Episode 191
by CristaeWhen the White Tiger Tower students glared at Lee Han with the fiercest looks they had shown all day, Lee Han thought he should explain in more detail.
“You might think there’s no problem if the magic is cast too strongly. But this is a more serious issue than you think.”
In fact, when casting imbuement magic on non-living things, even if the magic was cast too strongly, it wasn’t particularly dangerous.
Even if you failed due to excessive mana, it rarely caused any real danger or side effects.
At worst, the object would be destroyed, and that was usually the end of it.
And even if the duration was extended or the effect was strengthened, it wasn’t a big problem…
But other types of magic were much more dangerous.
Why do you think Lee Han was so careful with fire elemental magic?
Because if you lost control of your mana even once while casting, you could end up unleashing a wide-area fire spell on your surroundings.
“Got it? Drawing out too much mana is dangerous.”
“…I-I see.”
“But I don’t know what that has to do with us.”
‘These heartless bastards.’
Lee Han grumbled inwardly.
To act like it’s not their problem…
As expected, there were a lot of rude people from knight families.
- * *
“Anyway, thanks, Wardanaz.”
“Thanks to you, it seems to be working well.”
After the extra lesson ended, the White Tiger Tower students expressed their gratitude.
It wasn’t just out of courtesy—they had actually made progress.
There were no perfect successes, but honestly, even 70–80% effectiveness was enough.
With that much, you could attach it to a cloak or coat and block the cold…
The students gathered thought to themselves.
‘But how did we even succeed?’
Lee Han thought to himself as well.
‘Strange. How did these guys manage to learn it?’
Both Lee Han and the White Tiger Tower students felt it.
That Lee Han’s teaching wasn’t actually all that helpful!
Lee Han thought, ‘Why can’t these guys just move their mana like this and that?’ while the White Tiger Tower students thought, ‘How the hell does this crazy guy move his mana however he wants?’
Nevertheless, by the end of the extra lesson, a few students succeeded.
Why was that?
“Maybe it’s because we didn’t want to lose to that Wardanaz guy?”
“No way it’s that simple… Actually, maybe it is.”
The White Tiger Tower students whispered among themselves.
“Right. Looks like we’re done. Everyone, practice your magic diligently.”
“Got it.”
“An hour a day should be enough, right?”
One student spoke up absentmindedly. Lee Han looked at him as if he was talking nonsense.
“What do you mean, practice for an hour a day? That’s ridiculous.”
“…T-two hours?”
“What do you mean, practice for two hours a day? That’s ridiculous.”
“……”
‘Isn’t he crazy?’
The White Tiger Tower students were momentarily creeped out.
No wonder he’s from the Wardanaz family!
‘Isn’t two hours a day plenty?’
“Anyone who thinks two hours a day is plenty will never improve.”
“!”
The White Tiger Tower student was shocked that his thoughts had been read.
“Anyway, that’s your business…”
Lee Han set down the chest he had brought from the tower.
Thud!
“I brought some fabric so you can prepare for the cold.”
“Thanks, Wardanaz.”
A White Tiger Tower student reached for the chest. Lee Han coldly pushed his hand away.
“?!”
“Nothing’s free. Bring something to trade.”
“……”
So he wasn’t just giving it away?
“We don’t have any money.”
“Barter is fine. Food, tools, artifacts—anything of value, I’ll trade for it.”
“We don’t have anything like that…”
Lee Han looked at the White Tiger Tower students with a look of disdain.
Since they were all from knight families, it was the first time they’d ever received such a look.
A sense of humiliation they’d never felt before swept over the White Tiger Tower students.
“W-wait! What about credit? I heard from the Black Turtle Tower guys that you gave them credit too?”
“You want me to give you credit, trusting you?”
Lee Han spoke as if it was absurd.
“I swear on my family’s honor!”
Angrago declared firmly, but Lee Han was indifferent.
‘If I go to their family to collect, they’ll probably ambush me.’
Just as Lee Han was about to refuse, he saw Deorgyu desperately gesturing from behind.
-Please accept it!
Even though Angrago acted like that, he had a lot of pride as a knight.
Richmond of the Black Turtle Tower had gotten a promise on his family’s name, but if Angrago didn’t get one?
He might end up sulking in his room for days.
“…Fine. Alright.”
“Phew!”
Angrago let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.
Honestly, he had been a little worried that Lee Han would refuse.
‘When I go to that guy’s family later, I’ll have to take Deorgyu with me.’
- * *
Perhaps the heavens were pleased with Lee Han for helping his friends all morning, because the snowstorm began to let up a bit in the afternoon.
Professor Lightningstep, who appeared wearing thicker clothes than usual, clicked his tongue in pity at the students shivering from the cold.
“How did you end up at a magic school like this…”
“……”
“……”
“Alright. Originally, I was going to teach you advanced techniques you can do while riding today…”
Clang!
Professor Lightningstep opened our door. A lizard big enough to carry three or four people crawled out from inside.
Its leather was so similar in color to the snow that it was hard to distinguish when it was lying in the snow.
“It’s a snow lizard. Anyone know it?”
Several students from cold regions, including Nillia, raised their hands. Professor Lightningstep nodded.
“It’s pretty famous in cold places.”
Snow lizard.
Not only was it resistant to cold, but thanks to its unique, tenacious stamina, it was often used as a mount in cold regions.
Of course, it didn’t only have advantages.
“There aren’t many of them, they’re hard to find, and above all, they have nasty tempers, so they’re hard to tame… but if you do, they’re worth it. Today’s lesson is to get friendly with this guy. Split up by tower.”
After the students split up by tower, Professor Lightningstep released three more snow lizards.
“I’ll lend them to you until the snow stops. Try to get friendly.”
“!”
The students were surprised at the professor’s words. Professor Lightningstep wiped under his nose with an embarrassed expression.
“No need to be so grateful. I can do at least this much for my students.”
‘Doesn’t seem like anyone’s grateful, though.’
Lee Han thought to himself.
His friends’ expressions were more bewildered and troubled than thankful.
Even the most seasoned hunters in the north would say, ‘Are you really lending us such a precious beast?’ but from the students’ perspective, it was more like, ‘Why not just give us some leather, why lend us such a vicious monster?’
“Wardanaz. Wardanaz.”
“What?”
“I never thought I’d get to see such a rare monster. Isn’t the professor amazing?!”
Nillia whispered cluelessly. Lee Han nodded and replied.
“I get how you feel, but you’d better not show it in front of the others.”
The Blue Dragon Tower students surrounded the snow lizard.
The snow lizard rolled its eyes, looking around, and as soon as the students approached, it fired a snowball.
Thwack!
“Argh! You little…!”
Gaynando, who had only just been released from the punishment room, was furious at being hit by a snowball from the snow lizard.
“I’ll curse…”
“Stop, Gaynando! We have to tame it!”
“Do you know how useful that thing is?!”
Ahsan scolded Gaynando.
If what he’d read in books was true, the snow lizard would be a huge help in overcoming this climate crisis.
Strong stamina, a body big enough to easily carry several students, senses that could find prey hidden in the snow, and so on.
“Don’t approach recklessly, get friendly first!”
At Professor Lightningstep’s shout, the students tried various methods.
Offering food it might like (Gaynando, who had his bloody meat snatched away, teared up), lowering their posture and pretending to be a lizard (Ahsan tried and got hit in the face with a snowball), and so on.
“Wardanaz. Can’t you give it a try?”
“Me?”
Lee Han hesitated.
Normally, he would have helped his friends…
‘I don’t think it’ll go well.’
Just like when he wandered the snowy mountains last time, Lee Han basically wasn’t good at getting along with living creatures.
That’s why he was deliberately keeping his distance now…
‘If I approach, won’t it get scared and run away?’
If it ran away, that would be the best-case scenario; if it went berserk, it would be a disaster. Lee Han clicked his tongue and said,
“Fine. But everyone, make a circle and form a perimeter.”
“…!”
“W-what are you going to do? You’re not going to kill it, are you?”
- * *
Shyles, the horse beastkin student from the Richmond Family of the Black Turtle Tower, had considerable pride in his family.
Naturally, he also took pride in the techniques passed down in his family.
To run a transportation business using carriages across the vast empire, you had to do more than just handle horses well. You had to know how to handle all kinds of monsters suited to the terrain and environment.
‘This is my chance.’
Shyles thought this lesson, where he had to tame a snow lizard, was a stroke of luck.
He hadn’t stood out in the mount training classes so far, but really, he should have been the one to shine the most.
“Alright. Follow me, everyone! I’ve tamed a snow lizard before!”
“Really!?”
“Yes, Nillia! Have you ever done it? Then help me…”
“I’ve caught one before…”
“…Alright, follow me, everyone!”
Shyles enthusiastically guided his friends.
The first way to get friendly with a snow lizard.
That was to imitate the snow lizard’s behavior.
Other tower students had tried it once or twice and failed, but that was because their attempts were clumsy and lacked sincerity.
“You have to imitate it sincerely! You have to think you’ve become a snow lizard! Hold snow in your mouth!”
“Do… do we really have to go this far?”
“Who’s complaining when Shyles is helping like this!”
Salko, perhaps feeling Shyles’s sincerity, scolded the others and followed along more enthusiastically than anyone.
The Black Turtle Tower students all crawled on all fours and rolled around in the snow.
Even Professor Lightningstep was impressed.
‘There’s a kid who knows what he’s doing.’
It might look silly at first glance, but that was the proper way.
To be a good explorer, you had to understand and master the countless types of monsters.
“Spit out the snow! Flick your tongue!”
Krrk. Krrk.
“That’s it! It’s acknowledged us! Now we can get closer!”
The Black Turtle Tower students cheered.
Professor Lightningstep smiled at the sight.
They were making faster progress than expected. It was thanks to everyone approaching sincerely and with effort.
‘Now, what are the others doing…’
The Phoenix Tower students had gotten somewhat friendly, but seemed to be underestimating it. The snow lizard was playfully flicking snow at them with its tail.
The White Tiger Tower students were outright having a staring contest with the snow lizard…
And the Blue Dragon Tower?
“It’s a miracle! Wardanaz got friendly with the snow lizard!”
“Professor! The snow lizard acknowledged Wardanaz! Look over here!”
The Blue Dragon Tower students cheered and called Professor Lightningstep.
‘They got friendly already? That’s too fast.’
Professor Lightningstep looked at the snow lizard in surprise.
The snow lizard was rolling its eyes and trembling beside Lee Han, unable to move.
“…That’s not being friendly at all!”