Chapter 1353

The Valdrogard students all fell silent.

Even after reading what was written on the blackboard, they couldn't quite understand it. As if they were looking at some incomprehensible grimoire, the meaning of the words simply refused to enter their heads.

What the hell does that mean???

"Pr-Professor. Can't we pay gold coins instead of points?"

"Don't say something stupid. Do you think a professor from House Wardanaz needs gold coins?"

At one student's words, the friends beside them immediately scolded them.

No matter how hungry and desperate they were, that was far too ridiculous a thing to say.

"...Of course. I have absolutely no need for gold coins."

Lee Han's voice trembled ever so slightly.

The path of an educator was more grueling and difficult than he had expected.

Once the professor firmly shut down the idea, the students began whispering among themselves.

"Points? How are we supposed to collect those?"

"There are even negative points?!"

Caught attempting to escape-5pt deduction

Sent to the punishment room-10pt deduction

"Does Einroguard teach like this? Is that why they're all so violent and barbaric?"

"I knew it... Under rules this vicious and harsh, anyone would lose their humanity and honor."

"......"

Lee Han wondered whether he should have added 'Insulting Einroguard-20pt deduction.'

Perhaps he loved Einroguard more than he had thought.

"Pr-Professor. Then can we have the soup meal?"

"!"

The students turned in surprise.

Amazingly, while everyone else had been wandering around looking for a dining hall, several traitors had continued focusing steadily on magic.

Even more astonishingly, those traitors had actually passed the Basic Elemental Magic Test!

'It's not that surprising.'

Lee Han thought to himself.

The Valdrogard students were making a rather excessive fuss over it.

Of course, Lee Han had made the test harder than an ordinary one, but that was to ensure they built a solid foundation in magic.

Even among the Valdrogard students who knew how to use magic, their skills were quite uneven. That was because they had only learned a few spells they happened to be interested in, and had learned them through easy and convenient methods.

They could summon a small illusion palace around themselves using seven gemstones, yet they couldn't even fill a bowl properly with water.

At this rate, there was a high chance they would get stuck later no matter what magic they tried to learn. Not every spell could be learned conveniently and easily without foundations.

So Lee Han had raised the difficulty somewhat in order to build those foundations quickly in a short period of time, but it was definitely nothing worth reacting to like that.

"What do you mean, traitors?"

Naturally, the students who had passed the Basic Elemental Magic Test bristled.

They had studied more today than they had in their entire lives, only to hear such baseless accusations from their friends.

They absolutely could not tolerate this.

"We just worked hard on our magic."

"S-Sorry. I apologize for what I just said."

"If you had focused on practicing magic instead of wasting time wandering around the palace, you'd have been fine too!"

"Wasting time!? How can you say that! You told us to let you know if we found a way out too!"

The Valdrogard students began arguing among themselves.

Watching them, Lee Han came to a small realization.

'Wait. Is this why the Principal forcibly divided everyone into towers?'

It was truly a terrifying and underhanded scheme.

He never imagined he would discover the ancient maxim of divide and rule at Einroguard!

Come to think of it, judging from the upper-years, relations between towers were not especially friendly. Sometimes students would even report members of another tower if they looked like they were about to start trouble.

"Everyone, quiet down. You came here to attend a magic lecture, not to argue among yourselves, didn't you?"

At Lee Han's words, the Valdrogard students flushed in embarrassment.

Only now did they realize just how childish and low-level their argument had been.

Watching them, Lee Han thought inwardly.

'No. It still works!'

If these had been Einroguard students, the moment they heard such hypocritical words they would have responded with things like, 'You're the one who locked us in!' or 'I'm seriously filing a complaint!'

Einroguard students could endure many things, but the Skull Principal's hypocritical remarks were difficult to let pass.

Those were an insult to the students' intelligence.

In any case, the fact that the Valdrogard students were still this innocent was good news for Lee Han.

It meant he could use dozens more Einroguard-style tactics.

"Here. Take this."

"Yes? What's this?"

Lee Han fastened armbands around the arms of the students who had passed the test.

The armbands read 'Outstanding Student of the Month.'

"Th-Thank you, Professor!"

"I'll serve the soup meals shortly."

As Lee Han turned and walked toward the cauldron, Jandanni, who had been waiting beside him, whispered.

"Professor."

"Don't worry, Student Jandanni. You'll receive a soup meal as well."

"No. That's not what I meant... Can't I get one of those armbands?"

"......"

* * *

When Lee Han stepped outside the palace for a moment, the friends in the front courtyard waved to him cheerfully.

"You've worked hard, Wardanaz!"

"It's nothing worth calling hard work. Thanks for helping, everyone."

"I didn't exactly help because I expected anything in return, but if you're saying that, Wardanaz... um... there is something I'd like to ask..."

When Anglago approached awkwardly, Lee Han looked puzzled.

"Polo?"

"No."

"Making a sword artifact? An assignment? Did you cause trouble? Did you make Giselle angry?"

Giselle, who was beside them, nodded.

Lee Han spoke as though he'd expected as much.

"Anglago... I told you that preparations for third year need to start during second year. Try learning from Yonair or Asan."

"That's not it!"

Anglago snapped.

What the hell does this bastard think I am?

"I already decided on my third-year research topic and started preparing for it! I'm not like those guys who do nothing but play polo all day!"

"......"

"...Alpha, is that how you've been thinking of us?"

This time, the other White Tiger Tower students looked wounded.

This bastard played polo with us and secretly prepared his own research...!

"No! Not you guys! Obviously not you!"

"Then who were you talking about?"

The one who rescued the goat beastkin student, who had been cornered and was sweating profusely, was Lee Han.

Lee Han spoke indifferently.

"He must mean the Valdrogard students. So, Anglago. What did you choose as your research topic? Polo?"

"Obviously polo. Enhancement magic that can be used for polo."

"Enchantment magic that can be used on polo equipment."

Grinding his teeth at his friends' accusations, Anglago answered.

"None of those, damn it! It's research into physical enhancement that can be applied to healing magic depending on the situation. I think the way knights use aura could be sufficiently applicable to healing magic too."

Unlike mages, who prided themselves on complex and delicate mana manipulation, the way knights handled mana was far more primitive and rough.

However, as befitted a White Tiger Tower student, Anglago had a strong interest in enhancement magic, and as a member of the healing magic school, wanted to reduce the workload of his poor fellow mages.

If some tasks could be replaced with the physical-enhancement methods used by knights instead of magic, not only could the workload be reduced, but some of those duties could even be placed on knights who were not mages.

The research topic was so much more intellectual and impressive than expected that not only Lee Han but all the White Tiger Tower students were shocked.

Even Giselle was so surprised she nearly dropped the book she was holding.

"That bastard's really from White Tiger Tower? That's not the kind of idea someone from White Tiger Tower comes up with."

"Did Wardanaz choose it for him or something?"

The Black Tortoise Tower students even whispered slanderously behind his back.

Anglago was about to explode in anger, but Lee Han reacted first.

"Excellent! Anglago! The rest of you should learn from Anglago! Isn't that admirable?"

"Wardanaz. We chose our research topics in second year."

Priest Siana spoke with an incredulous expression.

Lee Han pretended not to hear.

Right now, he needed to motivate the White Tiger Tower students.

"So, Anglago. What do you want?"

"I see. You're planning to use Wardanaz's mana. Clever."

Salco looked at him with some admiration.

There was no need to seek out expensive reagents or mobilize outside mages.

If you exploited a friend's mana in the name of friendship, it was free.

Maybe he'd learned from watching the Einroguard professors. For a White Tiger Tower student, he had given it considerable thought.

"No! You lunatic!"

"What? You weren't?"

Lee Han was surprised too.

Then what was it?

Anglago cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"...Do you happen to have any spare 'Outstanding Student of the Month' armbands?"

"......"

"......"

* * *

The soup broth was truly rich.

Just one sip drove away hunger and cold and made energy surge through the body.

Part of that was because it had been cooked generously with various meats, vegetables, and spices, but the Einroguard-style cooking technique contributed greatly as well.

-It's mana!

The baby basilisk chirped as though it understood.

"I was talking about hunger. Well, mana has something to do with it too."

-......

Lee Han looked contentedly at the Valdrogard students scraping even the bottoms of their soup bowls clean.

Seeing them like this made him certain.

"When teaching magic, there was never any need to teach exactly like the Principal. My own methods work perfectly well."

-What?

The baby basilisk wriggled and doubted its own ears.

What did you just say?

"I said my methods work too, instead of the Principal's methods."

-Th-That's... uh... huh? Huh??

The baby basilisk thought about the inside and outside of the palace.

All sorts of traps, moats, obstacles, and sinister minions were waiting everywhere...

...If this wasn't the Principal's method, then what was the Principal's method?

Lee Han replied as though the question were absurd.

"I feed them properly. It's completely different."

They were as different as a basilisk and a cockatrice.

The baby basilisk had a great deal it wanted to say, but quietly closed its mouth.

There was already a baby Bulgassari underground.

It had no desire to be kicked out of Lee Han's sleeve as well.

'Sob. I miss Lady Jowrin.'

If Jowrin were here, the baby basilisk would not have had to worry about nasty creatures like the baby Bulgassari.

Surely Jowrin would have given it a stern scolding on the baby basilisk's behalf!

-Don't touch my soup! Come any closer and I challenge you to a duel!

-Wh-What are you talking about? I wasn't going to touch your soup at all. I was just... just checking how it was different from mine.

-Try that cheap trick on someone who didn't attend the lecture!

Watching the Valdrogard students snarl at one another, the baby basilisk asked worriedly.

-Master. Is it really all right to let them fight like that?

"Don't worry. After the next test, they won't even have the energy to fight like that."

While Lee Han whispered sinisterly with the baby basilisk, the Valdrogard students were whispering too.

"Someone will come rescue us from outside soon. There's no way we'd stay inside listening to a lecture for this long, right?"

"Exactly. Someone definitely..."

"Everyone. I have something to tell you."

Before guiding those who had passed into the next classroom, Lee Han announced one additional notice.

<Ways to Earn Points>

Send a letter home saying you're doing well-3pt

"......"

"......"

"For reference, if you send this letter and successfully pass the next lecture as well, you'll even be able to afford the chicken meal."