Chapter 51

Chapter 51: "Cough. That student over there, come to my workshop during break time." "????" Professor Mortum coughed and spoke to Gainando.

Gainando's face turned as if he had been slapped.

Why? What did I do wrong? Could it be that he has some grudge against the imperial family???

"And that student over there too."

Professor Mortum also pointed at Ihan.

Unlike Gainando, Ihan wasn't as shocked.

He had already been seriously considering black magic as one of his options for managing his grades.

However, the students of the Blue Dragon Tower interpreted it differently.

"Gainando, you jerk! Because of you, Wodanaz is getting dragged into this too!" "Can't you just die alone like an idiot?!" "Hurry up and say you'll go alone!" They misunderstood that Ihan was being forcibly dragged along because he was close to Gainando.

The students were furious.

There were a few things Ihan needed to take responsibility for, but why drag him along like a drowning ghost?

"Y-you guys... I'm definitely not going alone! I'll take you all with me!" Gainando snapped at his friends' scolding.

"Take it back!" "No!" "Take it back, I said!" "Everyone, Professor Mortum has already left."

Professor Garcia looked at the Blue Dragon Tower students with a pitiful expression.

A mage's workshop was, in simple terms, a kind of laboratory.

It was a place where the mage's disciples, driven by their interest in the mage's chosen subject, would spend 25 hours a day tirelessly conducting experiments and explorations.

Of course, if you put it that way, it sounded like a hellish place where people would be worn down and torn apart—and that was exactly what it was.

Depending on the mage, the workshop could vary greatly, but life as a disciple under a mage was inevitably harsh.

Ihan had heard quite a few stories about mage disciples studying in workshops back when he was still with his family.

"Long, long ago, there was a disciple who studied magic under a mage. This disciple would wake up in the morning, polish his staff, prepare reagents for experiments according to alchemical secrets, adjust the amount of mana to be infused into the magic circle, and then go out to collect the necessary materials before lunch. This disciple was smart, so he would grab a quick lunch while out and about, saving time so he could quickly move on to the next task. So then..."

"Wait, does this story end with the disciple killing the mage and taking over the workshop?"

"Young master, what kind of nonsense are you talking about? Of course, the ending is that the disciple, after studying hard, becomes a great mage."

"......"

In any world, there was no paradise for those who studied.

But fortunately, Ihan didn't need to worry about that right now.

He was still a first-year! Since he hadn't yet decided which professor to study under, there was no reason for anyone to be afraid.

If a professor seemed crazy, he could just quietly walk away.

"Sniff sniff..."

"Are you really crying?" Ihan was taken aback.

Gainando's eyes were genuinely red.

"What did I do wrong... Why would he call me to such a gloomy and remote place..."

"It's not necessarily because you did something wrong, right?" "Then what else could it be?! Huh! He must be twisted like a black magic practitioner and called us here to torment us!"

The two were now heading to the location Professor Mortum had indicated.

And to Ihan, the location of Professor Mortum's workshop seemed a bit problematic.

'Isn't it too eerie?' The path grew increasingly desolate and quiet, the sound of the wind grew stronger, and it even seemed like ghostly whispers were coming from the forest beside the road...

They even passed a few graveyards.

Of course, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

Black magic fundamentally required dark-attribute mana, and if you wanted to study undead, you'd need corpses too...

Given those conditions, it was inevitable that the place would feel this sinister.

'But if he complains about why freshmen don't come here, that would be downright shameless...'

In the distance, they could see Professor Mortum's workshop, also known as the <Dark Abode>.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary four-story tower, but it was common knowledge that mages' buildings couldn't be judged by their appearance alone.

And there were already a few hints near the tower.

Broken skulls and bones scattered about.

Crudely carved tombstones.

A box of poison bottles with a sign that read <Caution!!! Touch and Die!!!>.

It was easy to guess what kind of experiments and research went on in this workshop.

Gainando's face had already turned as pale as an undead from the atmosphere.

"Anyone here?" Creak— The door opened on its own when they knocked.

Ihan and Gainando stepped inside.

Gainando trembled and tried to grab onto Ihan's sleeve, but Ihan brushed him off with an annoyed expression.

Gainando looked utterly betrayed.

"Cough, cough... You're here."

The inside of the workshop was filled with black and blue smoke, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

Professor Mortum's voice came from within the smoke.

"Diret. Guide the freshmen, will you?" "Are you in your right mind, Professor? The headmaster said upperclassmen shouldn't interact with first-years."

"Ah. Right. Cough. Annoying... Can't you just secretly ignore that?" "I just got out of detention, you know? You want me to go back?" "Not detention, the punishment room... Cough. Fine. Stay put."

Professor Mortum waved his staff, and the smoke was swept away.

The interior came into view.

It was surprisingly neat.

Perhaps it had been tidied up to lure in freshmen...

Tables, chairs, and bookshelves.

It had the atmosphere of a library.

'...

Wait.

Isn't that all made of bones?' Ihan realized belatedly and was horrified.

The furniture was entirely made of bones.

Of course, for a black mage skilled in bone summoning, making furniture out of bones was a cost-effective choice.

It was just a bit grotesque.

Gainando, oblivious to the fact that the furniture was made of bones, cautiously sat down on a chair.

Professor Mortum tried his best to put on a kind expression and spoke.

"Cough. You must already know why I called you here, right?" "I haven't done anything wrong, Professor!" "I called you both because I think you have exceptional talent in black magic. Wait, what did you just say?" "Nothing."

Gainando shut his mouth.

This wasn't what he had expected.

'He thinks I have talent in black magic?' "Ihan, did he just say I have talent in black magic?" "I have ears too. I was standing right next to you, so I heard."

"Ah... What do I do? I'm not interested in black magic. He says I have talent? Ah... What do I do?" "......"

Ihan couldn't help but marvel at Gainando's shallow mind.

How could someone be so easily swayed?

Professor Mortum rubbed his hands together and pulled out a few candies from somewhere.

The candies were wrapped in paper with skull designs.

"Have some while you listen. Now, since you both have such talent in black magic, I thought it would be good for you to hear directly how wonderful black magic is. There are many misconceptions about black magic, but they're truly misunderstandings. Cough, cough. Black magic is the most beautiful and profound field of magic."

"......"

Gainando looked half-entranced, but Ihan listened with a bit of pity.

It was a story he had heard many times before.

Popular professors were arrogant and aloof.

"You want to study under me? I'll consider it after seeing your talent."

But where there were popular fields, there were also unpopular ones.

Professors of unpopular fields were downright pitiful.

"The advantage of our department is... there's nowhere lower to go." "......"

"If you think about it, the only way is up, right?" "......"

Professor Mortum's words carried the typical sorrow of an unpopular field professor.

Seeing someone who couldn't even coax students well handing out candies and speaking like that...

"... So, black magic is the magic of magics, the king of magic. Do you understand?" "I'm interested in black magic now!!" "I didn't know black magic was such a great magic."

At Gainando and Ihan's responses, Professor Mortum's face lit up with a smile.

"Ah, should I learn black magic? I didn't know I had such talent. But black magic has that kind of image... Still, if it's necessary... Ah, but still..."

Ignoring Gainando, who was humming excitedly beside him, Ihan looked over the gift Professor Mortum had given them.

The professor had given the two students who responded positively a carefully wrapped gift. ...

It was an unidentified bone.

"What is this?" "When you get back to your room, look at this bone. It will remind you of black magic."

"No... What is it?" "Hehe. Cough, cough."

Professor Mortum wiped under his nose with a shy expression, as if he couldn't take away the joy of discovering this secret from the student.

Of course, from Ihan's perspective, it was a rather creepy gift.

What kind of bone is this? 'Is there magic in it?' Ihan's first guess was that it was a simple artifact containing magic.

He had already been tricked once by a book the headmaster gave him in the punishment room.

Maybe it was a trend among the professors of this magic school to sneakily gift students artifacts containing magic without explanation.

Like giving a sweet gift to a lover on an anniversary... 'That's a horrifying analogy, even if I thought of it myself.' Ihan decided he would have to study it later.

"Ihan. Ihan."

"What?" "If I start learning black magic, you won't tell Meikin, right?" Ihan understood what Gainando was thinking.

Gainando had been teased by Yonell for learning alchemy.

If he started learning black magic, how much more would he be teased? Ihan smiled and replied, "Of course not." 'I'll tell her right away.'

Elf swordsman Professor Ingeldel taught basic swordsmanship and basic physical training.

And these were classes mainly attended by students of the White Tiger Tower.

In such classes, Ihan, the sole representative of the Blue Dragon Tower, stood out very, very much.

However, the atmosphere was a bit different from the last swordsmanship class.

In the last class, everyone had been itching to pick a fight with Ihan, but this time, everyone avoided making eye contact with him.

If they messed with him, they'd be crushed! 'This is comfortable.' Ihan thought his outburst had been a good idea.

Sometimes, you had to act out to make life easier.

Of course, such outbursts didn't lower the difficulty of the class.

"Everyone, keep running without stopping. Don't stop! It's important to use all your muscles, but don't forget to feel the mana through your breathing. If you keep circulating mana through your body, you'll be able to use your muscles much more efficiently."

Mages used mana for magic, but swordsmen used it for their bodies.

Mana, flowing like a river through the body, prevented fatigue and provided defense against external toxins. ...

Of course, just saying that didn't mean the young freshmen could do it.

Everyone was just panting and running, mana and circulation be damned.

"Professor, I have a question."

"What is it?" Professor Ingeldel welcomed Ihan's question.

What could he be asking? "I'm planning to go into the mountains to gather materials this time. Do you have any advice for me...?" "Hmm. It would be best if you didn't go." "......"

"Really, it would be best if you didn't go."

At Professor Ingeldel's serious advice, Ihan grew uneasy.