Chapter 1312

"That deserter, criminal, wanted man, fugitive, traitor, betrayer, outlaw actually had the nerve to show their face here? What were those knights doing?"

'That seems a little exaggerated.'

Lee Han thought to himself.

Strictly speaking under Imperial law, very few of the things the Skull Principal had just said were actually accurate.

Maybe deserter, at best?

But throwing away the Skull Principal's teachings and living one's own life was not a crime.

"Calm down. The great artist is a powerful mage. Even if they recognized the artist's identity, they probably couldn't have arrested them on the spot."

"You little bat! Every time you see one of my enemies, you happily join hands with them! Dalser. Did you hear that? See how this scheming disciple is trying to stab his master in the back?"

"Once you finish stabbing him, I sincerely hope you'll come to Petroguard!"

Lee Han hurriedly stepped between the Skull Principal and the Petroguard mage.

If he had stayed still, the Skull Principal would have struck Dalser again.

"Calm down. What kind of slander is that, saying I happily join hands with every enemy I see?!"

"The duplicate of desire for honor, the duplicate of greed for wealth, Valdrogard..."

The last one was not even an enemy. Lee Han protested in disbelief.

"I didn't join hands with the great artist. I persuaded them to leave for Petroguard's sake. Just as you said, Principal, it would be dangerous for such a powerful mage to remain in Petroguard territory."

"Obviously you became friendly by badmouthing me in the process. That's why that artist praised you so much."

'No. How did he know?'

Lee Han was impressed.

As expected of someone who had taught so many disciples, the Skull Principal's insight was sharp.

He knew perfectly well that whenever his disciples gathered, the first thing they did was talk behind the principal's back.

The Skull Principal clicked his tongue and sat back down.

"Don't listen too closely to that self-proclaimed artist's magic. It's far too unstable and inconsistent."

"Heheh. I thought so too."

"Stop grinning like that. It's unpleasant."

"......"

Lee Han felt slightly wronged.

"So what exactly did that self-proclaimed artist babble about before leaving?"

***

The estate of House Markang remained lively even though the capital festival had ended.

Once rumors spread about the living dragon statue, not only idle curiosity seekers but mages of all kinds came to see it.

The members of House Markang, who had casually commissioned a work and ended up gaining a treasure to pass down for generations, basked happily in all the praise and flattery.

...Until a group of mages arrived.

-Impossible! You're saying Professor Verdus's disciple made this!?

The Petroguard students who had rushed over after hearing the rumors trembled with frustration and shock.

Of all people, an enchantment mage under Professor Verdus had completed a statue of this caliber?

It was so extraordinary that it was still moving vividly even now.

At the sight, the other nobles whispered among themselves.

-The Petroguard mages' pride must be badly wounded as well.

-Naturally. A disciple of Professor Verdus produced a masterpiece of this level... I suppose we can no longer use expressions like 'the two-horse carriage leading the Empire.'

-Indeed. Only Einroguard and Valdrogard could truly be called the two-horse carriage.

It seemed as though the commotion might finally die down there, but another disturbance soon arrived.

-This statue should not exist. It must be removed immediately.

-How dare you speak of our family's treasure... Wait, aren't you Lady Yukbeltire!? Your hair color has changed again?

-It has never changed even once. To be fooled by an impostor's impersonation. Your ignorance is astonishing.

-?!?!

-It was an impersonation?!

The real Yukbeltire had appeared.

Only then did the people who had personally seen Lee Han and Jowrin at the time realize something was strange.

Huh?

'Come to think of it? Why did we think that mage was Lady Yukbeltire back then?'

They had simply assumed the person was royalty because of the noble aura and accepted it without question, but thinking back now, it was definitely strange.

The hair color was different, the eye color was different, the height was different, the manner of speaking was different...

...There was nothing the same at all?

-You must remove this statue immediately and correct the rumors. That is the only way to cover up this humiliating mistake even a little sooner.

-W-wait, Lady Yukbeltire. Look at this statue. How could we possibly destroy such a masterpiece?

Naturally, the members of House Markang had no intention whatsoever of destroying the statue.

How could they obediently destroy a masterpiece like this?

-But this was made by an impostor...

-At the very least, Lady Yukbeltire, please make us a work of equal caliber! Otherwise, we cannot destroy it!

-......

Yukbeltire hesitated. The people of House Markang did not know it, but they had struck directly at Yukbeltire's weakness.

And while she hesitated, the Petroguard mages entered the conversation.

-Wait, Lady Yukbeltire didn't make this?

-Correct. It was an impostor.

-Then who made it? Was it perhaps a mage from Petroguard?

The topic shifted to, 'Who was that mage?'

The people who had witnessed Jowrin during the festival offered their own opinions.

-The mage did not seem to be from Petroguard. There was an extremely noble... almost Imperial air about them. At the very least, they must come from a great noble house.

-They traveled with Stedal of House Nago as their escort. Wouldn't that mean they were from the south?

-The very same one who increased their fortune during the Boneflesh Flower investment wave...! I wanted to meet them once and ask for investment advice!

-We must immediately dispatch the knight order and pursue them. To impersonate another mage and steal a commission... That is an unforgivable serious crime.

-I broadly agree with Lady Yukbeltire's opinion, but there is one point I cannot agree with. After we pursue and catch them, we should scout them into Petroguard. A mage capable of creating a work of [N O V E L I G H T] that level deserves to enter Petroguard!

Yukbeltire and the Petroguard mages began arguing.

As the argument grew louder and louder, someone suddenly shouted.

-Enough! Enough! I tried to listen quietly, but this has become unbearable. What an immature bunch of mages.

-Great Artist! What brings you here?

-I heard rumors of a decent work and came to take a look.

A noblewoman dressed so extravagantly that even the nobles gathered there were overshadowed emerged from the crowd.

At the sight, several Petroguard students cried out in surprise.

-Are you the great artist?!

-Yes. That's right!

The great artist scolded the mages who were juniors by generations.

-You should be concentrating on your own magic, yet you're wasting time on this idle quarrel. What happened to everything I taught you?!

-W-we apologize. But this statue... Did you perhaps make it, Great Artist?

-Of course not! I have no interest whatsoever in making dragons. But I do know who made this. My junior disciple.

The great artist knew perfectly well that Lee Han had formed a contract with a dragon.

Though the artist did not understand why he had created a Black Dragon statue despite being contracted to Jowrin, a Gold Dragon...

'Perhaps he actually preferred His Highness Uman, but Her Highness Jowrin forced the contract on him.'

Dragons were so overbearing that it would hardly be surprising.

-Your junior disciple... Who do you mean?

-You fools! Wardanaz, of course!

-?!

-!!!

Both Yukbeltire and the Petroguard mages were greatly shocked.

Yukbeltire protested first.

-I cannot believe that claim.

-Why not?

-For the junior from House Wardanaz to commit such a shameless act of impersonation...

-Actually, Lord Wardanaz did receive the commission as well.

A noble from House Markang standing nearby spoke cautiously.

Strictly speaking, Wardanaz had indeed been commissioned along with the others. The great artist pointed at the noble as though they had said exactly the right thing.

-See?

-Then he has even less reason to impersonate someone.

-Hmm. No. Perhaps he secretly did it out of consideration for his senior's pride...

-!!!

Deeply shocked, Yukbeltire denied it forcefully.

-It is more likely that another mage did it. I will investigate it myself!

-Suit yourself. But the discerning eye of this great artist clearly says that my youngest junior disciple made it!

Even after Yukbeltire left to verify the truth, the great artist continued to make the claim confidently.

The Petroguard mages suddenly became deeply dejected at those words.

-Why are all of you so gloomy now?

-If the Great Artist is correct, then in the end, wasn't this made by a disciple of Professor Verdus? Losing to Professor Verdus's disciple is...

-What nonsense! Don't misunderstand. This is magic learned from me.

-It is!?

-Everyone here, listen well! The master of this magic is absolutely not someone like Bivle Verdus, but this artist...

***

Without a word, the Skull Principal raised his staff again.

He intended to strike Dalser once for getting so excited while telling the story. Lee Han barely managed to grab him in time.

"Stop hitting him!"

"Can't you see how excited that bastard is while talking? He needs a beating to come to his senses."

To Lee Han as well, Dalser certainly looked quite excited.

Thinking they had lost to Professor Verdus's disciple felt awful, but if it was the great artist's disciple, well...

"But strictly speaking, my enchantment magic teacher is Professor Verdus."

"Where were we again? You said you would consider inviting a professor depending on Petroguard's contribution in the semester after next, correct?"

'This person is pretending not to hear me this shamelessly?'

Lee Han was taken aback by such an advanced technique, the sort one would expect to see only at Einroguard.

He had not expected other magic schools to know how to use it too.

"And yet you disliked the idea of the great artist staying in Petroguard..."

"To be precise, I was worried."

"Don't look at me. If that bastard causes trouble, it has nothing to do with me."

The Skull Principal spoke indifferently.

His former disciple's status itself was one thing, but the greater threat was the possibility that no one knew what kind of trouble the artist might cause.

Lee Han felt that even if the Skull Principal's former disciple suddenly painted the entire exterior of Einroguard's main building blue and fled, he would not be surprised.

"But this new professor here inherited that legacy while being someone who poses absolutely no problem."

"I am not at the point where I should be called a professor yet. And that magic truly happened by accident."

"Then you can come to Petroguard once and reproduce that accident."

"Enough already!"

The Skull Principal pulled his staff free from Lee Han's grip and skillfully struck Dalser.

If Petroguard was already this persistent, it was enough to make one worry about how aggressively the other magic schools they would visit next might cling to Lee Han.