Episode 82

Episode 82

Ihan looked at the burning puppy with a resentful expression. However, the burning puppy had already run far away.

The White Tiger Tower students watched and whispered amongst themselves with looks that seemed to say, ‘I knew this would happen.’

Ihan felt unnecessarily annoyed.

“Cheer up, Wardhanaz! Just because a puppy is scared of you doesn’t mean it determines your character!”

“That’s right, Lord Ihan of the Wardhanaz family!”

Friends from the other tower cheered him on, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

‘If you’re not nasty enough to try to kill me, or undead, all of them will run away.’

With this sad realization, Ihan put his hands in his coat pockets and rummaged around. The burning puppy barked loudly.

“?”

Professor Thunderstep wondered what Ihan was up to.

Surprisingly, what Ihan pulled out was a sweet potato. Gainando absentmindedly tried to step forward but was held back by his friends.

“Come here.”

Ihan wiggled his finger, shaking the sweet potato. The burning puppy stopped barking and, sniffing the sweet potato’s scent, slowly began to approach.

‘Not bad.’

Professor Thunderstep smiled.

Actually, the class was supposed to teach students how to endure vicious burning puppies, not how to coax them with sweet potatoes…

But it was a good idea.

Instead of forcing a reaction or being stubborn, figuring out what the monster wants flexibly—that was the first step to taming a monster.

The boy of the Wardhanaz family knew this well even without being taught. Seeing him in action…

Tap!

The burning puppy, distracted by the sweet potato, looked away for a moment, and Ihan pounced and hugged him tightly.

Then he lay down to prevent the puppy from escaping.

“Got you.”

“……”

Professor Thunderstep was dumbfounded.

Hey!

-Arf! Growl! Arf! Arf arf! Whine… whimper whimper.

The puppy, who at first barked in surprise, surrendered out of fear in just a few seconds. In an instant, he became a docile lamb, looking up at Ihan.

Lying on the ground, Ihan scratched the puppy’s belly. The puppy panted and wagged his tail.

It was a little different from the nurturing taming Professor Thunderstep had expected, but taming was taming nevertheless.

…Even if it used fear and trickery.

“Professor, look. We’re friends now.”

“Yes. Well done. Keep hugging him for a good long while.”

Lapardel, from the White Tiger Tower, looked shocked seeing Ihan hugging the burning puppy without even standing up off the dirt floor.

A truly tough bastard.

Not even from a knightly house, but from a high noble family!

Does one need to be that tough to have such dark magic abilities?

• * *

“Yaaawn.”

How much time had passed?

Someone yawned. Several students followed with yawns.

Only then did Professor Thunderstep realize something strange.

‘It’s been quite a while now…?’

Actually, the fire resistance potions that Professor Thunderstep had prepared had different durations for everyone.

This was to prevent students from watching and predicting the time.

But this was far longer than even the longest one.

‘What the…’

Professor Thunderstep looked closely at Ihan.

Then she realized.

Amazingly, the potion’s effect had already worn off. There was no sign of fire resistance left in his body at all.

Ihan was simply…

Releasing mana throughout his body, pushing back the puppy’s flames.

No matter how much the puppy whimpered and spat flames, they couldn’t come near Ihan; they were pushed down and extinguished on the ground.

He wasn’t casting a protective barrier with magic, or using any spell—he was simply blocking the fire with raw mana output.

That wasn’t a wizard’s skill but a swordsman’s skill.

‘What a brute!’

The gaze that Professor Thunderstep sent was misunderstood by Ihan.

‘Professor, I have to survive too.’

Ihan also had a point.

Isn’t it dangerous to rely on a single potion and risk your life hugging a burning puppy in the first place?

Just by instinct, Ihan had to protect himself in his own way.

Of course, his method was so unconventional that no one else could ever follow it…

Ihan hadn’t realized yet that the fire resistance potion had worn off. He figured that, no matter how much mana he used for protection, if the potion wore off, he would feel some heat.

‘But petting this puppy gives me a strange feeling.’

A kind of delusion.

He even started having confidence that he could cast fire elemental magic a little better.

It was like that conviction he had after nearly dying from Professor Vladi, believing he could handle the orb better.

The second one was justified, but the first had no basis.

‘…Is this a trap?’

Ihan stared at the puppy. The burning puppy panted and wagged his tail.

Ihan seriously considered if the puppy was pulling a trick for revenge over being duped by the sweet potato.

“The potion wore off a long time ago.”

“Huh? Really?”

At Professor Thunderstep’s words, Ihan snapped out of it in surprise.

Seeing this, Professor Thunderstep thought to herself.

‘I’ll have to make sure to use a kid who absolutely can’t block it with mana next time.’

Unaware that he was digging his own grave, Ihan asked Professor Thunderstep,

“Professor, can flame puppies hypnotize you by any chance?”

“…Did you drink booze instead of the fire resistance potion?”

• * *

After hearing Ihan’s explanation, Professor Thunderstep spoke as if it were nothing special.

“That’s not hypnosis or a trick—it’s proof that you really increased your understanding of the fire element.”

“Ha ha. Is that so.”

Ihan answered in a tone that said he didn’t believe her at all. Professor Thunderstep almost hit him but held back.

“It’s true. Aren’t you learning basic elemental magic right now? What’s important when casting basic elemental magic? It’s your familiarity with the element.”

When using basic elemental magic, what mattered was how vividly and intensely one could picture the element’s image.

A student who grew up somewhere hot and warm would be more familiar with the fire element.

A student raised by the sea would be more familiar with the water element.

Everyone is influenced by the environment they grew up in, which makes all these differences natural.

Conversely, if you keep interacting with a certain element, your understanding of that element increases.

“Theory is important, but, Wardhanaz, as a magician, never lose your intuition. Your understanding of fire has definitely gone up.”

Professor Thunderstep spoke seriously.

Ihan listened half-heartedly, but it wasn’t bad news.

Just hugging and enduring with the burning puppy actually improved his understanding of the fire element.

“But for your understanding to improve like that, perhaps you have talent for the fire element?”

“Huh? I’m talented with the water element, though.”

Ihan replied in confusion. It was rare to be talented in opposing elements.

Professor Thunderstep replied as if she didn’t understand.

“If you had no talent for the fire element, you wouldn’t gain that level of understanding just by petting a burning puppy for a few dozen minutes.”

“!”

Come to think of it, Ihan had never really had a chance to test his talent for the fire element.

Professor Garcia had warned it was dangerous, and the few times he messed up with it outside, he nearly died…

Wait, what?

‘Was I actually talented with the fire element?’

Maybe that time he was burning with rage toward a professor had awakened his fire talent.

As for water, maybe it was just that Professor Vladi kept tormenting him till he got used to it…

“Wardhanaz. Don’t confine yourself to your own limits. It’s best to try everything yourself and gain understanding.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ll learn how to use fire resistance potion next time. I’ll prepare the right monster for you.”

“Thank you… Wait, professor! Professor!”

Ihan called out desperately, but Professor Thunderstep passed coldly between the students now getting pummeled by burning puppies.

• * *

In the evening.

Ihan was diligently sewing with Nilia. The other friends also sat down, moving their needles busily.

Everyone’s clothes and coats had burnt holes here and there. They were the scars left by the flaming puppy.

Nilia looked touched as she saw the fabric Ihan had bought outside.

She looked like an old master gazing at her apprentice.

“You have a good eye, Wardhanaz. You did well…!”

“It’s all thanks to your teaching.”

“Tough and sturdy, not easily waterlogged. Yes, you need this kind of fabric for a coat.”

“Now that I think about it, we should get ready for camping too.”

To do the assignment set by the skeleton principal, they had to cross the lake. If they were unlucky, they might even have to sleep out there.

“I! I know all about camping!”

At Ihan’s words, Nilia excitedly raised her hand.

The Blue Dragon Tower students all admired her.

Seeing Nilia’s long ears perk up, Ihan suddenly felt moved.

‘The Black Tortoise Tower guys seem stingy with their praise.’

Such a good friend…

“What should we prepare, Nilia? Camping tent?”

“It’s fine. All you need is a coat.”

“Ah. Then what about a sleeping mat for the ground?”

“It’s fine. All you need is a coat.”

“…But don’t we still need a blanket at least?”

“It’s okay. All you need is a coat.”

Nilia’s heart raced to share the wisdom of the Shadow Patrol with her friends.

The knowledge that you can fall asleep in a cold valley with nothing but a coat was something her friends really needed.

But the Blue Dragon Tower students’ faces were darkening.

Unable to take it anymore, Ihan cut in.

“Nilia’s just joking, so don’t take it seriously.”

“Ha… ha ha! Just a joke, right! Hahaha!”

“I was 100% sure it was a joke!”

Nilia looked at Ihan as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’

“It’s not a joke. All you need to pack is a… mmph.”

Yoner hastily covered Nilia’s mouth.

Despite small problems, the friends finished repairing and preparing their clothes.

The capes and masks newly sewn from dark cloth would protect them if something happened.

Latford spoke with satisfaction.

“You all look like excellent thieves.”

“Ha ha. Not that much really.”

“How embarrassing.”

The Blue Dragon Tower students didn’t know what to do with Ratford’s praise.

Were they that cool?

“It’s time. Let’s go.”

Ihan and his friends stood up.

Tonight, they would raid Professor Thunderstep’s laboratory!

• * *

Students could be divided into two groups.

Those who’d already sneaked out several times at night, and those who’d never done it before.

Ihan was naturally in the former. Now, wandering the school at night didn’t bother him at all.

As natural as going out for a stroll.

“Lord Ihan of the Wardhanaz family. Do you have a way to open the Gatekeeper’s Hall?”

Ihan nodded.

Physical locks were for Ratford.

Magical locks were for Ihan.

‘I’ve already checked everything.’

Since people came and went for classes, it was easy to check the first-floor main lock. Ratford had already made a fake key.

“Everyone, follow quietly.”

Ihan said so and approached the main entrance of the Gatekeeper’s Hall with Ratford.

The friends carefully followed behind.

“!”

Amazingly, there was a huge hole in the front door of the Gatekeeper’s Hall. As if something giant had rammed it open.

The students marveled.

“It was prepared beforehand! Amazing!”

“…What the heck is this?”

“???”

At Ihan’s baffled voice, the students present were startled.