Episode 89

“Move.”

The more unskilled and inexperienced a wizard was, the more they would swing their wand flamboyantly and shout their spells loudly.

The less confident you were, the more strongly you had to act so you could make your own mental image into reality.

In that sense, Ihan barely moved his wand at all and his voice was barely above a whisper.

Ihan himself didn’t realize it, but the effects of Professor Voladi’s harsh training were showing clearly.

“…!”

Yoner was amazed at the way the assignments flew so naturally.

Like paper birds, the thick assignments of Ihan and Yoner sliced gently through the air in the professor’s direction.

It was just sending over their assignments, but he couldn’t take his eyes off it.

It looked like a totally different dimension of magic compared to the stiff, broken spells Yoner had seen so far.

‘Focus.’

Ihan focused his mind.

It wasn’t just a matter of slipping the papers into the pile.

He had to make sure the professor wouldn’t notice.

-Focus.

It felt as if Professor Voladi’s voice echoed in his ear.

“It’s just a simple matter of slipping a piece of paper in between.”

Voladi’s voice was clear in his ear.

“But there’s a barrier.”

“You can break through. You’ve learned this already. Right?”

The voice became oppressively clear.

This…

It wasn’t a voice in his head.

With a shiver of fear, Ihan turned his eyes.

Two professors were staring right at him from behind.

Thanks to this, Yoner couldn’t even breathe properly.

Professor Voladi spoke in a cold voice.

“Why are you turning your gaze? Focus.”

Ihan instinctively turned his head back.

Then, the professor next to Voladi, one he’d never seen before, said,

“No, it might be better to just give up and step back…”

“Ignore that. You can do this. Remember what you learned.”

“……”

Ihan recalled all the misfortunes of this week.

No matter how he looked at it, he had been unusually unlucky.

Was he cursed or something?

‘Of all things, why did I have to run into professors?’

If it had been Professor Garcia, that would have been better, but Professor Voladi…

Ihan was seriously considering whether to search for a luck potion.

“No, really? That barrier is actually pretty high level.”

“You can do this. Do it.”

“Um, professors… sorry but could you maybe agree on some advice…?”

Unable to take it anymore, Yoner spoke up, but the two professors paid him no mind.

Professor Voladi told him he could do it and to proceed, while the unfamiliar professor told him to give up.

It was a maddening situation, but Ihan was able to gather some facts.

‘So there is a barrier.’

He had already assumed there would be some magic, given the floating pile of assignments following the professor, but he hadn’t guessed there was a barrier too.

The unfamiliar professor said,

“That barrier will make a loud noise if someone interferes. You might not sense it, but there are several invisible layers of mana bands orbiting around that stack of papers.”

At those words, Ihan focused to try to sense the mana.

It was easy to miss with the massive mana pouring from his whole body, but Ihan’s talents weren’t limited only to mana.

An unmatched tenacity for life, thorough calculation that did not falter even in crisis, a useless presence that terrified spirits—and on top of that, he was excellent at sensing mana.

‘I see it!’

When he focused, he could indeed sense the mana bands spinning around the papers.

“At your level, it’s impossible to reach them without disturbing the mana bands. So, don’t get lured in by Professor Bagrek’s words and try something reckless; it’s better to wait for another chance. Professor Bagrek is known to care nothing about his students, after all.”

‘That’s so true.’

Ihan agreed deeply but said otherwise.

“That’s not true. The professor always considers his students.”

“You see?”

Professor Voladi took Ihan’s words at face value.

If Ihan had agreed with the criticism, Professor Voladi would’ve thought, ‘Ah, I guess I am not thinking of my students enough.’

But hearing what Ihan said, Professor Voladi decided his teaching method must in fact be student-oriented.

There didn’t seem to be any other possible conclusion.

“Really? This disciple is so good-hearted.”

“That’s not logical. Wardanaz. Do it. He’s walking away.”

“I’m telling you it’s not possible…!”

Professor Voladi urged him, the other tried to stop him.

And Ihan acted.

Whoosh!

The thick assignment flew gently and passed between the rotating mana bands.

If there had been even the slightest mistake, the mana band would have torn, making a loud noise.

Without hesitating, Ihan sent the next assignment. Yoner’s assignment landed squarely atop the stack, too.

Yoner applauded instinctively. Professor Voladi gave a barely perceptible nod.

“…Unbelievable! How?!”

“I learned it.”

“Yes, thank you for your guidance and instruction.”

Ihan spoke without emotion. At that, the unfamiliar professor was even more impressed.

“A truly remarkable disciple, isn’t he? Nice to meet you. You must be Wardanaz? I am Professor Kirmin Ku. Ordinarily I’d shake your hand, but I don’t recommend that. It’s a racial issue.”

Professor Kirmin was the complete opposite of Professor Voladi.

With a lively, bouncing voice, sharply dressed without a wrinkle, talking so intimately to Professor Voladi was almost odd to see.

“What field do you teach?”

“I do illusion magic, especially barriers. You just saw, didn’t you?”

“!”

Ihan brightened.

Listening to how he spoke, he had suspected as much, but he was truly an expert in barrier magic.

“I’ll be lecturing in Professor Garcia’s class at least once this semester. I need to show the students just how fun and delightful illusion magic is.”

“Illusion magic is useless.”

“……”

Ihan was shocked by Professor Voladi’s words.

To disparage another professor’s field?

Wouldn’t a duel break out?

But Professor Kirmin simply ignored Voladi’s comment.

“Deceiving a mage above a certain level with illusion magic is several times harder than with any other branch.”

“Yes. I’ve said that a hundred times. But that ‘certain level’ is only a handful in the whole Empire. So, Wardanaz. Why did you want to put your paper in there?”

Ihan considered for about a second.

He looked at both professors’ attitude, wondered if a lie would work, and made the best judgment.

‘It’s better to be honest.’

“I was late turning in my assignment.”

“……”

Yoner flushed red with embarrassment. Even Professor Kirmin seemed flustered by the unexpected reason.

‘Just for being a little late submitting homework?!’

“Sorry, professors.”

Ihan at least apologized to Professor Voladi. As expected, Voladi didn’t care.

“Why?”

“Because my assignment was late?”

“Was it my assignment?”

‘I figured he’d say that.’

“Guess so.”

Professor Kirmin looked at the teacher and student duo as if seeing something very peculiar.

To be honest, it had been a long time since anyone could interact so smoothly with Professor Voladi.

No matter if you were professor or student, after a few minutes you’d usually say, ‘May the sun rise above your head, you damn vampire bastard,’ and leave…

“So what class was it for?”

“.”

“Professor Alpen Neiten?”

Hearing him say the name, Ihan tensed.

In the face of professorly friendships, a promise between student and teacher meant little…

“Well done. Good for you. Honestly, that professor’s homework isn’t even worth doing.”

“???”

Professor Kirmin actually praised Ihan. Even Professor Voladi rarely added,

“Professor Alpen Neiten worked as an Imperial high administrator. He’s more skilled at handling power than at magic.”

“Did you know that guy used to cut half my research budget?”

The two professors ground their teeth, cursing the professor. Seeing that familiar scene, Ihan let out a sigh of relief.

Not all professors got along.

Especially mages who pursued pure magic disliked those in high government positions in the Empire who wielded real power.

The official reason was always something like ‘the purity of magic’ or ‘the seduction and corruption of the material,’ but as Ihan saw it, it was probably because the latter could cut the former’s budgets.

Even a mage who could topple the sky or split the earth couldn’t do research without a budget.

So the mages who judged research funding from their high government posts were the enemies of all other mages.

-My lifelong intuition tells me! We must excavate this dungeon even if we spend the entire territory budget. Bring in all the nearby adventurers…

-Last time you said that, too. This proposal is canceled.

-I’ll kill you! Kill you! You’d better be careful at night!

-If you want to threaten my nightly walks, get in line. There are thirty-three ahead of you.

…Such dignified conversations happened every year.

Still, Ihan’s mind didn’t change after the professors’ conversation.

Rather…

‘Wait, he was an Imperial high administrator?’

Hearing the professor was former high official of the Empire, Ihan’s eyes lit up.

What did that mean?

It meant strong connections at the highest levels of the Imperial bureaucracy.

And what was highest on Ihan’s goal list?

Becoming an Imperial official.

He suddenly felt all his resentment against Professor Alpen Neiten melting away.

The ridiculous amount of homework now felt like the heavy responsibility of a public servant burdened with the Empire’s fate.

‘I have to show my best face from now on.’

“Wardanaz. I’ve heard a rumor you’re highly talented. You’d better be careful, lest you get roped in by the Imperial officials. If you’re too outstanding, they’ll come at you with all sorts of temptations.”

Professor Voladi, for once, frowned and spoke at length.

“Let’s stop the jokes, Ku. Wardanaz would never walk the petty path of anti-magic.”

“No, you’re right. He’s from House Wardanaz. There’s no way he’d become an Imperial official, right?”

“……”

Ihan felt cold sweat trickling down his back for the first time in a long while.

• * *

After hearing from Professor Kirmin Ku to come to the next illusion magic class (he recommended, in spite of Voladi’s objections, that Ihan seriously study illusion), Ihan headed with Yoner to meet the friends from Blue Dragon Tower.

Seeing their exchange of glances outside the lecture hall, it was clear everyone had returned safely.

‘Thank goodness.’

He could finally get the ingredients for the potion…

“Thanks for all your hard work yesterday, eve—”

“Wardanaz! Gainando’s been kidnapped!”

“!”

The Blue Dragon Tower students gathered in front came running urgently the moment they saw Ihan.

They looked like they’d just been fighting; their appearances were a mess.

Ihan was startled and asked,

“By who? Don’t tell me those bastards from White Tiger Tower?”

“No! By a runaway summon!!”

Ihan almost felt relieved, then stopped himself.

Come to think of it, this was no reason for relief.