Chapter 37

"Looks like it worked."

Though he cursed the professor inwardly, he didn't show it on the surface.

That was what a seasoned graduate student was like.

Lee Han maintained his composure and bowed.

"Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. You solved it with your own strength."

"......"

Even though it was a compliment, Lee Han felt a bit choked up.

Professor Vlad had really shot the bead with all his might just now.

If it had hit him directly, his bones would have at least cracked.

It was a dangerous moment, and he had to use <Lower Control> to quickly lift the bead and block it.

'Professors are really...'

"Try it again."

This time, Professor Vlad took out an ordinary steel bead instead of a spirit stone bead and threw it. Before the fist-sized steel bead hit the ground, Lee Han cast the <Lower Control> spell.

"Move!"

The steel bead stopped in mid-air.

Lee Han hoped it would accidentally fly out and hit Professor Vlad's chin, but once he got the hang of <Lower Control>, it didn't waver easily.

Professor Vlad pointed upwards with his hand.

"Up."

Lee Han moved the steel bead upwards. It moved quickly, though a bit unsteadily.

"Down."

The steel bead moved down again.

"Left. Right. One circle clockwise. Two circles counterclockwise."

Professor Vlad, who kept giving instructions without a break, nodded.

"Though it takes a lot of effort, this is good enough. From now on, we'll use this steel bead for training instead of the spirit stone bead."

"But I haven't been able to draw a perfect circle with the spirit stone bead yet. Is it okay?"

"Try it again."

Lee Han put down the steel bead and infused the spirit stone bead with mana, then drew a circle.

"!"

Surprisingly, the circle he drew was much more perfect than before the near-death experience.

"Intense experiences make a mage grow. The spirit stone bead was an auxiliary tool for mages with insufficient ability, so it's no longer necessary."

"I understand."

"Try drawing a circle with the steel bead again. When your skills improve, I'll prepare another trial like the one just now."

"...What?"

Professor Vlad believed there were two types of people in the world.

Those who freeze when faced with a life-threatening situation, and those who react more intensely and quickly.

The latter was naturally suited to be a combat mage, and the young man from the Wodanaz family in front of him had that potential.

So, it was only natural to use that potential.

"......"

Of course, from Lee Han's perspective, hearing a death threat made him feel quite conflicted.

Oh, this school is really something!

* * * *

Even though he had just faced a near-death situation, the school kept rolling on.

At the end of the class, Professor Vlad handed Lee Han the steel bead.

- Keep drawing circles whenever you have time.

- Yes.

- And don't let your guard down at any moment.

- ...What do you mean... No, I understand.

Lee Han felt uneasy as he left.

Surely Professor Vlad wasn't going to follow him and ambush him, right?

Of course, it sounded crazy, but this school kept making him paranoid.

"Did you wait long?"

"No."

Lee Han waved to the half-demon girl in the priest's robe.

She was Tizling, a priest of the Phrisinga Order.

- Can you take care of Tizling a bit?

The students of the Phoenix Tower, being priests by origin, were frugal, and Priest Mehrid was worried that Tizling, who was still growing, might collapse.

In return, Lee Han received three baskets of food and intended to keep his promise.

'I'll feed her well so that I can get the basket back at the next meeting.'

With this determined thought, Lee Han sat down with Tizling.

The sky was already red, and the mountains surrounding the school looked as if they were on fire.

'If this weren't a school, it would be a great place... No, I feel like a prisoner.'

Lee Han snapped back to his senses.

He wasn't a prisoner. Of course, the school had some prison-like aspects, but it was still a school.

"Here's the priest's robe."

"Oh, thank you."

Lee Han took the priest's robe Tizling offered. In return, he handed her a round bread thinly spread with marmalade.

It was a soft, sweet bread that couldn't be compared to the bread given at the school.

"I'm fine."

However, Tizling declined.

"Is there a reason to refuse?"

"Since Phrisinga is suffering for us, it feels wrong for me to enjoy fine dining alone."

Lee Han hesitated, about to say, 'What nonsense is this?' but stopped, remembering he had joined the Phrisinga Order.

'Oh, I almost added another stain to the Wodanaz family name.'

Lee Han nodded calmly.

It wasn't easy to force food on someone with such strong faith.

He needed to probe a bit.

"Oh, this bread really doesn't taste good. Maybe it's old and has lost its flavor. Wouldn't it be less sinful to eat it?"

Doodle.

"This canned beef is really the worst. Wouldn't it be less sinful to eat it?"

Doodle.

"The person who baked this bread put their heart into it for you, and the person who made the jam worked hard to serve you. If you don't eat it, it will be wasted..."

"......"

'Did it work?'

Lee Han thought it might have worked when he saw Tizling's eyes waver with guilt.

"...Wait. These breads weren't baked specifically for me, right? I saw them on display last time."

'Tsk.'

Lee Han clicked his tongue when Tizling noticed.

If he had pushed a bit more, it would have worked...

As Lee Han kept trying to feed her, Tizling looked apologetic.

"I'm really fine. I'll tell Priest Mehrid that I ate it, so it's better to give it to someone else."

"Umm..."

Lee Han was tempted.

Actually, it would be easier for him if she refused. The only thing that made him feel uneasy was the lie.

Mehrid had asked him to take care of Tizling out of concern (and even gave him extra baskets), and he felt bad about letting him down.

If it were a promise with the skeleton principal, he wouldn't have hesitated for a second, but Mehrid was a kind person.

While Lee Han was thinking, Tizling took out a rough wooden cup, put in some green tea leaves, and poured warm water. Steam rose.

"Wait."

"?"

"Can I make you some tea?"

After thinking for a moment, Tizling nodded.

She couldn't refuse this after refusing the food.

"Yes, thank you."

"Are you really going to drink it?"

"Of course. Why...?"

"It's nothing."

In the Phrisinga Order, they enjoyed coffee and green tea.

Of course, it was completely unsweetened, made only with coffee grounds and tea leaves.

It wasn't just the Phrisinga Order; other orders were the same. They drank their beverages without any additives.

The caffeine and theanine in coffee and tea helped the priests meditate for long periods.

Naturally, Tizling thought the tea Lee Han was making would be bitter and deep, aiding in spiritual cultivation.

But that was a misconception.

'I'll add plenty of nutrition.'

Lee Han borrowed Tizling's teapot, filled it with water, and added black tea leaves. To make it stronger, he added a bit of ginger and cinnamon from the hut of the Thunder Step.

That wasn't all. Once the black tea was boiling, Lee Han generously added sugar, which made Tizling's eyes widen in surprise.

"What are you doing!?"

"Am... Am I not doing it right? It's a secret recipe of my family."

Lee Han said this with a genuinely hurt expression.

Seeing this, Tizling was flustered.

"No, no. It's not that I don't like it, it's just too... luxurious."

"Too luxurious for my family's secret recipe!?"

"...It's nothing..."

Tizling closed her mouth, afraid of hurting him. Lee Han nodded with a satisfied look.

Tizling, however, gave him a slightly suspicious glance.

Could he be acting...?

'What impious thoughts am I having.'

As a fellow believer and a member of the Wodanaz family, Lee Han wouldn't lie using his family's name.

Unlike Tizling, who was a half-demon, the Wodanaz family was one of the top magical families in the empire.

Meanwhile, after adding sugar, Lee Han poured milk to complete the spiced milk tea.

"Here, try it."

Tizling cautiously brought the cup to her lips. A sweet and rich, new flavor spread in her mouth.

'She likes it.'

Lee Han realized this when he saw Tizling's expression soften.

After all, after eating only bitter and tasteless things, how delicious would something sweet be?

Tizling finished it faster than expected. Lee Han immediately poured another cup.

Tizling, who had been sipping without refusing, suddenly realized and flinched.

"Would you leave any of the tea made with my family's secret recipe...?"

"I get it, stop it."

Seeing that the milk tea worked well, Lee Han prepared the next drink.

He boiled water, added sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and milk, and then added cornmeal to make a thick, soup-like drink.

'This is a truly evil scheme.'

Lee Han was impressed by his own plan.

Starting with a drink and gradually offering something closer to a soup to break down the other person's values.

Once the cocoa soup was ready, Lee Han even added a biscuit.

By the time Tizling realized, she had already finished the bowl.

"Since you ate today, you can't say you won't eat in the future. Come here at the designated time from now on."

"...You don't need to say it so dramatically...?"

Tizling was grateful to the considerate Wodanaz family boy but found his overly villainous tone absurd.

Anyone watching might think Lee Han was threatening her.

* * * *

Night.

The time when freshmen, with sad expressions, clutched their hungry stomachs and went to their rooms, or played chess or card games in the lounge for a piece of bread.

At this time, Lee Han was leaving the tower.

'I am a priest of the Phrisinga Order. I am a priest of the Phrisinga Order.'

Dressed in a priest's robe, Lee Han looked like a Phoenix Tower student going out to pray.

His goal was simple.

To find the passage used by outsiders entering and leaving the school!

If he found that passage, he could disguise himself as an outsider and escape the school.

'I'll save the Invisibility spell for last. I don't know what traps there might be.'

The reason he dressed as a priest despite having the Invisibility spell was because the school was full of traps.

If the Invisibility spell was dispelled in a dangerous area, his life would be in danger.

To survive in this school, he needed more than one method.

'...I'm suddenly confused about whether I should have enrolled in this school.'

Lee Han felt a new wave of sadness.

How did I end up here...

The main hall's first floor, usually bustling with passing freshmen, was empty.

The grand central stairs leading to the second floor or the basement, and the corridors connecting to the lecture hall areas.

They were elegant and noble when the sun shone, but now, in the darkness, they exuded a sinister atmosphere.

'If it's a place where workers from outside enter and leave, it's likely to be on the first floor.'

Lee Han cast his gaze to the area behind the central stairs.

It was the area with the banquet hall and large hall, not the lecture hall area, so freshmen hadn't set foot there since the opening ceremony.

"...?!"

Lee Han was startled.

In the darkness ahead, another student was quietly walking towards the area behind the central stairs.