Episode 532

The friends shouted firmly.

Lee Han was a bit taken aback by their intense reaction.

“Why?”

“Why… It’s just not allowed, that’s why!”

Nillia waved her hands, expressing her feelings about foresight.

Gainando agreed.

“Lee Han, they say a lot of wizards ruined their lives by messing up foresight. You shouldn’t rely on potions like that.”

“Didn’t you ask for the Foresight Potion before the exam once it was finished?”

Gainando turned his head as if he hadn’t heard.

Lee Han decided to ask the alchemy experts.

Yoner and Priest Siana could think differently from those amateurs.

“No.”

“No, you must not.”

“……”

Lee Han looked a bit dejected.

‘And I went to the trouble of making it.’

“Wardanaz, I think a little differently.”

“That’s right. If you drink it often, it could be dangerous, but if you use it appropriately when needed, wouldn’t it be quite useful?”

“Thank… Actually, never mind.”

As the Blue Dragon Tower friends looked at him with eyes filled with a touch of madness, Lee Han hesitated.

‘These guys’ eyes are scary.’

“What’s wrong, Wardanaz? Should I go get it now?”

“N-no. It’s not finished yet.”

• * *

Professor Alpen Knighten, who taught -Basic Imperial Geometry and Advanced Arithmetic-, had a slight wrinkle form on his brow.

It was natural for students to get restless when the weekend was near, but today they seemed especially distracted.

“Quiet down, everyone.”

“So if we get to go outside…”

“I’m telling you, arson is the worst plan.”

“But when else will we get to set something on fire?”

At the rare rebellion of usually obedient students, the elder professor opened his mouth in disappointment.

“Since no one seems to be concentrating today, instead of a lecture, I’ll give a simple extra test…”

“We’re sorry, Professor!”

“Aren’t you going to shut up?”

Students who weren’t confident about the test hastily silenced their chattering friends.

Gainando, who was stealthily playing a card game, was struck in the face with a Magic Missile and sent tumbling.

Once the classroom settled down, Professor Alpen nodded and resumed the lecture.

“Precise calculation in the preparations for magic is essential. If you don’t learn this, you’ll have trouble later. You’ll begin leading your own research seriously in second year…”

Though it was something the professor always said, magic wasn’t just about reciting spells and waving a staff.

Preparing reagents, drawing magic circles, calculating the flow of magic power—

A magician who couldn’t handle this groundwork could never achieve greatness.

“Today’s blueprint is for the famous gate of Ganistalas Castle. It’s also called the -Miracle of the Three Magicians-. It’s so famous that you all must know it…”

Gainando tilted his head and asked,

“Why the Miracle of the Three Magicians?”

The elderly professor answered the naïve question gracefully.

“The lord’s vault at Ganistalas Castle had been completely emptied by the string of rebellions and raids at the time. So when the main gate was to be rebuilt, the budget offered was less than a tenth of the usual amount.”

Bang!

Lee Han slammed his fist on the desk in outrage.

“How could something like that happen!”

“……”

“I-Is that really something to get so mad about?”

Gainando was flustered at such a rare display from his friend.

But Professor Alpen nodded in agreement with Lee Han’s indignation.

“No. It’s right to be angry. It truly is a lamentable chapter of history. If those around had helped the lord, it could have ended so much sooner… At any rate, the three magicians of the castle completed the gate despite such terrible conditions. It was almost a miracle. Now, today’s plan is the blueprint for that very gate.”

The students received the blueprint with interest, intrigued by Professor Alpen’s history lesson.

Of course, Lee Han was displeased.

‘Wait, they’re treating this as an inspirational story?’

“The lord slashed the budget to a tenth, and the magicians nevertheless completed it with blood, sweat, and wisdom, so you should learn from that?”—wasn’t that the message?

At a glance, it sounded like a nice story, but Lee Han knew well the malice weaving beneath the structure of such ‘inspirations.’

It was always the outstanding forerunners who, however innocently, tormented the ordinary folks who came after.

If the three magicians completed the gate with only a tenth of the budget, they should say, “Let’s analyze and reflect on what made such underfunding necessary at the time,” not, “Let’s learn from their wisdom.”

Lee Han grumbled inwardly as he moved his quill.

“Wardanaz.”

“!”

At the professor’s call, Lee Han thought for a second that his inner thoughts had been discovered.

“Yes?”

“Wardanaz, you don’t need to see that.”

“N-no… Why not? I respect the miracle shown by the three magicians of Ganistalas. I wish to become a magician like them.”

Feeling guilty, Lee Han spouted excuses without batting an eye.

The elderly professor seemed pleased at this.

Unlike the other magicians who wasted reagents on extravagance, young Wardanaz of the Wardanaz family showed great perspective.

“Inspiring thought… But you can skip this.”

“Why?”

“Because you already did this on the midterm.”

“……”

“……”

Not only Lee Han, but even Yoner, calculating next to him as he drew the blueprint, was so dumbfounded he dropped his quill.

Did I hear that right just now?

“I… I see.”

Unlike the other shocked students, Lee Han kept his composure as a true professional, nodding and continuing to listen.

He still thought the professor was crazy for making him take a different test alone during midterms, but he couldn’t exactly say, ‘You are insane,’ could he?

‘It’s a professor’s prerogative, after all.’

“Follow me.”

“Yes.”

While his friends studied the blueprint, Lee Han followed Professor Alpen out of the classroom.

Outside the window of the main building, the cold winter sky sparkled.

‘If it snows, is it okay to throw snowballs at the professor?’

Creak—

Professor Alpen opened a door and beckoned Lee Han inside.

Fixing his mind on how he might throw a snowball, Lee Han hurriedly sat on a chair.

This room was different from the professor’s usual one. Instead of cozy furniture or the knick-knacks of daily life, there was only a large communication artifact.

Lee Han wasn’t surprised to see the artifact shaped like a mirror—he’d already seen one in the skull principal’s office.

When he learned magic from Ogonin, he’d spoken through exactly such an artifact.

Bzzzt—

-Administrator Knighten, sir.

The figures that appeared in the mirror greeted Professor Alpen. The old professor shook his head and answered.

“I’m no longer an administrator. Call me professor.”

-Ah. Apologies.

‘Who are these people?’

Lee Han studied the people beyond the mirror with interest.

He had no idea why Professor Alpen had arranged for him to meet with them.

“As I heard last time, let me confirm one more time. You received the contract for construction of the Pocketknife Fortress, correct?”

-Yes, that’s correct. Is this…

“Yes, that’s right.”

With Professor Alpen’s answer, the people beyond the mirror looked at Lee Han with eyes full of expectation and curiosity.

Only then did Lee Han realize who his conversation partners were.

‘They’re builders!’

People from stonemasons’ guilds, carpenters’ guilds—related to construction, each standing with some equipment beyond the mirror.

-It’s an honor if an Einrogard student would help us! What year are you in? Third? Fourth?

They spoke with delighted voices.

In the Empire, magicians were always valuable talent. Especially those who could do the calculations needed for magic-inlaid architecture—there were very few.

Magicians who’d taught themselves while roaming the front lines, or learned magic alone in the mountains, could not participate in such teamwork.

So Einrogard graduates were considered the best human resource for this kind of work.

Anyone would want to recruit them, if only the students weren’t always so busy.

The elderly professor answered calmly.

“He’s a first year.”

-……

-…???

They were taken aback.

Lee Han was taken aback too.

“Uh, professor. Isn’t it a bit early for me?”

“How modest you are.”

‘Do all Einrogard professors not know what “refusal” means?’

Lee Han felt bitter inside.

Why did professors always get happy when he declined something as if it were modesty?

Can’t he really mean no sometimes?

“But Wardanaz, you have the skills for the challenge.”

“And what leads you to believe that?”

“I graded your midterm paper myself.”

“……”

Lee Han was at a loss for words.

Faced with such a reply, he had nothing left to say.

-Administrator… I mean, professor. Are you sure it’s alright?

“I’ll guarantee it with my name. Trust me, everyone.”

“No…”

Lee Han felt heavy pressure as the old professor vouched for him before being asked to.

What if Lee Han made a mistake?

-Hmm. Sir—no, professor, if you say so…

-But even if he’s from Einrogard, can a first year really participate in this kind of construction? I thought it was usually third years or above…

-That’s my understanding too. But isn’t it true that there are all sorts of outrageous rumors about Einrogard? We must be mistaken.

-Well, last time people were saying that Einrogard students had to fight for their own food, right? I must be mistaken. Such rumors must spread since we seldom meet them.

“……”

Lee Han listened to their conversation with a gloomy look.

Knowing the truth but being unable to say anything was more depressing than he’d thought.

“Professor. What exactly is my role in building this fortress?”

“Hmm. You’ll mainly be responsible for the magic calculations.”

For any building of a certain scale, you couldn’t do without artifacts.

Then someone had to calculate the required magic for these artifacts, secure suitable power sources, and ensure that the artifacts didn’t interfere with each other—this was all magician’s work.

In short, it was a grueling job of constant calculation.

‘Just hearing it makes me dizzy.’

“…Will I be able to finish it all in the time limit?”

“Hmm… I believe it’s definitely possible by final exams.”

Hearing this, Lee Han felt a sense of wrongness.

“By finals? Don’t I have to finish before that?”

“Wardanaz, what a joke… Of course, when you take on something like this, it replaces your finals.”

The professor chuckled at Lee Han’s words.

No matter how confident, what kind of prodigy would finish this degree of work before finals and then also take the finals?

Of course, Professor Alpen was acting responsibly to ensure his student didn’t overexert himself.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Relieved that he didn’t have to worry about finals, Lee Han felt a bit at ease.

But then self-loathing crept in.

‘Damn. This isn’t something to celebrate.’

Come to think of it, the only reason this was possible is because Lee Han had already done work beyond the finals’ scope during midterms.

He owed the professor no thanks at all.

-Professor, where should we send the gold coins?

“Thank you if you send them with the next eagle.”

“What gold coins?”

To Lee Han’s question, Professor Alpen answered as if it was obvious.

“Since it’s an external contract, you have to be paid. It’ll help with your magical research next year.”

“…Could you give me some fortress documents? I’ll do my best.”