“Stay still!”

With that shout, Lee Han stepped forward to help Sarataan.

When he infused mana into his staff, the power was transmitted to Sarataan, whose true body was inside it. At that lifelike surge of power, Sarataan let out a sigh of relief.

Th-thank...

“Hey, you stupid bastard! Why did you lie when I asked if it was too much earlier?”

...

Lee Han poured out a fierce barrage of criticism.

No wonder the reaction had seemed strange earlier. This spirit had been putting on an empty show of bravado.

As the criticism continued to rain down relentlessly instead of ending after a single remark, the gratitude that had just welled up in Sarataan vanished completely.

What the hell is supposed to be good about that bastard?

Grumbling inwardly with a surge of irritation, Sarataan suddenly staggered.

Astonishingly, even the first shock had not fully ended yet. The remaining power in the magic circle was surging toward Sarataan again.

Kuk! ...This mirror doesn’t seem very helpful...!

“!”

Princess Yukbeltire’s eyes widened.

She wanted to refute that spirit immediately, but while concentrating on the magic, she had no leeway to do so.

To say the stone mirror isn’t helpful. That’s definitely because the spirit didn’t use it properly. It shouldn’t have met the force head-on like that, but at an angle...

“Senior. Don’t worry about this side and focus on your magic. I’ll handle it myself!”

Lee Han warned Princess Yukbeltire.

She had flinched as if she were about to stop her spell and argue back on the spot.

“Sarataan, how are you?”

Th-thank you. Some strength is coming back...

As Lee Han continuously poured mana into Sarataan, Sarataan was barely able to catch a breath.

“Can you block the next one too?”

What?

At the mage’s words, Sarataan unconsciously looked up.

As soon as the first phase ended, the process of fixing the second trial, 【Baquantalana’s Dimensional Rod】, was being prepared.

The invariability of a rod-like form that maintained its shape even within all manner of twisted and intermingled dimensions.

The essence of enchantment magic lay in somehow fixing that invariability onto objects in reality.

Princess Yukbeltire took out a thin plate made of adamantite and attempted to fix the magic to it. She looked as though she were trying to tame a violently rampaging horse.

Th-that’s a bit...

What the hell was Master thinking when he told me to use this guy?

Lee Han cursed Sarataan inwardly as he moved.

It seemed that transmitting mana to Sarataan’s essence inside the staff was not very efficient. It would be better to stay close and transmit the mana directly.

“Get in position! If you collapse even once, I’ll make sure you never come out of that staff again!”

Got it! I understand!

Lee Han positioned himself behind Sarataan and used the giant wood spirit like a stockade or shield.

As long as this wood spirit held firm properly, Lee Han would not be in danger.

With sharp creaking sounds, several split fragments of stone grazed past Lee Han’s cheek.

The magic of the dimensional rod was based on the principle of extracting the invariability created in the process of mercilessly mixing dimensions together.

Just as steel required a blacksmith to pour in fire and pressure before it could be refined, this magic was no different.

Naturally, the aftereffects flew into the surroundings.

Even though Sarataan was absorbing most of the shock, fragments riding along bent and split space splattered toward Lee Han as well.

...Ugh... urgh... uggghhh...

Still okay, right?

Looking at the spirit, who seemed to be suffering more than when it had been tortured inside the staff, Lee Han gauged Sarataan’s condition.

As expected of a wood spirit, Sarataan’s physical toughness was extraordinary. Even with storm-like power rushing in, Sarataan was still holding out.

...Of course, that was only by Lee Han’s standards. Sarataan was practically dying while being repeatedly wounded and regenerating.

It was only thanks to the mana being replenished immediately from behind that Sarataan endured at all. Otherwise, the spirit would have collapsed long ago.

“Master! Is it okay to continue like this?”

—You’re doing well, my disciple. Just continue as you are, and it will be enough.

The young prince’s voice was far too peaceful for the chaos currently tearing through the basement.

Sarataan wanted to cry out for him to step forward as he had before, but the pressure was too intense to allow even that much leeway.

—However, it would not be bad for you to manage a few places yourself, my disciple. Could you cast space-stabilization magic beneath the painting of the farmer holding straw?

“Space-stabilization magic... understood!”

Fortunately, it was magic Lee Han knew. He cast the second-circle spell and sealed off the dangerous area.

Looking ahead, he saw Princess Yukbeltire drenched in cold sweat, her already pale face even paler. It was the typical appearance of a mage casting high-level magic.

When their eyes met, Princess Yukbeltire moved her lips. Lee Han concentrated, thinking she might have something important to say.

What? Does she need help?

—My artifact is not wrong...

“...If you distract people with useless things one more time, I’ll stop all the research and everything else!”

Princess Yukbeltire flinched at Lee Han’s sharp rebuke.

As expected of Senior Diret’s junior, he was quite emotional.

“Master. What’s next?”

—Next, please move the dimensional rift beside the chest containing the specter.

“...How exactly?”

Lee Han was slightly flustered.

Since he was currently using Sarataan as a shield while replenishing the spirit’s mana and casting magic, it was difficult for him to move directly.

But even if he had been able to move, being told to move a rift would have been baffling.

How was he supposed to do that?

—You can use spatial magic, my disciple.

“Uh... understood.”

Lee Han tried to utilize the 【ore from the teleportation statue】 embedded in his staff.

The stone, obtained from a statue at school, had low-level teleportation magic cast on it.

—No, my disciple. You cannot cast it with that stone.

The young prince kindly advised him.

The magic cast on the 【ore from the teleportation statue】 was only enough to teleport small, light objects. It could not move such a rift.

Though it looked like a strand of straw floating in the air, that rift was unmistakably a phenomenon of dimensional overlap and a mass of power.

“Then...?”

—You must cast intermediate teleportation magic. Now, follow along.

The young prince taught him considerately.

The instruction came so naturally that Lee Han could not even bring himself to mention that he had not learned low-level teleportation magic yet.

—Once you master this magic, you will be able to move fairly heavy objects with ease, though living beings may be difficult.

“I, I see.”

Pl-please. Hurry up...

Sarataan barely squeezed out those words while groaning in pain.

Whatever magic lecture was happening behind Sarataan, the spirit felt as though this pain would lessen if Lee Han learned and cast the magic as quickly as possible.

“Hey. Magic is difficult, you know?”

Lee Han protested to the spirit.

Now that he thought about it, he had not even learned low-level teleportation magic yet.

Spatial and time magic was among the most difficult forms of magic across every school, and Professor Garcia knew that well, so she had not forced Lee Han to learn it.

Her judgment had been that it was enough for him to solidly build up the fundamentals of low-circle magic first.

...Of course, the fact that her disciple was already overexerting himself with magic from other schools also played a part...

But now he was being suddenly told to learn intermediate-level magic.

Wasn’t this fifth-circle?

Spatial and time magic was difficult enough that it would not be an exaggeration to evaluate it one level higher. It might as well be called fifth-circle magic.

Then... kugh... ask him to change it... urgh... to something easier...

Sarataan abandoned polite speech again and gave menacing advice.

Had Sarataan not received mana as support, the spirit would already have collapsed and disappeared. But this mage kept replenishing Sarataan’s mana, so Sarataan could not even collapse, and the pain continued.

“That’s a bit...”

Lee Han hesitated.

It was hard to spit in a smiling face, and strangely, it was difficult to say it directly in front of the young prince.

If it had been the Skull Principal, Lee Han would have said, “Are you kidding me? I’m filing a complaint,” then collapsed on the floor. But to the prince who trusted him and cheered him on so brightly, it was a little...

Damn... damn bas... then... cook it...

“Alright. Alright. Just hang in there a little longer.”

Dodging the fragments flying like whips, Lee Han soothed Sarataan.

That guy. He’s really exaggerating.

From the mere fact that the prince was not stepping in, Lee Han could tell the situation was not that serious yet.

If it had truly been dangerous, surely the prince would have stepped in.

I did learn the basics, though...

Lee Han focused while recalling the fundamentals of spatial magic he had learned from Professor Garcia and the incantation he had just heard from the prince.

At a glance, spatial movement looked like projectile-type magic, but when he thought about it...

...Its nature is actually similar to dimensional magic.

Using massive mana to crush and twist space, creating a path through which objects could move.

That was the basic principle of spatial movement.

Lee Han took a deep breath.

His experience casting miniature-world magic and other powerful spells several times helped him adapt relatively quickly.

Concentrate mana and twist space!

Crack!

One broken brick that had failed to be controlled was spatially moved to Princess Yukbeltire’s feet, shattering with a sharp sound.

Princess Yukbeltire, who had been struggling with the blocked magic, was startled and frantically waved her hands. It meant hurry up.

“...”

Thinking he should apologize later, Lee Han concentrated again.

I should reverse the direction.

Of course, since Princess Yukbeltire was also a mage, she could block spatial movement with her own great mana or notice the signs and respond first.

But right now, she was extremely exhausted and absorbed in high-level magic.

If he made a mistake, he might go down in Einroguard history as the junior who assassinated his senior.

—You’re doing well, my disciple. If you shorten the casting speed further and refine the coordinates more precisely, that should be sufficient.

“Thank you.”

Hurry... hurry up...

“I said I got it, didn’t I? Be quiet.”

After several attempts, Lee Han barely managed to move the rift.

The dimensional rift was a much more difficult target than an ordinary chest or stone. Even as he sent it away, pain throbbed in his grip and a headache came on.

“Is it done?”

—Excellent, my disciple.

Am... am I alive...?

As the pressure weakened slightly, Sarataan spoke again.

Whether it was thanks to the mage’s magic or because Sarataan had endured as much as possible, the pressure seemed to have decreased.

“Ahriman’s...”

“Third stage! It’s the third stage, Sarataan!”

Hearing Princess Yukbeltire’s incantation, Lee Han realized that his senior had cleared the obstructed part and was summoning the final magic.

At that news, Sarataan staggered. The spirit’s body still had strength left, but its will had broken.

When a spirit’s will broke, it showed outwardly as well. Sarataan’s massive body shrank and swayed like a rotten old tree.

It’s... it’s over... give up...

“What are you giving up, you bastard!”

Sarataan was startled by the blunt blow that struck from the side.

The mage, who Sarataan thought would have run away immediately, was supporting the spirit from the side while shouting.

“Hold on! We’re almost there! I’ll cast magic with you too!”

Why, why...?

In a situation like this, when a spirit collapsed, the standard response was for the mage to give up and retreat.

But this mage did not leave his position, even as he scolded Sarataan. Rather, Lee Han stepped forward and tried to shoulder the burden together.

Sarataan unconsciously looked at the young prince.

Could this be what that archmage meant by a good heart?

The spirit is weaker than I thought.

The young prince thought to himself.

He had planned to help that silver-haired mage’s magic while also teaching his disciple a few spells, but the spirit was weaker than expected, leaving him no opportunity to do much.

He had barely managed to pass on just one spatial movement spell.

No matter how long Sarataan had been confined, who could have expected this much exaggeration?

Archmage! Is this what you meant!?

—What?

A good heart! I think I understand it a little now!

—Really? That is good. Then try to hold on just a little longer.