"Music magic?"

Professor Voladi looked at I-han, his expression impassive, but there was a faint, almost incredulous disappointment in his gaze. It was as if he were silently asking, *"What did I do wrong for you to rebel by learning such a worthless magic?"*

A similar situation had occurred in the Blue Dragon Tower.

“Gainan-do! What’s with all that blood? Don’t tell me you’ve turned to dark arts just because we banned card games!”

Of course, Gainan-do’s clothes weren’t covered in blood but jam, yet the reactions from his friends and Professor Voladi had been oddly alike.

"Professor, I can explain."

I-han spoke quickly.

Just as Gainan-do had avoided the punishment room by swiftly explaining it was jam, I-han had to act fast to avoid being reprimanded by Professor Voladi.

"Music magic is of little use."

"…That’s precisely its weak point!"

I-han launched into an explanation of everything that had happened today, embellishing the details as much as possible. The thought that he might get attacked if he couldn’t convincingly explain the advantages of music magic urged him on. 

Ifadur looked at I-han with admiration in his eyes.

*“To think he cares so much about music magic…”*

The Wardanaz family had a reputation for disinterest in the arts, but this boy was different. Ifadur resolved to support the young Wardanaz in his passionate pursuit of music, sure that other famous musicians and bards in the Empire would also be intrigued.

"And that’s how it all happened!"

"I see."

Professor Voladi nodded as if he understood.

*Did I… succeed?*

"Then why not just learn utterance magic?"

*Guess not.*

I-han cursed himself for his premature confidence. Evidently, he still harbored remnants of arrogance that he should have discarded at Enroguard.

“According to the Principal, utterance magic takes at least this long to master.” I-han held up a single finger. Professor Voladi didn’t seem surprised.

"Of course, mastering utterance magic can take close to a thousand years."

"......"

I-han was appalled at the added zero. Lord Gonadaltes had subtly misled him.

“But if you can at least channel mana into your words, it’s a different story. There’s a simplified version of utterance magic that’s specialized for combat…”

"And that’s exactly why I started learning music magic!"

Sensing the need to redirect, I-han quickly interrupted Professor Voladi.

"I’m using music magic as a way to overcome the limitations of utterance magic!"

"Hm."

Professor Voladi fell silent.

I-han was on edge, unable to gauge what the professor was thinking. The baby basilisk hidden in his sleeve hissed softly.

*Hang in there. You’d lose this one.*

Even a grown basilisk would struggle against Professor Voladi, let alone a hatchling.

“I still think utterance magic would be a better choice, but I won’t discourage your effort.”

Professor Voladi believed that a good mentor was one who supported his students’ ambitions. While he remained skeptical about music magic, he wouldn’t stand in the way if his student wished to pursue it. After all, who knew if a new form of magic might emerge?

“Thank you, Professor. I’ll do my utmost to meet your expectations.”

“Very well. Did you enjoy your break?”

"Yes, it was… delightful."

A typical student might have stopped there, but I-han, ever the professional, added one more line.

"But even during my time off, I kept thinking of the spells I needed to practice, which left me feeling restless."

Ifadur, oblivious to I-han’s motives, was again deeply impressed.

*What an incredibly diligent genius!*

"Did you, now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hm."

"…?"

As Professor Voladi checked the time, a sense of foreboding crept over I-han. Come to think of it, Professor Voladi wasn’t just any professor; he was a professional.

"Since there’s still time before curfew, I’ll help you with some practice."

"......"

I-han, who had underestimated the professional professor, bit his lip in resignation.

"But I was planning to have dinner with Mr. Ifadur…"

“Oh, no, no, Wardanaz,” Ifadur interjected. “This old man wouldn’t dream of keeping you from your magic studies. Helping me today was more than enough.”

*Are all bards jerks?*

I-han finally understood why the Wardanaz family had little interest in music.

---

Though Professor Voladi was invested in every school of magic I-han studied, his current obsession was elemental transformation with lightning.

Lightning was a particularly peculiar element, with its uncontrollable power and formless nature.

But, if one could control lightning as easily as water…

“It would be a huge advantage in battle.”

As Professor Voladi twirled a lightning-formed spear, the baby basilisk whimpered, clearly sensing it had no chance of victory.

“Professor, is lightning really necessary for standard combat?”

After all, even water, often considered less destructive, could be wielded with devastating effect in creative hands. Magicians like Yumidiphus used water element magic for everything from steam explosions to fluid manipulation.

“Good question. Elemental transformation into lightning is most useful against powerful mages.”

Professor Voladi explained calmly.

Veteran mages with experience in defensive magic could withstand or deflect most of I-han’s water-based spells and other projectile attacks. In such cases, close-range lightning proved surprisingly effective.

Moreover, lightning magic was rare, making it even harder to counter.

*If they’re strong enough to deflect all that, shouldn’t they be handled by the professors?*

I-han kept his reservations to himself.

“Here.”

The professor handed I-han a heavy block of silver.

Surprised by the unexpected gift, I-han exclaimed, “Thank you! I’ll treasure it and use it wisely!”

"...?"

Professor Voladi looked at I-han, puzzled.

I-han realized he’d misunderstood.

“It’s for elemental transformation practice. Don’t worry about saving it.”

"Ah."

Realizing the professor’s intention, I-han felt slightly embarrassed.

Shaping lightning without a physical medium was a challenging feat, requiring the mage to control raw lightning with sheer willpower. But pure silver, being a solid yet lightning-conductive material, made the process easier.

Getting used to transforming lightning through silver would, in turn, aid in shaping pure lightning forms.

“Thank you. By the way, where did you get this silver?”

“From the Principal’s office.”

"..."

I-han chose not to ask whether it was borrowed or stolen. Some things were best left unknown.

---

*Bzzzzt!*

*This is brutal.*

Watching the lightning jump wildly across the floor, I-han thought to himself.

It wasn’t that his magic was failing. In fact, his practice was going well.

It was just that every failure caused a little more silver to evaporate.

*Crack!*

The silver, shaped into a spear, twisted under the strain of the lightning, losing form with a loud crack as electricity scattered, leaving the metal dented and warped.

The intense, compressed energy of the lightning was too much for even solid metal, which meant any minor mistake led to wild distortions and eventual evaporation.

As I-han showed visible frustration, Professor Voladi encouraged him.

"You’re doing well. You’re holding the transformation."

“Thank you.”

With a wry smile, I-han stood up. Thinking about how much silver this magic would consume before he mastered it made his heart sink.

As dusk fell, Professor Voladi checked his pocket watch.

“By the way, can you start class a bit earlier tomorrow?”

“How early?”

“About two hours.”

"..."

Moving his Monday lecture from 9 a.m. to 7 a.m. was far from “a bit.”

But I-han was a professional student.

*I’ll just think of it as ending two hours earlier.*

“Of course. Is there anything I should prepare?”

“No. I need to meet with some giants.”

"......"

---

“Human mage! A human mage!”

“Welcome, welcome!”

Early in the morning.

As the second semester drew to a close, each day grew colder. Without a magical shield over his coat, the chill seeped straight to the bone.

I-han exhaled into the frosty air and greeted the giants.

"Good morning, everyone."

“Show us magic! Magic!”

"Excuse me?"

I-han pondered what kind of magic he should display.

Perhaps Professor Voladi would understand if he fired an ice spell at him to satisfy the giants?

“That one! Yes, that one!”

One of the giants held a thick wooden bowl, banging it rhythmically with a spoon.

"...So it’s about food."

As the giants eagerly gathered, their faces full of anticipation, the most intelligent giant, Ikurusha, stepped forward.

“Greetings, Professor Bagrek. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. Thank you.”

“With final exams coming up, all the professors must be busy. Did you find the time to come all this way?”

“It’s no trouble.”

"......"

I-han almost blurted out, *“Aren’t I your only student, Professor?”* but restrained himself, realizing it was unwise to mock a professor publicly.

“With exams on the horizon, I wanted to get closer to the giants and lend a hand.”

“Do as you please. I found it strange when the professor suggested it.”

Ikurusha recalled the first time he’d heard of Professor Voladi’s rather insane idea of “testing freshmen by pitting them against giants.”

At the time,

 he’d suggested that it would be better to first become friends with the giants before trying such a test.

After all, it would be pointless to force a young mage into conflict with giants—a situation that could even produce a future Archmage bearing the title “Giant Slayer.”

Initially, he’d hoped I-han wouldn’t be able to bond with the giants, providing a reason to dissuade the professor from his plan.

But unexpectedly, I-han from the Wardanaz family had quickly formed a bond with the giants.

Helping them tend sheep and eagerly studying their cooking had earned him their favor.

In fact, the giants had been so curious about him that they’d even asked Ikurusha.

“When will that mage visit?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then go down and ask!”

“I did, and they didn’t know.”

“Then go again! Ask again!”

It wasn’t easy for the giants to warm up to someone so quickly, so this was remarkable.

At this point, Ikurusha had no choice but to acknowledge Professor Voladi’s plan.

If the boy had bonded so well with the giants, he was certainly qualified to face them.

*To think he’s become so close with them...*

“Naturally.”

Watching I-han being tossed in the air by the cheering giants, Ikurusha nodded in agreement with Professor Voladi.

Meanwhile, I-han, unaware he was digging his own grave, basked in the giants’ cheers.

“Hail the mage! Hail the mage!”

“Our friend!”

“Haha, thank you, everyone. It’s all thanks to your kindness.”