Episode112

Episode 112

Ihan didn’t know.

He didn’t realize how incredible an opportunity it was to receive such affectionate loyalty from a griffon.

‘This brat…!’

Professor Lightning Step coughed in frustration. Ihan picked up the cigarette holder with a worried look and said,

“Did you swallow wrong?”

“No!”

Who was worrying about whom right now?

Professor Lightning Step composed himself and spoke again.

“Why don’t you try being a bit friendlier?”

“How much more… friendly could I possibly be?”

Ihan answered with a slightly flustered voice.

His voice was so earnest that Lightning Step couldn’t find anything to say.

The students didn’t know, but Lightning Step had been keeping a steady eye on the stables.

He had entrusted the horses, like his own children, to those blockheads—no, the new students—so this much was to be expected.

And Ihan really had diligently taken care of the griffon. It wasn’t easy for a boy from a high noble family to be that hardworking.

Saving its life was one thing, but the love and devotion shown before that must have helped open the griffon’s heart.

…But that aside, not trusting the griffon now was still not trusting it.

“Is there a problem with the way I feed it or groom it?”

“No. Not that… I mean things like trust or faith.”

-Neigh.

At Lightning Step’s words, the white horse nodded as if saying, “Tell him more.”

Of course, Ihan didn’t go along so easily.

“Being friendly and trusting everything without doubt are different things, Professor. Isn’t the latter irresponsible?”

“……”

Today, the Wardanaz family boy was only saying the right things.

When taming animals, it wasn’t a good habit to ignore their instincts and trust unconditionally.

You should trust and love, but be at least a little cautious…

That’s true, but…!

-Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!

“See? He gets angry right away.”

“Fine, do as you all like.”

As Professor Lightning Step gave up and turned away, the white horse glared at him.

Yoner asked, sounding curious.

“Come to think of it, what’s that horse’s name? It doesn’t respond when called with the name we gave it.”

The horses in the stables understood when you called them by name, but the white horse didn’t.

More accurately, it refused to understand.

-It seems to dislike whatever name you give it.

-Maybe it just has a nasty temper?

-No, maybe it’s just not a name it likes.

-Maybe it just has a nasty temper?

-Maybe it already has a real name, so let’s ask the professor later.

-It really just seems nasty-tempered.

Professor Lightning Step was slightly flustered.

It was a relief he had turned away. The two students didn’t see his expression.

“Pon… Ponrig.”

“Ponrig… That’s a unique name.”

“Ponrig, huh.”

Ihan looked at the white horse and said,

“Ponrig. Is that right?”

-Neighhhh!

The white horse shook its head as if it hated it. Seeing that, Ihan said with certainty,

“So it really does just have a nasty temper.”

• * *

Thanks to Professor Lightning Step persuading the river spirit, the students who arrived later were able to water their horses more easily.

The students who came first grumbled.

“That’s not how you feed them water.”

“Do you think they know how hard it is to water them with an angry river spirit? That’s the real challenge.”

Ihan approached Professor Lightning Step, who was recording scores. The professor twitched his cigarette holder and said,

“What? Wardanaz, you got a perfect score. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not why I came, I have a question. I found a monster’s name while reading a book and it was a new one to me.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you know a monster called Shar Khan?”

“King of leopards.”

Professor Lightning Step flicked his cigarette holder and said,

“According to legends of the people who live in the mountains, it was born between the rocky mountains and a leopard. Maybe because of that, it’s a monster worshipped by leopards.”

“Is it a dangerous monster?”

Whether it was born between the rocky mountains and a leopard or between a spirit king and a leopard, that wasn’t important to Ihan.

He wanted to know how dangerous it was.

In response to Ihan’s question, Professor Lightning Step replied incredulously.

“How could it not be dangerous? Even a regular leopard is dangerous.”

“…What would happen if someone turned a monster called Shar Khan into an undead and controlled it?”

“Why go out of your way to do something that risky? Just because it’s an undead monster doesn’t mean all its wildness and ferocity disappear. If you show a weakness or its complaints pile up, it might break your control and attack.”

“Oh…”

Ihan wondered whether he should attack Professor Mortum with magic or a sword next time he encountered him.

‘Isn’t that even worse than the principal?’

Even the principal never gave him a monster like that as a present!

“But why ask? Are you already wanting to try making an undead monster?”

Professor Lightning Step grinned.

Rumors about his magical ability had circulated among professors, and indeed, talented people really were different.

“No.”

“There’s no need to get embarrassed about possibly failing. Having grand ambitions is something only freshmen can do.”

‘That’s really not it.’

“But even if you want to make an undead monster, you should do your research first and pick a suitable one. You know what the third leading cause of death among imperial necromancers last year was? Summoning an undead monster that’s out of your league is how those things happen.”

“……”

Ihan unconsciously stroked his own neck.

‘I’d better be even more careful from now on…’

• * *

When it was time, Professor Lightning Step stopped waiting and said,

“You must have learned a lot from today’s test. Those who were lazy learned how their laziness comes back to bite them, and those who were diligent witnessed how their hard work bore fruit.”

Ihan looked at Ponrig at the professor’s words. The white horse blinked innocently, and Ihan grew suspicious.

‘This guy’s using tricks again.’

-Neighhhhhh!

Noticing Ihan’s suspicion, the white horse grew furious. Hardly the fruit of diligence.

“If you noticed your own shortcomings, don’t just leave it at that—work hard to fix them. It’s not just with animal training—magic isn’t mastered overnight either.”

Everyone nodded deeply, moved.

But Ihan thought to himself.

‘Aren’t the guys who were lazy not even here?’

The students making inspired faces at the professor’s words right now were diligent ones. The lazy ones hadn’t even made it near the river yet.

Maybe Lightning Step noticed it too, for he said,

“Pass this message to the lazy ones for me. Class dismissed! See you next time!”

“Thank you!”

The students began to calm their horses and head back.

At that moment, Salko from the Tutanta family approached.

“Wardanaz.”

“Tutanta.”

“Did you feed the carrots to your horse well?”

“Yes. I fed them well. Thank you.”

“I’m glad. I gave them because our horses liked them.”

“????”

Rowena passing by looked at Ihan with an expression of shock and horror.

What did he just say…?

“I came to ask you something.”

“Is it the price for the carrots?”

“No. The carrots were thanks for that thing before. This is separate. I have something I need your skills for.”

Ihan was a bit surprised.

That such a prideful Salko would ask him for a favor like this.

What could it be?

‘Is he going to rob the principal’s storehouse or something?’

“Go ahead.”

“I need your cooking skills.”

“……”

• * *

The was a tower where priests from various imperial orders gathered.

It was the quietest and most composed of the towers at the magic school.

Dwarf Muhadin belonged to the Sisenza Order.

The Order of Sisenza, the order of knowledge and scholarship, studied, transmitted, and preserved the Empire’s various sciences and thus was respected by many.

The Tutanta family was also a patron of the Sisenza Order.

“The problem is that Priest Muhadin eats far too little.”

“……”

Ihan was still dumbfounded and only snapped out of it belatedly.

‘Why is that my problem?’

“I see. That’s unfortunate. It must be because of the harsh environment at the magic school. Have you tried telling the principal?”

“No. Food isn’t the problem. He’s always eaten lightly. The issue is that in the order, the other priests would look after him, but here there’s no one. The other priests in the tower try to pay attention but there are limits.”

Ihan was about to say, ‘So why do you want me to do something about it?’

If it were Blue Dragon Tower, maybe, but in Black Tortoise Tower surely someone cooked better than he did.

But Salko spoke first.

“While I was worrying about it, I heard about your cooking skills. I checked with the other priests over at Phoenix Tower, and they praised your cooking.”

“That’s just because the priests are kind.”

Ihan figured out what had happened.

His excessive flattery towards Priest Shiana had backfired.

Just what sort of praise did she give…

“You must have heard it from Priest Shiana? She’s very kind…”

“I asked Priest Tijling and the other priests too. Wardanaz, you’re being overly modest.”

The Black Tortoise Tower students behind Salko nodded as if they had to agree.

The tomato vegetable stew the Wardanaz boy had made at the recent black market had been amazing.

One of the Black Tortoise Tower students even glared at Ihan as if feeling truly indignant.

“Lenjid here is from one of the best chef families in the Empire. But even he admitted he can’t beat you.”

“……”

Ihan momentarily wondered if the other boy was crazy.

‘This wasn’t a fair contest at all…’

Ihan could use any ingredient he wanted, while the other was limited, so that reaction was understandable.

Still, even so!

“So you want me to cook?”

Ihan collected himself and asked.

Absurd as it was, there was no reason he couldn’t.

Owing Salko a favor and serving a priest from the Sisenza Order weren’t bad things.

There was never any harm in befriending good students.

“Yes.”

“I see. Did you prepare the ingredients? Or shall I help? I can get some for cheap.”

At Ihan’s words, Salko shook his head.

“No. I’ve already gathered the necessary ingredients. All we have to do is go get them together.”

“Really? Where are they?”

“In the kitchen.”

“?”

Ihan hesitated.

There was a kitchen in the dorm tower?

“Which kitchen?”

“The kitchen in the basement of the main building.”

“…I see. I just remembered I have something urgent to do, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Wait, Wardanaz! This is something we need your help with!”

“We can’t do it without you! If not for you, who infiltrated the White Tiger Tower…!”

The students of Black Tortoise Tower rushed toward him.

To conquer the labyrinthine underbelly of this magic school, the Wardanaz boy, a master of magic, was absolutely essential.

“If you need my cooking skill, why are you saying weird things? Just bring out the ingredients. Then I’ll cook.”

“Wardanaz. Of course we didn’t intend to just ask for your help! If you see this, you’ll change your mind.”

Ihan found it strange.

Could there really be something that would change his mind?

‘What is it?’

“It’s a forbidden black magic book.”

A Black Tortoise Tower student carefully took out a steel box. When the lid was opened, a book with a blood-red cover exuded a vicious curse.

“Close it!”

Bang!

The students quickly closed the box. Then, with satisfied expressions, they spoke.

“What do you think? Doesn’t this make you want to? Wardanaz?”

“…No?”

“?!?!”