Episode 424

-What are you doing?

Phil frantically scribbled the message and sent it.

But the junior, engrossed in his work, didn’t notice the text.

“Hmmm.”

Watching Lee Han keep using divination magic and changing his direction, Phil was terrified.

‘Is that guy not afraid of anything?’

If you misuse divination magic, you could cough up blood and collapse, but such bold behavior…

“It’s done.”

Professor Alcassis strode over.

He looked at what Lee Han had extracted and nodded.

“Well done. Take a short break.”

“Thank you.”

“Uh, professor.”

Phil couldn’t hold back and raised his hand. Professor Alcassis looked over at his student as if to say if he wasted time with nonsense, he would not let it slide.

“I know the result is what matters no matter the means, but I am worried about the junior.”

“…Just do your own work. You still haven’t finished your slime.”

Professor Alcassis looked at Phil as if he were pathetic.

In some schools, good talents were so rare that when juniors joined, the seniors would become anxious.

This was not good for either party. Basically, one’s skills only grew by doing magic oneself.

“I can handle my slime right away! But the junior is using a reckless method for healing!”

Phil, surprisingly, didn’t back down.

Other students watched with anxious eyes, whispering among themselves.

‘Isn’t he going to pull his sword?’

“I think I mentioned… If it was really dangerous, he’d have failed on his own. Why waste time over a junior who did well…”

“Still, extracting it with divination magic isn’t right!”

“…Divination magic?”

“Yes!”

Professor Alcassis frowned and turned to Lee Han.

He asked,

“You used divination magic to extract it?”

“Uh… I used it as support.”

“Why?”

“…Because I couldn’t think of another way?”

“……”

Professor Alcassis fell into a deep silence. Then he looked at the seniors and asked,

“Didn’t I teach Disease Detection or Life Assessment?”

“No.”

“You didn’t.”

The seniors all replied. The dark elf professor ruffled his hair and muttered,

“I forgot…”

“……”

“……”

The seniors, and even Lee Han, looked at the professor in disbelief.

How could you forget that?

“It’s a spell you learn in second year, so that was my mistake. If something like this happens again, tell me. Divination magic isn’t a spell you should be using repeatedly in situations like this.”

Lee Han glared at the professor. New text appeared beside him.

-Just bear with it. He’s the professor.

• * *

After the lecture, Lee Han resolved to avoid Professor Alcassis as much as possible until the next class.

Seeing the professor summon people during a lesson (“Phil, keep your evenings free this week. A patient’s coming.”), Lee Han thought he might get dragged in if he was unlucky.

But despite his resolve, Lee Han had to urgently call out to Professor Alcassis as he was passing by.

Because the basilisk had gotten sick.

After class, Lee Han returned to the hut to feed and tend the basilisk egg as usual.

But suddenly, the egg started trembling like it had eaten something wrong and began rolling around the hut.

Startled by the unexpected situation, Lee Han ran out to ask for help.

Spotting Professor Alcassis in the distance, Lee Han didn’t hesitate to call for him.

“Professor! Professor!”

“Don’t shout so loud…”

Already suffering from insomnia and overwork-induced headaches, Professor Alcassis didn’t appreciate loud calls from students.

“What’s the matter? Why are you calling me?”

“Please help me, just for a moment!”

“I have to prepare medicine right now…”

Professor Alcassis checked his pocket watch and raised an eyebrow.

“If this isn’t urgent, you’ll have to repay me with labor. What’s the issue?”

“The basilisk is sick!”

“…Okay, that’s urgent.”

Professor Alcassis revised his assessment of his student.

This Wardanaz boy really didn’t say things he didn’t mean.

“Why on earth do you have a basilisk…”

“It’s a long story.”

“Don’t tell it, then.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Han appreciated the professor’s consideration. Alcassis was baffled by his gratitude, but let it slide as he was too tired.

“Here, you’ll need to come in through this way.”

“……”

Seeing the illusion magic set up to deter outsiders, Professor Alcassis wondered who had arranged all this.

Was it the headmaster?

“It’s a narrow path.”

“Professor Verdus built it to his own standards…”

Lee Han brushed the leaves and dust off his hair and clothes. Alcassis did the same.

Dark elves were a naturally slender race, and Professor Alcassis, as a female, was especially slender, but even so, she was bound to have a bigger frame than Professor Verdus.

Lee Han observed the professor cautiously. Even if he was in a rush, getting the professor dirty was never good.

If you dirty a professor, the student could end up even deeper in trouble.

“Hurry up. If I can’t make my medicine because of you, you’ll be responsible, understand?”

“I’m going now!”

Lee Han quickly opened the hut door.

Professor Alcassis was surprised to see the basilisk egg rolling around inside. She’d heard the stories, but to see it for herself was different.

“You really raised it… and did pretty well, too.”

“Several professors helped. Professor Lightningstep and Professor Reji…”

Lee Han left out Professor Verdus by habit. Professor Alcassis didn’t particularly ask further.

“If Professor Lightningstep helped, couldn’t you have asked him?”

“……”

Lee Han realized his mistake.

That would have been the safer way.

The basilisk’s sudden illness made him call the first professor he saw, but Professor Alcassis wasn’t exactly known for kindness.

‘Stay calm, no matter the situation.’

Lee Han learned another lesson.

“For disease-related issues, I thought you’d be the most accurate professor to ask.”

“I appreciate you thinking of me that way.”

Professor Alcassis surprisingly accepted her student’s compliment nonchalantly.

Except for wasting time unnecessarily, making mistakes with healing magic, or doing pointless things when a patient’s life was on the line, Professor Alcassis was actually quite kind and approachable.

‘Hmm. On reflection, that’s a meaningless statement.’

Lee Han shook his head inwardly.

By those standards, there wasn’t a single unkind professor. Even Professor Voladi was kind—except for the physical beatings.

“It’s a growth fever. The basilisk has grown too fast and its temperature is spiking…”

“That wasn’t in any book I read — I must have missed something.”

“No… Normally, basilisks don’t get growth fever.”

Professor Alcassis looked amazed.

She might not have been encyclopedically knowledgeable about all the Empire’s rare beasts, but she certainly knew a lot about useful monsters like basilisks.

They grew slowly, needed a lot of mana and food, so growth fever was hardly common.

Among monsters, those that get growth fever tend to be rapid growers…

“Oh dear. Did I feed it too much?”

Lee Han considered the possibility of skimming some of its food to sell on the black market in the future.

The basilisk egg rattled and made noises beside him, but Lee Han ignored it.

“If feeding could cause growth fever, Imperial ranchers would be in tears of joy. The cause lies elsewhere. Search for it.”

Lee Han walked around the hut, asking about various suspicious factors.

Maybe ventilation was a problem, or the hut’s mana flow, or maybe Professor Verdus had stressed out the basilisk…

Listening silently, Professor Alcassis stared at the basilisk egg.

Even inside the shell, it kept rolling toward Lee Han as if trying to stick to him—very unusual behavior.

Monsters do have imprinting after hatching, adopting the first person they see as their master, but chasing its master even before hatching was rare.

Maybe it was just very well cared for, but more likely…

“You’re the cause.”

“Pardon?”

“That basilisk has been drinking your mana nonstop. Even now… wait. You didn’t notice? Seriously?”

Every time the basilisk egg clung to Lee Han, it was sucking up his mana—how could he not notice?

Was that possible?

“Did it really do that?!”

Lee Han shoved the egg away with a look of utter betrayal. The egg rattled loudly, trying to roll back to him, but Lee Han held it firm.

“You didn’t feel your mana draining?”

“No.”

Lee Han answered without a second’s thought. Professor Alcassis’s eyebrow twitched.

“…Okay, then.”

If he didn’t feel it, what could she do?

It was wild, but Professor Alcassis accepted it.

“I’ll make a fever-reducer for the basilisk. Give it one drop a day. Until it recovers, don’t let anyone else come near. Basilisks are more sensitive than you think. Also, stop indulging it.”

“I didn’t—”

Lee Han protested, but the professor wouldn’t listen.

After quickly preparing the medicine, Professor Alcassis looked at Lee Han as if she were an evil slave trader eyeing a new worker: “How much can this one labor?”

Lee Han hurriedly cried out.

“I’m always grateful for your kindness, professor. I just have many assignments this week, and—”

“I won’t assign you anything, don’t worry.”

Professor Alcassis got up and spoke with a slightly hoarse voice.

“There really isn’t enough manpower. That’s a fact. But… the students’ points stand. No matter how urgent, if a first-year is constantly thrust into fieldwork, there could be an accident…”

She trailed off, watching the basilisk egg lap up Lee Han’s mana once again.

The professor decided to pretend she hadn’t seen it. Watching any more would only weaken her resolve.

“…accidents could happen. Just keeping up with class is enough for now. In a year or two, you’ll turn into a fine healing wizard.”

Despite her fatigue, the dark elf professor’s eyes showed a hint of expectation for her student.

This was the sort of moment where, normally, a student would be moved by the normally unemotional professor’s sincerity—but Lee Han was not that simple.

Lee Han wasn’t one to fall for things as easily as his other healing magic seniors.

‘It sounds touching, but if you look closely, she’s just saying we should all work ourselves to death together…’

Of course, Lee Han didn’t show this.

He nodded and expressed deep thanks.

“Thank you for understanding. I’ll study hard and do my best to pull my weight as quickly as possible.”

“Do so.”

Professor Alcassis smiled wryly and started to open the door.

Just then, there was a rapid thudding and Professor Verdus burst in, calling for Lee Han.

“You’re in there, right?! I need mana for making an artifact! Come out! Now! Now! Now!”

“……”

Professor Alcassis stared at the door and Lee Han with a confused look.

…Do the other professors just make him do it?