Despite the encouragement, Lee Han silently reflected while listening to his friend criticize him.
The White Tiger Tower students must have caused an unbelievable amount of trouble.
Well, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t understand Moradi’s feelings.
Statistically speaking, White Tiger Tower caused the most incidents out of all four towers.
Blue Dragon Tower students, being nobles, still cared somewhat about appearances even while causing trouble—though they still picked up food off the ground and ate it—and Black Turtle Tower preferred to handle things quietly and secretly, so they rarely got caught.
White Tiger Tower students, on the other hand, were recklessly bold in the strangest situations.
Just look at Anglago.
Didn’t he boldly escape just to watch a ball game, then boldly get himself thrown into the punishment cells afterward?
No Blue Dragon Tower student would ever do something like that.
Thinking about it that way, Blue Dragon Tower really is superior.
Lee Han nodded to himself with faint satisfaction.
Giselle narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she saw him.
Why does this somehow feel irritating...?
“Moradi. Don’t be too upset just because Anglago ended up in the punishment cells. Salco went too.”
“...I was wondering what nonsense you were thinking about. That’s not the reason.”
“It’s not? Then... Ah. I see. It’s because of the exams. Don’t worry. The Blue Dragon Tower students don’t want to take them either.”
Those were not comforting words at all.
And even when doing the exact same thing, White Tiger Tower students did it far more aggressively than Blue Dragon Tower students. Nobody should ever trust comparisons like that.
This bastard is smug because he awakened aura first...
But voicing that thought would only damage her dignity.
Giselle gave up and changed the subject instead.
“...How’s your exam preparation going?”
“I’ll probably start seriously preparing once this week is over.”
As he spoke, Lee Han glanced toward the insane duplicate walking ahead.
The insane duplicate preferred seeing Lee Han risk his life learning high-level magic, but didn’t particularly appreciate him obsessing over Einroguard exams.
To be precise, he considered exams a worthless waste of time.
“...Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“With exam preparation. There’s a chance Master won’t approve of it...”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll teach you.”
“?”
Lee Han genuinely doubted his own ears.
Not only was the insane duplicate allowing him to focus on exam preparation, he was offering to help personally?
Lee Han had never even considered asking in the first place. It would have been far too unreasonable.
Yet here the insane duplicate was, volunteering assistance for a request Lee Han had never even made.
“You’ll help me prepare for exams?”
“Are you failing to listen to royalty’s words?”
“No, no, that’s not it. I’m simply overwhelmed by the honor...”
As Lee Han hesitated awkwardly, Giselle asked curiously,
“Isn’t that a good thing for you?”
The projection might be an insane ancient Archmage, but nobody could deny his magical ability.
If an archmage like that personally assisted with exam preparation, it would be more effective than any ordinary tutoring.
Of course, it was dangerous.
At the beginning of the semester, the other students had nearly panicked when that insane projection abducted Wardanaz.
But—
Knowing Wardanaz, he probably doesn’t care much about danger.
To Giselle, Lee Han Wardanaz had always been a magic addict obsessed with high risk and high reward.
Someone like that would never hesitate simply because the teacher was dangerous.
Especially now, when the two of them seemed to be getting along strangely well.
Something about this feels irritating. Is she insulting me in her head?
Lee Han grew suspicious inwardly.
Giselle was staring at him rather intensely, and he felt oddly uncomfortable.
“It’s definitely good... but it’s confusing when someone who normally wouldn’t act this way suddenly does. Imagine if the principal suddenly became kind.”
“...That’s horrifying.”
“Right? There’s not much difference.”
But whether Lee Han and Giselle found it unsettling or not, there wasn’t much they could do.
The insane duplicate was not the sort of person who would back down just because Lee Han refused.
“Ah. Then helping the others study might become difficult.”
Lee Han realized belatedly.
If the insane duplicate stayed beside him helping with exam preparation, tutoring his friends would become nearly impossible...
“It doesn’t matter. Bring them along too. Royalty shall grant them instruction.”
“!?!”
Those words shattered expectations even further, and this time even Giselle looked stunned.
“What... what is this? Why is he acting like this?”
“I-I don’t know either. Even telling your group to come with us earlier was unexpected.”
Even when asked directly, Lee Han genuinely had no answer.
He had no idea what was happening either!
No. I have to ask.
Even though Giselle had warned him not to provoke the insane duplicate, his curiosity had reached its limit.
After silently checking which defensive spells he currently had prepared, Lee Han cautiously asked,
“Master. Then why did you tell me to bring the others?”
“For an incomplete mage, comrades are a necessity that cannot be denied. If they are your comrades, I may as well refine them into something somewhat useful.”
“...!”
“!!!”
The unexpectedly reasonable answer shocked not only Lee Han, but Giselle as well.
To think he would acknowledge Lee Han’s friends as comrades and even say he intended to improve them personally.
Catten looked deeply moved.
As expected of the principal’s projection! His love and devotion toward students simply cannot be concealed!
Unfortunately, the two cold-hearted juniors weren’t deceived so easily.
This is suspicious. Is his insanity developing in another direction? Did the hamster do something? Should I interrogate it later?
I already knew Wardanaz attracted insane archmages the way carnivorous plants attract insects, but this is beyond absurd. He’s completely insane.
...More precisely, only one cold-hearted junior wasn’t fooled.
Lee Han tilted his head, but decided to accept things for now.
If the insane duplicate really intended to show consideration—even if it was born from madness—then perhaps madness could occasionally move in a positive direction.
Though whether positive madness actually existed was another matter entirely.
“Then the reason you told those White Tiger Tower students to come along earlier was because they’re my comrades too?”
The insane duplicate stopped walking.
Then he slowly turned around and stared at the White Tiger Tower students.
“They were comrades?”
“Yes? Yes... they’re friends from my year.”
“I assumed they were servants.”
“...”
“...”
The White Tiger Tower students’ expressions instantly darkened.
Lee Han glanced toward them before hurriedly trying to smooth things over.
“What are you talking about? How could these guys possibly look like servants?”
“They were behaving like servants, so I assumed they were servants.”
“...”
This time the White Tiger Tower students turned bright red.
To be fair, after spending hours mining, they really did look rather shabby.
“W-we normally dress much more dignifiedly...!”
“That was just bad timing, Wardanaz! Say something nice about us!”
What exactly am I supposed to compliment?
Lee Han inwardly sighed, but they were still his friends.
“They just prefer physical labor, but they’re all excellent mages. Master, you even called them mages earlier.”
“One may be both a mage and a servant. A proper servant must handle miscellaneous tasks while also serving as a guard. What exactly are you trying to say, disciple?”
Ancient times are exhausting.
Apparently, in ancient times even servants were expected to be complete all-rounders.
They needed magical ability, and also had to step forward as guards whenever necessary.
“Regardless, that isn’t the situation.”
“I understand. Royalty summoned them believing they were the disciple’s attendants and guards. That was royalty’s mistake. You may return.”
“?”
The White Tiger Tower students hesitated.
Then they looked behind them.
They had already traveled quite far from the safe zone marked on the map.
Returning alone to the dimensional gate from here...
“Hmm. Honestly, it’s probably safer for you all to head back rather than get scolded by Master for no reason.”
Lee Han attempted to «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» send his friends away.
No matter how he looked at it, traveling together would only result in the insane duplicate constantly irritating them.
And White Tiger Tower had its own pride. There was no reason to follow along as glorified servant-guards.
“We’ll protect Wardanaz!”
“Just leave it to us!”
“...”
Lee Han stared blankly at the immediate response from his friends.
Giselle was so embarrassed that she simply turned away and looked elsewhere.
***
“Do you know much about Frost Giants, juniors?”
Once they arrived near the Frost Giant territory marked on the map, Catten moved together with Lee Han and Giselle.
The goal was simple:
Contact the Frost Giants and negotiate.
The insane duplicate did not accompany them.
Archmages generally did not involve themselves in preliminary negotiations. Trivial matters were always left to disciples.
“I’ve heard that unlike ordinary giants, Frost Giants possess a highly developed civilization and intelligence.”
“That’s correct. Giants on the continent declined long ago, but the Frost Giants avoided that fate by existing in another dimension.”
The Frost Giants had escaped the decline suffered by the ancient giants through the isolation of extradimensional space.
As a result, terrifying beings like the Frost Giant King occasionally appeared at Einroguard and tried to kill Lee Han personally.
Ugh. Why couldn’t the Frost Giants just stay in their own dimension forever...
Lee Han inwardly lamented as unpleasant memories resurfaced once again.
Facing the Frost Giant King directly had not exactly been a pleasant experience.
And the suffering hadn’t ended there.
Afterward, every Frost Giant he encountered would say things like:
Oh? You’re the challenger acknowledged by the king? Then I shall defeat you and claim that glory for myself!
From Lee Han’s perspective, it was an utterly unreasonable curse.
Still... there’s a solution.
Lee Han discreetly checked the Frost Giant King’s blue gemstone hidden inside his staff beneath layers of concealment magic.
As long as that remained hidden, the Frost Giants would never recognize him.
He would simply appear to be an ordinary human mage.
“They are a proud and powerful race. There’s a high probability they’ll demand proof of strength before negotiations.”
“How do we prove ourselves?”
“There’s a strong chance they’ll require a trial. Junior. They respect strength.”
Lee Han and Giselle nodded seriously.
Catten waved casually as if telling them not to worry.
“I’ll handle the trial, so you juniors don’t need to concern yourselves. And if they insist on testing you too, I’ll persuade them.”
“...?”
Giselle tilted her head slightly.
Did Catten possess some secret diplomatic skill that allowed him to negotiate with Frost Giants?
“Do you actually have a method for persuasion?”
“Ah. Sorry, juniors. I misspoke. If they try to test you too, I’ll cut them down.”
Catten corrected himself sheepishly.
Apparently, he had accidentally exaggerated in front of his juniors. He had no confidence whatsoever in persuading Frost Giants peacefully.
“...”
“...”
That answer left a much stronger impression on the two juniors than diplomacy ever could.
Lee Han and Giselle unconsciously straightened their postures.
“Senior. If there were any parts of my magical explanations you disliked earlier, please feel free to tell me directly.”
“And if the tower juniors act disrespectfully in any way, please make sure to let us know.”
“???”
Catten looked genuinely confused by the sudden change in attitude.
Why were they suddenly acting like this?
“This should be close enough... Honorable giants of eternal frost, hear me! Catten of House Jahan has come seeking dialogue!”
-!
The Frost Giants reacted immediately to the booming voice echoing across the cliffs.
THUD!
A Frost Giant patrol warrior emerged from beneath the glacier in a single leap. Looking over the three visitors, the giant spoke.
-One warrior and two mages. Since you announced yourselves first, you do not appear to be intruders.
“Three mages. And we came to negotiate.”
-Negotiation? We do not negotiate easily with outsiders. Especially not those from other dimensions.
“The way you said that implies there’s still a possibility.”
At Catten’s words, the Frost Giant grinned.
The strength radiating from this warrior’s posture told him that the human understood something.
-That is correct. There is something we seek.
“Your lost artifacts?”
-Ha! As if we would entrust such matters to weak mages from another dimension.
The Frost Giant scoffed disdainfully.
Their sacred artifacts were to be recovered by Frost Giants themselves, not outsourced to weaker races.
“Then what are you searching for?”
-We seek the challenger acknowledged by the king! Surprisingly, he is apparently a mage from the same dimension as you. If you discover his whereabouts, we will recognize you as honored guests.
“...”
Lee Han’s face slowly paled.
