Chapter 1349

Lee Han was bewildered, and so were his friends.

Surely the servant had not made such a fuss over just this one thing?

Yet the servant was completely serious.

"What else could there possibly be besides this?"

"......"

"Why is that such a big deal?"

One student, unable to hold back any longer, asked.

If the Valdrogard students had realized the sinister conspiracy hidden in this palace and gathered to launch a preemptive attack, then yes, that would have been a serious matter.

But if that were the case, the servant would have been captured first.

'Because before launching an attack, they'd have to cut off communications so no outside news could get through.'

The servant explained again with a solemn expression.

"Professor Wardanaz's right to rest is a sacred right guaranteed by Imperial law. Yet the students are ignoring that right and causing a commotion, demanding that you open your lectures early. How could that not be a serious matter?"

"......"

"...Hmph! No matter how much you try to tempt him, Wardanaz isn't transferring to Valdrogard!"

"Shh. Keep it down. What if Wardanaz changes his mind?"

The servant looked baffled by the Einroguard students' reactions.

Tempt him? What were they talking about?

Lee Han calmed his friends and asked,

"So they gathered because they want to attend the lecture early?"

"Yes. It is truly shameful, Professor. Honorable Valdrogard students behaving so selfishly without considering your circumstances..."

The servant was genuinely angry.

For refined Valdrogard students to come during vacation and demand that a professor hold class for them—what disgraceful behavior.

Of course, the Einroguard students were not angry in the slightest. Just as professors did not consider their students' circumstances, students had every right not to consider their professors' circumstances either.

"If they've already gathered, we can just start during vacation."

"Th-That! What about your right to rest, Professor?"

'What a shameless flatterer.'

The Einroguard students cursed inwardly.

Every single word the servant said got on their nerves. It felt as if Valdrogard had sent out its most thoroughly trained attendant.

"That... well... it's fine. Either way, whether I teach or not, I have about the same amount of work to do... More importantly, are we finished with the palace?"

"Wait! Give me thirty minutes. I'll reinforce the walls."

"Wardanaz. I'm thinking of connecting the labyrinth swamp in the moat to the inner classroom. If someone falls into the moat, they'll drop back into the classroom. Give me a little time."

"Check everything again! If even one Valdrogard student escapes, we'll go down in Einroguard history as eternal losers!"

The students hurried off to begin the finishing touches.

Hearing that, the Valdrogard servant thought inwardly,

'What kind of conversation is that supposed to be?'

But the servant did not voice the question.

A refined servant of Valdrogard did not presumptuously interfere with the content of a professor's lecture.

* * *

Jandanni of House Aljadk struggled to calm the juniors gathered in front of the palace.

"Everyone, behave with honor! A professor should be allowed to rest during vacation too!"

Normally, the juniors respected their upper-years, but today the mood was somewhat different.

Someone among the students called out,

"Senior Aljadk, I heard you went around with the professor and enjoyed all kinds of adventures by yourself. Is that true?"

"N-No... I wasn't alone..."

"Either way, doesn't that mean you hogged all the glory! How underhanded!"

"And you still call yourself a Valdrogard student!"

Boos erupted from all around.

Facing such cold treatment from the juniors for the first time in Jandanni's life, Jandanni broke into a nervous sweat.

"I-It wasn't intentional. You were still in the lower years, so I was worried it would be dangerous... There really were dangerous moments during the adventure..."

"We're prepared for danger too, Senior!"

"There isn't a single coward among the students of Valdrogard!"

Had the Einroguard students heard that, they would have charged forward in fury shouting, 'We'll show you what real danger looks like,' but fortunately only Valdrogard students were gathered here.

The students had shown intense interest after hearing the rumors that had recently spread.

I want to attend too!

Jandanni had known that Professor Wardanaz was gathering students, but had never expected this many to assemble before the semester even began, and had no idea what to do.

"Everyone. The professor says the lecture is ready."

"!"

The servant descending from the hill was what saved Jandanni.

The students brightened and shouted,

"Is that true?"

"Yes. Everyone. And you should be ashamed of yourselves! To behave so rudely as Valdrogard students!"

At the servant's shout, the Valdrogard students flushed red. Only belatedly did they realize just how rude their actions had been.

Seeing that, Jandanni felt a little aggrieved.

'I said the exact same thing.'

"Everyone, please come up. Sir Aljadk. May I ask you to keep the students under control?"

Jandanni nodded.

"You lot, you're all prepared, right?"

"Do not worry, Senior. We are prepared for any danger or hardship."

The Valdrogard students answered loudly.

Of course, the danger and hardship they were talking about were quite far removed from the real thing.

"If any of you later come whining to me that the professor's magic lectures are too difficult, I won't listen! You have to behave with honor!"

Jandanni spoke sternly once more, hoping to restore some dignity as an upper-year.

"Of course, Senior! We swear it!"

"Good! Then let's go!"

Dozens of students began streaming up the hill.

After spotting the palace to the west where this semester's magic lectures would be held, the students continued forward while chatting among themselves.

"Huh? Was the palace always like that? What's attached to the windows?"

"They must've repaired them because they were worried they wouldn't survive the magic."

"In front of the palace... were there always pools like that?"

"Maybe they're trying to grow reagents needed for magic?"

"Don't the workers' eyes look a little strange?"

"That... they definitely do."

The Valdrogard students had found ways to rationalize everything else, but the workers dressed in rags in the palace courtyard definitely felt somewhat strange.

There was an odd murderous glint in their eyes.

"Heh heh heh... Welcome."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! You bastard! How dare you be so rude!"

The other workers rushed over, grabbed the worker who had just chuckled, and dragged them away somewhere else.

-If they don't come in because of you, we'll lock you in the punishment room instead!

-I-I'm sorry! But when else am I ever going to get to say something like that!

"???"

Unfortunately, the Valdrogard students had rather dull instincts when it came to danger.

If they had been Einroguard students, they would have made a first escape attempt the moment the palace looked different from usual, a second escape attempt when the courtyard looked different from usual, and a third escape attempt when suspicious people appeared, and every last one of them would already have fled.

Creeeeak-

The main gate to the palace courtyard closed first. For some reason, the sound was ominous.

"Wait. Why are they locking the ga—"

"You're all here. Welcome."

One student had noticed something was wrong and tried to speak, but a young mage with sculpted features emerged from inside the palace.

The gathered Valdrogard students immediately recognized who it was.

"Are you Professor Wardanaz!"

"That's right. Thank you all for coming."

"I was deeply moved by the story of how you took part in the subjugation of an evil god!"

"Me too! Is it true you fought the Ghoul King?"

"I heard you sailed on a pirate ship with Senior Aljadk! Do you happen to be planning to sail again anytime soon!"

Excited, the Valdrogard students eagerly poured out all the questions they had been holding.

If they could get even one candid answer from this new professor, they would have enough stories for banquet halls for the next year or two.

The new professor smiled with generous warmth. But none of them noticed the cold, chilly gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Everyone, there will be plenty of chances to talk about those things later. For now, would you come inside? I've prepared something."

"Yes!"

Their faces flushed red with anticipation and excitement, the students happily followed the professor into the palace.

Boom!

This time, the palace doors shut.

Jandanni thought inwardly,

'The doors sound strangely loud when they close today.'

Unfortunately, Jandanni did not know how to listen to instinct.

Had Jandanni learned how to listen to instinct, the answer would certainly have been obvious.

Lee Han guided the students to Classroom One inside the palace.

A wide variety of basic spells from different schools of magic had been prepared inside the vast hall. They were there to test the Valdrogard students' aptitudes and recommend suitable magic to them.

"There are basic spells from many different schools of magic prepared here. Choose a spell that interests you, one you've always been curious about, or simply one that feels right intuitively. If you don't know how to use it, feel free to ask me at any time."

"?"

"Uh... is this a magic lecture?"

The Valdrogard students were bewildered.

They had expected to hear 'Professor Wardanaz's thrilling and honorable adventure stories,' but this was a much more serious magic lecture than they had imagined.

"Professor. What about the evil god subjugation..."

"I'll tell you about that another time, if the opportunity arises. Once you've made a certain amount of progress in magic."

Lee Han spoke gently.

At that, several Valdrogard students exchanged glances.

-Guess he isn't telling us today.

-Then let's come back next time. I'm not very interested in magic anyway. Want to go practice the play?

Valdrogard did not particularly punish students for leaving in the middle of a lecture.

In truth, Einroguard, where some professors attacked students if they tried to leave during class, was the strange one.

The students left the classroom, walked down the palace's marble corridor, and forcefully pushed against a massive door decorated with gold.

Tap-

"?"

"What?"

When the door failed to open, as if something were blocking it, the Valdrogard students grew confused.

"Maybe the door got shut wrong. Let's try another way."

They walked back down the corridor, passed between statues carved from crystal, and reached the rear door behind the Room of Jewels.

But the rear door would not open either. The Valdrogard students slowly began to feel afraid.

What is this??

"I-It must've been shut wrong too. Let's try another door."

Amazingly, every single door in the palace was firmly locked.

The Valdrogard students shouted and pounded on the doors, but there was no response.

"The doors are locked in here! Can't you hear us outside!"

"Please check the doors!"

Through the gaps between the windows reinforced with wooden planks, they spotted the workers they had met earlier.

The Valdrogard students called out to them in delight, as if they had found a lifeline.

"Over here! We're over here!"

"Please open the doors!"

But the workers' response went beyond anything they had imagined.

The rag-clad workers gave sinister grins and simply walked away.

-Heh heh heh...

-Kehehehe...

"???"

"Wh-What's wrong with those people?"

"Let's open the windows! We can get out through the windows!"

"The windows won't open either??"

More and more Valdrogard students began filling the palace corridor.

They were students who had left the classroom one by one, failed to get out of the palace, and come back.

"This won't do. Let's ask the professor."

Interrupting the lecture was rude, but in an emergency like this, there was no helping it.

The professor would surely be shocked too once he heard what had happened.

"Professor. I'm sorry to interrupt the lecture. Right now, every door in the palace seems to be broken..."

"Oh dear. Why don't you practice magic while you wait for them to be repaired?"