Episode 245

Episode 245

As the two exited the giant’s cave, the morning star was already rising in the dark night sky.

Lee Han muttered bitterly.

“I have homework to do, but I wasted my time for nothing.”

“……”

Giselle got goosebumps from the calm madness Lee Han displayed.

To be worrying about homework in this situation.

Did you have to be this crazy to take the top spot at the magic school?

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m fine.”

Lee Han noticed Giselle’s gaze and replied.

Of course, he had pulled an all-nighter because of the imbuement magic assignment, but he had recovered somewhat thanks to getting some sleep.

Originally, students were supposed to be able to endure all-nighters with willpower. Lee Han was an expert in that field.

“Yeah… I can tell you’re totally fine.”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

Thud—

“…Can you put the shield away?”

When the shield flying around Lee Han started spinning, Giselle spoke irritably.

“Ah. Sorry. I need to check the duration.”

Giselle gave up and shook her head.

So, even while wandering the mountain range, being attacked by giant lizards, and dueling a giant, he was still thinking about his magic assignment.

‘He’s like a magic-obsessed freak…’

-Wardanaz!!

-Moradi!!!

After walking out a bit, they heard the shouts of White Tiger Tower students along with flickering torches in the distance.

It seemed they were still searching the area.

“Over here!”

“Wardanaz!”

The White Tiger Tower students ran over. Judging by their dust-covered clothes and the weeds stuck to them, they’d been searching the whole time.

Among them, Deorgyu let out a sigh of relief and said,

“Thank goodness. We’ve all been searching for you out of worry.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you? After everything you two did for us.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmmm.”

Lee Han and Giselle groaned at the same time.

The truth was, they had tried to use the others as bait to escape…

“As a noble, it was just what I should have done.”

“As a knight, it was just what I should have done.”

“As expected…!”

The gathered White Tiger Tower students all exclaimed in admiration.

Moradi was one thing, but seeing Wardanaz at times like this, he definitely had the dignity of a leader.

Of course, if things went wrong, he was a despicable archmage who would subdue them with all sorts of evil magic, but you had to admit what was true.

Once things settled down, Giselle looked at her friends and asked,

“Wait. How many people actually came out here?”

Even at a glance, it seemed not just their group but other friends had come out as well.

“Oh. They said they wanted to help. Wasn’t that good?”

“……”

Go study…!

Giselle suppressed the words boiling up inside.

“…Yeah. Thank you, everyone.”

“There seem to be more over there.”

Lee Han pointed to the torches running from far away.

It looked like all the White Tiger Tower students had participated in the search.

Such passionate friendship.

“Everyone’s so nice.”

“Shut up…”

• * *

“I’m betting two pieces of today’s black bread and this chocolate pudding.”

“Wha… what? Really?”

“What? Are you scared?”

“Scared… How dare you! Fine. I’ll bet the snack Wardanaz is supposed to give me tonight! That shield will be gone before the day is over!”

“Hmph. It’ll last until tomorrow!”

“……”

Sitting back at the tower, Lee Han looked at his friends as if they were pathetic.

The Blue Dragon Tower students were fiercely betting on how long the spinning shield would last.

It had already lasted more than a day, and now the main interest was whether it would pass two days.

“No way… No way! I read in a book that it can’t last a day without extra work!”

Gainando shook his book, denying reality.

He had actually studied for once, only to have his knowledge betray him.

“Studying… Studying is useless! What good are these dead letters!!”

“Stop talking nonsense and sit down.”

“Okay.”

At Lee Han’s warning, Gainando sat back down.

“It’s best to finish the -Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic- homework today. There are a lot of other pre-final assignments. What you should be doing now is Professor Millei’s homework…”

“Wh… what did I do to deserve this torment?”

When Lee Han listed the homework, Gainando was genuinely upset and resentful.

Lee Han ignored him and continued.

“What other homework is there?”

“For -Basic Music- we have to compose a song…”

‘There’s all kinds of homework.’

Lee Han didn’t take -Basic Music-. It wasn’t a required course.

But -Basic Music- was a very popular class in Blue Dragon Tower.

For students from great noble families, music, dance, art, and literature had more value than one might think.

Of course, to Lee Han, it was still less valuable than Professor Voladi’s class…

“I’ve pretty much finished mine.”

Ahsan, passing by, spoke up. Gainando was surprised.

“Already? How?”

“Huhu. Why should I tell you?”

“I’m curious, can you let me hear it?”

“If Wardanaz asks…”

“Hey…”

Gainando growled, but Ahsan ignored him.

A friend who gives snacks every day and a friend who tries to steal snacks every day—of course they’d be treated differently.

“Einrogard, Einrogard. I love you so much.”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han and Gainando’s faces twisted.

“A place with warm meals and soft beds. Einrogard.”

“Uh…”

“Is it okay to spread fake rumors?”

“The juniors will soon come and enjoy this paradise. Einrogard.”

Ahsan, who had been humming, stopped and explained.

“But you can’t badmouth Einrogard in front of the professor, right?”

“That’s true.”

Lee Han understood Ahsan’s feelings.

Sometimes, grades were more important than the truth.

“Do we have to make up nonsense songs like that?! Then I’ll just make up whatever I want!”

“What are you going to make?”

“There was a noble prince…”

“Enough already.”

“That doesn’t sound right.”

“Listen before you judge!”

“Is everyone working on their -Basic Music- homework?”

Neblen of the Kirak Family overheard the three talking and joined in.

Lee Han thought to himself.

‘Is everyone except me taking -Basic Music-?’

“That’s right. Kirak, did you write yours? You probably wrote a song praising the princess, didn’t you?”

Neblen was one of the Blue Dragon Tower students who followed the princess.

But Neblen shook his head.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Really? What did you write?”

“Would you like to hear it?”

“No, just get back to studying…”

Lee Han tried to stop him, but the other two nodded immediately.

“There once was an honorable mage who always prepared meals…”

“……”

“……”

“That’s touching.”

Ahsan admired it.

Other students sitting by the fireplace nodded as well.

Gainando grumbled.

“Hmph. Do you think Wardanaz will like being praised like that?”

“Well said, Gainando. The song isn’t that great.”

“What… What’s wrong with it?”

Neblen was flustered.

He had thought for sure that Lee Han would like it.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll write a new one…”

“…Wait.”

Lee Han couldn’t bring himself to say that.

There was nothing more bothersome than starting an assignment over.

“…Now that I think about it, it’s not that bad.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Now let’s get back to studying.”

“Wardanaz! Look over there! Look!”

“…Didn’t you hear me say study?”

Despite Lee Han’s words, Gainando pointed out the window.

Lee Han sighed and looked over. And was appalled.

“…!!”

The largest and most majestic building on the magic school grounds—the main building.

The exterior of the main building was writhing as if it were a living creature.

‘What the…!?’

It was because it was the relocation period.

“Aaaaahhh!”

“Kyaaaaahhh!”

Students screamed as a giant skull suddenly floated up past the window.

Lee Han, unfazed, asked,

“What do you mean, relocation period?”

The main building was, in effect, half alive.

According to the skull principal, the main building, which had accumulated magic over an uncountable period, could no longer be called an ordinary building.

With countless mages coming and going in Einrogard, adding new spaces and casting new spells, the main building periodically rearranged itself.

It was a way to re-organize all sorts of disorder and chaos.

“Uh… Wait. Does the internal layout change too?”

Lee Han listened absentmindedly, then was startled.

He’d painstakingly made a map!

It doesn’t change that much. The framework remains. But sometimes a room that should be there disappears, or something like that.

“That’s a relief.”

Be careful if you go out at night. There are students who went missing during the relocation period.

“What are you talking about? There’s a curfew at night. I’ve never broken the rules once.”

“……”

……

Even his friends, and the skull principal, were slightly impressed by his shamelessness.

Th… That’s right. Got it. Come out.

“Yes?”

You were supposed to learn illusion magic from Ogonin every weekend.

“Ah…”

At the skull principal’s words, Lee Han finally remembered.

Though his skills had gotten rusty, Ogonin was a great archmage in his prime, and a descendant of the pure classical illusionist tradition.

Since he had the chance to learn from such a person, the skull principal told him to consider it an honor…

“But I’m busy with pre-final assignments right now.”

That’s fine.

“Ah. Will it take long?”

Lee Han perked up.

Of course, the skull principal was the head of the school, so there’s no way he wouldn’t know the academic schedule.

No. I don’t know that either. The pre-final assignments are your problem, so it’s fine. Come out.

“……”

Gainando, who was listening nearby, nodded.

‘I should write a song about an evil lich.’

• * *

You met Ikurusha?

“…Wait. Is there some bulletin board in Einrogard that I don’t know about?”

Lee Han was taken aback.

Unless there was a bulletin board shared by professors and others on campus, how could news spread so fast?

He imagined Professor Voladi pinning a note reading -Please explain the pre-final assignment- to the faculty lounge bulletin board.

‘Should I infiltrate the lounge and destroy the bulletin board?’

There’s no such thing. But that’s an amusing thought.

“No…”

And Ikurusha is someone I already knew. I went to see him, and he suddenly started praising you, so I asked.

There weren’t just professors and students on the magic school grounds.

Thanks to the strong flow of mana, many mysterious beings had lived there for a long time.

That big guy especially rarely praises other students, especially for alchemy… Did you cheat with magic?

“I don’t know what you mean. It was a fair contest.”

I’m sure it was. Hm… Still, even considering your resistance, it’s amazing you managed to defeat Ikurusha. To think you’d know such a potion… Did Professor Thunderstep teach you?

“I learned alchemy, so technically you could say that.”

Enough. Anyway, aside from alchemy, you seem to be really good at chess, too.

“I was lucky. Mr. Ikurusha was a bit clumsy…”

???

The skull principal looked at Lee Han as if he were crazy. Lee Han didn’t notice that gaze.