A mage typically keeps their secrets close, but this one was too intriguing to ignore.

Oripulas, filled with genuine curiosity, asked Lee Han how he had deduced the criminal’s identity. The methods used by the previous students had all been techniques Oripulas could comprehend. However, whatever technique this Wardanaz boy had employed was beyond Oripulas’s grasp—no small feat, given his 131 years as an Imperial magistrate.

What could it have been?

“Well, actually…”

Actually?

“So… does telling you affect my grade?”

No! Just tell me already!

Oripulas’s excitement was evident, and even Professor Rozine, who was feigning disinterest, perked up her ears.

“Well, it’s just that… I recognized him. He’s a criminal I once fought and captured.”

“......”

“......”

Professor Rozine, as well as the upstanding citizen Ubal standing nearby, were left speechless. Kilvedek, in his shame, couldn’t even raise his head.

No one spoke, but Kilvedek’s ears seemed to echo with a mocking voice: “Couldn’t even beat a young mage?” And in truth, that wasn’t too far off.

‘When did I even encounter him? What are the odds a first-year student would recognize me?’ Kilvedek wondered. Without realizing it, he started to defend himself.

“Well, you see, it was under very… unusual circumstances…”

Perfect score… full marks!!

Oripulas, shaking with admiration, finally regained his composure and clapped his hands. It was a genuinely astonishing and heartwarming solution.

---

“That was such a strange test.”

“Those actors played the role of criminals really well. They seemed almost… too realistic.”

“……”

Lee Han considered saying something but held back, not wanting to scare his friends. It was probably better if they didn’t know that real criminals had been brought in for the test.

‘Well, the end-of-term exams are almost over anyway.’

As one exam after another finished and the weekend drew near, the students’ faces began to brighten.

To Lee Han, this end-of-term exam felt far more relaxed than any others that year. For once, he didn’t see the usual emotions of despair, regret, or pain etched into his classmates’ faces. It seemed the grand escape event prior to the exams had helped change things. With warm meals, comfortable beds, and abundant resources, students had found a surprising amount of resilience.

‘It even surprised me.’

Who knew that a bit of food and warmth could make his friends so much stronger? For a moment, he considered mentioning this to the skeletal headmaster but quickly thought better of it.

‘Probably wouldn’t end well.’

“Is anyone there?”

-Come in! Come in!

After navigating through the thick poisonous mist, Lee Han arrived at the underground storage where the giants resided. Even during exams, he regularly checked on them, unsure what variables might arise during their week-long stay.

Fortunately, the giants proved far more cooperative than he’d initially anticipated. The bond they’d formed held strong, even in this underground storage.

‘Seems like everything’s fine.’

Some giants were snoring loudly, others were painting murals on the storage walls, and a few were playing a game that resembled chess but used giant-sized pieces and was called “Giant Chess.”

“No issues, I hope?”

-Oh, there were issues!

“?!”

Lee Han was startled.

“What happened…? Are you out of food?”

-No! Do you think of us as gluttons, Mage?

“Of course not! I actually worry that you eat too little.”

Lee Han smoothly told the lie without a blink, and the giants beamed with pride at the compliment.

-Really? You think so?

“Yes, absolutely. Do you remember my friend Gaiondo? He eats even more than…”

-Ah, the one who wore a pot on his head?

-The one who tried to put out the fire with his cloak and burned it all up?

-The one who got snatched by a wyvern when he tried to fly from the tower?

“The last one didn’t happen, though?”

Lee Han was puzzled. He hadn’t mentioned the wyvern incident before.

The giants scratched their heads.

-Oh, wasn’t it him?

-Weird. Then who was it?

-I already told the other giants it was Gaiondo. Let’s just say it was Gaiondo!

As the giants settled their confusion, Lee Han returned to the original topic.

“What kind of issue was it? If it wasn’t food, was it… did other mages come to bother you?”

-Ah, yes. Other mages did come by.

“!”

Lee Han tensed. Other upper-year students approaching this storage was a significant concern. They could spread rumors about the giants or even inform Professor Voladi directly.

‘Actually, scratch that last worry.’

After some thought, Lee Han dismissed the idea of anyone reporting directly to Professor Voladi. Even considering all possibilities, no upperclassman would be bold enough to go to him.

“Did they come in?”

-No. They tried to approach but collapsed on the floor.

-The others dragged them away.

“……”

Thinking of the dense poison and dark magic traps in the area, Lee Han felt a twinge of concern. If his dark magic classmates ended up with a worse reputation because of this…

‘Nothing to be done. I’ll just have to explain later.’

Lee Han resolved that once he reached his second year, he would step up to defend the honor of the dark magic students if it ever came up.

“If it wasn’t food or other mages, what was it?”

-A monster showed up.

“There are so many monsters in Ainrogard…”

Hearing the word “monster” didn’t alarm Lee Han anymore. In terms of sheer numbers, there were more monsters than students in Ainrogard.

“It wasn’t a flying skeleton or anything, right? Those are genuinely dangerous.”

-No! It was that vampire beast you told us about before.

“…!!!”

Lee Han was startled. Somewhere in the depths of Ainrogard, a vampire beast had escaped the Death Knights’ grasp and fled. He’d assumed it had fled to the mountains but didn’t expect to find it back within the academy grounds.

“Are you sure about that?”

-I saw it with my own eyes. It came in, saw us, and then ran off.

-With its tail between its legs!

The giants let out hearty laughs of pride.

‘Hmm.’

Lee Han’s thoughts became complicated. It was possible the vampire beast had run away after seeing the giants, given their strength and the lack of gain from fighting them. But it also meant that the creature was cunning and had learned from its previous encounter with the Death Knights.

‘I just hope I don’t run into it before exams end.’

-That’s not all.

“?”

-The beast was looking for a mage.

-Yep. I’m sure it sniffed you out.

“…?!?!!!!”

Of all he’d heard that day, this shocked Lee Han the most.

“It… was looking for me? Are you certain?”

-It’s no mistake. I could tell by how it sniffed around.

-Predators do that sometimes. When they’re angry, they seek out the scent of whoever angered them.

The giants of the Ainrogard mountains were adept at managing fierce creatures, and their knowledge of a monster’s movements and intentions was often reliable.

“Why would it be after me? I didn’t really… well, okay, maybe a little, but the Death Knights did way more.”

When they’d fought the vampire beast, Lee Han had attacked, but compared to the Death Knights, his role had been minor. If it wanted revenge, surely the Death Knights would be its primary target?

-What are you talking about, Mage?

-Mage, you don’t understand animals yet. You need to raise more sheep.

The giants chuckled at Lee Han’s misunderstanding. His experience with monster behavior was still lacking.

-Animals chase after tasty prey. They don’t go after the hunters who hurt them.

-Right, right. It’s clear it has its sights set on you, Mage.

“!”

Only then did Lee Han fully understand what the giants were implying.

‘So that’s it?!’

The vampire beast had tracked him to the underground storage because of his scent. Though it fled at the sight of the giants, it had clearly come for him.

‘It must be drawn to my mana… great.’

The only reason a vampire beast he’d never met would be attracted to him had to be his mana.

-So, Mage, we wanted to tell you something.

-That’s right.

The sleeping giants woke up, the ones painting on the walls approached, and the ones playing Giant Chess stopped their game—well, only the one who was losing stopped. The winning giant protested, but the others ignored him.

Crossing their arms, the gathered giants declared resolutely.

-We’ll guard you.

“…Excuse me?”

-That creature is going to be a pain. Especially for a mage like you.

“…Oh, no, I…”

Though Lee Han was tempted for a moment, he quickly regained his senses. As reliable as the giants were, he couldn’t exactly bring them along as bodyguards.

Even beyond Professor Voladi’s exams, it would earn him a reputation as the “crazy first-year” among all students.

-They say he brings giants as his personal guards.

-That guy’s nuts…

“No, I can’t do that. It’s important that no one finds out about you.”

-Oh, right.

-That’s true.

The giants’ faces fell as they grasped the situation. They wanted to protect Lee Han, but they couldn’t leave the storage.

“I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”

-You sure?

-I heard you’re hiding to avoid that powerful mage.

The giants weren’t dumb—they just struggled with the language. Lee

 Han flinched at their blunt assessment.

“…Well, Professor Baggerek is… an exception.”

-Couldn’t you even handle that flying skeleton?

“Headmaster… well, he’s also an exception…”

-What about that clever troll-person?

“Professor Garcia is also… actually, I can hold my own just fine!”

Lee Han’s voice unintentionally grew louder. The giants had been looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

-Mage, it’s alright. Mages are naturally fragile.

-Strong warriors protect mages. That’s how it’s meant to be.

‘I feel wronged.’

Lee Han couldn’t persuade them otherwise, but that was simply because the others he was compared to were absurdly strong.

-Mage, if you ever need help, call us.

-We’ll come to assist you.

“Thank you… really,” Lee Han replied, his voice resigned.

---

“Hold on. Could the headmaster have tricked us?” Professor Parselet finally voiced a thought that should have come up much sooner.

-Is that so?

-I don’t think so.

“I mean, he wouldn’t assign such difficult exams… right?”

The skeletal headmaster had said that Lee Han wanted a tougher test, which was why they’d prepared it this way, but now that she thought about it, she couldn’t imagine any student actually requesting harder exams.

Something didn’t feel right…

-We’ll know by his reaction! If it’s a lie, he’ll let us know!

One of the other personalities reassured her. If the headmaster’s claim were false, Lee Han himself would say, “Professor, my exam seems off.”

Surely he’d notice if he received completely different materials from his friends.

Moments later…

The students entered, took their seats, and reviewed their materials and exam instructions.

Lee Han examined his without any objections and began the test.

‘Uh… was it true after all?’

Parselet started feeling a bit guilty about doubting the headmaster.