Lee Han genuinely left to turn in his assignment.

Since he had barely managed to complete it by borrowing the power of an evil mage criminal, the result felt far too precious to waste.

Naturally, however, the mage-criminal hamster beside him found that line of thinking utterly insane.

-...You’re seriously going to submit this while that tyrant is still trapped in the workshop??

“Not submitting it won’t suddenly make Master regain his sanity.”

-...

The hamster trapped within the cage realized there was no point arguing further.

‘From now on, whenever newly famous mage criminals brag about how crazy they are, I’m going to bury them alive...’

Newly notorious mage criminals often exaggerated their madness to leave a strong impression on senior criminals.

But in the hamster’s eyes, that was nothing more than pathetic posing.

True madness had to seep out naturally, quietly, and deeply.

The kind that made your fur stand on end!

“What’s wrong with you?”

-...Nothing.

“More importantly, what do you think about the King of the yachas recommending 【Gonadaltes’ Decline】?”

-What do I think?

The hamster squeaked in confusion.

Even a mage criminal like the hamster had no objections to the King of the yachas’ power or judgment.

If 【Gonadaltes’ Decline】 was the best option in the current situation, then it probably was.

“Don’t you have any advice? Things to watch out for, points to focus on...”

-Hmm.

The hamster stroked its whiskers thoughtfully, then suddenly noticed something strange.

Why was this guy asking him?

-Why are you asking me? Don’t tell me you think I’m your master or something.

Now that he thought about it, it really was absurd.

If Lee Han wanted advice, he should have asked the insane duplicate, not him.

This bastard who had never once helped after turning him into a hamster and trapping him in a cage.

‘Though he did give me grapes.’

“Ah, come on. Why are you acting like this? We need to cooperate if we want to overcome this crisis quickly. Master has to regain his senses for us to escape, but in his current tyrant state, he can’t even undo the magic himself.”

Like a true disciple of a tyrant, Lee Han instantly identified the hamster’s weak point and stabbed directly into it.

Originally, the hamster’s plan had been simple.

Temporarily banish the insane duplicate, then escape during the gap after the binding magic weakened.

But not only had the insane duplicate failed to disappear, it had instead become even more violent in its reversed state. There was no chance the binding magic would weaken now.

Even worse, if things continued like this, the King of the yachas would eventually be forced back and reverse-summoned, leaving the insane duplicate in complete control.

And if that happened, the disciple would at least remain useful as a subordinate commander.

The hamster, however, would probably end up sacrificed.

‘From now on, whenever new mage criminals brag about how evil they are, I’ll twist their arms and legs backward...’

The hamster looked at Lee Han, who had unknowingly raised the standards of mage criminals yet again, and asked:

-And a guy who understands all that is wasting time doing this? Don’t tell me you’re planning to finish all your remaining exams before dealing with the tyrant.

“If I submit this one, I’ll basically be finished with everything. I already took most of them early.”

-...

‘From now on, whenever new mage criminals brag about their planning ability, I’ll sew their mouths shut.’

***

While Lee Han was away submitting his assignment, Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi Bagreg began discussing magic seriously.

“【Gonadaltes’ Decline】 is truly peculiar magic. I looked into the records, and apparently it was once used offensively in ancient times.”

“That’s correct. Unfortunately.”

“Aren’t you interested in it, Professor?”

Professor Voladi Bagreg slowly shook his head.

As a battle mage who had already established his own theories and experience, he was extremely selective when it came to learning new magic.

“It is unsuitable for combat.”

During the Three Kingdoms period, dark mages had adapted the spell for offensive use, but in Professor Voladi Bagreg’s opinion, the efficiency was poor.

The spell had originally been created to bring another person’s decline upon oneself.

There were limits to how effectively such magic could be weaponized.

“That’s true. And the conditions are absurdly demanding... What do you think about what that person said?”

Naturally, “that person” referred to the King of the yachas.

Lee Han would probably have called him ‘that bastard’ or ‘that son of a bitch,’ but Professor Garcia viewed the extradimensional being with sincere respect.

Beings willing to involve themselves so deeply in matters unrelated to them simply because of a personal connection were exceedingly rare.

“He is probably correct.”

“Hmm. I suppose so.”

Professor Garcia groaned quietly.

The reason the two professors were troubled was simple.

In truth, when the King of the yachas had suggested decline magic as the solution, he had strongly recommended Lee Han specifically.

It had not been an offhand comment.

***

-Hmm. In my opinion, Osu’s disciple would be the best choice to cast it.

-Professor Bagreg and I should still be capable of learning the spell itself, shouldn’t we?

-Learning the spell is not the issue. The essence of this magic does not lie in merely casting it.

The King of the yachas explained the spell to the extent of his knowledge.

Simple pain, injuries, or curses could be transferred simply by learning the technique itself.

Those were concepts ordinary mages already understood well enough.

But if what needed to be transferred was an archmage’s lingering obsession from youth, the matter became entirely different.

If the caster did not truly understand it—

Or worse, mistakenly believed they understood it while grasping only the surface—

-Osu will not willingly surrender it.

The two professors shuddered as they realized what those words implied.

Now that they heard the explanation, the task sounded far more difficult than expected.

If ordinary Einroguard students heard this, they would probably shout, “What kind of nonsense is that?”

But magic was always easiest when it consisted purely of theory, calculations, and diagrams.

The moment souls, emotions, beliefs, and intentions entered the equation, even the greatest mages could no longer succeed through skill alone.

To deeply understand the Skull Principal’s beliefs from his youth in order to cast the spell properly—

How was that supposed to be possible?

-Can’t we just kill him?

-Hmm. Judging from your personality, you seem extraordinarily destructive and combative. You must serve as the captain of this territory’s guards. But unfortunately, that will not work.

-...

Professor Garcia, embarrassed after blurting out the comment thoughtlessly, quietly shut her mouth.

Professor Voladi Bagreg listened in silence before speaking.

-I will attempt to understand the Principal. Wake him.

-Hmm. Are you close with Osu, by any chance?

-Uh... well... that... we are somewhat close...

Professor Garcia hesitated.

Compared to the other professors, Professor Voladi Bagreg certainly had a considerable friendship with the Skull Principal.

But could that really be called close?

-I understand. I will wake him briefly. Be careful, everyone.

The King of the yachas awakened the insane duplicate, who had remained suspended in unconsciousness.

The moment the insane duplicate opened his eyes, he spoke coldly.

“Have you come to surrender, King of the yachas?”

-No. This mage claims he wishes to understand you.

“Get lost.”

The insane duplicate immediately shut down his consciousness again.

He was conserving his strength until the King of the yachas’ power inevitably faded.

-It failed.

Professor Voladi Bagreg showed no reaction whatsoever.

Professor Garcia felt awkward on his behalf and hurriedly tried to comfort him.

-P-Professor, that was because the Principal was still young back then. If it were the current Principal, he would have listened!

-That may be true. Present-day Osu is strongly bound by honor. He is less dismissive toward outsiders. In any case, would it not be better to entrust this matter to Osu’s disciple?

-Umm... perhaps the King of the yachas does not fully understand, but student Lee Han is still relatively inexperienced as a mage.

-Hmm. Certainly, that mage displayed enough talent to contract with a guest star previously... The reason you are objecting so strongly now—could it be because you are projecting your younger self onto your disciple and becoming overprotective?

-N-no! What are you talking about?!

-Hmm. Your reaction only strengthens my suspicion. In any case, I still recommend leaving this matter to Osu’s disciple. Guide him naturally without mentioning this conversation directly. If he learns about it, he may feel unnecessary pressure.

***

“Still... maybe I could somehow understand him?”

Professor Voladi Bagreg shook his head once more.

Professor Garcia had hoped to extract only the necessary information from Lee Han and cast the Yeongnak magic herself.

But the bond between master and disciple was not something outsiders could easily imitate.

Why could Lee Han accept Professor Voladi Bagreg’s teachings when most Einroguard students failed?

Because he trusted his master.

The insane duplicate would likely be no different.

“Ugh...”

As Professor Voladi Bagreg continued rejecting the idea, Professor Garcia groaned.

After agonizing over the problem for a long while, she finally asked in resignation:

“Fine. If student Lee Han truly has to do this himself, how exactly are we supposed to help him understand? Honestly, following the thought process of the Principal’s duplicate is not easy.”

It was difficult enough simply trying to comprehend the mentality of someone who wanted to personally conquer and control the world because suffering displeased him.

If Lee Han immediately understood it perfectly, Professor Garcia suspected she would start looking at him very differently afterward.

“I have been considering it carefully. In the end, the best solution still appears to be time magic.”

“Time magic... Ah!”

At first, Professor Garcia simply looked puzzled that Professor Voladi Bagreg had brought up his specialty.

Then realization struck.

Time magic was not limited to manipulating the present.

Observing fragments of the past also belonged to that domain.

Few things aided understanding more effectively than firsthand experience. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

And fortunately, Professor Garcia happened to possess an artifact perfectly suited for the situation.

“With 【Kairos’s Scepter】, we can directly witness and experience the past. The professor and I can accompany student Lee Han and support him.”

“...Professor Garcia as well?”

Professor Voladi Bagreg looked at her with visible concern.

Regretting that she had neglected ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ combat training for so long, Professor Garcia raised her voice defensively.

“If we prepare thoroughly beforehand, everything will be fine! As long as we prepare properly, we can handle things even if combat breaks out!”

Professor Voladi Bagreg still hesitated.

Professor Garcia was gentle by nature.

The sort of person who could not even kill an insect.

Experiencing the past directly was essentially no different from entering another dimension.

If battle became unavoidable, hesitation could prove fatal.

After thinking it over for a while, Professor Voladi Bagreg finally nodded.

It seemed reasonable to entrust Professor Garcia’s protection to his disciple.

“Thank you, Professor!”

“No. I should be the one thanking you.”

***

-Perfect score! Perfect score, student Lee Han! Truly incredible! Though there is one thing I’m curious about...

-Gasp. Is something wrong?

-No, no! Nothing at all, student Lee Han! I’m simply curious why your writing style sounds so archaic. It genuinely reads like the speech of an elderly person. The assignment itself was supposed to be fairly casual. Did you perhaps use an old dictionary instead of a recently published one?

-...

After receiving a perfect score and returning to the professors, Lee Han continued grumbling bitterly.

“How do you even interpret it like that?”

-...

Completely irritated, the hamster crawled deep into its cage and buried itself beneath the sawdust.