After graduating from the grueling graduate school, Lee Han, a Korean, made a firm resolution: "I will never set foot in any place with the word 'school' in it again."
However, life doesn’t always go as planned.
After Lee Han died in an unfortunate accident, he was reborn into the Wodanaz family, a prestigious mage family in another world.
Fifteen years later, today was the day Lee Han would enroll in Einrogard, the empire's top magic school.
When Lee Han was reborn into the Wodanaz family, he was initially shocked, then curious, and eventually accepted his new reality.
Fortunately, the Wodanaz family was one of the most influential mage families in the empire.
Lee Han's father, the family head, was a remarkable figure who was even on friendly terms with the emperor.
The family estate was the epitome of wealth.
At this point, Lee Han couldn’t help but think, "Is this my reward for enduring graduate school in my past life? A life where I can live comfortably without any hardship?"
Of course, that was just a delusion.
The Wodanaz family was far from easy.
"Lee Han Wodanaz."
"Yes, Family Head."
"What is your goal?"
"......"
Lee Han hesitated.
"Can I really say 'a life of leisure'?" That didn’t seem like a good answer.
"Was that a pointless question? Well, the answer is already decided."
"Yes?"
"You must have felt your own talent by now."
"Yes?"
"You know the rules of the Wodanaz family, right? The firstborn inherits everything."
"Yes?????"
The last statement was quite shocking.
Inherits everything? Does that mean the second and third children get nothing?
"Family Head, does that mean I get nothing?"
"No, Lee Han Wodanaz."
"Thank goodness."
"The family will give you every opportunity. If you want to become a knight, we’ll bring you the best knight to learn from. If you want to become an official, we’ll arrange for you to study under the empire’s prime minister. If you want to be a merchant, we’ll give you the chance to work under the empire’s top merchant. As long as you’re part of the family, we’ll give you every opportunity you desire!"
"... Can’t you just give me that in money?"
If what he just said were converted into money, it would be an astronomical sum...
The family rules were utterly unreasonable.
"Damn it. If only I had been born earlier, I could’ve lived an easy life."
Lee Han regretted being born as the third child in the family.
The firstborn inherited everything, while the rest had to fend for themselves.
Because of this, Lee Han had to deeply consider what he should do to live well from a young age.
Official, merchant, knight, adventurer...
The only saving grace was that while the family wouldn’t pass down wealth, they would fully support their children in pursuing their goals.
The family head’s children could learn and achieve whatever they wanted.
In the end, Lee Han chose to become a mage.
"I knew it."
Lee Han’s father, the family head, was very pleased.
"You must have felt your own talent, right?"
"...??"
"I chose mage because it’s the most stable career..."
In truth, being a mage was a very safe profession.
In the empire, mages were respected by all, and it was a profession even nobles wouldn’t be ashamed of.
With skill, a mage could find work anywhere.
The knight orders needed mages, the adventurer guilds needed mages, and even the emperor’s officials needed mages...
"Go to Einrogard. There, you’ll grow by clashing with countless seeds of mages. That experience will complete you."
Einrogard was the empire’s top magic school.
As the most traditional and powerful magic school, its name carried immense weight.
Simply graduating from Einrogard guaranteed a minimum level of fame.
Of course, no one was satisfied with just that.
Achieving outstanding accomplishments at school, earning a professor’s recommendation, or building connections with other students...
Einrogard was not just the empire’s top magic school but also the empire’s top networking hub.
Even Lee Han, who had vowed never to set foot in anything resembling graduate school again, had no choice but to obediently enroll.
"Yes, I will do so."
"Alright. Let’s just endure and graduate... Think of it as an investment for the future."
The old knight, Alarron, saluted Lee Han respectfully.
"Lee Han Wodanaz."
"Thank you for escorting me this far."
"It was no trouble at all."
Alarron was a knight of the Wodanaz family.
Normally, he wouldn’t have personally escorted Lee Han, but he volunteered to accompany Lee Han from the capital to Einrogard.
It was because of his friendship with Lee Han.
"I didn’t expect you to come all this way just because I learned swordsmanship from you..."
"I didn’t come because you learned swordsmanship from me, Lee Han. I came to ensure no one disrespects the Wodanaz family name."
"Alright, whatever the reason."
Alarron spoke sternly, but Lee Han laughed.
He knew Alarron’s personality well.
Strict and serious, but deeply caring.
He had volunteered out of concern for Lee Han.
When Lee Han laughed, Alarron coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem. To be honest, I was pleased when you asked me to teach you swordsmanship."
The Wodanaz family was a mage family.
Not many chose to learn swordsmanship.
But Lee Han had two reasons for learning it.
First, he thought it would be useful someday, especially for self-defense.
Second... he was incredibly bored.
Surprisingly, the Wodanaz family didn’t teach any magic at all.
-"You can’t learn magic until you’re fifteen! It’s too dangerous!"
In this world, fifteen was roughly considered adulthood.
Magic was the most difficult and dangerous of all studies.
It made sense that it couldn’t be practiced before adulthood.
Of course, for Lee Han, who was mentally much older, it was quite frustrating...
"Look. Other noble children have also brought escorts to uphold their family’s honor."
"That’s... a bit excessive, isn’t it?"
Lee Han was dumbfounded as he watched the imperial road filled with carriages.
Bringing ten carriages and dozens of cavalry was a bit much.
The pride of nobles seemed to be about "who could show off more extravagantly," so even for a simple outing, they went all out.
But to bring such a grand procession just to drop off one child for school...
And most importantly...
"Can’t we bring escorts, servants, or slaves inside?"
"No."
Einrogard was an ancient magic school.
One of its traditions was "equality."
Whether you were royalty or a slave, you had to enter alone.
No matter how many people you brought, you had to go in by yourself.
"Some will probably wait in the nearby villages."
"... They’d go that far?"
Lee Han asked with a tired expression.
Even after 15 years in this world, there were still many aspects of noble thinking he couldn’t understand.
Once you entered that massive magic school, you might only come out once a month, if that.
Yet they were preparing to wait in nearby villages for that?
"I asked earlier, and apparently, some have already bought buildings. There are even buildings in nearby villages that have been passed down for generations just for this purpose."
"I’m not going that far, Alarron."
"We’ve already bought a modest estate, though..."
"......"
Lee Han cursed inwardly.
If they had that kind of money, they should’ve just saved it and given it to me later! It was fine to spend money on such pointless extravagance, but giving me money directly was against the family rules.
The family’s laws were utterly unreasonable.
"The capital is far, Lee Han. As a noble, you must always be prepared."
"Right. That’s reassuring."
Lee Han mounted his horse.
Some were bringing carriages, but Lee Han thought it would be simpler to just ride his horse to the main gate.
'If I wait for all those carriages to pass, the sun will set.'
"Alright, Alarron. Thanks again for escorting me."
"Not at all, Lee Han. It was an honor to serve you."
Alarron meant it.
Among the family’s bloodline, Lee Han was his favorite.
He was a serious and humble person.
"The family head also praised your talent."
"No need to make things up to make me feel better. Thanks anyway."
"No, really..."
The magic school Einrogard was located far from the capital where the imperial palace stood.
Rumor had it that the location was chosen because the land was rich in magical energy.
True to the rumors, the surrounding scenery was overwhelmingly natural.
Behind the school was an endless mountain range, and beside it flowed a vast, winding river...
Closing your eyes, you could feel the infinite natural mana in the air like a breeze.
"This... this is wrong."
"??"
Lee Han looked curiously at the boy who had spoken to him.
Here, you could tell someone’s status just by their clothes.
The boy wore a luxurious robe embroidered with silk and gold thread, with soft hands and a delicate face.
He was clearly from a noble family.
'Should I call someone?'
The boy’s face was pale, and he was trembling as if something was wrong.
Was it a magic-related issue?
"What’s wrong? Are you okay?"
"I... I..."
"Yeah, what’s the problem?"
"I can’t sleep... without my servant..."
"......"
Lee Han almost slapped him. 'This kid...' The reason was so trivial that he felt bad for worrying earlier.
But to the boy, it seemed like a very serious issue.
"Not being allowed to bring a servant is ridiculous. A servant is like my hands and feet. It’s like cutting off my hands and feet and telling me to come in!"
"Right. That’s logical."
Lee Han half-listened and brushed it off.
But the boy seemed encouraged by Lee Han’s casual response.
"Right? I should go protest."
"... What are you going to protest about?"
"That we should be allowed to bring servants! This is an injustice in the name of my family!"
"Alright, give it your best shot."
It was unlikely that a tradition upheld for thousands of years would be broken because of one boy, but Lee Han cheered him on.
First, because it wasn’t his problem, and second, because he was curious.
How would the mages of Einrogard handle this?
The boy ran off and soon returned with a dazed expression.
"?"
"I repent, I repent, I repent..."
"...!!!"
Lee Han was shocked. 'Mind magic!' The boy was muttering as if he’d been enchanted or dominated.
The magic itself wasn’t surprising—Lee Han had heard of it.
What was shocking was that the school’s mages had used such magic on a noble’s child without hesitation.
'...
The rumor that they’d bury someone in the back mountains if they died here might not be a joke.'
Lee Han felt uneasy, remembering the rumors he’d heard before coming.
-"Welcome, all, to Einrogard."
A voice, not loud but directly projected into everyone’s minds, echoed.
Boom!
At the same time, the gates of Einrogard opened.
-"Come in, you blockheads!"
The new students all frowned deeply.
It wasn’t because of the voice’s insults.
Everyone with magical talent could feel the immense pressure of the magic surrounding Einrogard.
Would it feel like trying to look at the sun with bare eyes? Or like trying to defeat a giant with bare hands?
Neigh!
The sound of horses neighing could be heard.
Some had tried to enter by carriage.
-"And I said to come in alone..."
With the voice, the carriage suddenly disappeared.
The noble girl inside screamed as she fell.
Over ten carriages vanished, and the screams of the boys and girls echoed.
-"It’s fine, blockheads! Even if you don’t follow the rules, the school will make you follow them."
"......"
A few quick-witted students, like Lee Han, realized that the school was as fearsome as the rumors said.
-"Move your butts! Enter! Enter!! Enter!!!!"
"......"
"......"
Lee Han had always been observant.
That habit had only grown stronger after coming to this world.
Everything was new and fascinating, so observing was naturally enjoyable.
And now, here were over a hundred boys and girls gathered.
Royals, nobles, knights, priests, merchants, adventurers, beggars... their attire was diverse.
And already, these boys and girls were forming groups.
For the long school life ahead, connections were essential.
"Lee Han of the Wodanaz family?"
"Right. You recognized me even without the family crest."
In line with the tradition of equality, wearing family crests on clothing was prohibited.
Of course, there were still ways to recognize people.
Lee Han himself had already spotted a few royals and nobles he’d seen before.
"I’m Yoner. Yoner Maykin."
A girl with slightly curly, shoulder-length bright red hair and soft, curved eyes stood before him.
The Maykin family.
The Maykin family was also quite a famous mage family in the empire.
The difference was that the Maykin family was more actively involved in imperial politics.
In contrast, the Wodanaz family tended to keep to themselves.
The family head often secluded himself for magical research, even ignoring the emperor’s requests...
"Nice to meet you, Yoner. What’s up?"
"His Highness the prince wants to see you."
Maykin pointed behind her.
Among the crowd, the most extravagantly dressed boy was waving at Lee Han.