Episode 474

“Uh.”

Lee Han looked at Perkuntra with a surprised expression.

Perkuntra was even more dumbfounded by the reaction.

If something happened to a professor, it would be natural for the upperclassmen to come looking first.

Why did a first-year show up and then act surprised?

“Right, there are upperclassmen after all.”

Exactly!

“But the upperclassmen probably won’t come even if you call them…”

……

Perkuntra was flabbergasted, but Lee Han was perfectly serious.

Of course, Lee Han didn’t know all of Professor Verdus’s disciples, but he could more or less imagine what sort of people they were.

‘The only people who can endure under Professor Verdus are people like Professor Verdus himself.’

Those who continued walking their path with enchanting magic, unaffected by whatever Professor Verdus said.

Such people wouldn’t react like, ‘Master has disappeared! I’ll go rescue him!’ just because Professor Verdus was gone.

Anyone too soft simply couldn’t endure as his disciple in the first place!

“If it’s just me, what else can be done?”

…How does that great mage in charge of you all even manage the teachers?

If Skull Principal had been here, he would’ve furiously retorted, ‘I filtered and filtered them as best I could,’ but unfortunately, Skull Principal wasn’t present.

Perkuntra’s prejudice against imperial magicians and Skull Principal grew ever higher.

‘What a bunch of maniacs! Instead of building new punishment rooms, manage your teachers for once!’

“Anyway, is Professor Verdus here?”

He’s not here.

“Oh. Has he already escaped!?”

No…

Perkuntra expressed his incredulity in sparks as he explained slowly.

There wasn’t just one punishment room at Einrogard.

From Perkuntra’s punishment room, which housed students who had erred, to a special room for other races up in the western desert, to another underwater room for aquatic creatures beneath the lake…

“Why are there so many punishment rooms?”

Well, you can’t place external felons and students together…

Perkuntra sometimes suspected that Skull Principal just liked planning and constructing punishment rooms as a hobby, but regardless, it was a bad idea to confine students together with other criminals.

Felons from outside are kept even deeper. I don’t oversee that place. Only the Grand Mage’s subordinates do.

“I see… Oh. Then where is the professor?”

In that place I just mentioned.

“……”

Lee Han was baffled.

‘You just said students shouldn’t be with outside felons…’

Students can’t, but professors can?

Well, a professor of Einrogard’s caliber probably could subdue felons with just a look…

“This is bad. If it’s a place the principal manages, it’ll be even more heavily guarded and complicated.”

Lee Han fell into deep thought.

He had planned to borrow Perkuntra’s power to find Professor Verdus and somehow get him out, but hearing he was in an even more dangerous place made things complicated.

‘Can I get him out?’

……

Perkuntra watched Lee Han with a subtle gaze.

‘…Aren’t you going to ask for help?’

Why do magicians make contracts with beings greater than themselves, even knowing the risk?

Precisely to handle things they can’t on their own.

Usually, in such cases, magicians would ask the contracted spirit for power to help them.

But this absurdly mana-rich boy was sitting there pondering on his own, seemingly forgetting Perkuntra’s existence.

With a faintly annoyed tone, Perkuntra prompted him.

Aren’t you missing something?

“Excuse me? Uh… Maybe Principal set up traps around?”

No, not that.

“?”

Lee Han tilted his head at Perkuntra’s words.

What am I missing?

A method you could use to get your teacher out! Aren’t you missing something?

As Perkuntra’s resonant voice grew slightly angry, Lee Han replied,

“Oh. Maybe Sharkan?”

That rat-faced summoned beast!

“Isn’t that a little harsh?”

Lee Han protested.

Sharkan was a loyal summoned beast; how could he speak so roughly about it?

“Sharkan works so hard…”

Enough, next!

“Fongrif?”

What are you going to do with a single griffon!

“Uh, Gonadaltes? Not the principal, the other Gonadaltes. The skeleton warrior I contracted.”

…Next!

Lee Han brought out a few magic spells and items, but Perkuntra kept rejecting them one by one.

Only then did Lee Han realize.

“Understood.”

…At last? Say it.

“I’m not skilled enough to rescue him yet, right? But the situation is urgent…”

What do you take our contract for, you brat?! Do you think the seal is mere decoration?!

• * *

As if truly angry, Perkuntra thundered loudly non-stop for thirty minutes.

Since his opponent seemed wronged, Lee Han listened in silence, and when Perkuntra paused for a break, he asked a question.

“But earlier, you said you wouldn’t help with the flood…”

Perkuntra really wanted to smack this boy for having such selective memory.

Really!

…That’s the flood. Rescuing your professor from the punishment room is another story.

“They seem similar…”

I said they’re different!

As Perkuntra growled, Lee Han decided to concede.

“I see. They do seem different. But are you willing to help?”

Yes!

“Really?”

I said yes!

Perkuntra, whose lightning-beard bristled as he snapped, suddenly realized the oddity.

Why was he offering to help first, pleading as it were?

Shouldn’t the magician be formally, politely requesting “By the contract, lend me your power”?

Wait a minute! Why are you the one doubting—

“Oh. So you’re not going to help after all—”

I said I’d help!!

Perkuntra shouted, then immediately regretted it.

How had things ended up like this!

• * *

Perkuntra, having created a clone at the cost of great energy, grumbled continuously while leading the way.

Remember, it’s not normal for someone to help you by consuming this much power!

‘Does he have a mood disorder or something?’

From Lee Han’s perspective, Perkuntra just seemed like a strange spirit who decided by himself to help, then got grumpy about it.

Of course, Perkuntra really was a powerful spirit, and having his help was reassuring, but Lee Han couldn’t figure out why he was so fickle about helping.

Stand back! It’s dangerous to touch lightly.

After passing through maze-like winding corridors, an enormous door brimming with a powerful magical barrier appeared.

Absolutely no intruders!

Any outsider who touches this door will suffer a fate even more dreadful!

Any student-thief who has come this far, remember: this is not my warehouse, not my kitchen, but a place where we keep truly heinous criminals! If you dawdle around, you’ll regret it!

Notes, scrawled like graffiti by Skull Principal, were written everywhere.

Lee Han shook his head at the sight.

Rumble!

Perkuntra expanded his body like a cloud. Even that wasn’t enough, so he borrowed power from Lee Han’s mana to supplement it.

In his usual state, he could have opened the door with a breath, but as his main body was currently bound to the punishment room, nothing could be done.

This should be enough, right?

“Huh? For what?”

……

Perkuntra had thought he’d taken quite a bit of mana, but the magician himself didn’t notice at all, and Perkuntra felt embarrassed.

If he’d had a human face, it might have blushed by now.

Open…!

Lightning became a gigantic blade that slashed into the crack between the doors with a tremendous noise.

‘Ohhh.’

Perkuntra didn’t know, but Lee Han was deeply impressed from behind.

Recently, Professor Voladi had been emphasizing the forms and variations of the lightning element.

That wild and difficult process, Perkuntra was accomplishing with ease.

And on a truly grand scale!

Even just witnessing it, a magician could be inspired and learn a lot.

‘If I see it a few more times, I’ll get the feel for it.’

At the impasse of his lightning magic training, Lee Han saw a new path.

If he walked down this path, he could overcome the wall of lightning element magic and attempt dozens of other advanced theories Professor Voladi assigned.

…Just thinking about that, his momentary moment of enlightenment seemed to vanish.

‘Oops. Stay focused.’

Lee Han decided to put aside the grim thoughts and focus on happy ones.

Creak!

With a roar, the door finally began to open. Perkuntra exhaled a fierce breath of satisfaction.

Opened!

“…Uh. Lord Perkuntra?”

The magician and the great spirit froze in place.

From beyond the opened door, a torrent of water surged forward with wild fury.

What…? Which crazy magician trapped all this water in here!?

Perkuntra cursed and hurriedly drew up more power.

The vessel of the clone he’d created wailed from reaching its limit, but there was no choice.

If he didn’t stop it quickly, the young magician would be swept away in the torrent on the other side, and after that…

-Hmph. I’m never trusting you again.

-Hmph. I’ve learned rumors are always exaggerated. Did you really fight with the principal? You probably just surrendered.

…Such cynical reactions were certain to come.

Not that he wasn’t already lukewarm now!

Using the faith of the bell tower’s keepers, I summon my vassals! Attendants, arrive as quickly as possible!

Short on power, Perkuntra hurriedly summoned other spirits.

The spirits, summoned for a matter personally unrelated to them, might protest, but there was no time for that.

Rifts connecting to other dimensions tore open in the air, and other spirits formed a fierce wall under Perkuntra’s command.

Using the fear offered up by the lookouts of little boats, I borrow my authority! Thunder, become a wall and repel the water!

Perkuntra converted the deafening crash into raw force, pushing back hard.

The water streaming in beyond the prison was clearly not a normal natural phenomenon.

It was clear that enraged spirits were continuously summoning water to flood the area.

By mustering every means, he barely held off the water and caught his breath. Perkuntra shouted across the now-flooded subterranean hallways.

I, lord of thunder and lightning, terror of bell-keepers and lookouts, command you! Stop the water at once!

Hidden behind the spirits’ wall, Lee Han asked in wonder,

“If spirits are angry enough to cause a flood, will they really listen?”

Not to a magician’s words. But to Perkuntra’s, yes.

Perkuntra spoke arrogantly but with utter confidence. He had the standing to back it.

For spirits to orchestrate a flood of this scale, a high-ranking spirit from another dimension must have been summoned; at such rank, with power comes intelligence and refinement, making negotiation possible.

They wouldn’t ignore Perkuntra’s name.

SPLAAASH!

But instead of an answer, the water surged even more violently.

From wherever they were hidden, the spirits must have realized they were being blocked and summoned even more flooding torrents.

……

Perkuntra’s form wavered and sparked with rage.

How dare they?!?!

“Uh, well, if a spirit is angry enough to cause a flood, it’s said they’re hard to negotiate with. Why don’t we just ignore them and go look for the professor?”

Lee Han applied his magical knowledge, but Perkuntra had already lost his reason.

By my true name, achievement, and terror, I swear! I’ll strike lightning into your chest and end these foolish water games!!!

“No… Um… Lord Perkuntra, I actually came to look for the professor…”