Episode 993

“Wardanaz. It’s okay.”

“We don’t care at all.”

Fortunately, the power of friendship was stronger than expected.

When his friends smiled and told him not to worry, Lee Han was genuinely touched.

“You guys…”

“Wardanaz, you’ve always been like that. It’s really not surprising.”

“Yeah. Remember last time? You mastered it as soon as you sat down.”

“……”

Lee Han was a little taken aback—that wasn’t quite the reaction of friendship he’d expected.

“I-it’s not that bad, is it?”

“What are you talking about? You mastered something even before sitting down once.”

“Right. Honestly, what we said was actually downplaying it a bit.”

Lee Han was flustered by his grumbling friends. He wanted to say, ‘I struggle to master magic just like you all do,’ by giving an example, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Cornered, Lee Han let slip without thinking,

“Small worl-…”

“Hm? What did you say?”

“…Nothing.”

No matter how he thought about it, it was crazy to say, ‘I’m struggling lately to master Small World.’ Lee Han quickly collected himself.

“Alright, then! Let’s begin the lecture! Everyone, a round of applause for Lord Gonadaltes for helping with today’s class!”

“Stop.”

Clap…

Gainando, who was about to clap, stopped awkwardly after glancing around.

Despite the mad clone’s cold attitude, Professor Rosine was unfazed.

Professor Rosine was originally an imperial official, and imperial officials were well-trained in dealing with insane wizards.

“Still, you should accept our thanks.”

“That’s right, Teacher. This is modern etiquette these days.”

‘Are you crazy?’

Even though she herself had just defied him, Professor Rosine stared at her disciple in astonishment.

But it was only natural for this fox beastfolk professor to be surprised.

She had carefully navigated her words, but the Wardanaz boy just…

…It’s like he’s openly rebelling…

“Hmph. Fine. Let’s get on with it.”

Clap clap clap clap clap…

The most somber applause in Einrogard’s history filled the classroom. The mad clone glared at Gainando, who happened to make eye contact.

“To think, that’s all your gratitude amounts to even as you clap. Wizard, is that really all you’re thankful for?”

“Eek!”

Gainando, on the verge of tears, clapped even harder.

“Now! Let’s continue studying the ancient script we covered in the last exam. Unlike the wizards of old, modern wizards have to learn even more scripts and languages. It’s unfair, but what can you do?”

“Quite right. And wizards must not forget this fact. Scripts and languages are lost and layered through the flow of time. In every age, there has always been a multitude of scripts and languages to learn.”

“Thank you for the wise words, Lord Gonadaltes! Everyone heard that, right? No more complaints from now on.”

Professor Rosine was delighted to have the backup of an ancient archmage.

Oriphulas would often interrupt lectures saying things like, ‘Why bother learning languages? Just make a contract with a devil who can translate,’ but not so with the headmaster’s clone—he really was something different.

“Isn’t there a magic that lets you learn all the scripts and languages at once?”

Gainando hadn’t given up hope and asked.

Even though professors and friends scolded him with, ‘Magic isn’t that convenient,’ as a wizard he clung persistently to the hope.

Responding to that courage, the mad clone replied coolly,

“There is.”

“…Huh!?”

“Does that really exist!?”

Gainando, and the other students too, were stunned.

Could there really be such a magic?

Lee Han asked, not understanding,

“How does such magic exist? For a wizard to fill in so much unknown knowledge with magic…”

“You’re still trying to set limits on magic. Just use your Personal World.”

“…Ah, yes.”

The students chilled instantly.

No matter how lazy Einrogard students were, none of them were dumb enough to learn Personal World just to avoid studying ancient languages.

Gainando wouldn’t give up and whispered to Yoner.

“Think Lee Han would learn it for us?”

“…Don’t ever say that in front of Lee Han…”

Of course, Lee Han had already heard it all.

While Lee Han inwardly decided to reduce Gainando’s snack rations by 30%, Professor Rosine continued the lecture in a satisfied tone.

“Did you all get that? There’s no royal road in magic. Now. Lee Han! As the top scorer in the last test, could you share with your friends how you interpreted it and which materials you referenced?”

The last midterm was about interpreting a given ancient script.

Since it wasn’t solved on the spot, the test’s purpose was something other than quick wits or memory.

All over the empire, there were countless old languages and scripts.

The real aim of this test was for students to build experience in calmly deciphering such things when they encountered them, rather than panicking.

Professor Rosine wanted the Wardanaz boy to share the names of the books he’d found, hoping it would be helpful for his friends.

“Uh… Well…”

“It seemed pretty old-fashioned, right? It looked like you referenced some very old book, not a relatively recent one. Am I right?”

“Well…”

Lee Han hesitated.

The mad clone urged his disciple, displeased at the delay.

“Answer quickly.”

“…Honestly, I asked an imprisoned magical criminal…”

“……”

“……”

The classroom atmosphere froze in an instant.

Even Lee Han’s friends, who usually just said, ‘That’s just Wardanaz!’ no matter what he did, were speechless.

“W-was there really an imprisoned magical criminal? Where?”

“Apparently, Wardanaz has one locked up in his private room?”

As friends whispered about how “Wardanaz keeps a magical criminal in his private room?”, Gainando interjected indignantly.

“No! That’s not it! Lee Han never locked up a magical criminal in his private room! He just got a bit friendly with the magical criminal locked up in a workshop!”

“……”

That explanation sounded weird too. Lee Han sighed deeply.

“How do you even get friendly with a magical criminal locked up in a workshop? Are you sure you’re not mistaken, Your Highness?”

“Maybe Wardanaz thinks beating someone up counts as friendship…”

“Although, those guys from White Tiger Tower always call it friendship when they get beaten up.”

“What did you say, punk?”

“Knock it off already, you guys. The truth is, I just transformed him into a hamster and locked him up. I just asked him while I was feeding him.”

This was a remark so shocking that even the student who loved hamsters most would now flinch at the sight of one.

The mad clone said disapprovingly,

“There was no need to ask such a lowly slave.”

“It was too easy a question, so I was embarrassed to ask you, Teacher.”

In truth, the mad clone usually ignored pointless questions, but Lee Han flattered him, well-practiced as a disciple.

Meanwhile, Professor Rosine regained her composure and spoke up again.

“An actual living mage can offer better instruction than a book or scroll! Well done, Lee Han!”

“Professor, but isn’t a hamster magical criminal a little…”

One student started to question whether this was even acceptable, but Professor Rosine quickly pretended not to hear.

Honestly, even she was too shocked to reply.

-Cough!

A coughing sound came from the back. Lee Han turned his head without much thought.

And then jumped in surprise.

The one coughing into his hand was none other than the mad clone.

‘What?!’

Gainando, who often threw his blanket off in his sleep, could catch a cold, but the mad clone wasn’t even a being with a normal body.

But now he was coughing like that?

Lee Han asked in a confused voice,

“Teacher, are you alright?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You just coughed as if unwell.”

“I did nothing of the sort. Focus on the lesson. Clearly you’ve become too lax recently, judging by the nonsense you spout.”

“……”

In the past, Lee Han might have flinched, but now he didn’t even blink an eye.

Instead, he stared at his teacher with eyes full of suspicion.

‘That reaction is even weirder.’

“Teacher, did you happen to eat or drink anything?”

Professor Thunderstep was a cunning and relentless professor, and it wouldn’t have been odd if he had finished some slow-acting poison without Lee Han’s knowledge.

In front of Einrogard’s professors, Lee Han was always humble. Professors could always do things beyond his imagination.

“You’re becoming insolent. Do you think I won’t punish you just because you’re royal and my student?”

After those words, the mad clone frowned and coughed again. Lee Han was aghast.

“Poison!”

“What?! Where?!”

“Did that prince brat spill it?!”

“Hey! You should suspect the alchemy school!”

“The black magic school is more suspicious…”

“Professor, my teacher appears to have been poisoned. I will take him out for a bit!”

“Lee Han! Wai-…”

Professor Rosine realized something was wrong and tried to stop him.

It was highly unlikely for an archmage such as the headmaster’s clone to be secretly poisoned this way.

But before she could stop him, Lee Han rushed his teacher out. He then sent a paper bird to Intarendals.

“Intarendals! Over here!”

“Lee Han, what is this…”

Summoned by the message, Intarendals rushed over, utterly shocked at the sight before him.

Lee Han was running with the mad clone floating overhead with telekinesis. It was a truly surreal and bizarre scene.

“My teacher has suffered an ambush! And despite this, he didn’t even fight back!”

“N-no, even so, lifting him up like this is…”

Intarendals hurriedly and respectfully took the mad clone with both hands.

As crazy as wizards were for efficiency, this was a bit much.

“Let’s move to the workshop. I needed to speak with you anyway, Lee Han.”

• * *

Upon arriving at the workshop in the mountains, Intarendals carried the mad clone inside.

After being told to wait a moment, Lee Han took a break and felt his cool-headedness return.

‘…Wasn’t it Professor Thunderstep?’

Come to think of it, maybe Professor Thunderstep wasn’t the culprit.

The motive was weak and circumstances didn’t really allow it.

If anything…

-What’s the matter?

“My teacher collapsed.”

-That’s much sooner than I expected.

The hamster, from within the sawdust, answered calmly. Lee Han asked in surprise,

“You knew?!”

-Of course I knew. You mean you didn’t?

The hamster was actually puzzled that Lee Han really seemed unaware.

True, thought-forms weren’t common, but for an official student not to have heard…

“Don’t tell me…”

-You seem to have guessed. That’s it.

“…Intarendals is the culprit…!”

-Thought-forms can’t last long on this plane. If they could, Gonadaltes’ clones would have set themselves up as lords all over the empire.

“…Ah. Because he’s a thought-form.”

-What was that?

“Nothing. Of course. I already predicted as much.”

Lee Han mumbled and tried to organize his thoughts.

Hearing the hamster’s words, something suddenly clicked in his mind like puzzle pieces fitting together.

The mad clone’s behavior had been odd lately.

If that was because his lifespan was running out…

“Then what should I do?”

‘This brat. Am I your teacher or something?’

The hamster was frustrated, but endured it for now.

After all, the one asking was a wizard with grapes, and the hamster was… a hamster.

-Kill him quickly.

Whack!

A grape beaned the hamster right on the back. The hamster squeaked in pain.

-Why!?

“Is that something you say right now?!”

-It’s true, you little moron! If you just leave a thought-form, will it quietly fade away?! Until then it’ll devastate everything arou—will you stop throwing grapes already?!