappointment.

‘Why! Why should I learn hunting skills…’

“Yoner.”

Lee Han approached Yoner with a serious expression and whispered.

“I know who the culprit is.”

“Who? A White Tiger Tower student?”

“No. Professor Thunderstep.”

“……”

• * *

Professor Thunderstep walked with a well-made bottle of brandy in hand.

The professors of Einrogard who had arrived earlier were scattered about, relaxing with comfortable faces.

With midterms ending, the professors’ moods were also relaxing.

“Thank you for your hard work, Professor Garcia.”

Professor Thunderstep spotted Professor Garcia and poured her a glass of brandy.

The troll half-blood professor, one of the youngest here, accepted the glass with a shy expression.

“It was nothing.”

“No, really. No one works as hard as you, Professor Garcia.”

Professor Thunderstep sincerely respected the troll half-blood professor before him.

While other professors were absorbed in their own fields of magic, and people like Osu Gonadaltes were up to all sorts of wicked whims, Professor Garcia quietly did her job and cared for the students.

If it weren’t for Professor Garcia, Einrogard would have been an even more hellish place.

“Professor Thunderstep, you’re almost done too, right?”

“Yes. The students will submit their work tomorrow.”

“It must be tough since the assignment period is so long.”

If it were the skeleton principal, he would have sneered, ‘Alchemy is just a lazy person’s field—you just assign the task and drink while you wait, right?’ (In fact, Professor Thunderstep agreed with that to some extent.)

But kind Professor Garcia always found something positive to say.

“You have to keep an eye on the students as they gather materials and craft, after all.”

“That’s true.”

In fact, Professor Thunderstep hadn’t really kept an eye on them, but he nodded anyway.

There was no need to embarrass someone by refusing a compliment!

And there was some truth to it.

“I even went to the flower field yesterday and dug up all the thistle flowers.”

“Huh? Why?”

“For the students, of course.”

Professor Thunderstep began to explain, a little excited.

Freshly picked thistle flowers, needed for the final step of the .

All the students knew where this flower field was.

But what if all the flowers suddenly disappeared?

With the deadline so close, there was no time to find or get new ones.

In the end, the students would have to complete the potion without thistle flowers.

“It’s possible to finish the potion without thistle flowers. The quality will drop, but the students will have to overcome that with their wisdom.”

“……”

Professor Garcia’s face darkened.

Should she praise this or not…

‘Wouldn’t it be better to just tell them to make it without thistle flowers from the start?’

Did he really have to shock and confuse the students?

“Ind… Indeed. That sounds like a really good method.”

“Thank you, Professor Garcia. It’s all out of love for the students.”

Professor Thunderstep sipped his brandy with satisfaction.

But Professor Thunderstep had forgotten one thing.

A student who had robbed a professor’s workshop once could do it a second time.

• * *

“To the workshop.”

Lee Han was exhausted from a whole day of exams, but he didn’t hesitate for even a second.

With the assignment due tomorrow morning, time was tight.

On the second floor of Professor Thunderstep’s tower, the workshop, there were definitely thistle flowers.

“If we gather the other friends…”

“There’s no time, Yoner. Besides, the more people, the more dangerous.”

Lee Han knew this was his second time as well. That meant the risk had increased.

Quietly and quickly.

“…But let’s call Nillia.”

“Good idea.”

Yoner nodded.

Later, saying ‘I didn’t call you because it was dangerous’ wouldn’t mean much.

“Hmm. Let’s call Ratford too.”

“Okay.”

“And Ahsan…”

“…Shouldn’t we just call everyone?”

“Yeah. That’s probably best.”

Lee Han gave up and decided to call all his friends.

Thirty minutes later.

Lee Han and his friends, all wearing dark coats, gathered in one place. Yoner suddenly wondered,

‘Doesn’t anyone feel any guilt about stealing at this hour?’

Everyone was acting so naturally…

“Let’s go.”

No explanation was needed. They’d already worked together several times.

Lee Han took the lead.

Since they’d been here before, it wasn’t too hard…

“!”

What Lee Han saw was White Tiger Tower students, wearing masks, clumsily trying to pick the lock on the workshop’s front door.

‘What’s this?’

At first, Lee Han thought they were other students from alchemy class who had arrived first.

But on closer inspection, they weren’t students from alchemy class.

Could it be that, to stop Lee Han from getting thistle flowers, they’d attacked the professor’s workshop in the middle of the night…

‘…No way.’

That would be going too far, no matter what.

“They’re probably here for another class.”

Yoner whispered from behind.

“Another class?”

“They’re students from . There was a rumor that Professor Thunderstep’s tower had a potion that makes you dance well…”

“…!”

Lee Han was surprised.

First, he was surprised that so many students took a class like , and second, that they’d resort to stealing a potion just to dance better.

“Shouldn’t they solve it on their own instead of stealing?”

“I don’t think we’re in a position to say that.”

Before Yoner finished speaking, another group of students appeared from the bushes ahead.

They were Black Turtle Tower students.

“Are they also taking ?”

“No. I saw them in …”

“……”

Lee Han shook his head.

To think three different groups, with three different goals, would meet in front of the workshop in the middle of the night.

“Setting aside the stealing, is it really okay to take a potion before an exam?”

“I was curious too, so I asked the professor, and he said it’s fine.”

“……”