Chapter 69

Chapter 069

Now, this might sound sudden, but the magic school was not a safe place.

Even aside from the professors, there were bound to be numerous dangerous incidents.

Freshman mages, who were just learning magic, couldn't help but cause accidents, no matter how hard they tried to avoid them.

The rampaging summoned creatures were one such example.

It was the result of senior students failing to control the summoned creatures they had prepared for magic experiments at the beginning of the semester.

"...But, even if they failed to control them, is it really acceptable for them to wreak havoc on campus like this? Isn't this a fundamental problem with the school system?"

Lee Han was speechless after listening to Professor Garcia's explanation.

Still, he didn't give up hope and asked again.

"I heard that other summoned creatures have also escaped... Will they be dealt with soon? After all, the most skilled mages in the empire are here at the school, right?"

"Of course."

Lee Han felt relieved at Professor Garcia's words.

So, it will be taken care of!

"It will take about a month to catch them all, Lee Han."

"......"

Lee Han's face stiffened. Garcia, focused on the darkness and the vine monster, didn't notice his expression.

"Then, what should we do for the next month?"

"You'll have to be careful, won't you?"

Professor Garcia was serious.

He wasn't saying it out of malice; if the escaped summoned creatures were hiding and moving around the campus, they really needed to be careful.

...Of course, from Lee Han's perspective, it was an absurd statement.

'Professors are professors, after all!'

Even if they were kind, the professors here had a certain amount of madness within them.

Swish!

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Professor Garcia summoned a sharp ring of wind to cut the vine monster's vines and safely rescued the White Tiger Tower student who was being held.

Though it looked simple on the surface, it was a highly complex series of spells: using mental magic to threaten the vine monster, cutting the vines with wind element magic, and using gravity distortion magic to catch the falling White Tiger Tower student safely.

Lee Han couldn't believe that Professor Garcia had done all this without even taking a breath, compressing it into simple movements.

'Amazing!'

Seeing Professor Garcia's magic in such a relaxed state, it reminded him of a ballerina.

Just as a master ballerina can create an aura that no one can match with just the simple act of extending an arm or lifting a leg, Professor Garcia was the same.

"Are you okay?"

"Ugh...!"

The White Tiger Tower student, who seemed to be extremely scared, burst into tears, forgetting that he was from a knight family.

Or perhaps it was because this was the first time a professor had spoken to him so warmly since he entered the school.

"By the way, why were you outside at this hour?"

"Ugh, Wodanaz... he came into the lounge... and took our tower flag..."

"......"

Professor Garcia turned his head with a bewildered expression.

It was already absurd that he was out at night, but it was even more absurd that he had broken through the lounge's magic.

How?

But Lee Han was already gone, having fled the scene.

* * *

Returning safely with the flag, the Blue Dragon Tower students' expressions were subtle.

Before they could even celebrate, a voice was heard from outside.

"Summoned creatures have escaped on campus, so students should be careful. I'll say it again. Summoned creatures have escaped on campus, so..."

The students had nothing to say.

This school gave them a new shock every week.

'Is there nothing new left?' Just when they thought there wouldn't be, something new appeared.

How could they have to stay on guard even on campus?

"......"

"Did one of the professors let them loose?"

One of the Blue Dragon Tower students muttered.

If it were the first week, they might have responded with "What nonsense," but now everyone looked at each other with serious suspicion.

"It must have been a professor. I think it's the principal..."

"No! Professor Thunderstep is suspicious!"

"Why can't they catch them right away?"

Listening quietly, Lee Han thought to himself.

'Are the professors just being lazy?'

Thinking about it, it was a bit strange that it would take a month.

How many mages were there in this vast magic school?

If all the outstanding professors mobilized and set up a perimeter, it should be normal to quickly deal with escaped summoned creatures, or even dragons.

But professors, by nature, didn't move easily.

They would have their apprentices fix their own mistakes, and if the apprentices made mistakes, they would have the apprentices fix them.

So, it was unlikely that they would move themselves for such an incident...

'I shouldn't say anything; it would shock everyone.'

Lee Han kept his mouth shut, considering the students' feelings.

"At the very least, they should tell us which creatures have escaped! Isn't it too much for seniors to keep this from us?!"

"Exactly!"

The anger shifted from the professors to the unknown seniors.

The freshmen grumbled and cursed the seniors.

They were suffering because of the incompetence of their seniors!

"Stop complaining and have breakfast. I made it specially because everyone worked hard last night."

Lee Han lifted a large pot in front of the fireplace.

The red tomato beef stew delighted the Blue Dragon Tower students.

Although the amount of food he brought back was considerable, Lee Han didn't want to waste it. He didn't know when they could go out again.

But in a situation like this, it was fine to be generous. Everyone had worked hard.

'I need to grow more vegetables.'

Lee Han thought about expanding the cottage's garden.

Not just sweet potatoes and potatoes, but also wheat, and some fruit trees...

'I want to raise more chickens. If I raise pigs, will Professor Thunderstep think I'm crazy?'

Managing the garden, he realized how important fresh vegetables were to human life.

Just having fresh vegetables could change the quality of a meal.

The tomato beef stew he brought back was no exception. The umami and aroma came from the tomato sauce and spices, and the visual impact came from the large chunks of beef...

But the rich and deep flavor of the stew was enhanced by the vegetables: onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms.

Because he had sautéed these vegetables as a preliminary step...

'What am I thinking about?'

Lee Han stopped in the middle of his epiphany.

How had he come to gain more insights in other areas than in magic since coming to school?

The Blue Dragon Tower students, who had worked hard last night, enjoyed their breakfast, filling their bowls with stew and eating it with bread.

Eating a warm breakfast with the sunlight coming through the lounge's stained glass windows made them feel like they were back home.

"Summoned creatures have escaped on campus, so students should be careful. I'll say it again. Summoned creatures have escaped on campus, so..."

"...I'm losing my appetite..."

"Then I'll eat it?"

"Can't you take your hand away? I'll challenge you to a duel."

Lee Han got up, took the bowl, and headed to the princess's private room.

He was now used to it, even without being asked by other students.

"?"

But the door didn't open as usual. After knocking a few times and getting no response from the princess, Lee Han gave up and returned.

"Why? Did Her Highness say she won't eat?"

"No, there's no response."

"Ah, she must be sleeping. She must have been tired from yesterday..."

The students serving the princess nodded in understanding.

Given what happened yesterday, it was understandable that she was tired.

Lee Han felt a bit guilty.

'Is she still upset about being used as a hostage?'

Unlike Gai Nando, Adenart had both abilities and many devoted students.

Even if not now, if Adenart said during the break, "Wodanaz held me hostage," it would be quite troublesome.

So, he had put more beef in the stew...

"Then, let's not wake her up. Wodanaz, thank you. Her Highness is picky, but if you bring it to her, she might not refuse out of politeness."

"...?"

Lee Han tilted his head.

Was that true?

'She ate it pretty well...'

Gai Nando, who was eating the stew with a spoon from a wooden bowl, asked.

"Isn't it better to wake her up early than to let her go hungry? She can sleep anytime, but eating..."

"Don't say such nonsense, Gai Nando! Do you think Her Highness is like you?"

"Right! She's not obsessed with food!"

In fact, Lee Han agreed with Gai Nando.

It would be better to wake up, eat, and go back to sleep...

'Fine. The followers are right.'

"But, Lee Han."

"?"

"Is the morning class okay today?"

"Morning class... Ah."

Lee Han checked the paper at Yoner's words and hesitated.

"Probably okay."

"......"

Yoner's eyes said, "It doesn't seem okay no matter how you think about it."

* * *

"......"

"......"

Basic swordsmanship class.

Especially after what happened last night, the White Tiger Tower students glared at Lee Han with very unpleasant expressions.

The only one who spoke to Lee Han was Dergyu.

Dergyu said firmly,

"You didn't need to do that for my sake, Lee Han."

At the moment he was hit in the jaw and fell, Dergyu realized.

The honorable Lee Han had taken on the role of the villain for Dergyu's sake.

When he woke up and the White Tiger Tower students asked, "What did that bastard say to you?" Dergyu didn't waver.

"If I can't act as I should because I'm worried about what others think, they're not true friends. True friends understand both honor and friendship."

"An inspiring speech, Dergyu."

Lee Han thought, 'Wasn't stealing the flag last night not really about honor?' but he nodded to respect Dergyu.

When the person who hit you forgives you, you should listen quietly.

"So, you don't need to take on the role of the villain in the future."

"Sure, sure."

Of course, Lee Han intended to act similarly if something like this happened again, regardless of what Dergyu said.

Dergyu might not care, but the other White Tiger Tower friends wouldn't.

The White Tiger Tower students were still glaring at Lee Han.

"Dergyu is being fooled again...!"

"Prevent him from contacting that guy!"

Some students even blocked him with their bodies to prevent him from getting close.

Anyone watching would think Dergyu was brainwashed by Lee Han.

"Good morning, everyone."

The elf swordsman and professor, Ingeldel, appeared, leaning on his sword like a cane. The students, who had been standing in various positions, straightened up and greeted him politely.

Professor Ingeldel continued in a soft voice, unlike a swordsman.

"When I woke up, I saw the escaped summoned creatures roaming the school. I thought it was quite absurd."

"......"

All the students nodded. It was a sentiment that resonated with students from any tower.

"But since the students have to continue living here... I've been thinking. What can help?"

"?"

Lee Han suddenly felt uneasy.

It was rare for a professor's efforts to benefit the students.

"So, I caught one of the escaped summoned creatures. Let's practice by facing it together."

"......"

Lee Han began to seriously worry that Professor Ingeldel was being influenced by the school.