Chapter 1315

Dalser curled up and groaned. They had no idea what kind of shock Yukbeltire had received outside.

"Your Excellency, why did you attack me..."

"You were hit because you deserved to be hit. Keep it secret that Wardanaz came here. If anyone asks, say that a Valdrogard professor visited."

"Is someone perhaps targeting Professor Wardanaz?!"

"Hmm... You could say that."

The Skull Principal agreed while staring intently at Dalser.

Was there not already a mage right in front of him targeting Wardanaz?

But Dalser took it in a different sense.

'Well, his fame from subjugating an evil god must have brought him just as many enemies. Perhaps he really does need to be careful.'

A great mage was always accompanied by threats equal to their fame.

All manner of wicked enemies throughout the Empire would see him as an obstacle and threaten him, so perhaps caution really was necessary.

'Wouldn't it be safest, then, to remain inside Einroguard like Professor Verdus?'

Einroguard could be called the strongest among the Empire's many magical fortresses. The fact that someone like Professor Verdus was still running around alive was proof enough.

This territory, ruled by magic inherited from ancient times and a great mage who had likewise descended from ancient times, was capable of miracles that could not be seen at other magic [N O V E L I G H T] schools.

'And yet he is sending a disciple like that to work as a professor at Valdrogard. His Excellency can be surprisingly careless at times. If it were Petroguard, that would be another matter.'

'This bastard. I do not like the look in their eyes.'

The Skull Principal thought to himself.

For some reason, he felt like giving this Petroguard mage another blow.

***

The Skull Principal did not do so.

He knew perfectly well what the better method was.

The great archmage simply waited until Lee Han had nearly completed the work needed for <Microcosm, Simulacrum>, then opened his mouth.

"Time's up. Let's go."

"What? What? What???"

"Take care. I suppose we will meet again at the festival."

"Your Excellency! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"

Dalser, who had been waiting with an entranced expression for the work to be completed, hurriedly tried to stop them, but the Skull Principal had already called the carriage outside the window.

The Skull Principal and Lee Han quickly jumped out the window and boarded the carriage.

They had done it once before, so it was not particularly difficult.

'I don't think I should keep getting used to things like this.'

Lee Han thought to himself as he sat down in the carriage.

"Principal. You said we need to cooperate with Petroguard. Is it really all right to do this?"

"I am letting them off this lightly because we need to cooperate. Originally, I was going to let Dalser see it through to completion, but that bastard's eyes were too insolent."

"I think judging someone by their eyes is a little excessive..."

Honestly, it was difficult to tell whether Dalser's eyes were insolent or simply trembling from the pain of being struck.

Lee Han knew the Skull Principal was a great mage, but had he really distinguished it properly?

"You can finish the rest inside the carriage. I know the spell anyway."

-Master. There is a carriage ahead.

"Let them go first."

At the knight's report from the driver's seat, the Skull Principal spoke generously.

Sometimes fools with excessive pride in their status or rank would pointlessly argue in the vast open sky over who should go first and who should follow, but the Skull Principal had no intention whatsoever of becoming that kind of idiot.

-It is carrying Valdrogard students.

"Shoot it down."

"No!"

-We will let them go first.

Lee Han sighed in relief and rubbed his chest.

It was difficult to tell from the Skull Principal's expression whether he had been joking or serious.

...He had been joking, right?

"What a coincidence. Haha."

"You look happy to see Valdrogard students. You have really become a professor now."

Lee Han ignored him and continued saying what he wanted to say.

"Isn't it surprising?"

"No. Valdrogard students wander around from place to place during vacation, so naturally there is a high chance of running into them. Those ones are probably headed to Dekarogard too."

"!"

Lee Han was startled by the Skull Principal's observation.

Now that he thought about it, it was certainly true.

Valdrogard students were strangely enthusiastic about visiting other magic schools.

'Why in the world do they want to visit other magic schools?'

As an Einroguard student, Lee Han found it incomprehensible.

If Einroguard students wanted to visit another magic school, the reason would be easy to understand.

They would want to go there to rest, eat until they were full, or steal things that looked valuable.

But Valdrogard students lacked nothing.

Lee Han truly could not understand why people who wanted for absolutely nothing would wish to visit other magic schools.

'Is it because they lack stimulation? Maybe when people have no proper stimulation, they start doing reckless and meaningless things like that.'

Lee Han felt somewhat relieved.

A small part of him had wondered whether the magic lectures he was preparing might be too much, but after seeing Valdrogard students, he became convinced that they definitely needed this kind of stimulation.

Perhaps the Valdrogard students would actually enjoy lectures like his even more.

"But the Empire's magic schools do not like students from other schools visiting, do they?"

"More precisely, they do not like Valdrogard students visiting. Have you ever seen Einroguard's dark magic school complain because Kalarogard students came?"

Lee Han pretended not to hear again.

Traveling around with the Skull Principal, he felt as though he was becoming increasingly skilled at selectively hearing only certain parts of sentences.

"Anyway, they do not like visitors. What about Dekarogard?"

"Dekarogard is... a little different. Dekarogard would actually welcome anyone. You have met them yourself, so you should know."

'Ah. Right.'

At the Skull Principal's words, Lee Han realized he had asked a foolish question.

Those gold-crazed transformation mages would never treat outside guests coldly over something as simple as personal feelings.

Given their personalities, they were far more likely to welcome them warmly while squeezing gold coins out of them.

"Wait. Then won't the Valdrogard students get completely cleaned out?"

"Probably. The difference in experience is about the same as between a gigantic starving basilisk and a baby lamb."

At the Skull Principal's words, the baby basilisk inside Lee Han's sleeve pouted.

Why did he always have to use it in malicious comparisons like that...

"We have to stop them!"

"Why? Valdrogard students are rich. They will be fine even after being cleaned out. That is how the Empire's gold properly circulates..."

-Master. The successor has already gone outside.

"Do not call him the successor anymore either. Call him the Valdrogard professor."

***

Alnoev of House Raspar gazed at the great upper-year student with eyes full of respect.

Jandanni of House Aljadk was a mage surrounded by many legends.

First, this upper-year student had never once failed to rank first in Valdrogard's alchemy school.

It seemed unlikely that any student at any magic school had accomplished such a feat.

The friendships Jandanni had built with Einroguard mages were legendary as well.

Visiting that barbaric and rough magic school, befriending its students, and even completing magical work before returning proved Jandanni's broad-mindedness and character.

This upper-year student had even chosen the honorable and lonely path of advancing to fifth year instead of enjoying a luxurious and comfortable graduation.

While all the others traveled throughout the Empire, Jandanni had chosen a life of remaining alone inside the magic school and devoting themself solely to magic.

Alnoev could not even imagine what such a life would be like.

Only a hermit capable of swallowing every kind of loneliness and hardship could make such a choice.

"Senior. What kind of place is Dekarogard?"

"Ah. It is not quite as prosperous as Valdrogard, but it is still a wealthy and warm place. It lies in the southern part of the Empire, so even the winters are not very cold, and merchants from all over gather there, so you can always find fascinating items. And the students? They are very kind and polite."

"How does it compare to Einroguard?"

"Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The people at Dekarogard are kind, and there are plenty of things to enjoy. Einroguard is... Einroguard is..."

"?"

Alnoev tilted their head.

An answer should have followed.

Why was none coming?

Jandanni seemed to think the same thing and looked slightly flustered.

They had certainly had a reasonably decent experience at Einroguard, but now that they tried to name its advantages, nothing came to mind.

"Uh... Hmm... Einroguard... has excellent magic."

"But doesn't every magic school have excellent magic?"

"Th-that is true, isn't it? Then... well..."

THUD THUD THUD-

"???"

At that moment, someone knocked on the carriage door.

Alnoev turned their head without thinking, then screamed in horror.

"Senior!! Senior!! There is a person floating in the sky! It must be a monster!"

"......"

Floating in the sky, Lee Han was rendered speechless for a moment by the absurdity.

...Wouldn't most people think of magic first?

Jandanni apparently thought the same thing, because they hurriedly shouted.

"That is a roc! A gigantic flying monster, powerful enough to devour humans! Move aside! I will deal with it!"

Lee Han corrected them from outside the door.

"Rocs do not have transformation abilities."

"R-right! They do not have transformation abil... Wait! Wardanaz! No, I suppose I should call you Professor Wardanaz now!"

Only then did Jandanni realize Lee Han's identity and cry out in surprise.

Alnoev hurriedly asked from beside them.

"Could it be a monster disguised as someone after reading Senior's mind?! How could a person possibly float in midair like this..."

"C-could it?!"

CREEEAK!

Not wanting to hear any more nonsense, Lee Han simply opened the carriage door and entered.

Jandanni sighed in relief.

Lee Han did not appear to have claws or gigantic wings.

"How were you able to fly through the air like that?"

"...I used magic."

Lee Han wondered where exactly he was supposed to begin explaining things to a Valdrogard student he had never met before.

How did it make any sense for a mage to see this and be surprised?

But despite the explanation, Alnoev asked again as though they still did not understand.

"But the upper-year students said levitation magic or flight magic can only make you float a few meters for a short while at most..."

"......"

"......"

Lee Han unconsciously looked at Jandanni.

Jandanni was a Valdrogard student, but at least they had experience traveling outside and visiting other magic schools.

They knew perfectly well how absurd that statement was.

Jandanni's face reddened slightly, and they cleared their throat.

"That was... the upper-year students playing a mischievous joke."

"Ah, I see...! Then magic can normally let you fly this high and this far?"

"That is... well... Here! This is Professor Wardanaz! The professor who will answer all your questions in the new semester! How fortunate!"

Jandanni quickly changed the subject.

They were afraid that if they said "yes," Alnoev might tell them to demonstrate and throw them out of the carriage.

Flight like this was not Jandanni's specialty to begin with, and they did not have the confidence to fly as boldly as Wardanaz.

What if the spell broke midway?

What if their mana dropped?

"Ah, greetings...! Professor Wardanaz! I am Alnoev of House Raspar!"

"I look forward to working with you. Will you be attending my magic lecture, by any chance?"

"Ah... W-well, it is not that I am uninterested in magic, but this semester I would like to focus on the play..."

"......"

Lee Han's eyes flashed slightly, but the two Valdrogard students did not notice.

"You will still come watch when the lecture begins, won't you?"

"Of course! I have really wanted to hear about it!"

"Haha. That is enough. Make sure you come."