Chapter 13

"Wodanaz..."

"No, we came to school to learn magic, didn't we?"

Lee Han unconsciously made an excuse. Asan's gaze, filled with betrayal, made him feel guilty.

"Well... we did come here to learn magic."

"Think about it. Do you really think the principal will be convinced just because the two of us try to persuade him?"

"That's true."

Asan agreed.

Indeed, it seemed quite difficult to convince Principal Rich, even from Asan's perspective.

"I think there's a 95% chance of failure."

"The fact that there's a 5% chance of success is more surprising..."

Anyway, seeing that Asan had agreed, Lee Han focused on reading the paper that explained the "Basic Control" spell.

The important things for casting a spell were willpower, incantation, and movement.

-The incantation suitable for "Basic Control" is as follows: Move, move, control...

"Move, move, hmm. Is this it?"

Lee Han chose an incantation that felt right and tried to mimic the movement.

It was a light, circular motion with the wand, but the amount of mana gathered varied each time.

'Magic is really... not easy at all.'

Lee Han once again felt how difficult magic was as a discipline.

Even a very simple spell required a high level of concentration and practice to master.

He had to focus his willpower to cast the spell, memorize the incantation to amplify the mana, and move the gathered mana precisely without any error.

It felt like riding a unicycle while spinning plates with both hands.

"Wodanaz. But didn't Professor Kim say not to practice magic outside the classroom?"

"But the principal said to do it. The principal is higher up, isn't he?"

"Indeed..."

Asan agreed again.

Of course, agreeing didn't suddenly make the amount of mana he lacked appear.

After about four attempts, Asan staggered and lay down on the side.

"Ugh... I'm sorry, Wodanaz. I suddenly feel dizzy... Ugh."

"That can happen. Lie down."

Regardless, Lee Han was absorbed in practicing "Basic Control."

"Move, move, move, move!"

He felt the mana gathered at the tip of his wand shoot out.

The target was a quill pen.

The quill pen, hit by the magic, twitched or trembled.

'There seems to be a problem with the movement.'

Lee Han's strength was his overwhelming amount of mana.

While others would get tired and need a break after a few incantations, Lee Han could continue practicing without stopping.

Thud-

Lee Han placed a mirror in front of him and started writing the incantation to see the difference in movements with his own eyes.

'Should I swing a little less? Let's try swinging a little less. It seems a bit better. Is the next part this way?'

"Wodanaz. Are you okay?"

Asan, who was lying down, groaned and asked. Lee Han nodded.

"Indeed, the Wodanaz family... Ugh. My head is spinning, I can't think straight..."

"Move!"

Suddenly, Lee Han felt his mind connect with the quill pen.

It felt like a third hand extended and grabbed the quill.

The quill pen, which had only twitched or trembled until now, began to rise gently.

Now he just needed to control it with concentration.

'Slowly, don't rush...'

Bang! A small firecracker-like sound, and the quill pen shot out like a dart.

It flew out the open window.

"......"

"What... what did you do?"

"...The quill pen flew away??"

"Wow, Wodanaz!? Did you succeed in the spell?!"

"No, I haven't succeeded yet."

"Basic Control" is a 1st Circle telekinesis spell that allows the user to delicately control small, light objects.

...Although Lee Han still didn't know much about magic, shooting the quill pen like that was definitely a failure.

'This spell has two hurdles to overcome.'

"Basic Control" isn't just about successfully casting the incantation with the correct movement.

After that, one must concentrate to control the object.

Lee Han succeeded in the first part but not the second.

'But it should be okay. Since I succeeded in the incantation, controlling it shouldn't be too difficult.'

Bang!

Bang!

Bangbangbangbangbangbangbang!

"......"

Asan Dalkard looked at Lee Han in shock.

The quill pen had flown into the wall next to them.

"W... Wodanaz..."

"...I'm sorry."

Lee Han regretted his confidence just now.

Surprisingly, the fine control was impossible.

As soon as he thought about moving it, the quill pen would shoot off.

Almost like a reflex!

'Could it be... because of my mana?'

Lee Han remembered what Professor Garcia Kim had told him.

Due to his extremely high amount of mana compared to ordinary people, there might be some inconvenience in casting spells.

'Let me try one more time.'

Click-

Well, did you work hard today? You can be happy! I'll write the rest with magic.

The door opened, and Principal Rich appeared.

Ping!

And the quill pen Lee Han had shot flew straight at Principal Rich's forehead.

"Wodanaz...!"

At that moment, Lee Han became a hero to Asan Dalkard.

A freshman trying to assassinate the principal.

Really, that's so cool!

* * * *

Surprisingly, Principal Rich didn't get angry.

You found it much faster than I expected. I'll admit you have a slightly better iron head.

"Ah, so we don't have to do this meaningless writing anymore?"

No. If you can't master magic, you'll continue to waste your time meaninglessly.

Asan Dalkard glared at the principal. The principal grinned happily.

Lee Han asked cautiously.

"Respected Principal!"

Where is that sweet flattery coming from? What is it?

"Can I ask about the technique of controlling?"

From what I saw earlier, it seems you succeeded in the incantation. Was it difficult to control?

"Yes."

Many freshmen magicians have that problem.

"Oh, is that so?"

Lee Han was relieved.

He thought it was because of his high mana, but it turned out to be a common issue for beginners.

Ha ha! I'm lying!

"......"

The incantation isn't difficult, and controlling it usually takes just one or two tries. There's no one who shoots it like an arrow like you. What can I do? You have to work hard and figure it out yourself.

'The opponent is the principal. The opponent is the principal. The opponent is the principal...'

Lee Han tried to manage his expression. Principal Rich was very disappointed by this.

Asan Dalkard was fun to tease, but this young Wodanaz was as patient as an old man.

But don't be too scared. The more you use magic, the better you'll get. Go have lunch!

* * * *

Due to being held captive until lunchtime, all the other freshmen had already gone to other classes or were looking for them.

Asan Dalkard, still not fully recovered from his mana, left to rest in the infirmary.

'I should go have lunch too.'

Even though lunch was just hard, black bread and cold rice balls, Lee Han was better off because he had some smoked meat from the other day.

'I should try to find some vegetables or fruit outside...'

At first, he wasn't sure, but he started to think that the principal might have prepared it this way.

Maybe the quick-witted students are already looking for food?

"...Wodanaz." "?"

Hearing his name called, Lee Han turned his head.

Long, flowing silver hair and a cold expression that made you flinch upon meeting.

Princess Adenart stood at the end of the corridor.

"What is it?"

Instead of answering, Adenart pointed to the paper in her hand.

"...Ah!"

Lee Han realized why the princess had called him.

He had asked her, who had a much wider network than him, to find some useful lectures for him.

'I asked her to find some useful lectures.'

Freshmen at Einrograd had to find and take their own elective courses, except for the required ones.

But for freshmen, finding such courses was as difficult as picking stars from the sky.

Without meeting the second-year students, information exchange among freshmen was essential to find out.

The princess, with her usual stoic expression, handed him the paper.

"Thank you. ...Hmm?"

Lee Han, who was happily reading the paper, paused.

-Popular Lecture List-

<Understanding Basic Alchemy>

<Basic Imperial Linguistics>

<Basic Dance and Social Skills>

...

First, the presence of "Understanding Alchemy" was suspicious, and the names of the other lectures were different from what Lee Han had expected.

And it said "popular" instead of "easy to get good grades"?

"Princess, may I ask?"

"?"

"What exactly does 'popular' mean?"

"??"

The princess seemed momentarily flustered, her expression slightly crumbling as she raised her eyebrows.

Lee Han felt the need to explain further.

"Princess, I asked for lectures that are easy to get good grades, not popular ones. In fact, unpopular lectures might be easier to get good grades."

The prepared Lee Han wasn't swayed by popularity or rumors.

Popular lectures -> Attracts outstanding talents, making it hard to get good grades.

Unpopular lectures -> Few competitors, making it easier to get good grades.

Of course, the princess didn't agree with Lee Han's unique theory.

"......"

Adenart looked at Lee Han in disbelief.

He was really looking for lectures that were easy to pass.

She couldn't understand why someone from the Wodanaz family would look for such lectures.

Adenart couldn't help but feel disappointed.

When she saw him in the alchemy class, Wodanaz seemed the most aristocratic.

Swish-

Adenart handed him another paper.

While organizing, she had noted down the list of unpopular lectures to avoid.

-Unpopular Lecture List-

<Basic Swordsmanship>

<Basic Physical Training>

<Basic Repetitive Study of Magic Combat>

...

'Oh.'

Lee Han was impressed by the list.

The smell of unpopular lectures was already strong.

First, swordsmanship.

Few people came to a magic school to learn swordsmanship.

With magic alone, time was already tight; who would want to learn swordsmanship?

Physical training was similar. With magic already taking up so much time, no one wanted to waste time on unnecessary physical activities.

It wasn't for nothing that mages were often mocked for being weak.

<Repetitive Study of Magic Combat> was bound to be unpopular.

People came to learn magic to understand great truths and change the world, not to become good at fighting.

If they wanted to fight, they should join a knight or swordsmanship guild for training.

While each student had their own dreams and goals, none of them came to become the best fighter with magic.

The most important thing was to learn magic, not to use it in combat.

'But who knows.'

Of course, Lee Han didn't care about such perceptions.

Swordsmanship and physical training were areas he was confident in, even before entering the magic school, thanks to his training under Alarlong.

And repetitive study of magic combat was also useful.

Learning how to fight with magic couldn't hurt.

It would be one more way to protect his life.

And he could easily get good grades in lectures with few competitors.

"Thank you, Princess."

"......"

Adenart nodded without a word, her expression showing a faint disappointment and disdain.

But Lee Han, focused on the lectures, didn't notice.

"See you next time!"

Lee Han turned and left. The princess, about to say something, sighed and turned away.