Professor Garcia, swiftly counting numbers, halted her thoughts. It was pointless. Regardless of the count, the fact remained unchanged: her brilliant pupil was on the brink of death, crushed under magic.
‘Should I intervene?’ Professor Garcia pondered, hesitating as she was about to speak. Did she have the right to intervene? Student Yi-Han indeed possessed a prodigious talent in Enchantment Magic. Suppressing it could be a tremendous loss to the Empire, the magic community, and Yi-Han himself. Hadn't Professor Garcia herself attended every possible class during her own magic academy days? Could she, then, truly claim the right to deter Yi-Han?
Professor Troll didn't think so.
‘Alright, let him learn this one last thing,’ Professor Garcia decided, planning to dissuade Yi-Han from the next magic subject.
"Stay strong, Yi-Han."
"Thank you always, Professor."
Yi-Han, polite as ever, stood up from his seat. Professor Garcia, driven by curiosity, asked, "Are you off to enjoy the festival with your friends?"
"Yes," Yi-Han replied, tucking a treasure chest under his arm, eliciting a smile from Professor Garcia. It was good not to be overly engrossed in magic as a freshman. Forming friendships and memories was also important.
"After meeting Mage Eumidiphos for instruction and training in Fire Element Magic with the priests of the Aphar Order."
Watching Yi-Han's retreating figure, Professor Garcia regretted not intervening sooner.
Mage Eumidiphos, dressed as if ready for a picnic, awaited Yi-Han. Her straw hat and sturdy cloth trousers exuded the comfortable air of someone managing their own rural farm. However, Yi-Han remained alert. "This person is Professor Boladi's mentor," he thought, marking Eumidiphos as one of the most dangerous individuals in the magic academy.
"Shall we depart?"
"Are you climbing the mountain?"
"Yes."
Yi-Han refrained from asking, "What for?" and instead said, "I'll bring some food and drink if we're going up the mountain."
"Oh, have you not eaten lunch? You could have eaten first."
"No, I've eaten. But you might get hungry climbing the mountain."
Eumidiphos was astonished. A student caring for his mentor was a remarkable sight she had never witnessed in others who came to learn magic.
-"Mage Eumidiphos, I've come to learn magic. When do we start? Please hurry, I don’t have much time."-
-"Mage Eumidiphos, are you ignoring me? To think I can't perform such magic. How rude!"-
-"Mage Eumidiphos, objectively speaking, this magic isn’t very good. It’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes. Teach me another magic."-
Recalling these past encounters, Eumidiphos acknowledged her part in this. Typically, the more talented and skilled a mage, the more arrogant they become. She had laid trials and traps around her secluded tower; those who managed to reach her were inevitably haughty and impolite.
‘How did such a student come from under the likes of Boladi Bagrak?’
"Are you alright?"
Yi-Han, seeing Eumidiphos standing silently with closed eyes, asked in concern.
“I was a bit surprised, but it’s alright. Let me have this hospitality.”
"Yes."
Yi-Han then turned and made his way to the cabin.
-"Professor, I need some food."-
-"Did you plan this!?"-
-"Mage Eumidiphos wishes to see the mountains. I can't go empty-handed."-
-"I’m giving you because you've been working hard at the festival. Understand?"-
"Of course. Thank you, Professor. You're the only one."-
"Don't say things you don't mean..."-
Yi-Han returned with a basket generously filled with food and drink. Large smoked hams and sausages, pickled cucumbers and vegetables in jars, white bread with soft jams and sauces to spread on it. He even borrowed freshly brewed tea and milk from Professor Uregor.
Eumidiphos was surprised, expecting nothing more than jerky and water in a leather flask.
"All this?"
"Oh, is it not enough? I can bring more."
"No, no. It's plenty! More than enough!"
Eumidiphos was both perplexed and amazed by the lavish snacks. She was aware of how the freshmen at the magic academy were harassed by Gonadaltes. Yet, here was Yi-Han, procuring food as easily as if pulling it from his own pocket. A truly impressive feat.
"Let's go then, Mage Eumidiphos. I will carry the luggage."
"It's magically enhanced to be weightless."
"Still, you're teaching me. It seems right that I should carry it."
"Are you planning to continue learning from Boladi Bagrak?"
Eumidiphos couldn't help but ask, feeling her blood boil at the thought of a kind student like Yi-Han under someone like Professor Boladi.
‘Amazing. Truly amazing!’
Walking alongside Yi-Han, Eumidiphos marveled every few minutes. It wasn't Yi-Han's magic ability or talent that amazed her; she had seen enough of that in the dungeon previously. There was no need to question Yi-Han's magic prowess or talent, evident from his ability to single-handedly defeat a Colossal Hungry Ghost as a freshman.
What Eumidiphos admired was Yi-Han's upright character. A shining, radiant character, unseen among the Empire's prominent mages. A person's nature cannot be hidden forever. Though one might conceal their motives briefly, continuous interaction reveals their true heart. Yet, Yi-Han showed no trace of arrogance or pride in his interactions with Eumidiphos, who listened attentively and respectfully to even the simplest of Eumidiphos' words.
At this point, Eumidiphos seriously pondered a question. Why does the world work this way? ‘Why does someone like Gonadaltes or Bagrak have a student like this?’ She knew that the righteous don't always receive their due, but still, characters like Gonadaltes and Bagrak did not deserve such rewards. It was too much.
'I don't know what your eyes are looking at.'
Yi-Han tensed up under Eumidiphos' complex gaze. Already cautious not to make any mistakes in front of Professor Boladi's mentor, Yi-Han grew even more vigilant.
‘What is he thinking?’
Eumidiphos looked at Yi-Han with a mix of pity and contemplation, then sighed and spoke.
"Look at that river."
Several substantial rivers ran through the mountain range. Eumidiphos pointed towards one with her staff.
"You must know from my reputation that I am quite skilled with the water element."
Yi-Han nodded in agreement.
The term 'quite skilled' was a humble understatement. If it were merely 'quite skilled,' the fame would not have spread so widely across the Empire.
"Do you have any guess as to why I am researching water element magic?"
"Does it have to do with aptitude?"
"That's one correct answer."
With a swing of her staff, Mage Eumidiphos created a thunderous boom. The river's water transformed into steam, exploding into a white pillar that spread into cumulus clouds, startling the birds in the forest. Yet Eumidiphos remained unfazed, stating, "The real reason is that water element magic is most suited for combat."
The young disciple's expression did not change, his face stoic as he watched the river.
Seeing this, Eumidiphos nodded in approval, thinking, 'He's ambitious.' She believed that one who froze at the sight of such grand magic could never excel as a mage. A good mage should be inspired by such displays, aspiring to surpass them.
'As expected of Professor Boladi's mentor to do something so unexpected,' Yi-Han thought inwardly. Demonstrating the combat capabilities of water magic in such a violent manner seemed unnecessary. Simple evaporation wouldn't cause an explosion; it was the rapid expansion of vapor that triggered it. Eumidiphos had utilized this principle to create a steam explosion through magic. Impressive and fascinating, but such a demonstration without warning seemed excessive.
'Wasn't it?'
Yi-Han, however, remained silent, intimidated by Eumidiphos.
Misinterpreting the student's silence, Eumidiphos asked cheerfully, "Do you understand what magic I just demonstrated?"
"Didn’t you create a shock by rapidly evaporating the water?"
Eumidiphos was genuinely surprised.
Beyond sheer mana, precision, and strong control, Yi-Han was astute. A great mage needed to think deeply and thoroughly. Mages learning magic often complained, "Why do we need so many skills for studying just one magic?" But that was the reality. Deep and profound thinking was essential for mages who brought their imaginations to life. And here was this boy, already possessing what others took years of traveling and honing their observational skills to achieve.
Eumidiphos admired the boy's talent and found herself truly wanting to eliminate Boladi Bagrak.
'That man has done nothing...'
"You are correct. Very perceptive."
"Thank you."
Yi-Han had no idea of the rapid thoughts that had just passed through the elder mage's mind.
"Mages unfamiliar or clumsy with water magic think it's all about summoning, shaping, and manipulating water. But that's just the beginning. The world of water magic is much wider and deeper."
Eumidiphos clenched her fist, causing the water level in the river to drop dramatically, and the surrounding land began to lose its vitality.
'Moisture absorption!'
Indeed, it was remarkable. Yi-Han had always associated water magic with shape transformation and control, perhaps due to Professor Boladi's relentless training. But this was something else entirely.
The potential for expansion in areas like evaporation and absorption was always there.
'I used to think that water magic was somewhat unsuitable for combat, but I was wrong.'
"You have already mastered the basic transformations and controls, haven't you?"
"Not to that extent."
Yi-Han spoke sincerely, but Eumidiphos took it as mere modesty and didn't dwell on it.
"So, you must be practicing spin attributes. Right?"
"No, that was just an accidental incident."
"It's a natural course and a path every mage must tread, but..."
'Is she hard of hearing?'
Yi-Han thought to himself.
Eumidiphos could dry up his blood with a blink of an eye, so he didn't dare speak out loud.
"Focusing too much on control alone can narrow your perspective. I called you here today to show you that there are other aspects to handling the water element."
Eumidiphos spoke like a kind grandmother. Of course, Yi-Han wasn't fooled by the atmosphere, considering what had just happened.
"Now, go ahead and try."
"...Yes?"
What should I do?
