I’m glad that you Ironheads figured it out quickly!

“…”

“…”

No one was happy to be praised by Principal Skelly.

Yi-han could almost hear the mockery in his voice.

‘Usually, the students from the Blue Dragons are the slowest on the uptake.’

However, this time around, the principal was being sincere in his praise. The academy welcomed new students every year, and those assigned to the Blue Dragons were always the slowest to adapt.

The fastest were the students of the Black Tortoise. They were typically children of merchants, commoners, and beggars, so they adjusted really quickly to their new environment.

Next up were the students of the White Tigers. Since their families were knights, they themselves were really well-built and could endure the harsh conditions.

In comparison, the students that belonged to the Blue Dragons were descendants of established nobles, which meant they had grown up sheltered. It was no wonder they were slowest to adapt.

The principal honestly didn’t expect them to find something to eat in just a few days. In fact, it was somewhat commendable.

‘Was he behind it?’

Principal Skelly’s blue eyes landed on Yi-han.

As a grand mage, his intuition was never wrong. Even if it was, he would forcefully make it right.

Fortunately, he had been right about Yi-han, and his first impression had been dead-on.

‘Mana alone doesn’t determine whether someone is fit to become a mage.’

He looked upon Yi-han favorably not only because of how much mana he had. Of course, that did play a role in it, but something else about him had caught the principal’s eyes.

He didn’t think someone so open-minded could be born from the Wardanaz Family which valued traditions greatly.

‘To be open-minded and free of prejudice. That will be the light that guides a mage down their path.’

And that was what he wished to teach the students.

The hard bread and the cold rice balls were also means to that end, though he did sort of enjoy watching them suffer.

‘For some reason, it feels a bit cold in here.’

Yi-han suddenly felt uneasy. It was spring, yet it was strangely chilly inside the room.

***

“Sir, we understand that we must find a way to keep ourselves fed if we wish to grow as mages. But why do we need to learn about ethics?”

As expected of someone from the Blue Dragons. Only someone of noble birth would have the balls to speak up before Principal Skelly.

The principal nodded his skull and responded in a kind voice.

An excellent question. Why do we have to learn ethics? Try answering the question yourself.

“…We have no clue, sir.”

IT’S BECAUSE WHEN GRADUATES OF THE ACADEMY CAUSE TROUBLE OUTSIDE, THAT BLASTED EMPEROR WOULD SEEK ME OUT FOR AN EXPLANATION!!!

The freshmen covered their ears as Principal Skelly shouted at the top of his lungs.

IF YOUR SENIORS DIDN’T CAUSE TROUBLE OUTSIDE! WE WOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO CONDUCT THIS CLASS! UNDERSTOOD, IRONHEADS!?

“…”

“…”

WHY ETHICS CLASS, YOU ASK!? IF ONE OF HIS MAJESTY’S CLOSE AIDES COMES SEEKING AN EXPLANATION, WE NEED TO AT LEAST SHOW THAT WE’RE MAKING AN EFFORT NOT TO CAUSE TROUBLE. OTHERWISE, ALL OF YOU WILL BE SENT TO THE GALLOWS! IS THAT ENOUGH OF AN ANSWER, IRONHEADS!?!

“Y-yes, sir!!”

The student who had asked the question repeatedly nodded his head, overwhelmed by the pressure the principal was giving off.

MAGES ARE TROUBLEMAKERS IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND WE NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY’RE GONNA GO BALLISTIC. AND DON’T YOU DARE LIE TO ME THAT YOU’RE DIFFERENT! THAT WILL ONLY PISS ME OFF EVEN MORE! LATER ON, WHEN YOU GUYS ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE CAMPUS, YOU’LL SEE HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU CAUSE. NOW OPEN YOUR BOOKS TO PAGE 1 AND READ IT OUT LOUD!!

“I will not wield magic against the common people!!”

AGAIN!!

“I will not wield magic against the common people!!”

‘Will this really be effective?’ Yi-han thought in his head. ‘Won’t this only exacerbate the issue…’

***

The students expected the class to be boring.

And boy were they wrong.

Ethics class was even more boring than they could have ever imagined.

“You’ve got to be kidding…why is this a mandatory course…”

“My throat hurts…”

Through today’s lesson, I hope a seed of kindness has sprouted inside each of you.

“Yeah…”

“I can feel the effects already…”

And moving on, I will need two assistants for this class. Any volunteers?

The principal asked this in a soft voice, which made it sound even eerier than it should’ve been.

“…”

“…”

The students’ eyes skittered about, trying not to get caught. The lich smirked.

Are you sure none of you wants to volunteer? You’ll regret it, you know?

“I’d like to volunteer myself.”

The one who raised his hand was Yi-han.

Principal Skelly felt dismayed that he couldn’t continue watching students squirm about in discomfort.

Ah, the Ironhead from the Wardanaz Family. Like working, do you?

“If I could be of assistance to the professor I deeply respect, wouldn’t that be a great honor?”

“Wardanaz…!”

“What a kind fellow you are…”

Yi-han’s actions deeply moved the students of the Blue Dragons.

Yesterday, he had thrown a barbeque party for the starving students, and now he was stepping forward to take the bullet for the others.

The Wardanaz Family acted as one of the pillars of the empire. Truer words had never been said!

Those empty words mean nothing to me. If anything, I find it annoying. But very well. Opportunities only present themselves to those that seek them.

The principal knew what Yi-han was thinking.

Through Uregor’s class, Yi-han learned one thing: there were many benefits to helping a professor.

Especially right now, when they weren’t allowed to leave the academy’s premises, it was best to get on the professors’ good side, even if that meant sucking up to the lunatic known as Principal Skelly.

“I’ll work myself to the bone!”

‘And hopefully, get good grades.’

“Yi-han, y-you crazy?” Gainando frantically asked in a hushed voice.

The other students that heard this answered in his stead.

“Who knows what that principal would do to us if nobody volunteers? Wardanaz is trying to take one for the team.”

“I-in that case…I too must…”

After much hesitation, Gainando tried to stand up. However, it was as if his legs were stuck.

‘Move, legs, move!’

As someone noble, he had to stand up in this situation. He believed that was also what Yi-han wanted.

‘I must help out my pal…’

So the other Ironhead will be the brat from Dargard. Well, I guess they do know a thing or two about organizing documents.

“Thank you for the praise.”

While Gainando was still making up his mind, someone else had volunteered.

Asan Dargard, the boy who was blown away by the boar during the alchemy lesson.

“?”

Yi-han stared at Asan in wonder. He didn’t expect Asan to volunteer for this task.

‘Is he aiming for the same thing as me?’

Asan fixed his glasses by pushing them up ever so slightly.

“Wardanaz, if it’s you, I’m sure you know why I volunteered.”

“But I don’t?”

Yi-han was startled. How was he supposed to know what others were thinking?

“Huh, you don’t? I’m trying to pay you back for your help last time!”

Asan was visibly upset.

‘What other reason could there be?’ His face seemed to ask.

“Oh…I see. You know, you really didn’t have to.”

“Nonsense. A Dargard always pays back his debt.”

I’m happy that you two are getting along, but there’s work for you to do.

“?”

Here’s a list of safety precautions. We need them for the next class, so copy them down by hand and distribute it to your friends.

“…”

“…”

Asan didn’t take the principal’s orders kindly.

“Principal, sir.”

What is it?

“From my understanding… it would be faster if you just used a spell. Having us copy them down seems inefficient.”

I know. That’s the point.

“…”

Asan seemed ready to murder someone; Yi-han was sure of it.

***

– Sorry.

– As much as I’d like to help…

Yonaire, Gainando, and the other students exited the classroom while sounding apologetic. They wished to help, but Principal Skelly stopped them from doing so.

Two people’s enough! Now scram!

As a result, Yi-han and Asan were left alone in the classroom to copy the notes.

“Unforgivable…that darned principal…making us do something this inefficient!”

‘He might really snap one of these days.’

Asan was moving his hand while muttering furiously. Seeing this, Yi-han grew worried.

Truth be told, he knew why the principal was making them do this.

‘He’s telling us to learn magic if we don’t want to do menial labor.’

The principal’s orders sounded crazy at first glance, but he knew there was a good reason behind them.

…The problem was that the principal expected too much from them.

They couldn’t even cast properly. How on earth were they supposed to use auto-writing spells?

‘Is there not even a hint?’

Hanging on to the belief that the lich still had some conscience, he decided to look around the empty classroom.

“Wardanaz, what are you doing?” Asan asked curiously.

Yi-han was rummaging through the things in the classroom.

“I’m seeing if there’s anything we can take.”

“Are you sure we’re allowed to do that?”

“No one said we can’t.”

“But that’s stealing…”

“Whose classroom do you think we’re in?”

“…I guess stealing is okay sometimes.”

Asan stood up from his seat to help Yi-han.

‘It takes but a moment for a person to stray off the right path.’

Everyone that entered this academy ended up with a loose screw somewhere regardless of their status.

“Found anything good?”

“Well, I found some papers. Might need those someday, so let’s take them for now. Wait, there’s a key here.”

Though he wasn’t sure what the key was for, he decided to keep it for now.

“You know what it’s for?” Asan asked.

“No, but I might in the future.”

“Right…makes sense.”

Asan was impressed by how level-headed he was.

Tak-

When they opened the last drawer, some mana flowed out of it, followed by a voice.

If you’ve managed to open this drawer, it means you’ve stopped wasting away your wrist like idiots and decided to use that brain of yours. Hope it didn’t take too much time! It was a stupid assignment, to begin with, and the longer it took you to figure it out, the more pitiful your intelligence is!

“…”

“…”

Here’s the 1st circle spell . Go ahead and learn it. And make it quick, or else you’d have to hand-copy a ton of things for the entire semester.

This was the principal’s hidden motive.

The students were so moved that tears began welling up in their…

“Wardanaz. I don’t understand. Why is he trying to teach us magic this way? There are so many better ways to go about doing it!”

Asan was about to explode in anger.

He had envisioned learning magic under a kind instructor, yet here he was, being forced to learn it as a means of survival.

What in carnation was this!?

Asan continued, his voice filled with passion.

“Wardanaz, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. Let us go complain to the principal. If we show him how serious we are, he’s sure to change his mind! …Wardanaz??”

“Sorry, what?”

Yi-han turned to look at him. He had been so focused on preparing to learn the spell that he had missed what Asan had said.