“...What on earth is happening?!”

The two professors, who had used the breath to drive the Demigod Hamster back into the black prison and completely reverse-summon it, found themselves bewildered by an unexpected sight.

The dragon was crying so loudly it seemed as though the ground might cave in.

Waaaaaaaaaah!

“Y-Your Majesty. What’s wrong?”

Lee Han is dying! This... this isn’t the kind of adventure Jowrin wanted...!

Jowrin sobbed so hard she could barely speak.

The adventures she had heard about in fairy tales and legends were always stories of brave heroes defeating enemies alongside excellent companions.

They had never been about watching helplessly while one’s contractor collapsed.

If this was what adventure was like, Jowrin would ban adventures throughout the Empire.

“What are you talking about...? He’s just asleep.”

Professor Garcia checked Lee Han’s condition and spoke calmly.

“Professor Bagreg?”

“That’s right.”

“Yes. He only seems to have collapsed from exhaustion.”

Despite the two professors’ reassurance, the dragon, whose suspicions had grown considerably of late, refused to believe them.

How can Jowrin trust that you aren’t trying to deceive or pacify her?!

“...Has someone been deceiving Your Majesty recently? No, never mind. Check for yourself. He really is fine.”

Jowrin hesitantly checked, following Professor Garcia’s words.

She had been too frightened to look properly before, but his pulse was indeed steady.

Then... then why did he collapse? Was it because Jowrin used too much breath?!

“No. That probably isn’t the reason.”

Professor Garcia, who knew Lee Han’s mana capacity well, immediately denied it.

Jowrin had helped him use breath before. There was no reason he would suddenly be unable to withstand it now.

But... but Jowrin used more than last time.

“Even so, it would not have made much difference, Your Majesty.”

...

At Professor Garcia’s answer, suspicion took root inside Jowrin.

Perhaps this professor was actually cold-hearted enough not to care even when a disciple collapsed while coughing blood.

‘Come to think of it, Lee Han also said all the professors were cold and heartless!’

“He most likely collapsed because he had already overused magic before arriving here. Magical power aside, human concentration has limits.”

“He used Lightning Transfiguration.”

“Pardon?”

Professor Garcia tilted in confusion at Professor Boladi’s words.

Then Professor Boladi began one of those unusually long explanations occasionally heard in the professors’ common room, so unlike the professor’s usual manner.

This power, derived from the authority of the Spirit King known by the aliases Thunder General and Thunder King, was originally called Flash Thunder Transfiguration, and the boy of House Wardanaz—

‘I shouldn’t have asked.’

Professor Garcia deeply regretted it.

There was already plenty to clean up, and there was no reason to be listening to this right now.

However, Professor Garcia was the youngest among the Einroguard professors.

That meant Professor Garcia had once been a disciple under the other professors.

And the hierarchy between professor and disciple, once established, was a law more powerful than most curses or oaths.

Professor Garcia grumbled inwardly but did not dare interrupt, and listened attentively.

Fortunately, the subject itself was interesting.

“Wait. You recommended that?!”

“I did not recommend it.”

“O-of course. I see.”

Professor Garcia quietly grew suspicious, just like the dragon nearby.

Had Professor Boladi really not recommended it?

“Ahem. I understand that Student Lee Han has recently taken an interest in Lightning Transfiguration, but that does not necessarily prove he used it just now, does it?”

Still, as his teacher, Professor Garcia subtly took Lee Han’s side.

Even without resorting to something as reckless as Lightning Transfiguration, Student Lee Han was perfectly capable of collapsing from overwork.

Just looking at what he usually did was enough proof.

Professor Boladi extended a hand and pointed behind them.

Lightning imbued with thought and concept could be seen piercing through where the Demigod Hamster had been, leaving traces across the rock wall.

“...Indeed.”

When... when will Lee Han wake up?

“He’ll wake once he recovers a little. You don’t need to worry.”

Professor Garcia administered simple first aid.

A large amount of mana strengthened a mage’s homeostasis in proportion to that power.

And this disciple possessed so much mana that “a large amount” barely described it, so recovery was fast even in situations like this.

There did not seem to be much cause for concern.

“Right. Let’s finish sealing the rest before the other black prisons open.”

Professor Boladi nodded.

The Death Knights also expressed agreement.

One open black prison had already caused this much chaos. None of them wanted to imagine how troublesome things would become if more opened.

Jowrin has a question.

“What are you curious about?”

Professor Garcia answered kindly.

The tender-hearted dragon seemed to have suffered a severe shock today, and Professor Garcia felt sorry for her.

Whatever Jowrin asked, Professor Garcia intended to answer gently.

Why aren’t the other professors coming?

“...”

-...

Professor Garcia and the Death Knights fell silent at the same time.

Professor Boladi opened his mouth.

“That is—”

“I-I’ll answer!”

***

“!”

Lee Han, who had woken after a deep sleep, was startled by the sight of a huge dragon crouched beside him and dozing.

“Your Majesty!”

Huh!?

“What happened to the continent? Has it already been conquered by the demigods...”

Waaaah! Lee Han has become strange!

Jowrin wailed again, unable to understand the situation.

She mistakenly thought Lee Han was hallucinating from pain and fatigue.

‘So it hasn’t happened yet.’

Only belatedly grasping the situation, Lee Han checked Einroguard’s main building below the mountain range.

It was peaceful as usual.

There was an explosion on the eleventh floor, and giant tentacles were spilling out of a fourth-floor window, but if that was all...

‘It’s fine.’

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I was mistaken. Einroguard wasn’t attacked while I was unconscious, right?”

Yeah...

After receiving confirmation, Lee Han breathed a sigh of relief. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

As expected, the two professors were incredible.

Somehow, they had prevented the summoning of the demigod army.

“Student Lee Han. Are you awake?”

“Professor!”

The sight of the two professors returning had never seemed more majestic.

Lee Han greeted them with genuine respect.

“You professors saved the continent!”

“I-I don’t think it was quite that dramatic.”

Professor Garcia sounded slightly embarrassed.

Of course, if they had failed to stop it, things might have grown somewhat larger in scale.

Still, being told they had saved the continent over this was rather awkward.

“Good work.”

“Thank you. Have all the demigod legions been eliminated?”

“No. We only sealed them.”

Professor Garcia shook Professor Garcia’s head and explained.

The insane duplicate had used the brief time after making up his mind with terrifying efficiency.

He had repeatedly cast 【Black Emperor】, then attempted to contract the demigods inside and bring them out one by one.

Of course, that kind of magic required immense power.

The insane duplicate had planned to summon only the first demigod with his own magic, then use that demigod’s power to summon the rest.

Fortunately, after they stopped the first demigod, they were able to quickly seal the remaining 【Black Emperors】 before anything else emerged.

“We blocked the first demigod and sealed the rest before they could come out, so it should be fine for now. Reverse-summoning something like that is not easy either.”

【Black Emperor】 ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) itself was an extremely powerful spell.

Reverse-summoning it without causing severe damage to the surroundings was no simple task.

Even for Einroguard professors, it was not something two people could accomplish on the spot.

“Did you meet the projection?”

“Yes. We saw him. We also met the Yaksha King. He seemed remarkably wise.”

Professor Garcia spoke favorably of the Yaksha King.

Beings from other dimensions were often eccentric or unpredictable by nature.

The more powerful they were, the truer that became.

Yet despite having enough power to seal the insane duplicate, the Yaksha King never lost dignity or courtesy when dealing with mortals.

He was truly rare.

“It’s fortunate that Student Lee Han made a contract with such a person.”

“...I-I see.”

Lee Han wanted to complain that the Yaksha King was the reason he had been forced to make an unnecessary contract with the stars, but he held back.

Now was not the time.

“Would it be possible to restore the principal’s projection to normal?”

“Hmm.”

When Lee Han asked carefully, Professor Garcia looked troubled.

“It will not be easy. Unlike 【Black Emperor】, he is an outstanding archmage himself...”

The seal currently being maintained by the Yaksha King looked simple on the surface, but it was actually an extremely advanced spell.

And not merely one spell, but dozens layered together.

Holding down an archmage like the insane duplicate was like playing simultaneous matches against dozens of chess masters.

A single mistake would hand the initiative to the opponent.

One of the spells used by the Yaksha King overlapped the caster’s own existence information with the enemy’s, preventing the target from acting.

It was a powerful seal, but that also made outside interference difficult.

Any attack might harm the Yaksha King instead, or interfere with the seal and release the insane duplicate.

“So resolving it through an attack would be difficult, Student Lee Han.”

“Huh? Weren’t we talking about restoring him to normal? Why attack him?”

Lee Han looked puzzled.

He had asked whether there was a way to restore the insane duplicate, not whether there was a way to eliminate him by force.

Professor Garcia hesitated at his reaction.

“...I just thought Student Lee Han might be curious! Haha! Hahaha!”

“???”

Lee Han did not quite understand why Professor Garcia was acting like that, but nodded for the moment.

Hiding the embarrassment of having mistaken Lee Han for someone as combat-obsessed as Professor Boladi, Professor Garcia continued.

“So I’m thinking of researching spirit-link magic together with Professor Bagreg.”

“!”

Lee Han was surprised to hear the name of a magic he recognized.

‘Come to think of it, since they met the Yaksha King, they must have heard about it.’

Now that he thought about it, that talkative king would never have stayed silent.

The Yaksha King must have advised them on the most effective method for the current situation.

That was why the two professors had decided to research 【Gonadaltes’s Spirit Link】 as quickly as possible.

“I may not be much help, but I’ll assist as well.”

“Really? Student Lee Han, you must already be tired.”

Professor Garcia was secretly pleased, though it did not show outwardly.

According to what the Yaksha King had said, there was a high chance Lee Han would be necessary for this solution.

Not in terms of magical theory, but because his status as the insane duplicate’s disciple would likely play a major role.

The persuasive force would be completely different between a total outsider using 【Gonadaltes’s Spirit Link】 and a disciple using it.

“That may be true... but this is partly my responsibility too.”

Lee Han spoke with half-resignation.

He had already become far too entangled with the insane duplicate to simply leave everything to the two professors and ignore it.

Who knew when someone might come to kidnap him again?

“...”

“Professor Bagreg?”

Professor Garcia looked puzzled at Professor Boladi, who had been silently lost in thought throughout the entire conversation.

Wasn’t this the time to praise such an exemplary disciple?

“Ah. Sorry. I was thinking.”

“About what?”

Professor Boladi slowly explained.

There had originally been a midterm exam prepared.

Given the special circumstances, the question was whether to acknowledge today’s events as the midterm exam and move on, or not.

“...”

Professor Garcia was dumbfounded.

‘Does Professor Bagreg not have a human heart??’

This disciple, only a second-year student, had single-handedly stopped the awakening of demigods!

“I think you can acknowledge it.”

“But he must have had high expectations.”

Professor Garcia turned to look at Lee Han.

Lee Han shook his head slightly.

“Ignore the student’s opinion, Professor! We are the professors.”

“Hmm. I find Professor Garcia’s thinking somewhat difficult to agree with.”

After thoroughly getting on Professor Garcia’s nerves for no reason whatsoever, Professor Boladi finally agreed to skip the midterm exam.