Episode 391
by CristaeEpisode 391
Lee Han felt a headache coming on for the first time in a while.
It was the same headache he felt when he was worried about where to start explaining things to Gainando before exams.
“All right. Listen up, you bastards from White Tiger Tower.”
Lee Han did his best to explain just how advanced this golem was.
At first, the students from White Tiger Tower, listening and thinking, ‘That Wardanaz guy sure likes to brag about his magical skills in a roundabout way,’ gradually started looking uneasy as they sensed something was off.
“W-wait… no way.”
“You saying you can’t do it? Wardanaz??”
“I’ve been saying that from the start.”
The students from White Tiger Tower were so shocked they couldn’t even respond.
They looked so dispirited while trying to trudge away that even the priests began to worry.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I can’t help but be worried…”
“It’s okay. They’ll perk up soon.”
- * *
But contrary to Lee Han’s prediction, even the next day, the White Tiger Tower students were still downcast.
Apparently they’d become more attached to the golem than he thought.
‘They’ll perk up soon enough.’
Lee Han didn’t worry about it.
Until the White Tiger Tower students suddenly started being nice to him.
Tap—
“Wardanaz. I heard autumn rabbit is delicious.”
“?”
Tap—
“Wardanaz. Here’s a deer hind leg.”
“??”
Tap—
“Wardanaz. Here’s the finest Imperial ham, aged for over a year.”
“Where did you get this from?”
“The kitchen… shh.”
‘No wonder I thought I was missing a couple of people—did they get dragged to the punishment room?’
He could have kept accepting the gifts, but Lee Han’s conscience wasn’t that weak.
With a sigh, Lee Han gathered Angrago and the others.
“I appreciate the gifts, but no means no.”
“…What if we catch a wild boar whole next time…?”
“It’s not that I won’t do it even though I have the skill, it’s that I can’t, you idiot.”
“Augh!”
Lee Han finally lost patience and hit Angrago on the head with his staff.
“It’s better to ask someone else instead of me.”
“Who?”
“Like Professor Verdus…”
“That professor would never grant a request.”
Angrago spoke as if Lee Han was talking nonsense.
Of course, they knew Professor Verdus was an expert in imbuement magic.
But no matter how skilled someone was, it served no purpose if the person had no intention of helping.
“Well, that’s true.”
“Ah. But if it were that Wardanaz guy, maybe it’d be different…”
“Right, he’s the favored pupil!”
When one White Tiger Tower student spoke hopefully, Lee Han shook his head firmly.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“…Isn’t it?”
“No. That’s not the kind of relationship we have. Since you all gave me these, I’ll say something, but don’t expect too much.”
Just as it happened, there was a Professor Verdus meeting that afternoon, so Lee Han figured he’d at least mention it.
Considering all he’d received, at least a word…
“A golem? Bring it next time.”
“!”
Lee Han, Angrago, and the White Tiger Tower students were all startled.
Lee Han was so surprised he didn’t even bother being careful with his words.
“Professor, are you feeling ill by chance??”
“W-Wardanaz. The professor said yes, so what’s your problem…!”
The White Tiger Tower students panicked, trying to intervene.
Why would Lee Han go and provoke Professor Verdus like that?
“I’m fine. Except that Gonadaltes gave me a lot of work to do. More importantly…”
Professor Verdus glanced at Lee Han, hesitating.
That made Lee Han suddenly nervous.
It’s always scarier when someone who’s usually rude suddenly acts properly.
Professor Verdus, who always said whatever she wanted without a second thought, was now hovering awkwardly, watching Lee Han’s reaction—sending shivers down his spine.
Just what does she want to ask?
‘No way, is she going to ask for my blood or bones?’
“You’re raising a basilisk, right?”
“…Yes.”
Lee Han answered while holding back a sigh.
He wasn’t even curious anymore how she found out.
‘I guess all the professors are telepathically linked.’
“Can I come see it with you?”
“Pardon? Why are you asking me that?”
“You’re going to raise it in Professor Baegrek’s classroom.”
“Probably, yes.”
“If I go there alone, Professor Baegrek might attack me.”
“Why… What did you do?”
“I don’t know. He just attacks me.”
Professor Verdus answered with the innocent look of a beaver.
But Lee Han wasn’t fooled by the look of a cute animal. Professor Verdus had done far too many things to get away with it on that alone.
‘Besides, I feel like you’d get attacked even if I’m with you.’
Lee Han thought that but didn’t say it out loud.
Either way, it’d be Professor Verdus getting hit.
“So if you come with me, you’ll help with the golem?”
“Hm? A golem is a golem. Visiting is visiting. What are you talking about?”
On further thought, Professor Verdus wasn’t the shrewd type to make deals over things like this.
She just agreed because the golem seemed fun; the request was a separate matter.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go together after this, then. I had to see you anyway before evening class.”
Professor Verdus’ face brightened.
“Great! Then tell Professor Baegrek not to attack me!”
“Oh… well… I’ll mention it.”
- * *
After the imbuement magic class ended (with several students sent to the infirmary after putting fire resistance magic on their hands to pull out heated stones from the campfire), Lee Han walked with Professor Verdus.
“Professor, will you be focusing on enhancement magic again in second semester?”
Having learned the basics of imbuement magic and practiced on inanimate objects in first semester, it was logical to move on to applying imbuement directly to living things in the second semester.
“Huh?”
“…You won’t?”
“Did I? I was just following the book order. Maybe that’s what I did.”
Lee Han smiled calmly at the way Professor Verdus treated students like stones lying by the roadside.
By now, nothing surprised him!
“So what did you teach over the last two weeks?”
“What did I do last week… Um… Oh, that. Blocking arrows.”
“Sorry?”
“Blocking incoming arrows. It’s a good way to verify enhancement spells.”
‘Maybe I should have shown up later.’
“So until midterms, it’ll probably be focused on enhancement magic?”
“That’s what the book says? Then yeah, probably.”
“…Will midterms involve artifact creation, like last time?”
“No. For first-year second semester midterms…”
Professor Verdus frowned as she thought, then finally said,
“That’s right. You make traps and throw each other into them.”
“…Excuse me??”
“Wait. Gonadaltes told me not to tell anyone. Secret.”
“Ah. Yes. Uh…?”
Lee Han was more confused than helped by the hint.
What kind of midterm exam is ‘prepare traps and throw each other in’?
“We’re here, professor.”
Lee Han knocked and entered the room.
Professor Voladi, as always, was sitting by the desk.
The only difference was that a familiar, large egg was occupying the center of the classroom.
“That’s the basilisk, right?”
Professor Verdus asked with gleaming eyes, and Professor Voladi immediately grabbed his staff to attack her.
The beaver beastfolk professor let out a scream and dodged sideways.
“Help me!”
“With what power… more importantly, professor, why are you attacking Professor Verdus?”
“She tried to steal the basilisk.”
“…Professor…”
Lee Han looked at Professor Verdus with an exasperated expression.
“No, I didn’t!”
Professor Verdus protested, voice cracking.
“I just wanted to touch it out of curiosity!”
“What are you saying.”
Lee Han snorted.
Professor Verdus, rolling by the hallway, glanced up at Lee Han, wondering why he was acting like this.
“You couldn’t possibly have come here with such pure intentions, professor.”
“…I really mean it!”
Professor Verdus felt unjust for the first time in a while.
“Of course, when the basilisk hatches, I was planning to take a bit as material!”
“Without asking?”
“After getting permission!”
“Yeah, right…”
Under Lee Han’s suspicious gaze, Professor Verdus felt wrongly accused for the first time in ages.
Normally, she wouldn’t care no matter what people said, with a mentality of iron discipline, but somehow, being accused by Lee Han felt extra unfair.
Is it okay for a pupil to distrust their master like this?
“I’m telling the truth!”
“All right. Stand up.”
Grabbing Lee Han’s outstretched hand, Professor Verdus got up.
At that moment, Professor Voladi’s magic fired off again inside the classroom. Professor Verdus was hit directly and tumbled down the hallway.
Thanks to the amazing artifacts she wore, she wasn’t injured at all, but the shock left her coughing.
“Help me, I said!”
“Um… it’s not like you’ll stop just because I ask you to.”
“Just try!”
Lee Han shrugged helplessly and spoke.
“Professor, can you please refrain from attacking Professor Verdus for a moment?”
“Understood.”
Professor Voladi lowered his staff.
“……”
“……”
Professor Verdus glared at Lee Han.
Wasn’t that an extra hit she wouldn’t have taken otherwise!
- * *
Even with a basilisk egg, Professor Voladi’s classes didn’t change.
“How far have you gotten with the dark element?”
“I can perform basic casting, but…”
“And the lightning element?”
“I’m practicing transformation.”
“Water element? Summoning magic? Imbuement magic?”
Professor Verdus sat next to them, blankly watching the two’s conversation.
If it had been another professor, they might have thought, ‘Isn’t this a bit much?’ but fortunately, being Professor Verdus, she had no thoughts whatsoever.
“You’ll need to catch up where you’re lacking.”
At Professor Voladi’s words, Lee Han nodded and edged sideways.
His plan was to use Professor Verdus as a shield if any attacks flew his way.
‘He won’t attack right with a professor watching, will he?’
Before he could finish his thought, Professor Voladi began firing dark-element bullets. Professor Verdus, sitting beside Lee Han, was suddenly hit and toppled over with a scream.
“You said you’d stop!”
“I wasn’t attacking you.”
“Oh. Okay then.”
Lee Han wanted to protest but was too busy dodging.
Fortunately, even after falling, Professor Verdus’ artifacts made her a solid barrier.
Lee Han quickly grabbed the fallen Professor Verdus and held her up as a shield. The dark element bullets bounced harmlessly away.
“When does this end?”
“Please wait just a bit longer!”
Thirty minutes later.
After this simple foundational training to improve Lee Han’s sensitivity to dark elements, Professor Voladi declared a break.
“Using your environment is good, but basic skill comes first.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Then take care of the basilisk.”
“…?”
Lee Han was a bit flustered by Professor Voladi’s words.
“Uh… well… aren’t you going to teach me?”
Usually, when a first-year is told to take care of a basilisk egg, there’s some “do this, don’t do that” type of explanation, isn’t there?
Of course, Lee Han had already asked Professor Lightningstep about various things before coming…
“I was going to mention that.”
“Thank you.”
Thud—
Professor Voladi tossed a book. Lee Han was actually relieved.
Professor Voladi was better at explaining things with books than words.
“I wrote it based on Blue Dragon Tower standards, but there shouldn’t be much difference at Phoenix Tower.”
“…Excuse me?”
Lee Han paused, about to scan the book.
What did he mean?
Professor Verdus, who was next to him, spoke.
“Want help moving the egg if it’s hard?”
“……”
Realizing he wasn’t supposed to take care of it in Professor Voladi’s classroom but in the dorm, Lee Han seriously considered transferring to White Tiger Tower.