Episode 776

Having had his thoughts seen through, Lee Han began tossing out various names to test the baby basilisk.

He tried grand ones like -Jormungandr-, -Ouroboros-, and -Caduceus-, as well as familiar ones like -Gooreongdeongdeong-, -Gainando-, and -Siana-.

-Hing. I don’t like any of them.

“Hm. How about for now, I just call you Basil until I think of a better name?”

Lee Han, growing tired of the process, decided to trick the baby basilisk.

If he just called it Basil for a while, the name would stick before he knew it.

-Okay, I like it!

The baby basilisk was smart, but couldn’t outfox an Einrogard student well-versed in trickery.

With no clue to Lee Han’s wicked ploy, Basil wagged its tail happily.

-When are we going to see that evil wizard again?

“?”

Lee Han was puzzled by the baby basilisk’s innocent question.

‘Who on earth is it talking about?’

Even if you lined up all the evil wizards from the main gate of Einrogard to the territory’s outer wall, it wouldn’t be enough…

“Who?”

The baby basilisk answered as if surprised Lee Han didn’t know.

-The person who hits you.

“…Who’s that supposed to be?”

The baby basilisk tried to answer but started coughing, as if the snack it just ate had caught in its throat.

Lee Han, feeling sorry, poured it a small dish of milk.

“You should have eaten slower.”

-But what if someone took it away?

“……”

‘Maybe I should rethink thinking it’s so smart.’

Without even imagining its master had downgraded its intelligence by several notches, the baby basilisk busily licked the dish of milk.

“So, who did you mean?”

Instead of answering, the baby basilisk just kept licking. The bowl had been empty a while ago, at least by Lee Han’s eyes.

He removed the dish, and the baby basilisk looked at Lee Han with eyes that seemed like the sky was falling.

‘I should have eaten faster!’

“It’s all gone…”

-It wasn’t!

Even when Lee Han showed the bottom of the dish, the baby basilisk refused to back down.

After a few teary-eyed thumps of its tail on the desk, it finally accepted that the dish was empty.

-The scary wizard.

“…Basil, you need to get in the habit of being specific. What species, for starters?”

-Vampire.

“Ah. Professor Baegrek.”

Lee Han got it right away.

No wonder; from the baby basilisk’s perspective, Professor Voladi was terrifying.

He tried to force it to grow up and battle Lee Han, after all…

“We’re not seeing him today.”

-What about tomorrow?

“Want some more milk?”

Lee Han dodged by refilling the dish. The baby basilisk cheered and buried its face in the milk again.

-Gulp, the, other, scary wizard…

“Eat first, then talk.”

Carefully licking up the rest, the basilisk eyed the dish sadly as it finished.

-When will the other scary wizard go away?

“Who? Wait, what do you mean, ‘go away’? Someone who was with us?”

Lee Han wondered if it meant Professor Rosine.

-The snake beastkin.

“…Er, why Siana? She’s not a bad person.”

-N-no!… She tried to forcibly take my poison!

Fidgeting its body, the baby basilisk protested.

It was still scary to think about.

‘Oh, right, that happened.’

Now Lee Han recalled how, when the baby basilisk first hatched, Siana had approached brandishing a huge brassy syringe with a sharp tip.

It was a tool alchemists used to extract liquids from plants or animals, but to a newborn basilisk, it probably looked like a torture device.

And it could actually be used as one…

“She’s not a bad person. She’s just an alchemist.”

-A-are all alchemists scary?

“Well. Maybe, in a way.”

While teaching the basilisk about the world, Lee Han suddenly grew curious.

There were things he hadn’t asked yet, since they literally hadn’t spoken until now.

“Basil, what abilities can you use right now?”

-I can swing my tail!

The baby basilisk twirled its tail. Lee Han clapped half-heartedly.

“Anything else?”

-Drinking milk?

“…What about evil eye?”

The basilisk’s famous hereditary talent was a petrifying cursed gaze.

Its lethal breath was legendary too, but the evil eye had countless practical uses.

-I can use it!

“!”

Lee Han looked at the baby basilisk with admiration.

He’d thought all it did in his sleeve was suck up magic power, but it was developing powers of its own.

“Really?”

-I-I don’t want to use it, though. It’s hard…

“I won’t force you. Haha. Just asking out of curiosity. You’re not fully grown yet, so it must be tough.”

And, indeed, a juvenile basilisk probably couldn’t use its evil eye freely without a toll on its body.

“What about poison?”

-Wait a moment. Hiss… hssss.

Groaning, the baby basilisk squeezed out a tiny bit of venom.

Then it started to wail in hunger.

-Waaahh. I’m so hungry…

“…Here, have some more snacks.”

Lee Han quickly collected the drop of venom in a glass vial for reagents and offered a treat.

Seeing Basil coil around the snack in delight, Lee Han asked,

“So, is it better for you to eat like this, or use magic power?”

-Both are great!

‘Hmm. Better add “ravenous appetite” to the doc.’

Lee Han decided that when writing up the basilisk for grant applications, he’d have to include “voracious.”

“By the way, when do you grow up?”

-Umph?

Munching, the baby basilisk blinked.

“You know, get bigger.”

Gulp!

-My guess is…

“You need to get bigger so you can walk around on your own and not just hang from my arm.”

-…I-I don’t get bigger. I’m a special basilisk that never grows.

“……”

• * *

After class, Shyles spotted Lee Han in the distance and felt a bit sorry.

‘Hmm… Maybe I should have gone with basilisk tongue.’

Thinking about all Lee Han had done for him, it seemed rude and ungrateful not to accept his suggestion.

Sure, wyvern tongue was useful, but maybe basilisk tongue would be too, one day.

‘But seriously, where would you use it?’

Unless there were basilisk carriages someday…

“Wardanaz!”

“Oh, Shyles? Wait a sec.”

Lee Han hissed into his sleeve as his friend approached.

Shyles watched, puzzled.

“What was that?”

“I told Basil you’re not an alchemist.”

“Oh, I see… Wait, you told the basilisk!?”

Shyles couldn’t believe his ears.

Lee Han sighed and explained.

“Shyles, Basil here isn’t dangerous…”

“No, I’m not shocked there’s a basilisk??”

By now, almost all Lee Han’s friends knew he actually had a basilisk.

At first it was, “Don’t be ridiculous.” “Just calling it Wardanaz doesn’t make it true,” but slowly, as people started to suspect “Maybe it really is a basilisk?” “Maybe it’s just a pet snake?”—in the end: “It is a basilisk, huh. I won’t be surprised even if Wardanaz raises a dragon after this.”

“Wait, but why did you tell it you’re not an alchemist?”

“There’s a long story. What’s up? I have to get to my next class.”

Seeing his friend ready to head straight to their next lecture with no interest in breaks brought tears to Shyles’ eyes.

‘Wait, this wasn’t why I came over.’

Catching himself, Shyles asked,

“So you did do basilisk tongue?”

“Yeah, since I’m always communicating with Basil anyway, and I’ve been practicing music-magic, it wasn’t that hard.”

“…So you did, huh?”

“Didn’t I? I mean, we just talked.”

“I see.”

Shyles nodded.

With that, his momentary pang of guilt vanished instantly.

“Shyles, are you interested in basilisk tongue? Great, if you want to learn, Basil and I can…”

“I’m learning wyvern tongue. See ya!”

At his friend’s cold, unsentimental reply, Lee Han grumbled about ingratitude.

• * *

“Wardanaz! I heard you were kidnapped, but you’re looking well!”

Professor Zorzic of the Benmalfa family greeted him, as energetic and passionate as ever.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but even the seagull-shaped mustache seemed to flutter with extra vigor today.

“Hello, Professor Benmalfa. Thank you for your concern.”

“Indeed! I truly worried for you.”

“Professor, did you… happen to, perhaps, take part too?”

Lee Han wondered if Professor Zorzic was also among the rescue party.

He hadn’t seen him, but with Professors Garcia and Voladi, maybe Zorzic was kidnapped as well.

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind.”

“Whatever you meant, I have been busy with other business! Wardanaz, I wrote a letter to His Majesty the Emperor!”

“Huh??”

Lee Han was astonished.

Wrote a letter to whom about what?

“I wrote the Benmalfa Zorzic’s beautiful petition to hold the principal responsible for your kidnapping, suggesting I should be the next principal!”

At that, Lee Han shot him a look of contempt.

To use his student’s tragedy as a springboard for personal ambition!

‘I guess I’ll have to quit the “Zorzic of Benmalfa for Einrogard Principal” Club.’

Trapped by his ambition, Professor Zorzic, not knowing he’d slipped to nearly the same tier as Professor Verdus in Lee Han’s esteem, muttered to himself.

“But the death knights confiscated it… What a shame. How does one slip a petition past their watch?”

“If you find out, let me know, Professor.”

“Haha! Don’t worry. As the next principal of Einrogard, I must fulfill the requests of the next generation of professors! Now, let’s start the lesson, Wardanaz! In you go!”

“Yes.”

Following the professor’s command, Lee Han entered the Element Hall.

Moments later, he paused, feeling something was off.

“What did you just—”

KWAARRR—

“Ugh! The water element’s going wild!!”

“Stand back.”

As water poured in all directions from a nearby waterfall, Lee Han spun his staff and used a spell to seize control.

Having mastered the water element, he felt confident managing a runaway even if another magician set it off by mistake.

“Excellent! Wardanaz!”

“The lightning curtain’s gone off! Everyone be careful!”

‘What’s with today?’

Of course, the Element Hall was a place with strong elemental flows, so mistakes often led to surges, but this was unusually unlucky.

Lee Han rushed around with his seniors, containing water and lightning.

“Huff… Hah. Thank you, Senior Wardanaz.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, right, you’re a second year. Sorry—just reflex.”

“……”

Lee Han, having dashed about so much, actually forgot the last thing Professor Zorzic said.

Once everything was contained, Professor Zorzic tidied up with a wave of his staff and instructed the students to resume practicing.

“Now, Wardanaz! How did that method of casting fire magic on yourself go?”

“I was kidnapped after that, so I’m not sure, Professor.”

“I see! That happens. Well, then we’ll just start over.”

Professor Zorzic said enthusiastically.

Any trouble was trivial if it led to guiding an outstanding student.

Adenart, nearby, looked on in horror at the mention of being set on fire again.

“But before that, cast some fire spells repeatedly. I want to compare where you’re at!”

“Yes.”

Lee Han cast the -Lesser Flame Barrier- he’d practiced recently by fending off lunatic fifth-year attacks.

Seeing it cast cleanly and stably, Professor Zorzic was surprised.

“Huh? This is much better!”

“I’ve just been practicing this one.”

“Then let’s see a few more!”

Lee Han cast a few other low-circle fire spells.

Unlike before, the fire element spells were all stable. Lee Han paused.

‘…Huh?’

“I think you’ve overcome the problem?”

“…It seems so.”

“Hmmm! Fascinating. I wonder what caused it…”

Professor Zorzic scribbled notes like “Constant burning?” “Abducted by ancient mage’s clone?” with great interest.

Which could it have been?