The Great Artist looked seriously concerned at the youngest member of the school’s statement.

It was not something a sane person would say.

Considering all the enemies he had faced so far, perhaps his mind had been unknowingly corrupted by madness...

“I really have met him.”

Of course, Lee Han felt deeply wronged.

He truly had used the 【Scepter of Kairos】 to meet the young Skull Principal from a past dimension.

When Lee Han told the story of the young Skull Principal from his human days, the Great Artist retched.

“Ugh. Blegh.”

“...Ah, no. Are you actually throwing up?”

“Does this look like fake vomiting to you? I felt as if my ears and soul were being insulted and contaminated.”

The Great Artist shuddered and flicked his fingers. Then the mucous membranes irritated by the reflux of gastric acid returned to normal.

“Phew.”

After sighing, the Great Artist walked once around the quarters.

And sighed again.

“Phew.”

The Great Artist walked around the quarters a second time...

“...May I leave now?”

“Wait. Just wait a moment.”

The Great Artist stopped the youngest member, who was trying to leave, and made a request.

Originally, the Great Artist’s plan had been to collect hundreds of works depicting the Skull Principal.

Even with primitive magic based on artistic inspiration and the borrowed power of a Personal World, breathing a soul into an inanimate object was not easy.

To increase both possibility and accuracy, one work would not be enough. Perhaps thousands, or even tens of thousands, would be needed.

“If that’s the plan, do you need my help?”

“If I make them alone, the limitations become even clearer.”

And those works needed to include perspectives other than the Great Artist’s own.

The aspects of the Skull Principal that the Great Artist imagined were inevitably limited.

Considering the old hatred involved, they might be even more biased.

If the completed being turned out strangely distorted, possessing only one aspect, it would be worse than not doing it at all.

“As diverse and detailed as possible. That will raise the level of completion.”

“Indeed... Ah. In that case, shall I call the professors?”

Lee Han casually brought up the subject, worried about the professors waiting outside.

Since they had all learned under the Skull Principal together, they would be able to reveal new aspects through detailed observations.

“I already collected everything from them before, so there’s no need to call them.”

Oh no.

The other party was not an archmage for nothing.

If something was needed from the traitors who had become the enemy’s pawns, naturally one would receive everything in advance before cutting off contact.

“So I was trying to hear about that madman’s appearance as you think of him... but this is simply too hard to believe.”

A Skull Principal who warmly welcomed disciples flying in from a distant future dimension and courteously looked after them.

The Great Artist felt as if that terrible possibility were twisting the whole body and destroying the brain.

“But... but. But, but...”

How many times is this person going to say “but”?

“...If that aspect is true, it would be of great help to my work. What I want is a benevolent and righteous ancient archmage.”

Having finally recovered from the shock, the Great Artist bit the lips until they bled and steeled that resolve.

If Lee Han’s words were true, they would certainly be a great help to the Great Artist’s work.

The Great Artist needed to compose hundreds of aspects that made up the Skull Principal, then reinterpret them in a benevolent and righteous way. But if there already existed a being close to completion...

...It was hard to believe, but if it existed, there was no reason to refuse it.

“Then let’s begin. Now... you said you discussed the magic school when you met that young Skull Principal?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of magic school did he have in mind? A school for righteous mages, governed by strict discipline?”

The Great Artist tried to guess as best as possible.

“Uh. No. He was thinking of a warm and loving place.”

“...I see. Next...”

“Are you all right?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

However, the Great Artist staggered. Lee Han became slightly concerned.

“What was the young Skull Principal doing there? Was he waging war to expand the kingdom’s territory?”

“No. Rather, he was ashamed of being royalty and hid it. He created a secret society to eliminate suffering from the continent and went around helping the unfortunate...”

“Stop! Stop!”

The Great Artist screamed in a hoarse voice full of pain.

It was simply impossible to believe.

“To think that madman had such a time. Then why did I have to meet a brutal madman? If I had been lucky, I could have learned under a benevolent madman!”

“...I agree!”

Lee Han answered without realizing it.

Overcome with emotion, the Great Artist embraced Lee Han and wailed.

“Such an absurd past... such an absurd past existed...! Then why did the other disciples have to suffer so much!”

“...Cheer up! Senior, you’re doing something no one else has accomplished. You’re resolving the resentment of all the disciples!”

The senior’s painful and earnest feelings were conveyed directly to Lee Han.

Hearing sincere encouragement from the youngest member of the school, the Great Artist was deeply moved.

This was comfort that only someone who had shared the same hell could offer.

“...Thank you. I won’t forget this comfort. Even if you become a professor, I won’t treat you as a traitor.”

“...”

So that had been the plan originally?

While Lee Han stood dumbfounded, the Great Artist regained composure and continued questioning him.

Certainly, listening to the youngest member’s experiences brought countless inspirations flooding in like a tide.

And...

How curious.

The Great Artist found it newly fascinating.

There were several disciples who had learned magic under the Skull Principal, and among them were some who had revealed ambition, but the Great Artist had never heard of anyone who had directly faced the Skull Principal’s younger days like this.

Could this be possible because this was a mage walking the path of destiny to inherit the task without any ambition?

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s nothing. I just had this thought. You might truly become a proper successor and inheritor...”

“...What did I do wrong for you to say that to me?”

When the junior, who had been holding back, finally exploded and glared, the Great Artist was flustered.

This time, the Great Artist had truly said it without any intention.

***

“Good work. Once I organize what I heard today, it will be farewell to Petrogard.”

The Great Artist spoke while storing the works back in one place.

The Great Artist did not know how many works would emerge from what had been heard today, but there was confidence that it would bring great progress to the long-stalled work.

“Then is the magic complete?”

“It’s not that easy. I don’t know when it will be completed.”

The Great Artist smiled bitterly behind the mask.

Even after progress like today’s, the inability to be certain was the difficult part of magic.

“If it is ever completed, I’ll send you a letter. Now. Since you helped me like this, I can hardly fail to repay you as your senior, can I?”

“!”

Lee Han was greatly moved by the senior’s words.

Indeed, there was a strong bond between members of the same school.

Of course, there were exceptions like Einroguard’s Divination Magic Guild, but those were truly exceptions...

“I’ll help you with magic.”

“...”

Lee Han looked slightly dejected.

He had expected to receive an expensive artwork as a gift.

“You said you have talent in Music Magic?”

“Yes. But rather than talent, it’s more through the power of mana...”

“That’s the same thing.”

The Great Artist gestured as if telling the modest junior not to make such distinctions.

“You probably already suspect this, but Music Magic is also a path that leads to word-command magic. But that madman wouldn’t have taught you each step carefully and meticulously, would he?”

“How did you know?”

Lee Han was startled.

The Skull Principal, whether the real body or a projection, had such lofty standards that the Skull Principal would immediately whine about him learning word-command magic right away.

The Great Artist let out a light sigh.

“That is not surprising at all. He’s the type to throw someone off a cliff and tell them to figure it out if they don’t want to die... But as your senior, I want to teach you what I learned first. If you’ve learned Music Magic, start applying it to your spell incantations. Then the path to word-command magic will naturally open.”

Lee Han did not understand immediately.

The Great Artist’s words were that cryptic, and the field of magic involved was that peculiar.

To begin with, Music Magic, which belonged to primitive magic, did not have many interested mages...

“It is like this. Coveting light, placing it in water, that water disappears, leaving only regret.”

After that, the Great Artist made no additional movements.

There was no addition of special reagents, nor even the basic movement of mana fundamental to magic.

However, several water projections appeared in the air. They were projections of exceptionally high quality.

How?!

Lee Han did not deny the role of incantations, but to implement magic with only an incantation while removing all other elements like this...

“Is this word-command magic?!”

“You are indeed clever. But it is not word-command magic. Word-command magic is compressed with far higher completion... Think of this as magic that lies between.”

The Great Artist’s incantation just now contained melody.

The Great Artist had applied the techniques of primitive magic using music to the incantation, amplifying its power.

Even if it was not quite word-command magic, it was truly astonishing power.

“I’ll tell you in advance. It is not as convenient as word-command magic. If you have tried Music Magic, you will know that amplification becomes difficult when the incantation is short. It is suitable for magic with incantations of a certain length.”

This was a technique particularly suited for artifact craftsmen who handled enchantment magic.

Such mages often used several spells consecutively, so the length of incantations could be extended as much as needed.

“But Senior, I can only cast a few Music Magic spells.”

Lee Han pointed out his concern.

As was typical of such primitive magic, it depended greatly on the caster’s aptitude.

Lee Han also could not use pieces that did not match his sensibilities well, so he was worried about whether he could apply this broadly to all incantations.

The Great Artist spoke as if telling him not to worry.

“You don’t need to worry. There is secret magic cast here. It is magic for Music Magic mages like you and me.”

A secret close to a miniature world, one that forcibly succeeded by fixing melody to incantations.

Hearing those words, Lee Han was greatly surprised. He had not noticed it at all.

“There’s such magic?”

“Yes. I’ll teach you that gradually too, so first try memorizing the incantation.”

After pondering, Lee Han carefully selected a spell.

If it was magic with long incantations and high difficulty that required separate assistance...

“In the name of Bivle, I swing my staff...”

“Why that, of all things? Ah, no. Continue.”

Lee Han brought out the fifth-circle composite enchantment magic, 【Bivle’s Flying Sword】, which he had practiced a few times and failed.

It was magic he had to practice in secret because, when he failed while practicing out of curiosity in the professor’s workshop, Professor Bivle would claw at his insides by saying, “Is that difficult?”

【Bivle’s Flight Enchantment】, 【Bivle’s Penetration Enchantment】, 【Bivle’s Enemy Detection】...

He had to cast the necessary spells quickly and consecutively within the time limit without disrupting their balance.

Lee Han infused melody into the incantation. His determination to complete it no matter what made the incantation even more intense.

Swish!

The sword lying on the floor shot upward as if moving with a life of its own. He could tell without asking. It was a success.

“Did... did I succeed?!”

“Yes.”

“What kind of secret magic is this, exactly?”

Even while marveling, Lee Han threw out the question.

He could not understand what kind of magic could amplify the power of Music Magic like this.

Could it be a miniature world created by the Great Artist?

If so, I want to learn it.

“Actually, nothing is cast here.”

“What?”

“I said nothing is cast here. I thought you could do it well enough, so I lied a little.”

“...”

Lee Han thought he understood why Professor Garcia did not particularly like the upperclassmen.