Chapter 1226

Lee Han was not surprised. There was no way a mage with as many enemies as Professor Verdus would go down to an attack like that.

Sure enough, layers of red and blue barriers activated and deflected the knife. They were the basic defensive artifacts Professor Verdus normally wore.

"W-what was that?!"

Professor Verdus cried out in shock. From that reaction, Lee Han realized that Professor Verdus had no idea who was in the neighboring cell.

Professor Verdus probably would not notice even if every professor at the academy except them vanished.

"Who knows? Maybe it's a feature of the prison?"

"There wasn't a feature like this before?!"

Professor Verdus looked puzzled.

Professor Verdus had been sent to this punishment room for professors several times before as well.

Recently, they had been visiting the ordinary punishment rooms and the deep punishment rooms more often, but Professor Verdus distinctly remembered there being no trap like this in this punishment room...

"It must have been added recently. You know what the principal is like."

"Well, that's true."

Professor Verdus immediately accepted the explanation.

The Skull Principal was cruel and vile and enjoyed tormenting kind mages.

It would not be surprising in the slightest if he had installed a trap in the corridor of this punishment room for professors that dropped people into an underground pit.

"Anyway, hurry up and write down the mag—"

Another knife flew over. This time there were three.

'Why three?'

At first, Lee Han wondered why Professor Voladi had thrown three when it would not accomplish much.

Was it an expression of hatred toward Professor Verdus?

But no. Professor Voladi would never indulge in such an inefficient waste.

Lee Han's eyes widened.

The first knife struck directly and collided with the blue barrier. The blue barrier deflected the attack, flickered, then disappeared.

It had not vanished because of the attack.

With automatic-defense artifacts like these, keeping the barrier active continuously would eventually strain the mana supply, so after blocking one attack, the barrier was designed to disappear for the moment.

There was no way a mage like Professor Verdus would tolerate such clumsy waste.

This time, however, that efficiency created an opening.

The instant the barrier disappeared, there was a very brief gap before it could regenerate when another attack came in.

Professor Voladi's second knife stabbed straight into that gap. Had it arrived even slightly later or earlier, it would have been stopped either by the regenerated barrier or by the first barrier.

Ting!

This time, the red barrier activated and knocked it away. It was caution worthy of Professor Verdus, who had so many enemies.

But the third knife was already flying in. Arriving just slightly later than the second knife, it slipped through the instant the red barrier vanished.

"Aaaagh!"

Professor Verdus shrieked and threw themself sideways.

To think an attack that was not even magic had broken through the barriers!

Lee Han was so impressed that he unconsciously applauded. In a way, this felt even greater than a unique world.

To think Professor Voladi could break through an opponent's magic like this in a situation where magic could not be used.

'Amazing! This really is a great achievement.'

When Professor Voladi eventually retired, Lee Han almost wanted to present this as one of his master's accomplishments.

Professor Verdus, sprawled on the floor, stared at the handful of fur that had been sliced away and cried out,

"Th-this is impossible!"

"The principal must be remarkably persistent and vile."

"I think so! ...W-wait! Don't tell me the reason he told me to write down the exact performance of every artifact I make and submit it was because of this?!"

Professor Verdus exclaimed with a deeply shocked expression.

No wonder the Skull Principal was always losing his temper and saying, 'If you submit an artifact one more time with nothing but <It's finished!> instead of a detailed report, I'll shove you upside down into a wooden dam.' He must have been aiming for this all along.

He wanted to calculate the weaknesses in Professor Verdus's artifacts and ambush them!

"Uh, Professor. Aren't artifacts sold outside normally supposed to be submitted with detailed specifications...?"

"Vile! Absolutely vile!"

"...Let's just go with that. Ha ha."

Once Professor Verdus became convinced inside their own world, Lee Han decided to simply let it be.

'More importantly, does Professor Bagreg normally memorize the performance of Professor Verdus's artifacts?'

Lee Han could only admire that scholarly passion. He vowed that from now on, he too would remember every single thing about Professor Verdus without exception.

"Professor. I think some vicious trap has been added to this punishment room. It might be better not to talk about magic."

"Getting attacked for talking about magic. I don't know what Gonadaltes is thinking."

Professor Verdus grumbled in disbelief.

Still, the disciple's words were certainly convincing. Given the Skull Principal's personality, it would not have been strange for him to install such a twisted trap.

This time knives had flown, but next time perhaps a pit lined with spikes would appear...

"Then I'll have to talk about it after you get out."

This time five knives flew over. Professor Verdus cried out as though unable to understand.

"Why this time?!"

"Who can know what's going through the principal's mind? Ha ha."

Watching Professor Verdus roll across the floor greatly improved Lee Han's mood after Jowrin had left him so troubled earlier.

Perhaps Professor Verdus was exactly what people meant when they spoke of someone whose very face brought joy.

In the end, Professor Verdus failed to accomplish their purpose and left while grumbling.

Only after the professor had completely disappeared did Lee Han realize something belatedly.

'...Wait. That person didn't say a single thing about the lectures?'

When you visited a student locked in a punishment room, weren't you normally supposed to tell them something about this semester's classes?!

***

Once the corridor became quiet, Lee Han returned to his work.

'Amazing!'

When the wall that had been so solid was cut away like soft cheese, Lee Han could not help but be astonished.

Was this the power contained in a dragon's tooth?

Perhaps this tooth might become an escape tool worthy of being recorded in the legends of Einroguard.

'When I graduate, I absolutely have to pass this down to my juniors.'

Scrape, scrape, scrape—

How long had he been digging?

At last, instead of the wall, the cell on the other side came into view.

Lee Han let out a cry of joy. Somehow, it felt even more satisfying than when he had learned 5th Circle magic.

"Professor! The crawl hole is finished!"

"I see."

'Ah.'

Lee Han suddenly became self-conscious, wondering if he had wasted too much time.

Come to think of it, there was a good chance Professor Voladi's personality would make this sort of thing seem pointless.

"Hehe. From now on, if I have questions about magic, I can ask you through this crawl hole."

"Indeed."

'Ah. I dug my own grave.'

Lee Han regretted it the instant the words left his mouth.

Why had he said something like that?!

This was no time to laugh at Professor Verdus for saying stupid things. Lee Han reflected deeply on his mistake.

"...Would you like some tea?"

When Professor Voladi agreed, Lee Han sighed as he boiled water.

He should have simply offered this as a bribe. Why had he brought up magic?!

As he boiled the water and looked over the various grimoires lining his shelves, Lee Han suddenly felt worries crowding into his mind.

Would he be able to keep up with the lectures from inside the punishment room for the rest of the semester...

...was not one of them. Lee Han might have had a habit of worrying in advance, but even he was no longer afraid of something on that level.

"Professor. Professor."

"I'm listening."

"Do you think Professor Garcia is still angry?"

His greatest concern was Professor Garcia's anger.

If Professor Verdus or Professor Bendozol were angry, Lee Han could not have cared less, but Professor Garcia was different.

After all, Professor Garcia was a master he respected. Lee Han could not help feeling guilty.

"Hm."

Professor Voladi accepted the teacup through the crawl hole and took a sip while thinking.

Professor Garcia might supposedly have once been arrogant and rough-tempered long ago, but at least in Professor Voladi's eyes, Garcia was a kind and diligent junior colleague.

In fact, Professor Voladi was not even certain such a period had truly existed. Perhaps it had merely been one of the Skull Principal's malicious jokes.

"It won't last long."

"Do you really think so?!"

Lee Han was so delighted he could have jumped for joy.

If Professor Voladi was saying that, it felt trustworthy. As expected, Professor Garcia really was the finest person in all of Einroguard.

"About a year."

"......"

Lee Han's delighted expression froze exactly as it was.

Wasn't a year plenty long?

"Wait. Professor. Where did that figure of one year come from?"

"Previously, Garcia did not speak to me for about a year."

"...!"

Lee Han wondered what Professor Voladi meant, then realized it belatedly.

By "previously," Professor Voladi had to mean the time the professor had run away.

Professor Garcia had not spoken to Professor Voladi for about a year then, so this time as well, about a year...

'Damn it. That actually makes sense!'

Lee Han shuddered at the logic, which was difficult to refute.

Professor Garcia ignoring him for an entire year. Just imagining it was painful. It almost felt preferable to apply for a transfer to Valdrogard.

'...No. There is a flaw in that argument too.'

Come to think of it, Professor Voladi was Professor Garcia's senior colleague, while Lee Han was Professor Garcia's disciple.

He did not know whether that was an advantage or a disadvantage!

"Is there anything Professor Garcia likes? Couldn't I shorten the period with flattery and bribes?"

"Garcia likes diligence."

"...I think it's already too late for that now that I'm in a punishment room. Anything else? Gold coins, perhaps, or jokes mocking the principal?"

Professor Voladi shook their head. Lee Han sighed regretfully.

He had already thought of a joke mocking the principal!

"What if I showed a certain level of achievement in Professor Garcia's specialty, the spatiotemporal magic school?"

"Not bad."

Professor Voladi gave a positive response for the first time. Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. Then what sort of achievement would be best?"

"There is <Hubris>."

"Oh. What kind of magic is that?"

"Spatiotemporal microcosm magic. Professor Garcia uses it often."

"...Could there be something a little easier?"

Lee Han tried to lower the goal somewhat.

Of course he genuinely wanted to calm Professor Garcia's anger, but in the spatiotemporal school, Lee Han was still at the level of a beginner.

He could not simply skip everything and start by learning a microcosm.

"I can't think of anything easier among high-level magic."

The higher the Circle, the more magic demanded.

Some spells fundamentally assumed the caster already possessed one or two microcosms, enough to make any mage curse instinctively.

Of course, none of that mattered to Lee Han right now.

"...I wasn't asking you to recommend high-level magic."

"I see. Understood."

Lee Han shuddered at the sight of his master trying to teach him sinister high-level magic the moment his guard was down.

In some ways, this punishment room was more dangerous than a classroom.

'Hm. I should ask Master too.'

Lee Han decided he should ask the young prince to recommend some magic Professor Garcia would like.

The young prince would surely be able to think of magic that Professor Garcia would appreciate.

"Wait. The Prison Keeper is coming. I'll close the crawl hole."

Already accustomed to this punishment room, Lee Han had memorized the surrounding footsteps according to his master's teachings.

These were the Prison Keeper's footsteps.

'What is it? It's not mealtime.'

The Prison Keeper did not normally visit unless there were meals to distribute or something that had to be delivered.

Soon, the footsteps stopped. It was neither Lee Han's cell nor Professor Voladi's. It was one of the empty cells on the other side.

With a rattling sound, the door opened, followed by the sound of someone entering.

'A new prisoner!'

Several possibilities rapidly flashed through Lee Han's mind.

"Could it perhaps be Professor Ku?"

"Why?"

"Well..."

Now that he thought about it, there did not seem to be any particular reason Professor Kirmin would be imprisoned.

Lee Han shamelessly insisted anyway.

"You two are friends, aren't you? If Professor Ku came too, you wouldn't be lonely."

Had Professor Kirmin heard that wicked remark, they would have clutched the back of their neck.

"Professor Verdus is more likely—"

"Lee Han! Jowrin has come to the cell next door too!"

"......"

"......"

"I'm going to write a letter to the principal."

Lee Han spoke quietly so Jowrin would not hear.