Episode 201

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

-It seems like you really are being threatened.

The demon was a demon for a reason. With the cunning of a true demon, it quickly grasped the situation.

Ancient wizards trained their disciples in far harsher ways than now.

For a demon who had lived since ancient times, this situation wasn’t so hard to understand.

Of course, that didn’t mean Professor Voladi looked normal.

Even in ancient times, it was rare for a master to make their disciple fight a demon.

-No matter what, to force your disciple to fight a demon… You’re a mad wizard. If you keep acting like this, your disciple might stab you in the back while you sleep.

Lee Han wanted to cheer for the nameless demon.

Say more!

“Fight.”

Professor Voladi didn’t listen at all and urged the demon.

The demon ignored him just as thoroughly.

-I refuse. I don’t associate with madmen. Don’t drag me into your wizards’ insane training.

“If you don’t fight, I’ll attack you.”

-Do you think I’ll yield to pain?

“Name your terms.”

Professor Voladi immediately changed his approach to persuade the demon.

Of course, this didn’t work on a demon who had been forcibly summoned, beaten up, and then told, ‘I’d like you to fight a bit more.’

-Even if you offered me half the world, I’d never make a contract with a lunatic like you.

After speaking, the demon looked at Lee Han. Thanks to the time given, it could recall beings similar to Lee Han from its memory.

-You’re of the Wardanaz Family bloodline. I’ll remember and pity you, young wizard. If you ever need to make a contract with me, I’ll show you mercy.

Lee Han didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.

To be pitied by an ancient demon he’d never met before…

Professor Voladi whispered from the side.

“Make a contract now. Then tell him to fight.”

-I’d never agree to such a contract, you madman.

The demon cursed Professor Voladi and opened a dimensional gate. Then it returned to where it had come from.

Professor Voladi showed a slightly dejected expression. It was a very rare sight.

“It’s alright, Professor. I learned a lot.”

“It was too short. What a shame.”

“No, this is enough.”

Lee Han tried to comfort him, but Professor Voladi didn’t listen.

“I’ll have to find a new one.”

“……”

The vampire professor sent chills down Lee Han’s spine.

‘Wait. Don’t tell me…’

Lee Han recalled that Professor Voladi had been out for a night walk, which didn’t suit him, when he came out of the forest.

Could it be?

‘…Was he looking for an opponent for me to fight…?’

A chill colder than any magical frost ran down his spine.

Tap!

Professor Voladi untied the ropes binding Professor Verdus.

The freed beaver beastman professor asked,

“Why did you tie me up!?”

“So you wouldn’t get hurt.”

“Ah. I see.”

Professor Verdus immediately accepted it and nodded. He didn’t even get angry.

‘I need to separate these two quickly.’

Honestly, it was interesting to see them together, but it was highly likely that it wouldn’t be good for Lee Han.

He tried to separate them.

“But why?”

“For my disciple’s training.”

“Why you?”

“I’m his teacher.”

“Why does a teacher—”

“It’s what a teacher ought to do.”

But before Lee Han could intervene, the two professors exchanged a rapid-fire Q&A only they understood.

Professor Verdus didn’t get it.

If a teacher had to spoon-feed everything, wasn’t that too harsh and exhausting a job?

No wizard would take on such a role.

To this theory, Professor Voladi answered firmly.

“I’m better.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Han was dumbfounded by the faint pride in Professor Voladi’s voice.

Of course, in some ways, Professor Voladi might be a better teacher than Professor Verdus…

But that was nothing to brag about.

It’s not like being better at studying than Gainando is something to boast about!

“You should take more interest.”

“No. My time is more important.”

“As you wish. I’ll go find another opponent.”

At Professor Voladi’s words, Lee Han was appalled.

His earlier suspicion had been correct.

‘Was he really out looking for one?’

“Opponent?”

“For the reason I mentioned earlier.”

“Ah. Training. Uh… There’s a dimensional overlap in the upper floors of the main building. That should be good. How about it?”

“Thank you.”

“……”

Lee Han cursed himself for not separating them sooner.

• * *

Splash!

Lee Han was cleaning fish by the stream with the Blue Dragon Tower students.

They had gathered some food, but no one knew how long the cold would last.

They had to gather as much edible stuff as possible.

“…Lee Han. Are you worried about something?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, you’ve sighed dozens of times since earlier.”

“Ah. Did I? I’ll be careful.”

“I don’t mean be careful…”

Lee Han slit open the fish’s belly, cut off the head, washed it in the running water, then salted and hung it up.

Even with many worries, his hands didn’t falter. His friends watching from the side were impressed.

“Wardanaz. What’s up? Did Meikin bully you?”

Ahsan asked, and Gainando was startled.

“Meikin bullied Lee Han?! Guys! Meikin…”

Yoner sprinkled the salt he was holding onto Gainando’s face.

“Lee Han. We’re friends, right? If you’re worried, you can tell us.”

“I might have to go to the Twisted Dimensional Corridor to solve the cold problem.”

“……”

“……”

“…Why would you do that?”

“I get it. Wardanaz is feeling responsible right now…”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Meikin, what do you know!”

Ahsan grumbled at Yoner for cutting him off.

Meanwhile, students from the Black Turtle Tower appeared on the other side with fishing rods.

“Right. The Black Turtle Tower guys built a brick oven.”

The resourceful Black Turtle Tower students had built an oven in a vacant lot near the black market.

It was to withstand the cold weather.

“An oven?”

“Yeah. They’ve been roasting all sorts of things.”

“If you want, I can make one for you.”

Salko, who had approached, spoke up. The Blue Dragon Tower students brightened.

“Really?!”

“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Wardanaz.”

Salko growled, making the Blue Dragon Tower students back off.

Lee Han nodded as if he understood.

“Do you want to trade for fish? Or meat? Sorry, but sugar, tea leaves, and coffee grounds are non-negotiable.”

“…I didn’t come to trade. It’s to repay what I got last time. Wardanaz.”

Salko looked at Lee Han as if he couldn’t believe him.

It was a return for Lee Han helping each tower with cold resistance magic.

“What? He’s really just doing it for free?”

“Yes.”

At that answer, Gainando muttered.

“Suspicious.”

“Shut up.”

“But…”

Gainando was indignant.

Lee Han was suspicious too!

“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”

“You look gloomy. Are you worried about something?”

At Salko’s question, Ahsan answered instead.

“Wardanaz is trying to tackle the root of this cold problem right now.”

“……”

Salko, who had been growling just a moment ago, looked at Lee Han in surprise.

“…I respect you, Wardanaz. I never thought I’d say this, but you’re a real noble.”

“Just make the oven and go.”

Lee Han replied in a slightly tired voice.

He was too tired to even explain anymore.

• * *

<Basic Imperial Language and Logic>.

For young wizards who would encounter all sorts of surreal beings in the future, it was quite an essential class.

Spirits, demons, angels—these beings weren’t always hostile, but sometimes that made them even more dangerous.

If you made a careless contract, a wizard’s life could get very tangled.

That’s why magic school wizards were thoroughly trained in this area from a young age.

<Basic Imperial Language and Logic> was a class to help with exactly that.

-Today, we’ll read the contract between the wizard Folkelbalas and a demon from Imperial Year 117…

-Do demon contracts usually put people to sleep?

-Maybe… I don’t know.

-Truly demonic. Demon, I give up. I surrender… zzz.

And of course, it was terribly boring.

Foundational classes were generally boring, but <Basic Imperial Language and Logic> was especially so.

You had to read through every example, looking for ambiguous or misleading parts, translate any regional dialects from the Empire, and if there was old or archaic language, translate that too…

Even someone like Lee Han had to grit his teeth to endure it.

“Huh?”

“Why isn’t the professor coming?”

Because of that, when the professor didn’t come in, a faint hope began to appear on the students’ faces.

Could it be the professor isn’t coming today?

Could it be the professor won’t come next week either?

Don’t be surprised, everyone. Professor Walter Xavier suffered a mental breakdown during a contract and has gone to the temple.

“……”

The students’ faces, which had been full of hope, turned to horror and guilt.

They had hoped, but not for this.

Let this be a lesson to be more careful when making contracts in the future. Professor Flüwurk, please come in.

“Thank you.”

‘A former bureaucrat?’

Seeing the brown-haired fox beastman professor enter, Lee Han was puzzled.

After meeting several imperial bureaucrats, he could somewhat distinguish between bureaucrats and wizards.

Bureaucrats seemed…

…a little less crazy than wizards.

And Professor Flüwurk. Please make sure to tell His Majesty the Emperor that Professor Walter Xavier’s breakdown and trip to the temple is not because the magic school is dangerous, but because accidents are inevitable in the study of magic…

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry. Now, let’s begin the lecture. I’m Professor Rosine Flüwurk. Nice to meet you all.”

Professor Rosine briskly greeted everyone after sending the skeleton principal out.

The students were happy but also a little wary.

They’d already been hurt too much by professors.

But Professor Rosine didn’t care.

“How far did Professor Walter Xavier get?”

“He got up to the unfortunate wizard Gurgu, who made a bad contract with the three-headed giant.”

“Good! Would a student like to read and point out the mistakes?”

“……”

The student who had answered up front looked like he was about to cry.

Given the difficulty of <Basic Imperial Language and Logic>, there was little chance of hearing anything good.

The other friends coldly avoided eye contact.

‘Hang in there.’

‘Don’t look at me. I don’t want to present.’

Ten minutes later.

“Very good!”

“Huh. Really?”

“Of course, you made about 41 mistakes, but for a first-year, that’s excellent. Everyone, applause!”

“???”

The students clapped with bewildered expressions.

But Professor Rosine’s lecture was just beginning.

One hour later.

By the end of the class, all the students had become Professor Rosine’s followers.

“Professor! I’ll read next!”

“Professor! Let me try!”

‘Why is someone like this at the magic school?’

Lee Han was surprised.

He thought good people were kicked out at the school gate…

“Professor, where did you work before coming here?”

“I was an imperial dispatch manager.”

A position that assigned talented people, including wizards, to the right places throughout the Empire.

It was a job you couldn’t do without a wide network and good relationships.

He could understand her positive personality.

‘Wait. Then she can recommend people for government posts, right?’

A dream he’d buried for a while began to shine again.

Lee Han realized that all his hard work in <Basic Imperial Language and Logic> had been for a moment like this.

“I’ll read too!”

“Wa… Wardanaz. Why all of a sudden…”

“Hey. Put your hand down. Wardanaz said he’ll read. You want to be compared?”

His friends grumbled as they lowered their hands.

Did the guy who gets praised in every other class have to get praised here too?

‘Ah. So that’s the Wardanaz Family kid.’

Professor Rosine recognized Lee Han, who had raised his hand. She’d heard about him from several places before coming.

‘They said he’s a key talent who will be responsible for the magic school in the future.’