I doubt that’s the case.
Yonair thought to himself as he unlocked the tower door.
With a soft click, the door hidden in darkness opened, and warm air drifted out from the workshop within.
“The professor isn’t here, right?”
“At this hour, he’s tending the cacti in the Einroguard desert. Let’s go in.”
Even Gainando was impressed by how thoroughly Lee Han had memorized Professor Thunderstep’s schedule.
“How does Lee Han remember all that?”
“You memorize every single line written on Mage Cards too.”
“Th-that’s different! Why are you bringing that up?!”
While the two bickered behind him, Lee Han quickly inspected the first floor.
No matter how absent-minded the professor might be, lowering one’s guard inside a mage’s tower was suicidal.
There could always be newly installed surveillance magic or hidden traps.
Nothing.
Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.
This was entirely because Professor Thunderstep was too careless.
Trusting disciples enough to hand over keys was one thing, but this level of negligence was excessive.
Professor Thunderstep really is reckless.
Of course, Lee Han himself was benefiting from how easy the tower was to loot, but that was a separate issue. As a disciple, he still felt obligated to worry about his professor’s security awareness.
While inspecting the surroundings, Lee Han spotted a letter lying on a nearby table.
The handwriting looked strangely familiar.
...Wait. This is Professor Voladi Bagreg’s handwriting?
Lee Han was surprised for multiple reasons.
First, the fact that Professor Voladi had actually written a letter.
Second, the fact that it had been addressed to Professor Thunderstep.
Ordinarily, a loyal disciple should respect the privacy of professors.
Unfortunately, the letter had partially slipped from the envelope and lay completely exposed on the table. Once again, this was entirely Professor Thunderstep’s fault.
Professor, seriously. You’re too careless. This can’t be helped.
Lee Han picked up the letter before it could slide onto the floor and accidentally ended up reading it.
Capital. Urgent. Summons. Lord Gonadaltes. Please exchange lectures.
-Voladi Bagreg
“????”
For a moment, Lee Han wondered if it was some kind of code.
Then realization struck.
Ah. So the Principal urgently summoned him from the capital and he left?
That was shocking in its own way.
Several professors were already in the capital alongside the Skull Principal.
And now even Professor Voladi Bagreg had been called there?
...Did a rebellion break out in the capital or something?
Lee Han genuinely could not understand.
Why would so many Einroguard professors suddenly gather in one place?
If he did not know the Emperor’s species, he honestly would have suspected the Skull Principal was planning a coup.
It’s not because Jorzik caused trouble, is it...?
Unease briefly crept into Lee Han’s mind before he shook his head.
The professors and the Skull Principal had gone to the capital before Jorzik escaped.
So that could not be the reason.
...Probably.
More importantly, what does “exchange lectures” mean? Surely they aren’t worried about making up canceled classes later.
Without realizing he had accidentally guessed the correct answer, Lee Han fell deep into thought.
Someone urgently summoned to the capital would hardly have time to worry about missed lectures.
“Lee Han?”
“Sorry. It’s nothing.”
Lee Han snapped out of his thoughts when his friends called him.
Professor Voladi heading to the capital was important, but they had their own task tonight.
In some ways, it was probably fortunate.
If Professor Voladi Bagreg and the insane duplicate had started teaching together—
“...”
Just imagining that horrifying combination sent chills down Lee Han’s spine.
“Lee Han’s acting weird. Did he get hit with magic or something?”
“But none of the incense or potions here should affect Lee Han...”
As Gainando and Yonair whispered to each other, Lee Han waved dismissively.
“Sorry. I’m fine. I was just surprised Professor Bagreg went to the capital.”
“Gasp. Did Professor Mortum go too?!”
“No.”
“Aww.”
Gainando visibly wilted.
Why was Professor Mortum excluded from everything?
“More importantly, we need to figure out what Professor Thunderstep has been doing lately. Help me search.”
His friends nodded.
The three carefully entered the section of the workshop used by Professor Thunderstep and began examining the clues.
“High-grade paper, water bottle, brushes, tobacco leaves, acacia sap... What kind of magic is this, Lee Han?”
“...That’s just the professor making cigarettes.”
“Ah.”
Gainando grumbled unhappily.
Why would anyone manufacture tobacco in a workshop area like this?
“It looks like poison-ring grass was used.”
“He also brewed two new elixirs...”
Fortunately, with two talented alchemy-school students present, the investigation progressed quickly.
They separated the recently used materials and potions from the ones likely intended for lectures.
“Is cockatrice poison for lectures or not?”
“That’s for lectures. I heard it’s used in fourth-year classes.”
I shouldn’t have asked...
Yonair regretted the question while drawing another line across the paper with his quill.
Learning about his future in advance was far more depressing than expected.
“Sulfur mercury. Wing feathers from a three-year-old crow.”
“Thunderbird cries. Ghoul giant claws.”
“Crystal golem core, evil mushrooms, mandragon...”
“...Cinnabar—wait. Isn’t this <Arlekan’s Eternal Severance>?”
Yonair suddenly exclaimed.
Since it was a poison formula created by his family’s ancestor, he recognized it immediately.
Pulling out the Arlekan grimoire he always carried, Yonair rapidly flipped through the pages to compare.
“I think this is correct.”
“Sorry, Yonair. I know a great deal about <House Meikin’s Sweet Slab Chocolate> and <House Meikin’s Magical Chocolate Eclair>, but I don’t know much about Eternal Severance...”
“...R-right.”
Normally, nobody would know much about chocolate or éclairs either, but Yonair ignored that and immediately began explaining.
“It’s poison. A poison that targets the soul itself...”
A vicious poison that permanently severed the connection of the soul.
Even someone highly resistant to ordinary poisons would struggle to resist something like this.
Why did he make this?
Lee Han wondered why Professor Thunderstep had brewed such a thing.
Gainando turned pale and shouted:
“C-could it be he made it for Lee Han? Since ordinary poison doesn’t work on him, he got angry—”
“...”
“...No. This wouldn’t work particularly well on Lee Han either. Soul-based attacks also become less effective when mana is extremely high.”
Couldn’t you reject the idea in a less horrifying way?
Lee Han silently thought to himself.
The most likely explanation was obvious.
Professor Thunderstep had prepared the poison as a countermeasure against the insane duplicate.
The insane duplicate had been giving increasingly absurd orders, and Professor Thunderstep had likely reached the limit of his patience.
“...I should at least learn how to make the antidote. Yonair, can I see the grimoire?”
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
Yonair was not the sort of person who hoarded knowledge selfishly, but even so, casually handing over a family grimoire like this required tremendous trust.
Lee Han accepted the book gratefully.
“...”
“...”
“...Lee Han. You aren’t reading the chocolate éclair recipe right now, are you?”
“S-sorry. It was just too extraordinary... I see now. So raspberries were the secret. I kept focusing only on the custard cream...”
“If you’re curious, I’ll show you later. Look at the antidote section first.”
Yonair urged him irritably.
Honestly, part of him felt proud seeing his friend admire the family recipes.
But becoming mesmerized by éclair recipes in the middle of a dangerous investigation was absurd.
Even if cooking technically counted as alchemy.
“Thanks, Yonair. I found it.”
“Are you planning to make it?”
“...I think I should.”
Lee Han answered heavily.
Whether Professor Thunderstep truly intended to use poison or not, as the disciple of both mages, Lee Han needed to prepare for every possibility.
“Then let’s gather the ingredients. There won’t be enough in storage.”
“Lee Han. Lee Han!”
“But if we do that, the professor will definitely realize someone came here.”
“...Lee Han! Hey! Yonair!”
“Maybe we can use ingredients prepared by upperclassmen...”
“Look over here!!”
Only after Gainando stomped his feet furiously did the other two finally turn toward him.
“What is it?”
“Isn’t this an antidote the professor already made?”
“...”
Lee Han inspected the potion bottle Gainando was enthusiastically waving around.
Surprisingly enough, it really was an antidote.
“Where did you find that?!”
“The professor left it on the table where he was rolling cigarettes.”
“...Honestly, we’re not really in a position to say this, but isn’t the professor far too careless?”
At Yonair’s comment, Lee Han unconsciously nodded.
***
“Master. You absolutely must not eat or drink anything anyone gives you.”
“...Have you perhaps gone insane?”
Morning.
As the two walked together toward the lecture hall, the insane duplicate looked at Lee Han as though wondering what madness had suddenly afflicted his disciple.
Lee Han had always been difficult to predict, but today’s statement was incomprehensible even by his standards.
“I heard there’s a trend spreading through Einroguard lately involving poisoning food and drinks.”
Even while speaking, Lee Han wondered whether the excuse sounded too ridiculous.
Unexpectedly, however, the insane duplicate nodded.
“That is entirely possible. Such things occur frequently among mages. You naturally possess high resistance to poison, disciple, but even so, you must not lower your guard.”
“...Yes!”
As they continued speaking, Oriphyulas approached from the opposite direction.
The demon had served as an Imperial legal officer for one hundred thirty-two years and regularly assisted with lectures alongside Professor Rozine.
AAAAAAAH! NO! NO! I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG YET!
Without warning, Oriphyulas screamed and tried to flee in the opposite direction.
Naturally, the contract chains binding the demon did not permit escape.
Professor Rozine stared in alarm as the fleeing demon was violently dragged back by the contract and nearly strangled.
“What are you doing? You know perfectly well you can’t escape!”
The demon still refused to give up.
With a violent blow to himself, Oriphyulas forcibly reverse-summoned himself.
“...”
“...”
When Lee Han stared blankly at the empty space where the demon had vanished, the insane duplicate answered indifferently.
“With royalty present, there is little need for advice from a demon anyway. In some ways, this is more convenient.”
“...I apologize, Professor.”
“Oh, no, Lee Han. I never expected Legal Officer Oriphyulas to disappear like that either.”
“Demons occasionally behave strangely.”
Lee Han answered shamelessly.
Professor Rozine gave him a look that clearly said Do you seriously expect me to believe that?, but Lee Han calmly pretended not to notice.
Meanwhile, the insane duplicate had already strode into the lecture hall.
The second-year students, now fully accustomed to this situation, politely greeted him.
“Good morning, Archmage.”
“Huh? Where’s the demon legal officer?”
When someone asked curiously, Lee Han answered quietly:
“Master will be helping instead today.”
“...Wardanaz, at this rate all the professors are going to disappear within two weeks!”
His friends whispered excitedly.
While Wardanaz insisted it was all coincidence, there was no denying that the number of professors present this semester had been decreasing at an alarming rate.
If the insane duplicate stayed at Einroguard a little longer, the students might genuinely end up with the ideal academic year: one almost entirely free of professors.
“Have you all attained enlightenment regarding the secret geometry discussed previously?”
“...”
Every student in the room instantly fell silent and quietly avoided eye contact.
The insane duplicate looked openly displeased by the miserable accomplishments of his disciple’s peers.
“Even after being granted more than an entire day, this is your result. My disciple mastered it immediately.”
“N-no...!”
Lee Han hurriedly tried to cover the insane duplicate’s mouth.
At this rate, his master was going to socially bury him alive in front of the entire year.
