Episode 411

“But you still make the golem do tasks that require a lot of strength, right?”

Realizing his blunder, Lee Han tried to smoothly steer the topic elsewhere.

However, the black magicians, true to their reputation for poor sociability, responded coldly.

“No… do we really need to use a golem…?”

“Isn’t it a waste of mana? Do the magicians at Einrogard use golems for that?”

“Wouldn’t it be better just to hire workers with money?”

‘Black magicians really don’t have any consideration.’

Lee Han cursed the black magicians inwardly.

Unaware that the student in front of them was grumbling inside, the black magicians continued their questions.

“Anyway, we don’t use golems for chores, so seeing golems used for chores at Einrogard made a big impression on us.”

“That’s right. Using golems for chores—while it sounds ridiculous at first, if you think about it, there’s no more effective training method than this.”

“I just did it because there was no other way…”

Lee Han tried to explain that if he wanted to get all his work done and get food in the allotted time, using a golem was the only answer.

But the black magicians were impressed again.

“So there was no other way for golem training!”

“…No, I meant there was no other way than chores to get food…”

The black magicians ignored Lee Han’s further explanation as just a joke and admired him among themselves.

“Oh, we were so surprised we forgot to introduce ourselves… We’re black magicians here for the festival. Don’t be too startled just because we’re black magicians. Plenty of black magicians are quite skilled in summoning magic, you know.”

They hurried to explain up front that they weren’t dangerous people, worried Lee Han would go ‘Yikes, a black magician!’ and run off.

But it was meaningless. The student before them was already an exceptional black magician.

“Especially, we specialize in golem research… We’d like to ask how you, Student Wardanaz, control golems. Most rumors about black magicians are malicious nonsense, so please don’t believe them too much…”

Hearing black magicians clarify at every turn ‘black magicians are actually okay’ made Lee Han feel a bit sorry for them.

‘I should keep this simple.’

“Lee Han is learning black magic too, so you don’t have to keep explaining stuff like that,” Gainando, who’d been listening, interjected.

Gainando was frustrated that the black magicians seemed to look down on Lee Han.

But the black magicians were startled and asked,

“You’re learning black magic?”

“Uh? Yes.”

“T-then you’re a black magician?”

“Uh… in a way?”

“Don’t tell me you even made that golem with black magic?!”

“I’m not sure about that… Lee Han? Lee Han?”

As Gainando called Lee Han, he flinched.

Lee Han was looking at Gainando with colder eyes than the eternal snows of permafrost.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

Lee Han didn’t answer.

“…Will skipping dinner resolve this?”

Lee Han didn’t answer.

“…Then up to breakfast the next day??”

“Enough. I’ll see you later.”

Trying to settle with skipping two meals, Gainando made a gloomy face.

‘It’s all because of these black magicians!’

Why were they causing such chaos in the middle of the summoning festival!

• * *

“Inanimate summoning this way!”

“Biological summoning, please come this way.”

“Let me compare this with your submitted documents. Please open your reagent pouch.”

Professor Millei’s senior students, the summoning magic majors of Einrogard, did their best to manage the magicians at the -Boltzmann’s Call- festival.

Unlike other large festivals in the empire, -Boltzmann’s Call- was a small festival just for magicians, but in a way, that made it even more dangerous.

Magicians are the sort to cause accidents even with ordinary people around—how much more would they get up to with no ordinary people present?

“H-here.”

“Three Negeleb seeds, one container of Peace Pipe, one pentagonal pillar with fire spirit trapped inside, Goulakalm’s tentacle… Wait a second. Goulakalm’s tentacle isn’t listed in your documents. What is this?”

“…Please let that pass. It’s essential for summoning a stronger being. If you consider how powerful something I could summon with Goulakalm’s tentacle…”

“Are you crazy?? Were you just about to summon a giant sea monster behind our backs??”

“No, come on. How can you say that? It’s perfectly controllable—”

“Put down the reagent pouch and throw your staff on the ground! If you move, you can be sure something will break!”

“Why… why are you doing this! If you’re from Einrogard, you should understand this much!”

“Shut up and get down!”

“Ugh! Why are you disrupting my magic…!”

Those caught trying to trick Einrogard or other magicians and do dangerous things were dragged away.

Seeing this, the summoning magicians shook their heads.

“People like that show up every year.”

“Indeed. While I can understand the desire to prove magic at the festival, magic you can’t control yourself is basically a disaster.”

“Ah, Professor Millei. Hello.”

As Professor Millei appeared, all the summoning magicians greeted her with respect.

Among the magicians gathered here, many shared overlapping specialties.

Some specialized in sentient artifacts among inanimate objects.

Some specialized in giant golems among inanimate objects.

Some specialized in spirit-type creatures among living beings…

Although everyone had their own specialties, Professor Millei’s skills were so impressive that all summoning magicians here respected her.

The senior Einrogard students, reaffirming their teacher’s status among magicians, looked at each other with proud eyes.

An excellent professor, many new students every year, a diverse and fascinating curriculum, a bright future for the school’s tradition.

The summoning magic school was a textbook example of a flawless, model school at Einrogard.

“The first years are okay, right?”

“I hear they’re doing fine.”

“Let’s help them out. Even if the professor pretends not to care, I bet she’ll be disappointed if they don’t do well.”

During a break in organizing, the senior students whispered among themselves.

Unlike first-year students, the upperclassmen who had studied under Professor Millei for years could guess some of the inner feelings of their reserved teacher.

Although Professor Millei was strict and didn’t seem to care about her students’ grades, she was surprisingly proud of her students.

If the first-years gave a lackluster showing in front of the visiting magicians, how regretful would Professor Millei feel inside?

Even for their teacher’s sake, the seniors secretly wished the first-years would shine.

“It’s gotta be paper mice or paper birds, right?”

“I took a peek, and it’s paper birds.”

“Ah… Paper birds are hard, though.”

“Should we go help them now?”

“Don’t. It’ll backfire, and if you get caught, it’s the punishment room.”

The other seniors stopped the one who was about to pass on magic secrets via paper.

The flowers of magic bloom only through steady research and effort, not just by listening to others’ advice.

“Still, I hear there’s a standout in first year—the Wardanaz family, they say.”

“The Wardanaz family! …But aren’t first-years always a mess? They’re so hungry they can’t focus on magic or study.”

The students recalled their own first year.

Honestly, they felt they spent more time looking for food than studying.

They memorized every type of weed and wild grass on the roadside, learned how to identify and handle every monster that appeared near the school, and desperately learned magic that helped them secure food first…

…When did we ever actually study magic?

“Ah, that Wardanaz in first year?”

“You know them?”

“…I heard some things from Direte and Koholti. Something seemed off. I mean, Koholti maybe, but Direte’s not the type to talk nonsense, right? But…”

“What did you hear? Not a person, but a transformed dragon or something?”

“Apparently, they’re taking all classes from all schools.”

“Oh wow.”

“Why do something crazy like that?”

“Some people just have the urge to self-destruct, you know.”

The upperclassmen sounded more sympathetic than surprised.

It wasn’t that magicians couldn’t take all the school’s courses—they just didn’t, or they’d die trying!

“So are they still alive?”

“They got top grades in all the school courses and are still taking the same classes this semester.”

“……”

“……”

A silence full of horror.

“…Are they related to Professor Garcia?”

“Wardanaz, you idiot. How would they be related to Professor Garcia?”

“It doesn’t… It doesn’t make sense.”

The upperclassmen were stunned.

Einrogard may have gathered the best talents in the empire, but even so…

“I heard there was a monster in first year, but it looks like that wasn’t just a rumor.”

“Still, maybe it’s a good thing? If there’s someone like that in first year, the professor won’t be disappointed.”

“Yeah. Their summoning skills are reliable, right?”

The upperclassman who had heard the stories from Direte and Koholti hesitated.

“Well… yeah, but…”

“Why? What, is there something you haven’t said?”

“So, apparently during the first term, when the King of Frost Giants was summoned…”

From the King of Frost Giants incident in the first term to things that happened over vacation.

Even though the events were greatly downplayed and summarized, the seniors’ expressions soured.

“…You got tricked by Koholti.”

“That kid is full of tall tales.”

“R-really??”

Even the student who relayed the tale became more unsure as they spoke.

It really did sound too far-fetched…

“Wait a second. Why are black magicians gathering over there?”

“Just in case, I’ll go check it out.”

“Yeah. Don’t let them summon any weird undead no matter what. If a strong one gets summoned, it’ll be a hassle… Huh??”

“Huh??”

The summoning magic students faltered in confusion.

There was a first-year student among the black magicians.

…Why are you THERE!?

• * *

“Wow… That’s really amazing.”

“Exactly.”

The black magicians watching Lee Han control the golem looked on in awe.

To think such fine control was possible.

“Even if it uses a lot of mana, you wouldn’t just use raw mana, would you? What do you do to conserve mana?”

“…I just use raw mana as-is.”

“I see the core of this golem is quite damaged—how are you even moving it?”

“…The core was damaged?!”

“……”

The black magicians didn’t know whether to be impressed or dumbfounded by this student.

He controlled the golem with the skill of a master-level black magician, but his knowledge was that of a rookie who’d only started a few years ago.

“What are you guys doing?”

As they murmured, other magicians approached.

The black magicians frowned at their appearance. These were the summoning magicians who specialized in golems.

There’s competition even within the same school for similar research topics, so with different schools, that competition was even fiercer.

“Go away. Stop spying on someone else’s golem.”

“Hah. Why would I bother spying on a golem summoned with black magic? Pure summoning magic is plenty, thank you.”

“Plenty? Is that why your last golem had its leg blown off by a single spell?”

“T-that was a temporary effect from altering the materials for better mobility! A single holy spell would knock over your golem, and… w-wait?? Wh-what’s that?”

The golem summoning magicians were shocked to see Lee Han controlling a golem for chores.

What in the world did those black magicians do!?