Chapter 1233

At that moment, the Skull Principal was teaching <Advanced Basic Magical Character Education> to the first-year students.

The first-year students were extremely displeased to see the Skull Principal back.

Why had he already returned from the capital?

"Is Professor Garcia not teaching us in your place anymore?"

Do you not feel sorry for Professor Garcia?

'That's true.'

The first-year students immediately accepted that.

They were mocked as ironheads, but even these first-year students had a rough idea of how things worked at Einroguard.

Someone like Professor Garcia was surely doing more work than anyone else.

"We haven't seen His Highness the Inspector lately. Did something happen to him?"

That bastard went to the punishment room.

"What complete nonsense!"

"He must think we're idiots!"

The first-year students were outraged by the absurd answer.

No matter how much he looked down on them, how could he tell such an insincere lie?

The Skull Principal had obviously trapped the Inspector with some wicked scheme.

"Maybe he assassinated him."

"No way. His Majesty the Emperor sent him. He probably wouldn't go as far as assassination. Maybe kidnapping or confinement..."

After an entire year of lectures, these ironheads haven't improved at all.

The Skull Principal lamented the freshmen's attitude.

Why were these young mages all so rough and crude in character?

Crash!

"?!?!!"

"What was that!?"

The students jumped in surprise and rushed to the classroom windows.

From an upper floor of Einroguard's main building, a familiar-looking dwarf was smashing through a window and leaping out.

"P-Principal! I think an enemy has infiltrated the academy!"

Calm down. That's Professor Thunderwalk.

The floating skull spoke in an indifferent voice.

"I-I see. Professor Thunderwalk... Wait! That's not something we should calm down about!"

The students panicked even more.

If Professor Thunderwalk was jumping out like that, wasn't the situation even more dangerous?

A magical criminal, an attacker, an assassin, a creditor who had come to kill Professor Verdus...

All sorts of possibilities flashed through the first-year students' minds.

He wasn't attacked. He failed to watch his own tongue and brought disaster upon himself. You should all watch and learn.

"????"

The students were confused by the cryptic words.

What on earth was that supposed to mean?

Fortunately, they soon came to understand.

Professor Garcia leaned out through the broken window and began swinging a staff, unleashing a barrage of magic.

Professor Thunderwalk landed and fled toward the forest while shouting things like, 'I'm sorry!' and 'Surely there was no harm in at least asking!'

Watching the dwarf skillfully spread billowing smoke to obstruct Professor Garcia's aim, the Skull Principal offered a casual appraisal.

Not bad with a smokescreen. Watch and learn.

"......"

Now, back to the lecture. Write this down and read it aloud. 'Before I graduate, even if I encounter an evil god, I will not personally attack it'...

"Why is the Principal making us write and read something like this? Who would ever do something like that?"

"Obviously, he's just trying to torment us for no reason."

***

"That happened?"

The rumor that Professor Garcia had thrown Professor Thunderwalk out of a window spread quickly.

Strictly speaking, Professor Thunderwalk had first created a smokescreen and fled through the window himself, but rumors were like magical creatures that changed form unpredictably.

The professors became extremely wary upon hearing the news.

Every professor there, to a greater or lesser extent, owed Professor Garcia something.

"This is obviously Professor Verdus's fault! He took advantage of Professor Garcia's kindness and worked Garcia so hard that of course someone would eventually explode!"

"No. I think it's because the disciple fought an evil god this time."

"Wardanaz? Why would Professor Garcia attack Professor Thunderwalk because Wardanaz challenged an evil god...? Gasp, did Professor Thunderwalk encourage him?!"

"Of course not."

Professor Thunderstep clicked his tongue.

The dwarf professor knew his nephew's personality very well.

"He probably went over there without reading the room and asked whether he could give Wardanaz some work while the student was in the punishment room. He brought it on himself."

"......"

Several professors' expressions became solemn.

The truth was that they had also been thinking about whether they could make their capable disciple in the punishment room do some work.

While the professors talked, the dark elf professor who looked the most exhausted of everyone there silently poured black tea over the pile of sugar cubes stacked inside the cup.

Then the professor drained it in one gulp.

It was a sign that the short break was over and it was time to get up.

"Wait. Professor Lagrinde."

"?"

Professor Alkasis turned with an extremely annoyed and exhausted look.

"Are you not particularly interested in Student Wardanaz?"

In fact, if there was any professor here who could legitimately make Wardanaz in the punishment room do some work, Professor Alkasis was probably the most likely candidate.

The healing magic school was always suffering from a chronic shortage of personnel, to the point that even the professor in charge was rarely seen.

Moreover, because of everything that had happened this semester, Wardanaz had barely managed to keep up with the lectures and had been unable to participate in the healing magic school's various schedules.

From Professor Alkasis's perspective, there was every justification to claim a legitimate right to make the disciple catch up on overdue work.

And Professor Alkasis had enough nerve to say so openly in front of Professor Garcia!

"His Majesty the Emperor sent people."

"???"

"He told me to put them to work in Wardanaz's place. I'll be going now."

Professor Alkasis left first, apparently worried that any further conversation would make the professor late for the schedule.

The remaining professors were simply left in shock. Professor Mortum coughed and said,

"Cough, why only the healing magic school? The dark magic school is always short on people too."

"......"

'We're both professors, but this person is genuinely embarrassing.'

No matter what, how could the dark magic school compare itself to Einroguard's healing magic school, which treated patients from all across the Empire!

Still, separate from Professor Mortum's shamelessness, it was surprising.

His Majesty the Emperor had personally sent people to replace Wardanaz.

Wardanaz had certainly accomplished something extraordinary, but even taking that into account, the Emperor's attention seemed excessively meticulous.

Was it because Wardanaz was a dragon's contractor after all?

"Or perhaps His Majesty simply finds him especially pitiful among the Principal's disciples."

"That's possible too."

Even among the Skull Principal's disciples, Wardanaz stood out.

Who else could confront an evil god head-on at that age and survive?

Perhaps because of that ability, the Skull Principal had been putting Wardanaz to work from particularly early on.

The professors knew better than anyone that the Skull Principal had taken Wardanaz along in order to extort the funding Einroguard lacked.

Thud!

"!?"

At the sudden sound of someone dropping to their knees, the professors turned in surprise.

A professor with a spiteful-looking face was kneeling on the floor of the faculty lounge, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I, Professor Bendozol, have a once-in-a-lifetime request for all of you."

"......"

The professors' reactions were lukewarm.

Professor Bendozol was no ordinary madman. Whenever necessary, the professor would casually say things like, 'I have only one first and last request,' or 'I have only one request in my entire life.'

"What is it?"

"Please send this Bendozol to the punishment room...!"

"......"

"......"

The professors immediately turned their heads and pretended not to see.

Then they whispered among themselves.

"Who told him about the punishment room?"

"He probably figured it out himself. He is capable, after all."

"Send me there, you bastards!"

When persuasion failed, Professor Bendozol attempted to resort to force.

But there was no chance the professors would fall for such a pathetic provocation.

"Waving your staff around here won't get you sent to the professors' punishment room, Professor."

"At best, you'll end up in the deep punishment room. Want to go there with Professor Verdus?"

"Then at least let me visit him!!"

Professor Bendozol became even more furious at the harsh, cold refusals.

Other professors were allowed to make visits, so why was only Bendozol forbidden?

"The Principal said no, so why are you complaining to us..."

"Go argue with the Principal."

"Graaaagh! Graaaaaaagh!"

The Skull Principal was no fool.

There was absolutely nothing good that could come from sending someone like Professor Bendozol to Uman or Jowrin when the two dragons were already emotionally unsettled.

They had to be kept apart no matter what.

Professor Jorzik, who had been watching the commotion among the other professors with great interest, stroked his mustache and spoke.

"Everyone. I, Jorzik of House Benmalpa, have a proposal."

"It would probably be better if you didn't... What is it?"

"We petition His Majesty the Emperor directly and have Student Wardanaz released."

This professor, who dreamed of becoming the next principal of Einroguard, was always ambitious and knew how to exercise political judgment.

Getting Wardanaz out of the punishment room now had several advantages.

First, Wardanaz would be deeply grateful, which could secure strong student support when Jorzik pursued the position of Einroguard's next principal.

And since the professors gathered here wanted Wardanaz released as well, would they not be deeply grateful for Jorzik's political skill?

'Is this person insane?'

'How is this person even a professor? Then again, someone like Professor Verdus is one too.'

Of course, the other professors were not grateful at all.

The Skull Principal himself had just tried and failed, so what kind of ridiculous request was this?

Moreover, before any reply could even arrive, they would first have to worry about Professor Garcia's enraged fists.

The professor had completely lost it right now, and there was no telling what Garcia might do.

"If Student Wardanaz is released, Professor Bendozol, I will put you in his place."

"?!?!!"

Professor Bendozol shot to his feet.

His face was filled with excitement and hope.

"Do you truly mean that?!"

"I, Jorzik of House Benmalpa, never lie!"

"I'll support you, Professor Benmalpa! Let's hurry and get Wardanaz out!"

Professor Jorzik nodded in satisfaction, then looked around.

And spoke again.

"For that, there is one thing I need."

"I suspect you need more than one thing... What is it?"

"A joint petition stating that all of you share the same intent..."

At those words, all the professors rose at once and streamed out of the faculty lounge.

Professor Jorzik called after his colleagues in bewilderment, but none of them returned.

"Everyone?! Everyone!"

'Magic may be important, but from now on, I really wish they'd test for a minimum level of social ability when hiring professors!'

***

Eandurde cautiously poked his head inside.

Even though the Death Knights had guided him here for his lesson, the punishment room was by no means a place to take lightly.

How many dangers and hardships had he experienced in punishment rooms as a first-year?

And this was the professors' punishment room.

Surely it would be even more dangerous...

"Eandurde!!!!"

A golden cannonball flew toward him and crashed into Eandurde.

The startled Eandurde tried to escape, but a dragon's physical abilities were a step above those of a gorgon half-blood.

"I missed you so much!!!!"

"Urgh. Uuuurgh."

His pride wounded, Eandurde struggled desperately to shake Jowrin off.

But the more he tried, the more stubbornly the dragon clung to him.

"...What the hell! Seriously!"

"J-Jowrin just... wanted to see Eandurde..."

"...Fine. I get it, so move over a li—... W-what's that?"

"Ah. Lee Han is carrying out a commission."

Jowrin pointed toward the solitary cell as she explained.

Inside the cell, several familiar mages and one unfamiliar mage were working with expressions that looked utterly exhausted.

Lee Han, who had been checking Yoanen's potion, spotted Eandurde and cried out in surprise.

"Professor! Eandurde is here for his lesson!"

"I know."

Professor Voladi rose from the seat without surprise, as though everything had already been prepared.

Lee Han suddenly became curious and asked,

"Who taught Eandurde while you were away, Professor?"

"Sir Garjidahaka."

"...Who on earth is that?"