Chapter 1113
“Student Lee Han is affiliated with the dark magic school...”
Professor Garcia answered in his place, face reddening. When Professor Voladi opened the mouth to point something out, Professor Garcia hurriedly stopped Professor Voladi.
“Professor. Please!”
Even without being told, Professor Garcia somehow felt as if the professor knew what Professor Voladi was about to point out.
It would probably be something like this.
-Student Lee Han does take the dark magic school as well, but he takes all the other schools too... and if one had to be precise, is he not closer to us than to Professor Mortum?
...In truth, Professor Garcia had also wanted to say that for a moment just now.
But there was such a thing in the world as consideration.
Professor Garcia did not want to add another attack onto a dark mage from Kalarogard who already seemed to have lived a difficult life.
“As expected!”
“What?! He really is a dark mage?!”
“Why would such a talent possibly!? ...Ah, no. Jute. Sorry. Do not glare at me.”
The companions apologized at their friend’s gaze full of resentment.
In truth, it was a slightly unfair matter for them too.
In the first place, they were far removed from magic, so they had no reason to say things like, “Why would such a talent become a dark mage?”
Unless one was a mage, it was difficult to know the subtle position the dark magic school occupied among the Empire’s magic schools.
There was only one reason they knew.
Because Jute had kept talking about it beside them all the time.
Jute would say things like, “Good talents do not want to come to the dark magic school,” “This is why dark mages suffer,” and “Sob sob, I should not have gone to Kalarogard, I am lonely,” so was it not natural that they would also come to think, “Ah, good talents must not go to the dark magic school”!
Lee Han, who had been listening to the adventurer party’s conversation, became slightly puzzled and asked.
“But how did you know I was affiliated with the dark magic school?”
Since he had built up a reputation in his own way, it would not be strange to meet someone in the Empire who knew him.
But looking at him and asking, “Are you not affiliated with the dark magic school?” was a little unusual.
Rumors usually did not spread in that sort of way.
They would spread as there being an outstanding mage from Einroguard, or as a mage of House Wardanaz being outstanding, would they not?
“I heard it from Professor Mortum at a dark mages’ conference.”
“......”
Professor Garcia’s expression wavered.
For some reason, Professor Garcia could guess in what manner Professor Mortum had boasted.
And Professor Garcia’s guess was correct.
-Cough. This new undead fusion magic is rather interesting.
-Hehe. Of course it is. Do you know how much our Magic Tower invested for this magic? We may soon surpass Einroguard’s dark magic school.
-...Cough, actually, a new student entered Einroguard’s dark magic school. I wonder if you know about that.
And not even just once.
-Did you see our guild’s performance in this separatist disturbance? Hahaha!
-...Cough, actually, a new student entered Einroguard’s dark magic school...
-N-no. We did not even provoke you, so why are you doing this...
Professor Mortum, who did not have much to boast about, kept swinging the one sword that Professor Mortum possessed.
The other dark mages found it dirty and cheap, but there was nothing they could do. That sword truly was sharp and powerful.
'Hm. This is the first time I have ever wanted to withdraw from Einroguard’s dark magic school.'
Lee Han thought inwardly.
Even when the dark magic school had no money and he had filled the school treasury together with Senior Diret, he had not thought of withdrawing, but hearing what Professor Mortum had done outside made him feel extremely ashamed.
Why had the professor done the boasting, but the shame become Lee Han’s share?
While Lee Han was suffering, Jute, who had been organizing thoughts, stopped short.
Jute had not consciously realized it, but one more thought came to mind.
“...Wait! Th-then, could it be that the reason the mages of the Daylily Magic Tower are doing all this... was not to invite the professors, but to invite this student of the dark magic school here?!”
“That is... mm... uh... ah... yes... that is right.”
Professor Garcia, who had been trying somehow to defend the honor of the Daylily Magic Tower, hesitated and eventually admitted it.
How could Professor Garcia dodge the words here?
At those words, not only the other adventurers but even the knights were startled.
“No, do they go this far for one student? Are Magic Towers normally like this?”
“Though this old knight wonders what he knows of the affairs of mages, even so, does this not seem a little excessive... Should they not respect the individual mage’s will and persuade him, rather than bewitching him like this?”
At those utterly correct words, Professor Garcia felt shame in their place.
Just as Lee Han had felt shame in Professor Mortum’s place, Professor Garcia also felt shame in the place of the Daylily Magic Tower mages.
“Th-that is. Normally, they do not. This time is something of an exception. Please understand the mages of the Daylily Magic Tower.”
Iliane, Jute’s companion who had been listening, expressed admiration in a voice filled with respect.
“That mage is truly remarkable. In a way, they are trying to take away a disciple personally taught by that mage, yet that mage does not stop it and instead sends him off.”
“I am not sending him off, though.”
Professor Garcia’s expression went stern immediately for the first time today. At that murderous force, even the adventurers and knights who had gone through all sorts of hardships were startled enough to straighten their posture.
“S-sorry.”
“Ah, no... I am sorry. What have I done...!”
Professor Garcia reflected deeply.
What kind of disgraceful behavior was this over a single muttered sentence from the other side?
In truth, if one traced back why the mages of the Daylily Magic Tower were committing disgraceful acts, the root of it was the Skull Principal’s wicked deception.
Since the Skull Principal had swindled them over two generations, just how much resentment must the Daylily Magic Tower mages have accumulated?
Whether or not that was the case, Jute was so moved that eyes nearly filled with tears.
“To think a student of the dark magic school would receive treatment this far!!”
“......”
“...Hey, Jute. That...”
The orc warrior Iliane was about to say, “I understand how you feel, but still, I do not think becoming that severely immersed in vicarious satisfaction over another dark mage’s success is mentally healthy,” but stopped.
Because the friend was far too deeply moved.
'Let us just leave it.'
'Right. When else would Jute be that happy?'
At the atmosphere flowing differently from what he had expected, Lee Han felt extremely awkward.
In truth, it also seemed as if this was because he had failed to reveal earlier that he was taking the school.
“Um... mm... may we deal with this relic now?”
“Ah! Please do!”
Lee Han called Apazragon, who had been standing blankly from earlier.
This angel, who had awkwardly formed a body out of a lump of meat, had been waiting absentmindedly and turned the head at Lee Han’s call.
“Apazragon. Do you perhaps have any advice on how to deal with the spirit trapped inside this?”
Originally, if it had been a sword made by an angel, they would have stabbed it straight into the relic to deal damage and then worked out the matter from there, but now that it had been revealed the sword’s maker was a different race, that strategy had been blocked.
Could this angel perhaps have another strategy?
“I do.”
“Oh. What is it?”
“Have the mages and knights here form an encirclement, then open the relic and draw the spirit inside out.”
“And after that?”
“Surround it and attack.”
“......”
Lee Han looked at the angel in disbelief. Jute, who had been choking up with emotion, also looked at the angel in the same dumbfounded way.
What kind of strategy was that??
Even a five-year-old child could come up with the strategy of “surround it and beat it up.”
However, Apazragon was confident. It had given the best advice it could.
“...It is not exactly wrong...”
Lee Han looked at the reliable forces beside him.
Professor Voladi, Professor Garcia...
“S-student Lee Han. You are not perhaps calculating while including me as part of the combat force, are you?”
Professor Garcia was slightly flustered.
Unlike the professor’s build, Professor Garcia did not have great confidence in fighting. Support might be another matter.
“Ah. Of course. I did not include you.”
“Whew. Thank you.”
“You did not include that mage?”
Apazragon asked as if finding it strange.
By an angel’s common sense, it was strange not to include a mage with that level of strength as part of the combat force.
Lee Han sent it a look telling it to be quiet. Apazragon became even more confused.
The actions of mortals sometimes made the angel far too confused.
Was this confusion the path to enlightenment?
“Professor Bagreg. What do you think of the method of resolving this by force?”
'Ah, damn. Did I ask the wrong person?'
Lee Han slightly regretted it even after asking.
He should have asked someone a little less aggressive...
“It would not be bad.”
Professor Voladi readily agreed.
It was not because Professor Voladi was some blood-crazed murderer, but because it truly was a situation worth trying.
Since they were inside the Daylily Magic Tower, there were any number of spaces that could weaken and contain a spirit.
If they mobilized the knights and adventurers as well and created an encirclement, even a king-class spirit could be sufficiently subjugated.
“Then, just in case, I will also tell the mages of the Daylily Magic Tower.”
“Wait. Student Lee Han.”
“?”
When Lee Han tried to call the mages who were in the middle of conducting a bizarre rest ritual at the lake, Professor Garcia quickly stopped him.
Professor Garcia was slightly worried that the disciple might go on the errand and not come back.
“Would other people go instead of Student Lee Han?”
“...Professor...”
“What. Why?”
***
Among spirits, it was often said that fire spirits were especially violent and fierce. Considering the properties possessed by the existence called fire itself, it was not entirely wrong.
Among them, there was one particularly belligerent spirit, and this spirit wandered the realms and caused many fights.
Possessing not only its own martial power but also cunning, this spirit became a source of trouble for countless spirits, yet it did not stop.
As it continued causing fights and burning territories, before long, this title attached itself to the spirit.
Heavenly Fire General Zbagni!
The hornbeam spirit Saratan, who had contracted with Lee Han, was also something of a violent one, but if one compared the two, the scale of damage was overwhelmingly different.
Saratan was belligerent, but at least Saratan did not pick fights with spirits that had not collided with it.
If it got angry, it smashed everything in all directions, but once its anger settled, it did not cause any more incidents.
However, this Heavenly Fire General behaved as if the violent property of “fire” itself had been condensed as it was.
It attacked spirits that had not collided with it, and whether it was angry or not, it burned everything in all directions. Unlike Saratan, who had been sealed, this Heavenly Fire General had so many enemies that if it had been caught in the spirit world, it would have been extinguished on the spot.
Hm?
Zbagni showed a curious reaction when the relic imprisoning it suddenly came undone.
If it had been another spirit, it might have wondered about the current situation or felt curiosity, but instead, Zbagni prepared something else.
An ambush.
If the opponent died, good, and even if the opponent did not die, there was nothing to lose.
The spirit’s tongues flickered, then transformed into spears and shot out. A power belonging to an existence on an entirely different level from the flame spears handled by ordinary flame mages could be felt.
However, the situation did not unfold the way Zbagni wanted. When the spears split the empty air, Zbagni shook off the chains of the relic and laughed.
What is this, did those mage bastards open it to finish me off?
“Which spirit is it?”
The mages holding ancient books related to spirits immediately shouted.
“Please give us a moment to check... Heavenly Fire General! It is the Heavenly Fire General!”
“Heavenly Fire General?!”
At the title of a figure far greater than expected, even the mages in the back stirred.
It seems you are surprised that I am much weaker than you expected. Well, I was bitten by a dragon and struck down by an evil god, so would it not be stranger if my strength were intact? If you want, I do not mind if you give me some time. Then I could show you my original power.
“Never let your guard down.”
Magic Tower Master Eullangdam immediately gave a warning.
The spirit’s power had weakened considerably, but one absolutely could not let one’s guard down against such a spirit. It was difficult to predict what such a spirit would do.
If it had been other spirits, they would have chosen submission or compromise, but Zbagni had no such thing.
Zbagni smiled like a benevolent grandfather. However, in the places where its eyes were, threatening flames flashed.
Whether it was defeated here and reverse-summoned to the spirit world, or extinguished, that did not matter. Until then, Zbagni intended to burn as much prey as possible.
...Wait. What are you?
Zbagni, who had been about to charge, spoke to Lee Han in a dumbfounded voice.
What kind of mage is that bastard, to have spirits clinging all over him and even stars under his command?