Yi-Han dusted off his hands and surveyed his surroundings. He wondered if either the skull principal or his summoned creatures might be present. At first, he had thought the skull principal was responsible for his current situation, but upon reflection, he realized the principal wouldn’t resort to such complicated means of torment.
‘Could it be someone else?’ he pondered. Whoever it was, they knew about Yi-Han's venture with Professor Mortum into the twisted realm corridor, and perhaps they were trying to trick him into returning there.
But who, other than the skull principal, could it be?
Deciding not to dwell on the question without an immediate answer, Yi-Han shook his head to clear his thoughts and proceeded forward.
To the senior students observing, it was an infuriating sight.
“Why is he ignoring us? Did I spell something wrong?”
“Could I have made a spelling mistake? It's not my first time sending a letter. I made sure it was properly formal.”
“This is strange, isn’t it?”
Coholti and his friends were baffled. When they were freshmen, they had experienced daily hunger and hardship. Even now, things didn't seem much different, but they had been desperate enough to try anything for food – testing the toxicity of dangerous mushrooms on themselves, entering corridors and rooms that clearly seemed off-limits, and venturing into the forest outside the academy, rumored to be perilous.
Back then, when they knew nothing about the academy and were driven by sheer desperation, even a letter warning of 'dangerous journeys, numerous perils, no guarantee of safe return' would have been enough to spur them into action, hoping for something better.
But why was this freshman different?
‘Why is he ignoring the letter even though I clearly wrote about the rewards?’
‘Is it because of the principal? Has the principal threatened him?’
While they pondered this, the freshman in question had already walked far away.
Coholti and his friends could only stare after him with a sense of bafflement.
“Do you have any complaints against me?”
“How could that be?”
The next morning, as the skull principal floated into the classroom, he sensed something odd in Yi-Han's gaze.
‘I’m sure it's him,’ Yi-Han thought to himself. He was almost certain that the skull principal was behind the letter he received the previous evening. Who else could it be? The method might have been unnecessarily complicated for the principal, but nothing was impossible.
‘Why is he acting like this?’ the skull principal wondered, feeling uneasy. Among the many ironheads, the boy from the Wardanaz family possessed an extraordinary talent. Although the principal found it irksome that such talent was being used merely for 'helping friends, thwarting the principal's grand plans'...
Nevertheless, such a capable freshman needed to be watched closely. Who knew when he might strike a blow against the skull principal.
“Principal!”
“What is it?”
“May I close the window, please?”
One of the students, chattering teeth in the cold, with lips already turning blue, spoke up. The main building’s classrooms were usually warmer than outside, even without heating. Just avoiding the cold draft from an open window made a significant difference.
Whooooosh!
However, on this particular morning, all the windows in the <Basic Magic Character Education> classroom were wide open, letting the chilly morning air rush in, striking the students' cheeks.
“Do as you wish.”
“Thank you!”
The student, not expecting the skull principal's permission, joyously ran towards the windows.
But Yi-Han sensed something ominous.
‘Could it be?’
“Uh, what?”
The student who ran to the window gasped in shock.
All the windows had vanished!
"Why won't you close it?"
"...The window... it's gone..."
“Alas!”
At the skull principal's contemptible words, students wrapped in thick coats and leather glared at him. Even the most foolish student in the classroom had realized who had removed the windows.
“The day's lecture, it seemed, would be about the wisdom of a mage in dealing with such unexpected situations.”
"..."
“Now, stop shivering and think. Mages with twisted morals act foolishly in crises like these, only hoping to endure it together.”
"Isn't it a good thing?"
The skull principal blinked in surprise. Gainando's voice was suddenly silenced.
“Good mages don't fall for such nonsense; they seek the root of the problem and solve it wisely. Don't be foolish and just try to endure together when faced with crises or emergencies. That's essentially giving up.”
Several students, including Gainando, expressed doubt about the skull principal's novel theory.
"Wouldn't it be better to combine our strengths and our minds?"
"Pooling our wisdom together seems like a better idea."
“Stop talking nonsense. Do you think gathering a bunch of ironheads will produce gold? Wisdom comes from desperation. Getting together only breeds complacency. In the end, you'll find yourselves scratching, stabbing, and biting each other. Better to have pondered alone from the start.”
"..."
The students were horrified at the skull principal's blatant cursing.
Isn't this too much?
Meanwhile, Gainando gestured frantically, asking the Principal to silence the students who had just spoken up. Yi-Han thought to himself, 'They've learned the lesson well.'
“So, ironheads who like to cooperate. Try blocking that window together.”
"...!"
The student from the White Tiger, singled out by the skull principal for saying those words, panicked.
"Uh... Uh..."
"Don't worry. Gatonno. We'll help you."
The students of the White Tiger stood resolutely to help their friend, intending to rescue him from the evil clutches of the skull principal, who was ignorant of the honor of knights and friendship.
Sssshhh!
They began hanging the leathers they brought on the empty window frame. Though imperfect, the thick leathers, enchanted with cold resistance, could block the wind if layered.
Other tower students watched the effort with slight admiration.
Just as they hung the leathers...
Snap!
Suddenly, a giant undead bird of prey swooped from outside the window, snatching the leathers and flying away.
"..."
"..."
The skull principal spoke with an expressionless face.
“Oh dear. An unexpected accident occurred. You should have used magic instead. Not such a foolish method.”
'Isn't this going to cause a fight?'
The students from the White Tiger looked like they could kill with their glares alone.
As it grew colder and their peers' faces turned pale, Yi-Han raised his hand to intervene.
'I've mastered cold magic, I'll freeze it to block it.'
"I will..."
“Go run an errand and come back.”
"Isn't this too much!?"
"Wardanaz should be allowed!"
Before Yi-Han could respond, other tower students were outraged.
'Am I some sort of item?'
“I don't understand what you all are saying. Wardanaz, hurry up and leave.”
Go to the Spirekeeper and bring back the 'Globe of the Cold Winter.'
(The map is on the back)
‘Not bad,’ thought Yi-Han, not because he had escaped the skull principal's tedious class, but because he had discovered new shortcuts within the magic academy. As the letter from the skull principal caused the academy's walls to move and reveal a hidden staircase, Yi-Han looked at it with greedy eyes.
‘If I could replicate it and switch it with a fake... No, too risky,’ he quickly concluded, regretfully deciding to abandon the idea. The risk of forging such an item was too great.
‘Who exactly is the Spirekeeper, I wonder? Could it be?’
Yi-Han recalled the warehouse keeper he had met among the skull principal's numerous minions. Although blindfolded with bandages, this minion had shown an incredibly sharp sense, albeit mistaking Yi-Han for the skull principal – a mistake anyone could make. Overall, this minion was undoubtedly competent.
The Spirekeeper, if of the same ilk, would not be an easy adversary. Normally, Yi-Han would have avoided such a confrontation, but...
‘The problem is that I'm trying to make my way to the Spire.’
The name of the Spirekeeper unsettled him, especially since he was targeting the Spire's stable.
Yi-Han steeled his resolve. ‘No, this is an opportunity.’ Knowing about the Spirekeeper's existence was actually fortunate. It allowed him to plan ahead.
He’d confront them and figure it out!
Thud.
After going up three spiral staircases, taking two elevators, and passing through four secret doors, Yi-Han found himself in an unfamiliar place. The view from the corridor's window indicated they were quite high up.
Thump!
There stood the Spirekeeper, holding a peculiarly shaped staff, their mouth wrapped in bandages, blinking at Yi-Han.
The air tensed without any provocation. Yi-Han quickly produced the letter.
"Here it is."
"..."
The Spirekeeper nodded after looking at the letter, then gestured for Yi-Han to follow.
"My name is Yi-Han."
"..."
Despite his greeting, the Spirekeeper remained silent. Yi-Han, accustomed to friends of few words, found the Spirekeeper's silence surpassing even that.
‘It's tough to extract any information,’ Yi-Han thought, comparing the Spirekeeper unfavorably to the warehouse keeper.
Their one-sided conversation and silence continued. Without giving Yi-Han a chance to act, the Spirekeeper walked down the corridor and opened a door.
Inside, various bizarre items were scattered haphazardly.
Yi-Han instinctively knew where he was. "One of the principal's storerooms!"
Like a squirrel hiding acorns throughout the forest, the skull principal had created storerooms throughout the academy buildings. While these storerooms sometimes became targets of student raids or disappeared due to accidents or renovations, most remained intact, used by the skull principal as needed.
Whirr-
‘What's that?’
Yi-Han paused at the ominous vibrating sound. The Spirekeeper, however, stepped nonchalantly among the clutter.
‘Is it not a big deal?’
Whirr-
But the sound grew louder, and Yi-Han began to feel uneasy.
"Does this usually happen when an outsider enters?"
Thump!
The Spirekeeper quickly swung their staff, casting a protective shield around Yi-Han. Simultaneously, a strange sword, emanating a malevolent aura from among the clutter, flew towards them.
Bang!!!
“!”
With a loud impact, the protective barrier shook violently, startling Yi-Han.
‘No way. Has the Principal gone insane?’
Sending him on an errand was one thing, but to have such a mad artifact lying in wait was another. Yi-Han thought it was excessive, even considering the times he had thwarted the skull principal's plans.
"..."
The expression of the Spirekeeper turned grave. The sword that had just awakened was an artifact that should not have moved unless provoked by a powerful enemy. Its sudden activation was incomprehensible.
Despite the confusion, the Spirekeeper swung their staff, distorting space and reinforcing the barrier. Understanding the situation was secondary; they had to address the immediate threat.
However, the sword was relentless. It darted swiftly, piercing through the barrier and striking the Spirekeeper before the space could fully warp.
Frowning, the Spirekeeper swung their staff again, intending to exit the room.
"!" Yi-Han watched in horror as the Spirekeeper was hit and knocked down by a chain flying from behind.
This turn of events...
"Sharakan, come forth!"
Yi-Han summoned his magic, his power surging. He didn't understand why this crazed artifact was attacking, but he was not about to let himself be an easy target.
Even if it meant reducing the storeroom to ruins, he was determined to survive by any means necessary!
