Episode 846

‘What a pity.’

He never expected the duke, who had been so arrogant, to change like this.

Even though Lee Han never had any particular fondness for Duke Ikaldoren, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

And the most surprising aspect of all this was that Yukveltire herself had not an ounce of malice.

‘She couldn’t have done it this well even if she’d tortured him on purpose…’

Even if Lee Han and Yukveltire had teamed up, one playing the good interrogator and the other the bad, they probably couldn’t have gotten such results.

As Professor Verdus’s disciple, she clearly had a natural talent for “torturing” people.

‘Anyway, I should tell her.’

Lee Han decided to seek out Yukveltire and let her know that he’d take care of the duke for the next few days.

It would be a bit of a hassle, but Duke Ikaldoren was so pitiful that Lee Han felt he should at least do that much.

After all, he’d already secured sponsorship for two research projects.

“Oh. Senior!”

Just as he went upstairs and exited the Black Dark Hall, he caught sight of Yukveltire passing by.

Winding her pocket watch with her pale, slender fingers, Yukveltire checked the time and slowly turned her head at her junior’s call.

“Hello.”

“Yes. Good to see you.”

Lee Han quickly tossed the staff he’d been carrying into a nearby grave pit so that she wouldn’t notice.

Honestly, he thought it would be fine to show her, but Direte’s words had lingered in his mind.

If his senior used her authority or status to give him a hard time, there was nothing good that could come of it, so it was best to be careful.

‘Wait. Did the wood spirit dislike places like that?’

After throwing it, he realized wood spirits didn’t like grave pits.

As spirits of life, they naturally hated the necromantic energies and miasma found in such places.

‘Well, can’t do anything about it.’

Lee Han quickly let it go.

What was done was done, and besides, wood spirits were sturdy and fierce—being in a grave pit for a bit wouldn’t be a problem.

“Senior, what brings you here?”

“I need to return a book I borrowed from Direte. What about you?”

“Ah, I… I just came to see if His Highness was doing well.”

Yukveltire shook her head minutely as if Lee Han was wasting his time.

“The duke is being managed perfectly. Don’t waste your time unnecessarily.”

“……”

Lee Han was taken aback.

Her confidence just made it even more astonishing.

‘How can she say that so boldly after almost starving someone to death?’

“Did you check on him today?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Junior of the Wardanaz family. You’ll understand one day, but what’s important in enchantment magic is efficiency. Just as there’s no need to recalculate a perfectly constructed magic formula, there’s no need to check on the duke again when he is being managed perfectly.”

Yukveltire said this without a shred of doubt.

She’d given the duke exactly the amount of food he wanted, so there was no need to check in before the specified period ended.

“…Ah, yes. But, senior, would you mind if I took over caring for the duke from now on?”

“Why?”

Lee Han almost said, ‘His Highness wants to kill you,’ but stopped himself.

He was worried she might get stubborn unnecessarily.

“As your junior, I’d like to help with your work.”

“Glad you finally came around. My artificial dimension research…”

“I don’t want to do that.”

“……”

As Lee Han immediately refused, Yukveltire’s expressionless face showed a hint of displeasure.

Why did this junior—who had skill, qualifications, and even respect for his senior—keep refusing her?

“I’m just a bit too busy for that. Anyway, may I take over?”

“Fine. But you mustn’t let the duke die because of neglect. He’s an important hostage.”

“……”

Lee Han involuntarily clenched his fist.

‘She’s my senior. Don’t attack her. She’s my senior. Don’t attack her.’

“Yes. I’ll do my best. Well, then I’ll…”

“Wait.”

“?”

Just as Lee Han was about to turn away, Yukveltire called him back.

“How is the staff crafting going?”

“The staff?”

Glancing once at the grave pit beside him, Lee Han replied cautiously, trying to gauge his senior’s reaction.

“I’m looking for black magnetite. But, senior… if someone else offered to finish my staff for me, how would you feel?”

“If they finished it, they finished it, I suppose.”

Yukveltire answered right away, as if it was nothing.

At that answer, Lee Han let out a sigh of relief inside.

‘What was Direte worried about, then?’

She might be rather odd, but she wasn’t the type to get angry or pick on a junior just because someone else finished a staff for him.

“Did someone offer to finish it for you?”

“I heard such an offer…”

“I’d recommend turning it down. It’s clearly the work of some scam artist. Coming after a project another enchantment mage has already worked on is a sure sign of a shameless piece of trash.”

It was the first time Lee Han had seen Yukveltire speak so long and so quickly. She didn’t even pause to breathe.

“But… didn’t you just say if someone finished it, then it’s finished?”

“And I meant it. But the one offering is still a scam artist and trash. Actually, that’s putting it mildly. Even if they wandered hell for their whole life cursed in soul, it wouldn’t be enough.”

“……”

‘She should just get angry outright instead of…’

Lee Han was speechless at his senior, who said she wasn’t angry yet was clearly holding a grudge.

The good thing was that Professor Verdus bore the brunt of that anger…

But what worried him was that some of it could splash onto him, too.

It was irrational and unreasonable, but weren’t most Einrogard wizards like that anyway?

‘I’ll have to tell her later.’

Or just never tell her at all.

“Understood, senior. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll be off, then…”

“Junior of the Wardanaz family.”

“Yes?”

“You’ll refuse the offer, right?”

“…Yes. Now I’ll really…”

“Good.”

Lee Han let out a relieved sigh and turned away.

He planned to return and pick up his staff once Yukveltire had disappeared in the distance.

“Junior of the Wardanaz family.”

“!?”

As Yukveltire was walking away, she suddenly stopped and called out again.

Lee Han panicked, thinking maybe she’d noticed his intentions.

“Yes?”

“You really should refuse that offer. Understand?”

“…I said I understood.”

Only after calling him back three more times to badger him did Yukveltire finally leave completely.

Lee Han put her on his list of people to avoid for a while.

Mad Clone

Verdus

Yukveltire

‘Hmm.’

Ruminating, Lee Han picked up his quill and changed the danger ranking.

Yukveltire

Verdus

Mad Clone

• * *

-Advanced Illusion Magic and Theory of Spirit Body- was a third-year course taught by Professor Kirmin Ku.

While such advanced illusion magic could certainly be taught to second-year students, the reason it was taught to third-years was because of the spirit theory component.

The spirit, that is, the soul.

When illusion magic reaches a certain level, a deep exploration of existence and soul becomes essential.

At lower levels, illusion magic did not actually require an understanding of the soul.

After all, illusions were basically just about deceiving the target, and there wasn’t always a need to involve the soul in that deception.

Even the “series of illusion spells from Pahait” Lee Han learned last year distorted vision via fire’s power without requiring study of the soul to cast.

“But that’s just a simple view. Once you get past a certain level, you need to delve into the soul even deeper than other schools of magic.”

Professor Kirmin wrote words on the board with illusion magic.

Sensing another’s soul, perceiving your own soul, expanding and shrinking the power of the soul, directly interfering with and confusing or striking a soul…

It wasn’t just about seeking a higher level of magic.

If you wanted to cast illusion magic against high-magic opponents or monsters, this kind of approach to the soul was essential.

Professor Bolmo used to say, “Tricking magicians above a certain level with illusions is several times harder than in other fields,” but that was only half true.

“A truly exceptional illusionist is unstoppable, no matter the defenses. When you sigh in relief, thinking you’re safe in your own workshop, and find your shadow moving on its own—that’s when you realize not to take illusion magic lightly. Did I ever tell you the story of how I got the jump on Professor Baegrek?”

“Professor, I think you’ve told that story over a hundred times.”

“Hm. Fine. I’ll keep quiet, then.”

‘No!’

Lee Han glared at his seniors.

They’d already heard it, so they were blocking their junior’s chance to learn.

It was deeply frustrating.

‘Argh. I’m so curious. How exactly did he do it in the end?’

If he knew the trick, maybe Lee Han could use it against Professor Voladi one day.

“Everyone, remember last lecture? Let’s continue. Wardanaz, come up here.”

Professor Kirmin called Lee Han to the front.

He felt the need to explain separately since Lee Han had missed the last class.

“What your classmates are practicing now is contemplating and perceiving the soul. Wardanaz, as I just explained, your first step is perception. That’s harder than you’d think. Even if you can’t manage it today, I’ll understand.”

Even for magicians, consciously sensing and perceiving their own souls was harder than expected.

It’s hard to deliberately perceive a sense that is usually as natural as breathing.

That’s why students started by trying to perceive others’ souls.

The seniors in the classroom used various elixirs and spells to amplify and resonate their souls.

It made their souls much easier to see.

“Now, you’re going to have a light out-of-body experience. Wardanaz, take a lap and come back, but try to feel the sense of dissonance. Your soul will be there now.”

“Um, Professor?”

“?”

“If it’s just perceiving the soul, I think I can do that already…”

“?!”

Professor Kirmin was startled.

“Did Professor Baegrek teach you to perceive the soul too? No matter what, that’s going too far??”

“No.”

Lee Han quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.

If left alone, innocent—well, not innocent, but at least not in this particular matter—Professor Voladi might get blamed.

“Well…”

He’d learned ancient necromancy recently, which was all about absorbing the pain of others—and to use it properly, you had to access the depths of the soul…

It was a long and vast story, but Professor Kirmin, as one of Einrogard’s relatively “normal” professors, listened patiently.

Most others would’ve interrupted multiple times with, “Wait. Is that even possible?” and so forth.

‘Hmm.’

After hearing how Lee Han had learned the Fall of Gonadaltes magic from the mad clone of the skeletal headmaster, used that magic to heal another cursed magician, and even cursed himself as part of an ordeal to find his own soul, Professor Kirmin went beyond surprise to the point of wondering—

‘Does Wardanaz even need this course?’

The first semester goal of -Advanced Illusion Magic and Theory of Spirit Body- was for students to become familiar with perceiving the spirit body.

…But there had never been a student who came in already knowing everything beforehand like this.