Chapter 1112
-Is there anything else you want to ask?
The angel, Apazragon, looked at Lee Han as if puzzled.
In the current situation, it wondered whether there was anything else to be curious about besides the fact that the sword was not an angel’s sword.
-I do not know who made that sword either. Judging by the craftsmanship, it was probably a demon or a famous swordsmith from another dimension.
-I, I see.
Lee Han nodded for a moment.
The angel’s guess was fairly plausible. No matter how outstanding a mage was, it was extremely difficult for a mortal of the continent to distinguish objects from other dimensions accurately.
Unless one steadily traveled through dimensions, gathering information and interacting with various races, it was hard to tell whether a sword had been made by an angel, made by a demon, or made by a tentacled monster with thirteen arms and forty-eight eyes.
-Then I shall go.
-...Wait! Wait!!!
Lee Han urgently called out to the angel, who was once again trying to leave coolly.
This time, the angel looked at Lee Han as if finding him strange.
This pioneer walking ahead on the path of an ancient mage was not someone who used time inefficiently, so why was he calling it so uselessly today?
-Where were you just now? How did you appear immediately?
'That is a very good question. Student Lee Han!'
Professor Garcia also came to senses and cheered him on.
It was startling that an angel had suddenly appeared in the soul dimension and acted as if it knew things, too. Even more so because the disciple seemed to have met it before already, but that was not important.
...Actually, it was a little important, but Professor Garcia let it pass for now. It was hardly the first or second time the disciple had gone and befriended some strange being from another dimension.
But what was truly important was how that angel had appeared immediately.
Surely it had not been following Student Lee Han around...
-I do not know what you mean. I appeared immediately because I was watching over you.
The angel looked at Lee Han even more strangely. It could not understand why he would ask such an obvious question.
-......
-......
The already chilly atmosphere of the spiritual world grew even colder.
Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi exchanged looks.
'Are you perhaps confident you can completely subdue an angel?'
'If you send the signal, I shall attack immediately.'
Professor Garcia had often heard of demons chasing people around after magic failed, but an angel following someone around like that was unprecedented even for Professor Garcia.
Were angels not, in the first place, a race uninterested in matters of outer dimensions?
Though confused, Professor Garcia still firmed resolve for the sake of the disciple. If the angel was following the disciple around and harassing him, Professor Garcia intended to use force decisively if necessary.
-Did what you said about asking for my favor from now on mean you were going to keep following me around?!
-Yes. Did you not also tell me to do that?
-......
-......
Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi stared fixedly at the disciple. Lee Han hurriedly explained.
-No! This is a misunderstanding!
-Is it truly a misunderstanding...
-It really is a misunderstanding! Professor!
It really was a misunderstanding.
It had said “I ask for your favor from now on” as a farewell and left, so he had simply said “all right.” How could he have known that the angel would keep following him around and watching him?
Leaving the disciple, who was on the verge of dying from unfairness, alone for the moment, Professor Garcia threw a question at the angel.
-There is something I am curious about. Even if you were following Student Lee Han, if you had been following him around in this soul dimension, we would have noticed, so did you move to an entirely separate dimension? One that only angels can use...?
-Yes.
Though far fewer in number than demons, and yet absolutely not inferior to them in renown, angels possessed powerful racial abilities.
Especially when it came to handling dimensions like this, they often displayed strange abilities that even mages could not easily predict.
The dimension Apazragon had used was the dimension of <Bodily Light Sudden Extinction>.
This dimension was not a dimension that existed independently of reality, but a kind of shadow-like dimension.
Once one entered it, one changed into a hazy concept rather than an existence, and could not interfere with the real dimension in any way, but it was very suitable for observing secretly.
Apazragon had been immersed in this shadow dimension, diligently observing the path of the pioneer, then when a problem occurred, had dimension-shifted back to the spirit world in order to point it out.
-......
Lee Han had nothing to say.
'What kind of bizarre race is this?'
To think they could enter a bizarre dimension that could not even be detected through soul detection and observe others.
At this point, he wondered if they were a race worse than demons.
-Come to think of it, pioneer, I have something to say to you.
Perhaps it had remembered during the conversation, for Apazragon spoke to Lee Han.
-...What is it?
-The magical sanctuary where you reside has dimensions so severely twisted that it is not easy to approach. I would like you to ask the owner of the territory to improve it.
As much as Einroguard’s long history, magic had accumulated in layers there, and to that extent, the surrounding dimensions were also bizarrely twisted.
Powerful magic affected dimensions as well.
In such a place, even the angel race, who could handle dimensions freely, did not find it easy to approach. In fact, Apazragon had continued waiting outside Einroguard, and only after Lee Han came out could it attach itself to him again.
In order to eliminate this unnecessary waste, he had to ask the owner of the territory to create a suitable dimensional passage.
-...I see! I will definitely tell the principal.
-Thank you.
-......
Professor Garcia looked at the disciple with a complicated expression.
No matter what race had been here instead of an angel, they would have realized that the disciple was saying something empty.
Unless Student Lee Han had gone insane, would he ask the Skull Principal to make a dimensional passage for an outsider to enter?
And it was questionable whether that was even possible.
Whenever Professor Garcia saw the twisted dimensions around Einroguard, even Professor Garcia of all people wondered, “Where would one even begin to touch these twisted inflection points...”
'So Einroguard does have good points.'
Lee Han thought inwardly.
Of course he had no intention of doing it, and was simply grateful for Einroguard’s atrocious environment.
At the very least, it even blocked angels from approaching!
-For now, let us finish this matter and continue talking after.
Lee Han said to Apazragon.
In his heart, he wanted to give a long lecture on “Why is silently following a mortal mage around a rude thing to do?” but right now there were many people around.
Jute alone was staring at the three of them with an expression full of something strange, was he not? He had to explain things to them first.
-Let us do so. I shall look forward to many teachings.
'What do you mean, look forward, you lunatic.'
Lee Han cursed inwardly.
He had no idea what kind of misunderstanding that angel had, but it was mistakenly thinking that if it followed Lee Han around and observed his actions, it would obtain enlightenment.
It was an absurd misunderstanding, and the more he thought about it, the more his hatred for the Yaksha King surged.
To think that such an angel had been shoved onto him...
'...If I go find the Yaksha King and pick a fight, will that angel realize something too?'
Flash!
While he was thinking that, Apazragon disappeared. His vision, which had been lurching because the spirit world had overlapped, also returned to normal.
“Did... did something happen?”
Jute asked, as if feeling uneasy.
The strange behavior of the three mages just now bothered Jute.
They had stared into empty air where nothing was, moving their lips as if having an inaudible conversation...
'Wait. Did they perhaps speak with a soul?'
If they had sensed a soul, then it made sense.
To sense a spiritual being without even casting a separate soul-detection spell. Truly astonishing skill.
Were these indeed mages from Einroguard?
“That is... Jute. In truth, there is something I must tell you.”
Lee Han said hesitantly.
As someone from the same dark magic school, he did not want to needlessly humiliate a dark mage, but this was quite an important matter.
If the spirit’s weakness was an angel and an entirely different sword was driven into it, it was difficult to gauge what would happen.
“What...?”
“This sword was not actually made by an angel.”
“......”
Jute’s face hardened stiffly.
Trembling, Jute looked at Lee Han and shouted.
“A-as expected, you have revealed your true colors! Are you trying to insult me because I am a dark mage! You are saying you cannot trust a dark mage and leave it to one!”
“No, I am also from the dark magic school...”
“Kalarogard may not have as much renown as Einroguard, but it is absolutely not an inferior school. Today I will prove it myself!”
“We respect all magic schools. ...Though Valdrogard is an exception, in any case, why would we look down on Kalarogard?”
Lee Han wanted to persuade Jute, but the other side only showed an extremely stubborn reaction.
When he decided there was no helping it, Lee Han let out a sigh. Rather than pointlessly causing a problem with an outsider, it was right to choose the fastest solution.
“...Apazragon? Could you perhaps help a little? If you are listening, I would like you to descend with a body.”
“Wh-who are you calling?”
Before Jute’s question could even end, a huge mass of flesh suddenly appeared in reality.
This lump of meat, reminiscent of a slime, quickly changed into a human form. Apazragon, who had forcibly taken on a human body, opened its mouth and cleared its throat.
“Ah. Ah. Ah. Can you hear my voice well?”
“I can hear your voice well, but I think you should put your eyes in the front, not on the back of your head...”
“I see. Thank you for pointing it out. The appearance of mortals is still unfamiliar to me.”
Apazragon changed its body again.
Since angels originally existed in the form of pure souls in their own dimension, a body made up of such material organs was bound to be unfamiliar.
The adventurers and knights present were all greatly shocked without exception. No matter how much they had gone through all sorts of hardships, seeing an angel was truly rare.
But they could instinctively feel it.
The being before them really was an angel!
If not, what race could possibly reveal such a presence? Jute asked, stammering.
“Y-you are really an angel...?”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying an Einroguard mage summons angels and takes them around?!”
“......”
Lee Han’s head began to ache as he wondered where he should even begin explaining. Professor Garcia, unable to watch any longer, answered in his place.
“I think you can consider it roughly similar.”
“T-truly... truly astonishing. I knew Einroguard’s magic was outstanding, but to think you were also researching methods of contracting with angels...”
“...In any case, this proves that Student Lee Han’s words were not lies, correct? We also learned it after hearing it from that angel.”
At Professor Garcia’s words, Jute nodded with a vacant face.
With evidence shown like that before Jute’s eyes, there was nothing more to say. Rather, Jute was so embarrassed by having insisted so stubbornly for no reason that Jute wanted to flee into a mouse hole.
“I have nothing to say... wait, student?”
Jute was about to apologize, face flushed, then stopped.
Had the mage in front just now been called a student?
“Yes? Yes. Student Lee Han.”
“Were you not a professor?! You clearly said professor earlier...”
“I and Professor Bagreg here are professors, but Student Lee Han is still a student.”
“......”
Jute, blinking, looked at Lee Han again.
Now that Jute looked again, he certainly seemed like a student. So much so that it felt strange why Jute had thought he was a professor.
Huh?
'...Why, why did I think he was a professor...?'
“Wait. Student Lee Han? Student Lee Han of House Wardanaz? ...Are you perhaps not affiliated with the dark magic school?!”
At Jute’s words, the companions grabbed Jute by the shoulders, as if they could no longer endure it.
No matter how much they trusted their leader, today was too much.
“Stop it, Jute! You are really strange today!”
“Stop clinging to it! There is no way that person is a dark mage!”
“......”
Lee Han, who had been about to answer that he was, became very awkward.