Chapter 1275

"W-Were you listening?"

When someone who normally never got angry became angry, it was naturally even more frightening.

When their junior, who was always diligent and polite, became furious, the two were greatly flustered.

"How can you say something like that!"

"N-No. It's not like we said anything that bad... right?"

Sigunting stammered.

Honestly, he could not quite understand why his junior was getting this angry.

Unlike the other students, his junior was kindhearted enough that he would personally go out looking even when a professor escaped, so was saying that really such a terrible thing?

"You went looking for Professor Bendozol too..."

'I'm going insane!'

Lee Han felt every word from the other person stab straight into his chest.

It made him even angrier because he could not refute it.

"I just happened to run into them!"

"You went looking for Professor Bagreg too."

"That one really was me going out to find them, but... No, once is an exception! Who would go out to bring Professor Verdus back! Never say something like that again!"

The enraged Lee Han chose emotion over logic.

Boasting that someone who had gone chasing after professors twice would definitely not do it a third time was not particularly convincing, but the seniors nodded for now. Their junior looked far too angry.

"All right, Wardanaz."

"We believe that you won't go chasing after Professor Verdus!"

"...Thank you."

Still fuming as he returned to his seat, Lee Han realized that the dog hole that had been closed was now open.

'Huh?'

Professor Voladi spoke calmly.

"If you're going to find Professor Bivle, I'll accompany you."

"...Why are even you doing this, Professor!"

***

There had been one incident, but the students of the enchantment magic school focused and dealt with the remaining work.

Then the two seniors started whispering again.

-So...

-It's not a bad idea.

"Ah, why do you two keep whispering only to each other!"

BANG!

The enraged Lee Han struck the wall again. The two seniors jumped and hurriedly explained.

"This time it's something else!"

"We were going to tell you too!"

"...What is it?"

"We were discussing what to do if we finish the work early."

Normally, once the work here was finished, they were supposed to go up to the Engraving Hall and help Senior Yukbeltire with the work she had taken on.

Unlike the students here, who were responsible for wrapping up lectures, the range of work Yukbeltire had taken on was much broader, beginning with inspecting the entire magic tower and extending all the way to checking the inventory of supplies.

However, the students of the enchantment magic school originally had neither conscience nor compassion. After spending several years in Einroguard's enchantment magic school, one tended to discard such emotions like impurities.

"We're technically supposed to go help our senior, but do we really need to? What do you think, Wardanaz?"

As he spoke, Sigunting glanced cautiously at Lee Han.

Absolute unity was essential to this plan.

If even one traitor appeared, Senior Yukbeltire would immediately realize what had happened and begin pursuit.

Unfortunately, this junior named Wardanaz was kind enough to chase after professors who escaped outside, so perhaps he might reject the suggestion...

"I think it's an excellent idea. I'll create an alibi. We'll say there were additional questions on the exam and add fake answer sheets. If they see those, they won't suspect we finished early."

With his delicate and tireless telekinetic magic, Lee Han was confident he could add as many such fakes as necessary.

Perhaps the reason he had trained this high-difficulty magic under the Skull Principal's insane duplicate was for moments like this.

"......"

"......"

The two seniors were slightly taken aback when Lee Han offered such an enthusiastic and concrete solution.

Had he prepared for this in advance?

Creeeak-

At that moment, the sound of a door opening rang out, and Yukbeltire appeared at the top of the stairs.

The three members of the enchantment magic school who had been plotting something wicked froze on the spot.

How?!

"You're all finished, right?"

"What? No. What basis do you have for saying that?"

Sigunting immediately tried to deny everything.

All upper-year students knew that among Einroguard's unofficial rules were things like 'Even if you're caught, never admit it' and 'Insist until the very end.'

"I calculated it with the Calendarium. I entered the three of your working speeds and checked when you would finish."

"......"

'We should've broken that damn artifact first.'

The juniors whose conspiracy had been exposed lamented inwardly.

This was why mages who possessed several powerful artifacts were troublesome.

"So you are finished. Everyone come up. We need to begin the second round of work at the Engraving Hall."

"Senior. I'm currently confined. Is that all right?"

"I received permission from the principal, so it's fine."

'Damn it.'

Lee Han cursed inwardly.

Senior Yukbeltire was similar to Professor Verdus, but there was one difference: she knew how to use procedures and institutions.

Professor Verdus would never have thought of that!

"Then... I'll be going."

Lee Han greeted Professor Voladi and trudged after the seniors. Professor Voladi lightly waved at his disciple's back.

'I really don't want to go.'

Looking at the seniors' drooping, hunched shoulders and backs, it was easy to tell they were thinking the same thing.

Unlike simple paperwork, managing and repairing the Engraving Hall would take far longer and be much more exhausting.

Even Senior Yukbeltire looked drained. He could strongly feel that she did not want to do it either.

'Well. I suppose she's a victim this time too.'

Lee Han thought this might be the first time among all the cases where Senior Yukbeltire had made others work.

Rather than acting out of her own desire, she had been forced into doing something because someone else ordered her to.

Lee Han felt an unnecessary surge of sympathy and spoke.

"Senior. Cheer up. Once we get to the Engraving Hall, I'll make you some cookies."

"......"

Yukbeltire did not answer immediately. She was not ignoring him. She was simply so tired that her reactions had slowed.

"...That seems like a good idea. Not that I'm being greedy, but an appropriate dessert is also beneficial to mental health."

'Wait. She wasn't someone who admitted things this readily.'

She liked sweets just like Gainando, yet normally spouted ridiculous things like, 'I don't like them, though? I'm not being greedy.'

For her to react like this meant she really was far more exhausted than usual.

"Was the work that difficult?"

"Mana consumption, concentration drain... And strange letters keep arriving."

As fatigue washed over her, Yukbeltire rubbed the space between her eyes with her fingers.

Her fingers, heated with mana, temporarily made her forget the fatigue accumulated around her eyes.

"Strange letters? Did people who hold grudges against Professor Verdus start sending them to you too?"

"No. Not that. I received dozens of letters asking me to make another dragon statue. I don't understand why."

"......"

Lee Han flinched.

...Huh?

'It must be a coincidence, right?'

Dragon statues were among the more popular forms of sculpture. Perhaps they had suddenly become fashionable throughout the Empire and people were requesting them.

"Well... Was there anything else? Anything strange in the letters..."

"They mentioned the capital festival too. I don't understand."

Yukbeltire frowned.

She was already exhausted from end-of-semester research overlapping with Professor Verdus's work, and now these strange letters were arriving too.

It was not even just one letter. Dozens of them contained similar things. It was truly a malicious prank.

They claimed they had seen her at a festival she had never attended, claimed she had taken commissions she had never accepted, and claimed she had made statues she had never made...

"...What rotten bastards! Senior. Give me those letters. I'll burn them and put up a barrier so they can't play any more pranks!"

At Lee Han's heated declaration, the other two seniors whispered among themselves.

He could vaguely hear things like 'That sucker' and 'That's why he goes chasing after professors,' but Lee Han was too distracted to notice.

'I need to deal with those letters first!'

However, Yukbeltire shook her head.

"No need."

"No. Why not?"

"...There's also a high chance Diret will get angry if she finds out..."

'Damn.'

Lee Han groaned inwardly.

To think his kind senior's good heart would end up getting in the way like this.

"...And I'm thinking of going there myself during vacation to check."

"......"

The horrified Lee Han froze in place.

"Why... why? Such an inefficient thing? You hate doing things like that."

"There's a simple reason."

Among the dozens of letters, surprisingly, some had even arrived bearing the seals of great noble houses.

Since the senders had revealed their identities, even if it was a prank, she could not simply let it slide.

Yukbeltire was not particularly interested in her own bloodline, but that absolutely did not mean others were free to mock her however they pleased. This was also tied to her dignity as a mage.

"They even said there was a living dragon statue. I'm planning to go see it with my own eyes and reprimand them properly. It's annoying, but I'll have to make them pay an appropriate price."

"...Senior. But let's say, really hypothetically... What if some kind... innocent... naive mages wanted to help you... and accepted and completed the commissions in your place?"

"?"

"What kind of insane bullshit are you talking about, Wardanaz?"

Sigunting, who had been muttering behind him about how 'that guy is way too kindhearted,' finally could not hold back and asked.

A mage who completed someone else's commission without receiving anything in return.

It sounded like the kind of dreamy story that would only appear in fairy tales one read as a child.

And even if such a mage existed, they might appear for a junior who had lived virtuously, but why would they ever appear for the accomplice and successor of Professor Verdus?

"Ah. It could happen!"

"Why, why are you getting angry..."

While that was happening, Yukbeltire, who had been thinking carefully, spoke firmly.

"I could never forgive them."

"...Why do you have to add 'never'... There's no such thing as absolute in this world."

"Regardless of their goodwill, they arbitrarily completed someone else's commissions with shoddy quality."

"......"

Lee Han was rendered speechless by the other person's arrogance.

No, what if they had done an even better job?

"...They might have done better."

"Do you think that makes any sense, Junior of House Wardanaz?"

"Wardanaz. Even I think that's honestly a stretch. How skilled could a mage who secretly does someone else's commissions possibly be?"

Even the other seniors sided with Yukbeltire. Lee Han groaned inwardly.

'Urgh. These coldhearted mages of the enchantment magic school.'

"What if... really, what if the other person did a better job?"

"Hmm."

Yukbeltire suddenly fell silent.

She seemed to be thinking deeply about something, but perhaps she could not organize her thoughts, because she continued pondering.

Sigunting answered instead.

"If it were me, I'd go find them and retaliate."

"...What!? Senior, are you perhaps a magical criminal!?"

Lee Han recoiled at the vicious statement.

How could someone be so violent toward a mage who had come to help?

"I'm not! Think about it carefully, Wardanaz. A mage better than me stole my commission, completed it well under my name, and left. What would that mean?"

"Wouldn't it mean they're genuinely kind and good?"

"No. It's closer to mocking my skills and provoking me."

"......"

Lee Han wondered whether Senior Sigunting had become much rougher because of Professor Verdus's escape.

However, surprisingly, Senior Anpagon had a similar opinion.

"If they did worse, that would be one thing, but if they did a better job and then left, I think that really would count as provocation."

"Exactly, right?"

"......"

Apparently, every mage in Einroguard's enchantment magic school possessed a personality on the level of a magical criminal. Lee Han sank into deep despair.

'I absolutely can't let them find out.'

First, he needed to contact Senior Diret and ask for advice...

THUD!

Suddenly, a second-floor window of the Engraving Hall opened, and someone climbed in through it.

Everyone jumped and raised their staffs.

'Was there a gap in the tower's defenses?!'

Astonishingly, it was Professor Verdus. Covered in dust and mud, the professor spoke brightly.

"Perfect, Wardanaz! I need your help!"

"Y-You're not actually going to follow that, are you?"

"Are you seriously insane?"