Episode 88

Episode 88

“Why are you telling us this now?!”

When Lee Han, who had always acted politely no matter what kind of quarrelsome and violent behavior the spirit showed, got angry, Perkuntra was startled.

Ah… No. You never asked…

“You’re dealing with students at a school and you don’t even know what is most important to them?!”

Missing one class isn’t that big of an issue…

Perkuntra protested, as if it were unfair.

Having stayed here for a long time, even Perkuntra knew roughly how wizards received instruction.

Wasn’t it about gathering together in a classroom and listening to various talks from professors?

Missing a class or two didn’t usually make a big difference. Magic was about steady effort and brilliant talent; whether you attended a class once or twice wasn’t important…

“I have to submit an assignment. Not handing it in is absolutely out of the question.”

At Lee Han’s words, Yoner nodded with determination blazing in his eyes. His red hair swayed back and forth.

Most lectures at the magic school were quite shameless, but among them, the ‘Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic’ lecture was particularly so.

-This is the magic circle design blueprint I submitted to the Empire in my youth. Calculate how much the total cost would be after reading this blueprint.

The crazy professor gave a crazy assignment to calculate how much money would have gone into making the thick magic circle design by the next week.

Lee Han and Yoner ground their teeth, cursed their professor, and stayed up all night.

Since they had finished the assignment like that, there was no way they wouldn’t hand it in.

Otherwise, they would be so frustrated they wouldn’t be able to sleep for weeks!

…Is this all really because of an assignment??

When Perkuntra asked, feeling wronged, Lee Han and Yoner snapped their heads away.

You know how they say when a nice person gets angry it’s scary? When the normally obedient little wizards glared at him, Perkuntra flinched.

Y-yeah. Assignments could be important, I guess. Sorry.

“Just tell us the time, please.”

After hearing the time from Perkuntra, Lee Han looked up at the ceiling anxiously.

There were only about an hour and a half left before the morning ‘Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic’ class.

“Let’s hurry. Mr. Perkuntra, please show us the way out.”

N… no, I can’t.

The two young wizards glared at him with genuine murderous intent.

Perkuntra hurriedly tried to explain himself.

I made a promise!

“What promise?”

To the wizard who summoned me, to block any students escaping from this disciplinary room! I can’t show you the way out. In fact, I was going to have you seal me here temporarily before you left.

Lee Han felt let down.

He didn’t even know how complicated and bizarre the structure of this school’s underground disciplinary room was.

Without Perkuntra’s help, there was no guarantee they could get out in time.

Feeling anxious, Lee Han couldn’t control his emotions.

“Ah, why are you so unhelpful! Then why did you make a pact?”

……

Perkuntra’s pride was slightly wounded.

Even fights with dragons or demons, and even bloody battles with Principal Lich, hadn’t hurt Perkuntra’s pride.

But the words of these young contractors did hurt his pride.

Without realizing it, Perkuntra started making excuses.

It’s only because of the special circumstances of this disciplinary room. If you summon me outside later, my abilities—

“I understand. So, how do I seal you?”

…If you just command me to stay here temporarily.

Lee Han did as Perkuntra instructed.

Thanks to that command, Perkuntra couldn’t leave this forgotten disciplinary room for a while.

“Let’s go, Yoner.”

Don’t forget to summon me when you get out! My abilities aren’t just this, you know!

“Yes, yes, I understand!”

Don’t forget! I said, don’t forget! Are you listening? Don’t for—

• * *

Scritch, scritch —

It was an urgent situation, but Lee Han and Yoner tried their best to stay calm.

They went up and down staircases, around corridors, drawing a map as they went.

“It’s blocked.”

“Let’s go back. This whole corridor is blocked.”

“We’ll have to go down two floors and try again.”

Clatter!

The bone summon ran over from afar. Lee Han asked,

“Did you find a way?”

Clack clack!

The bone summon actively expressed its thoughts. It meant there was no way. Lee Han clicked his tongue.

Lee Han and Yoner, and even the bone summon, were searching for an exit, but progress was still slow.

This disciplinary room was like an ant nest.

Among the staircases in the hallway, you couldn’t tell which ones led upwards. Some led to dead-end sealed rooms, some made you circle round below, and some just made you spin in place.

Somehow, as he walked, Lee Han thought of the skull principal’s face.

Maybe it was just a feeling, but he suspected the skull principal might have created this himself.

“Let’s go back that way… wait. What did you bring?”

Lee Han was taken aback.

In his hurry, he hadn’t noticed, but the bone summon that used to have only front paws had suddenly grown much bigger.

What are you carrying in your mouth…?!

Rattle!

The bone summon banged and rolled, finally assembling itself properly.

Broad rib bones, a long tail, and the bones of hind legs too.

It was missing the skull and one paw, but Lee Han recognized the shape.

It was a leopard.

‘Were those leopard bones??’

He’d always thought they were human…

Thinking back, no matter how unpopular the necromancy professor was, he probably wouldn’t have given a freshman a human hand bone.

‘I’m embarrassed I thought it was a human hand bone.’

The bone summon—no, the leopard bone summon—confidently thumped its paw.

Maybe it got more confident since it had grown larger.

But missing a skull and an arm, that confidence looked a bit odd.

“Did Professor Mortum hide bones in the disciplinary room corner?”

“Yes.”

Lee Han nodded, but still felt self-conscious.

Yoner was looking at him with worried eyes.

The meaning of the look was simple.

-I have to keep learning necromancy from that professor, is that really okay?

“…It’ll be fine. Probably.”

Lee Han looked away to the leopard bone summon.

Anyway, since it had gotten bigger, it should be faster now.

“Go that way and check every path. Got it?”

“That way is pointless.”

“!!”

Lee Han and Yoner were so startled they looked around.

Then the voice came again.

“This way. This way.”

There was a banging sound from inside a door.

Surprisingly, there was a student inside one of the private rooms next to the hallway.

“I saw you making a racket walking around. Why are you even in the disciplinary room if you don’t know the way?”

“There’s a long story. Why are you here?”

“I have my own long story. What year are you?”

“I just entered this time.”

“……”

Suddenly, silence fell from inside the room. Lee Han wondered why.

What’s this?

“Are you the freshman who got dragged into the disciplinary room last time? The one who tried to escape via the basement passage and got caught?”

“Then, are you the senior who got caught after raiding the principal’s secret storeroom? What did you do this time?”

Lee Han was surprised.

To think that fellow disciplinary room mate was here.

“Can you lower your voice? Is that something to brag about?”

“What’s to be ashamed of? I also ended up here after raiding a professor’s storeroom.”

“……”

The student inside the private room was at a loss for words.

No one could guess how he ended up here raiding a professor’s storeroom, but it was truly beyond imagination.

A mere freshman had escaped via the basement passage last time, and now ended up in the disciplinary room after raiding a professor’s storeroom…

Maybe next time, he’d escape by flying out of the school.

Yoner whispered to Lee Han.

“Who is that?”

“He’s the senior who was in the room next door last time. He likes to be spoken to casually.”

“It’s not that he likes to be treated casually… never mind. What are you doing in the hallway?”

“Looking for a way out.”

“…Not even surprised anymore. So, did you find the way?”

Lee Han couldn’t reply. The student inside seemed to have expected that and smiled faintly.

“It’s not easy. The way up from here is anything but straightforward.”

“Senior. Would you come with us if I let you out?”

At Lee Han’s suggestion, the student inside burst out laughing.

“How naïve! If you’d ever escaped from inside, you wouldn’t say that. Do you know what comes out when you open this door?”

“The spirit of lightning?”

“…What are you? How did you know??”

The student inside stuttered in confusion.

“Met him on the way up.”

“……”

The student inside staggered in horror. He couldn’t even imagine how they’d managed to shake him off.

“You… what the… never mind. Anyway, sorry, but I’m not thinking of escaping.”

“Why not?”

“I’m being released in six hours.”

“……”

Lee Han couldn’t help but agree.

“Then could you at least give us some advice about the way out?”

The answer to Lee Han’s question was similar to last time.

The student inside spoke in a mocking voice.

“Why would I tell you that?”

“…We’re doomed.”

“??”

“Last time I coaxed him with food, but there’s nothing to use this time.”

Lee Han turned to Yoner with a helpless look.

“Coaxed?! What do you take me for?”

The student inside protested at overhearing the conversation.

He thought he’d been helping an underclassman, but with those words, it sounded like he’d just caved because he was hungry.

Clack clack!

While they talked, the leopard bone summon poked Lee Han. It wanted its next orders.

“Wait…”

“Hold on.”

The student inside spoke.

“Is that a bone summon?”

“Yes.”

“…Are you by any chance learning necromancy under Professor Mortum?”

“Yes…?”

“……”

An awkward and heavy silence fell.

A moment later, a sheet of paper was pushed out from under the door.

It was a simple map of how to exit from here, drawn on the spot.

“…Take it. Good luck.”

“……”

Even though he got the map, Lee Han was not happy at all. For some reason, a bad premonition hovered in his mind.

• * *

‘We’re late!’

Lee Han gritted his teeth.

A professor was coming out of the classroom down the hall.

Even though they’d run for it, they were late.

He wasn’t the kind of professor who took attendance, but considering his strict personality, if Lee Han said, “I’m late, professor, but I did my assignment,” he’d more likely answer, “If you can’t even respect time, how can you submit an assignment?”

Yoner gasped with a face full of despair. She was out of breath after running all this way.

“Lee Han… no, no, no.”

Yoner, about to call for Lee Han, hurriedly grabbed his arm.

Lee Han had drawn his wand and was aiming it at the professor’s back.

“You can’t do that!”

“What?”

“It’s too dangerous to attack the professor!”

“I’m not trying to attack. I’m aiming for that.”

Lee Han pointed to the stack of assignments floating beside the professor.

It was the stack of assignments the professor had collected from the students during class.

“I’m going to slip mine in there.”

“…Can you really do that?”

“Yes.”

Lee Han spoke resolutely and raised his wand.

All the hardships he’d suffered from Professor Voladi until now might have been for this very moment.

Hardship makes a mage grow.

At this moment, Lee Han fully absorbed the teachings of the magic school into his body.