“Silence, lowly one.”

“Yes, Master.”

The moment the insane duplicate glared at him, Lee Han immediately shut his mouth.

“This is the problem with insignificant mages. They understand neither the value of truth nor the importance of hardship.”

At the ancient Archmage’s lament, Professor Jorzik cautiously interjected.

“Archmage. May I ask whether you know this Jorzik’s goal?”

“Why should royalty concern itself with such things?”

“It is to become the next principal of Einroguard.”

“...”

Even the insane duplicate looked slightly surprised by that declaration.

It was not the sort of ambition an ordinary person would dare pursue without a considerable amount of madness.

In that sense, Professor Jorzik had certainly earned that reaction.

“How unexpected.”

“As a candidate for Einroguard’s next principal, I bear the responsibility of protecting the students.”

The insane duplicate turned toward Lee Han as though genuinely incredulous.

“He is truly a candidate?”

“Um... yes.”

Though it was hard to hear clearly, Lee Han thought he caught the insane duplicate muttering something along the lines of, That scum has finally gone completely insane.

“As you know, the traditions of ancient magic often treated disciples harshly. At times, they were even regarded as expendable. Naturally, we cannot help suspecting that you may view Student Wardanaz in the same way.”

“How dare you?”

Professor Jorzik and Professor Voladi immediately raised their staffs.

An overwhelming presence poured from the insane duplicate.

This was not merely an eruption of mana. It was the unique pressure possessed only by an Archmage—absolute domination over the surrounding mana and even the space itself.

“You mistake my generosity for weakness and reveal your insolence. Do the teachings of royalty sound so cheap to you that they would be wasted on expendable tools?”

The insane duplicate spoke in a perfectly flat voice.

That only made it more terrifying.

The atmosphere carried the dreadful implication that this place could transform into a realm of death at any moment, depending on a single answer.

But why does he keep calling Lee Han a lowly one?

Jowrin, who had been listening while holding the thoroughly miserable Eandurde in her arms, suddenly spoke up.

The insane duplicate hesitated slightly, caught off guard by the dragon’s interruption.

“...Because he is lowly.”

But Lee Han is a noble?

“I am not speaking of bloodline. Descendant of noble blood.”

The insane duplicate calmly explained the customs of ancient mages.

Whether royalty or slave, disciples were fundamentally learners. Therefore, they occupied a lowly position.

Jowrin looked horrified by the brutal educational culture of ancient times.

Then calling disciples expendable doesn’t sound completely wrong either!

“No. Descendant of noble blood. That title does not mean expendable...”

The insane duplicate patiently continued trying to explain.

But Jowrin was a dragon through and through.

No matter how many ancient customs or traditions it cited, she stubbornly shook her head.

Jowrin doesn’t understand! Lee Han is pitiful!

“...”

After failing to persuade her for quite some time, the insane duplicate finally relented.

“...Very well. I shall call him disciple instead, descendant of noble blood.”

Wow!

Watching from the side, Lee Han felt more moved than ever.

“Your Majesty. I don’t think I’ve ever been this proud before.”

Hehe. Jowrin is... Wait. Then you were never proud before?

Oops.

Before Jowrin could dwell on the suspicious implication, Professor Jorzik and Professor Voladi quickly intervened.

“Your Majesty. Please ask for additional concessions as well.”

“You should also criticize dangerous teaching methods.”

“...”

The insane duplicate looked at the two professors with open contempt.

The continent truly had become corrupt.

As time passed, people only seemed to deteriorate further.

***

After the negotiations—or rather, after Jowrin stubbornly refused to back down—several changes were made.

Most importantly, Lee Han’s title had changed from lowly one to disciple.

A tremendous improvement indeed.

Though less significant by comparison, the insane duplicate’s teaching methods also changed slightly. It promised not to use magic with a high chance of death for the time being.

The insane duplicate attempted to argue with ancient logic like, I can simply resurrect you afterward, but Jowrin absolutely refused to budge.

No! Dying hurts!

“...”

As a result, the insane duplicate, which had effectively suffered nothing but losses, looked deeply displeased.

Lee Han cautiously observed his master’s mood.

Ordinarily, he didn’t particularly care whether his masters were angry or upset.

But the insane duplicate was a different matter entirely.

There was a reason the word insane came first.

“Master. Still, I’ve achieved quite a lot lately.”

The insane duplicate deliberately ignored him as though it hadn’t heard a thing.

Lee Han. He’s sulking...

Since Jowrin herself frequently sulked, she possessed a remarkably sharp eye for recognizing grudges and resentment.

Naturally, Lee Han couldn’t openly agree.

“He’s not sulking. He’s merely a little displeased.”

...Isn’t that the same thing...?

“Shh. More importantly, please help me out here. I need to mention my accomplishments.”

Mm! Understood!

Jowrin also felt slightly guilty for having forced the insane duplicate to compromise, so she nodded enthusiastically.

“Look. My staff is finally complete.”

“It would have been stronger had you used a branch of the World Tree. Lowl—disciple.”

“...”

Lee Han suddenly found himself nostalgic for the days when the insane duplicate merely glared coldly at him.

This passive-aggressive treatment was far harder to endure.

“Oh, right. I also completed a Skeleton Golem.”

“You should reflect on how late that completion was. To think it took this long to finish a single Skeleton Golem.”

While the insane duplicate continued sulking, Professor Jorzik and Professor Voladi quietly conversed nearby.

“Professor Voladi. Though I say this cautiously, the current educational system of Einroguard seems vastly more refined and superior to ancient methods.”

“I agree.”

“Even if we study ancient magic, there is likely no need to imitate their educational practices.”

Couldn’t the two of you discuss this somewhere else?

The professors were having an earnest conversation about magic and education, but none of it helped Lee Han in the slightest.

Unable to keep watching, Jowrin stepped in to support him.

Lee Han also got a backpack with space-expansion magic! And he learned magic needed for building airships too!

“How admirable. You could immediately find work in a guild workshop as a craftsman.”

The insane duplicate’s tone remained icy cold, causing Jowrin to wilt.

Lee Han, however, looked confused.

...Wasn’t that praise?

No matter how he looked at it, it sounded like a compliment.

For a moment, he wondered whether the insane duplicate’s anger had finally subsided.

Unfortunately, the expression on its face remained cold as frozen steel.

Lee Han realized he still had a very long road ahead of him.

“Um... I also visited the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas dimension. I met the Yachaowang there, listened to its stories, and even formed a contract with a star...”

As he spoke, Lee Han carefully watched his master’s expression.

Then he froze in shock.

“...?!!”

The insane duplicate was staring at him with an expression Lee Han had never seen before.

Shock.

Admiration.

Emotion.

Countless feelings were tangled together across its face.

“Continue.”

“Pardon? That was the summary.”

“Do you not understand the concept of detail? Explain everything. Leave nothing out.”

The pressure behind those words made Lee Han feel as though he would be transformed into a hamster and locked in a cage beside the magical criminals if he failed to comply.

Lee Han hurriedly explained everything in detail.

How he had crossed through the dimension gate.

How he had encountered the Yachaowang by coincidence.

How the Yachaowang had employed sinister schemes—at this point, the insane duplicate impatiently gestured for him to skip ahead—

And finally, even the name of the star with whom he had formed a contract.

After hearing that, the insane duplicate fell silent.

“You...”

“?”

“I am proud. You are worthy of being called my disciple.”

At that moment, Lee Han realized something.

The ancient insane Archmage was far less frightening when angry or cold.

The truly terrifying thing was seeing it look at him with sincere pride and overwhelming expectation.

***

Unlike Lee Han, who felt only dread, the insane duplicate became thoroughly pleased afterward and even treated the two professors more kindly.

It graciously answered Professor Jorzik’s questions about magic and even said it would consider Professor Voladi’s criticisms regarding education.

“But Master. Weren’t you preparing for the intruders?”

“Ah. Correct. The matter was so trivial that I nearly forgot.”

“...”

Neither professor seemed particularly alarmed.

Einroguard dealt with intruders constantly due to # Nоvеlight # its notoriety. However, among those intruders, only a tiny fraction ever survived long enough to escape again.

Most failed to breach the territory’s barriers in the first place.

And even those who succeeded generally vanished somewhere inside without a trace.

Besides, these particular intruders had apparently come all this way merely to rescue a single hamster—or rather, a magical criminal—from a remote workshop hidden in the mountains.

From the professors’ perspective, it naturally sounded insignificant.

“To properly protect a workshop’s possessions, one ultimately requires subordinates.”

No matter how powerful an Archmage might be, workshops remained vulnerable whenever their owner stepped away.

Even the greatest magic contained loopholes.

That was precisely why mages maintained servants and guardians in the first place.

After listening quietly, Lee Han tilted his head.

“But if Master seriously used magic, wouldn’t ordinary intruders never even dare approach?”

No matter how advantageous an invasion might seem, there were still limits created by differences in power.

Throwing Gainando at the Skull Principal’s office wouldn’t somehow let him break through its defensive magic.

The gap was simply too great.

The insane duplicate replied coldly.

“Are you suggesting I expend such magic merely to protect a single slave?”

“...Ah. Right.”

Lee Han felt dumbfounded.

But both professors immediately nodded in understanding.

“Certainly. Wasting profound secrets on a lone magical criminal would be absurd.”

“Such magic should be reserved for the disciple instead.”

I really did bring the wrong people.

At this point, bringing only Jowrin would have been far better.

“Then should I stand guard? Prince Jowrin and Eandurde could help too—”

“Have you grown arrogant merely because you met the Yachaowang and contracted with a star? You already lack sufficient time for your magical studies.”

Then why summon me in the first place?

Lee Han cursed inwardly.

Ignoring him completely, the insane duplicate continued lecturing.

“And to think you would assign such trivial tasks to a descendant of noble blood. How many times must I teach you proper etiquette?”

But Jowrin says she doesn’t mind?

The insane duplicate pretended not to hear that.

Jowrin puffed out her cheeks unhappily.

“And assigning labor to weak junior students is equally improper. They require several more years of education first.”

“!”

Eandurde stared at Lee Han and Professor Voladi in visible shock.

Was he truly considered that weak?

“No, Eandurde. Don’t listen to him. Master is simply excessively strict.”

“You’re doing perfectly well.”

The two immediately reassured him in earnest.

Then Lee Han tried again.

“Then do you already have a solution?”

“As I said, what we require are subordinates. Therefore, we must recruit them from nearby.”

“I see. You mean the upperclassmen at Einroguard.”

“...”

Not only the insane duplicate but even the professors stared at him in astonishment.

Even Professor Voladi looked genuinely surprised.

“Uh... wasn’t I right?”

Lee Han... Jowrin thinks he means the tribes living in these mountains...

“The descendant of noble blood is correct. What a pitiful disciple. Several tribes dwell within these mountain ranges.”

“The Einroguard upperclassmen would probably work hard too if you paid them in gold...”

Nobody acknowledged Lee Han’s argument.

“Among them, the giants are the most suitable. As royalty’s disciple, I grant you full authority. Go with Intarendals and negotiate with them. The giants are rough and untamed people, so mind your manners carefully. Do not become arrogant simply because you can offer generous compensation. Their anger is never light.”

“?”

...Were there actually giants living in these mountains besides the Einroguard upperclassmen?