Chapter 528

"Isn't something strange?"

Priestess Tijiling tilted her head and asked the professor.

The unusual brilliance in Yi-Han's eyes didn't disappear even after time had passed.

Professor Parsellet must have also realized that, as she looked at Yi-Han with a slightly flustered expression.

"...Are you okay?"

Yi-Han didn't answer. He just silently stared at the air as if there was something there.

Realizing that the disciple was peering into the future with enhanced divination power, Professor Parsellet muttered in a troubled voice.

"This shouldn't be happening..."

"What shouldn't be happening!?"

The voice of Priestess Tijiling, who realized the situation was unusual, became urgent.

"It should only be a few seconds, but if it's this long... The future he's seeing is also that long."

People who knew nothing thought it was easy to peek into the future, but the more experienced a divination mage was, the more cautious they were about peeking into the future.

Peeking into the future meant confirming one of the countless possibilities.

From the moment it was confirmed, that possibility was no longer a mere possibility but a strong destiny that drew in the mage.

In a way, the mage who peeked into the future became a puppet of destiny.

If one peeked at only a fragment of the future briefly and concisely, it was relatively safe, but it was a different story with enhanced divination power.

There was a high possibility of seeing a much more specific and diverse future and being bound to it.

Moreover, didn't she know from before that this disciple's divination ability was outstanding?

"Then... please cut off the divination!"

Priestess Tijiling shouted in a loud voice that couldn't be heard from her usually.

In contrast, Professor Parsellet's voice gradually became more subdued.

"The mana... is too much... external interference..."

"..."

Priestess Tijiling was puzzled by what she meant, but after desperately pondering, she succeeded in understanding.

So, was she saying that there was no suitable means to interfere because the boy from the Wardanaz family had too high external resistance?

"Then is there no other way?!"

"Other than waiting..."

"How long?! No, rather, why is the effect lasting so long?!"

"...Because his talent is too outstanding...?"

Professor Parsellet called for her other personalities to come out, but the other personalities were as quiet as a dead mouse.

The personalities who had agreed when she made the disciple drink the spring water earlier had collectively shut their mouths when a problem arose.

"Does the time usually last longer if the talent is outstanding?"

"It's almost impossible in general, so it wasn't taken into account..."

Plop-

Yi-Han, who had been staring into the air, lowered his head and then raised it.

And then he slowly opened his mouth.

"I understand."

"...???"

"Wait! I don't know what you're thinking right now, but what you're thinking right now isn't necessarily the absolute answer!"

Professor Parsellet tried to dissuade the disciple.

Usually, mages who were deeply immersed in divination thought that only the future they saw was the answer and moved with full conviction.

However, that was just one of the possibilities, and there was nothing good about falling into overconfidence...

"Professor. I already know what I have to do."

Yi-Han's voice was calm, but there was a fanatical conviction in it that couldn't be seen usually.

Professor Parsellet was frustrated.

The disciple was trying to experience the same cases that many mages had experienced before.

"Think carefully. Why are you trying not to believe the words of a mage who is more experienced and outstanding than you?"

"The professors keep deceiving us, don't they?"

"..."

Professor Parsellet honestly had nothing to say even if she had ten mouths.

"Priestess Tijiling. Let's go. There's something to do."

"Ah, yes."

The boy from the Wardanaz family usually had a strong presence, but now that he was bound to the future, he was exuding an even more intense presence.

At his tone that wouldn't allow any objection, Priestess Tijiling unconsciously straightened her posture.

***

The White Tiger Tower students actively exchanged opinions in front of the work golem.

"So, Raphael. Why can't you move this?"

"...I told you. Just because you learn dark magic doesn't mean everyone can control golems unconditionally!"

"So why are you learning dark magic if you can't control golems... Ugh."

"Stop him! Stop him!"

As the enraged Raphael grabbed his friend's collar, the White Tiger Tower students quickly rushed in and stopped the fight.

"We need to somehow make that golem move. There's too much work."

"Right. Why did we learn magic? We learned it to use it at times like this."

The duty the White Tiger Tower students were assigned this week was to clean the large warehouse on the west side of the main building.

The items stored inside happened to be large boulders used for castle walls and other construction materials, so it took too much time to clear them one by one with strength.

This was when magic was needed, but for 1st-year students, this task was too difficult to overcome with their own strength.

The most promising option seemed to be the golem they had excavated before, but even this golem was not easy to operate or control...

"Let's just call Wardanaz. We've prepared the compensation to give Wardanaz too."

"Ugh. We need to save money as the finals are approaching. If we call Wardanaz during the finals study, money will be spent again, right?"

"..."

Raphael pondered whether he should point out his friends referring to food as money or point out that they were trying to get Wardanaz's help to prepare for the final exams.

"Why isn't it working? I've put in quite a bit of mana..."

"Try amplifying it a bit more."

"What if it breaks down?"

"Would it break down from something like that? It even endured Wardanaz's mana..."

Tap tap-

Yi-Han, who arrived at the scene where the White Tiger Tower students were discussing around the golem, lightly tapped the floor with his staff.

The White Tiger Tower students were startled.

"Wa... Wardanaz!"

"What brings you here?"

"Did someone call you?"

Regardless of whether his friends were flustered or not, Yi-Han looked around and said coldly.

"Follow me."

"...?"

"????"

Yi-Han turned around without saying anything more.

At that, the White Tiger Tower students shouted in anger.

"Hey, Wardanaz! You should at least explain properly!"

"Right! If you just tell us to follow, do you think we should follow? Is that how you see us?!"

The students shouted like that and followed behind Yi-Han, who was walking ahead.

"..."

Priestess Tijiling, who was next to Yi-Han, looked at the White Tiger Tower students with a perplexed gaze.

'But they're following?'

She couldn't understand the sight of them grumbling while following.

Just looking at what they were saying, it was clearly a refusal saying they wouldn't follow...?

***

"Tutanta. Do you know why Wardanaz is doing this?"

"No. Moradi. I was going to ask you too."

The students from each tower who gathered at night talked in puzzlement.

Yi-Han had knocked on the door with a stern face and told them to follow, so they came for now, but they were curious about the reason.

Gainando, who was yawning, looked at the two leaders from the other towers and asked.

"What. You guys came without knowing too?"

"Yeah. Prince. Do you happen to know something?"

"No. I don't know either? But if you guys came without knowing too... Did you come for the same reason as me?"

"The same reason?"

Jijel asked back, not understanding what he meant.

Did Gainando mean there was another reason for coming here?

As someone close to Wardanaz, he might have heard something.

"Didn't you come because you were afraid of getting scolded by Yi-Han?"

"..."

"..."

"Ah, no?"

As the two angry friends tried to attack, Gainando hurriedly stepped back and took refuge with the Blue Dragon Tower students.

Gainando himself didn't know, but what he had just said unexpectedly hit the mark for the two people.

Originally, they weren't the type to listen to such a baseless order.

They had been overwhelmed by Yi-Han's aura, which seemed like a different person!

Realizing that fact through Gainando's remark, the two blushed with wounded pride.

"I have something to tell you for a moment."

"?"

Priestess Tijiling called the two.

The priestess spoke carefully so that the other students couldn't hear.

"Right now, Mr. Wardanaz's condition... is not normal."

"...As expected!"

"I actually knew it would be like this."

"???"

Priestess Tijiling was startled by their reactions.

"How... did you know?"

"Priestess. I have worked in a guild for a long time. I can tell if someone is normal or not just by looking at their expression."

'What does that have to do with it?'

"Priestess. I was born in a northern knight family and grew up with a blade. I can tell what state someone is in just by looking at their eyes."

'Knights had such an ability?'

Priestess Tijiling was puzzled but passed it over for now as it wasn't important.

"I see. It will be easy to talk since you two already knew."

The priestess briefly explained what state Yi-Han was in now.

Salko, who thought Wardanaz might have been possessed by a spirit or demon he had summoned incorrectly, asked in surprise.

"So right now, it's a kind of awakened state... being bound by the future he saw?"

"It's similar. He said that he is concentrating all his mind to complete the future he saw himself."

While Priestess Tijiling was speaking, Yonaire came with a gloomy face.

"I tried to make him drink a vomiting potion, but he refused."

"It won't work. Right now, if his divination power decreases, it will hinder him from completing the future. Oh, Miss Maykin. These two said they already knew."

"What? Really?"

Yonaire looked at the two in surprise.

She couldn't understand how they knew in advance.

"...We didn't know exactly, we just guessed."

"That's not important right now. So Maykin. What about trying to force-feed him the vomiting potion?"

"Is that possible...?"

Yonaire tilted her head.

Originally, he was a friend with overwhelming combat power, but now he had sharp divination on top of that.

He could notice and retaliate against any ordinary approach in advance.

"..."

Realizing that fact, the friends frowned.

"Is everyone here? Let's go."

Yi-Han looked around at his friends and turned around.

Then, a White Tiger Tower student sneakily looked around and tried to crawl into the bushes on all fours.

'I can't spend the remaining time working!'

Thwack!

Yi-Han shot a water orb without even looking back and subdued his friend.

Everyone was shocked by that overwhelming sight.

'There's no opening...!'

'His casting time is much faster than usual!?'

It was suffocating that the guy who was already monstrously strong had become even stronger.

"...Could it be that Wardanaz saw a future that would benefit all of us?"

Salko opened his mouth to somehow find a positive aspect.

Jijel was slightly swayed by those words.

Certainly, although Wardanaz was a bit crazy, he wasn't a petty guy who would play shallow tricks to benefit himself.

Could he really be moving towards a future that would benefit all the students?

"Wait. This place is..."

"Could it be...?"

The students who followed behind Yi-Han and entered the main building felt something was off.

The 2nd floor of the main building, the warehouse, the connected corridor...?

-Welcome, challengers.-

The huge statue was walking towards the students as if welcoming them.

The powerful statue that had subdued Yi-Han and his friends in an instant last time.

At the appearance of that statue, the students froze.

***

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"What is that?"

The students who didn't know the identity of the statue didn't guard against its approach and let their guard down.

Pat!

Then the statue instantly teleported the student's staff and moved it into its grasp.

"...?!?!?"

"Wh-what is this?!"

Even the students who didn't know much about magic seemed to have sensed the strength of the statue.

There was such a statue?

"Don't back down."

Yi-Han spoke in an emotionless voice.

"That enemy is not a fearsome enemy. It's an enemy we can sufficiently defeat."

"Wardanaz, I'm more scared of you right now..."

The friends were torn between whether the statue in front of them was scarier or Wardanaz behind them was scarier.

"Advance!"

Yi-Han shouted and pushed his friends from behind, advancing together with them.

Today, he would break this statue and seize the secret hidden behind it!