Episode 404

No matter how you looked at it, Lee Han seemed angry, but Professor Lightningstep was different from Professor Thunderstep.

The experience of an adventurer who had traveled all corners of the Empire, facing all kinds of trials, was bound to be on another level.

If you ask an angry person “You’re not really angry, right?” the anger that was about to subside just flares up again.

Professor Lightningstep skillfully changed the subject.

“They’ll probably come.”

“Summoners, you mean?”

“Wait…”

Professor Lightningstep started counting on his fingers.

Lee Han was appalled at the sight.

Just the fact that he had to count meant that at least two teams would visit!

‘Those bastards!’

Unlike priests who visited out of good intentions, the visits from wizards were always for terribly impure reasons.

Weren’t they coming just to assess the students’ skills and push them to refine their magic?

Even the devils of hell wouldn’t be this heartless.

“Are they coming to see the students’ magic?”

“I suppose so?”

“How can people be like that?”

“…Uh?”

Professor Lightningstep was a little flustered by Lee Han’s anger.

Why is he so mad about this?

“Anyway, next week it’ll be summoners. But don’t worry too much. They’re not crazy… I mean, as highly skilled as the Paragramnum Guild. There’ll be plenty of mages who are actually less skilled than you students.”

The summoners’ festival next week, -Boltzmann’s Call-, was held to honor the ancient, great summoner Boltzmann, and was a festival as well as a social gathering.

A festival with only wizards was a little different from the usual festivals of the Empire.

It was an opportunity for wizards who normally would have no reason to meet to display and have their magic evaluated and refined.

Of course, if you took it seriously, it could be a matter of pride, but you could enjoy it as casually or as earnestly as you liked.

Thanks to that, more less-skilled mages took part than you might expect.

First-year students at Einrogard might be considered Ironheads inside the school, but it was a place that gathered the Empire’s top talents and the finest traditions of magical knowledge.

There were plenty of self-taught mages out there, or those suffering under eccentric masters, who were actually less skilled than the first-years.

These mages would attend, so there shouldn’t be a disaster like with the Paragramnum Guild…

“They’re coming from outside, so they won’t bring anything, right? The priests always brought us something to eat.”

“…Get back to work.”

“Yes.”

Lee Han resumed controlling the golem, increasing the pace.

Though grumbling, he became more and more adept at controlling it, making even Professor Lightningstep admire his progress.

‘But what’s he muttering?’

Professor Lightningstep wondered as Lee Han muttered atop the golem.

Was he building on the advice the other professors had given, modifying the incantation?

“Summoners. I won’t let them be.”

“……”

The sight of Lee Han operating the golem while muttering threats—and doing both things with such skill—astonished Professor Lightningstep.

• * *

After finishing the exhausting work and returning to the tower, Lee Han found a peculiar silence in the lounge.

It wasn’t a nervous silence—there was an air of reflection.

Puzzled, Lee Han asked Priest Tijilling,

“Did something happen?”

“Everyone’s reflecting on themselves.”

“!”

The priests, who had rarely raised their voices in argument, and even fought, were different from students of the other towers.

After a heated debate, they reached mutual understanding and respect.

Hearing this, Lee Han was moved.

‘Even Skull Principal’s poison doesn’t work on priests!’

Of course, this recent quarrel among the priests had nothing to do with the Skull Principal, but that’s what Lee Han thought.

“So I can now ask about the orders without worry?”

“Yes?”

Priest Tijilling looked puzzled, as if not following Lee Han’s point.

“…Isn’t that it? You… reflected, so now religion is a matter of personal freedom…?”

“No. We decided the issue was deciding the order by random chance. So we changed the method.”

“…How?”

“The winner has the right to suggest their faith to Wardanaz.”

“……”

Lee Han turned to look at the priests.

On closer inspection, the priests who seemed silent were huddled up strategizing.

-Of all things, for the contest to be -Geometry and Arithmetic-.

-Don’t worry. We have a priest from the Shisenza Order.

-I never paid much attention to other orders, but I’m impressed by the Shisenza Order’s ability.

-Haha, I’m just embarrassed…

“???”

-Even with the Shisenza Order over there, it doesn’t matter to us.

-That’s right! Let’s share information and talk about strategy to beat them.

-Our order will…

“……”

In a contest with many competitors, it was almost impossible to win alone.

Those with sense formed alliances, even if it meant a smaller reward.

Priests, in agreement or by similarity of order, naturally banded together to discuss active strategies.

It was a sight the Skull Principal would have liked.

“…What have I done?”

“Yes?”

Tijilling tilted his head at Lee Han’s mutter.

Priest Tijilling saw nothing wrong with the current situation.

Priests who used to only focus on their own business were now discussing faith and getting to know one another with pleasure.

“I’m going to rest…Thank you, Priest Tijilling. See you tomorrow.”

As Lee Han, looking rather gloomy, went upstairs, the other priests paused their conversations.

“Did Wardanaz look down just now, or was I imagining it?”

“I heard from the Blue Dragon Tower that the White Tiger Tower were being bothersome while people were working…”

“That’s a shame. I’ll go talk to them myself next time.”

“I’ll go too. By the way, who told you?”

“Gainando did.”

“I’ll have to remember that.”

The next day, when the enraged White Tiger Tower students saw Gainando, they immediately pelted him with balls of crumpled paper.

• * *

“As with any magic, precision is a special virtue for summoners. Skilled summoners must be able to control all situations. The great summoner Boltzmann said, ‘An easy summoning achieved by calculation is more valuable than the hardest summoning achieved by luck.’ So…”

Professor Millei, discussing how to improve the -Paper Bird- summoning spell from last semester, raised an eyebrow at the unsettled mood.

“Does someone have something to say? Raphadael, please speak.”

Raphadael, the necromancy major who disliked black magic, was flustered to be called on.

When their eyes met, Lee Han quietly advised him.

-Be honest with him.

Given Professor Millei’s personality, if you just admitted you were in the wrong, he’d let it go, unlike the Skull Principal.

“We… we were wondering if summoners were really coming.”

“……”

Lee Han sighed deeply. Raphadael, seeing this, was startled and asked again.

“Wasn’t that what you meant?”

“I said to apologize, not to be an idiot…”

“You may sit down, Raphadael. I see everyone’s nerves are on edge because of the -Boltzmann’s Call- festival. Naturally, you’re curious about the summoners coming to the school.”

‘Are we, though?’

Lee Han wondered.

At least among Lee Han and his friends, the response was: “What kind of new maniacs are coming from outside to torment us now?”

A courageous Black Turtle Tower student raised his hand.

“Will they bring food?”

“No. It’s not that kind of festival.”

The stern reply set off a buzz.

‘Then why are they coming?’ ‘Is this some kind of joke?’ ‘Isn’t it rude to visit the great Einrogard without bringing an offering?’ Such whispers spread.

Professor Millei quieted them with a gesture.

“I’m sorry to disappoint, but the -Boltzmann’s Call- festival is not for eating and drinking. It’s when summoners show off their magic in honor of Boltzmann. I don’t have great expectations for the students.”

“Thank goodness.”

“That’s a relief, right?”

“……”

Lee Han sighed seeing his friends were still so naïve.

When a professor says, “I have no expectations,” it’s never true.

Even a kindly Professor Garcia would be disappointed if his students failed to perform.

That’s simply a burden all professors bear.

“But if you embarrass yourselves in front of outside mages, it will hurt your own pride.”

“That’s right!”

“I’m glad you understand. Let’s focus on summoning magic. -Paper Bird Summon- seems simple at first glance; many summoners never think twice about it. But the Empire’s great summoners never underestimate the potential in this magic.”

Professor Millei summoned a paper bird.

It fluttered around the classroom. Professor Millei then addressed the White Tiger Tower students.

“Repair the golem after the lesson is over.”

“…!”

The White Tiger Tower students blushed deeply and closed their books.

They’d been caught brainstorming how to make the golem even cooler.

‘Remote sight magic.’

Lee Han realized Professor Millei had used the bird’s perspective to observe the classroom.

Though simple in appearance, linking a summon’s vision and using it for reconnaissance like here was an advanced technique.

Summoning, vision link, sending the summon flying, and maintaining main-body concentration all at once.

“Do you really have to go that far…”

-Remember the golem’s center of gravity!

The paper bird opened its beak and chirped, surprising the students.

That was an easier spell than remote sight, but recording a message in the paper bird for delivery was still a highly useful magical technique.

‘I want to learn that.’

Lee Han felt a real need for it.

He needed a way to communicate with other tower students.

To check prices with the Black Turtle Tower’s black market managers, to see if the Blue Dragon Tower had missed any meals…

“…There are other uses for it, too.”

As the professor finished, the paper bird dove at the classroom wall and struck it.

With a flash, the paper bird vanished, and a magical inscription was left on the wall.

It was a technique of using the paper bird as a medium to inscribe magical runes on a surface.

“A great wizard doesn’t obsess over flashy and difficult spells. Even the easiest magic has infinite uses depending on how you employ it. Keep that in mind. Now then… let’s each improve the paper bird. I’ll look forward to what modifications you come up with this semester.”

The simpler the magic, the more a wizard’s individuality could shine through in modifications.

Professor Millei hoped this semester’s experience of upgrading the paper bird would teach the students a great deal.

‘To store my voice…’

Lee Han began rifling through his books to figure out how to store a voice.

Professor Millei lifted his monocle at Lee Han and asked,

“What will you do, Lee Han?”

“I want to try putting my voice in it.”

“Hmmm…”

“?”

When Professor Millei looked at him with a strict expression, Lee Han grew uneasy.

Had he made a mistake?

“I suggest raising the difficulty level.”

“…Professor, I haven’t even tried the basics yet…”