Professor Kirmin, seeking to soothe his confusion, posed another question.
"What discussions have you had with Professor Uregor?"
"We usually talk about organizing materials in the cabin and what to grow in the garden."
Listening, Professor Kirmin hummed in acknowledgment.
It was clear that Professor Uregor held the Wardanaz family's boy in high regard.
Alchemists do not easily open their cabins to others.
Moreover, Professor Kirmin remembered seeing a few students from the Blue Dragon carrying reagents used in Professor Uregor's lab.
It was likely that the boy of the Wardanaz family shared what he received from Professor Uregor with his friends.
'Professor Uregor must regard Wardanaz as an alchemy apprentice.'
"And with Professor Bungaegor?"
"I am learning about the animals living near the magic academy and studying how to handle them."
'...Does Professor Bungaegor think similarly...?'
Professor Kirmin observed the staff in Yi-Han's hand.
It was a staff imbued with a strong life force, inhabited by a tree spirit.
Only Professor Willow could give such a staff.
'Professor Willow too?'
Thud!
The cumbersome sound of Yi-Han's leopard bone summon, tied to his belt, jumping down was heard.
Yi-Han sternly, like scolding a pet, said, "Bad dog! Come back right now!"
The incomplete leopard bone summon whined and returned.
Professor Kirmin couldn't immediately grasp what had happened.
"I'm sorry. Lately, this bone summon doesn't listen well."
"Is that summon by any chance...?"
"Ah. You know? Professor Mortum gave it to me."
"..."
Dark Magic too!
Professor Kirmin, astounded, counted on his fingers internally.
It was unclear how many professors had initiated contact first.
The absurdity aside, another question arose.
'With so many professors seeking him out, why on earth does he study with Bagrak?'
No matter how he thought about it, there seemed little reason for a student to want to learn from Bagrak...
"Professor?"
"Ah. Sorry. I was momentarily distracted by the summon. Its disobedience is due to its growing strength."
"Should I then instill fear to make it obey?"
"Undead hardly ever fear anything. It's futile."
"?!"
Yi-Han was puzzled.
Then what about the undead summons in Professor Mortum's <Darkness Chamber>, trembling at the sight of Yi-Han?
'Hmm. It seems he is not well-informed about other fields.'
Professors were surprisingly ignorant about fields outside their own. Yi-Han wasn't surprised.
"There's no need to be too anxious. A strong summon means high intelligence. It's just growing stronger and won't listen now, but once it matures, its mind will also develop, and it will obey. ...But why are there so few of the… bones?"
"Professor Mortum told me to look around the academy for them."
"Ah..."
Professor Kirmin nodded.
It was just the kind of thing Professor Mortum would think of.
"Rather than just giving, he wanted to offer the student a challenge. Right?"
"Ah... Yes. Well."
Yi-Han nodded.
Professor Kirmin was evidently skilled in social interactions. Professor Boladi would have said, 'Such needless antics.'
"But that Sharakan is indeed a rare and precious monster."
"...Wasn't it a leopard?"
"Oops."
Professor Kirmin paused abruptly.
It appeared that he had inadvertently revealed a gift Professor Mortum had prepared to surprise the students (although whether the students would appreciate it was another matter).
"Of course, it's a leopard. A leopard."
"..."
Yi-Han was not easily deceived by such statements.
Once the class was over, he planned to scour the library to find out exactly what kind of monster a Sharakan was.
'Wasn't it just an ordinary leopard?'
Could it possibly be some undead monster that kills its master?
Feeling Yi-Han's gaze, the leopard bone summon wagged its bones excitedly. For now, Yi-Han stroked its head.
...Treating it kindly now might prevent it from turning on its master, even after it grew stronger.
"Anyway, it seems Professor Mortum is quite fond of you, Wardanaz."
"All students are dear to Professor Mortum."
Yi-Han was sincere.
Given that there were no students eager to learn dark magic, Professor Mortum showed favor even to those like Gainando.
How else could a knight who came to learn dark magic to hunt dark mages attend the lectures so diligently?
"A mage doesn't favor a talentless disciple. No matter how kind they might be."
Professor Kirmin counted again the professors mentioned in the conversation.
Including those not mentioned, there were many.
At this point, he was concerned for the health of the Wardanaz boy.
With so many professors already imparting their teachings, it was unlikely they would step back easily, and Wardanaz was likely to be pulled into all their classes.
Especially with the mental and physical fatigue already caused by Professor Bagrak...
Was he really okay?
'Hmm. This is troubling.'
Professor Kirmin was torn between wanting to take in a talented disciple and worrying about burdening an already overworked student.
Finally, his internal scales tipped in favor of the former.
"Wardanaz, if it's okay with you..."
"Actually, I've also met separately with the principal."
"With Gonadaltes? What did you discuss?"
"I received a magic book. Could you please check if it's alright?"
Yi-Han hoped to use the seemingly kind-hearted Professor Kirmin's help to investigate the potentially evil magic book given by the principal.
However, the plan backfired.
Professor Kirmin looked at Yi-Han in horror.
Caught by the most insane person in the academy.
"...That must be difficult. But hang in there!"
"???"
As Professor Kirmin placed a hand on Yi-Han's shoulder and offered words of encouragement, Yi-Han was slightly taken aback.
There was something odd about the nuance in his voice.
It was somewhat... similar to the sympathetic tone a senior would use when saying 'hang in there!' when Yi-Han was assigned to work under a professor.
"Thank you, Professor. But, I have a question about illusion magic. I'm not sure if I can do it well..."
"Wardanaz. You don't need to learn illusion magic."
"?!?!"
Yi-Han was once more surprised by Professor Kirmin's abrupt change in attitude.
'Why is he acting like this?'
'Hang in there, Wardanaz. I'll be cheering for you.'
Yi-Han thought the students of this magic academy were somewhat unresponsive.
Despite their young age, they were treated as adults and had matured significantly, having grown up in various statuses and backgrounds.
This was evident in the <Basic Magic Understanding> class. He remembered how unimpressed the students were when Professor Mortum entered the classroom.
Of course, the reaction was different during the summoning magic class, but that was an exception.
But then...
"Professor, there's always an illusion magic on the stairs I need to use, and I can't get through. Is there a way to dispel or break through it?"
"Can an illusion be cast on black bread to make it seem like it's covered in honey?"
"I'd like to set up an illusion-based intruder barrier in the lounge. Could Wardanaz, or rather, another first-year, break through it?"
It turned out that it was only dark magic that was particularly unpopular.
The students generally showed strong interest in most fields of magic. Questions about illusion magic had already come up five times.
Professor Kirmin waved his hands as if to calm the crowd.
"Now, now. If I were to answer every question, we'd run out of time in a day. Let's stop here with the questions and have a brief experience of what illusion magic is like."
After finishing his words, Professor Kirmin stood still.
As an unexpected silence continued, the students grew uneasy. Gainando whispered, "Why is he doing that?"
Yi-Han stared intently at Professor Kirmin, then began to sense something was off.
'Could it be an illusion?'
If that were true, it was astonishing.
Since entering the classroom with Yi-Han and speaking with Professor Garcia, there had been no opportunity for a switch, yet he had deceived the students' eyes and ears, replacing the real him with an illusion.
As Yi-Han started to perceive this strangeness, his surroundings suddenly felt different.
Like when he first grasped the movement of the lightning element in Professor Boladi's ‘near-fatal’ lecture, and since then, could always perceive it...
In magic, enlightenment was an inspiration that showed a different world. Yi-Han realized that there was an invisible person standing in front of his and Gainando's desks.
"Gainando. There's a professor in front of you."
"What?! Paralyze!"
Gainando, startled, immediately cast a curse. His prowess in dark magic was not without reason.
Of course, Professor Kirmin was not someone to be felled by a first-year's curse. He returned the curse with a look of disbelief.
Pop!
Gainando was hit with a <Lesser Paralysis Curse> and stiffened up, falling to the side.
"Finding me was good, but you shouldn't just cast a curse like that!"
"I'm sorry, Professor."
Yi-Han apologized on his behalf. Gainando had become rigid.
'But does Gainando really have talent in dark magic?'
Normally, it's difficult to paralyze even a single body part, let alone to immobilize the whole body, even if it was self-inflicted.
It was a talent indeed.
Professor Kirmin switched places with his original illusion. Gainando silently screamed for the paralysis curse to be lifted.
"As you just saw, I sneaked in unnoticed. This is what illusion magic can do: becoming invisible, detecting others hidden in invisibility, creating illusions to confuse enemies."
Professor Kirmin, from his actions to his demeanor, was indeed a flamboyant person. The students were already captivated.
Yi-Han's heart sank again, remembering Professor Mortum's dark magic.
"But of course, you freshmen need to start with the basics, right? A great mage possesses keen observational skills. Look at the students next to you and see if anything has changed. Noticing a sense of incongruity is the first step in recognizing an illusion."
Once again, Professor Kirmin cast illusions around the classroom without the students noticing.
The students were shocked to realize that something about their friends, whom they had been seeing every day, had slightly changed.
"Wait. You weren't this skinny when you enrolled."
"It's because I haven't been eating, dummy."
Though there were initial struggles, students from each tower gradually began to detect the illusions.
Professor Kirmin praised these perceptive students and imparted further teachings.
"If you can detect incongruities with just your keen eyesight, then you're ready to learn the <Lesser Illusion Dispel> magic. Try dispelling the illusion here."
Yi-Han, along with other students, stepped forward and observed the illusion.
An illusion of a locked wooden box was placed in front of the students.
A student from the Black Tortoise, following Professor Kirmin's instructions, recited a spell and waved their staff. The wooden box let out a piercing scream.
"!!!!"
"Don't let your guard down when dispelling illusion magic. The presence of one illusion often means there are various other safeguards around."
Professor Kirmin advised the student and then turned his gaze to Yi-Han.
Yi-Han held his staff and aimed at the illusion on the wooden box.
He first recognized the illusion clearly, visualized what the reality might be, and then, with a spell, swung his staff.
"Begone, illusion!"
The illusion on the wooden box vanished. The princess standing nearby softly clapped her hands.
However, Professor Kirmin, instead of offering praise, looked at Yi-Han with a sympathetic gaze and said, "Wardanaz, you don't need to force yourself to practice illusion magic so diligently."
"...?!"
