Episode 55

At least, the good news was that the friends who kept insisting “We have to go out” and “We have to find a path” finally stopped arguing and fell silent. That was the weight Ihan’s words carried.

Nillia was newly impressed by her Blue Dragon Tower friend.
To think he could quiet all these noisy students with just one word.
Was this charisma something only the bloodline of one of the empire’s most famous magical families, the Wardanaz family, possessed?

“Since everyone got wet, you need something warm. Gather around, I’ll make something for you.”
Upon Ihan’s words, everyone brightened up and crowded around.
Watching this, Nillia was momentarily reminded of someone familiar.
‘M-Mom?’
Was this just her imagination?
Nillia was a bit bewildered by Ihan’s atmosphere, which felt the opposite of imperial magic family charisma.

• * *

If Gainando had seen it, he’d have said, “Why are you bringing so much stuff?” but Ihan had packed his backpack to the brim for this mountain trip.
It wasn’t that Ihan was cautious, but rather that he didn’t trust this school.
Even if he got stranded in the mountains, he’d have to survive for a month!
Thanks to that, he had more than enough supplies to feed all the gathered students.

“Spring forth.”
After enduring so much at Professor Voladi’s hands, now the water creation spell flowed out smoothly without a hitch.
He could even abbreviate some staff movements without a problem.
‘It’s true—spells and movements become more free the more you’re practiced.’
He’d heard this and that at home, but it was something you only truly understood when you experienced it yourself.
Spells and movements were exactly such things.
Magic was changing the world according to the will of the wizard.
No matter how talented or brilliant the magician, facing unfamiliar magic would always bring doubts.
Can I really cast this spell? Am I misunderstanding some part? What if I make a mistake?
Detailed spells and gestures wiped out these doubts and empowered the wizard.
Conversely, the more magic became familiar, the more easily those spells and gestures could be simplified.
‘…No. Still, learning that way is a bit… There’s no need to get beaten to learn, is there?’
Bubble bubble—
The pot placed over the fire began to boil. Ihan poured water into tin cups and brewed coffee.
The students, shivering from the cold spring rain, received the mugs of coffee with blissful expressions.
Tap—
Nillia was puzzled to see Ihan crack eggs into a small square frying pan.
“Where did you get all this stuff?”
“I bought it from the Black Turtle Tower students.”
“?!”
Come to think of it, there was talk about someone hitting the jackpot at the black market earlier…
That was Wardanaz?!
Ihan cut the scrambled eggs into small pieces and handed them out to his friends.
The regular sound of rain falling.
Warm coffee and eggs.
Once their bodies warmed up, the students suddenly became sentimental.
“This isn’t bad at all, actually.”
“Right. This is the first time I’ve felt so good since coming to school.”
‘Are they developing Stockholm Syndrome?’
Ihan was appalled at how quickly his friends turned romantic.
There was nothing special in the coffee or eggs, so why was everybody suddenly spouting nonsense…?
Just then, the elf Rowena of the White Tiger Tower approached.
“Her Highness the Princess sends her thanks.”
“Oh. I see.”
Nillia grumbled quietly from nearby.
“Is she cursed if she thanks someone herself…?”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
Nillia hurriedly changed the subject when Rowena slightly tilted her head and asked.
Did she really hear that?!
“But Lord Wardanaz,”
“?”
“May I ask when you’ll make that vegetable stew again?”
“…???”
“Wait. Are you saying you’re making that stew again?”
“The legendary vegetable stew?”
The Black Turtle Tower students, who had been sipping coffee, leapt to their feet.
That stew?
“No plans to.”
“……”
The Black Turtle Tower students sat down again, looking dejected.
No stew, then!
Rowena’s disappointment wasn’t quite as pronounced, but she too looked let down.
“I see. I’d hoped after hearing the stories.”
Ihan was at a loss.
Just how far had the rumors spread for this to happen…?
‘Not that I’d be able to get the same taste even if I made it again.’
Since the dish was basically all the ingredients thrown together and boiled, there was no guarantee it would taste the same a second time.
Rowena returned to the Princess and whispered something. The Princess listened, her face expressionless, but somehow Ihan felt as if she looked disappointed.
Yoner shook his head.
“That’s overzealous loyalty. The Princess probably doesn’t even care. She’s just being urged by others who keep talking about it.”
“Re-ally?”
Ihan tilted his head.
Yoner seemed to think of the Princess as someone who lives on dew, an ascetic.
But to Ihan’s eyes, the Princess was rather…
‘I thought she had a big appetite, kind of like Gainando… that’s probably too much.’
He reflected for a moment—even for him, comparing her to Gainando was a bit much.
Still, from the perspective of someone who ran errands for her, Ihan found it hard to believe the Princess had no greed for food.
She really could eat…
“!”
The Princess stood up. Ihan flinched, wondering if his comparison to Gainando had been revealed by his expression.
Rowena spoke in her stead.
“Since you’ve given us food and drink, Her Highness wishes to help you in return.”
“That would be most welcome.”
Ihan was delighted.
The Princess was known for her considerable magical talent.
If she helped out with various things, it would be a major boon.
“Oooh…”
“Amazing.”
She raised her staff and chanted a spell.
Suddenly, a mass of brown earth and a mass of flickering red appeared in the air, then the ground was packed down and the campfire flared up.
‘Elementals!’
Ihan instantly recognized what they were.
Even though she hadn’t formally learned about them yet, the Princess had managed to summon elementals just from lessons in other courses and what she’d read in books.
Imagining her building rapport and affinity with elementals in the spirit realm, Ihan felt a touch of regret over attending Professor Voladi’s class.
…Would it have been better to just take a popular course?
Thud—
“!!”
While everyone was marveling at the Princess’s elementals, a gigantic form broke through the rain and appeared.
It was a golem.

• * *

People often assumed knightly families ‘could only swing a sword,’ but in fact, that wasn’t true.
If you thought about it, it was obvious.
To deal with monsters and bandits on the frontier took all kinds of skills.
If all they did was swing swords, the White Tiger Tower students wouldn’t be here studying magic.
Accordingly, many White Tiger Tower students excelled in a surprising array of abilities.
Bartrek of the Bark family, dwarves from the empire’s east, was particularly talented at alchemy, as befit his house’s reputation.
When White Tiger Tower students groaned from muscle aches or bruises, he’d make his own salve and lend it out.
His skills were so praised that even Giselle, the White Tiger Tower’s leader, commended him.
“Here. Drink some tea.”
Bartrek, in his gruff voice, poured out tea from a kettle.
The White Tiger Tower students marveled at the Bark family’s secret herbal tea, feeling their bodies instantly warm.
“Thanks, Bartrek! You’re the best.”
“You might be even better than Priestess Siana! Hahaha!”
“HahahaHA!”
Right now, the White Tiger Tower students were gathered with the Phoenix Tower students.
After Professor Ingerdel disappeared and the sudden downpour started, these students also sought shelter from the rain.
In retrospect, perhaps it was lucky.
If Blue Dragon and White Tiger Tower students had been put together, there surely would have been a fight.
But the White Tiger Tower students were too busy chatting to notice Siana’s scowl.
It was a joke they threw out lightly, not thinking the Phoenix Tower kids would even understand.
“……”
“……”
The Phoenix Tower students unconsciously glanced at Siana.
You didn’t put poison in the tea, right?
“Looks like the rain is letting up, should we try to force a path?”
“It… doesn’t look to me like the rain is letting up?”
“No, but isn’t it lighter?”
“Seems like we could get through in this.”
The White Tiger Tower students were far more spirited than the Blue Dragon Tower ones.
They knew moving in this weather was dangerous, but their numbers gave them confidence.
No reason to dither at this point.
“We should find the others—shouldn’t we meet up with the other towers?”
“Blue Dragon Tower? Those arrogant jerks?”
The White Tiger Tower kids bristled, but the Phoenix Tower students held their ground.
“But we can’t just leave the others and head back, can we?”
“Ugh…”
They were fierce and rough, but even White Tiger Tower students kept their tempers around the priests.
“Tch. I suppose we need to find the Black Turtle Tower too. Even if they’re a pain in the ass…”
“Let’s try to find the other tower students first, then. Where is Professor Ingerdel anyway?”
Thud—
What happened to Ihan’s group, now happened to the White Tiger Tower students as well.
A golem appeared in front of them.
“…!!!”

• * *

It was at least three meters tall, an overwhelming size.
The students froze at the sight of the mud golem. Rowena cried urgently,
“Nobody move! Golems act by rules. If you don’t break the rules, it won’t attack!”
Golems were different from other wild monsters. A golem was, at root, an artificial monster created by wizards.
Shape any material—mud, stone, metal—as desired, then insert a magic core and activate it.
That was how golems were made.
The problem was, if those magic cores got broken or discarded and accidentally combined with the right materials, golems that would no longer obey people’s commands would be born.
‘This magic school has an issue with safety management.’
Ihan cursed inwardly as he raised his staff.
As Rowena said, golems did follow rules.
Whether functional or broken, there were always rules.
The problem was, it was almost impossible to guess the rules for a broken golem.
If, for example, the rule was ‘Crush all freshmen’…
Scraaape—
The mud golem drew near threateningly and began marking a line with its foot.
A thick line was etched in front of the students sheltering at the cliff’s base.
“??”
“Is it telling us not to cross the line? What happens if we do?”
“Let’s try it.”
“No! Wardanaz! Gainando’s not here!!”
Asan screamed, trying to stop him. Of course, Ihan had no intention of stepping across.
The bone summon moved forward with a rattling sound. The mud golem smashed its fist down mercilessly.
KWAJIK!
“……”
“……”
The students were horrified.
The smashed bone summon, fortunately, revived after a little while and returned to its original form.
Rowena, seeing this, focused on a different point.
‘Wait, can a summon revive that quickly?’
Once de-summoned, even a summon needed plenty of time and magical power to recover, didn’t it…?