Episode 787

“…I’ll do my best.”

In the end, Lee Han couldn’t help but say that. Carnella, who was listening, said indifferently.

“The person who was going to pay you got taken away, so do you really have to do this?”

“Hormasi.”

Professor Yonramo spoke as if warning her.

If a junior wants to learn, how could a senior get in the way?

Of course, Professor Yonramo himself didn’t have ambitions to take on magic far beyond his level, but there was no need to deliberately drag down his students either.

“Don’t get in the way.”

“Understood, Professor. I was just feeling sorry, that’s all. Even if you practice the magic Senior Jarun left right now, there won’t be much to learn.”

The research Jarun was conducting was so difficult and demanding that there wasn’t much a student who had just entered their sophomore year could learn.

Instead of pouring time into perfecting -Jarun’s Inelastic Rubber- or -Jarun’s Film Magma-, it was far more useful to master the relatively easy 2–3 circle transformation magic spells.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. Lee Han may have judged there’s something to learn. While there are magic spells Lee Han is being forced to learn by other professors…”

‘Professor!’

Lee Han was a little touched.

Professor Yonramo truly understood him.

“…There must be magic he actually wants to learn as well. Like this magic, for example.”

‘That’s not true.’

Lee Han regretted it.

He should have just said that he was skipping class to help because of the gold coins!

Professor Yonramo was clearly under the misconception that Lee Han was studying magic out of pure will.

“I see… these magic spells… hmm.”

Carnella thought her junior was a little crazy but didn’t bother to say it out loud.

If she needlessly annoyed her junior, she might lose out on the chance to get close to rare creatures like griffins or basilisks.

“Well then, that’s all. Oh right, Lee Han. Do you have -From Caterpillar to Dragon-?”

“Huh? Yes, I do.”

Lee Han flinched.

He’d had this conversation with Professor Yonramo after last year’s finals.

-It might be a good idea to study that over the break. It’s a pretty good grimoire.

-How far should I study it?

-As far as you can?

It was just a casual book recommendation from the professor’s perspective, but Lee Han took it differently.

He thought he was being told to do his absolute best, as much as possible.

“How far did you read? Did you make it to chapter 3 by any chance?”

“I read a bit.”

“Is that so? Are there any spells in chapter 3 that you’ve learned?”

“…I learned a few.”

“Then show me at the next class. That’s all for today!”

Professor Yonramo waved his hand and left lightly, just as he had come.

Pop!

Carnella looked at her junior in amazement.

“You have -From Caterpillar to Dragon-? I heard it was pretty tough. And the spells in chapter 3… did you learn any?”

“I haven’t learned them.”

“What?”

“I haven’t learned them yet. The furthest I made it during break was chapter 1.”

“Junior. Why did you just lie?”

“Did you not see Senior Jarun get swallowed up by a cloak just now and you’re still saying that?”

‘He brought that on himself…’

Honestly, from Carnella’s perspective, even if Senior Jarun died being dragged away, it would be natural causes at this point.

All he had to do was grant a single lecture, but he kept refusing, so even such a gentle person like Professor Reji ended up using those means.

“Professor Reji isn’t the type to scold you for not learning, though.”

“Ha! Every professor seems nice before they show their true colors.”

“That… is true…”

Carnella couldn’t deny her junior’s words.

At Einrogard, you should never fully trust a professor until you graduate.

“That being said. What are you going to do, junior? Didn’t you just finish chapter 1?”

“By next week, I’ll rush to chapter 3 and pick out and master a spell. Phew.”

“……”

‘Isn’t this guy insane?’

Carnella shivered at Lee Han’s completely abnormal way of thinking. Maybe he’d gone mad from trying every school at once.

Who in their right mind would try to catch up on two chapters like that?

“W-well. Junior. I respect you. Don’t forget I said this. Especially when tournaments open, or you let me pet a baby basilisk.”

“Understood, senior. Might you help me with the casting?”

Lee Han asked as he prepared to test -Jarun’s Inelastic Rubber-.

“You sure you can do this? Progress has been so slow, there probably isn’t much to work with.”

“It’s still very incomplete, but at this level, I think casting is possible.”

“Really? Did I see it wrong earlier?”

The tall dark elf senior tilted her head.

When she’d seen the research into -Jarun’s Inelastic Rubber- earlier, it hadn’t looked ready to cast at all.

Even if it only lasted a moment and disappeared, there was a huge difference between being able to forcibly summon a material and not being able to cast it at all.

When conducting research, the former was way easier. In the latter case, you couldn’t even see or touch the material.

‘Could someone really confuse the two?’

“!”

Surprisingly, Carnella realized she had indeed confused the two.

Looking at the spell formula, she could see it was actually castable at this point.

‘It’ll consume a massive amount of mana and burden the mage, but still, at least…’

“Senior Jarun is a weirdo. Why prepare a spell in such a way? Feels like you’d collapse every time you used it.”

“Oh, I modified it for myself.”

“What? When? You didn’t have any time.”

“I recalculated and tweaked it after taking over from Senior Jarun and while the professor was knocking.”

“……”

Carnella’s back tingled.

…What the heck is this kid??

• * *

Having finished his work, Lee Han stepped outside (he recorded every second of work time in the logbook).

-You filthy brat, get those dirty hands off right now!

-That’s my line. Shameless bastard. Go lure your own tower’s juniors!

-To act like you don’t even know the Einrogard club spirit, I absolutely can’t yield to you…

“?”

Lee Han tilted his head at the sound of people fighting nearby.

Quite a few students had gathered, and except for a few, the rest seemed to be watching the fight.

“Senior Sevius.”

“Who… was that you?”

The hamster beastkin senior from Black Turtle Tower beckoned when he saw Lee Han.

“What’s going on?”

“Something that happens from time to time. The clubs are fighting over a junior.”

“Oh. Kind of like me.”

“Pretty much. Look there.”

Sevius pointed to the student in the middle of the fight.

“That one’s in the Hunter Club. Facing them is the Statue Crafting Club. Next to them is the Outing Club.”

“I see.”

Hearing the unofficial club names at Einrogard always made Lee Han a little relieved.

At least they wouldn’t be able to drag him off by force.

“Are you here to recruit new members too, senior?”

“No. I came to retrieve a book.”

Sevius nodded toward another student who was watching the fight and pointed at his backpack.

“That brat took the book and was using it as a pillow.”

“…I see.”

Lee Han decided not to care about the senior’s motive and continued watching the fight.

Students from each club were arguing in their colorful outfits, and second-year Nillia, caught in the middle, looked troubled…

‘…?!?’

Lee Han was surprised to see a familiar friend.

Why is she there!?

“No way?!”

“What’s up?”

“I have a friend over there.”

“Your friend? Hmm…”

Sevius thought, ‘You sure do have some unusual friends.’

“What are you trying to say, senior?”

“Nothing. Your friend is pretty popular.”

-If a Shadow Patrol alumnus doesn’t join the Hunter Club, then where are they supposed to go?!

-Is the only thing in your head someone’s background? Look at this statue. Can’t you feel the talent?

-Everyone’s got it wrong. This sociable junior should join the Outing Club. She’s the perfect fit for the ballroom!

“Could Nillia get hurt?”

“That’s not a worry. It’s just them arguing amongst themselves.”

Sevius carefully pulled out his staff, chanted a spell, and aimed at the backpack of a student who was engrossed in watching the fight.

Then the staff slipped into the backpack as if sucked in by liquid.

Shook!

Sevius quietly pulled out the book with a satisfied expression and put it in his own bag. The victim didn’t even notice.

“Still, they seem to be fighting pretty badly.”

“Well… students clubs rarely find real talent to recruit.”

“What if they all end up recruiting her?”

“That would be tough. Usually clubs don’t go that far.”

“……”

Lee Han looked at the senior with an awkward, sad gaze. At last, Sevius noticed and felt a pang of guilt.

“…You’re a special case. Who told you to stand out like that?”

“That’s too much.”

“They’re unofficial clubs, so they don’t even have the authority to force you to join. Besides, even if they did, it’s rare for clubs to force a member unless it’s really extreme.”

If you didn’t recruit, your club would be ridiculed forever by the other clubs, and internally, you’d get beaten up by your own members. Only then would a club consider forcing someone to join.

Originally, Einrogard clubs respected a magician’s free will highly.

“……”

But Lee Han didn’t feel much better.

Meanwhile, Nillia, who had looked lost on what to do, spotted Lee Han.

-…Help me!

Seeing his friend’s desperate look, Lee Han panicked.

“Senior, could you help me sneak out my friend?”

“Tell her to just pick a club and join.”

“How can you say something like that, knowing what Einrogard clubs are like?”

“You’re the one who keeps joining all the odd, troublesome clubs. There are plenty of normal ones.”

Grumbling, Sevius finally agreed to help the junior.

“All right. I’ll draw attention, so use the chance to take her out.”

“Thank you!”

Lee Han bowed and signaled to Nillia.

-Approaching soon. Get ready to escape.

‘Wait. How is he going to draw attention?’

“It’s the principal! The principal’s attacking!!!!”

Screams and chaos.

Casting an invisibility spell, Lee Han dashed out through the mayhem in amazement.

‘I learned something new.’

• * *

“So what exactly happened?”

“Huff, huff… it’s a long story to explain…”

“No matter how long, just tell me.”

“So…”

She’d met some Black Turtle Tower seniors, who took such a liking to her they fought over which club she should join. She escaped, ran into an alchemy school senior from the Phoenix Tower, befriended them, and once again the topic of clubs came up…

“…Hmm. That was longer than expected.”

“I told you it was a long story! Ugh.”

Nillia clutched her stomach even at the memory of all those seniors.

Having to pick one out of all those offers.

“Right. How did you pick one?”

“Nillia. For me, I was just forced into all of them.”

“……”

For a brief moment, a silence hung awkwardly between the friends. Embarrassed, Nillia glanced away and kicked at a pebble on the road.

“Ugh… urgh…”

“!?!”

“A-a monster!”

Nillia was horrified to see a mysterious creature emerge from where the pebble rolled.

It looked like some nightmarish chimera melted in a toxic swamp. She’d seen many monsters at Einrogard, but never one like this.

“Wardanaz! Be careful!”

“O youth of the Wardanaz family… do you remember me… I am Antagondals… Because I helped you escape… I have ended up like this…”

“???”

Nillia jumped in surprise and turned her head.

She hadn’t known her friend knew this creature.

Lee Han answered shamelessly without any change of expression.

“Sorry, I don’t know you. Who are you?”