Chapter 1289

Ivanna coughed at the unexpected words.

‘Did I hear that wrong?’

“Hey, hey. No matter what, there’s no way the professors would say something like that.”

“This isn’t a good place to fight.”

Professor Voladi answered calmly. Ivanna stared at the professor as if looking at a madman.

Ignoring her, Professor Voladi spoke again.

“The punishment-area facilities could be destroyed.”

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing...? Ah, then there wouldn’t be anywhere to lock up Professor Verdus.”

Lee Han answered as if he had just realized something. Ivanna stared at the junior as if looking at a madman.

Is that really what matters right now?

“That’s not it, Student Lee Han. Einroguard has plenty of punishment areas anyway, so even if this place were destroyed, the professor would simply be locked up somewhere else.”

“Darn. I see.”

“Of course, even then, Student Lee Han and Professor Bagreg would probably have been moved to another punishment area as well, so it wouldn’t exactly have been a good choice, would it?”

“......”

Finally, Ivanna stared at Professor Garcia as if looking at a madman.

To think that while attending Einroguard, there would come a day when she looked at Professor Garcia like this...!

‘Professor, that’s not what matters right now!’

“Whatever the reason, thank you for helping me. I’m satisfied just from not having to fight the Frost Giant King.”

“You... You...”

“?”

“...No... Never mind.”

Ivanna, who had been about to point something out, gave up.

You could only criticize someone who was moderately insane. When someone was this insane, it was difficult to even know what to say.

She could not begin to imagine where or how she was supposed to start.

“Once again, thanks for freeing me. That... microcosm... You did learn a microcosm, right? You used a microcosm to...”

“I haven’t completely mastered it yet. I’ll need more time before I’m proficient with it.”

Lee Han corrected the senior’s misunderstanding.

He needed much more practice before he could fully unfold the altered form of <Microcosm, Terminalia>.

Magic did not end just because you had cast it once. Complete mastery was necessary before you could unfold it smoothly and freely at will.

‘What is he talking about...?’

Ivanna stared at the junior with an exhausted expression.

That still meant he had broken it with a microcosm!

That alone was impressive enough.

A mere second-year student had broken the Frost Giant King’s curse with a microcosm. Who in the world would add, ‘Hmm, strictly speaking, this isn’t a complete microcosm’ after that?

“Student Lee Han is right. It certainly wasn’t a complete microcosm.”

“The form of Hwidore should be improved further...”

Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi agreed with Lee Han.

The two began pouring out advice on how he could improve the microcosm he had just demonstrated.

Without so much as changing expression, Lee Han seriously wrote down every piece of advice.

Watching them, Ivanna slowly backed away before scrambling up the stairs of the punishment area and fleeing.

Ivanna had seen her fair share of insane people at Einroguard, but today she realized something once again.

There truly was no end to madness!

***

“Lee Han. There’s a strange rumor going around among the seniors.”

“That’s because you sold out a senior. Watch yourself.”

Lee Han clicked his tongue as he looked at Gainando.

Final exam season was already drawing to a close, but the prince, who had finished all his exams ahead of time, came to visit the punishment area about as often each day as he ate snacks.

Lee Han had been glad to see him at first, but Gainando was gradually starting to annoy him.

Why didn’t he spend that time studying something else?

‘This bastard. He’s going to complain that dark magic is hard next semester...’

Lee Han set down the magic book Professor Voladi had improvised in the neighboring room, <On the Form of Microcosm, Hwidore and Its Applications>, and prepared to begin a proper lecture.

“N-no. It’s not a rumor about me. It’s about you, Lee Han.”

“What? Why?”

“There’s a rumor that you’re crazy about magic...”

“What’s so new about that?”

Lee Han looked at Gainando indifferently.

Rumors that Lee Han was crazy about magic had been floating around somewhere in Einroguard since the first semester of his first year.

It was not especially surprising that such rumors were now circulating among the upper-years again.

“W-well, yeah... but this one seems a little different...”

Gainando hesitated and trailed off.

Of course, every second-year student knew that their friend was crazy about magic. To that extent, all the upper-years who had any reason to know already knew as well.

But this rumor was somehow more vivid and intense.

-I heard that second-year junior unfolded a microcosm?

-What? I knew that junior was crazy about magic, but that’s really impressive. Fifth yea... No, there’s probably a high chance that junior will stay at Einroguard even longer and devote themselves to research.

-Probably. If that junior is already at that level, the future is basically decided. The professor seems incredibly fond of that junior too.

-Professor Kraer? How does the professor show it?

-Uh... Professor Kraer tried to throw the junior over the wall of another magic academy while persuading them.

-......

-It sounds strange, but the professor really does care. I’m serious.

Even after hearing Gainando’s explanation, Lee Han showed little reaction. He had mistaken it for a rumor on roughly the same level as before.

“Instead of worrying about rumors about me, worry about yourself. That senior who got freed last time might come after you for revenge.”

“Heh heh. That’s why I spread a false rumor that the senior obtained the portrait of wisdom. For a while, the senior will be too busy dealing with that to get revenge.”

A choking sound came from Paridim beside them. Apparently, the strategy was far too sophisticated for an Oculoguard student to process.

“Not bad.”

“But Lee Han, what are you writing right now? Studying magic?”

“You could say that.”

Gainando looked puzzled at the sight of Lee Han densely covering a sheet of paper in one continuous sweep without even opening a book.

Had his friend finally broken through to a new realm where he could study magic without even opening a book?

‘If that’s true, that’s genuinely terrifying.’

“Here. Take it.”

“???”

When his friend held a sheet of paper out between the bars, Gainando tilted his head and accepted it.

“What’s this?”

“The dark magic spells you need to learn. I only wrote down relatively easy ones, so learn them before you come next time. I’ll test you.”

“......”

Isn’t that seriously too much?

****

Gainando, who had come to visit only to leave with an extra burden, walked away grumbling once every second.

Perhaps because final exams were nearly over, students could be seen relaxing all over the academy grounds.

Normally, Gainando would have joined anyone playing mage cards and challenged them to a match, but he was in no mood for that now.

The ‘List of Dark Magic Spells to Learn’ his friend had given him weighed down on Gainando’s heart like an evil grimoire.

‘Wait. Come to think of it, Lee Han can’t get out until next semester starts anyway, right?’

Perhaps influenced by the evil grimoire, a wicked whisper began creeping up from a corner of Gainando’s heart.

Thinking about it, his friend had to stay inside the punishment area throughout the entire vacation.

...Then didn’t that effectively mean the deadline for learning these dark magic spells was the end of vacation?

Of course, he would not be able to visit Lee Han in the meantime, but he could somehow endure that much.

“Gainando. What were you doing? Why are you only getting here now? Hurry up. We’re having a feast to celebrate the end of final exams.”

“!!”

When Gainando entered the common room, he was greatly surprised to see his classmates preparing a feast.

Then he was surprised all over again.

The feast menu was far more miserable than he had expected.

Meatloaf made without meat, peach tart without peaches, coffee brewed without coffee grounds, cooked peas, roasted peas, boiled peas, mashed peas spread over pieces of bread, pea jam, pea soup...

“Why are there so many peas?”

“We raided a warehouse, and it turned out to be a pea warehouse.”

“I see. ...No, wait. That’s not what matters! Why is the menu like this?!”

“Why are you acting surprised now?”

The Blue Dragon Tower students answered calmly.

This semester, the second-year students had finally gotten a small taste of what true Einroguard meals were like.

The first reason had been the Inspector.

The second had been that the tower’s great merchant had been sent to the punishment area.

After enduring such hardships, the Blue Dragon Tower students had come to appreciate the everyday life they had once taken for granted.

The meals we used to eat were actually incredible!

For students who had developed such gratitude, even this feast menu was a lavish banquet.

“Gainando. I heard from some upper-years that they consider even this much a lavish feast. If you think of it that way too, you’ll be satisfied.”

Despite his friends’ attempts to persuade him, Gainando was not easily convinced.

Having survived by nibbling away at the snacks Lee Han had prepared before being taken away, the prince could not accept a feast consisting of rough, hard food.

“No! A feast like this is an insult to the semester we endured! Everyone, just wait here for a moment!”

“Gainando! Whatever you do, don’t raid a professor’s storeroom! The semester is basically over, so if you get sent to the punishment area now, you’ll be the only one suffering!”

As Gainando dashed out, the Blue Dragon Tower students shook their heads.

That prince still had a lot of growing up to do!

“He should be grateful that we can at least eat this many peas to our hearts’ content. He’s gotten spoiled.”

“Meikin. Where do you think the prince went?”

Yonair paused at her friends’ question.

Now that she thought about it, she could not imagine anywhere Gainando might go.

‘Wait. Where did he actually go?’

Gainando was not Lee Han, and he was secretly quite timid, so there was no way he had actually gone to raid a professor’s storeroom...

What snapped Yonair out of her thoughts was the nonsense her friends were saying.

“These pea dishes are pretty good. Should we take some to Wardanaz too?”

“Right? I thought they turned out well too. This might even be close to what Wardanaz usually made for us.”

“...Don’t!”

Horrified, Yonair stopped her friends.

Leaving aside the terrible taste, she did not want to make their friend in the punishment area worry even more.

This would be more than enough to make their worrywart friend break out of prison.

‘These idiots. How long has it even been for them to forget what good food tastes like?’

Just then, a paper bird sent by Gainando flew in. Yonair unfolded it and was startled.

“What’s wrong, Meikin?”

“Gainando... apparently went to the other towers and suggested that we all hold the feast together?”

“?!!”

***

The Blue Dragon Tower students whispered among themselves as they headed toward the open field. Their faces were still filled with amazement.

“I never thought Gainando would come up with something like this.”

“Same. It’s not like he’s Wardanaz.”

Wardanaz had such wide-ranging friendships with students from the other towers that he could have organized a feast with everyone together.

But with Wardanaz currently in the punishment area, none of them had imagined they would end up holding a joint feast...

And yet the prince had gone in his place, talked to everyone, and actually gotten them to agree. It was genuinely surprising.

“How did you come up with this, Gainando? Did you think you had to step up in Wardanaz’s place since he isn’t here?”

“Huh? I suggested it because I wanted to share the food from those other tower bastards.”

“......”

“......”

The expressions of his moved friends turned cold.

“This stays absolutely secret from the other towers.”

“Obviously. There’d be a fight immediately.”

Sure enough, once the Black Tortoise Tower and White Tiger Tower joined them, the food became much more plentiful.

Gainando wandered around the gathering with a satisfied expression.

“Can’t Wardanaz come out even for a little while?”

“Of course not. That’s why it’s called a punishment area.”

“I wasn’t asking you, Moradi.”

“Then be grateful I answered even though you didn’t ask me.”

‘Ah.’

Seeing Salco and Giselle begin arguing with each other, Gainando realized his mistake.

Normally, Lee Han would have stopped them, but of all times, he was not here.

“Dad juj jeohae. Ihai seupeohageoya.”

“...Finish what you’re eating before you talk, you lunatic.”

“Everyone, calm down! Lee Han will be sad!”

“Why would Wardanaz be sad about something like this? If anything, he’d get angry.”

‘Gasp. That’s true.’

For a moment, Gainando nearly found himself convinced. Now that he thought about it, his friend was not exactly the type to see this and become sad.

But as an Einroguard student, Gainando knew that backing down in a situation like this would only put him at a disadvantage.

“Doesn’t anyone feel sorry for Lee Han?! Be honest with yourselves! How many people here haven’t received help from Lee Han?!”

“Why are you suddenly saying that... It has nothing to do with what we were talking abou—”

“Is there?! Is there anyone who hasn’t?!”

“......”

Overwhelmed by Gainando’s momentum, the students fell silent. Gainando began rattling off without pause how much Lee Han was suffering in the punishment area.

“Last time, he even had to break some curse from the Frost Giant King!?”

“But strictly speaking, Prince, that happened because of you...”

Salco tried to speak, but Gainando ignored him.

“And Lee Han even has to stay at school alone until the end of vacation!”

“Then you can stay with him, Prince.”

“...Huh?”

Gainando froze at Giselle’s words.

Wait?