Chapter 588

And the transformation magic final exam wasn't very difficult.

"Professor. I have a question. I clearly tried to transform into Sharakan's front paw, but I keep transforming into a dragon-type."

"It's because you have a lot of mana. There aren't many forms that can withstand it. It will get better as you keep doing it."

Experience was quite important in transformation magic.

From maintaining the form to finding a form that suited one's constitution, everything became much easier as experience accumulated.

Especially for a student like Yi-Han, who had an abnormally large amount of mana, even more experience would be necessary.

"There's no need to be impatient."

Professor Yonramo knew well that Yi-Han was also taking other school's magic classes.

In such a situation, being able to perform transformation magic well enough to get a perfect score on the final exam was already an amazing feat.

In fact, rather than being quite amazing, it was insanely amazing...

Anyway, there was no reason to be impatient anywhere.

"Yes. I understand."

When the professor said that, Yi-Han nodded in agreement.

'I guess it improves as I keep doing it.'

However, to Professor Yonramo's eyes, Yi-Han seemed somewhat disappointed.

The anecdotes about Yi-Han that he had heard from other professors had planted a preconception in Professor Yonramo's subconscious.

When he had a statue-like face with an expressionless look, the viewer had no choice but to interpret it from their own perspective.

'Hmm.'

Professor Yonramo thought about what advice to give so that this 1st-year student wouldn't do anything reckless until the next semester.

"Do you have the grimoire <From Caterpillar to Dragon> that you received last time?"

"Ah. Yes."

Yi-Han had received an enthusiastic welcome at the last meeting of transformation mages.

How popular was he that he even received a family grimoire?

"I think it would be good to study that during the break. It's quite a good grimoire."

Yi-Han's eyes briefly wavered.

The professor suddenly gave him an additional assignment after the final exam was over.

Why?

'Did I do something wrong? I got a perfect score though?'

Right now, other students taking transformation magic were chirping like sparrows and leaving the lecture hall.

He didn't understand well why only Yi-Han had to receive an additional assignment.

"How much do I have to study?"

"How much?"

Professor Yonramo pondered.

Yi-Han would probably be busy during the winter break, so he didn't want to give him too much of a burden.

"As much as you can?"

"...!"

Yi-Han was greatly shocked.

As much as he could.

Wasn't it essentially telling him to do as much as possible with his best effort!

'Is transforming into a dragon-type that much of a problem?!'

***

The Blue Dragon Tower students, who had set up a tent in front of the Immortal Phoenix Tower, lit a fire, and gathered under it to study, sighed.

As it started snowing again, they really didn't want to study.

"Should we move to the library?"

"We moved 30 minutes ago."

"If we move again, we might be able to study well."

Gainando, who was doodling, asked in confusion.

"Yi-Han. Can the sum of the interior angles of a triangle be 190°?"

"...How on earth did you calculate that?"

The <Geometry and Arithmetic> exam was a mandatory lecture that no one could avoid, and its difficulty level made everyone's bodies twist, except for a few special students.

Yi-Han put down the Suoktan grimoire he was diligently working hard on and checked Gainando's calculation.

Gainando, who realized it belatedly, spoke in a voice full of betrayal.

"Yi-... Yi-Han is studying for another lecture!!"

"What!?"

"How could this happen!"

The Blue Dragon Tower students were greatly shocked.

Of course, they knew that Wardanaz was also the top student in this lecture, but to show such confidence that he was preparing for another exam even before this exam?

Even Asan and Adenart were shocked.

They were also doing a final check just in case.

"Yi-Han, you don't understand my feelings! How can someone who is confident enough not to prepare separately before the exam understand my feelings!"

Gainando, who didn't want to study and felt like he got caught, clung to him.

Other students who also didn't want to study shouted along.

"That's right! Wardanaz, you don't understand our feelings!"

"Why does he have to understand such a thing?"

Yonaire asked in puzzlement, but her voice was drowned out by her friends' voices.

"Guarantee more snacks and break time...!"

"No. I already took the final exam, so I'm studying something else."

Yi-Han said while sealing Gainando's mouth.

At those words, his friends all burst into laughter.

It was a joke that even made Adenart smile.

Asan laughed for a while, wiped his tears, and said.

"Still, Wardanaz. Saying that you took the final exam first is... Wait, it doesn't seem like a joke."

Asan was startled to see that Yi-Han's face was 100% serious.

Huh?

It's not a joke??

"I took this first because I was told to help design the <Pocket Knife Fortress> for the final exam."

Yi-Han showed his friends the basic blueprint of the <Pocket Knife Fortress>.

Seeing the complex intertwined fortress and the arrangement of artifacts, his friends' faces turned as pale as if they had seen the skull principal. Adenart quickly lowered the corners of her mouth and managed her expression as if she hadn't laughed.

"Anyone want to do this together instead?"

"..."

"..."

"Guys?"

His friends all lowered their heads and started calculating numbers diligently.

Seeing them quiet like that, Yi-Han was satisfied and started doing the grimoire again.

'I guess I don't need to give out additional snacks.'

***

Kilvedek was once an adventurer, and sometimes a con artist, but now he had buried it all in the past and was living as an honest general store owner.

It was all thanks to the townsfolk.

The townsfolks of this town had warmly welcomed Kilvedek, who was just an outsider.

So Kilvedek also tried to do business honestly to repay that kindness.

Of course, he did scam people outside the town a bit, but he definitely acted honestly towards the townsfolk.

It was the same for the other two adventurer brothers, Doig and Gido.

These two brothers were also warmly welcomed by the townsfolk, and to repay that kindness, they didn't steal the townsfolk's livestock even while herding sheep. They only stole livestock owned by people outside the town.

The pastoral life they had forgotten restored their souls. Every morning when they met at the town entrance, the three former adventurers smiled gently.

-May the glory of Bildochkal be with you.-

-May Bildochkal no longer have to take care of you.-

Their souls were so restored that they could even talk about the terrible things they experienced at the crazy magic academy during drinking sessions.

In Gido's case, after drinking about three bottles of strong wine, he even said things like 'That incident might have been lucky.'

Of course, it wasn't easy to say such things after waking up from a hangover.

Not only because of the hangover but also because it was a truly terrible memory.

Being kidnapped by a monster-like mage, dragged to a magic academy, receiving terrible threats, and having to fight a pale young mage.

And even being attacked by that young mage more terribly than the threats they received.

Since they quit being adventurers and settled in the town, there was no need to explain how terrible it was.

-Still, it's a relief not to get involved with mages...-

-Do you know a person named Kilvedek here? He's a general store owner. Recently, he sold a magic-less copper mirror, claiming it had magic.-

-I, I don't know who that is.-

Kilvedek was startled by the appearance of the stranger who suddenly appeared, breaking the peace of the town, with his entire body deeply covered in a robe.

Although he didn't know who it was, Kilvedek's intuition from his long experience was warning him that the stranger was very dangerous.

It wasn't simply because the stranger's stature was large and unwavering like a trained knight.

It also wasn't because he knew the fact that Kilvedek had recently lied to an outsider and sold a magic-less copper mirror, claiming it had magic.

Rather, a more instinctive sense was screaming that it was dangerous.

This stranger was dangerous!

-Haha. Actually, I asked that question knowing you were Kilvedek. When you've been dead for a long time, such childish pranks are quite enjoyable.-

-...!!-

The moment Kilvedek turned his body to run away, the stranger's arm suddenly stretched.

As the arm made of darkness tightly wrapped around Kilvedek, he collapsed in an instant.

-Before paying for your sins according to imperial law, do some volunteer work.-

-...!!-

-Wh-what the... save me...-

-Shh. You guys aren't in a position to confidently ask to be saved either.-

The stranger said, scattering a blue chill from inside the robe.

-You're the Doig and Gido brothers, right? The two brothers who recently stole two horses and one cow?-

-Eek!-

As Gido tried to take out a club, the stranger snatched it and smashed Gido's head.

Doig was so terrified by that combat power that he raised both hands.

-I surrender!-

However, the stranger also smashed Doig's head. Then he tightly tied the three of them and loaded them on the back of a horse.

-Let's go!-

When the three former adventurers woke up, they were already inside a moving carriage.

Inside the carriage, people in various outfits were murmuring and chatting.

"Hey, where did you come from?"

"Wh-what?"

"Are you deaf or something? I asked where you came from and what you were doing."

"Ge-general store owner."

"General store owner? Did you scam while being a general store owner?"

At Kilvedek's words, some people in the carriage sneered.

When criminals gathered, the rank was determined by how heinous the quality of the crime was.

A general store owner scammer was the lowest of the low among petty criminals.

"I used to be an adventurer. Then I retired."

"Is there anyone here who wasn't an adventurer or mercenary? If you can hold a club and crawl out of the town gate, you're an adventurer or mercenary."

-Hey. It's noisy.-

A voice came from outside the carriage.

Then the criminals who were chatting vigorously flinched.

Kilvedek guessed that they had been punished several times even before he woke up.

They were excessively afraid of the existence outside.

"Wh-where do you think they're taking us?"

"I don't know either. Damn it. Maybe we're being sold as experimental subjects to a dark mage."

"We could also be sold as slaves."

"Which area was short on slave hunters recently? I heard there were no slave hunters willing to go to the north because of the severe storms."

"Damn it. Anything is fine, just don't let us become experimental subjects for dark mages."

The criminals tried to comfort each other by exchanging information.

At that moment, Kilvedek, who saw outside the carriage window, let out an ear-splitting scream.

"No!!! No!!!! It can't be!!!!"

"???"

"What's wrong with that guy?"

"Stop him! Cover his mouth! We'll be punished together!"

Even though the criminals were murmuring, Kilvedek didn't care and tried to open the carriage door to escape.

"You stupid bastard! If the carriage door could be opened, we would have gone out! Stop! Do you want to die together!"

"Move! I have to get out! We're going to Einroguard right now... Mmph!!!"

The criminals subdued Kilvedek and covered his mouth.

Fortunately, the stranger outside didn't come in.

"Ei-Einroguard? Isn't that the den of mages?"

"I, I know it's not that dangerous of a place. They're not illegal mages, right?"

"Then why are they taking criminals like us?"

"..."

A moment of silence.

Kilvedek exerted monstrous strength to push away the criminals and ran to the door again.

"I'm going out!!"

"Stop that crazy bastard!!"

The remaining criminals trembled in fear.

Just what kind of place was Einroguard for that guy to act like that?

***

"Hello. Mr. Orifulas."

Yi-Han politely greeted Orifulas, a demon who had been serving as an imperial legal officer for 131 years.

-I'm fine, thank you.-

Orifulas greeted cheerfully.

"May I ask about the content of today's final exam?"

-It's not difficult. It's an exam to distinguish between good and evil people of the empire.-

Yi-Han and the students, who heard a detailed explanation, were amazed.

"Did they bring a lot of guests from outside?"

"How did they bring the evil people?"

"Maybe among the people they brought, there are some who are playing the role of evil?"