Episode 413

Meanwhile, the summoning magicians beside Professor Millei sternly warned,

“If you keep disgracing the summoning magicians attending the festival, we’ll let you know that pit over there is still empty.”

“I-I’m serious…!”

“Please, just once, let us control the golem! Then you’ll see we’re not saying nonsense!”

“What ridiculous thing are you—!”

Before the rage could strike like lightning, Lee Han spoke up.

“I’ll just show you.”

“…Huh?”

“I was the one controlling it earlier.”

“Really?”

The nearby magicians were surprised.

“Controlling the paper bird just now must have been pretty tough…”

“It’s fine.”

“Professor Millei, shouldn’t you stop him?”

The magicians worried that a talented student might get hurt out of overzealousness.

However, Professor Millei shook her head slowly, as if to say it was fine.

“Thank you for your concern… but it’s not always good to stop someone determined to try for themselves. Just watch for a moment. If things get risky, we can stop right away.”

‘…Is Master really excited right now? am I seeing this right?’

‘I think she really is looking forward to this.’

The upperclassmen were dumbfounded by Professor Millei pretending to be indifferent despite her hidden excitement.

Was she really feigning ignorance just to boast about an Einrogard student to outsiders…?!

• * *

There was a natural charisma about golems that made it obvious why golem summoners took pride.

Watching a mere first-year student control a golem so masterfully was enough to send the attending summoning magicians into a frenzy.

-Wowwwww! Did you see? It moved its leg!

-Wooooah! Did you see? It moved its arm!

-Kyaaah! Did you see? It turned its head!

“Ugh. If only I were born a golem-type, I’d get praised like that.”

“……”

While Gainando spouted nonsense, the golem-summoning magicians watched as if hypnotized.

One of the magicians who’d earlier praised Lee Han’s spells near Professor Millei asked in earnest curiosity,

“How on earth do you control it like that?”

Others pretended not to care but listened intently.

How?

“I just control it with mana.”

“Just with mana? Then the consumption must be severe—are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“……”

“……”

While everyone looked on in shock and awe, the golem-summoning magicians, who’d also been surprised, hesitated.

Wait?

“…Hold on. Black magicians. That’s not what you said earlier, is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said there was a secret method…”

“When did we say that? You misunderstood.”

“……”

The golem summoners glared daggers at the black magicians.

But there was technically nothing wrong with what the black magicians said. The golem summoners relaxed and accepted it.

“Fine. I concede.”

“So quick to admit?”

“Well, that student’s a summoning magician, after all. If a summoning magician accomplished it, there’s no sense in stubbornly denying it.”

“What are you talking about!? He’s a black magician! He’s learning black magic!”

The golem summoners and black magicians fiercely debated for over ten minutes about which school Lee Han belonged to.

Lee Han, having finished controlling the golem, was appalled as he watched.

‘Absolutely need to stay out of this.’

Why were they arguing about something so pointless?

“Alright. Let’s both yield.”

“Yeah. Let’s acknowledge that both schools have a share.”

Even seeing them reconcile, Lee Han shook his head.

“Why such competition…?”

“Oh, there’s a reason.”

“?

One magician kindly explained,

“Whether someone gets invited to a conference or gathering depends on which school of magic they belong to, right? That’s why they’re at it.”

“…???”

Magic is an infinite discipline—no matter how brilliant an individual may be, it’s often daunting to research alone.

That’s where help from other imperial magicians in the same school became vital.

Academic societies and gatherings, hearing new perspectives from others, sometimes gave breakthrough insights to magicians who’d hit a wall.

One of the most important things at these events is…

“Inviting an outstanding magician.”

“Right… Wait. So if both of them yield like that, what happens?”

“They both get invited, of course.”

“……”

Lee Han’s face twisted in misery.

“Isn’t it… a bit presumptuous to invite a first-year student?”

“Haha. Skill matters most. Anywhere, but especially at Einrogard—a magician who just performed that spell, any school that didn’t invite him would be mocked.”

The magician scratched Lee Han’s back unawares, while Lee Han endured the agony.

“You did a great job.”

‘What insincerity.’

At Professor Millei’s words, Lee Han almost lost it.

She was the one who made him do it!

Thanks to her, Lee Han was now going to keep getting invitations from all the golem and black magic specialists who attended today.

‘Endure. She’s a professor.’

Lee Han tried to quietly step back.

He had done everything he needed to do today.

He’d shown off his summoning magic at the festival, and even the golem bit, which he didn’t need to.

At this rate, he could say he’d not only gotten a perfect score but gone beyond it.

At that moment, a familiar face appeared behind him.

It was Professor Mortum.

“Ah. Lord Mortum!”

The black magicians recognized Professor Mortum and greeted him warmly.

The infamous disciple of Archmage Gonadaltes, the great black magician who had advanced ancient imperial black magic!

“Cough. Did Wardanaz show you any undead?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Oh, too bad.”

Professor Mortum was disappointed.

Although he’d told Lee Han ‘your skills will show themselves even if you do nothing,’ Mortum was a black magician, not a seer.

He didn’t know for sure if Lee Han would demonstrate his abilities as a black magician.

‘Did they just skip that part?’

Professor Mortum scanned the crowd for Lee Han.

Upon spotting him, he called out.

“Cough. Wardanaz. Show us some undead!”

“…!”

“!!!”

• * *

Lee Han had to perform a brief skeleton warrior summon.

Only after the black magicians, in tears, exclaimed, ‘Is this the grand archmage at last?’ did Professor Mortum apologize.

“Cough. Sorry. I didn’t know you’d already shown them the golem.”

“……”

“But golems overlap with summoning magic, while the undead are pure black magic. It couldn’t have hurt.”

“……”

“…Are you upset?”

“Me? Not at all.”

“Cough. That’s good. The black magicians will stay in the nearby village for a few weeks after the festival ends. How about visiting sometime? It could help your black magic.”

“I’m grounded.”

“…Cough. Cough.”

Professor Mortum coughed, feeling a strange pressure.

It was the same pressure he felt when an angry Professor Garcia stared holes through him.

“R-right. I forgot.”

“Wardanaz, they’re doing spirit summoning over there. Want to come? You can do spirit summoning, right?”

As passing friends spotted Lee Han and called out, the festival magicians turned their attention.

Professor Mortum jumped in quickly to refuse.

“No, that’s not right! He can’t even summon spirits. You’re seriously mistaken!”

“Huh? Really? But Wardanaz did some spirit su—”

“Go! Go watch instead! Spirit summoning’s about to start!”

Only after shutting the students’ mouths did Professor Mortum exhale in relief.

His sullen disciple’s expression seemed to ease just a little.

“Uh, Lord Mortum.”

“What is it?”

“Can he really not summon spirits? Can’t we let him try just once?”

“…Cough. Go away.”

• * *

At the end of a hard week, as the weekend neared, students’ faces brightened in anticipation.

Even though school life was cold and hungry, at least the weekend brought some enjoyment.

Just one more lecture, and then it’s the weekend!

‘As soon as this ends, weekend at last.’

‘I still have chores left.’

‘I’ve got homework piled up.’

‘I have to go find ingredients for food.’

With such thoughts, the students stopped in their tracks.

Huh?

“…?”

“Wardanaz, why are you headed this way?”

The class they were about to attend was -Basic Dance and Advanced Social Conduct-.

They knew from the first semester that Wardanaz hadn’t taken this course. The Blue Dragon Tower students assumed it was because the class was too easy for him.

“I’m taking it starting this semester.”

“Why? You said you weren’t interested.”

Gainando asked carelessly, only for Lee Han to glare back.

“Did you finish all your other assignments?”

“…Did I do something wrong??!”

Lee Han had been forced to take the class due to the skeleton principal’s evil cheating.

He, of course, was not pleased.

‘The summoning magic festival would have been better.’

At the festival, every magician bothered Lee Han to show magic, but at least he was getting one step closer to an A+.

Compared to that, this dance and social class…

“Yoner. What’s the professor like?”

Yoner, who’d been hiding a yawn with her hand, wiped away the tears and replied.

“A pretty famous person in the imperial social scene. Have you heard of Crinbal Greenbell?”

“I skip over the society section in the imperial newspaper…”

“Honestly, I only found out in the first semester myself.”

Both Lee Han and Yoner were types who would pore over the finance section of the national newspaper, but barely glance at society news.

Where a new club opened, which social group was all the rage with fancy new dances—reading more than a line of such articles put them to sleep.

“I’m more curious about personality… Anyway, he’s a magician, but not from Einrogard, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then the personality should be fine, right?”

“…Huh?”

Yoner tilted his head, sensing something off.

“R-really? Doesn’t seem like it?”

“Ah. So their personality is weird?”

“No, no… They actually have a good personality.”

“See? So that’s right.”

“???”

Yoner couldn’t quite find a rebuttal to Lee Han’s oddly logical argument and missed the timing.

“Alright! Everyone come in! Open the doors wide and come in! Step lightly! Keep your faces dignified! No matter how tired, forget your worries while you dance!”

In the middle of a classroom done up like a ballroom, a spider beast-person dancer in dazzling evening dress waited.

It was Professor Crinbal Greenbell, in charge of the lecture.

Clap clap clap!

Professor Crinbal warmly applauded to welcome the students.

“Gainando! Why such a gloomy face? Come on, step in with those steps you learned last time!”

“Sniff. I keep losing at Magician Cards and it makes me mad.”

“Even if you lose at Magician Cards, dancing will comfort you! Now! One, two! One, two!”

Relieved by the professor’s lively and kind manner, Lee Han suddenly remembered and asked Yoner,

“Does this professor grade leniently?”

“Huh? Rather leniently, I’d say?”

“……”

Lee Han suddenly recalled how he’d once sought out Professor Voladi’s unpopular class during first semester, just to get easier grades.

“…Sigh. I should never have tried to cut corners…”

“??”