Chapter 548

"No... Think about it carefully."

Perhaps sensing his disciple's sorrowful gaze, Professor Uregor began to explain.

"Right now, I'm trying to prevent the spirits from coming, not trying to make enemies with them."

Mages who knew how to command spirits were largely divided into two types.

One type was those who threatened and oppressed spirits with force to command them.

They were not the mainstream in the empire. Basically, this method had more losses than gains.

Just look at how hard dark mages tried to win the favor of fierce undead.

Nothing good came from having a bad relationship with beings from other realms.

Moreover, such notoriety was even contagious, so if one continued to associate with a notorious mage, that mage would also gain a bad reputation among spirits.

As such, those who threatened and oppressed spirits with force to command them were often active in the shadows or shades of the empire.

However, those who built friendships with spirits through conversation and made contracts were different.

These mainstream mages in the empire were relatively safe from the threats of spirits, and it was common for a good reputation built with one spirit to be conveyed to other spirits as well.

When such mages got along intimately with each other, they received more praise from spirits, making it advantageous to negotiate with even more powerful spirits...

"Professor. Professor."

"What?"

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Yi-Han asked, slightly serious.

"Are you implying that I belong to the former...?"

"No, no!"

Uregor was startled.

In fact, while speaking, he had been subtly implying it.

"You've never threatened or oppressed spirits, have you?"

"Yeah. It's okay to fight spirits fair and square, right? It was close to self-defense."

Professor Uregor naturally took a step back and spoke.

"Anyway, the important thing is that I'm trying to prevent the spirits from coming, not trying to make enemies with them."

Someone like Professor Uregor, who valued friendship with spirits, tended to respond mildly even if spirits played pranks or caused harm.

If cold spirits appeared and messed up the inside of the hut, he would just prevent them from entering?

With Professor Uregor's skill level, he could easily repel the spirits if he wanted to, but he didn't want to upset the spirits for no reason.

"...??"

Yi-Han tilted his head again.

Even after listening to the end, he couldn't understand.

"Uh... So you're saying to prevent their approach mildly so that the spirits don't get angry, right?"

"That's right."

"But what does that have to do with my contract being impossible?"

"Well, if you, Wardanaz, chase after them to make a contract, it might feel like a threat or oppression...?"

"..."

Yi-Han suddenly fell silent.

Professor Uregor felt a little sorry, thinking that the boy from the Wardanaz family was genuinely hurt.

"Hey. Don't be too sad. You don't necessarily need to be loved by spirits. Look at the principal. Even though the spirits are so disgusted by him, isn't he a great grand mage?"

"I'm not as strong as the principal."

"It won't take long..."

"Pardon?"

"No. It's nothing."

Professor Uregor, being a truly wise person, demonstrated the skill of not making an enemy out of a disciple who could become a powerful grand mage in the future.

"Yeah. You said you made a contract with a spirit last time, right?"

"Yes... I barely managed to make a contract using the sigil of a spirit with the title of Guardian of the Great Sea and Storm."

"..."

Professor Uregor regretted bringing it up.

In this situation, there was no need to bring up the sad fact that he could barely make a contract with the help of a spirit monarch.

"Something that happened once can happen again any number of times. The spirits will surely be like that too. Trust me. Wardanaz. The spirit world is an infinite place."

"Then can I try to make a contract if I see a spirit that doesn't avoid me?"

"No."

"..."

***

Professor Uregor appeased Yi-Han by doubling the food compensation, but Yi-Han kept grumbling.

"As a teacher, you're preventing your disciple's challenge."

"..."

"..."

Priestess Siana and Yonaire, who had come to help Yi-Han, exchanged glances with perplexed faces.

-Did something happen?-

-It seems he's not allowed to make contracts with spirits...-

-Why?-

-Because it would be troublesome for the professor to call them if bad rumors spread among the spirits.-

-Why would bad rumors spread among the spirits?-

-Well... Hmm... I don't know?-

Yonaire spoke and then subtly changed the subject.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't explain without saying something bad about her friend.

Bubble bubble-

"Will this be enough?"

"It's excellent."

Priestess Siana looked at Yonaire with respectful eyes.

The priests of the Flameng Order respected people who were excellent in alchemy, but among them, those who made large donations to the Flameng Order were especially more respected.

What was boiling in the pot now were eight medicinal herbs, three lumps of shaded mud, and two handfuls of coarse hair from a magical beast.

They were not trying to boil a poison to kill someone, but a soup that spirits liked.

Playful and mischievous spirits often returned without playing any particular tricks if they were fed to their fill.

"Can you call a spirit for a moment?"

Yonaire nodded and called a spirit. A spirit that looked like it was molded in the form of a flying squirrel appeared and cautiously approached the pot.

"It seems to be eating well? Yi-Han. Do you want to check too?"

In fact, there was no need to call Yi-Han's spirit, but Yonaire spoke to cheer up Yi-Han, who had become gloomy.

There was no need to make a contract with a new spirit, right?

If she reminded him of the preciousness of the spirit he had contracted with now, such thoughts might easily disappear.

"Wait."

Hearing those words, Yi-Han also took out his staff and called a spirit.

Perhaps it was Yonaire's feeling, but his face seemed to brighten slightly.

Whoosh-

A sparrow spirit made of fierce flames revealed its form in the air and looked around at the students inside the hut with intense eyes.

Yonaire and Priestess Siana looked at each other for a moment. Even without saying a word, they could understand each other's feelings.

'Now?'

"Wow! Amazing!!"

"It's such a cute sparrow spirit!!"

"Really?"

Yi-Han looked at the sparrow spirit with a slightly happy expression.

He couldn't help but be happy after going through so much trouble to make the contract.

"The little one is quite smart. Last time when I called it, I asked it to fly between the books? It flew well without burning anything at all."

"That's really amazing?"

"Totally amazing, right?"

Yi-Han spoke with satisfaction at the enthusiastic response from his two friends.

"Do you want to try some of this?"

When he pointed to the pot with the tip of his finger, the sparrow spirit nodded its head rhythmically as if it understood.

Then it flew with a thud and took a bite of the firewood under the pot, igniting the flames.

Whoosh!

The sparrow spirit returned to its original spot without resting for a moment. It felt like an iron-clad stubbornness that would not disobey any command.

"No... I meant for you to try this soup..."

The sparrow spirit was startled. It flapped its wings as if asking if it was allowed to eat such a thing.

"...Just eat some."

The sparrow spirit flew in as if it understood. After bumping its beak up and down a few times, the sparrow spirit did not get greedy and immediately returned to its original spot.

Yi-Han looked at Yonaire's flying squirrel spirit.

It was still eating with puffed cheeks, regardless of what was happening next to it.

In comparison, his sparrow spirit had no room for negligence, as if it had rolled on the battlefield for more than a decade, as if...

"It seems scared..."

"Shh."

Yonaire hurriedly poked Priestess Siana's side. Priestess Siana closed her mouth, feeling like she had made a mistake.

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

"Let's just finish the work."

"Yes!"

"Good idea!"

***

Professor Uregor's work was simple, but the wisdom contained within it was extraordinary.

Drawing simple magic circles around the hut and vegetable garden, and placing a decoction that spirits disliked along the paths where spirits might enter, and placing a decoction that spirits liked along the paths where spirits might exit.

It sounded easy, but it was something that could only be done if one knew the magic circles that could guide the movements of spirits, the decoctions that spirits disliked, and the decoctions that spirits liked.

Yonaire and Priestess Siana admired honestly and took notes.

"Amazing. I thought spirits just needed to be chased away."

"Me too. I didn't know potions could be used in this way."

Professor Uregor stroked his beard, looking pleased with the passionate attitude shown by his talented disciples in alchemy.

"Yes. In fact, an alchemist doesn't just learn during lectures, but also outside of lectures. Did you all record the production method?"

"Yes."

The dwarf professor skillfully put the decoctions into containers.

The decoction that spirits disliked in bone containers, and the decoction that spirits liked in wooden containers.

"Hmm. The quantity is a bit lacking."

Professor Uregor realized that the amount of decoction that spirits disliked was slightly insufficient.

"I'll go get some more."

"No. We've already used up all the tarrasque scales inside the hut. An excellent alchemist should know how to substitute in times like this."

At Professor Uregor's words, Yonaire and Priestess Siana's eyes sparkled.

Yi-Han drew the magic circles perfectly with a bored expression on the side, whether they did it or not, and placed the completed decoctions.

"Now. Everyone, tell me. How can we substitute?"

Tarrasque scales were an element of a being that spirits feared and found distasteful.

If there was no reagent that could give such a sense of intimidation, how could it be substituted?

"I'd like to try using fire tree cloves. Wouldn't cold spirits feel repulsed?"

"Good idea. But there are two mistakes. One is that there aren't only cold spirits. When cold spirits increase, other spirits may also come to play. The other is that the flowing water stone in here will offset that effect."

"Ah!"

"Oh no...!"

The two talented alchemists let out sighs of disappointment.

Priestess Siana pondered deeply and spoke.

"What about using acal tree leaves? Since it gives a confusing effect, the spirits..."

"Oh dear. It's a method that can be used in a hurry, but it won't work in a situation like this. The intoxicated spirits might get angry."

Professor Uregor laughed heartily and continued.

"At times like this, what's needed is an alchemist's flash of inspiration. Wardanaz. Come here for a moment."

"?"

Yi-Han, who had finished all the magic circles in the meantime, approached with a puzzled look.

"Did you call me?"

"Can you lend me a strand of your hair?"

Yi-Han plucked a hair and handed it to Professor Uregor, though he was puzzled.

Professor Uregor threw the hair into the pot. The color of the decoction changed and it was completed just like that.

"Now. Although the effect is definitely weaker than tarrasque scales, this much should be enough. Do you all understand? The method of finding what you need from your surroundings with wit?"

"..."

Yi-Han stared at the professor.

Professor Uregor, who realized belatedly after laughing heartily, cleared his throat.

"It's for education, isn't it? It's for your friends, so you're not upset, are you?"

"..."

"Alright. Alright. Take the pickle jar I put in the basement too! That's a precious one!"

***

While waiting in the vegetable garden to see if spirits would come after finishing the placement, Yi-Han tried to persuade his friends.

"I'm not particularly angry or anything. You all know, right? There's no way I would get angry over something like this."

"Uh-huh."

"Of course."

"There's no way I would get angry just because one magic I had to learn was blocked when there are so many magics to learn."

An ice squirrel appeared in the distance. Judging by the spirit energy felt, it was a cold spirit.

The squirrel-shaped spirit circled along the path of the magic circle and quickly retreated after smelling the repelling decoction.

"It's working well."

"It's working well. Thanks to you two."

Yonaire praised Yi-Han and Priestess Siana.

Hearing those words, Priestess Siana felt pressured to praise the two of them as well.

"It's actually thanks to you two. Especially Wardanaz's hair... Ah. Aah."

"..."

"..."

Although the fire in the fireplace was clearly burning vigorously, for some reason, it felt cold.

Thud-

"?"

Yonaire, who was sipping ginger tea, witnessed a bubbling form fiercely rushing from afar.

The momentum of it rushing while ignoring the installed magic circles was unusual.

'Should I stop it?! Wait, he said not to attack spirits...'

"Flash forth!"

Lightning fiercely sparked from the tip of Yi-Han's staff.

The target hit by the lightning writhed while making a painful sound. Only then, after confirming its appearance, Priestess Siana shouted.

"It's an undead!"

"What? It was an undead?"

"Yi-Han?"

"I misspoke. I meant to say I thought it was an undead."