"Can we forget the misunderstandings between us and work together for a better future?"
"Dream on. I’d rather see the school collapse first," one of the White Tiger Tower students retorted.
Ihan thought that wasn’t such a bad idea either.
"Out of all people, you’re the one talking about cooperation, Wodanaz!"
To some of the White Tiger Tower students, Ihan was already the embodiment of an evil archmage.
"Because of you taking the flag, we lost our chance to get a good grade in this <Basic Magical Ethics> class!"
"That seems like a misunderstanding. It’s not like an F is confirmed yet," Ihan tried to reason with them logically.
If he could logically explain why cooperation would benefit both sides, maybe even those stubborn knights would listen.
"Of course, there’s a 95% chance it’s an F!"
"Haha! Haha! An F! An F!"
"......"
Of course, there was no guarantee that the Blue Dragon Tower students would be of any help.
Asan and Gainando tried to step in to support Ihan, but they shrunk back under his murderous glare.
‘Did... did we do something wrong?’
‘We were just trying to help...’
"Think about it. The headmaster created this <Basic Magical Ethics> class for the sake of our education. Do you really think he’d give us an F just because we messed up one assignment?"
Of course, Ihan thought it was possible, but he didn’t let it show.
"On the contrary, giving up just because of one mistake is what would earn us an F. If we work hard from now on, we can all get an A by the end of the semester. Plus, think about the off-campus privileges. Do you know how amazing the outside world is? I’ve been there once. It’s like heaven."
‘Except for the headmaster’s traps.’
"No need to wake up early on a hard bed, and you can eat whatever you want. Think about it."
The White Tiger Tower students couldn’t deny that they were being drawn in, even if they tried to ignore it.
Some were already considering, ‘Should we cooperate just this once?’
But things didn’t go so smoothly.
Giselle stepped forward and spoke up.
"Well, do you really think so?"
"Moradi, I know you hold a grudge against me, but my sincerity..."
Ihan tried to sow discord, but it wasn’t easy.
Giselle’s neutral yet sharp aura had a different level of influence on the White Tiger Tower students.
As soon as she spoke, their attention was fully focused on her.
"Has anything ever gone well when we got involved with Wodanaz?"
"Moradi, you sent your lackeys to ambush me. Don’t be fooled. Moradi is..."
"What about the friends who ended up in the detention room because of Wodanaz?"
"That’s a misunderstanding. The headmaster was the one who caught them."
"And who was it that attacked the lounge last time?"
"That was also the headmaster’s doing..."
Ihan tried his best to defend himself, but the mood had already shifted.
Thud—Yoner grabbed Ihan’s shoulder and shook his head.
It meant there was no more hope.
‘Damn it.’
Pretending to be virtuous had its limits, given the things Ihan had done.
He sighed.
Was there no other way?
"Derku, come here."
"?"
Derku, the honorable orc from the Choi family, moved to approach when Ihan called.
"Derku, don’t go."
"Right, something feels off."
Despite his friends’ warnings, Derku replied as if he didn’t understand what they were saying.
"Ihan isn’t that kind of person."
"......"
Isn’t he?
Ignoring his friends’ pleas, Derku walked over.
"I’m here, Ihan. What’s the matter?"
As Derku got closer, Ihan grabbed him and shouted fiercely.
"If you don’t cooperate, I can’t guarantee Derku’s life. I’ll drag him to the lake, use him, and then throw him to the bottom!"
"... That guy is serious!!!"
The White Tiger Tower students were horrified.
Finally, that Wodanaz guy had shown his true colors!
Derku looked confused but soon realized the situation.
‘Ihan is trying to mediate between the two towers.’
"Save me, please."
"Derku!!"
As Derku spoke with a pitiful and sorrowful expression, some White Tiger Tower students felt their hearts breaking.
Raphael rushed forward and shouted.
"Stop it, you Wodanaz scum! We’ll cooperate! We’ll cooperate, so let Derku go!!"
"Right, we’ll cooperate, so let Derku go!!"
The White Tiger Tower students shouted in unison.
"On your honor?"
"On our honor!"
"Fine, I’ll let him go. But be careful from now on."
Ihan released Derku.
Giselle stared at Ihan with a look of shock, as if he were a madman.
"If you had just agreed to cooperate from the start, it would’ve been easier for everyone."
"You... you’re more evil than I am, Wodanaz. You should be proud. I’ve never met anyone like you."
"That’s just your opinion."
Ihan retorted sharply and turned his head away.
Gainando nodded, then stopped when he met Ihan’s gaze.
"Wait, are you...?"
"Ah, no! I was just stretching my neck!"
In the <Basic Magical Ethics> class, a troublesome assignment had been given, but Ihan and his friends couldn’t focus on it.
Not because of the cooperation with the White Tiger Tower students, but...
"So, when are you planning to strike, Ihan of the Wodanaz family?"
"I’m still thinking about it."
At Ihan’s words, Yoner whispered curiously beside him.
"But why are you speaking formally to Priestess Siana? You didn’t before."
"... Did I?"
Ihan finally realized.
He had been unconsciously overwhelmed by Priestess Siana’s madness.
To be fair, it wasn’t Ihan’s fault.
Anyone would be a little overwhelmed if someone said, ‘We need potions, so let’s raid the professor’s lab.’
"What’s wrong, you two?"
"Haha, it’s nothing... no, really, it’s nothing."
Yoner defended Ihan, perhaps sensing a bit of his inner thoughts.
"The Flaming Sect often goes to great lengths for alchemy."
‘Yoner isn’t very good at promoting the sect.’
But right now, the important thing wasn’t Priestess Siana or the Flaming Sect’s madness.
The real question was when to strike.
If they opened the lab door and found Professor Thunderstep sitting inside, they’d probably have nightmares for a month.
‘The timing would naturally be between evening and night.
But the day is the problem.
Should we do it on a weekday? Or wait for the weekend?’
Ihan didn’t know Professor Thunderstep’s exact schedule.
They’d met at the cabin, but he had no idea what the professor did the rest of the time.
If he casually asked, he’d probably be marked as a suspect...
"Wodanaz, you don’t need to come to the cabin today."
Professor Lightningstep, who had come down to teach the <Basic Mount Training> class, spoke to Ihan.
Ihan had been learning various training techniques to tame flying mounts after finishing his chores at the cabin.
"Is something going on?"
"I’m planning to take my nephew to the market. There’s something I need to buy."
"Ah, I see."
Ihan kept his expression neutral and made sure his voice didn’t sound awkward.
"When are you leaving?"
"After class this afternoon. We’ll probably be back by tomorrow. Sorry for leaving you out."
Professor Lightningstep genuinely felt bad.
Honestly, he thought he should take a hardworking student like Ihan along.
The boy worked like an ox...
"It’s fine, Professor. The school rules are equal for everyone."
"Did Gonaldates threaten you? Anyway, I’ll bring you some beer candy when I get back."
Dwarves had a peculiar taste in snacks, but Ihan didn’t point it out.
He’d be grateful for anything.
And...
‘Tonight!’
The opportunity had come suddenly.
Ihan gathered his friends and whispered secretly.
"Tonight."
"...!"
"Tonight...!"
His friends were shocked by the sudden plan, but no one backed out.
"Actually, this is good. We can rest easy over the weekend."
"Tonight... I’ve been waiting for this."
Asan extended his hand with a solemn expression and said,
"For a semester free of assignments."
"For a semester free of assignments!"
"...?"
Ihan was puzzled.
When did you guys come up with that slogan?
"Stop talking and get to your positions. You’ve all been working hard to bond with the horses, right? Some of you have been feeding and grooming them since dawn, while others just woke up late and gave them a quick pat."
Gainando flinched.
"I’m not going to say anything. This school takes students to the water, but it doesn’t force them to drink. You have to figure it out yourselves."
‘It feels like they’re throwing us into the water first...’
"Are we riding the horses today?"
One of the students asked nervously.
They weren’t close enough to the horses yet to perform complex riding techniques.
"No. It would take a whole semester of dedication to get that close. Today, we’ll learn how to deal with other monsters."
Professor Lightningstep put his fingers to his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.
A flaming puppy came bounding out from behind, its fiery body crackling.
The students, who had only seen crazy creatures so far, couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
But Ihan was tense.
In this magic school, the cuter something looked, the more dangerous it might be.
Though the scary-looking ones weren’t exactly safe either...
"Those of you who thought it was cute just now are all disqualified. Before you call it cute, you should’ve noticed the flames. Half of you would die if this puppy charged at you."
The flaming puppy panted and rolled around.
Professor Lightningstep scratched its belly approvingly.
"Magicians are generally good at handling elements, but that’s only true for those who’ve survived various accidents. Why do people in the empire think magicians are good with elements? It’s because the stupid ones die before anyone hears about them. Too many magicians have died trying to tame fire-attribute monsters to even list their names."
The students unconsciously took a step back, putting several meters between themselves and the creature.
"Today, we’ll learn how to handle fire-attribute monsters. Be thankful it’s just a puppy. If it were a horse, you’d have to worry about being trampled before you even caught fire. Wodanaz."
The top disciple was always the first to step forward in situations like this.
Ihan suppressed a sigh and walked forward.
"You’ll demonstrate. Drink this."
Professor Lightningstep tossed him a fire-resistance potion.
Ihan felt a little relieved.
‘At least I’m not touching it bare-handed.’
If the professor had heard that thought, he’d have been furious. ‘What do you take me for?!’
Ihan drank the potion, feeling his throat burn as if he’d swallowed strong liquor.
A slightly acrid smell rose as he breathed.
"Finished? Good. Now try to bond with that puppy for as long as possible."
"How long does the potion last?"
"That’s for you to figure out."
"......"
Ihan paused.
‘So, I have to sense the danger and get out in time?’
This was training to hone a magician’s intuition toward danger, not just relying on elemental resistance spells or potions.
It wasn’t easy to convince himself of that.
‘Damn it.
The last one always seems to have the advantage.’
If he timed it based on the others’ potion durations, he’d have the upper hand!
Ihan focused.
He raised his mana to a state of alert, ready to cast a spell at any moment.
Then, with a gentle smile, he approached the puppy.
The flaming puppy let out a frightened whimper.
"Don’t scare it!!"
"What did I even do...?"