“What do you mean, basement?”

Professor Garcia asked in confusion.

‘Did he already connect the basement with spatial magic?’

It was magic that would be difficult to implement at Lee Han’s current level, but the disciple before her had always possessed an excellent talent for letting his guard down and advancing the curriculum on his own.

It would not be strange at all if he had secretly connected the subspace and the basement without Professor Garcia knowing.

“Ah. About that.”

Lee Han denounced the mad mage Noenchenf in a voice full of dissatisfaction.

Because of Noenchenf’s obsession with some strange magic, even completely unrelated junior mages were suffering like this.

Professor Garcia was surprised after hearing the explanation.

“So it wasn’t something Lee Han intended!”

“...Yes?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

When her disciple glared at her with suspicious eyes, Professor Garcia hastily changed the subject.

“Then, Lee Han. Wouldn’t it be better to destroy the villa’s basement after all...”

“!”

Lee Han looked at Professor Garcia in disbelief.

How could Professor Garcia, not Professor Voladi Bagreg, suggest such a violence-dependent solution?

—Well. My disciple. From what I can see, that ghost seems to be staying in the gap between dimensions.

The young prince in the painting reacted negatively to Professor Garcia’s solution.

Looking at Lee Han’s current state, it would not be easy to bother him by possessing his soul or cursing him.

Then the most likely method was that the ghost was wandering through the dimensional gaps and being drawn out whenever Lee Han cast spatial magic.

Since spatial magic was fundamentally deeply connected to multiple dimensions, if it was a ghost wandering between dimensions, such a phenomenon was entirely possible.

“B-but, Principal. Destroying the basement solved all the problems in the other mansions.”

—However, the owners of those mansions did not experience the same problem as my disciple here, did they?

The young prince calmly persuaded Professor Garcia.

Since the owners of the other mansions had not been chosen by the ghost, destroying just the basement solved all their problems.

However, in Lee Han’s current case, the ghost was wandering through dimensional gaps and being pulled out.

Even destroying the basement would likely not solve the problem.

“But... Lee Han didn’t do anything, and yet he could still be chosen by a ghost... Actually, that is possible.”

“...”

Lee Han looked at Professor Garcia as if dumbfounded.

What?!

“Ah, no. Weren’t you going to deny it? Why are you suddenly convincing yourself...”

“He could be chosen.”

—That is possible.

When even Professor Voladi Bagreg and the young prince chimed in, Lee Han suddenly felt lonely.

Being alone among archmages made it hard for an ordinary mage to keep up.

“Then, Principal. What method would be best?”

—I think the basement is fine? Please hang me in the basement.

“...Yes? Uh, shouldn’t we solve this?”

—It is not a problem that can be solved immediately. If it is an unsolvable disaster, making use of that power is not a bad idea. Come now. Hurry.

The young prince urged Lee Han on.

Lee Han reluctantly stretched out his arm and hung the painting on the basement wall. The ghost’s bewildered voice echoed from inside the backpack.

—What... painting...

—Ah. So you are that ghost. Nice to meet you. Would it be all right if I borrowed this place for a moment?

The ghost’s answer was not particularly important.

The prince in the painting moved on his own. After grasping the spatial distortion in the basement, he seized control with his own power.

—My disciple. Can you hear me?

“Ah. Yes. I haven’t closed it yet.”

—While I am here, you will not need to worry too much about it.

Originally, this mage ghost’s plan had been to implement a space with infinite possibilities in the basement.

When that plan failed and the space fell into uncontrollable chaos, it had begun appearing throughout the Empire like this.

That spatial labyrinth was difficult for Lee Han to solve at his current level, but the phenomenon of being transported to the original basement existing within the labyrinth because of the ghost could be used separately.

It might be called an uncontrollable curse, but if it could be controlled, would it not become a kind of subspace warehouse?

—There. Now my disciple can visit whenever he wishes.

—No... then... the magic... when...

The ghost seemed to realize something was strange even in his state of lost reason.

They were not solving the magic he had asked to be solved. They were using this basement as a warehouse?

—Shh. Be quiet.

The young prince folded up the ghost and locked him inside a basement box.

From that merciless sight, Lee Han could once again sense whose younger days this was.

***

After the knight disappeared, Bunaljo and the Einroguard students resumed their work in another location.

When the work was roughly finished, Bunaljo praised them quite happily.

These Einroguard students all had more talent than expected.

“Hmm. Pretty good.”

“Thank you.”

“Priest. If it’s all right, how about trying to sell this painting? Nobles will be visiting on the weekend, so I’d like to propose it then.”

At Bunaljo’s suggestion to Priest Tiziling, Gainando’s eyes lit up as he asked,

“What about me? How’s mine?”

“Ah. Gainando. Yours...”

Gainando felt his heart race.

Already, in his head, he seemed to hear the voice shouting at the Empire’s noble auction house: “The work of noble Prince Gainando, <My Cool Undead Summon Walking Out of the Poison Swamp>, has been sold for 1,800 Imperial gold coins!”

‘If it sells like that, I’ll spend one-third on Mage Cards, one-third on snacks, and one-third on a gift for Lee Han. With what’s left, I’ll buy gifts for my friends.’

As Gainando was doing Einroguard-style calculations, Bunaljo’s words reached his ears.

“...I don’t think it will sell.”

“What?! Why?! How come?!”

Bunaljo showed a troubled expression for the first time today.

He did not want to hurt the feelings of this budding young artist.

“Well, you see. The nobles who come to buy artwork are conservative and traditional people...”

Most people who came to Petrogard to buy artwork preferred normally good pieces.

While Petrogard mages might exclaim, “Finally, you’ve opened your eyes to a new realm!” at extraordinarily creative and brilliant works, ordinary people would react with, “Hang this in my mansion? I wouldn’t even want it in my stable.”

“The priest’s painting here naturally appeals to Shisenza Order members, and even non-members would feel pious looking at it.”

Befitting a priest, Priest Tiziling’s painting conveyed piety and faith.

Of course, true to her Einroguard origins, the depiction of hungry people somewhat resembled Einroguard students, but no one would notice that.

“Isn’t my painting cool too?!”

“It’s cool, it’s cool, but I don’t think anyone would want to hang an evil undead summon on their wall... unless they’re a dark mage...”

Raphaedel, who was listening nearby, looked disgusted.

“Even dark mages don’t hang paintings like that. Do you think dark mages are lunatics?”

Dark mages also drank warm tea and enjoyed beautiful paintings at home. They did not drink poison and blood.

Yonair casually asked,

“Can’t we change the title and sell it? To <Beautiful Moon Spirit Swimming in the Night Pond>...”

“How can you say such a thing?! Are, are you still an artist after that?!”

“I’m not an artist, though.”

Yonair was about to hit her cousin, but held back after remembering that they were from different schools.

Despite having picked up a brush for the first time today, he was acting like some master.

“Gainando. I understand your feelings.”

Bunaljo grabbed Gainando’s shoulder and consoled him.

“Even if those idiots from the Empire don’t recognize you, there’s no need to waver. Yes. I’ll recommend this painting to the people who visit here.”

“Bu... Bunaljo!”

“It’s nothing. I’m sure there will be at least one person who recognizes the value of this painting.”

‘I doubt it.’

‘What kind of lunatic would buy that?’

‘Even Professor Mortum probably wouldn’t buy it.’

The Einroguard students all had similar thoughts, but did not voice them.

Meanwhile, Lee Han, the professors, and the red-haired knight walked out from the opposite side.

Bunaljo was startled and tried to flee, but the Einroguard students gestured that it was all right.

“No. It’s fine.”

“What do you mean, it’s fine?! That’s the knight who went berserk earlier!”

“There’s a professor behind him.”

“Ah.”

Bunaljo breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing Professor Garcia standing behind the knight was certainly reassuring.

“Truly reliable. Did you say that person’s name was Professor Garcia Kim?”

“Huh? No. I was talking about Professor Bagreg next to him. Professor Garcia can’t even kill a bug.”

“...Are you mocking me?!”

While they were chattering, Lee Han’s group arrived.

Ram, the knight of House Garihi, apologized honestly.

“I’m sorry. I temporarily lost my reason and caused trouble.”

“!”

The Einroguard students whispered among themselves at the knight’s attitude, which was quite different from what they had expected.

“Maybe Professor Garcia used her fists too?”

“Maybe...”

They had expected Professor Voladi Bagreg to subdue him, but for his attitude to change like that, they wondered if Professor Garcia had needed to step in as well.

“Hmph. Even so, causing such a disturbance in the sacred territory of a magic school. And you still call yourself a knight?”

Bunaljo did not let it slide easily.

An outsider, and a knight at that, had come and caused trouble. As a Petrogard student, this was not something he could easily overlook.

The Einroguard friends, who had become somewhat close to him, also expressed their agreement.

“That’s right. For a knight, not even a mage, to cause trouble here...”

“This knight requested a portrait of the deceased, but the Petrogard mage broke his promise and ran away, so he came looking for him.”

Lee Han quickly explained before his friends fell into an irreversible situation.

His friends immediately changed their attitude.

“How could someone do such a thing?”

“Bunaljo! I’m disappointed!”

“Professor Verdus would do something like that... but are you on the same level as Professor Verdus?!”

“Ah, no... Strictly speaking, he’s not a Petrogard mage...”

Cornered, Bunaljo frantically made excuses.

He had no idea the Great Artist had circumstances like that.

“...I’m sorry. I was rude without knowing such things...”

“No. I was in the wrong. I caused trouble for mages who must take responsibility for the Empire’s future. Was there any damage to the artwork? If there was, I’ll compensate you.”

“It’s, it’s fine. Everything is perfectly intact! Would you perhaps like to take one?”

Ram smiled brightly and said,

“When it’s completed, I’ll purchase it at a fair price.”

After finishing his words, the knight looked at Gainando’s painting once more with interest.

“It’s still an intense painting when I look at it again.”

“...Gasp. Are you perhaps interested? Really?”

Gainando was ready to sell it for even a single gold coin. The market price had dropped considerably in the meantime.

“No. It’s fine. I think the servants would be scared.”

“...If you hang it in the stables, at least...”

“I think the horses would be scared too.”

“At the main gate...”

“Stop it, you fool.”

His friends, unable to watch any longer, dragged Gainando away.

Lee Han slightly regretted not simply insisting to the end that he was a Valdrogard student.

“Still, it’s fortunate that the knight seems to have calmed down. I still had many things to ask the Artist.”

“...Huh?”

Lee Han paused at Bunaljo’s words.

Did he still not know that the Great Artist had fled?

Flustered, Lee Han looked at Professor Garcia and whispered,

“Do you think he’ll come back?”

“No... He got all the inspiration he needed from you, Lee Han, so he probably went somewhere else...”

That was right!

Lee Han nodded in understanding.

‘I must keep the reason for his disappearance absolutely secret.’

He did not want to be listed alongside Professor Verdus on the Petrogard students’ list of hated mages.