Episode 807

At that moment, Lee Han turned to look behind him.

-Gasp!

-We weren’t thinking anything, Fuk… Lord Wardanaz.

“???”

Lee Han glanced suspiciously at the death knights, who seemed a lot more startled than necessary.

“I just wanted to ask how you blocked my lightning magic earlier…”

Before practicing strong lightning spells, it was essential to prepare safety measures.

Especially after the recent unlucky accident where Lee Han had damaged Einrogard’s main building, he had to be even more cautious.

So far, his lightning spells could be practiced in a proper classroom, but if he was aiming for anything beyond that, he had to think ahead about safety for those nearby.

-Ah, I used -Magus Ahiman’s Shield-. Lee Han, since you’re in the dark magic school, you must have heard of Magus Ahiman?

“Yes. He’s a famous dark wizard.”

-That’s right.

“I heard he turned himself into an undead because he was too destitute and poor…”

-…Out of all his achievements, why pick that one?

Magus Ahiman did turn himself into an undead after many failed experiments and bankruptcy, but aside from that, he was an outstanding dark wizard who left a mark on imperial magic history.

Among his spells, -Magus Ahiman’s Shield- was so handy that even the Skeleton Principal’s death knights liked to use it.

-You could call it a masterpiece that intricately arranges shadow energy and dark elements. This shield absorbs surrounding energy and life force to neutralize attacks.

Basically, anyone who could manipulate shadow energy or dark elements could produce similar effects on living creatures.

Just touching it would make a living being feel their energy sap away and fall into fatigue.

-Magus Ahiman’s Shield- reinforced and enhanced this effect with delicate, multilayered techniques.

Completed with such efficient combinations, this magic was considered a groundbreaking improvement, and even satisfied the much older death knights.

“Can I use it too?”

-Of course!

“Thank you! What circle is it?”

-5th circle.

“……”

Lee Han’s delight vanished into a frown. The death knights exchanged nervous glances, not understanding the heir’s reaction.

-5th should be doable…

“I’m preparing to learn one 5th circle spell, and now you want me to add another?!”

At their heir’s rebuke, the death knights drooped and bowed their helmeted heads.

The mad clone coldly remarked at the scene.

Knights are a race as foolish and stupid as any. Whatever brains they had have long since rotted, so what could they know?

-……

-When is the master going to get rid of that accursed one?

The death knights ground their teeth, but the mad clone ignored them and continued.

A spirit is, from its birth, the very essence of power. Trying to reproduce a spirit’s power with magic is the folly of mortals imitating immortality. But magicians…

‘Oh no, this lecture is putting me to sleep.’

Lee Han realized the mad clone’s long-winded explanation was more difficult and sleep-inducing than expected.

Before, his nerves had stayed sharp since he never knew when an attack would fly at him, but now that it was just a phantom talking, sleepiness hit hard.

‘Gainando gave up. I can endure, too.’

Lee Han gritted his teeth, recalling how he used to scold Gainando for dozing off in class; he couldn’t let himself fall asleep now.

…That’s why the very first thing you must do is strengthen your control over lightning.

“Amazing! Wow!”

Finally, as the lecture ended, Lee Han overreacted in relief.

Seeing his disciple’s passion, the mad clone was pleased.

“How much do I have to strengthen my lightning?”

Until the surrounding space distorts. Only then can you attempt transformation.

“I see. I’ll work hard.”

Do it within the week.

“Leave it to me!”

Apparently satisfied, the mad clone disappeared without further reproach.

A death knight watching in the back asked in puzzlement,

-But Wardanaz, didn’t you say earlier you weren’t confident about learning from this mad clone? Don’t you have a lot on your plate already…?

“It’s fine.”

The death knight was somewhat moved by Lee Han’s confident reply.

Indeed, the Skeleton Principal’s heir was made of something else.

It felt like watching a miracle: as if he was pouring water into an already full glass and it still didn’t spill.

“I’m not going to do it anyway.”

-……

Lee Han stated this with utter confidence.

He’d played along to avoid stoking the clone’s anger, but he had no intention of seriously learning the spell.

Physically, it was impossible anyway.

‘It’s just an apparition. No matter how much it nags, I’ll just apologize for working hard and failing.’

The mad clone misunderstood his disciple.

Even at a distance, through an illusion, he thought that if he simply showed off a secret of magic that Einrogard’s lectures could never offer, the disciple would surely follow.

But as long as there was no sword at his throat, Lee Han could shamelessly dodge as much as he wanted.

-Actually, I thought you’d really just master it, Wardanaz.

“Why would you ever think that?”

• * *

The Skeleton Principal’s mad clone and the Dalkard ancestor he dispatched were really only minor details in the overall Club Week.

Most students didn’t even know such things had happened. They just talked about “big fish flinging gold around” this year.

For the students, Club Week had only just begun.

After dealing with the early, generous sponsors, a wave of more troublesome guests was due to arrive.

“They’re here…!”

“Damn it, why do the broke ones always show up?”

A few seniors grumbled bitterly as they recognized the faces in the crowd.

Normally, only those with proof of identity and a willingness to spend imperial gold could visit Einrogard for Club Week.

But there was an exception.

Members of outside clubs who interacted with Einrogard clubs could be invited without such qualifications.

These club members were mostly wizards.

And in the empire, “wizard” could pretty much be replaced with “someone always short on gold”…

“Greetings, students of Einrogard. We’re from the -Root of the Wasteland- Mage Tower, here to learn from your improved food crops.”

“Uh… will you be funding anything?”

“Haha, we spent all our money on research last year… But if you could sponsor us, we’d be delighted.”

“…Let’s show you to our storage, then. Please follow me.”

Einrogard’s fame in the empire attracted plenty of visiting wizards every year.

There were many magicians who came just to look around without any gold to spend, and the seniors hated to see these broke visitors.

“These freeloaders scare off the wealthy guests! Wizards, I’m telling you…”

“The magic on this cauldron is amazing! How did you stabilize this form?”

“That’s enough! Get out of the way already!”

Just curious visitors were fine, but it was the ambitious, competitive ones who were tougher to deal with next.

“This is the -Iactus Soup Club-, right?”

“Yes.”

“Grand name. I’m Bassaden. You’ve probably heard of me—the guy who made the arid prairie bloom again…”

“Never heard of you.”

“What?! Never heard of me? Einrogard really isn’t much. Still, let me challenge you. See this vial? Let’s see who can grow a plant faster with it—”

“Puh, if you’re not here to see magic, please move aside.”

“Ugh…! Using bodyguards…!”

From the point of view of Einrogard students, whose goal was to earn as much as possible, these random outsiders were a nuisance.

“Why does the Principal keep letting people like that in?!”

“I’m sure it’s on purpose. It’s to teach us some toughness, just watch.”

“This won’t do. Our invited guests should take the day off. There are too many of these annoying types.”

When the outside wizards roamed the seventh floor, Einrogard students sighed.

They decided to put off the wealthy guests for a little while and focus on getting rid of—no, “serving”—the others first.

• * *

“They’re here. Is this Einrogard?”

“Yes, it is!”

The Baldrogard Gourmet Club students nodded eagerly. Their eyes blazed with expectation and vengeance.

They’d visited last year and were deeply insulted, especially by the kitchen club.

It was an unbearable wound for the honorable Baldrogard students.

For one of the two leading forces in empire’s magic to be so base and vile—!

But the Baldrogard students would not stoop to their rivals’ level. If one half of the duo fell to corruption, the other would maintain its virtue.

Thus, the Baldrogard students hired a wizard and returned in noble style.

‘Damn these Baldro-bastards…’

The outside wizard, Garal, had to suppress the scorn he felt directed at him from all sides.

Once, Garal had been promising enough to research alongside Alsicle of the Pengerine family.

But fate was merciless. Its claws showed suddenly.

After three failed experiments, five accidents, and one attempted patron assassination (Garal swore it was an accident, but the patron didn’t believe him), opportunities grew scarce.

He ended up working for adventurer parties seeking a wizard, or guilds desperate for magic help, or—even worse—accepting pointless requests from the idle rich students of Baldrogard.

The first two were at least hard but worthy.

But this current Baldrogard job ate at his pride.

Beating young Einrogard students to “put them in their place”—

No matter how good the pay, he couldn’t believe he had to take such a job.

“Where am I going, again?”

“The kitchen club. Compete with the members for us, please.”

“The kitchen club… They must be skilled in alchemy or transmutation. I’ll need to be careful.”

“As expected of you, Garal. Such sharp insight!”

‘That’s just common sense…’

Predicting that a kitchen club mage would be good at alchemy or transmutation really was just obvious.

Seeing Baldrogard students gawk in awe, Garal felt exasperated.

‘No, now isn’t the time to let pride get in the way.’

Garal shook his head. It was no time for useless pride.

“If you spot any Einrogard students along the way, feel free to demolish them too.”

“Wasn’t it the kitchen club who insulted you?”

“The rest of those smug Einrogard brats laughed along just as much. Look—there’s one right now.”

Spotting an aristocratic boy with statue-like looks walking in the distance, the Baldrogard students urged Garal forward.

Garal sighed and approached Lee Han.

“Are you a student of Einrogard?”

“Are you an underling of the mad clone?”

“What? Not at all. I’m Garal, from the Northern Snowflake Mage Tower—not affiliated right now, but… anyway, I was invited here by the kitchen club.”

“Ah.”

Lee Han nodded. So this was the penniless guest everyone talked about.

‘Wait. Aren’t those Baldrogard students?’

“I have a question for you.”

“Yes?”

“Can you name a substitute for juniper, perilla leaf, and galena in Dobruk’s Supreme Potion?”

“???”

Lee Han was flustered. He’d never heard of such manners.

‘Do Baldrogard people usually start with this kind of question??’

Garal waited, looking weary. He didn’t like asking these things out of the blue, but knew he had to for the Baldrogard kids’ satisfaction.

“Let me think it over for a minute.”

“Take your time…”

Lee Han turned around and stepped back a little. Then, whispering to his staff, he began,

“Master? Are you there?”