It may seem redundant to say now, but the magic academy was not a safe place. Even without considering the professors, it was a place where dangerous incidents were inevitable. The novice mages, learning magic, couldn't help but cause accidents, no matter how hard they tried to avoid them. The rampaging summoned creature was one such example. The upperclassmen, intending to prepare these creatures for magic experiments at the start of the semester, had failed to control them.
‘Really, even if they lost control, does it make sense to cause such a rampage on academy grounds? Isn't this a fundamental issue with the academy system?’ thought Yi-Han, incredulous after hearing Professor Garcia's explanation. However, clinging to a sliver of hope, Yi-Han asked again, "I heard other summoned creatures have also escaped... They'll be dealt with soon, right? Aren't some of the empire's most outstanding mages here at this academy?"
"Of course," replied Professor Garcia, and Yi-Han felt a sense of relief. At least the situation was being managed. "It should take about a month to capture them all, Yi-Han."
“...”
Yi-Han's face stiffened. In the darkness, and distracted by the vine monster, Professor Garcia did not notice his expression.
"What should we do for a month, then?"
"Be careful," said Professor Garcia seriously. It wasn't a statement made out of malice, but out of necessity, considering the escaped creatures lurking around the academy. From Yi-Han's perspective, though, it was an absurd suggestion.
‘Professors will be professors!’ he thought. No matter how benevolent they appeared, they all harbored a certain degree of madness within them.
With a swish, "Thank you! Thank you!" exclaimed Yi-Han. Professor Garcia had summoned a sharp ring of wind to cut the vines of the vine monster and safely rescued a student from the White Tiger who had been caught. Though it looked simple, the process of threatening the monster with mental magic, cutting the vines with wind-elemental magic, and then safely catching the falling White Tiger student with gravity distortion magic was a highly complex sequence. Yi-Han couldn't believe that Professor Garcia had managed all this with effortless movements and without even taking a breath.
‘Amazing!’ he thought. Watching the professor's magic at leisure, rather than in a frantic moment, reminded him of a master ballerina. Just as a grand ballerina creates an unapproachable aura with simple movements of stretching an arm or lifting a leg, so did Professor Garcia.
"Are you okay?" asked the professor.
The White Tiger student, apparently quite frightened and forgetting his noble heritage, burst into tears. Perhaps it was the first time a professor had spoken to him so kindly since he joined the academy.
"But why were you outside at this hour?"
Between sobs, the student replied, "Wardanaz came into... the lounge... and took... our tower's flag..."
Professor Garcia turned his head in disbelief, both at the student being out at night and at the thought of a magic-breaking creature entering the lounge. How could this be? But Yi-Han was already gone, having made his escape.
Having safely returned with the flag, the expressions of the Blue Dragon students were complex. Before they could even rejoice, voices were heard outside.
"Summoned creatures have escaped within the academy, students should take care on their own. I repeat, summoned creatures have escaped..."
The students were at a loss for words. The academy never ceased to shock them every week. Just when they thought nothing new could happen, the academy always proved them wrong.
"How can we be expected to stay on alert even within the academy grounds?"
There was a silence, followed by a murmur from one of the Blue Dragon students, "Could one of the professors have released them?"
Had it been the first week, such an idea would have been dismissed as absurd, but now, everyone looked seriously suspicious.
"It must have been a professor. I think the principal..."
"No, it's Professor Uregor who seems suspicious!"
"But why can't they be caught immediately?"
Yi-Han, listening quietly, thought to himself, ‘Are the professors just too lazy to bother?’
The more he thought about it, the more the one-month timeframe seemed strange. There were so many mages in this vast magic academy. If the distinguished professors were fully mobilized to form a cordon, whether it was summoned creatures or dragons that had escaped, they should have been dealt with swiftly. However, fundamentally, professors were not quick to take action. They would delegate mistakes they made to the disciples under them, and more so for mistakes made by the disciples.
With this in mind, it was unlikely that they would personally intervene in such a summoning incident...
‘I better keep quiet to avoid shocking everyone,’ Yi-Han decided, choosing to keep his thoughts to himself for the sake of his fellow students.
"At least they should tell us which creatures have escaped! Isn't it too much, even for the seniors?"
"Exactly!"
Anger shifted from the professors to the faceless upperclassmen. The freshmen cursed the upperclassmen. Weren't they suffering because of their incompetent seniors?
"Stop talking and have breakfast. I've prepared something special since everyone had a hard night," Yi-Han announced, lifting a large pot hanging in front of the fireplace. The red hue of the tomato beef stew brought happiness to the students of the Blue Dragon. Though he had brought in a considerable amount of food supplies, Yi-Han had no intention of wasting them, not knowing when he could go out again. However, in the current situation, he thought it might be alright to be generous with the food, considering everyone's hard work.
‘I should grow more vegetables,’ Yi-Han mused, thinking about expanding the small garden hut. Not just sweet potatoes and potatoes, but also wheat, and maybe some fruit trees around...
‘I want to increase the number of chickens too. Would Professor Uregor think I'm crazy if I start raising pigs as well?’
Managing the garden made him realize how important fresh vegetables were in human life. Being able to obtain fresh vegetables could completely change the quality of a meal. The tomato beef stew he had prepared was an example of this. While the umami and aroma came from the tomato sauce and spices, and the eye-catching impact from the large chunks of beef, it was the onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms that gave the stew its rich and deep flavor, thanks to the preliminary sautéing.
‘What am I even thinking about right now?’ Yi-Han suddenly stopped his train of thought. Somehow, since coming to the academy, he seemed to have gained more insights into fields other than magic.
The students of the Blue Dragon, who had had a tough night, served themselves generous portions of stew, enjoying breakfast with bread. Eating a warm breakfast in the sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows of the lounge, they felt as if they were back home.
"Summoned creatures have escaped within the academy, students should take care on their own. I repeat, summoned creatures have escaped..."
"...This is spoiling my appetite..."
"Then should I eat it?"
"Will you stop that? I might just challenge you to a duel."
Yi-Han got up, took his bowl, and headed towards the princess's private chamber.
Yi-Han had become accustomed to carrying out tasks without being asked by other students. However, unlike usual, the door did not open. After knocking several times without any response from the princess, Yi-Han gave up and returned.
"Why? Did the princess refuse to eat?"
"No, there was no answer."
"Ah, she must be sleeping. She was probably tired from yesterday..."
The students serving the princess nodded in understanding. Given the events of the previous day, it was reasonable to assume she was exhausted. This thought slightly bothered Yi-Han.
'Could she be holding a grudge because I used her as a hostage?'
Unlike Gainando, Adenart was competent and had many admiring students. If Adenart were to say during the break, "Wardanaz held me hostage," it could become quite troublesome for Yi-Han. That's why he had even added extra beef to the stew...
"Let's not wake her up then. Thanks, Wardanaz. The princess doesn't eat much, but she seems to find it hard to refuse when you bring it personally because of your sincerity."
Yi-Han was puzzled. Was that so? 'She seemed to eat well enough...'
Gainando, who was scraping a wooden bowl with a spoon to get the last of his stew, asked, "Isn't it better to wake her up early than let her starve? You can always sleep, but eating is..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Gainando! Do you think the princess is like you?"
"Right! She's not that obsessed with food!"
Yi-Han actually shared Gainando's view. It seemed better to wake up, eat, and then go back to sleep...
'But I guess the followers know best.'
"But Yi-Han," another student interjected.
"Yes?"
"Are you okay for the morning class?"
"The morning class... Ah."
Yi-Han checked his schedule at the mention of Yonaire's words and hesitated. "It should be fine."
Yonaire's look seemed to say, 'It doesn't seem fine at all.'
“...”
“...”
In the <Basic Swordsmanship> class, the students of the White Tiger, especially after the previous night's events, were looking at Yi-Han with very, very displeased expressions. The only one who spoke to Yi-Han was Dolgyu.
"You didn't need to do that for me, Yi-Han," Dolgyu said strongly.
In the moment he was struck and fell, Dolgyu realized something. The honorable Yi-Han had taken on the role of the villain for Dolgyu's sake. When he woke up and the White Tiger students were angrily saying, "Do you know what that jerk said to you?" Dolgyu remained unshaken.
“If I can't do what I should do because I’m worried about what other friends think, then I’m not a real friend. A true friend understands both honor and friendship.”
"That's a touching sentiment, Dolgyu," Yi-Han thought internally, 'Although my sneaking in to steal the flag yesterday had nothing to do with honor,' but he nodded out of respect for Dolgyu.
When the one who's been hit forgives, it's best to just keep quiet and listen.
"So, you don't need to play the villain anymore."
"Sure, sure."
Of course, Yi-Han planned to act similarly in the future, regardless of what Dolgyu said. Dolgyu might not care, but the other White Tiger students probably did.
Even now, they were glaring at Yi-Han.
"Dolgyu's being fooled again...!"
"Don't let that guy near him!"
Some students were so adamant they were practically building a wall with their bodies to prevent any approach.
Anyone who saw them might think that Dolgyu was brainwashed by Yi-Han.
"Good morning, everyone."
Ingurdel, the elf swordsman and professor, appeared, leaning on his sword as if it were a staff. The students, who had been standing separately until just moments ago, straightened their postures and greeted him respectfully.
Professor Ingurdel continued, his voice gentle and uncharacteristic of a swordsman.
"Waking up, I noticed that released summoned creatures were wandering around the academy. It struck me as quite an absurd place."
“...”
All the students nodded in agreement. It was a sentiment that anyone in any tower could empathize with.
"But since the students have to continue staying here... I've thought about it. What could be helpful?"
"?"
Yi-Han suddenly felt anxious.
It was rare for good outcomes to arise when the professor pondered something for the sake of the students.
"So, I've captured one of the released summoned creatures. Let's practice by facing it together."
“...”
Yi-Han began to seriously worry that Professor Ingurdel was becoming influenced by the academy.
