"Excuse me?"
"What do you mean?"
Students of the Blue Dragon looked at Professor Bungaegor, wondering what she meant.
-We're friends, aren't we!-
This only added to Professor Bungaegor's bewilderment.
"Look! Is that not trembling?"
"Eh? Wasn't it just because of cold?"
"..."
Indeed, instilling fear was one way of taming, especially in urgent situations where there was no time for bonding.
However, now was not the time for that.
Besides, if they resorted to such methods, wouldn't the Snow Lizard simply flee when Yi Han was not around?
It was absurd enough to lose the blizzard-resistant lizard just a day after receiving it.
"Be friendly like the students of the Black Tortoise. Stop scaring it!"
"This is strange... I thought we had become friends."
"Aren't we friends?"
Despite the students' questions, the Snow Lizard just hiccupped and rolled its eyes around.
Seeing this, Professor Bungaegor shook her head in dismay and called Yi Han.
"Come here, you."
"This isn't my fault, though..."
"I know. But life is sometimes unfair, isn't it?"
Professor Bungaegor understood that Yi Han wasn't really at fault. It wasn't his fault that the mana-sensitive Snow Lizard shivered in his presence.
Yet, life is often unfair.
In such circumstances, Yi Han had to stay away.
"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll bring a monster less sensitive to mana."
"Oh. Is there such a thing?"
"...Not impossible, but it might take some time to find one."
"..."
Yi Han looked gloomily at his friends mimicking the Snow Lizard.
Feeling sorry, Professor Bungaegor consoled him.
"At least you don't have to deal with such ridiculous situations, right?"
"Professor. They can hear everything."
After the lecture, the students returned to the tower with the now-friendly Snow Lizard.
Papapapapapak!
The Snow Lizard swiftly cleared a path through the mountain of snow.
Still feeling a bit sorry, Professor Bungaegor walked with Yi Han towards the cabin.
"Don't worry too much. Not every monster can be befriended. The Snow Lizard is just too timid and sensitive to mana. A monster less sensitive to mana and fearless wouldn't have this problem."
"Such creatures are rare, aren't they..."
Professor Bungaegor kicked her nephew's shin under the table. Professor Uregor bit his beard, screaming internally.
"Bring something to drink."
"Yes..."
Professor Uregor opened a jar of milk, warmed it, and mixed it with tea.
Yi Han, with an expressionless face, sneakily put a warm scone into his coat pocket.
"The Snow Lizard's time won't last long. Once the blizzard stops, there's no need to see it."
"When will it end? This week?"
"Uh..."
"Hmm..."
Both professors hesitated.
Yi Han suddenly felt anxious.
Surely he wouldn't have to brave the blizzard for the rest of the semester?
"It's up to the students to resolve."
"...The seniors will handle it, won't they?"
"Well, uh..."
The two dwarf professors trailed off.
Yi Han seemed to trust the seniors, but the reality was a bit different.
As the students advanced in their studies, their skills improved, as did the quality and quantity of their responsibilities.
What would happen if a snowstorm incident occurred at the academy?
-"Although the blizzard rages, I'm not too inconvenienced, so I should deal with my tasks first before looking into it."-
-"Despite the blizzard, I'm fairly alright, so I'll start with the magic experiment today and think about it."-
...It was likely that such procrastination would occur.
'Surely not.'
Yi Han sensed an ominous sign in the attitude of the two dwarf professors.
'Are the seniors delaying the solution?'
It was human nature to postpone things that were not immediately pressing.
Realizing the truth, Yi Han felt anger.
'How irresponsible of the upperclassmen to cause such trouble!'
"Still, if we wait, it will eventually be resolved, won't it?"
"What if it doesn't?"
"If it doesn't... then you have no choice but to resolve it yourself."
"If you do resolve it yourself, the professor in charge will surely appreciate it."
Yi Han was speechless at the absurdity of the two professors' remarks.
How could a freshman solve an accident caused during an upperclassman's exam?
"You can't be serious..."
"Yes, I admit it's a bit much."
"Agreeing with me now."
Professor Uregor grumbled. Professor Bungaegor shrugged and said,
"But what we said isn't wrong. If the upperclassmen are lazy, the only solution is to step in yourself."
"Just don't actually do it. I don't know what kind of accident the upperclassmen caused, but it won't be easy to resolve."
Professor Uregor warned, just in case.
He hadn't looked into it in detail, but the magnitude of the magic involved in such an accident must be considerable.
It was not something a freshman should attempt to resolve.
"Do you see me as someone who would recklessly take on such a task?"
"Yes."
"Seems like it."
"..."
Yi Han was slightly hurt by the two dwarf professors' response.
Why such a misunderstanding?
"No, I won't."
"Good. We'll trust you. Take some snacks with you when you go back. And don't get too close to the Snow Lizard when you return to the tower."
"And don't be tempted by the reward. There's no need to jump in just because you might get praised by the professor. Just wait for the seniors to handle it."
"Ah. I got it."
Yi Han muttered as he opened the cabin door and stepped out.
The two dwarf professors watched his retreating figure and murmured,
"Doesn't he seem like he'll still intervene?"
"He does seem likely to."
To the two dwarf professors, Yi Han already appeared to be a freshman who had dedicated half his life to magic.
Even if he said no, his curiosity for magic would inevitably lead him forward!
'Should have warned him more sternly...'
Evening.
Students gathered for the additional lecture on dark magic were diligently using their quills in Professor Mortum's workshop.
The 2nd Circle magic <Bone Binding Orb>, an advanced version of the 1st Circle magic <Bone Hand Summon>.
Also, the different branches of the 1st Circle magic <Lesser Paralysis Curse> they initially learned, like <Lesser Silence Curse>, <Lesser Darkness Curse>, <Lesser Bone Fracture Curse>, and more.
But that wasn't all.
In the poison category, besides <Creation of Acidic Poison>, there were various other poisons.
In the summoning category, not just bones, but various undead summons.
Even without yet learning about the dead spirit and the essence of negative energy, the dark magic category was already this extensive.
Next to him, Gainando's eyes were spinning. Raphael was also deeply engrossed, groaning in concentration.
"Cough. Of course, I'm not teaching these for you to master all of them now."
Gainando's face brightened.
"Cough. But if you're going to study dark magic seriously next year, it would be good to master one or two of these. The world of dark magic is vast, so it's important to choose and concentrate."
Gainando's face darkened.
"Cough... Ah, these fools making the academy even colder..."
Professor Mortum coughed, displaying an irritated expression.
Yi Han, suddenly curious, asked.
"Professor, do you know the reason for this accident?"
"Cough. Yes, one of my students was involved in it."
"!"
Yi Han struggled to maintain his composure for a moment.
It wasn't good to show too much hatred towards a fellow workshop senior.
"Indeed... How did such a regrettable accident happen?"
"It's all because of the greed of those youngsters."
Professor Mortum explained briefly while coughing.
One majoring in dark magic, one in summoning magic (elemental spirits), and one in ancient magic.
-"I found a spirit spell in the ruins! It's incomplete, but if we restore it properly, this year the Empire's Summoning World will be ours! I need your expertise in ancient magic!"-
-"This looks like the style of the Ollodel Academy. Dark magic is mixed in. Let's call a dark magic specialist."
-"Did you call me? Wait, this summoning spell is incomplete, isn't it? Why call someone for such a thing?"-
-"Don't worry. I've completed the incomplete parts with a substitute spell. Look, it's stable, isn't it?"-
-"But from my perspective as an ancient magic expert, it still lacks power. It needs amplification. Let's use an artifact of amplification. We have some research funds left."-
-"Wait."-
-"What? You're not going to say it's reckless like a coward, are you?"-
-"No, it's not that. If we're going to amplify it, let's amplify the negative energy as well. It seems the spirit is a mix of cold and darkness, but the negative energy is too weak, risking imbalance."-
-"That's why we called the dark magic expert. Great idea."-
"..."
"..."
The freshmen sitting there started to despise the upperclassmen they didn't even know.
Even Ymirg, the most benign person there, had a fierce look in his eyes.
Were they suffering from the weekend onward because of such insane people?
"Professor, you've given them a good scolding, right!"
"Cough. I'm already doing that. Telling them to fix it quickly, but it's not very satisfactory."
At Gainando's words, Professor Mortum grumbled.
At this, Yi Han's hatred suddenly subsided.
Of course, the other seniors might have been slacking off, but at least the culprits were currently being scolded by the professors.
Yi Han was not so harsh as to hate such unfortunate people.
"Cough. Yes. It wouldn't be bad for the freshmen to see this once."
"What do you mean?"
Yi Han, who was in the process of forgiving, was the first to sense the dangerous sign.
"The site of the failed summoning. It will be very helpful to see."
Professor Mortum knew well that there were few students willing to learn dark magic.
Thus, he also intended to show the students the allure of dark magic.
Of course, whether such a move would truly reveal the charm of dark magic was uncertain…
'There was such a path.'
Professor Mortum knocked on the walls of the main building and flung open the ceiling, effortlessly racing through the building in three dimensions.
Yi Han wanted to memorize the path but gave up. Seeing Professor Mortum casting spells, he realized it wasn't a path findable with his level of magic.
"What floor is this?"
"Well, hard to say..."
The freshmen had long lost their sense of direction.
'The coldness...'
Exiting the passage, Yi Han suddenly felt a hellish cold rushing in.
The coldness inside was qualitatively different from the blizzard outside.
It was a chill that seemed to emanate from mana itself, with the attribute of coldness.
And then, the sounds of the undead were heard.
■■■■■...
■■■■...
"Gasp!"
Gainando hid behind Yi Han. Professor Mortum swung his staff, and the frozen corpses melted away.
"Why are there undead wandering in the main building's corridor?"
"Cough. This mess happened because of a botched spirit summoning."
A proper summoning of spirits, following accurate procedures and processes, would not have led to this.
The incomplete spell, arbitrary interpretations by those who substituted it, and the amplification from artifacts or other elements had resulted in something more akin to a rampaging monster than a coherent spirit on this floor.
Moreover, it was a monster that, even by just existing, turned the surrounding space into a different dimension.
Given that the summoned spirit was a mix of coldness and darkness, it was only natural for the undead to emerge from the corridor space that had melted into another dimension.
"Can't we just go in and get rid of it?"
Amazed by Gainando's innocent question, Yi Han admired his simplicity.
'If the seniors were around, they'd probably want to kill him for saying that.'
"Cough. That's correct. Just wait here for a moment."
Professor Mortum, holding his staff, walked somewhere. To anyone watching, it was the back of a professor about to scold his unworthy disciple.
Yi Han clicked his tongue sympathetically, looking toward the other end of the corridor.
The bizarre spectacle of frost and darkness swirling together was, frankly, a sight to behold.
'If only it weren't causing a snowstorm throughout the entire academy, it would be quite beautiful.'
-Come inside…-
"?"
-Come inside... O seeker of power…-
Yi Han hesitated as someone from the other end of the corridor's dimension sent a telepathic message.
Then he shouted.
"Professor! Someone inside the dimension is speaking!"
-...Such a coward!-
