Chapter 1367

When the students belonging to <Freedom of Valdrogard> hurriedly denied it, their friends nodded and shouted again.

“We have absolutely nothing to do with <Freedom of Valdrogard>, Professor!”

“We’ll report the escape plan! Can we get points for it?”

Their shameless behavior was enough to make even the Einroguard students whisper among themselves.

“Isn’t that going too far? At least I reported people when they weren’t looking.”

“...Were you the one who reported the plan to loot the Principal’s garden last time?”

“W-What are you talking about? Don’t frame me for something weird. More importantly, the wall cracked like that. Isn’t that really strange? Could Professor Garcia have done it?”

Avoiding the sharp gaze being sent their way by their White Tiger Tower friend, the Black Tortoise Tower student changed the subject.

“Professor Garcia already left.”

“They could be hiding somewhere, couldn’t they?”

“That’s... true.”

‘What do you mean, that’s true?’

Lee Han stared at his friends in disbelief.

Of course, it was possible that Professor Garcia had only pretended to leave and had actually stayed behind.

But the professor was absolutely not the kind of person who would do that.

...Though they certainly could!

“Professor Garcia didn’t do it. I did. I lost control of my magic for a moment.”

<Wardanaz’s Telekinetic Force> was the fastest spell among the magic Lee Han could use without an incantation, but it had a drawback as well.

For a mage, an incantation was a tedious and frustrating process of focusing one’s consciousness, but it also served as a safety mechanism.

With this kind of silent-cast magic, if the caster’s emotions exploded, the spell could unconsciously burst out.

‘That was just an unconscious release?’

Seeing the clear crack running through the solid palace wall, which had been reinforced with multiple layers of magic, his friends felt a chill.

They could not tell whether they should be impressed by the person who had managed to make Wardanaz’s emotions erupt that violently, or by Wardanaz for producing that much power even when the magic had only leaked out unconsciously.

‘Doesn’t that mean whenever Wardanaz blows up in the future, that kind of power could come out again?’

His friends unconsciously began looking back on the things they had done.

-Anglago. About that healing spell you asked me about last time, no matter how much I thought about it, the structure seemed strange, so I went to the library and looked it up. I think you wrote it down wrong from the start. It isn’t a regeneration-based spell. It’s a fixation-based spell.

-Ah. Wardanaz. I gave up on that spell. When I looked again, this one seemed better.

-...I see.

Anglago was not the only one remembering things like this.

-Salco. I calculated that impact-dispersal enchantment you asked about last time... Wait. Why are you playing jousting in the black market?

-We opened a new betting pool this time, Wardanaz! Everyone’s happy with it. You should wager a few silver coins too!

-I’m pretty sure the guys running around in that arena said they’d finish all their assignments by today...

When everyone fell silent, Yonair grew uneasy and asked,

“...You haven’t been bothering Lee Han lately, have you?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? We’re not that prince bastard. There probably aren’t any students as helpful to Wardanaz as we are. You should be asking the White Tiger Tower guys over there something like that.”

“If you’re going to frame someone, at least make it believable! We even sent Wardanaz the best-quality meat we looted from the professor’s hut last time! You should be asking the Blue Dragon Tower bastards. They probably bothered him the most. Imagine how much they must have bothered him in the dormitory.”

“...We all handle our own work! We absolutely don’t dump it on Wardanaz!”

The Blue Dragon Tower students, who had been accused last, jumped in alarm because they had guilty consciences.

-Cold wind keeps coming in from the north wall. I don’t think this is ordinary wind. An ice spirit must have gotten in somewhere.

-How are we supposed to find it? Searching this dormitory tower won’t be easy.

-...Wardanaz! Wardanaz! Can you come here for a moment? We need your help!

Since most magical problems could be solved simply by calling their friend, the Blue Dragon Tower students could not help feeling guilty.

“We did dump a little on him... B-But most of it was that prince bastard!”

“That’s right! Gainando is the culprit!”

Dumping responsibility on someone who was not present was also one of the skills of Einroguard students.

Because the students from the other towers knew that technique well, they did not believe them and merely gave them unimpressed looks.

“And why isn’t Phoenix Tower getting accused here? Just because they’re priests doesn’t mean they’re innocent!”

“Hey. If you’re going to frame someone, at least put some effort into it. You really think the priests would bother Wardanaz?”

When the White Tiger Tower and Black Tortoise Tower students came to their defense, the priest students smiled with satisfaction.

“You guys called Wardanaz over and tested divine magic on him last time! I heard everything!”

-Wardanaz. Since you have learned the divine magic of the Plameng Order and the Afha Order, you may be capable of other divine magic as well. Come! Cast it for us!

-I think... there’s something wrong with that logic...

-No. You can do it... Tch! The other priests are coming! Come this way, Wardanaz. We’ll lock the door and continue.

-Open the door! Priest Sharukal! You’re seriously going to play dirty like this?!

-We summoned a lake beneath the door! Anyone who opens it and comes inside will fall straight to the bottom!

“......”

“......”

At the testimony that they had taken every opportunity to summon Wardanaz and induct him into the divine magic of their own orders, the students from the other towers stared at them in horror.

“When did you even do that?”

“I didn’t.”

Siana quickly drew a line between herself and the other priests. An accusation immediately flew back.

“You’re acting like that just because the Plameng Order already succeeded with its divine magic! What happened to all that talk about Plameng being merciful?!”

“Enough. Everyone, be quiet.”

Unable to watch any longer, Lee Han intervened.

He wanted to get information about the Skull Principal’s insane duplicate as quickly as possible, but his friends kept fighting beside him.

“Go over there and repair the wall. The Valdrogard students might escape.”

“Got it, Wardanaz. ...But can’t you decide just one thing for us? Which dormitory among all the towers has irritated you the mo—”

Lee Han drove his friends out through the cracked wall and turned to face Irendi.

Irendi’s expression was filled with shock and confusion. Lee Han could understand.

“Student Irendi. I’m sure the argument between these mages just now was surprising, but actually, these mages are all fri—”

“Professor! Why are the students trapped in here and unable to leave??”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, the Einroguard students’ argument was not particularly important.

The disheveled Valdrogard students trapped inside the lecture hall were far more shocking!

At Irendi’s words, Lee Han recited the prepared excuse he had used until now and would continue to use whenever necessary.

“InsideValdrogardstudentsliehiddenpassionandtalentformagicbutvariousotherlecturesandtemptationsaretakingawaytheirchancestogrowifweremovethosetemptationsandallowthestudentstofocusonmagicthenValdrogardcanproducequiteafewexcellentmagesandstudentIrendimightevengetfriendswhocantalkaboutmagicwithyou?”

“!”

He had spoken so quickly that there had not even been room to breathe, but Irendi immediately understood the meaning contained in the professor’s words.

Make the Valdrogard students focus on magic -> more mages appear -> Irendi gains more companions -> happiness!

“That sounds really good!”

“...Kraha. Think again. I’m telling you, think again!”

A Valdrogard student sitting at the front of the lecture hall, their hair disheveled and their face and hands completely covered in ink, spoke gloomily.

They were still trying to complete the structure of a magic circle, but after repeated failures, only the pile of paper beside them continued to grow.

At that sight, Irendi woke slightly from their fantasy.

“B-But Professor. Surely meals, rest, and going outside could be allowed...”

Lee Han shook his head slightly.

And started again.

“InsideValdrogardstudentsliehiddenpassionandtalentformagic...”

Irendi stared in admiration once again as though they had been caught in illusion magic. The Valdrogard students began wondering whether the professor possessed some kind of word magic.

‘It wouldn’t even be strange with someone that skilled!’

“I understand, Professor!”

“Thank you, Student Irendi. Please help me a great deal, just like Student Jandanni. Ah. And tell me more about that bir— no, that gold-crazed mage. As much detail as possible about when, where, and how you saw them, and any weaknesses like where would be best to stab.”

“Yes? Yes??”

Irendi was flustered, but for the moment, they explained everything that had happened in as much detail as possible.

And that Ingsen and Basiu had arranged for another transaction at their family villa...

“!”

Lee Han’s eyes gleamed.

The most wicked and despicable magical criminal in the Empire had exposed an opening!

‘I need to send a letter to the Principal immediately!’

“Professor. Is there really no way to keep those two from being hurt? Actually, losing to students in a higher year than yourself isn’t humiliating, is it?”

“?”

“???”

Not only Lee Han, but even the Einroguard students floating in the air and filling the crack between the walls with plaster showed their confusion.

Who was supposed to be senior to whom?

‘Ah.’

Only then did Lee Han realize that Irendi had mistaken him for an upper-year student.

In fact, not only Irendi, but a large number of Valdrogard students believed Lee Han to be at least a fifth-year.

For the sake of his authority as a professor, Lee Han had deliberately chosen not to correct them.

‘It isn’t a lie. I simply never corrected them.’

“Student Irendi. There’s something I need to tell only you. Before that, though, you wouldn’t look down on a professor just because the professor is young, would you?”

“Professor! What do you take a mage of House Kraha for?”

Irendi became genuinely angry.

The people of House Kraha all understood manners and possessed dignity.

Looking down on someone because of their age was practically the same as smearing mud on one’s own face.

The Einroguard students, who had been slightly impressed by those prideful words, suddenly had another thought.

‘...But isn’t Gainando also from House Kraha?’

“Student Irendi is right. Then I’ll tell you. The truth is, I and the workers here just finished our second year.”

“...You finished your fifth year?”

“We finished our second year.”

“...Then aren’t you one year younger than me???”

“You could say it’s something like that.”

Irendi suddenly fell silent. Seeing that, the Einroguard students became uneasy for no reason.

‘They’re not going to report us to an Imperial court, are they?’

‘Actually, what we’re doing right now is already something we could get reported for.’

Thud!

Irendi fainted on the spot.

“......”

“......”

“...I think it would be better to keep this a secret from Student Jandanni.”

At Lee Han’s words, his friends nodded.

Irendi, who was only one year apart, was at least better off. In Jandanni’s case...