Episode 320

Episode 320

“Did you have a vampire friend?”

Gainando, who was still not fully grasping the situation, tilted his head.

Lee Han seriously considered for a moment whether he should stay the night at Gainando’s house.

“You’ve come.”

However, Professor Voladi kindly interrupted such concerns.

At the sight of Professor Voladi walking out from inside, Gainando spoke in surprise.

“Professor, why are you here? Shouldn’t we call the guards to kick you out?”

Lee Han was momentarily tempted but regained his senses.

“Professor! I can’t believe you’d grace my humble home with a visit… I couldn’t be happier!”

“It’s not humble, actually.”

“But what does ‘humble’ mean?”

Ignoring Gainando’s question, Lee Han asked with a false smile.

“By the way, how did you know to come here?”

“The headmaster told me.”

‘Maybe I should just kill him, really.’

Since he had already defeated the evil King of Ghouls, Lee Han wondered if he should go after the evil Einrogard lich next.

“Wait. Did the headmaster tell the other professors too?”

Professor Voladi nodded.

Lee Han felt dizziness rising up.

‘I’m going crazy.’

The professors who might visit the mansion right now…

‘Professor Garcia is fine. In fact, I should treat him. Professor Thunderstep… well… I could manage. Professor Lightningstep probably wouldn’t come, judging by his character. If Professor Ingeldel came, Allarlong would probably like it.’

Looking over it, only about two of the most dangerous and tricky professors were left.

Professor Voladi and Professor Verdus.

And one of them was standing right in front of him now.

“But professor, it’s vacation. Why are you here?”

Gainando asked with an innocent expression. Lee Han thought he did well to buy Gainando cotton candy earlier.

‘That’s worth the price of the cotton candy.’

“I have something to discuss.”

“Couldn’t you have sent a letter?”

“It’s difficult to do so by letter.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s a lot to talk about.”

“Couldn’t you write a long letter then?”

Professor Voladi waved his hand lightly. Silenced by a magic spell, Gainando waved his hand in anger.

To dare attack a royal outside of Einrogard!

‘Speak up for me, Lee Han! For the honor of the royal family!’

‘Sorry.’

Lee Han averted his gaze.

How could a student stop whatever a professor did?

“Let’s go inside, professor.”

“All right.”

• * *

Lee Han personally carried the teacups and teapot instead of the servants.

“I’ll carry it.”

“Sir Lee Han… You are truly admirable.”

The servants were all touched by the sight of someone born with the blood of a great noble, personally attending to his teacher.

Lee Han nearly threw the saucer.

‘Let’s not take out our anger on innocent people.’

Professor Voladi sipped the green tea and slowly began to speak.

“I heard you caught a basilisk.”

“Ugh.”

Lee Han choked on his green tea. It felt like the hot tea had struck his throat.

“Well… that’s a misunderstanding.”

“What is the misunderstanding?”

“That basilisk wasn’t even fully grown…”

“A newborn basilisk, enhanced by potion. It collapsed from rebound after overusing its petrifying gaze. Am I wrong?”

“Ah. That’s correct.”

Lee Han was relieved by how accurately Professor Voladi seemed to grasp the situation.

He had been worried he might end up being misunderstood in some ridiculous way.

“I didn’t know you could deflect the petrifying gaze with just mana.”

“…Maybe it’s because it was just born?”

“Who knows. The penetration power of the gaze shouldn’t differ that much.”

Carefully, Professor Voladi lifted the cage he had set down behind him.

Inside it, a familiar egg was nestled in a soft nest.

It was the basilisk egg Professor Voladi had obtained during the last outing.

“I was planning to use it for the second semester lecture, but I’m troubled now.”

“…I don’t think you need to worry too much. That basilisk last time was just overly off guard…”

Despite Lee Han’s persuasion, Professor Voladi remained concerned.

As he kept trying to persuade, Lee Han suddenly felt a sense of self-reproach.

‘Why am I even trying to face a basilisk in the second semester?’

All that his efforts in persuading the professor amounted to was a future where he would fight a basilisk.

It was nothing short of bittersweet upon reflection.

But if he left it alone, knowing Professor Voladi’s nature, he would probably bring an even crazier monster…

“I heard you repelled the King of Ghouls.”

“Ahem.”

“Are you unwell?”

As Lee Han choked for the second time, Professor Voladi raised his eyebrows and asked.

“No… I’m fine.”

After coughing a few more times, Lee Han regained his composure.

Just like with the basilisk, Professor Voladi would have an accurate grasp of the truth, unlike others.

So there was no need to be more frightened than necessary.

“I heard you overwhelmed the King of Ghouls, is that true?”

“Ugh.”

“You really do seem unwell.”

Professor Voladi spoke with genuine concern.

“Unlike in Einrogard, where even if you make a hasty mistake you can recover, outside that isn’t possible. Be less hasty.”

“…Ah. Yes.”

Lee Han wanted to say, ‘I’m not the kind of person who goes chasing after basilisks and the King of Ghouls just to become as strong as you think, professor,’ but he held back.

It was meaningless anyway.

“I didn’t overwhelm him. He was just in a very imperfect state…”

“Right. You overwhelmed him because he was in an imperfect state. But you did overwhelm him, didn’t you?”

Since he had taken down the King of Ghouls and also completed the nearby request, anyone could see that he truly overwhelmed him.

If he hadn’t, he would have collapsed near the cave.

Left speechless by Professor Voladi’s logic, Lee Han regretted it.

‘Maybe I should have just pretended to be sick.’

“The King of Ghouls wasn’t in the records.”

Even if they were beings from another dimension, those with some reputation often made the records, but there were always exceptions.

Beings like the King of Ghouls, who descended in ancient times and were sealed away, couldn’t be documented.

“Yes.”

“Even so, you should be careful. Such beings are persistent.”

Lee Han of course knew this.

If someone like the King of Ghouls, banished by a rookie like Lee Han, could just let it go, then he wouldn’t be an evil being.

He was probably sharpening his blade, regaining his strength in his own dimension.

But Lee Han wasn’t very worried.

‘It’s not likely I’ll run into him again, right?’

Having been struck and expelled in that way, he wouldn’t even dare to descend again for a while as he recovered. Then the only remaining possibility was Lee Han himself going to the King of Ghouls’ dimension and seeking him out…

There was no reason for Lee Han to do something that crazy, unless he went truly mad.

“So I prepared a way to deal with those kinds of beings.”

“…!!”

Lee Han endured as hot tea struck his throat, swallowing it down. But he couldn’t help his eyes growing wide.

“Is there… such a way?”

“Yes.”

Professor Voladi calmly began to explain.

The path Lee Han was now walking was one where he would master all the different schools of magic and fuse them into a perfected combat magic style.

…Of course, Lee Han himself didn’t really think he was walking that path, but that wasn’t important.

Anyway, this path required mastery in each individual school, so Professor Voladi never hurried or rushed.

The disciple had acted hastily due to his talent, but Professor Voladi understood as a mentor.

If the mentor didn’t understand, who else would?

But if you considered this expedition against the King of Ghouls, now was a good time to accumulate experience in black magic combat.

That way, if he clashed with the King of Ghouls again, he could gain an advantage.

“Indeed.”

Lee Han nodded as he listened.

He only nodded on the outside; inside, he hadn’t truly accepted it.

“Can’t I just avoid them?”

“If avoidance meant you could escape, they wouldn’t be your enemies. I heard from Professor Mortum. You’ve learned the four basic areas: curses, poison, bones, and necromancy, in black magic.”

“Yes…”

Lee Han nodded with a bitter smile.

By now, even this much didn’t surprise him.

“Hopefully the professor will cough some more later.”

“It’s not a bad choice. It’s the foundation of black magic, after all. But beings like the King of Ghouls are hard to deal with using just those areas I mentioned.”

“That’s true. Even the lightning element, he seemed to foresee and dodged too easily; only when I used area attacks with the fire element did it work somewhat.”

“The powers of evil beings from other dimensions often surpass the wisdom of mages.”

Professor Voladi was not surprised.

Creatures summoned from other dimensions often possessed not just the ability to foresee but powers so bizarre, “foresight” seemed paltry in comparison.

“But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to deal with them. One is the dark element.”

“The dark element… you mean?”

Among the various elemental schools, the dark element was as tricky to learn as lightning or ice.

If lightning was difficult to control and ice hard to sustain, dark was tough for a mage to conceptualize or imagine.

“Those beings like to use the dark element based on yin energy. If a mage can wield it, they can predict them.”

“Indeed.”

Professor Voladi set down a book. The title, in a familiar handwriting, was written on the cover.

-On Basic Dark Element Magic and Its Applications-

Seeing the familiar book, Lee Han suddenly realized.

‘Wait. If he’s giving me a book—is he not going to teach me directly?’

“Are you not going to teach me in person?”

“No. I have things to do. Make sure to learn it.”

Lee Han was unsure whether to be happy about this.

It was a relief to avoid Professor Voladi’s “knife-wielding pursuit from behind” teaching style…

But would it be okay to attempt such a difficult element alone?

‘Well, I’ll take it for now, and if I don’t master it, he probably won’t kill me.’

Receiving the book, Lee Han asked absentmindedly.

“May I ask what business you have?”

Professor Voladi replied, rising from his seat.

“I’m meeting Lord Yumidihus to prepare what’s needed for the second semester lecture.”

“I see. …Wait, professor. Professor! It’s dark out, why don’t you stay the night? There are plenty of rooms in the mansion!”

“No. I’ll come again next time. You’ve treated me well.”

Professor Voladi bowed lightly to the servants and left through the mansion’s front door.

Lee Han felt the distant, departing figure of Professor Voladi was a sign of doom.

‘I should have put sleeping pills in the green tea!’

Lee Han spoke to the servant beside him.

“From now on, if a professor who looks like a troll half-blood visits, tell them I’m not at home.”

“Understood…?”

The servant thought Lee Han’s order was strange, but answered.

What on earth?

• * *

Lee Han had a slightly late dinner with Yonner and Gainando, who had been waiting for him.

Gainando seemed to have no appetite as he picked at his food.

“What’s wrong? The cooks will be disappointed.”

“I had too much cotton candy earlier…”

Yonner regretted bringing this kid to a friend’s house.

Sensing Yonner’s gaze, Gainando pointed at Lee Han.

“Lee Han doesn’t have much of an appetite either!”

“And you think that’s the same thing?”

To equate having no appetite because you stuffed yourself with cotton candy with having no appetite because you got extra assignments from a professor during vacation…

To Yonner, Lee Han would be justified in attacking Gainando over this.

“No. All the more reason to eat well at times like this. Thanks, everyone.”

Lee Han nodded, picking up his spoon.

No matter how tough or painful things were, one should always eat well.

-Intruder. Seize him!

-Wait, wait! Once you hear my identity you’ll understand! I am Professor Bible Verdus of Einrogard!

“……”

Clack! Lee Han set his spoon down in annoyance.

Startled at this, Gainando hurriedly picked up his own spoon.

“I-I’ll eat well.”