"By now, you must be pondering, albeit vaguely. How should one attain truth? Which path should one tread?"
‘...I haven't.’
Although he had considered what official position might suit him, he hadn't contemplated how to pursue truth.
Yet, Yi-Han remained silent.
The seriousness of the skull principal, along with the realization that mentioning his own concerns about an official position would bring no benefit, made him withhold his thoughts.
Recalling the animosity some professors had shown towards bureaucrats...
"I'll offer you a piece of valuable advice. In my human days, I was a prince."
"Wha...?!!!!"
Yi-Han was so astonished, it felt like his heart stopped.
“What was that reaction just now?”
"It makes sense. You always exuded such dignity."
"Thank you. I was a prince of a beautiful small kingdom. Yet, even from my youth, I was plagued with worries. Why must I die from the moment I am born? Why must the people of my kingdom suffer the Eight Sufferings, the Seven Emotions, and the Five Desires?"
"That... must have been tough."
Yi-Han was utterly overwhelmed by the surprisingly normal and impressive youth of the skull principal.
“Eventually, I attained enlightenment and abandoned my physical body to become a lich.”
"...Uh, isn't that skipping too many steps?"
“What use is there in hearing the tedious story of my training? The important thing is, by abandoning my body, I overcame the limitations I just mentioned.”
"..."
As a mage's prowess grows, so do the virtues he must possess.
It's not just about controlling mana and understanding magic, but also about managing one's inner self and nurturing the mind.
In that sense, emotions are also an adversary a mage must confront.
Succumbing to the Five Desires, the Seven Emotions, and the Eight Sufferings often leads even the most talented mages astray.
The skull principal cut through the torment of such dilemmas in one fell swoop.
...Though the method he chose was extreme, abandoning his living body.
"I'm not so keen on becoming a lich..."
“It's not about becoming a lich.”
The principal seemed unconcerned by Yi-Han's reluctance.
“I'm just sharing the path I chose. It's not the only answer in the pursuit of truth. There are infinite paths.”
Though only a skeleton with flickering blue eyes remained, an undeniable profundity emanated from him.
For the first time, Yi-Han saw the principal as a true sage.
Usually, he seemed more like the evil boss of a castle...
“In my view, you can manage yourself without becoming a lich.”
"Why do you think so?"
Yi-Han felt a flicker of hope.
It was not every day that such a quirky but great mage held him in high regard.
"It's not easy at your age to willingly undergo hardship under various professors. Such asceticism aids in cultivating the mind and body. You've chosen well. Keep it up."
"..."
Yi-Han frowned.
It was a compliment, yet somehow it left a bitter taste.
'This isn't Philonae Town.'
Yi-Han was surprised by the prosperous cityscape visible from the carriage.
Philonae Town, the nearest to Einroguard, was also quite prosperous due to its uniqueness.
Typically, towns weren't heavily populated with mages, adventurers, mercenaries, or merchants.
But the city before him dwarfed Philonae Town in vitality and prosperity. Everywhere he looked, there was an abundance of life and flourishing energy.
'This must be Granden City.'
The city closest to the magic academy.
This was the very city he had heard about when he visited Philonae Town: "The families of the students who were waiting outside have all gone to Granden City."
Yi-Han took a fresh look around.
While he wasn't surprised by the sight of a large city, given his background, the experience was indeed refreshing in many ways.
During his time with the Wardanaz family, he had only stayed in the family's mansion and territory.
"Bring back some gifts."
"Yes."
"?"
Yi-Han paused when he heard the skull principal instructing a summoned creature outside.
What kind of gifts?
“It's customary to bring gifts when visiting the Tower of Ogonin. It would be rude not to.”
"..."
He thought it was already quite impolite to be visiting for revenge, but Yi-Han said nothing.
“Right. And buy some snacks for this ironhead.”
"Yes."
Shortly after.
Several beautifully wrapped boxes of sweets flew into the carriage.
They contained licorice candies, red bean jelly, and sweetened wheat snacks, among others. The skull principal complained upon seeing the assortment.
“Such undignified sweets. Aren't these the type of candies only children enjoy?”
-These are the most popular sweets among young people.-
“I should have known. Foolish creature.”
-I'm sorry.-
“Never mind. Eat.”
However, Yi-Han hesitated to touch the sweets immediately. The skull principal was puzzled.
“Why hesitate? They're not poisoned.”
"If I eat these, doesn't that mean the reward you promised me last time goes away?"
“...”
It was about the compensation promised for resolving the mess caused by Professor Verduus.
For the first time in a long while, the skull principal was genuinely impressed.
Among the many students he had seen, none had been as cautious as this one.
“That's a separate matter. I promise.”
"Thank you."
“...But don't put the sweets in your coat pocket.”
Watching the freshman almost stash the sweets in his pocket, the skull principal slightly regretted the rules he had established.
“Speaking of which, I heard the spirekeeper gave you a gift.”
"Ah. Yes."
“It seemed too extravagant a gift…”
'Hmm.'
Yi-Han recalled the bundle given by the spirekeeper.
The necklace inside was indeed a fine artifact.
...If only it weren't for the invisibility magic attached to it.
Already possessing an invisibility belt and mastering invisibility magic, an invisibility necklace seemed excessive for Yi-Han.
"But I've already mastered invisibility magic."
“What? That was quick. Which one?”
"<Gonadaltes' Cloak of Invisibility>."
At Yi-Han's response, the skull principal showed a mix of surprise and satisfaction.
“Didn't expect you to master it so soon. You're making rapid progress.”
'Damn. I guess there was no need to master it all at once.'
“The invisibility magic I created is superior. Be proud of it.”
"I always am."
“Even artifacts with similar effects are not useless. Even if you've already mastered the same magic. Think about it.”
"?"
Yi-Han tried to ponder the skull principal's words, but he didn't give him the chance.
The skull principal grumbled as he looked at the gifts brought by the summoned creature.
“What kind of gift is this? A bunch of cards, really? Even if it's meant as a gift, this is too…”
-But one of the cards features Ogonin himself.-
“Does the fact that Ogonin is on a card make it a suitable gift? Really now…”
The skull principal grumbled and, with a flick of his finger, sent the bundle of cards floating in the air and then off into a corner.
“And why is it that Ogonin, of all people, has such good stats?”
-But master, you said before that it's not the stats of the card that matters, but the mage using it…-
The summoned creature outside ceased speaking. Yi-Han was certain that the skull principal had used a silence spell.
"Take this."
'I already have a complete deck.'
However, Yi-Han obediently accepted it.
He did so to avoid any further mischief from the skull principal.
"..."
The card thrown by the skull principal wasn't Ogonin. It was himself.
"Use it well in your deck. It's a good card."
"Uh... Yes."
Yi-Han's deck was a nimble, low-cost one, designed to relentlessly target and swiftly diminish the health of opposing mages from the early stages of the game.
Although the skull principal's card, which required a significant amount of mana to summon, was hard to use...
Yi-Han immediately added the card to his deck in front of the principal.
Flattery always needed to be sincere.
Indeed, the skull principal appeared pleased with Yi-Han's action.
"I guess I'll have to go and buy it myself."
"Really? Is that okay?"
Yi-Han hesitated.
Even though the people of the empire were accustomed to various odd appearances of mages, he doubted they'd be unfazed by a floating, flying lich.
However, before Yi-Han could finish his question, the skull principal had transformed into a human.
Draped in a dark blue silk suit, with the unique elegance of nobility in his grip on the cane, his appearance was unmistakably that of a noble from a great family of the empire.
Yi-Han wasn't surprised by this. It would have been more surprising if a great mage like the skull principal couldn't don a human guise.
What surprised Yi-Han was that the principal's human face was familiar, one he had seen before.
'The statue...!'
The statue guarding the passage leading to the statue of the forgotten beast, which he had seen while roaming the third floor of the main building.
Back then, he had thought, 'I don't know who that is, but he's incredibly handsome'...
“What do you think?”
"You truly embody dignity, I must say."
"Your second greatest strength lies in that heart of yours, knowing what dignity is."
The skull principal nodded in approval, seemingly pleased with the flattery.
Yi-Han thought to himself,
'Dark magic is truly frightening.'
It's said that even the full moon eventually wanes, but how many could connect that statue to the skull principal?
"Let's go."
"Yes."
The master and apprentice stepped out of the carriage.
Even amidst the bustling crowd, they instantly drew everyone's attention.
The skull principal opened the door of a bookstore luxuriously decorated with a brass and bronze sculpture.
It was a store bearing the sign 'Ikalten's Absolute Fool Hall'.
"Welcome."
A neatly dressed clerk straightened up and bowed, immediately guessing their status.
"Do you have any magic books?"
"Yes, of course."
"Get me the easiest introductory book on illusion magic. Wrap it well."
"...?"
Yi-Han wondered what the principal was up to.
Of course, a bookstore of this size would have a magic book, but the easiest introductory book on illusion magic?
"Are you planning to give that as a gift?"
"You're quick-witted."
Yi-Han decided to say nothing.
'It's none of my business. They have to resolve it themselves.'
Getting involved between two mages at odds with each other was never a good idea.
Yi-Han turned his gaze away and began browsing other books. Then, he noticed a familiar name.
"Is this a book written by Ogonin?"
"Let's see... Yes, it is. The one he wrote in his youth, about advanced application of illusion magic in barriers... Ah. That's a good idea. I'll buy this too. Let's read it in front of him."
"I didn't say anything."
"No need to wrap this one. I'll carry it."
“...”
As the time to visit Ogonin's Tower drew near, Yi-Han began to feel increasingly uneasy.
While the skull principal had nothing to lose by picking a fight anywhere, Yi-Han felt like he was embarking on an endless journey. If the illusion mage harbored a grudge not against the skull principal but against Yi-Han...
'Should I use invisibility magic?'
After purchasing the gifts, the carriage left the city and began to soar through the sky.
In the midst of a mountain range filled with strangely shaped cliffs, the spire of a mage's tower stood tall and pointed.
The principal, having returned to his skeletal form, abruptly spoke.
"Life Bonds to Death."
Even a single word uttered by a mage carried a different meaning. And the words just spoken by the skull principal were no exception.
Yi-Han realized that these words had triggered a massive spell.
The very fabric of the world seemed to be shaking.
Mages were beings who understood the order of the world and cunningly twisted it. However, occasionally there were mages who rewrote the order of the world to suit their will.
The skull principal was a mage who had reached such a state.
...The problem was that he was using this power to stir up trouble in someone else's tower!
