As the mage who had summoned the world beyond the mountain range vanished, that world scattered like dawn driving away the darkness of night.

The starlight that had helped the mage’s disciple fulfilled its role as well and returned to the heavens.

As the overwhelming powers disappeared one after another, the surroundings fell quiet. The first to recover from the shock was the Skull Principal.

...Well... it has been resolved, at least.

The Skull Principal’s voice carried an undisguisable bitterness.

Ascending like that was certainly a much better ending than being reverse-summoned or imprisoned forever.

The Skull Principal felt that even more keenly because he did have some sympathy for thought-forms.

But it was hard not to be left with a bitter taste when someone had caused every kind of chaos—kidnapping disciples from another person’s territory, threatening to destroy the school—only to decide, all on his own, that he was satisfied and ascend.

And above all, if this was someone who could be persuaded to ascend...

...Could he not have ascended before I spent an astronomical amount of gold preparing that grand magic?

It cannot be helped.

The Skull Principal decided not to think about it for now. What good would thinking about it do?

Bat-anaz, you worked hard too. For someone so stubborn, you were still lucky. Do not do this again in the future.

“...”

Bat-anaz?

Lee Han did not answer.

Only belatedly realizing that his disciple was protesting with silence, the Skull Principal spoke as if he found it absurd.

Are you truly angry right now, Bat-anaz? If anyone has the right to be angry, it is me! And that was practically immortal ascension. What is the matter with you?

If he had sealed the duplicate away for eternity, such a reaction would have been understandable.

In that case, the Skull Principal would have said, “Throw your tantrum as much as you like. I will go my own way.”

He was already used to his inadequate disciples’ petty complaints.

However, Lee Han’s reason was somewhat different from what the Skull Principal expected.

“If you had not interfered, Principal, he would at least have ascended under much more stable circumstances. He could have left longer last words too. He could have said something to each of the others...”

...Do you think ascension is some kind of joke?!

The Skull Principal was even more bewildered by this emotional reason, which was so different from the reasons his disciples had complained until now.

Other disciples had crawled up to him for reasons like not teaching them magic, not assigning them missions, or underestimating them as mages. Yet this one was acting like this simply because there had not been enough time for last words?

That was divine fortune, the heavenly timing, earthly timing, and human timing all coming together. I should be receiving gratitude instead! If I had not pushed him, you would never have drawn out Arna’s power, and then he would have been imprisoned without even ascending!

Regardless, Lee Han continued his silent protest.

The Skull Principal seriously considered striking him once, then gave up.

His disciple was already in poor condition from overexertion, and drawing on Arna’s power on top of that had left him completely exhausted.

“What happened here?”

Oh, you are here, Bat Professor.

When Professor Voladi, who had just been momentarily banished to another dimension, returned, the Skull Principal spoke sarcastically.

Of course, Professor Voladi was not shaken by such words. Only a Valdrogard student would be shaken by remarks like that.

The Skull Principal gave up on sarcasm and explained the situation. At least the surprise spreading across Professor Voladi’s face like wildfire was some small comfort.

“Then there was no need to push so hard, was there?”

...Shut up.

***

The most unfortunate Skull Principal in the Empire had no leisure to deal with the pettiest disciple in Einroguard.

He immediately removed the dream barrier and recalled the mages who had been waiting below. Even now, gold equivalent to the weight of giants was being consumed every second.

-Things worked out well, so you may return.

-Pardon? But Lord Gonadaltes, you invested so much gold into this magic.

-...I said things worked out well. Everyone, return.

-But... when we told you this magic was astronomically expensive and that the preparation process was practically impossible, you said there was no other way. But now it worked out well without using it? Are you not disappointed?

-...Get out!

-Aaaah!

The mages summoned from across the Empire at enormous fees were terrified by the fiery Einroguard-style farewell and returned.

Pushing away the flickering vision of the gold invested in this magic, the Skull Principal focused on reality again.

You knights. You knights who revere loyalty and honor and offered your swords to your master. It seems you omitted quite a few reports to me.

-...

-...

The Death Knights, who had appropriately omitted Lee Han-related incidents while the Skull Principal was away, nodded.

Then they turned around sharply.

Where are you going?

-To the punishment cells.

...

The Skull Principal was grateful for his lack of flesh.

If he had a body, he would surely be feeling a splitting headache right now.

Originally, the Death Knights would not give in so easily, even to a disciple.

But that Bat-anaz fellow seemed to have a strange talent for winning people over, and before anyone knew it, he had been using those knights as if they were his own subordinates.

Report what you omitted before you go.

-...Could we not simply stay in the punishment cells longer?

...

At those words, the Skull Principal shuddered.

...Could there be more I have not grasped?

...Report properly before I demote you all to skeletons.

The Death Knights, who had once charged with swords drawn even before evil dragons, hesitantly avoided his gaze and opened their mouths.

-Prince Jowurin... well...

Fortunately, I know about that. His Majesty knows about it too. It is not your fault.

The Skull Principal let out a light sigh.

Jowurin’s genius strategy had shocked both the Skull Principal and the Emperor, who had been contemplating methods to imprison the insane duplicate for eternity.

It was a scheme chilling enough to freeze a liver and gallbladder that did not exist.

-That is a relief! Then you must also know about Prince Jowurin giving the dragon stone to the disciple, being placed under house arrest, secretly escaping to carry the disciple on his back, and subjugating the duplicate together?

...What?

The Skull Principal, who had been about to write to the Emperor saying, “It was resolved better than expected and one problem of the continent has disappeared, so please extend the repayment period,” paused.

What did you just say?

What stone, and what subjugation? Carried him on his back? Were they saying he had been chosen?

-...

-...Actually, Professor Bagreg and Professor Kim were there too.

The Death Knights desperately tried to spread the responsibility around, feeling a second death approaching.

The Skull Principal closed his eyes, recalling the utterly shameless face of the vampire professor.

...I should have kicked him out when he said he wanted power...

He had not been so despicable in the old days. The Skull Principal had no idea how he had become such a despicable mage.

The Skull Principal recovered from the shock. As a transcendent mage, his recovery was quick as well.

Fine. I understand. In fact, if he rode on a dragon’s back, that is Bat-anaz’s loss. It is not my concern.

Contractors chosen by dragons had to bear a corresponding sense of responsibility in exchange for borrowing the power of that backing.

It was an unreasonable contract from ancient times: if a dragon caused trouble, the contractor would also be punished by the other dragon clans.

Being more directly involved than anyone, the Skull Principal knew very well how troublesome that contract was. It was a fitting punishment for his wicked disciple.

-Th-that is a relief!

The Death Knights’ voices brightened a little.

-Then giving him the dragon stone and subjugating the duplicate are all right too?

Would they be all right?

The Skull Principal became serious.

The Emperor would not care, but if the Imperial officials found out, they would definitely foam at the mouth and have fits.

They had already earned the hatred of several people because of the preparations to imprison this duplicate...

-Would persuasion not have been better after all?

-Shh. You agreed back then that threats would be faster, so why are you saying this now?

-But now that I think about it, hanging the treasurer upside down was a little...

-We apologized. If we apologized, that is enough. The other party accepted the apology too.

Everyone shut up. Yes. For now... for now, let us move past this. His Majesty is not the type to go around blabbing about it.

Jowurin was not a socialite. Even if they were Imperial officials, there was a strong chance they would have difficulty learning about this matter.

The Skull Principal decided to think of it that way and moved on to the next topic.

But what did that duplicate bastard do to warrant subjugation? Did he kidnap someone again in the meantime?

-His condition seems to have reversed, and he declared that he would subjugate the continent. The disciple summoned the Yacha King of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas to resolve it...

Garcia!!! Voladi!!!

The Skull Principal finally exploded.

No matter what those professors were like, how could they cover all this up?

Even if there had been no immediate problem with the disciple, there was a limit to such shortsightedness.

Sometimes, when a disciple seemed to be falling into a pit of evil, should a professor not scold that disciple harshly?

If they had done that, there would not be all this whining over a single duplicate.

Even Professor Garcia was like this. Did a single trustworthy mage truly not exist?

-Um... Master.

What?

-You told us not to make unnecessary reports while you were preparing magic with His Majesty...

The Death Knight who showed reckless courage was immediately moved to the deeper punishment cells.

Can you not distinguish what an unnecessary report is? That yacha bastard is definitely suspicious. He may have shamelessly pulled some trick. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The Skull Principal suspected that the schemes of the Yacha King lay behind the professors’ omitted reports.

That yacha, exceptionally skilled at reading heavenly signs and the future, had been cunningly placing people in difficult positions since long ago.

It would not be strange at all if the two professors had been persuaded by the Yacha King to delay their reports.

He had probably whispered insidiously, “The duplicate is in very good condition right now, and is teaching the disciple well too. Rather than reporting to the Skull Principal and creating conflict, why not watch over him for the disciple’s sake?”

No wonder they were getting along so well. Those professors could not even stop him... Next!

-The, the clash with the evil deity worshipper in Granden City...

I heard about that.

-Then you also know about contracting with the main body of that Creature of Death and Darkness Professor Mortum brought?

...I did not know about that, but I suppose it is possible.

The Skull Principal spoke with a detached ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) attitude.

After all, Lee Han had visited the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas and even fraternized with the Yacha King. Something like that was not very surprising anymore.

He had already become friends with Perkuntra in the first place...

Thinking about it again, Bat-anaz truly was skilled at enticing powerful transcendent beings. Probably because of that despicable cunning.

If he met the main body of that creature Mortum brought, his wounds must have healed.

-Yes. It seems so.

The Death Knights inwardly breathed sighs of relief.

From what he was saying, it seemed he had not yet heard the rumors about the accidents rookie mage Stedal Nagora had caused.

The Skull Principal felt puzzled.

This was surprising news too, certainly, but he had already been surprised about it in the capital.

But why did you bring up the Granden City story? Is there some story there I do not know about?

-No. We were just confirming... Oh, right. Do you know that Professor Bagreg used a relic?

I know. You must be talking about Saint Iactus’s Stone.

The Skull Principal answered indifferently.

At the beginning of the semester, Professor Voladi had borrowed a relic to rescue the disciple kidnapped by the insane duplicate.

Naturally, the Skull Principal would not have stored such relics carelessly. He had intentionally calculated and placed it there.

-Thank goodness! Still, we were surprised. Saint Iactus’s Stone was one thing, but we did not expect you to lend out Anabadalda’s Droplet too...

...He took and used Anabadalda’s Droplet too?

-...

-...

The Death Knights realized their mistake.