Episode 927

“Yeah. The professor is at fault here.”

At Direte’s words, Professor Mortum’s face filled with shock and betrayal.

But Direte didn’t care. According to the Einrogard Student Code, it was always justifiable self-defense for a student to betray or attack a teacher.

And if someone had to get hurt, better it be the professor than the junior.

“That’s right. You should have told me ahead of time.”

“Exactly, I think so too.”

“Cough. You ungrateful brats. I was giving you a chance to learn for yourself…”

Professor Mortum grumbled between coughs, but Direte ignored him.

“Professor, can’t we just negotiate with the main body?”

“With the main body?”

Professor Mortum, who was about to sip warm lemon honey tea (regularly brewed and placed by Lee Han on Black Dark Hall’s first floor), frowned.

Trying to negotiate directly with the main body was another matter entirely.

Commanding a fragment, a clone with no ego, as an undead monster was not so dangerous, especially with the being’s permission.

But negotiating with a powerful undead main body…

“Cough. Do we have to go that far?”

Beings from other dimensions were unpredictable and eccentric. Especially those in the undead world.

If it was weakened, that was one thing, but if his guess was right and it had regained its strength, trying to negotiate could only lead to disaster.

“Of course, we need to be careful. But our side isn’t lacking in justification.”

Direte asserted her point calmly.

If this was just ordinary theft—no, negotiation—Direte wouldn’t suggest it. There was no point in asking a powerful unknown undead for its clone back.

But this case was a little different.

Her junior hadn’t just used the clone, but built steady rapport and helped it grow.

Not only that, but massive extra mana had been given, helping the main body recover its strength.

Contracts and laws of other dimensions were, in some ways, even stricter than imperial statute. Even a mighty being couldn’t easily ignore debts or grudges.

“If you point that out, the being may acknowledge it and agree to fair compensation.”

“Truly…”

Professor Mortum sipped his tea, impressed with his student’s insight.

She truly was the next professor of Einrogard’s Black Magic School—able to spot a crack even in this situation.

A true necromancer should be able to loot even every storage room if snatched away by demons.

‘Impressive.’

Marveling at his student’s growth, Mortum decided to send Direte to the next necromancer society meeting in his place.

He’d delayed before, worried his student would be intimidated by the heavyweights present, but now he saw she was perfectly qualified.

Professor Mortum felt pride in being a mentor always throwing new challenges to his worthy student. Unlike the skeletal headmaster, he, Mortum, was a really fine teacher.

“I’ll take the lead and negotiate together with my junior. I also—”

“No.”

“?!”

Both were shocked by the unexpected rejection from the second-year student.

“Huh? Why not?”

“Senior, you’re busy. I’ll do it with the professor.”

“……”

“……”

So I’m not busy now?

• * *

“Junior, you shouldn’t say that in front of the professor.”

“Pardon?”

Heading up the stairs of the Black Dark Hall together, Direte gave Lee Han some careful advice.

Professor Mortum had acted nonchalant, but seemed just a bit hurt.

Of course, it was good to respect seniors, but you should show some respect to teachers too.

Professors did have feelings.

“What do you mean?”

“That… saying you’ll do it with the professor. You might not have meant it, but he could take it as meaning he’s not busy…”

“Oh, that.”

“!?”

Startled, Direte’s feathers bristled at the sign the junior already knew.

You mean he knew and said it anyway!?

“You knew and still said that?!”

“Yes? I did think it could feel that way.”

“Then why say it?”

“Well… because you’re busy, Senior.”

Given the choice between making things harder for his overburdened senior or hurting a troublesome professor’s feelings, Lee Han never hesitated.

A professor who’d handed a wicked, powerful undead’s clone to a freshman with no warning could handle a bruised ego, no big deal.

But the hardest-working senior at Einrogard being made even busier? That’d be a real tragedy.

‘Who does he mean is the hardest working senior at Einrogard… Wait.’

As she was wondering, Direte realized with shock:

‘Do I look that way to him…?!’

Direte resolved not to complain so much in front of her junior from now on.

How pitiful must she have looked for him to think that?

“But really, are you sure you’re okay, Senior? Even now, you could ask the professor…”

“No, no, no, no. Don’t. The professor’s busy too! Even if he doesn’t look it!”

“Hm.”

Lee Han thought, ‘No matter how busy a professor is, could they be busier than a student? Why be a professor then, just keep being a student,’ but said nothing out of respect for his senior.

“And actually, I got involved because it overlaps with the mission I’m on right now.”

“A mission?”

“Yeah.”

Direte easily explained her current work.

By now, even a Wardanaz junior would be realizing that aside from the basic curriculum, Einrogard students often took on extra requests or missions.

As a fifth-year of Black Magic, Direte handled everything from personal favors to jobs for the Black Magic School as a whole.

‘Ugh. Poor thing.’

She had no idea her junior pitied her even more for explaining all this.

“My current job is supporting investigations into evil god worshippers. The black mages are involved.”

“That’s a shame. For mages to fall into evil god worship…”

Even those on the frontlines of wisdom couldn’t easily escape faith.

People like the headmaster or Wardanaz Patriarch were the exception, not the rule. Many mages still leaned on faith.

And unauthorized religions in the Empire always promised even greater and more destructive power than legal ones.

Thinking about it, it was no wonder evil god worshippers appeared among mages.

“…It’s not that the black mages are evil god worshippers. The black mages are tracking evil god worshippers, junior…”

“……”

Lee Han fell silent. So did Direte.

“Haha! My mistake!”

“It happens!”

Neither asked why he thought black mages were evil god worshippers. They knew that would just make them sad.

“But isn’t it dangerous? Evil god worshippers…”

“It’s just support.”

Holy magic was as unpredictable as psychic, wild, or primal magic.

At least with legal imperial sects, there’d been centuries of research so some theory existed. Evil god cultists had nothing like that.

But that instability made them even trickier to deal with.

They used strange, unique forces boldly, unlike regular imperial magic.

But Direte wasn’t too worried. She wasn’t going after them directly; she was just analyzing and interpreting information behind the scenes.

This week’s job was to track which undead being evil god worshippers had contracted.

Seeing the foul power they used, the black mages realized they must have struck a deal with a powerful undead and reached out for help.

“What kind of undead?”

“Uses the power of rot and corruption, but that’s all I know. I’ll have to look into it more. Could take some time.”

She hesitated.

She realized, if this wasn’t wrapped up on the weekend, her lectures next week would be affected.

“Junior. If the class has to be postponed… Actually never mi—”

“I’m fine!”

Lee Han shouted before she could finish.

“If you’re busy, it’s fine to push back class. At this rate, the syllabus is already ahead anyway.”

‘That’s true.’

Her junior was right.

The -Poison, Bone, Blood- class had advanced faster than expected.

That was mostly due to her junior’s relentless, proactive approach even when not asked.

But Direte felt a guilty conscience.

Was it right for her own side work to rob her junior of his chance to learn?

Her friend Yukveltire would have said “Let’s meet the week after next” with no hesitation, but Direte still had a conscience.

“Still, that’s a bit…”

“Next week is club activity week. Lots of people will be going out, anyway.”

“Oh. It’s that time already?”

Direte’s eyes went wide.

She’d been busy as a fourth-year, but at least then she was aware of the passage of time. As a fifth-year, she operated on a different clock than other students.

She spoke, a bit sour.

“I see. Well, if it’s for club activities, it’s fine to postpone class. Which club…”

About to ask which club, Direte changed her mind.

She realized there was no point with this junior.

“Any advice?”

“Hmm. Let’s see… Don’t make too much trouble outside.”

“And?”

“Don’t get the club shut down.”

“……”

With that regretful advice, Lee Han started to feel scared to ask any more.

• * *

“With this, we’ll explore the undead world.”

Director went into a dusty, secluded room of Black Dark Hall and pointed to a purple door.

Its old wooden frame creaked as if ready to break, but Lee Han could sense powerful magical waves from it.

Not only that, but since learning Fall, he could feel the flow of dimensions linked to the door.

“An artifact connecting to the undead world?”

“Wow, how did you know? You’re right.”

Direte was surprised by her junior’s perception.

Just seeing the artifact’s surface wasn’t enough to guess its power.

“This is -Mortum’s Wooden Door-. It lets you explore or negotiate with the undead world without going there yourself.”

“!”

No matter how great a mage, actually visiting another dimension for exploration or negotiation was no easy feat.

Especially not in the dangerous undead world.

This door reduced that risk and enabled exploration instead—a powerful artifact.

‘Incredible…!’

Seeing her junior amazed, Direte was satisfied.

“Impressive, right?”

“But did the Professor really keep this hidden for himself? I feel like we could have used it before…”

“N-no, that’s not it. It’s just got some tricky requirements to use.”

Direte hurriedly deflected.

It wasn’t a total lie. There was a cost for activating such an artifact, making it hard to use freely.

“That makes sense. Given the expense, not everyone could use it… But at least you can use it at will, right, Senior?”

“Here, let me show you how it works.”

“…You DO have full access, right??”