Chapter 1314

Dalser said that the Skull Principal's joke was truly mischievous. As expected of a great mage, even his jokes were sharp as blades.

"I wasn't joking."

"Don't listen to him, Wardanaz."

"...So what kind of microcosm magic are you planning to show me?"

"<Microcosm, Simulacrum>."

Behind them, the Skull Principal shrugged his shoulders and muttered, "What did I tell you?"

There was absolutely nothing to feel stung or offended about, yet Dalser found himself making excuses for no reason.

"Simulacrum is a highly versatile microcosm spell that even other enchantment mages of the Empire try to learn..."

"I didn't say anything."

"Wardanaz. Now that you're a professor too, just call me Dalser more casually. I told you last time, there's no need to be so formal with me!"

Dalser explained once again, partly to remind this new Valdrogard professor of Petroguard's advantages.

Petroguard was such a free and equal place that there were no positions separating professors and students. Even students called out, "Hey, Dalser!" ℯ

So Professor Wardanaz should call him comfortably like this as well...

'Do they perhaps not have the freedom to use respectful forms of address here?'

Petroguard's score dropped slightly in Lee Han's mind.

To put it bluntly, even if the Skull Principal forced everyone to speak casually to one another, that would not make Einroguard a free and equal place. It would simply make it an even stranger and more bizarre place.

It was a completely unexpected adverse effect for Dalser.

"You have twenty-five minutes left."

"...I should explain quickly, then. The microcosm known as Simulacrum can theoretically reproduce every kind of magic."

"Swindlers tend to say things like that a lot."

"......Of course, there may be a slight exaggeration... Your Excellency. Come to think of it, didn't you say you wanted to introduce your disciple to various microcosms? Why are you interfering?"

"Don't worry. Even if I interfere, Bat-bat will learn it just fine on his own."

The Skull Principal spouted nonsense. Dalser ground their teeth at the sight.

'This is why his disciple is going to Valdrogard!'

The reason Dalser was an excellent mage was precisely because they were capable of swallowing such words instead of saying them aloud.

Mages reckless enough to simply blurt out such things tended to die young. Professor Verdus was about the only exception.

With a whoosh, Dalser pulled a treasured carpet from their spatial bag.

It was a work completely unlike the shabby patchwork cloak Dalser wore, impressive for its splendid geometric embroidery.

"Oh... I think Gainando once embroidered a similar pattern..."

"Hmph. You must be mistaken. Just because they look similar on the surface doesn't mean they're the same."

Dalser smiled proudly.

They had no intention of looking down on the mage Lee Han was talking about, but Dalser had pride built up over many years of teaching young and talented enchantment artists at Petroguard.

Pride that their work could not easily be imitated!

"I suppose that's true."

"What do you feel from this work?"

"Probably that you should wear the carpet around instead of the cloak."

By now, Lee Han and Dalser had naturally begun ignoring the Skull Principal's remarks.

"I can feel a great deal of time and effort, along with complex mana."

"That could be called the core of Simulacrum."

The Empire's low-circle spells were fundamentally characterized by stability, simplicity, and clarity.

They had to be regarded as a curriculum created to compensate for the flaws of old-system magic and efficiently train mages.

But once the difficulty rose to the level of microcosm magic, the endlessly variable nature of magic, impossible to conceal no matter how hard one tried, began to reveal itself.

Microcosm spells were narrow paths leading in completely different directions, without the slightest unity between them.

<Microcosm, Simulacrum> was the same. ℴ𝒗ⅇ𝑙.

In the case of this spell, an unusual reagent was needed for casting.

Namely, the caster's own work.

"A work???"

"Look at the sort of people gathered in Petroguard. It's exactly the kind of magic people like that would enjoy."

The Skull Principal spoke indifferently, but he did not deny the effects of this microcosm.

This microcosm spell really was useful.

It could copy and cast other magic without any conditions, even magic from a school the caster had never handled before.

Magic with an effect like that was truly rare.

"That really is amazing!"

"If that's amazing, why don't you look in a mirror? You'll see a mage taking classes from every school of magic."

"......"

"For a mage like you, Wardanaz, the effects of that spell are at their weakest."

The Skull Principal said it spitefully, but he was not wrong.

This magic had, after all, been developed to force the use of spells from schools that had absolutely nothing to do with oneself.

For a mage like Lee Han, who would eventually learn the spell anyway if simply given enough time, there was no particular reason to use a shortcut like that.

"...Damn! How did I overlook that...!"

Dalser's face went pale upon realizing the flaw in the magic they had introduced.

Even though Dalser had heard and knew that Lee Han was taking classes from every school, they had still overlooked it.

A large part of the reason was that it was simply too absurd to take into consideration.

"N-no. Don't listen too much to what the Principal says. We can't conclude that it would definitely be useless."

"I never imagined there would actually be a reckless mage taking classes from every school..."

"......"

Petroguard's score dropped again in Lee Han's mind.

What was wrong with these people?

Still failing to realize the actual mistake they had made, Dalser continued the explanation.

"In this magic, the work could be called a kind of grimoire and artifact. The difference is that only a single spell is strongly imbued within it. You have to create the work while focusing obsessively and single-mindedly on the spell you wish to reproduce before it can be used as a reagent for the microcosm spell."

<Microcosm, Simulacrum> was not an omnipotent spell.

The preparation process took a long time, and one could not simply pile up works as one pleased. Since the work had to be created with the resolve to place only a single spell within it, only one spell could be prepared at a time.

But an excellent enchantment mage could use this microcosm to reproduce a variety of magic that surpassed common sense.

"In the past, Petroguard mages once gathered together and reproduced one of Your Excellency's great spells."

"Is that really true?!"

"It was nothing more than an incomplete imitation. More importantly, Bat-bat. Why do you look pleased?"

"I merely thought it was proof of how extraordinary this microcosm spell is. I was impressed."

Lee Han made his excuse without changing his expression in the slightest. The Skull Principal cast him a suspicious look.

'To reproduce the Principal's magic using a completely different form of magic...'

Lee Han could not even imagine how much the Skull Principal must have complained about it.

He deeply regretted the fact that he had not been there at the time.

He should have been there!

"Petroguard is a wonderful magic school!"

"Th-that's... nice to hear, but why suddenly now...?"

Dalser fell into confusion.

They were pleased that Wardanaz thought highly of Petroguard, but could not quite understand what part of the conversation had inspired that opinion.

"But does the work specifically have to be embroidery?"

"Of course not. As long as it satisfies two conditions, that's enough. First, it must have nothing to do with other magic. If it is connected to another spell, it cannot function as a reagent for the microcosm. Second, the elements of the magic you intend to reproduce must not be directly included either. This is where many people fail."

"Primitive magic is always troublesome."

The Skull Principal added from beside them.

For mages who had cast magic through reason and logic, magic cast through faith and emotion like this was bound to be quite difficult.

But this was what magic had originally been.

It was governed by principles precise enough to inspire admiration, while at times being absurdly capricious.

<Microcosm, Simulacrum> required the caster to create a work deeply connected to the spell they wanted to reproduce without directly including the elements of that spell.

"My guess is that Yukbeltire is probably attempting this right now..."

"What? Senior Yukbeltire?"

"Yes. There aren't many ways for someone at Yukbeltire's level to create a statue that moves as though alive."

The Skull Principal was a warm and kind educator.

He saw right through what his students were thinking.

Yukbeltire was an excellent enchantment mage, but could not temporarily bestow life upon a work the way Petroguard mages did.

She could divide every part into extremely fine sections and make them move and speak, but any sharp-eyed mage would immediately see through a method like that...

"She probably thinks Simulacrum is more worth attempting than Daimonas. Once the work is completed, the casting afterward would be easy for someone at Yukbeltire's level."

"That's good. Senior Yukbeltire will soon be able to return to Einroguard as well."

"What's good about that! Wardanaz, you think far too highly of Yukbeltire."

"I find myself agreeing with Your Excellency on this point. Mage Yukbeltire absolutely does not have the personality required to create a work. How could a disciple of Professor Verdus put emotion into a work?"

'I'm a disciple of Professor Verdus too, though.'

Lee Han felt inexplicably stung.

It was already this bad now. Would it become even worse later, after he graduated and attended gatherings of enchantment mages?

-Ah! So you are Wardanaz! The artifact you recently unveiled was truly astonishing. I envy you greatly for winning the enormous amount of gold wagered by all those noble houses!

-Hmph. I was fortunate.

-By the way, Wardanaz, from whom did you learn enchantment magic?

-...P...

-Pardon?

-Professor Verdus...

-There is a disciple of Professor Verdus here! There is a disciple of Professor Verdus here! How dare a disciple of Professor Verdus enter a place like this!? Throw him out!

...Surely it would not turn out like that?

When he had been learning from Professor Verdus, Lee Han had never thought far enough ahead to worry about something like this, but after traveling outside the school, such concerns were slowly beginning to arise.

Unexpectedly, in the Empire's magical circles, who one's master was mattered quite a bit.

Unaware that Lee Han was troubled, the Skull Principal spoke from beside him.

"Yukbeltire should simply focus on the magic she's good at, but instead she's wasting time trying to beat her junior... I suppose I'll have to send Sir Erindarvel another letter. Ah. Sir Erindarvel praised you."

"??"

Lee Han wondered what the Skull Principal was talking about.

"Probably thanking you for knocking Yukbeltire down a peg. She never listens to anyone."

"...Why would Sir Erindarvel be grateful for that... If you say things like that, Senior Yukbeltire will become even more convinced that it was me!"

"She is already practically convinced now, so it makes no difference. Wardanaz. Take out that violin whose previous players all died. I want to see whether the time you wasted learning music magic was actually worth something."

The Skull Principal revealed his true intentions.

What he had told Dalser earlier—"Even if I interfere, Bat-bat will learn it just fine on his own"—had not been an empty boast.

He had listened to the opinions of students chattering on about wanting to learn outdated old magic like music magic, so now he wanted proof that the attempt had not been entirely pointless.

'<Microcosm, Simulacrum> operates on principles quite similar to music magic. With Bat-bat's talent, he should be able to make even Dalser kneel before we leave.'

Before leaving, the Skull Principal intended to make one pleasant memory here in this den of fallen prodigal children.

This was what happened when they tried to scout a student from another magic school however they pleased.

"Music works too?"

"Of course. I'll help you from the side."

"...Don't try to steer me toward something like 'Burn Valdrogard down.'"

"That's actually quite a good idea."

***

Yukbeltire immediately smashed the forty-seventh statue to pieces and rapidly fell into thought.

'If I extract a mage's soul and imbue it into the statue, wouldn't that give it something similar to emotion?'

It was a rational line of reasoning befitting Einroguard's enchantment magic school.

To ask whether there was a mage in Petroguard whose soul might be suitable for extraction, Yukbeltire knocked on the door of Dalser's workshop.

'...What is this?'

What flowed from within was a melody filled with intense emotion.

Yukbeltire rejected the methods of Petroguard mages, but even she had no choice but to admit that this music properly embodied their approach.

'If I extract a mage's soul and imbue it into the violin, perhaps I could do it too.'

"Ah. Mage Yukbeltire! Wait, we're busy right now... Inside is Warda—ack!"

Dalser screamed as though someone had struck them.

Yukbeltire immediately grew wary.

Any Einroguard student knew how to recognize the signs of an ambush or trap.

"Is something happening..."

"No! No! Nothing happened! We were... listening to the new Valdrogard professor's music magic!"

"......"

Yukbeltire's eyes widened as far as they possibly could.

The Valdrogard professor succeeded at this too??