Of course, Lee Han did not release the hamster.

The hamster, trapped in the cage, could only pray that Gonadaltes would show mercy to his disciple.

I wondered how you had handled that rampage so well. So you mastered the Lesser World.

The Skull Principal clacked his bones instead of clicking his tongue, making his displeasure plain.

It was not that he was displeased by Lee Han mastering the Lesser World. That was worthy of praise.

What displeased him was that Lee Han had mastered it only to use it for espionage.

The crown was not inherited for that purpose, nor was it offered up in sacrifice for that. And you. You damned hamster. Were you egging him on from the side?

-?!

The hamster felt his heart drop.

He might have been a magical criminal who had mocked Gonadaltes outside his domain, but when he actually faced an archmage who bent the world according to his will, the sheer pressure overwhelmed him and left him unable to speak.

-Wh-what do you mean...

That fellow tried to kill himself, and the chief attendant is not the sort to stop his master. That leaves only you to have told him how to endure it! Making him withstand the world’s tribulation with a mage’s body, Lesser World or not. Let’s see how this ends.

The Skull Principal’s deduction was sharp.

In that brief moment, he had clearly identified the culprit.

No matter how much Lee Han had mastered the Lesser World and drunk the wine of wisdom, the absolute breadth of his magical knowledge was still lacking. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

There was only one rat bastard nearby who could have supplied what he lacked.

Unable to watch any longer, Lee Han defended him.

“Don’t be too harsh on the hamster. I was the one who asked.”

Hmph. You must have been deceived by that magical criminal. Those tongues of theirs are that cunning. Did I not warn you? Have you already forgotten?

The Skull Principal was being unreasonable.

Of course, the principal knew perfectly well that his disciple was not naive enough to fall for a magical criminal’s tongue.

However, when a situation displeased him, the one he already hated became even more hateful.

That was exactly the case with the hamster.

I can see right through your scheme, Bat-anaz. You plan to keep that projection alive and squeeze more magic out of it. That is exactly the sort of person you are.

No, absolutely not.

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

To think an archmage would attempt such petty provocation?

-Is... is that true?

The hamster asked with a shocked squeak.

If Lee Han was truly doing all this for such a purpose, then this boy from House Wardanaz was a magical monster who far surpassed even him.

“Be quiet before I throw you out front.”

Squeak squeak...

The hamster quietly shut his mouth.

But you are wrong. I usually respect my disciple’s freedom, but that projection is too dangerous. I will teach you magic myself, so step aside.

The Skull Principal spoke benevolently.

Lee Han ignored him and spoke to the insane duplicate behind him.

“You do not believe that provocation, do you? Who would go through this much trouble just to learn one more spell?”

“Step aside.”

“...No! Are you really going to make an excuse on the same level as the hamster’s?!”

Though his disciple was furious, the insane duplicate answered without concern.

“I was not listening to that nonsense in the first place. The match has been decided. The defeated have the fate of the defeated. Even if it is tragic, it must not be defied.”

“The front is already troublesome enough. Does Master have to act like this too?”

Lee Han gritted his teeth.

At a moment when even help might not have been enough, he was being thoroughly tormented from behind.

However, the insane duplicate seemed to have already made up his mind. The Skull Principal spoke as if he had expected this.

See, Bat-anaz. He understands the meaning of my words.

The Skull Principal was not surprised by his opponent’s surrender.

It was because they understood each other’s way of thinking completely.

The duplicate knew how dangerous he was, knew there was no chance of victory, and above all, knew how shameful it was to use his disciple as a shield after being defeated.

As such, he would accept his fate of eternal sealing.

However, the disciple stubbornly persisted, true to whose disciple he was.

“Principal. Even just looking at Einroguard, all sorts of demons are wandering around. Even Mr. Oriphyulas is working diligently. With proper calculations, contracts, and preparations, the fire of the world’s tribulation should be controllable too.”

For whose sake?

“Pardon?”

Bat-anaz. You do not know the true meaning of being rejected by the world. What you experienced was only a fraction of a fraction. That is eternal punishment. Do you truly think that would be good for him?

“...”

Lee Han was rendered speechless by the point he had failed to consider.

Indeed, he had not thought about the insane duplicate’s own suffering.

However, there was something the Skull Principal had failed to consider as well.

“Do not worry about it.”

“!”

“It is something I have already resolved myself to do. If I hoped to pursue my aspiration without pain, that would be shameless. It is not something my disciple needs to worry about.”

This is truly maddening.

The Skull Principal trembled as he looked at his own duplicate.

To think that stubborn persistence of not caring about pain, unchanged since childhood, would trip him up like this.

“However, that does not make what you said valid, disciple. Binding demons through contracts and controlling them is on an entirely different level from controlling the fire of the world’s tribulation. There is no reason to cast such dangerous grand magic while taking such risks. Before you are my disciple, you are a mage. Act rationally.”

I take back what I just said. Indeed, he is wisely like myself.

“Then why did Master act that way!”

“???”

?

Lee Han and the Skull Principal turned toward the shout from below.

Chief Attendant Intarendals, who had approached at some point, was shouting with blazing eyes.

“Chief Attendant. Just because your lord has been defeated does not mean I have permitted rudeness.”

“Please permit this rude remonstrance. Master is not setting an example right now. If you cannot do it yourself, why do you instruct your disciple to walk a ruthless path?”

The Skull Principal looked as if he was torn between making him shut up and continuing to listen to this interesting story.

The duplicate was originally a being that moved thoroughly for a purpose. A thought-form, not a living person.

For such a duplicate to show an attitude different from usual?

“When did I show such an attitude?”

“I thought it strange, but my loyalty blinded me, so I failed to realize it. If Master had truly thought only of his aspiration with cold rationality, then why did you bestow wisdom upon Einroguard’s mages?”

...What? What did he do?

“...I merely left debts behind for my disciple’s sake.”

“That is an inefficient method! Who in the world plants and raises a sapling simply because they want to eat fruit? What Master did is exactly that sort of thing. I can say even more. Why did you punish that beaver beastkin mage?”

What???

“That was...”

“Please admit it! It was not because of your aspiration, but purely because you cared for your disciple, was it not? Then why do you say it is wrong for your disciple to care for Master?”

“Well said!”

Lee Han, regaining his energy thanks to the chief attendant’s supporting fire, shouted.

“So what if it seems inefficient and roundabout? You cannot do everything in the world efficiently.”

“Do you still speak foolishly even after receiving such teachings?”

“I am not finished yet. From an omniscient perspective, everything we do is bound to look foolish anyway. Do you remember Senior Caten?”

“Are you talking about the fellow who played Mage Cards while receiving teachings?”

“...That was Gainando... No, not him. I mean the senior who implements magic with a sword.”

Lee Han was momentarily flustered by Gainando’s name suddenly popping up.

The audacity of playing Mage Cards during a lecture must have left quite an impression.

“Everyone says that senior is inefficient. Honestly, I have thought so a few times too. But no one knows the future. Senior Caten might someday complete magic that no other mage can imitate!”

The insane duplicate, who would normally have cut off his disciple’s words as illogical, listened quietly.

For the first time, he was overwhelmed by his disciple’s spirit.

Lee Han felt his body sway. Considering what he had done today, it would not have been strange if his physical exhaustion had reached its limit, quite apart from his mana.

However, he could not stop here. Lee Han gritted his teeth and continued persuading him.

“Honestly, I am not confident I can achieve Master’s cherished wish. But I intend to try my best until the end. Since I am not as wise as Master, I will need help, but so what? Senior Caten and Gainando will help me, and Professor Bagreg and the principal will help too. I need help because I lack that much. Please help me too, Master.”

“...”

Honestly, I was moved. Far more than I expected.

While the insane duplicate remained silent, the Skull Principal opened his mouth.

Lee Han asked, delighted.

“Then instead of sealing him permanently...”

No, Wardanaz. Rather, my resolve has become even firmer.

The flames in the Skull Principal’s eye sockets blazed.

What is more dangerous than a thought-form is a thought-form that has begun to change. Get out of the way!

Apart from being moved, the Skull Principal had already been preparing magic while Lee Han was speaking.

He would instantly send the ungrateful professor, who would obviously interfere, to another dimension, and contact the magic waiting below to draw on its power.

He planned to fold space, push Lee Han away, and then immediately throw the insane duplicate into the void.

If the duplicate received any more emotional stimulation here, there was no predicting how that thought-form would change. He had to end this now.

Lee Han cursed at the betrayal.

Principal or not, how could such a heartless person exist?

He could understand why the Imperial officials disliked him.

Hmph. Wardanaz, you are neither the first disciple to curse at me, nor will you be the last.

The Skull Principal cleared away the telekinesis Lee Han had summoned, evaporated the water orb, and reversed the lightning.

Now that the duration of the Lesser World had ended and the clarity from the wine of wisdom was gradually fading, pushing away the bat disciple was not particularly difficult.

Then aurora-like light swirled brilliantly.

“...?!”

?!

The beam of light piercing through the space still affected by the aftermath of the Personal World could never have been an ordinary natural phenomenon.

The Skull Principal cried out in shock.

Arna!

Since it was a star he had contracted with, there was no way he would fail to recognize it.

Mastering the Lesser World was one thing, but he had even contracted with Arna?

The starlight helped the hero it had contracted with. The surrounding magic was swept away by waves of light.

“Is this Arna’s power?!”

When Lee Han asked in bewilderment, the Skull Principal snapped irritably.

Ask later, you ungrateful Wardanaz brat!

How petty, really.

Grumbling inwardly, Lee Han turned around.

He still could not grasp what sort of power it was, but he had no choice but to use the current situation.

“Master. Let’s escape for now! ...Master?”

Lee Han was shocked.

The insane duplicate’s form was growing faint.

Had the Skull Principal’s wicked magic struck directly before Arna’s light could block it?

“Don’t tell me...”

However, the insane duplicate shook his head.

“The king is... No. I think this is enough for me.”

The ancient king spoke peacefully.

That was not the face of a mage suffering under the world’s curse.

It was the face of a mage who had passed everything on to his disciple and was certain that his cherished wish would someday be achieved.

Only then did the king feel the painful chains that had bound him disappear. What he had believed to be pride had, in truth, been a curse.

“Now I can be certain. You, my disciple, will someday... achieve my cherished wish.”

The king sensed that the end had come.

This was not a reverse summoning, where he would have to descend again someday and suffer.

Nor was it a seal, where he would have to wander the void forever.

“...I entrust the world to you.”

With those words, filled with true trust, as his last, the king ascended.

The Skull Principal’s shocked, wavering eye-flames only deepened the king’s fulfillment.