Chapter 15

Chapter 015

‘But it’s quite difficult.’

Controlling the bead with willpower was no easy task.

Like the student who was hit by the bead he controlled earlier, the bead would fly off course if he lost focus even for a moment.

It felt like having a third arm suddenly attached, a strange sensation.

At least, the good thing was that Lee Han didn’t have to worry about his mana running out.

In fact, even when he kept the bead floating and drawing circles, he didn’t feel his mana depleting at all.

“......”

Professor Vlad did not say a word; he just stared at Lee Han intently.

‘Is he not using mana?’

Lee Han was puzzled by why the professor was staring at him.

It couldn’t be because he was controlling the bead too well (the circle looked a bit crooked to Lee Han), or because he was controlling the bead for so long without getting tired.

‘No, he’s just staring at me because there’s no one else around.’

But Lee Han later realized that the professor was just staring absentmindedly.

If he found it strange that Lee Han had a lot of mana, he would have just asked!

After all, with Lee Han being the only one in the lecture hall, there was nothing else to look at. Lee Han focused on rolling the bead, regardless of whether the professor was watching or not.

He didn’t really understand the meaning of it all, but...

‘If I roll it hard, I’ll get a grade.’

Thinking of it as a magic bead that gives grades when rolled, he could do it without any problem.

Lee Han had become overly accustomed to enduring unreasonable tasks under the professor.

* * *

‘This is interesting.’

Professor Vlad was very intrigued.

Of course, it didn’t show on his face, but he hadn’t felt this sense of curiosity in a long time.

The reason was the freshman in front of him.

Every year, freshmen would flood into and then quickly disappear from the <Repetitive Learning of Basic Magic Combat> class.

Last year, there were zero attendees.

However, Professor Vlad didn’t care.

The contract with the principal, Osu Gonadetes, was to teach the <Repetitive Learning of Basic Magic Combat> class every year, not to gather many students.

In fact, even if there were no students, Professor Vlad would sit in the lecture hall at the designated time, wait with the bead, and then get up when the lecture was over.

Others might not understand, but this was Professor Vlad’s principle.

The time accumulated through such repetition.

Today, a unique freshman broke this cycle.

A handsome boy with a chiseled face, clearly a student from the Tower of the Blue Dragon.

From his actions and tone, he was likely from an imperial noble family.

However...

He was focused on rolling the bead without any complaints.

Even the lowest-ranking students from the Tower of the Black Turtle would leave the class, muttering, “Why are we doing this shit?” But a student from the Tower of the Blue Dragon was calmly concentrating, which was unusual.

Moreover, he showed no signs of fatigue even after rolling the bead for so long.

He clearly had a natural talent for mana.

If Professor Vlad had any close relationships with other professors, he might have heard about Lee Han’s mana capacity from Professor Garcia Kim, who taught Trolls.

But Professor Vlad didn’t mingle with other professors.

There was no such clause in his contract with the principal.

Therefore, Professor Vlad only guessed that Lee Han had a lot of mana but didn’t know exactly how much.

‘I hope he stays.’

For the first time while teaching, Professor Vlad wished a student would remain in his seat.

If this student continued to attend, Professor Vlad could, for the first time in the history of the class, move on to the next content.

* * *

“Really, I found a great class.”

Lee Han said seriously.

He usually wouldn’t be this kind, but Yoner and Gainando were exceptions.

Yoner might become a business partner later, and Gainando might be given friendship money by his mother.

It was always good to be nice to friends from good families.

“I think no one else will come to this class. If you attend, you’re guaranteed an A+.”

“...Umm...”

Yoner’s face showed deep contemplation on how to politely decline Lee Han’s suggestion.

The class was so unpopular that just hearing its name made one want to avoid it, but it felt rude to reject Lee Han’s recommendation. What should he do?

“...No, if you don’t want to listen, it’s fine.”

Lee Han told Yoner.

He didn’t intend to force them.

He just recommended it because it was nice to be able to pass a subject without effort.

“Hmm. Tell me more.”

In contrast, Gainando seemed intrigued.

“What do they teach?”

“There’s a bead artifact made by the professor. You blow mana into it and make it float.”

“Oh. Then what?”

“You draw circles with it.”

“What next?”

“Nothing.”

“......”

“......”

Yoner and Gainando looked at Lee Han in disbelief.

“...Is the professor fake or something?”

“Whether he’s fake or real, who cares? The important thing is that he gives grades.”

Yoner was impressed.

When she first enrolled, she thought:

- I’m probably the most practical thinker among the students here.

After all, many students from the Tower of the Blue Dragon were from noble families, and their thinking was often rigid.

Yoner had felt this many times.

But talking to Lee Han made her realize how vast the world and how high the sky were.

The boy from the Wodanaz family was practically obsessed with practicality.

Even Yoner couldn’t keep up!

“Well, if you don’t want to listen, there’s nothing I can do. Next is <Basic Swordsmanship>.”

“...Really, you’re going to take that too??”

“Wodanaz. That really seems like a bad idea...”

No matter how much his friends tried to dissuade him, Lee Han wouldn’t listen.

If it wasn’t a required class, he would choose based on his own standards.

That was the rule of the magic school, Einroard!

‘Should I really try to dissuade him?’

Gainando seriously considered going to the principal for advice.

* * *

The <Basic Swordsmanship> class had many more students than the <Repetitive Learning of Basic Magic Combat>.

At least ten students were gathered in the front yard of the main building, waiting for the professor.

‘Surprisingly, there are a lot of them.’

Lee Han was surprised but quickly realized why.

The students here were from the Tower of the White Tiger that Bites Lightning.

These students were from imperial knight families and had come here to learn magic.

Naturally, they were skilled in swordsmanship and took it seriously.

Other family students might learn swordsmanship, but they wouldn’t come here to do so. The students from the Tower of the White Tiger were different.

‘Well, the <Repetitive Learning of Basic Magic Combat> was too easy to pass.’

Lee Han was slightly disappointed but realized that being the best among a few was unusual, and this wasn’t bad.

Moreover, Lee Han had been consistently learning swordsmanship.

“...What?”

“Are you from the Tower of the Blue Dragon?”

Lee Han’s appearance surprised the students from the Tower of the White Tiger, who were whispering among themselves.

They hadn’t expected students from other dormitories to come.

“I know who that guy is. He’s from the Wodanaz family.”

“Wodanaz family...! They’re one of the imperial magic families.”

“But why is someone from such a family taking this class?”

“Maybe he learned a bit of swordsmanship from a private tutor at home.”

“You can’t underestimate swordsmanship like that.”

Most students showed strong resistance.

While there were differences, the students from the Tower of the White Tiger were generally proud of their swordsmanship and trained seriously.

In contrast, students from other noble families learned swordsmanship for self-defense or as a formality, only mastering the basics.

Coming to this class with such an attitude was bound to cause resistance.

Lee Han noticed their reactions.

‘Who cares.’

And of course, he didn’t care.

He wasn’t stupid enough to get involved in childish power struggles with teenagers.

“Hey.”

When Lee Han ignored their reactions, one of the students finally stepped forward.

A well-trained physique, typical of a knight family.

Combined with the orc’s muscular build, he exuded an intimidating presence even in his shabby school uniform.

He stood in front of Lee Han and looked up.

Lee Han met his gaze, wondering what he wanted.

The orc looked quite intimidating, but Lee Han had too much experience to be scared by such things.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Yeah. You’re from the Wodanaz family, right? And you’re from the Tower of the Blue Dragon?”

“Right.”

“It seems you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a serious swordsmanship class, not a class that teaches flashy sword movements.”

“I see. Thanks for letting me know.”

“......”

The orc’s expression darkened when Lee Han ignored his warning.

“You don’t seem to understand. A real swordsmanship class isn’t just about swinging a sword. We’ll also do sparring, and you could get seriously hurt. The other students here won’t hold back.”

“I see. If I have to face you, I’ll be careful not to hurt you. If you’re that worried.”

“......”

The orc was a bit slow to understand Lee Han’s response. When he finally got it, his face turned red.

At that moment, a small cough was heard.

The professor had arrived.

“Everyone, please gather.”

The professor’s voice was soft and gentle, but his appearance was the opposite.

Despite being an elf, a race known for its beauty, the professor exuded an intimidating presence.

Scars and marks covered his face and body, creating an aura of intimidation.

One arm and one leg were prosthetic, and one eye was different in size due to a scar.

“I am Professor Ingeld. I will be teaching you swordsmanship this semester.”

The elf professor leaned on his long sword like a cane and continued.

“Most of you here at Einroard have some experience with swordsmanship. You’re here to improve your skills or to keep them from getting rusty.”

Lee Han felt a bit guilty. Of course, improving his skills wasn’t bad, but he was mainly here for the grades.

“So, I won’t be teaching you swordsmanship from the beginning. It’s better to refine what you’ve already learned.”

The students from knight families listened intently with bright eyes.

After all, they were still new to magic.

For them, a discussion about swordsmanship was much more appealing than one about magic.

Tap tap

“?”

Lee Han turned his head. Someone had tapped his arm.

The person was an elf, but their appearance was the opposite of Professor Ingeld’s.

They had short, golden hair that reached their neck and a delicate, androgynous beauty.

‘He must be popular with girls.’

“What’s up?”

“You’re from the Wodanaz family, right? I’m curious why someone from the Wodanaz family would want to learn swordsmanship.”

The person spoke in a light but not frivolous manner, showing a skill in dealing with people.

“Fewer people attend, so it’s easier to get a good grade.”

“......”