Is he actually giving these away? Nillia hesitated, wondering if she was just imagining things.

Thinking it over, she realized Wardanaz really was selling his items at incredibly low prices. Most of their friends seemed to interpret his “business” a bit differently as well.

- “Is Wardanaz really doing this to earn silver?”

- “Nah, he probably just knows some folks would be too proud to take it for free, so he’s giving them a reason to accept it.”

- “Wardanaz could just hand it over, no fuss. Right, Wardanaz?”

- “Not a chance. Pay up, no nonsense.”

- “Haha, yeah, we get it.”

Nillia wanted to give out the things she’d crafted to her friends for free, as she did back in the mountains. But maybe Wardanaz’s way was right. Some friends might actually dislike just receiving things without earning them.

"...Yeah, I guess they might not want to accept it for free," she murmured.

"What are you talking about?"

I-han looked at her as if she were saying something bizarre.

He’d fully intended to make a solid profit off his work, so her strange comment had thrown him off.

"Uh… oh, I mean… the part about giving it to friends for free. I was just… I thought—”

“Nillia, as I’ve said before, you should charge for it so they understand its value.”

*Oh, no.*

Seeing him start, Nillia had a bad feeling. He was about to talk for at least ten minutes on the importance of fair value.

After all, last time, when she’d simply mentioned, “I shared some food from a hunt with friends,” she’d ended up listening to Wardanaz and Yonere for half an hour about how she’d never survive the harsh world of Enroguard if she kept this up.

“Ah, no! I meant, of course, for a price! I forgot to say that part!”

"Really? Do you sincerely believe that?"

“O-of course!”

Her eyes darted nervously. I-han squinted at her, then finally nodded.

“Hm. Alright then.”

"By the way, Sir Nillia, thank you for the leather gloves you gifted me before. Thanks to them, I’m staying warm even while working today."

Rowena, wiping sweat from her brow, thanked Nillia.

"......"

"......"

I-han fixed his gaze on Nillia, who quickly picked up a crate and bolted back to the classroom.

---

*Hisssss*

"Eek!"

Anrago recoiled as the smell of burning leather filled the air. From across the room, where he was repairing an artifact, Professor Verdus didn’t even look up.

“Pour neutralizing solution beside it… Oh, too late. Swap it for another piece of leather.”

"...S-sorry, Wardanaz."

Noticing the expensive leather piece smoldering, Anrago apologized to I-han.

“No worries. You’ll just pay me back later.”

“…Wait, it’s not free?”

“It’s free if you finish it properly. If you mess it up, I can’t sell it, can I?”

“That’s fair, Alpha. You ought to learn the value of your materials,” chimed in Salco from behind, shaking his hammer at him in a lecturing manner.

“You knights. Swinging swords all day means you don’t know the sweat that goes into crafting. Just wasting materials.”

“Ah, Tutanta’s right. You’re just being wasteful since it’s not your own supplies, huh? Typical White Tiger Tower behavior.”

*Ugh, these guys…* 

The students from Black Tortoise Tower and Blue Dragon Tower didn’t get along particularly well, but they shared a unique camaraderie when it came to criticizing other towers.

*Snap!*

Salco winced. His hand slipped while carving a magic circle, snapping the thin gold thread embedded inside it.

“Haha! Nice one, Tutanta!”

"Wasting materials? Wasting the precious resources Wardanaz painstakingly collected?"

The students from White Tiger Tower immediately jumped to their feet, shouting from behind.

“It wasn’t even my own supplies…”

“Apologize to Wardanaz! Say you’re sorry to Wardanaz!”

"Shut up. Even if I apologize, it won’t be because you told me to!"

“I said it wasn’t my—"

Annoyed, I-han raised his staff and began thumping his friends with it.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

“Ouch! Agh!”

“Enough. If you keep this up, we’ll fall behind schedule.”

Everyone refocused on their work, though suspicious glances continued to flash between the groups, daring each other to slip up.

“Oops.”

Nillia froze as her leather tore. She’d been trying to trim the edge neatly, but it ended up ripping. Spotting her distress, the White Tiger Tower students’ eyes gleamed. Black Tortoise Tower students prepared to defend their fellow member with a fierce glare.

"......"

"......"

But when the White Tiger students saw Nillia’s face, they averted their gaze. They’d received too much help from her to act like that now.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Hey, quiet down."

“S-sorry, Wardanaz.”

---

*So that’s why upperclassmen keep armor around. There’s always a reason,* I-han mused, remembering the gifts his seniors, Anpagun and Valpatan, had given him in return for his help.

He’d initially thought the armor and fabric stockpile was a leftover from a battle or something, but now that they were making winterwear and protective clothes, the importance of armor felt even more apparent.

"Layer it a bit thicker, so it can block arrows."

“We need it to block arrows?”

“It would help, wouldn’t it? Can you dodge an arrow? Especially a magically reinforced one? Would you just die if there was a spell-reinforced arrow trap outside your dorm?”

"......"

Regretting he’d asked, Anrago quietly returned to his tools. Wardanaz’s standards were just too high.

*How is he even doing this…?*

Curious, Anrago peeked at Wardanaz’s work and was stunned.

The inside of I-han’s coat was layered with complex magic circles so intricate, they were impossible to fully understand with a single glance.

Unsurprisingly, I-han frowned as he tried to get the right effect.

"Can’t get the hardening spell to stabilize."

"Isn’t that a bit much?"

"Really?”

I-han looked up, thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“Nah. If we’re using premium materials, might as well go all out.”

“You’ve added too much magic, it’s a miracle it hasn’t exploded.”

Passing by, Professor Verdus took one look at I-han’s coat and dismissed it with a curt remark.

Dejected, I-han began scaling back the magic.

*This lunatic…* Anrago decided to stick with making a simple warm coat, turning his focus away.

"Oh, by the way, isn’t the final exam in two weeks?"

Students, busy crafting their winter gear, all looked up at once.

Professor Verdus mentioning exams immediately caught their attention.

"We’ll do a quick artifact-making session here as practice."

“Do we need to prepare specific materials or reagents?”

“What kind of artifact are we supposed to make?”

“Hold on.”

At their questions, Professor Verdus rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a paper.

“Let’s see… ‘Bibble, if you defy my orders one more time, I’ll suspend you upside down in the punishment cell—’ Ah, wrong side.”

“......”

He flipped it over and read the instructions. It was clearly an exam set by the Skeleton Principal.

"‘Use discarded materials and reagents from this year’s lessons as resources.’"

"Excuse me?"

“How are we supposed to do that?”

While there’s an old saying that “a master doesn’t blame his tools,” most experts would disagree. The best craftsmen were obsessive about their tools.

Professor Verdus, for instance, ignored personal insults but would unleash his full arsenal on anyone who dared touch his equipment.

Using discarded materials? That was going too far.

“This isn’t leather anymore; it’s a charred lump of coal,” Anrago muttered, checking the piece he’d burnt and tossed into the discard pile earlier.

Make an artifact from this?

The other students felt the same horror as they assessed the destroyed materials they’d carelessly broken over the year.

I-han, however, wasn’t fazed. He simply grabbed his carving knife and began marking up the most salvageable leather.

*I’ll just create some “discarded” pieces to use.*

"‘Wardanaz. Don’t even think about creating “discarded” materials. I’ll personally inspect them before the exam.’"

"......"

Defeated, I-han looked up at Professor Verdus, feeling thoroughly outmaneuvered.

*How did he know?*

*Damn, still a long way to go.*

After reading the Skeleton Principal’s instructions, *“How to Handle the Final Exam – Even Professor Verdus Can Manage It,”* Verdus grinned at the students.

“No need to gather materials this time, isn’t that convenient?”

"......"

“Argh! No way!”

One White Tiger student finally snapped and rushed at Professor Verdus, who nonchalantly tossed him out the window.

“What’s with him?”

“Seems some students experience bouts of madness now and then,” I-han commented.

Verdus nodded knowingly.

“Happens every year

.”

“I see…”

Listening to stories of their upperclassmen, I-han shook his head.

*If you’re going to rebel, at least plan it properly!*

---

“Come grab your clothes, everyone.”

“Wardanaz, this one’s too small for me.”

“There are bigger sizes in the back. Imirgh, I made a separate robe for you, so take that one. And Gainan-do, stop picking by color and check if it fits.”

“Nah, this one fits just fine,” Gainan-do said, waving around pants at least three sizes too large.

The way the folds looked like a skeleton appealed to his sense of style.

“If you hold them up while walking again, I’m taking away your card privileges.”

A priest from Phoenix Tower, helping distribute the items, looked confused.

“Isn’t that what belts are for?”

“He lost his belt gambling.”

"......"

“Perhaps confiscating it would be wise…”

Gainan-do quickly grabbed a proper pair of pants and ran off.

With the help of Phoenix Tower students, I-han distributed the winter clothing they’d crafted. Although it seemed simple, the task required patience.

After all, they had to test each item to ensure it fit and that the enchantments worked properly.

“Thanks for helping, everyone.”

“We’re happy to assist with such a noble cause.”

“Hm? I’m selling these, you know.”

“...Oh…”

The priest looked at Nillia, clearly confused. Hadn’t he heard that these were for free?

Priestess Shiana reassured him, “If it’s much cheaper than the market price, it’s like he’s giving them away.”

“Is… is that right?”

“Absolutely.”

*So practical, these Flameng Temple folks,* thought I-han, feeling a slight increase in his opinion of the temple.

Outfitted head-to-toe in winter wear, the students looked much more at ease. Anrago, checking on friends’ reactions to his handiwork, noticed the pile of supplies stacked behind I-han’s makeshift stall.

“Wardanaz, what’s all that?”

“Oh, those? I made tents and sleeping bags from the leftover materials.”

“…Why?”

“Well, we might need them.”

“??”

Anrago couldn’t imagine a situation where camping gear would be necessary.

Sure, if they ventured into the mountains, but who would be crazy enough to camp there in winter?

---

“Your final exam will be a night spent in the mountains.”

"......"

"......"

The students looked at Professor Engeldel with utter betrayal.

The elf professor, puzzled by their reactions, asked, “Don’t knight families train like this too?”

“Well…”

“Yes, technically…”