After finishing his soliloquy, Yi-Han realized that his fingertips were trembling ever so slightly.
He had tried to remain calm, but the shock was apparently greater than he had thought.
'Isn't this a bit too much, even considering everything?'
Direth, munching on red bean cakes, had said that:
- While underclassmen's midterms usually pass without much impact on the academy, the upperclassmen’s exams are a different story, often causing significant inconvenience.-
The younger students, still inexperienced in magic, could make mistakes or cause accidents during exams without serious repercussions.
But it was different for the seniors.
A mistake in their more powerful magic could have serious consequences, affecting the entire academy.
-Is this how seniors should act toward their juniors?-
-If you feel it's unfair, do the same when you're a senior. And this isn't something we do because we want to. It's just that when multiple accidents overlap, unpredictable things happen.-
Sometimes, the overlapping of summoning spells had strengthened the connection to the realm of fire spirits, resulting in the academy being covered in lava.
Other times, the disturbance in mana flow had caused strange phenomena where spells would produce entirely different effects than intended.
-I understand you're upset, junior. But think about revenge later and be careful.-
-Understood. I'll stock up on as much supplies as possible and gather artifacts to prepare for any situation. I'll also inform the friends at the tower to prevent any damage…-
-Well, that's more professional preparation than I meant, but it's not bad.-
After finishing his conversation with Direth, Yi-Han returned to the tower (apologizing to Gainando) and began various preparations with his friends.
They visited the Black Tortoise’s black market to find useful artifacts, organized the stored supplies, and prioritized harvesting anything edible from the garden...
Despite all these efforts, Yi-Han couldn't help feeling uneasy.
'This week is going to be tough.'
“It's the worst Sunday ever.”
“Isn't this bread more like a bludgeon?”
The friends who received the bread and rice in the morning were dumbfounded.
It had already hardened due to the cold.
“Have you seen outside? Back at the mansion, we used to have snowball fights in this weather...”
“Now's not the time for that. If we don't clear the snow, we won't be able to get out the door.”
“Why aren't the professors solving this?”
“Well, it's something the students caused, so they expect the students to fix it.”
“Wardanaz!”
The students in the lounge, holding what looked more like black bludgeons than bread, brightened up at Yi-Han's arrival, hoping he would resolve the situation.
“Unfortunately, this blizzard might last for a while. We won't be able to get anything from the garden for some time. We need to be on a saving diet.”
“...!”
“Don't worry. Wardanaz. We're students of Einrogard. We won't whine just because we're a bit hungry.”
“Right, Wardanaz!”
Yi-Han was slightly worried by his friends' excessive confidence.
'These guys have quite the appetite.'
While other towers might have been used to hunger, the Blue Dragon, thanks to Yi-Han, had become quite picky eaters.
Will they be alright?
“Today's meal is canned beans.”
“...Can't we open some other cans? Do we have to eat only beans?”
“No. We need to save.”
The students of the Blue Dragon looked gloomy at the thought of eating hard bread with canned beans.
But fortunately, Yi-Han was not so harsh as to merely open a can of beans and serve it.
Yi-Han, having gathered onions, garlic, and mushrooms from the garden the previous day, sautéed them in a pan with beans and oil.
Then he opened another can of beans, added tomatoes, onions, and garlic, and cooked them generously, seasoning with salt and pepper.
The expressions of the students of the Blue Dragon brightened slightly. Even the usually expressionless princess showed a faint sign of admiration.
During breakfast time, even as the blizzard started anew outside, the meal was delicious.
"Wardanaz. It seems we all need to work together."
"Right. You need to give the orders."
Yi-Han pondered upon his friends' words.
They were right. Given the enormity of the situation, it was difficult to respond without joining forces.
What was the first thing they needed to do?
"We have to clear the snow in front of the tower first. If we don't, we won't be able to attend classes."
"Do you think the professors will take this into account?"
"Of course not."
"Definitely not."
Friends shook their heads and frowned at someone's wishful thinking.
"And aren't all our coats light spring ones? We'll freeze to death if we go out."
Yi-Han's words made his friends' faces turn serious.
They hadn't anticipated such cold weather due to the spring...
"I prepared thick winter fabrics for times like these. I didn't expect we'd have to use them so soon... Let's make coats after we eat."
"???"
"?????"
His friends nodded and then paused, puzzled.
...Why had he prepared for that?
"Wardanaz. Did you know something like this would happen?"
"No."
"Then how...?"
"I thought the heavy fabrics might come in handy."
"Typical Wardanaz. Can't overlook even a 1% chance."
Asan spoke with admiration, though some students were still confused, wondering if such extensive preparation was really necessary.
"Let's make as many winter clothes as we can. There must be some useful artifacts among them."
One advantage of a magic academy was that imperfect artifacts were as common as pebbles on a road.
"This lantern containing frost mist won't be much use in this situation, will it?"
"Put it aside for now."
After finishing their meal, the students started searching for useful artifacts and took out the heavy fabrics.
Yi-Han then put on a ring, a bracelet, and a necklace.
With a clicking sound, the flame-absorbing accessories emitted their power.
"Open the door and stand back."
"Wardanaz. I trust you..."
"Asan, move before you get hit."
"Alright, alright."
Asan grumbled and stepped back.
He said he trusted him, but why!
'I didn't want to play with fire near the tower, but no choice now.'
Opening the door to the tower connected to the lounge, Yi-Han was greeted by a storm of cold and a mountain of snow.
It was impossible to get to the classes the next day through this. They had to clear it now.
'Melt it!'
"Blaze!"
With the command, flames surged forth.
Yi-Han was surprised.
'What's this?'
Controlling the flames was overwhelmingly easier than usual.
If normal fire magic felt like wrestling a wild horse, the fire now was like a well-trained steed.
'My skills couldn't have improved so much in this time. It must be the environment.'
The advantage of the harsh, blizzard conditions was apparent.
The natural magic in the environment was influenced by the surroundings, so in these conditions, the power of fire magic was inevitably diminished.
For a mage like Yi-Han, who had to wear various seals and still worry about causing accidents just to cast a fire spell, it was a relieving change.
With a whooshing sound, flames danced in the air as Yi-Han began to melt the snow around him.
"It seems that this snowfall isn't entirely a bad thing," he mused.
"What nonsense are you spouting, Wardanaz?" came a voice in response.
"Don't make such cold jokes. It's already freezing enough," another added.
Silence followed, and Yi-Han closed his mouth.
Was it such a wrong thing to say?
"Wardanaz, don't you think you should take a break?" he asked.
"I'm still fine," Wardanaz replied.
"Wardanaz, I really think you should rest."
"I'm fine. Let's keep going a bit longer."
"Wardanaz..."
"I said I'm fine, didn't I?"
"No, I mean... the snow has all melted."
"Ah, I see."
Yi-Han lifted his head, noticing that a path had been cleared thanks to that morning's work. Turning around, he saw his friends looking at him with eyes wide in astonishment.
'Is it because of the blizzard?'
"I'll go check on Professor Uregor's cabin. Need to gather what's left in the garden," he announced.
"Yi-Han! Take these potions with you!" Yonaire called out from the fireplace in the lounge, where she and others were brewing potions.
Inside the pot, a potion for cold resistance bubbled vigorously. Asan picked up a bottle and took a sip.
"Wow, this really warms you up, doesn't it?"
"That's the alcohol we used as an ingredient, Dargard. The cold resistance potion isn't ready yet."
Professor Uregor had cleared the snow near his cabin with magic and was leisurely sipping coffee inside. The heavy snowfall brought a tranquil and cozy atmosphere.
'Not bad at all,' he thought. This situation was preferable to dealing with grotesque monsters from the Shadow Dimension.
Bang!
"Professor! Could you spare some leftover food?"
Startled, Professor Uregor almost spilled his coffee.
"How did you get here through all this snow?!"
"I melted it with fire."
"That's a brute force approach... but I suppose it's possible."
Realizing who stood before him, the Professor nodded. The student's mana seemed boundless.
"It's impressive that you thought to create a path with fire magic in this weather. Fire magic doesn't usually work well in these conditions."
"Actually, it worked better than expected."
The Professor understood only after an explanation.
'Such a monster...!' Despite understanding, he was still amazed. How enormous must one's mana be to make fire magic more effective in such weather, even while wearing multiple control artifacts?
"Wait here. I'll get you some food."
Even for a student of monstrous talent, the sight of him braving the blizzard for leftover ingredients was somewhat touching for the Professor.
He gathered vegetables, eggs, smoked and pickled sausages, ham, and cheese for him.
"Is the garden unusable?"
"Have some conscience, look at the snow piled on it..."
"Even with the Staff of the Tree Spirit?"
"Even if it was the Staff of the Tree Spirit's Ancestor, some things just can't be done..."
Professor Uregor was dumbfounded by his student's shameless suggestions. Even a life-giving staff couldn't make vegetables grow through such a snowstorm – those would be plant-like monsters, not vegetables.
"Stop complaining and look on the bright side."
"What are you talking about, Professor? It's cold enough already without your icy jokes."
Forgetting the remarks he had made to his friends earlier, Yi-Han turned serious.
Professor Uregor, initially intending to scold his student, remembered Yi-Han's exceptional skills in swordsmanship and combat. With a merciful forgiveness, he began to explain.
"Life will certainly be a bit inconvenient."
"Very inconvenient, I suppose."
"...Yes, very inconvenient. But it'll be an opportunity to practice magic I haven't been able to handle before."
"Hmm. For instance, Blood Magic seemed risky because of its potential harm to the surroundings, but with the snow piled up like this, it might act as a buffer."
"Why are you bringing up Blood Magic?! I was talking about the elements of ice and spirits!"
Startled by his student's bizarre remark, Professor Uregor was taken aback.
"Ah, that makes sense."
"Yes. When nature's magic leans in one direction, the distance to the unseen other worlds shortens. It wouldn't be strange for ice spirits to wander out from their realm. Not to mention the ice element."
This peculiar weather provided an opportunity to practice difficult elements rarely encountered otherwise. Ice was one such element.
"You're quite adept with the water element, so you'll likely be well-suited to ice as well."
"Is that so?"
Yi-Han's face lit up with excitement. Mastering something new was always a pleasure.
"Yes. Summon some water now. You'll understand what I mean immediately."
The abundance of ice magic in nature influenced a mage's spells. Summoning water now would surely...
"Spring forth!"
The water surged as usual, not freezing or diminishing, to which Professor Uregor inwardly cursed. Talented students like this made teaching challenging.
"Now, regarding how ice and water properties are related..."
"Are we not using the water I just summoned?"
"...Just listen quietly."
"Yes, I understand."
