Chapter 1311

"It is not that you cannot, but I believe it is a meaningless action that will not help in the slightest."

"We usually call that 'you cannot.'"

The Skull Principal found his insolent disciple irritating, but let it slide.

At present, Yukbeltire had several mitigating circumstances.

The first was that, even if it was not her field of specialization, she had lost to a junior in magic. The second was that she had just gone through the difficult year that was fifth year.

And the biggest third reason was that she had insulted a Valdrogard professor. It was perfectly acceptable to insult a Valdrogard professor a little.

"The Valdrogard professor inside this carriage is somewhat different from an ordinary Valdrogard professor. The professor possesses enough ability to offer advice."

"Ah, yes. Understood."

"......"

Seeing Yukbeltire reply with absolutely no feeling behind it made the Skull Principal bristle slightly.

"If you don't believe me, why don't you compete with the Valdrogard professor inside this carriage using Petroguard-style enchantment magic..."

"Principal. Principal!"

Lee Han desperately protested from inside.

What in the world was this man doing?

'It's bad enough that I have to hide my identity!'

"Ah. I got a little worked up."

"Why are you making bets?!"

"Whenever Bivle got on my nerves, I'd make a bet and knock the arrogance out of them. Force of habit..."

"I see. That makes sense."

Lee Han nodded without thinking.

There had been more enjoyable experiences at Einroguard than one might expect, but among them, defeating Professor Verdus ranked as one of his happiest memories.

Many other students besides Lee Han probably felt the same way.

If someone conducted a survey, wouldn't answers like 'The time I threw a snowball at the back of Professor Verdus's head' or 'The time I shot a fire arrow into Professor Verdus's workshop and ran away' come up?

"Anyway, send her away quickly! We already have enough to do ourselves."

"That's true, but... don't you feel a little sorry for your senior?"

The Skull Principal was baffled by Lee Han's cold reaction.

This disciple showed tolerance toward all sorts of people, yet he was cold enough to be merciless toward the senior closest to him.

They were even from the same tower and the same school of magic...

"What? Senior said she became interested and was only going to research it briefly. She'll manage just fine on her own."

"Come to think of it, Diret suddenly said they wanted to do research at Kalarogard."

"That's one hundred percent Professor Mortum's fault! What in the world are you doing, Principal?! Talent like Senior Diret leaves the school because Professor Mortum keeps dumping work on them!"

"...That was a joke."

"Why would you make a joke like that? Words have a way of coming true."

"Fine. Fine. But I cannot simply leave Yukbeltire alone. I have to persuade her somehow and send her back to school."

Unlike Lee Han, the Skull Principal had no intention of abandoning a mage who had made it all the way to fifth year.

If left alone here and something went wrong, she might fall into some bizarre delusion like, 'Magic was boring all along! I've discovered a new path in life!'

It sounded absurd, but Einroguard upper-year students quite often suffered impaired judgment.

The Skull Principal extended a hand through the carriage window and spread his fingers wide.

"Yukbeltire. If you return to Einroguard right now, I'll provide additional research funding."

"!!!"

Lee Han was startled.

Could Einroguard afford such an expense given its dire finances?

"Can we afford this kind of expense?"

"Wardanaz. I'll tell you a secret. New professor. Valdrogard. Donations."

"......"

The people of Valdrogard, delighted that a famous new professor had joined them, had promised enormous donations.

Lee Han had mixed feelings about it, but it was good news for the students of Einroguard.

However, Yukbeltire firmly refused.

"That is unnecessary. I will finish my research and return on my own."

"!"

The Skull Principal was greatly surprised.

He had not expected her to reject an offer like this.

"What do we do now?"

"I didn't think she'd refuse this either, so I haven't prepared another offer."

"......"

"To think a mage from Einroguard's enchantment magic school would reject such an offer. Remarkable. Just how badly was her pride hurt?"

Every time the principal muttered beside him, Lee Han's psychological burden only grew heavier.

At least there was one fortunate thing: he would not have to run into her this semester!

"Have you come from Einroguard?"

After they had been talking out front for so long, Petroguard students gathered around them.

The Skull Principal decided to deal with the immediate matter first.

"I have come from Einroguard. Clear the way."

"Did anyone else come as well!? Perhaps Professor Kim, or..."

"No. A Valdrogard professor."

The Petroguard students immediately looked disappointed. Even the students who had been running over heard that and backed away with indifferent expressions.

The Skull Principal was impressed.

"Those brats usually block the road and chatter endlessly? I should use this often."

"......"

Lee Han felt strangely depressed.

* * *

"Lord Gonadaltes! It has been a long time."

"It has indeed. Are you still wearing those rags, Dalser?"

Dalser, a mage serving as a professor at Petroguard, proudly lifted the shabby patchwork rags.

Despite the Skull Principal's criticism, Dalser's pride in the work remained completely unshaken.

"So, will the grand festival really be held this year? I heard about it from Professor Kim, but I still find it hard to believe."

"So do I. But with things having progressed this far, it would be ridiculous to say it won't happen. At times like this, the strength of those who promised cooperation, like you, becomes important. If there are any bastards who refuse to listen..."

Every magic school in the Empire held the belief, 'At least I'm better than those other bastards.'

And not only in matters of magic, either. They thought the same regarding character, sociability, reputation, responsibility, and so on.

Naturally, Dalser, being a Petroguard mage, thought the same way.

"I understand! I can already imagine how difficult those other magic schools are going to be."

"Exactly."

"Is that why you sent your disciple to Valdrogard as a professor?"

Lee Han, who had been sipping herbal tea and listening beside them, choked and coughed.

Why bring that up out of nowhere?

The Skull Principal was startled as well, but, as expected of the master, was a step above. He set his cup on the table without spilling a single drop.

"I don't know what you mean. If the students have been spreading that around, it's a sort of joke..."

"No. Valdrogard sent us a letter."

"...They sent that around too?"

The Skull Principal snatched the letter Dalser held out and read it so intensely it seemed he might burn a hole through the paper.

When Lee Han leaned his head in to read along, the Skull Principal shoved him away in irritation.

Whose fault did he think this whole mess was?!

"Greeting, boasting, boasting, boasting, boasting, boasting, greeting. This is good enough to preserve as a model example of a garbage letter."

"And yet you sent your disciple to such a place as a professor."

"......"

For a moment, the Skull Principal considered forgetting all about cooperation and beating the young mage in front of him like a dog.

But when he imagined Professor Garcia's saddened face, he could not bring himself to do it.

"I didn't send him. This disciple got deceived all on his own."

"What kind of ridiculous excuse is that... Your Lordship, we know perfectly well how brilliant your disciple is!"

Since Lee Han had personally visited before, the Petroguard mages knew very well just how outstanding a mage this disciple of the Skull Principal was.

Separate from the expedition to subjugate the evil god, had he not shown absurd talent even within the enchantment magic school?

Saying that a mage like that had been deceived by Valdrogard and ended up becoming a professor was as absurd as saying a dragon had been defeated by a mouse.

"I really was deceived."

Unable to endure it any longer, Lee Han confessed in good conscience.

It might sound like an excuse, but this was something only someone who had befriended one of the Skull Principal's duplicates could understand.

Until you realized the truth, they genuinely seemed likable and decent.

"Haha. Let us say that is what happened. ...Then may Petroguard look forward to the semester after that?"

"Get lost!"

THWACK!

The Skull Principal finally lost his patience, swung his staff, and struck the Petroguard mage across the back.

Just thinking about Valdrogard was already making the anger he had managed to calm come boiling back up, and now these bastards thought they could mock him!

"To hell with the grand festival! Do you think Einroguard is a place that sells professors?"

"Ack! Aagh! Your Lordship! If something happened once, doesn't that mean it can happen twice?"

"You still dare run your mouth?"

"Principal! Calm down!"

Lee Han desperately restrained the Skull Principal.

An image of Professor Garcia weeping sadly had flashed through his mind.

"You can't beat up a mage from a magic school we're supposed to join hands with to hold the grand festival!"

"I haven't even beaten him yet. Get up!"

"I don't mind being beaten, but if you would consider Petroguard first for the following semester, I would serve you loyally like a dog..."

Dalser had taken a beating, yet had not been intimidated in the slightest.

It was almost admirable.

'Are all artists like this?'

The great artist who had been the Skull Principal's previous disciple was like that, and so was this mage Dalser. How could they be so utterly fearless?

"I'll beat you like a dog!"

"Wait! If you cooperate properly, we'll give Petroguard priority consideration!"

At Lee Han's words, Dalser's eyes widened. The Skull Principal stared at him in disbelief from the side.

"Consider what? Have you lost your mind?"

"Shh. We can't just beat him up and throw him out. We have to at least say something like this if we want him to cooperate."

"Hm... That certainly makes sense."

The Skull Principal stopped the hand that had been about to swing the staff and accepted his disciple's suggestion.

He had swung the staff first because Dalser's shameless babbling had gotten on his nerves, but when he thought about it, this was actually the Skull Principal's usual method.

Just as he had extorted vast donations merely by implying that he might send Professor Garcia to a magic tower, he could work them like dogs merely by implying that Wardanaz might be sent there.

The only difference was that Wardanaz had actually signed a Valdrogard contract.

"Very well. I suppose we cannot give Valdrogard special treatment alone. I will consider Petroguard as well."

"Your Lordship! I knew you were a generous and magnanimous person!"

"Anyone with eyes and ears already knows that. Such obvious flattery. Would Wardanaz really want to come to a place like this?"

"Please give me another chance! Allow me to flatter you again!"

'Isn't he adapting a little too quickly?'

Lee Han thought to himself as he watched the Skull Principal arrogantly put the Petroguard mage to work.

A person needed to be flexible, but this seemed a little too flexible...

"By the way, Lord Dalser. There is something I would like to ask."

"You are curious about Petroguard's contract terms?"

"...No."

"We cannot pile up mountains of gold like Valdrogard, but we..."

"That's not it. I mean the incident in the capital recently involving the living Black Dragon statue."

"Ah! Your disciple did that, right?"

"...I am not admitting that I did it, but what exactly made you think so?" ℯℓ.

"Because the great artist appeared and gave us an explanation before leaving?"

"......"

"......"

The Skull Principal's and Lee Han's faces twisted at the same time.