Yi-Han looked at Gainando with puzzlement.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Ah... No. Aren't you angry because I ate too many snacks?"

"No."

Yi-Han sighed and approached the window.

And he shouted, "It's the professor."

"See! I told you it's the professor!"

Professor Beavle Verduus, who had his face buried in the ground, struggled and shouted.

The knights under Sir Arlong asked in confusion, "But Young Master. Why would the professor sneak in?"

'I'm curious about that too.'

Yi-Han thought that but held back and said in a good way, "There must have been a misunderstanding."

"What kind of misunderstanding could there be...?"

Yi-Han ignored the knight's question as if he hadn't heard it. And he asked the servant, "Is it because you told him I wasn't here?"

Given Professor Beavle Verduus's personality, it was highly likely.

Wasn't he the kind of person who would recklessly break through and enter even if he heard Yi-Han wasn't at the mansion and wait?

However, the servant's answer was unexpected.

"Ah, no. He just snuck in without even asking and got caught."

"..."

Yi-Han briefly considered just sending Professor Beavle Verduus to the Granden City guards.

Professor Beavle Verduus, who had dusted off the dirt and sat down, said while chewing on tree bark, "So are you ready to make artifacts?"

Even though the knights had caught him and buried his face in the ground at the mansion, Professor Beavle Verduus didn't care at all.

He only cared about artifact production.

Yi-Han played dumb.

"Artifact production? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Huh? Didn't we agree to do it together?"

"My memory is poor..."

If it were the skull principal, he would have grabbed his collar, saying, 'Why are you playing tricks?' but Professor Beavle Verduus was naive in this aspect.

"Ah. Really? You said you wanted to participate in artifact production last time. You were extremely passionate. It's good that you can do it now."

"..."

Stunned by Professor Verduus's blatant lie, Yi-Han was at a loss for words.

What kind of person...

'Ah.'

Yi-Han finally remembered the Helmet of Wisdom.

Come to think of it, there was no expert like Professor Beavle Verduus when it came to artifacts.

"Professor. Please take a look at this artifact."

"What is it?"

Professor Beavle Verduus received the Helmet of Wisdom, looked around, and answered immediately.

"It's an artifact with a nasty disposition. It's cursed."

"As expected. Is there any way to break the curse?"

"It seems difficult."

There were two types of curses on artifacts.

One was an evil curse placed on a normal artifact.

In this case, the artifact could be used if only the curse was lifted.

The other was an artifact created with an evil structure from the beginning.

In this case, lifting the curse was meaningless. The moment it was lifted, the power of that artifact would disappear too.

The Helmet of Wisdom was a typical example of the latter.

"Sentient artifacts usually have a restriction that prevents them from harming their owner, but this one doesn't have that. If it wants something, it will put the owner in danger as much as it wants."

"I see. I thought you would have a way, Professor."

Yi-Han muttered without much thought.

Then Professor Beavle Verduus suddenly flared up and shouted, "I didn't say there was no way!"

"No... Why are you angry?"

"Just stay still and watch!"

Professor Beavle Verduus put down the tree bark he was chewing and started glaring at the helmet.

Yi-Han was slightly taken aback by the unexpected reaction. Gainando whispered next to him, "Isn't the professor too weak to provocation?"

"Hmm."

Certainly, if he was being told that by Gainando, he was indeed too weak to provocation.

However, Yi-Han left Professor Beavle Verduus alone.

'Isn't he going to change it into something useful?'

If that were the case, Yi-Han planned to sell it with a modifier like 'the masterpiece of Beavle Verduus, Einroguard's top artifact craftsman.'

"There is a way."

"What is it?"

"Eliminate the artifact's ability to selectively disclose information."

"?"

Yi-Han wondered what Professor Beavle Verduus was talking about.

"But won't it still have the ability to endanger its owner?"

"You can avoid that on your own."

"..."

Regardless of what the Helmet of Wisdom said, if it didn't lie or omit information, the listener could make a rational judgment.

That was Professor Beavle Verduus's argument.

'Is it... Is it correct?'

While feeling that Professor Beavle Verduus's logic made sense, Yi-Han somehow didn't want to admit it.

But it was true that it was better than not changing it.

"Hmm. Then let's change it. What do I need to do to change it?"

"Cast a few spells to release it and change the incantation inside. If we start working now, we'll finish around sunrise."

"What should I help you with?"

"You? There's nothing for you to help with."

Professor Beavle Verduus answered honestly.

These were magics that Yi-Han couldn't do yet, and there was no need to utilize his characteristic of having a large amount of mana.

"I see. Then I'll go to sleep now."

"Alright. Go to sleep."

Professor Beavle Verduus waved his hand, forgetting his original goal. Yi-Han politely greeted him and left the reception room.

"I should go to sleep. Good night, everyone."

"...Uh... Is it okay?"

"It's fine. It's fine."

The servant was taken aback, but Yi-Han said goodbye to his friends and went to his room to sleep.

The servant was left alone in the reception room, looking at Professor Beavle Verduus holding the helmet, feeling confused.

Is this okay...?

Is this really okay?!

Morning.

Professor Beavle Verduus hit the Helmet of Wisdom and asked, "Hey. Tell me your purpose."

"My purpose is to increase my wisdom even if it leads my owner to ruin..."

"Good."

It was truly an amazing achievement.

Fixing the performance of a sentient artifact in just one night.

It was a great skill that even decent artifact craftsmen wouldn't dare attempt.

Despite such an amazing achievement, Professor Beavle Verduus had no particular emotion. He yawned once and asked, "Where's Wardanaz? We need to make artifacts."

"Uh... Young Master Wardanaz went out with his friends 30 minutes ago. He said he wouldn't disturb you because you seemed to be concentrating."

"..."

Professor Beavle Verduus frowned.

He wasn't sure, but he had a strange feeling of being deceived.

"Will it really be okay?"

"I just happened to go out early."

Yi-Han answered like that.

If he had to work with Professor Beavle Verduus forcibly someday, it was best to delay that time as much as possible.

Then at least he could endure it using that until then.

Ratford glanced back with a worried expression. He seemed to be worried about how Professor Beavle Verduus would react.

"Let's stay at Gainando's house today."

"Really?!"

Gainando's eyes lit up.

Last time, other imperial family members who weren't even close came and interfered, but this time was different.

He could call his friends and have a proper fun time.

Gainando wriggled his fingers and touched the card deck in his bosom.

Just as Yi-Han, the top student of the year, could easily recite the contents of magic books with his eyes closed, Gainando could also easily recite a list of games to enjoy with his eyes closed.

Mage card game, polo, pétanque, dice game, climbing the demon tower...

'I shouldn't play chess because Yi-Han is too strong.'

"Ratford. Did you bring it?"

"Yes."

"Yonaire. You said you have it too, right?"

"I always carry it with me."

"!!"

Gainando was even more excited by the conversation of the other friends.

It was clear that his friends had brought mage cards.

"You brought them?!"

"Of course. We need something to do when we go to your house."

Yi-Han answered and took out a book from his bag.

It was <Basic Dark Elemental Magic and Its Applications>.

"..."

Gainando's face distorted with sadness and bewilderment.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh... It's nothing..."

"You brought a book too, right? Gainando? Let's study dark magic together."

"I'm also planning to do some studying I've been putting off today."

"It's nice to study together like this."

Seeing Yi-Han, Ratford, and Yonaire talking and laughing in a friendly manner, Gainando cried inwardly.

'Magic isn't everything in life...!'

'I understand why dark elements are difficult.'

Yi-Han, who borrowed a private room, closed his eyes and focused on the dark element.

The basis of elemental magic was to feel that element and clearly embody it.

In that sense, the dark element wasn't that difficult. In fact, this was also a difficult part for other mages, but Yi-Han had a different concrete concept in his head than other mages.

This concept helped with handling the lightning element, and it was the same with the dark element.

The problem was the next step.

'It's similar to the flame element.'

Even if one failed to control the water element, it rarely injured the owner, and even if one failed to control the lightning element, it disappeared before spreading, but the dark element was different.

If control failed, it not only injured the owner but also didn't disappear.

Just like the flame elements, if you make a slight mistake with this element...

Whoosh!

The private room with bright light coming in through the window suddenly darkened.

It wasn't a natural darkness. It was an artificial darkness created by magic. Inside, negative energy wriggled, and a cold chill lingered somewhere.

Yi-Han threw a leaf he had prepared.

Then the vitality of the leaf withered and instantly turned into a dead leaf.

It was a characteristic unique to the dark element, depleting vitality.

'...If I'm not careful, I'll collapse.'

For dark mages who handle the dark element, accidents of depleting their own vitality and collapsing are like companions. First, this point should be paid the most attention to.

Of course, the power of the dark element mastered for the first time is extremely weak. Even staying in such darkness for several hours won't make one out of breath. So, at first, one should start by strengthening the power of the dark element...

"?"

Yi-Han looked at the leaf that had just died from touching the dark element a little.

And he looked at the part about strengthening the dark element.

'I can skip this part.'

...Thus, once the power of the dark element is sufficiently strengthened, the foundation for elemental magic is now established. The key to operating dark elemental magic is that the mage must be able to control the characteristic of vitality depletion. If one fails to do so, that mage is wielding a sword that can cut oneself...

'It would be nice if he explained like this usually.'

After reading the unnecessarily detailed explanation in the book, Yi-Han summoned the dark element again.

In short, a mage who handles the dark element should not be affected at all even when putting their hand into that element.

'In the end, it means being able to control the characteristics oneself...'

The power of magic increases in proportion to mana.

And what rises together is the difficulty of control.

For Yi-Han, who still couldn't fully handle the flame element and wore various artifacts to handle it, the dark element had an even higher difficulty.

But he couldn't get rid of the mana he had...

'For now, until I can control it, I can only handle it in the size of a spark like the flame element? Unlike the flame element, the dark element would be meaningless if I do that.'

"Yi-Han! Yi-Han!"

Gainando knocked on the door of the private room. Yi-Han closed the book and answered, "How many hours have you studied?"

"...That's not important right now! A good job has come in! They said it's a job only dark mages can do!"

'...Can that even be a good job?'

Yi-Han was immediately suspicious.