Professor Jorzik was bewildered by the other person’s utterly unprovoked rudeness.
As an Imperial gentleman, Professor Jorzik never forgave anyone who behaved rudely, but someone pounding the ground with both fists and sobbing uncontrollably was a slight exception.
No matter how much of an Imperial gentleman one was, no one wanted to deal with a madman.
Professor Thunderwalk became curious and asked.
“Are you crying because the dragon is so beautiful, or because you are upset that Wardanaz transformed into a dragon?”
“I do not know either!”
‘Both, then.’
The human heart was a complicated thing.
Someone could shed tears from being moved by a dragon transformation while simultaneously shedding tears of jealousy.
In Professor Thunderwalk’s eyes, Professor Bendozol was feeling both.
He was moved, but at the same time, his heart was burning up with jealousy!
Who called that professor?
Lee Han, transformed into a dragon, already asked in a tired voice.
He had thought it fortunate that Professor Verdus had not come, only for an even noisier professor to show up without warning.
“Waaah, uuugh, sob, woooo!”
“......”
“...Has the professor already transformed into a beast?”
Instead of answering the question, Professor Bendozol only cried louder and louder.
The professor wept so miserably that a pool of tears formed underneath. Professor Thunderwalk lifted those °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° boots in disgust and moved farther away.
“Now, Professor Bendozol. Calm down. Of course, I know you wanted to transform into a dragon, but magic does not always...”
“Sobwhywaaahmeeee!”
“Why... me... Ah.”
Professor Thunderwalk barely managed to understand the answer mixed into the sobbing and nodded.
“That is simply what dragons are like as a race. Please stop crying.”
That is right, Professor. If you are going to cry, go outside and cry.
“...Wardanaz is worried about you too.”
Professor Thunderwalk subtly distorted the disciple’s words.
“Now. If you stop crying, I will give you one of the disciple’s scales as a gift.”
That will disappear once I undo the transformation anyway, will it not?
“Shh. Shut up. Please.”
The professor glared at the tactless disciple.
This bastard, right now...
Still, perhaps Professor Bendozol had poured out all the moisture in that body, because the professor rose while hiccupping.
The professors crowded around and comforted Professor Bendozol.
“Perhaps one day you will receive permission from the dragons, Professor.”
“That is right. Professor Bendozol has done several things for dragons, has he not? Of course, there is a high possibility the dragons do not know about them...”
“I also believe that the next mage to receive permission from a dragon will be you, Professor.”
The professors comforting Professor Bendozol gestured toward Lee Han. They meant that he should say something too.
Uh...
“Quickly! Say something!”
T-transforming into a dragon is not necessarily only a good thing?
“......”
“...You should just remain silent. Professor Bendozol. Please disregard what you just heard.”
***
Although there were exceptions like Professor Bendozol, successfully transforming into a dragon was beneficial in many ways.
In particular, it was significant that the remaining professors readily agreed to let Lee Han leave.
-Aha. Because Professor Bagreg disappeared, you were taking the examinations like some lunatic... Could you not simply have asked for permission in advance? If you had said something, I would have allowed you to substitute the final examination.
-Ah. I thought you would not permit it.
-So that is why you transformed into a dragon?
-I only transformed into a dragon first because the other transformations were not working properly.
-...Fine! Hurry and leave!
The professors were far kinder and more considerate than Lee Han had expected.
Upon hearing the feelings of a disciple worried about a master, they had tried to make accommodations despite the academy’s strict rules.
“And that is how I was able to leave.”
“...I-I see.”
Dawn.
Professor Kirmin, who had secretly met the disciple in front of the shrubbery near Einroguard’s main gate, wore a bewildered expression.
The professor had expected Wardanaz to break through all the examinations and come out, but this kindness from the professors was unexpected.
Of course, Wardanaz’s magical ability had already been thoroughly proven even without confirming it through examinations, but...
Was this really acceptable?
‘No. Let us think only about Voladi for now.’
Professor Kirmin shook off the distracting thoughts.
Before this outing, Wardanaz had asked Professor Kirmin in advance to accompany him.
Considering Professor Voladi’s ability, if the disciple approached alone, instead of catching the professor, he might simply be beaten and driven away.
“Where is Professor Kim?”
“I did not call Professor Garcia.”
“What do you mean...? Did you not say you would call Professor Garcia?”
“That was a lie. I thought the professor would worry too much.”
“......”
Professor Kirmin was horrified.
Like master, like disciple. He was already learning only these wicked habits.
No matter what, to lie even to Professor Garcia!
Whether the professor in front of him was horrified or not, Lee Han took out the commission document he had prepared.
“This outing has nothing to do with a commission, so in principle, I cannot leave. That is why I prepared a false commission document.”
Because he went out so frequently for commissions, jokes such as ‘Has Wardanaz already become a professor?’ circulated among the students, but Lee Han was still a student.
He could not leave without a valid commission.
He could have used another commission as an excuse to leave, but Lee Han considered even the time wasted on that too precious. He intended to search for the professor at full strength from the very beginning and return.
“Let me take a look.”
In the name of House Kraha, the mage of House Wardanaz
is entrusted with the following commission.
Organize and analyze the relevant spells...
Professor Kirmin opened those eyes wide in surprise.
Masters of illusion magic were highly skilled at forgery and deception. Naturally, Professor Kirmin was as well.
Yet Professor Kirmin’s eyes could not find a single flaw in this false commission document.
The seal of House Kraha was accurate, the letter paper was the distinctive rough parchment used by House Kraha, and even the handwriting and signature were...?
“How did you make this? House Kraha should not be a house easy enough to allow its possessions to be forged at will.”
“It is not a forgery. It is genuine.”
“?”
“I asked for it in the past and received it in advance. A blank commission document stamped with a signet ring.”
It was only natural that Professor Kirmin could not detect a flaw in this false commission document.
It was false in name only. Every other element was genuine.
Gainando’s mother had personally stamped the house seal onto House Kraha’s letter paper and written the necessary words.
“!!!!”
Professor Kirmin was genuinely astonished.
A false commission document like this could not be given to just anyone. It was even a commission document with the house seal and every formal element already completed.
If someone possessed a wicked heart, they could freely fill the blank spaces with whatever content they wanted.
Even if they added that a mountain of gold coins had been promised as compensation, House Kraha would have difficulty refuting it according to the contents of this commission document. Every element, including the seal, was a genuine item used by the house.
Yet a boy from another house possessed such a false commission document. It was difficult to believe.
“Ah. Did the prince perhaps have this item? In preparation for a time when he might need to leave...”
“No. Gainando did not receive one. She only gave one to me. I received it personally.”
“......”
Lee Han’s answer sent a shiver through Professor Kirmin.
The professor knew the reputation of Lady Kraha, who led one of the wealthiest houses in the Empire, but such boldness was astonishing.
...And even the thoroughness not to give something like this to Gainando!
‘House Kraha did not become wealthy for no reason.’
Professor Kirmin felt an unnecessary sense of respect for Lady Kraha, who was not present.
It was easy to say, but who would refrain from giving an item like that to one’s own child and instead give it to the child’s friend?
It would be impossible without firm trust that Wardanaz would step forward if Gainando ever truly needed it.
“I thought I would never need to use it because I receive so many commissions, but I am using it like this. Let us go. We need to persuade the knights.”
“R-right.”
This semester, Lee Han had received an escort from the knights every time he left.
In other words, leaving on a false commission meant that they also had to deceive these knights and take them along.
Even if many of the Death Knights held favorable feelings toward Lee Han, if they discovered that the commission was false...
-An urgent commission? Let us go.
-I will call the idle ones. Hey, call that Iron Pot bastard too.
The Death Knights who had been resting rose without even looking at the commission document.
Lee Han and Professor Kirmin were slightly bewildered and asked again.
“Are you not going to check the commission document...?”
-There must be dozens of commissions this semester. When would we ever check every one of them? Just tell us where you intend to go.
“...Yes...”
Lee Han nodded while hiding his discomfort.
It was clearly a good thing, yet for some reason it felt unfair.
He had gone to all the trouble of using House Kraha’s letter paper...
***
Amrek Bak, Bartreck Bak’s older brother and a dwarf belonging to the Crescentless Night Knight Order, looked down at the road beneath the third-floor inn with a cautious gaze.
The subordinate knights he currently led were tracking an Einroguard professor.
The power of mages from Einroguard always made the Empire’s knights tremble in fear.
And if the mage was a professor...
‘But fear is not a reason to avoid something forever.’
Amrek waited for the reports from the subordinates with conviction-filled eyes.
No matter how extraordinary the mage was, it was impossible to keep deceiving the eyes of the Crescentless Night Knight Order.
The dense information network built over decades and centuries could not easily be shaken off.
“We found the target!”
One subordinate knight rushed inside with an excited expression. Amrek offered brief praise before asking.
“Where is the target staying?”
“At the Cut Moon Inn. It appears the target is blending in with wandering mercenaries from outside.”
“What an impressive disguise. This is why combat mages are troublesome.”
Amrek clicked his tongue.
Unlike bookish mages, combat mages who had experienced real battles and appeared on battlefields were anything but ordinary.
Despite casting thorough transformation magic, the mage was staying with mercenaries in poor facilities as a precaution.
This was clearly not the work of someone doing it for the first or second time.
“But Sir Bak. Why are we pursuing this mage?”
“Hmm?”
Amrek paused.
In truth, if asked for the reason, he had little to say.
How could he say that his stupid younger brother had a friend who looked after him extremely well, and that as the older brother, he could not refuse to help?
It was especially difficult to say in front of the subordinate knights.
“That is...”
“You fool! If Sir Bak could tell us, he would have told us already. Do you still not understand how important this matter is after hearing the title of an Einroguard professor?”
Another knight rebuked the colleague.
Secretly pursuing an Einroguard professor was absolutely no ordinary matter.
Amrek was clearly holding an enormous piece of information.
He was refusing to reveal it in order to protect the subordinates.
“I-I see... My apologies!”
“N-no. That is exactly right. I cannot tell you, but it is an extremely important matter.”
Amrek inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the road again.
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