Episode 823

Episode 823

Unaware that his junior was rating him on Yukveltire’s level, Falkrius began a serious explanation.

He showed an academic side completely unlike his usual self, who pressured Kitchen Club members to hurry up.

“That disease isn’t an ordinary one. Look.”

Even while feeling reluctant, Lee Han looked at the wizard sprawled out and groaning.

‘It is peculiar.’

On the outside, he looked normal, but the disease’s mana swirling inside the wizard was drawing strange eddies, constantly changing.

As the sharpest at detecting mana among the wizards here, Lee Han could clearly see the flow and form of this mana.

“It is strange. Usually, no matter how severe, diseases of the curse type follow a steady pattern, but this one keeps changing.”

“Puhaha. Wardanaz, you really are an all-school student. You spotted it exactly. That’s why it’s so tricky.”

The curse disease rooted in the wizard constantly changed its mana flow and form, unlike typical diseases.

This made identifying and resolving the magic much more difficult.

Lee Han didn’t understand and asked.

“Do such diseases exist? At least, I’ve never seen one in any books I’ve read.”

“Of course not. That’s because this wizard created it.”

“Excuse me?”

“More precisely, he made it experimenting on himself.”

Falkrius handed over a document, testimony from a Water Horse Mountains mage tower wizard.

-Water Horse Mountains Mage Tower Wizard

-Compound Cursed Disease (unknown, occurrence of curse fusion mutation phenomenon)

-The patient continued piling curses onto his own body for the sake of curse-dissolving research…

Among the patients coming to Einrogard, many were truly unlucky, but there were also a fair number who brought it on themselves.

And those who brought it on themselves could be said to be 99% wizards.

After all, it’s not easy to get injured in such bizarre ways that even local experts can’t resolve it.

Only those who kept injecting suspicious curses into their bodies could do such things.

“Wait, so he kept piling curses into himself?”

“Wardanaz, don’t look at patients like that.”

Falkrius quickly blocked Lee Han’s gaze. His junior’s eyes were too icy.

“People who put curses in their own bodies, shouldn’t you treat their heads before the curse… Wait. Is he from the Black Magic School?”

“Hmm? No, no. Must be Enchantment School. From the Water Horse Mountains Mage Tower.”

‘Whew. Thank goodness.’

Lee Han let out a breath of relief inside.

If it were Black Magic School, their already rock-bottom reputation would have sunk even lower.

“If it’s Enchantment Magic School, I understand. They all tend to be a little weird.”

“Wardanaz. It’s just that the Einrogard Enchantment School is a bit odd…”

Falkrius almost added “and you’re Enchantment School too,” but bit his tongue.

“Puhaha. And this isn’t even that bizarre. Wizards do this pretty often.”

“Have you ever piled curses into yourself, senior?”

“I did eat a bunch of poison mushrooms before, trying to find a new reagent.”

“……”

“Someone has to eat it, don’t they!”

Worried his junior might really quit Healing Magic School, Falkrius quickly explained.

And this really wasn’t unique to Healing Magic School.

Magic inevitably entailed experiments in the course of research, and the easiest subject to experiment on was, of course, oneself.

At least your own self won’t sue you in imperial court!

The Water Horse Mountains wizard was trying to discern the traits of curses to craft a powerful curse-dispelling artifact.

Not just the characteristics of each curse, but also their fusions and mutations.

-Hmm. This is how the blood clot curse works.

-Now, what if I overlay the Gaze of Parlakal? Should I tear up a spellbook?

-I can still handle it. Two curses don’t seem to fuse or mutate much. Good. Then the next… Ugh. Gack. Urgh!

-Are you alright!? S-somebody call a Healing Mage! Healing Mage!

‘I might really become a full-on anti-magic fanatic.’

Having heard the explanation, Lee Han asked, still restraining his patience.

“Then how do you treat it?”

“It’s a first case, so you’ll have to experiment slowly and patiently. He’ll probably be here all year. Puhuhu.”

“…Did you just laugh, senior?”

“I didn’t laugh?”

Excited at the prospect of researching something this unique and interesting for a year, Falkrius had been rubbing his giant palms together, but flinched at his junior’s words.

But regardless, the patient would have to stay for a while.

With no exact cure, you just had to try things out and study over time.

“What if I just overpower it?”

“Puhaha. Wardanaz, you can say that sort of thing at Einrogard, but never outside. People will think you’re a mad wizard.”

A Healing Mage saying he’d just solve an illness by flooding it with mana was like saying, in front of a dying patient, “I’ll just drain all my own blood for a transfusion!”

It was a solution, but sounded rather suicidal.

“And in this case, it won’t work. If the curse is just coating the soul lightly, you can force it off with power, but if it’s stuck deep in the bone marrow, forcing it risks grievous physical and mental damage. Since there’s no need to treat it right this instant, it’s better to wait and go slow.”

If you likened a soul to a hard orb, such curses were like a layer of pigment painted over it.

A pure, vast mana source like Lee Han’s could be likened to a torrential waterfall.

Sticky pigment, in the face of that waterfall, would eventually get washed away, but if pigment was injected right into the orb’s interior, it was a different story.

To get rid of that, you’d have to crack the orb open and shoot water inside. Of course, that process could easily harm the wizard.

“There are cases like that? How do you even get a curse inside your soul?”

“It’s easy. He opened his own soul and put it in.”

“……”

Lee Han seriously wondered if wizard research permits should be strictly regulated by imperial law.

“Senior! The professor is calling. She says a patient’s wrist keeps sprouting feet!”

-Hey brat. Where did you even find a patient like this? You’d be hard-pressed to find such a patient even searching all the oceans!

-Quiet. Falkrius! Get over here!

“Coming!”

Falkrius snapped to, winking at Lee Han.

“If you want to experiment on that patient, go ahead. Wardanaz, your hands must be itching, right?”

Lee Han was horrified by his senior’s generosity, always eager to share rare teaching specimens.

“Absolutely not…!”

But Falkrius was already gone.

Lee Han shook his head.

“Hey…”

“!”

Lee Han turned at the voice behind him.

It was the middle-aged Water Horse Mountains Mage Tower wizard, staring sharply at him.

“Do you need something? Want more painkillers?”

“No, not that. I was watching earlier… how did you cure a curse so quickly?”

“I just blasted it with mana.”

“…Don’t say nonsense.”

It took Lee Han fifteen minutes to convince the patient.

The Water Horse Mountains wizard was both convinced and horrified.

“How could one… Wait. What should I call you?”

“Call me Osu.”

“Ah. You must really respect Spirit Director.”

‘Do you want to die?’

Lee Han wondered if this man had forgotten he was in Einrogard.

If not, it was hard to believe he’d dare to say something like that.

“Alright, Osu. I believe in you. Then… do it for me, too.”

“Excuse me? I can’t.”

“…Here. Take this.”

The wizard quietly produced a small pouch and placed it in Lee Han’s hand.

Inside were small, gleaming pieces of lapis lazuli.

“Is that enough? I have to get back soon. I need to finish my research before summer.”

“No… I’m not lacking money. Blasting things with mana doesn’t even cost anything.”

It seemed the wizard believed that even if Lee Han could solve things with mana, it must cost something by nature, so he offered a bribe.

“Then why can’t you?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

Lee Han repeated what Falkrius had told him.

Originally, disease is pigment painted over the orb of the soul…

“It’s fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s fine. I won’t die. Really, I won’t. Just do it.”

‘It’s not fine.’

Lee Han thought, once again, that this was classic Enchantment Magic School behavior.

Even if you told them they’d die, they just said what they wanted and ignored you—exactly like a certain beaver beastkin professor.

“I’ve also learned some illusion magic, so I’ll extract my spirit for a moment and cancel any resistance, so just blast it…”

“No. I can’t.”

“Please! You’re an Einrogard student! I’ll make it an official request from the Water Horse Mountains Mage Tower. I’ll send funding! How about an invitation? I’ll get you an outing pass!”

The wizard grabbed Lee Han’s sleeve, begging so desperately that Lee Han felt slightly overwhelmed and asked,

“It’s not about benefits, it’s for your safety. If you just treat it over time, it’ll be much safer, won’t it?”

“I told you, I need to finish my research before summer! Don’t you know what happens if you get a big investment from a professor like Verdus, but don’t finish on schedule? You end up like Professor Verdus! Hunted down and unable to leave Einrogard because of assassins! I don’t want to end up like that!”

“……”

The wizard’s desperate cry not to end up like Professor Verdus shook Lee Han to the core.

After some thought, Lee Han decided he had to try something.

‘The professor is busy, Lady Lagesa is busy too. Who can I ask…’

Lee Han glanced at his staff.

It hadn’t been that long since he’d spoken with the Mad Clone, but there was only one great wizard he could consult now.

“Please wait here a second. Are you there?”

Silence.

Lee Han persistently called to his master until he got a reply.

A specter appeared from the Echoing Stone.

What is it.

“Hello, Master. Your disciple wanted to pay his respects…”

Given what happened last time, not to mention how desperate he was now, Lee Han’s attitude was very humble.

The Mad Clone, apparently pleased by this flattery, nodded in response.

So you understand a bit about a disciple’s etiquette. Maybe your future won’t be wholly wretched. Peasant.

“Haha. Thank you. Anyway, Master, I have a question that came up during my magical training.”

Fifth circle, this time?

“It’s not.”

……

The Mad Clone scowled at Lee Han.

He felt like every time he called his disciple, instead of learning fifth circle magic, he was doing something else.

Lee Han hurriedly made excuses.

“It’s part of my path to the fifth circle! All of this is feeding my foundations!”

…Fine. Go on, tell me about it.

Apparently, the flattery was effective, so instead of cursing, the Mad Clone got right to business.

Lee Han diligently explained the patient’s condition.

“Is there a way to cure such a patient quickly?”

It’s simple. I’ll teach you a decent secret technique.

“Thank you…!”

Lee Han was about to rejoice, then paused.

“Is this a fifth circle spell or higher?”

No. Judging by the process, it’s about third circle.

‘Thank goodness!’

Of course, even for a second year, third circle wasn’t exactly good news, but Lee Han’s standards for magic were already thoroughly skewed.

It actually seemed easy.

“I’d appreciate you teaching me. What kind of magic is it?”

This spell absorbs all of the opponent’s spiritual stains.

“…Uhm, as in, I’d have to suffer in their place?”