Are these people worse than the magical criminals?

After hearing the full explanation, Lee Han couldn’t help thinking that.

Perhaps these knights were even more wicked than the magical criminals.

At least the magical criminals hadn’t managed to hurt Lee Han. These knights were actively trying to harm him.

“What kind of ridiculous suggestion is that?”

“It’s not that ridiculous...”

The knights sounded a little hurt by Lee Han’s attack.

They had genuinely thought it was a good idea.

“It is ridiculous! What kind of test involves secretly coordinating attacks in the middle of a many-versus-many battle?”

Lee Han, who normally treated outside authority figures with relative courtesy, had endured far too many shocks today.

The knights in front of him were too wicked for him to bother putting on a polite face.

“Hmm. The advantage of this test is that you wouldn’t notice. The students wouldn’t notice either. You would be able to take a test suited to your level naturally, without feeling burdened or nervous. Isn’t that rather good?”

“It’s not good at all. It’s the worst possible kind of test.”

“...”

The knights, too, were beginning to feel indignant at Lee Han’s attitude.

As expected of an Einroguard mage, he couldn’t hide his arrogance.

“We were only trying to help a friend.”

“Right. And the main reason this became necessary is you.”

“...No, how is this despicable and wicked coordination my fault?!”

“How difficult do you think it is to design a proper test for a student who rides dragons and slays monsters? Hmph. Professor Ingledel did his best too.”

Hit where it hurt, Lee Han fell silent.

The victorious knights nodded with satisfied smiles.

“Now do you understand Professor Ingledel’s grace? What a fine professor he is.”

“Riding dragons and slaying monsters isn’t the only good test, mage. Our coordinated assault would also be quite a good test.”

“...Everyone, stop tormenting Wardanaz.”

Unable to watch any longer, Professor Ingledel stepped in to stop his friends.

***

“...Aren’t you going to catch the intruder?”

After some time passed and Lee Han regained his composure, he changed the subject.

Only then did the knights realize what they had overlooked.

“Well... compared to a contract with a dragon, a fellow like that is a trivial matter.”

“Hmm... teaching criminals fear is not necessarily a bad thing. If we simply catch him right away, he won’t learn his lesson.”

Are they joking?

Lee Han cursed inwardly.

Instead of wasting time watching a dragon contract, shouldn’t they be chasing down the remaining intruder?

“Oh. Professor Bagreg.”

Professor Ingledel, who had been trying to comfort Lee Han, noticed Professor Voladi Bagreg walking up from below and greeted him.

Beside Professor Bagreg was Caten, a student from House Jahan.

“Jahan too? What brings you here?”

“Jahan! It’s been a while. Have you considered the offer I made last time?”

“The knights need talent like yours.”

Pushing aside their friend Professor Ingledel, the knights swarmed around Caten.

Their eyes burned with the passionate determination to drag him into the knights no matter what.

Lee Han spoke leisurely, as if this had nothing to do with him.

“Senior Caten must have it rough too, being so popular. Haha.”

“...”

Professor Ingledel was inwardly dumbfounded.

The boy from House Wardanaz would later face the same thing dozens of times worse than Caten.

No. Wardanaz has suffered enough today. There’s no need to warn him about that future in advance.

Despite the knights’ passionate courtship, Caten remained unmoved.

“I appreciate the offer, but I wish to walk the path of magic.”

“Grr...! Einroguard, you bastard!”

“This damned magic school! You already have plenty of other mages!”

The knights were furious at Einroguard for refusing to let go of talent.

Since the school gathered talent from across the entire Empire anyway, couldn’t it spare just one person?

Caten of House Jahan was an excellent mage, but he would surely become an even better knight...

“?”

Listening to the conversation, Lee Han asked in confusion.

“Professor. What do they mean, Senior Caten is an excellent mage?”

Lee Han wondered if they were referring to his ability to implement magic through swordsmanship.

That was certainly magic no one else could imitate.

Professor Ingledel whispered with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“...Those friends don’t know much about Jahan’s magic.”

There was no need to explain Einroguard’s education to outsiders, and if they learned Caten’s actual situation, they would cling to him even more persistently.

Besides, Caten himself was somewhat shameless when it came to magic.

“Hoho. I have achieved quite remarkable results in magic recently.”

“Grr. Stop talking, Caten! Don’t boast about being a mage in front of us.”

“You all made sincere offers, so I’m giving you a sincere answer.”

“Sigh... Right. Since you’ve chosen the path of magic, we should be happy about your achievements. The Empire has lost a great knight, but Einroguard has gained an excellent mage.”

No. That is unbelievably shameless!

Lee Han was dumbfounded by Caten’s words.

Remarkable results in magic recently?

What on earth was he talking about?

“Lightning Transfiguration. Well done.”

While Lee Han was leisurely observing Caten, danger quietly approached from behind.

He flinched at Professor Bagreg’s voice, which had somehow appeared right behind him.

“Huh? What’s Lightning Transfiguration?”

“An advanced application of the lightning element.”

Even though his disciple didn’t understand, Professor Bagreg kindly explained.

At present, Lee Han was already delving into several advanced fields on his own without anyone explicitly telling him to.

There was his improvement of water-orb bullets, his work on blue flame with Professor Jorzik, soul magic with Professor Kirmin, high-rank undead in dark magic...

And, in the lightning element, Lightning Transfiguration.

Perhaps because he had contracted with a powerful lightning spirit long ago, the boy of House Wardanaz had shown considerable interest in the destructive power of the lightning element.

Lightning Transfiguration also originated from that spirit’s authority.

To be precise, it was the mage’s interpretation of that authority.

Even if a spirit did something as naturally as breathing, a mage had to interpret it and implement it as magic.

A powerful combat spell that temporarily transformed the mage’s body into lightning through a complex application of lightning-element magic and transformation magic.

That was Lightning Transfiguration.

Unlike Perkuntra’s authority, Flash Lightning Transfiguration, the magic Lee Han was aiming for was more limited and restricted. But that did not mean it was weak or easy.

The fact that it had just defeated the summoned demon monster proved that much.

The already powerful concept of the lightning element had been combined with the concept of the mage’s own existence.

That added concept transformed ordinary lightning into an attack imbued with will.

The boy of House Wardanaz had likely felt pressured to defeat the demon ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) monster as quickly as possible because of Jowrin.

Otherwise, there would have been no reason to rush out such incomplete magic for an attack.

“That is what happened.”

“...Wait. Are you saying I used Lightning Transfiguration?”

Lee Han, who had been listening blankly to Professor Bagreg’s explanation, finally snapped back to himself in shock.

I did that?

Is this person trying to scam me?

Lee Han decided to suspect Professor Bagreg first.

Wasn’t this an attempt to twist a chaotic battle situation to his advantage and say, You succeeded once, so you can do it. Now try Lightning Transfiguration again?

“Yes.”

“Your Majesty. Your Majesty.”

Hm?

Jowrin, who had been crouching nearby and watching, tilted her head when Lee Han called her.

“I used lightning magic earlier, didn’t I?”

Yes. Lee Han did.

“That wasn’t just ordinary lightning magic, was it? Something like regular Perkuntra’s Lightning...”

Hmm!

At Lee Han’s question, Jowrin began activating her brain.

Though the situation had been chaotic, the excellent mind of a dragon remembered the circumstances clearly and replayed them with precision.

I don’t think so! The reasons are as follows. First, if it were ordinary lightning magic, Lee Han’s incantation should have come first. Second! If it were ordinary lightning magic, it should have come from the side holding Lee Han’s staff, not from the empty hand! Finally, from what Jowrin saw, the lightning’s penetration and destructive power were different from ordinary lightning magic! There was something extraordinary about it!

“...If you can analyze things that clearly and coldly, why do you suddenly fire breath attacks and attempt close combat?”

?!

Jowrin, who had been excitedly deducing, looked wounded when lightning suddenly struck in her direction.

This is bad. I remember it too.

At Jowrin’s words, Lee Han’s own memory abruptly returned.

Now that he thought about it, the situation had been so urgent that he’d overlooked it, but his hand—the one not holding the staff—had indeed seemed to transform into a streak of lightning.

He didn’t think he had chanted an incantation either.

And the destructive power was different from ordinary lightning. No matter how much mana you pour into ordinary lightning, it doesn’t pierce like that.

It made sense if the power itself was different because the mage’s own existence had transformed into lightning.

Lee Han resolved to stop showing Jowrin detective magazines once they returned.

She was far too sharp in useless areas.

“I apologize, Professor. It took me some time to recall what happened.”

“There is no need to be discouraged.”

“!”

Lee Han brightened at Professor Bagreg’s unexpectedly kind words.

Could he be about to say that since I have plenty of other things to do, Lightning Transfiguration can wait until later?

“It is common for magic that succeeds in an urgent situation to be difficult to reproduce.”

“Ah. So that’s what you meant...”

“?”

“It’s nothing.”

In its own way, this was also a kind remark.

High-difficulty magic was not considered mastered just because it succeeded once.

Only when a mage could wield it freely could it be called complete mastery. If it worked once and failed the next time, it was not mastered.

That was especially true when the first success happened in an emergency like now. Rather than rushing, he needed to try it again slowly.

“Certainly. I was lucky, it was a coincidence, heaven helped me, the dragon’s aura enhanced my abilities, and according to divination magic it may simply have been an auspicious day. The spell succeeded this time, but I can’t be sure it will succeed again. I should practice steadily and slowly.”

Lee Han crammed in as many reasons as possible as he answered.

He needed to establish this firmly now to make things easier later.

“What about recreating the urgent situation?”

You call that a suggestion?

When Professor Bagreg seriously recommended fighting a demon monster again, Lee Han cursed inwardly.

That was supposed to be advice?

“Wouldn’t artificially inducing that be difficult?”

“Not at all. If you give permission, we can prepare it without you noticing.”

The knights behind them chimed in.

Lee Han pretended not to hear them and ignored it.

“Professor. I think I need to practice this Lightning Transfiguration more on my own. It’s still too embarrassing to mention anywhere.”

“?”

“??”

The knights looked at him as if wondering what nonsense he was spouting, but Lee Han ignored them once again.

“So please pretend you didn’t see it and forget about it, Professor.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Bagreg pondered his disciple’s words for a moment, then nodded.

“Professor Yonramo asked me about it before, but I will not mention it.”

“...What kind of request was it?”

“A request related to Lightning Transfiguration.”

When it came to the active sharing of information about specific students in the Faculty Lounge, Professor Bagreg was quite enthusiastic.

Naturally, Professor Yonramo, who was in charge of transformation magic, had shown interest after hearing about Lightning Transfiguration.

—Are you truly preparing Lightning Transfiguration magic?

—That’s right.

—If he succeeds, please tell me. If he can do that, there’s no need for him to take the exam.

—Understood.

“...Could you please just tell that professor and forget about it?”

Lee Han spoke in a resigned tone, already aware that even he was asking for something unrealistic.