Chapter 1124
'Oh.'
Lee Han realized his mistake at the professor's reprimand.
No matter how kind a professor was, there was no way they would look favorably on a student thinking about something else during class. This was definitely rude.
Reflecting on his actions, Lee Han focused on the lecture again.
'He must have taken it pretty hard.'
A third-year senior from the Blue Dragon Tower, Alde of House Markang, looked at Lee Han with slight concern.
After being spoken to by Professor Kirmin Ku, the junior had lowered his head and was only scribbling with a quill.
'He does not need to worry about it so much.'
Unlike professors from other schools, Professor Kirmin Ku was an excellent teacher who did not hold grudges over things like this.
As a member of the illusion magic school, Alde knew that fact well.
'Right. I should comfort him.'
Alde made up his mind.
After all, Alde had quite a history with Wardanaz.
There had been the time Alde was caught during a smuggling attempt at the start of the previous semester, and the time Wardanaz brought outside food when Alde was sent to the punishment room...
...Thinking about it, it was more of an embarrassing history than a good one, but even so, Alde had a certain sense of responsibility as a senior.
They were in the same tower, the same club, and the same school.
They had not talked often because Wardanaz was so busy, but for that very reason, Alde wanted to give advice even more.
The more outstanding a model student was, the more vulnerable they tended to be to shocks like this.
"Wardanaz. Do not take it too seriously. The professor is not angry. I once stole an artifact the professor treasured..."
"What?"
Lee Han, who had been diligently moving his quill, turned his gaze with a puzzled expression.
At that reaction, Alde paused and checked the junior's scribbles.
How can a soul clone be cast?
...Use <Gonadaltes's Spiritual Descent> and apply it to an ice clone...
Send a letter to Lord Pengerine? Could Professor Verdus's compound enchantment magic reinforce the clone body enough to compensate? What about <Royal Refined Gold>?
"......"
With a half-stunned expression, Alde looked away, then checked Alde's own notes.
☆The Strongest Illusory Plant I Came Up With☆
-Grows in cold regions, becomes incredibly large, and can freely control the ice element
-Going to improve the illusion-eater so it also has powerful hallucinatory properties
-Pollinate it with infernal plants and...
"What is wrong, Senior?"
Snap!
Alde quickly closed the notebook first. Alde could not be the one to ruin the dignity of a third-year student from Einroguard's Blue Dragon Tower.
'What is this bastard, preparing for graduation or something?'
Alde had only glanced at it, but even that was enough to understand just how advanced the insane junior's concerns were.
Lee Han seemed to have already mastered soul recognition and soul interference. That alone was frightening, yet apparently he could already use ice clones proficiently as well.
That meant Lee Han's control over the ice element and ability to alter its form were already at an exceptional level.
To think he could already shape the ice element, one of the more difficult elements to handle, into a clone.
On top of that, there was Professor Verdus's compound enchantment magic, and Alde could not even begin to guess what kind of spell <Royal Refined Gold> was.
...Honestly, it was terrifying!
Alde felt as though this explained why classmates and seniors acquainted with Wardanaz sometimes became evasive whenever someone asked about him.
-Wardanaz? Mm... He is a kind and intelligent fellow. You want to know how skilled he is at magic? Why do you keep prying?! Ask him yourself!
-Wardanaz? Pfft. He is a good fellow. You tried smuggling and got caught by him instead? ...I am saying this for your sake, but do not try to get revenge. I am serious.
"N-No. I was just telling you not to be discouraged because the professor said something to you..."
"Senior!"
Lee Han's eyes lit up at the unexpected warm consolation.
He had never imagined Alde would say something like that.
Bringing outside food to the punishment room had been worth it after all.
"Thank you. Even though it was my fault."
"Ha ha. Right. As long as you are all right..."
"Oh, right. Could I ask you something about soul clones?"
"...Wardanaz. Professor Ku may be generous, but you still cannot keep talking during class!"
After sternly scolding the junior, Alde quickly put some distance between them. Lee Han was too dumbfounded to continue speaking.
What was with that...?
Professor Kirmin Ku, who had watched their exchange from afar, shook Professor Ku's head in disappointment.
'I will have to tell Markang to study harder.'
What kind of disgrace was that for a senior!
***
The lecture ended, but the students of the illusion magic school remained in the classroom and immersed themselves in their work instead of leaving.
Professor Kirmin Ku adjusted the position of the glittering crystal cuff links and explained.
"They are minor commissions. Nothing especially interesting or large, but they are not bad."
Regardless of a certain professor's slander, the illusion magic school had always been one of the consistently successful schools throughout the Empire.
The demand for its work was also diverse.
Installing illusion labyrinths to protect guilds and estates, developing magic needed for plays and events, cooperating on commissions from other schools...
"Commissions from other schools?"
"Ah. Most of them come from places like the enchantment magic school or the divination magic school."
The enchantment magic school, which had many artifact craftsmen, surprisingly cooperated with other schools of magic quite often.
No matter how outstanding a magical craftsman was, it was difficult to be proficient in the magic of every school.
Of course, a madman like Professor Verdus possessed the monstrous ability to handle everything personally without needing cooperation from anyone, but ordinary mages [N O V E L I G H T] would simply contact someone and ask, "Could you perhaps make this spell for us?"
"More importantly, Wardanaz. You are not interested in commissions like those, are you?"
Professor Kirmin Ku knew very well how busy Lee Han was.
At present, the attitudes of Einroguard's professors toward Wardanaz could be divided broadly into two categories.
One was, 'He is exceptionally talented, so I should give him more work from the school.'
The other was, 'He is exceptionally talented, so I should give him less work from the school.'
The latter generally consisted of professors who still retained human compassion.
The former consisted of Professor Verdus.
Professor Kirmin Ku naturally belonged to the latter group, so Professor Ku had no intention of adding more commissions to Wardanaz's burden now.
Had he not already taken on plenty of commissions?
'I am interested, though.'
Lee Han thought to himself before speaking.
"Yes. I was wondering whether there might be a way to find out what Professor Bagreg is thinking."
"I knew this day would come eventually."
Professor Kirmin Ku steeled Professor Ku's resolve and nodded.
Professor Ku had always known this day would come.
No matter how good-natured a disciple was, being taught the way Professor Voladi taught would inevitably breed resentment.
Perhaps it was precisely because the disciple was so good-natured.
An ordinary disciple would have fled the school, but because this disciple was good-natured, Lee Han had remained and continued learning until the resentment accumulated...
"Ambushing Professor Bagreg will not be easy, Wardanaz. But that does not mean there is no way."
"...No. I am not planning an ambush."
Lee Han was honestly curious about what would have come next, but for the moment, he redirected the conversation to the main point.
"It was not an ambush?"
"No."
"To think it was not an ambush... I was certain you wanted to ambush Professor Bagreg..."
Professor Kirmin Ku muttered as though this were difficult to believe.
'Are these two actually friends?'
"Then why do you want to know what Professor Bagreg is thinking?"
"You may already know about it, Professor, but it is because of the Sanguros Order."
"...I do not know about it?!"
Professor Kirmin Ku was genuinely startled.
Why had the name of the Sanguros Order suddenly appeared here?!
To think the name of evil-god worshipers who had been destroyed long ago would suddenly come up.
"What? You do not know?"
This time, it was Lee Han's turn to be surprised.
Professor Garcia knew, and so did Professor Voladi.
Even Lee Han knew.
'Could Professor Ku also have some old grudge against the Sanguros Order?'
"...Damn it. I understand what the principal was thinking."
Professor Kirmin Ku's face twisted with a rare display of anger.
"The principal hid the information because the principal thought I would take Professor Bagreg's side."
Although the Skull Principal sometimes appeared careless, the principal was more meticulous than expected when handling matters like this.
The principal had originally intended not to tell Professor Voladi either, so naturally Professor Kirmin Ku, who was close to Professor Voladi, had been kept even further away from the matter.
If Professor Voladi tried to cause trouble, would this person help or try to stop it?
The Skull Principal had judged that Professor Kirmin Ku would do the former.
"Were you planning to help?"
"I do not know. But now that the principal has done this, I suddenly feel determined to help. ...I am joking. I would stop Professor Bagreg."
Professor Kirmin Ku could not continue showing anger in front of a student, so Professor Ku restored Professor Ku's expression to normal.
Thinking about the Skull Principal's shamelessly polished bones was infuriating, but wrong was still wrong.
Professor Kirmin Ku was not so inflexible as to insist that revenge must always be forbidden.
But even revenge could be carried out coolly and methodically. There was no need to risk one's life on some dangerous gamble.
Unfortunately, Professor Kirmin Ku's friend preferred the latter approach.
"Ah. So that is why you wanted to find out what Professor Bagreg was thinking? You were wondering how Professor Bagreg would react after finding out?"
"No. Professor Bagreg already knows."
"......"
Professor Kirmin Ku nearly dropped the teacup. Professor Ku barely confused the fact that it had fallen and returned the teacup to its original position, then asked in a trembling voice.
"H-How did that go?"
"What? Professor Bagreg promised not to act independently."
"And in reality?"
"Professor Bagreg has not done anything yet."
"......"
Professor Kirmin Ku carefully set the teacup down on the table.
If Professor Ku kept holding it, Professor Ku felt certain it would be dropped at least once.
'People really do change once they get a disciple...!'
Professor Ku found Professor Ku's self thinking that, had Professor Ku known this would happen, Professor Ku should have paid students to become Voladi's disciples.
"More importantly, my name has been placed on their list..."
"On their list?!"
Crackle!
The surrounding students, who had been crafting and storing illusion magic, widened their eyes.
Control over every illusion spell they had been creating broke loose at once, and all of them surged toward Professor Kirmin Ku.
"Professor...!"
"...I am truly sorry, everyone. I am so sorry."
Professor Kirmin Ku regretted not simply continuing to hold the teacup as Professor Ku restored the students' spells.
Then Professor Ku returned and sat down again.
"Your name is on their list? Why? Because you interfered with them too many times?"
"I do not really know that myself..."
"Ah. Is it because of the Ghoul King? Or the King of the Frost Giants? The anti-magic faction? Magical criminals? Because you contracted with Her Majesty Jowrin?"
"......"
Lee Han became slightly dejected.
After hearing that his name had been placed on an evil-god worshipers' target list, Professor Ku's reaction was not, 'That is impossible!' but rather, 'What was the reason?'
Professor Verdus would be one thing, but when even Professor Kirmin Ku reacted this way, Lee Han became worried that everyone else might respond the same way.
"Anyway, I think I understand what you are worried about. Even if Professor Bagreg no longer intends to pursue revenge, a disciple being placed on the list is a different matter."
"Exactly."
Professor Kirmin Ku thought for a moment, then clapped Professor Ku's hands.
A good idea had occurred.
"Let us postpone telling Professor Bagreg about the list for now, Wardanaz. Instead, I will accompany Professor Bagreg and observe for myself. I will see whether it is safe to tell Professor Bagreg, and whether Professor Bagreg is truly in a stable condition."
"...?"
For a moment, Lee Han did not understand and tilted his head.
"When you say you will accompany Professor Bagreg, do you mean when I leave now to carry out the commission...?"
"That is right."
"...Uh, is that really all right?"
There were already two professors, and adding one more was one thing(though in truth, it was not something that could simply be dismissed).
Separate from that, did the illusion magic school not have work to handle?
Professor Kirmin Ku nodded as though it did not matter and took out a paper bird.
Professor Ku possessed a weapon available only to professors who normally worked diligently.
"Go."
At the command, the paper bird flew away. Lee Han asked cautiously.
"What did you write in the letter?"
"I asked the principal to handle the illusion magic school's work in my place. The principal seems to have plenty of free time lately anyway."
"......"
Once again, Lee Han felt that the kindest people in Einroguard were the ones who carried the most dangerous poison within them.