Lee Han spoke with a profound sense of responsibility.

He had not intended it, but he had amplified the resentment of the Petroguard mages.

Now that things had come to this, he had to go to Petroguard and do something about it.

As soon as I arrive, I’ll start by loudly badmouthing Professor Verdus.

While making plans, Lee Han suddenly realized something strange.

“Huh? Where is Lord Alshicle?”

Among his chattering friends, one mage alone was nowhere to be seen.

“Who knows?”

Siana shrugged.

The villa was so spacious that it would not have been strange for one or two mages to be out of sight.

“Maybe he’s swimming in the bath?”

“That’s not it. Earlier, contaminated slimes were pouring out of the water-supply facility, so I was in the middle of purifying it.”

Ratford, who was passing by, waved an arm while speaking. The water-supply facility connected to the manor also had quite a lot of magical waste dumped into it by mages, so cleaning it took time.

“Then maybe he’s reading in the study while snacking on canned sardines.”

“Why canned sardines specifically...? No. That doesn’t seem right either. Did anything strange happen, by any chance?”

Siana answered, “Because that would be cute,” then fell into thought.

“Ah. It wasn’t anything major, but Professor Bagreg visited earlier.”

“...Lord Alshicle!! Lord Alshicle!!!!”

Lee Han rushed into the manor with the fastest movement he had shown all day.

Raphadael shuddered at the sight.

That bastard’s movement has improved even more!

Lee Han had already been unbelievably skilled in close combat for someone from a mage family, but after going through all sorts of recent events, he was now practically indistinguishable from a knight.

This is bad!

After quickly checking the first floor of the manor and running toward the stairs, Lee Han regretted his actions.

He had been too careless.

When Alshicle had been whining about being scared, Lee Han should have taken it more seriously...!

“Lord Alshicle!”

“I’m here, Wardanaz!”

Hearing Alshicle’s voice from a secluded room, Lee Han quickly kicked the door open and entered.

Inside the room, which had originally been used as a study, Professor Voladi Bagreg and Alshicle were standing. Lee Han looked Alshicle up and down.

There don’t seem to be any injuries. No, wait. Professor Bagreg is certainly capable of beating someone without leaving wounds.

“Why are you calling so urgently?”

“What do you mean, why? Lord Alshicle said that if he met the professor, his life would be over that very day...”

“Hey, hey! What are you saying! When did I ever say that! I’m fine! Right? Voladi Bagreg?”

Alshicle flapped his wings frantically, trying to stop Lee Han from speaking.

What was this kid trying to say right now, within Voladi Bagreg’s range?

Lee Han hesitated, not knowing what the penguin beastkin mage meant by flapping his wings.

What? Is he saying he’s really fine because he actually is, or is he saying he’s fine because he’s being threatened?

Like a proper student trained at Einroguard, Lee Han spread his mana broadly and shallowly, then even cast a soul-recognition spell.

It was to check whether Professor Voladi might be pointing some hidden magical weapon at Alshicle’s back, buried inside the fluffy penguin fur.

“What are you doing?”

“Hey... Wardanaz, you...”

Naturally, he was caught.

Neither of them was a mage foolish enough not to recognize those spells.

Professor Voladi was puzzled, while Alshicle was horrified after realizing Lee Han’s intention.

“I’m really fine! Truly fine. Forget what I said before!”

Surprisingly, Alshicle really was fine.

Professor Voladi, who had visited the manor, had not launched any surprise attack, assault, or torture.

“Aaaaaah! Voladi Bagreg! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Calm down first!”

“?”

“...Huh, weren’t you here to get me?”

“Why would you think that?”

“...You’re right! The world has been so turbulent lately. Hahaha.”

Professor Voladi’s purpose in visiting was to share information about the monster that had come from the void beyond dimensions this time.

Though the disciple stubbornly denied participating, Professor Voladi was no fool and naturally had not been deceived.

“You weren’t fooled?”

“Should I have been?”

“No... no. Oh my. Voladi Bagreg, you’ve always been smart, even long ago. That’s why you became an Einroguard professor.”

“Let’s return to the void spider.”

“Shall we?”

Alshicle gave up on the ill-fitting flattery and immediately returned to sharing information.

“Judging from the monster’s traits, there is a suspicion that it may have escaped back outside the dimension.”

“That is possible. Its regeneration and reproduction abilities are not ordinary, so it may have fled before the eroded dimension burned down.”

“There is also the possibility that it may target Wardanaz again.”

“Oh, now that I think about it, that’s true. It did seem fixated on him, whether because of his mana or not.”

“Do you not feel any sense of urgency?”

At Professor Voladi’s question, Alshicle was horrified.

For a moment, he anticipated the follow-up: “How can you call yourself a senior mage? Die!”

“Spare me!!!”

“?”

“No, no. That’s... you’re right. I should have felt a sense of urgency... I suppose my brain has gotten worse lately.”

“It seems so.”

“...”

...In any case, there had been no surprise attacks, assaults, or torture.

Though it had been somewhat painful mentally...

“I see. That’s a relief. Oh. You weren’t caught, were you?”

“...”

At Wardanaz’s innocent question about whether their participation in the dimensional erosion subjugation had been discovered, Alshicle struggled to manage his expression.

“Maybe...?”

“Hehe. Thank you.” 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“More importantly, did you solve the basement problem?”

“Ah. We’re planning to leave it alone for a while. It doesn’t seem like it will be resolved easily.”

Lee Han relayed the story he had heard from Professor Garcia.

“The Petroguard mages are attempting it right now, but I don’t think it will work.”

“Petroguard? Why are those eccentrics involved?”

“That is also a long story...”

“Then give me the brief version.”

“Yes. An old disciple of the Skull Principal appeared at Petroguard Magic School and is causing a commotion. I’m planning to go there with Professor Garcia and try to persuade them.”

“...”

“...”

Both mages fell silent.

Alshicle, barely recovering from the shock, opened his mouth.

“A, a little longer...”

“Huh? Wasn’t that roughly the full explanation?”

How is that an explanation?

Alshicle grumbled inwardly, but held back.

When a mage’s frightening master was nearby—especially within range—one should not carelessly provoke that master.

“Right. Have a safe trip.”

“I will accompany you.”

“!”

Alshicle was startled by Professor Voladi’s words.

Why would a mage who seemed to have the least connection to Petroguard suddenly...?

Ah. I see.

Come to think of it, Voladi Bagreg had also studied under the Skull Principal, and more importantly, was Wardanaz’s current master.

Then it made sense that Professor Voladi would want to accompany Wardanaz on his journey to persuade the Skull Principal’s former disciple.

How pitiful. To have to suffer like that because of his masters.

Alshicle looked at Wardanaz with sympathy.

To think Wardanaz had to endure such additional hardship because he had chosen the wrong masters.

If Alshicle had to meet the Skull Principal’s former disciple, he would have seriously considered fleeing.

As Lee Han walked out of the room first, Professor Voladi spoke.

“Go.”

“?”

Alshicle looked around the room.

He wondered if there was someone else there, but there was no one.

“...!!!”

Me!?

***

The Petroguard mages, who had failed to solve the basement problem and been chased away by ghosts, were in a very dejected state.

Professor Garcia tried hard to console them.

“Well, no one has been able to solve the Noenchenf problem until now!”

“That’s true, but... it still isn’t exactly not humiliating.”

No matter how positively they tried to think about it, the humiliation of being defeated in front of Einroguard students would not disappear.

“Oh, right. Would it be all right if other students came along too?”

“Huh? Um... yes. Please do.”

Dalseur hesitated, but eventually accepted.

Just because they had been embarrassed in front of Einroguard students did not mean they could prevent the students from visiting.

That would be an even more shameful act.

“Would it be all right if professors or other mages came along too?”

“Yes. Please do.”

After answering, Dalseur wondered.

But aside from Professor Garcia, is there any professor who would want to visit Petroguard?

Five minutes later.

Upon discovering Professor Voladi, Dalseur and Benjamin’s expressions turned serious, and they began whispering among themselves.

Seeing this, the students asked with worried faces.

“Professor. Are they acting like that because we’re following along?”

When they heard about Petroguard, the students at the villa had shown more interest than expected.

Of course, there were minority opinions such as, “After visiting, I think I’ll be too angry about having entered Einroguard, so I won’t go,” but most of the students wanted to visit and see it for themselves.

Professor Garcia shook Professor Garcia’s head.

“No. It is not because of that, so don’t worry.”

“Professor Garcia.”

Dalseur, having finished talking with the fellow mage, asked in a worried voice.

“Professor Bagreg accompanying us... is it for combat purposes, by any chance...”

“No! Persuasion! Professor Bagreg is coming along to persuade!”

Professor Garcia shouted desperately.

But the mages’ suspicions did not disappear easily.

...Was this really not a composition formed for subjugation?

Lee Han also helped Professor Garcia.

“Please believe us. Professor Bagreg is coming along to persuade.”

“Not to persuade with force?”

“The professor is not someone who would act so arbitrarily. ...Probably... right?”

At Lee Han’s question, Professor Voladi silently nodded.

The Petroguard mages had to accept it with faces mixed with worry, distrust, concern, and resignation.

“Understood. Then let’s depart.”

“How long does it take to get to Petroguard?”

“It is not very far from the capital right now. Even if we go slowly, we will arrive within an hour.”

Dalseur tried to forget what had happened and introduce Petroguard to the Einroguard mages.

Though the wounded pride hurt and Professor Voladi was a concern, neglecting guests from outside would be dishonorable in its own way.

Salko raised a hand and asked.

“I heard that Petroguard teaches in a different way from Einroguard.”

“That’s right. Petroguard is very free. Our mages come in when they want to learn from one another and leave when they wish. There are no professor positions either.”

“What!?”

The Einroguard students were shocked. Professor Garcia provided additional explanation from the side.

“There are mages who act as professors. They simply are not called professors.”

“Then what do you call them?”

“We simply call them Dalseur, comfortably. You may call me that too.”

“...”

All the Einroguard students were rendered speechless by the shocking cultural difference.

Someone muttered, as if imagining it.

“At Petroguard, can you say, ‘Hey, Gonadaltes!’?”

“Shh. Be quiet.”

Lee Han, who was listening from the side, suddenly became curious and asked.

“Then do you not evaluate students either?”

“That is not the case. After all, standards and evaluation are necessary.”

Thank goodness.

Not only Lee Han, but the other students also breathed sighs of relief.

If there had been another magic school like Valdrogard, where exams were given leniently, they would not have been able to suppress their anger.

“So we have students evaluate themselves. Everyone gets perfect scores.”

“...”

“...Can I go back to the villa?”

“Endure it. We have come too far.”

Lee Han was slightly worried by his friends’ intense reactions.

They had not even met the Skull Principal’s former disciple yet, and they were already like this...

They won’t cause trouble when we get there, right? Come on. My friends aren’t first-years who would get angry over something like that.

“I’m curious about something. Do Petroguard students have the freedom to go out on holidays?”

“Freedom is our principle to begin with, so naturally, not only on holidays but also on weekdays...”

“Wow! Look, there’s a wyvern-shaped cloud over there!”

Lee Han changed his mind and quickly cut off the conversation.