Episode 387

Episode 387

In that brief moment when Lee Han wasn’t looking, they had made lots and drawn the order.

Lee Han couldn’t help but be impressed by the diligence and cooperation of the Phoenix Tower students.

If it had been the Blue Dragon Tower students, they’d probably still be fighting over who got to draw the lot first.

“Was it Sharkal?”

“Yes.”

People who worshipped Agltaqua, the god of the sea and storms, were usually sailors or beastkin related to marine life.

It was only natural that Sharkal, a shark beastkin, believed in Agltaqua.

“In my opinion, this is destiny.”

“Hm?”

“There’s no better place to demonstrate Lord Agltaqua’s teachings than here. Just look at this sea!”

“But it’s a lake…”

“When I see this sea, I always think of Lord Agltaqua.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Han decided to just listen for now.

Even silent priests could become talkative if it was about religion.

Once, when Lee Han was feeding a snack to a Tijilling priest and happened to ask, “But why does Lord Prisinga have to sacrifice himself to uphold the world?” he ended up listening to an explanation for three hours.

At times like this, one had to act as cautiously as possible. If you provoked them for no reason, the conversation could stretch several times longer.

“So Lord Agltaqua got drunk and spilled his drink, and that became the sea… By the way. Lord Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family. I heard you’re the most interested in magic among the students.”

“You don’t need to be so formal. Feel free to address me easily. Also, I think that’s a bit of a misunderstanding.”

“You’re humble.”

“Misunderstanding…”

Lee Han gave up on explaining in detail.

Even if Lee Han himself were Sharkal, he’d still think, “What nonsense is this?” if someone who listened to every single school of magic said, “I’m really not that interested in magic.”

“…So why?”

“Ah. I was thinking about how Lord Lee Han could take an interest in Lord Agltaqua. Wealth? Power? Those things must mean nothing to you.”

‘No way.’

Lee Han was dumbfounded by Sharkal’s words.

If any order proclaimed, ‘If you join us, we’ll give you a gold coin for every prayer,’ Lee Han was confident he’d become that order’s most devoted, die-hard believer on the spot.

“That’s when I realized. Ah! For someone like Lord Lee Han who has no interest in wealth or power, the thing that would interest you is magic itself. So I prepared to demonstrate Lord Agltaqua’s divine magic.”

“Oh.”

Lee Han was suddenly intrigued by Sharkal’s words.

‘But I probably can’t learn divine magic.’

The excellent wizards Lee Han knew had left remarks about divine magic.

Principal A.

—I’m not really interested in faith either. I’m just too smart to believe in gods.

Patriarch B.

—Learning divine magic is a good idea. If you want to waste your time, that is. Compared to real magic, refined with formulas and theories, divine magic is just the howling of barbarians intoxicated by faith and emotion.

Even if he didn’t go to such extremes, Lee Han agreed with the two wizards’ opinions on the principles of divine magic.

Imperial magic was based on theories and knowledge accumulated over a long time.

What is the most efficient and accurate magic to realize a given phenomenon?

And does the same result occur even if you repeat it? Is it reproducible when used by another wizard?

These histories and principles were the driving force that allowed wizards all over the vast Empire to communicate, interact, and advance together.

If not for these, the Empire’s wizards would still be stuck in their own regions, practicing their own disconnected rules.

However, even such imperial magic couldn’t explain everything in the magical world.

There were still primal magics found in untouched places, long-lost ancient magic, innate superpowers manifested by untrained people, and divine magic that operated on faith rather than theory…

Such magics, propelled by individual ability and sense rather than theories and knowledge, still remained. Some Imperial wizards even dedicated their careers to analyzing and interpreting them.

‘Divine magic… requires faith.’

Of all the magics that ran on individual ability and sense, divine magic prioritized “faith.”

A burning faith toward the divine.

That faith enabled phenomena different from the tracks of Imperial magic.

But Lee Han had no such faith. Wasn’t he basically a fake believer interested only in material things to begin with?

‘Honestly, I think the skeleton principal is probably right.’

Was it really a god lending power, or was it the collective will of countless believers affecting reality?

If a single wizard could change reality with personal will, it wasn’t strange that a collective will sent by many people could shake reality with powerful force.

“So, what spell is it?”

Lee Han couldn’t guess which magic Sharkal would cast.

Divine magic was as inconsistent as it was individually variable, due to differences in each person’s ability and sense.

Of course, there were general tendencies depending on the order and the deity being worshipped…

“Lord Agltaqua, who sees through the depths of the ocean. Send your limbs unto me.”

Sharkal intoned an incantation in a low, weighty voice.

It was different from focusing by waving a staff or arranging the flow of mana.

Shaaashhh—

As a sound of movement came from under the lake, fish began to gather near Sharkal’s feet.

Lee Han was amazed at the sight.

“Does it summon marine creatures?”

“That’s right, Lord Lee Han.”

Judging by the other priests’ admiration, Sharkal’s divine magic was clearly rather formidable.

‘Well, for a first year to summon creatures from that far away is no small feat.’

Lee Han forgot that he himself was a first-year and joined in the admiration.

To show off such power, reaching those distant, underwater creatures—especially in such adverse conditions—using imperial magic would require a complex process, theory, and preparation.

But with faith, it could be solved so simply.

It wasn’t as diverse and universally applicable as magic, but in certain situations, it could be overwhelmingly effective.

“What do you think, Lord Lee Han?”

Sharkal asked, sweating nervously.

Even if the magic was succeeded by faith, there was still mental and mana exhaustion.

To let Sharkal off the hook quickly, Lee Han answered.

“Impressive. To summon creatures from that far away. Plus, it’s really useful. You can just catch and—”

“Haha. These creatures are like friends to me, so if I ask, they do their best to help. I’m always grateful to them.”

“…That friendship shines like gold! I envy it!”

Lee Han quickly changed the subject.

Sharkal had no idea that Lee Han saw his friends as potential sashimi.

“When I was young, I set out to sea in a little boat and got caught in a storm. I prayed and prayed to Lord Agltaqua. Thankfully, Lord Agltaqua took pity on me and gave me this magic. With the help of my sea friends, I barely made it back.”

Lee Han, who was listening, said with a serious expression,

“I see. Then I, too, must set sail in a little boat and face a storm?”

“…Eh!? There’s no need to go that far!”

Sharkal replied in a horrified voice at Lee Han’s extreme statement.

What kind of absurd ordeal was that supposed to be?!

“Huh? Is that so? But if there’s no set method, copying someone else’s experience is statistically the most likely…”

“That’s way too dangerous… I just meant you should pray with that much earnestness.”

“I see.”

‘I doubt that would be enough, though.’

Regardless of his own faith, Lee Han was somewhat skeptical about such prayer.

Why did so many priests awaken divine magic in moments of crisis or emergencies?

People’s faith grew most powerful when thrust into extreme situations.

Besides, even Lee Han himself drastically improved his magic skills when Professor Voladi threatened his life…

‘…Damn. Am I starting to think like Professor Voladi?!’

Lee Han was startled by his own madness.

It had to be Professor Voladi’s fault.

They say, if you gaze into the abyss for long enough, the abyss gazes back…

“All right. Then I’ll try praying.”

Even so, Lee Han intended to do his best to pray in return for Sharkal’s sincerity.

Whether he succeeded or not, leaving a good impression on the priests wouldn’t hurt.

Even if he couldn’t cast divine magic, a faithful believer would always get something from the order.

‘What would the Agltaqua order give out? Sashimi?’

“Why isn’t that guy practicing underwater breathing and is messing around instead?”

“You idiot. He’s Wardanaz. He probably mastered underwater breathing ages ago.”

Lee Han lifted his head at the voices of White Tiger Tower students chatting nearby.

“Sharkal?”

“Yes?”

“Let’s practice underwater breathing before anything else.”

“Oh, right!”

• * *

30 seconds later.

“Success.”

“……”

“……”

The two White Tiger Tower students, who were practicing nearby, shot Lee Han a glare, but he didn’t notice.

“Sharkal, don’t you need to practice?”

“I can breathe underwater by nature.”

“……”

“……”

The two White Tiger Tower students, practicing next to them, glared even sharper than before.

“Okay. So… how do I pray?”

“Just pray while holding the feelings you usually have towards the sea. Most first-timers start like that.”

Sharkal was so delighted to see Lee Han sincerely engaging with Agltaqua that he was beaming from ear to ear.

In contrast, Lee Han was deep in thought.

‘I have no feelings about the sea.’

If he had to dig, maybe the rumor last year that southern herring was hot in the Empire so it might be a good investment?

“Lord Agltaqua… um…”

Lee Han tried to summon some nonexistent faith but gave up.

It felt better to just do it in his own way, success or failure aside.

He imagined the faith of countless people who believed in Agltaqua.

Pictured the vast ocean of their collective energy.

And then…

‘It wouldn’t work if I just asked, would it.’

Lee Han thought rationally.

Since he didn’t have the faith and devotion that other priests offered, Lee Han decided to just think of it as magic.

I’ll offer my mana, so lend me just a bit from that ocean of energy in return.

At that moment, Lee Han’s mana moved and was consumed. The mana he offered disappeared.

‘As expected, nothing happened.’

Even though nothing happened, Lee Han wasn’t disappointed.

This was normal, after all.

A wizard’s wish didn’t always come true just because they expended mana. The laws and order of the world were, by default, tougher and more unyielding than a wizard’s will.

Still, conscious of Sharkal’s gaze, Lee Han offered up mana several more times.

Anyway, unlike other wizards, it didn’t really matter if he wasted it…

Squirm.

Sharkal’s eyes widened.

He began to sense a strange mana, different in nature from ordinary mana, flowing from Lee Han’s body.

It was a power any priest would recognize.

Divine power.

“That’s it!! That’s it!! Lord Lee Han! Truly, there was a deep, genuine faith toward Lord Agltaqua hidden in your heart! More! Pray more! That’s the start… Wait. Why is everyone coming over here?!”

Sensing the stares from behind, Sharkal shouted urgently.

The Phoenix Tower priests had all gathered around, wearing extremely anxious expressions.