"Such an unbelievable school."

Lee Han muttered as he prepared a protective charm.

Complaining was useless; the professors wouldn’t listen anyway.

"Divide, infuse."

With the incantation, magic began to flow into the purple bone.

Although this was supposed to be a lesson on divination magic, they had actually spent more time learning other types of magic.

One of those was the <Basic Mage Division> spell that Lee Han was casting now.

This spell distributed the risks that normally fell on the caster to other objects instead.

Of course, with powerful divination magic, even this spell wouldn’t suffice, but for first-year students' level of fortune-telling, it was more than enough.

Next to him, Priest Tizilling adeptly layered a triangle pattern as he crafted his own charm.

As a priest of the Freecinga Order, specializing in handling cursed artifacts, Tizilling was skilled at enduring and defending against such curses.

One of the order’s techniques was to fortify the structure of protective charms with symbols and numerology.

After completing the first phase, Tizilling wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and looked to the side.

To his surprise, the boy from the Wardanaz family was still wrestling with the bone.

"...?!"

"Ah, this is ridiculously tough."

Grinding his teeth, Lee Han knocked on the bone.

Typically, artifacts were crafted from materials with high magical conductivity.

In other words, the material needed to conduct magic well and retain it for a long time to be suitable for artifacts.

However, whatever material Professor Parselet had (forcibly) given him, this purple bone seemed to repel magic every time he tried.

A protective artifact had to be durable, but if magic couldn’t be applied to it at all, it was pointless.

Lee Han sighed deeply, closing his eyes.

"I have no choice but to do it little by little."

If the magic wasn’t sticking because it kept getting repelled, there was a way.

Gripping the bone, he poured an intense amount of magic into it. Normally, this would cause an immediate backlash, but the bone, being sturdy, merely vibrated as it resisted.

"I'll tame it!"

It was a crude approach, but it was still a method.

If the item absorbed his magical energy, it was less likely to reject his magic.

Once.

Twice.

Three times…

While his friends adjusted the structure of their charms using metals and semiprecious stones and tested them with simple fortune-telling, Lee Han kept chiseling and re-chiseling the bone.

“Wardanaz, are you okay? Time’s running…”

"Ah, food doesn’t cook faster just because you keep checking it! Rice doesn’t turn into a meal by rushing!”

“Oh, no, I was just concerned.”

“Hurrying only makes it rougher and slower. Artifacts need to be made properly. You can’t afford to lose focus while crafting.”

"An… artifact master?"

The friend who had spoken was struck by an image of a master craftsman who’d spent decades creating artifacts.

Lee Han grumbled as he inspected the bone once more.

"This should be good enough… or maybe it’s still lacking."

"Wardanaz, really, the time…"

Bang!

With the foundational work done, Lee Han moved swiftly into the next phase.

In a flash, he swung his staff, splitting the bone and reshaping it as he began casting spells over it.

"Divide, infuse. Divide, infuse. Divide…"

He chanted continuously at a pace different from the other students, each spell flowing seamlessly.

Watching him work with such speed, others might worry about mana exhaustion, magical recoil, or even burnout, but Lee Han didn’t blink as he pressed on.

Even after that, Lee Han’s hands never stopped. The split, reshaped bones aligned in their precise positions.

“Oh my...!”

“It’s like Avalkan, the artifact master, has been reincarnated!”

His speed was so astounding that even the name of an ancient artifact master from centuries ago was being thrown around.

The students could only watch, blinking in amazement.

Tap tap tap tap!

After assembling and finishing his work, Lee Han set the charm on the table.

Applause erupted from every direction.

“Wardanaz! Wardanaz!”

“A genius of labor!”

“Isn’t that an insult?”

Sitting at the front of the lecture hall, Professor Parselet spoke nonchalantly.

"This is an exam."

"Oh! Sorry, Professor."

* * *

After the exam, Professor Parselet reviewed Lee Han’s submitted charm and couldn’t help but admire it.

It was on a completely different level compared to the other students’ work.

"Impressive."

-Impressive!

Artifacts were, of course, influenced by the materials used.

The bone that the Skull Principal had given was from a hellblood ram, so it was unsurprising that an artifact made from it would outperform others.

What was truly remarkable was that Lee Han had managed to tame the bone in such a limited time and complete it as a protective artifact.

Even Professor Parselet had wondered halfway through the test, “Can he finish this in the time left?”

It wasn’t just Lee Han’s strong magical control over the material; his flawless and efficient workflow also played a significant role.

"Did you learn that from Professor Verdus?"

“...Ugh…”

Lee Han let out a groan that sounded like a curse-bound wizard's.

For a moment, Professor Parselet wondered if Lee Han had fallen under a curse.

"Are you alright?"

"...Yes, I learned it from Professor Verdus."

‘What was that?’

The professor was curious, but Lee Han’s serious expression discouraged him from probing further.

“You crafted the charm well. It wasn’t easy material to work with, but you managed to tame it and finish. This should withstand a few simple divinations easily.”

"Thank you."

Lee Han kept his emotions—resentment, anger, frustration, sadness—hidden behind a controlled expression.

At least, until the next thing the professor said.

“To be honest, when I heard that you volunteered to use this, I was a bit concerned, but the future is unpredictable, as they say.”

“Well… Pardon? I volunteered?”

“Didn’t you volunteer to use this?”

Lee Han was silent for a moment.

Then he asked, “The principal said that, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Did it ever cross your mind that he might be lying?”

Whatever else, Lee Han couldn’t understand this part.

Professor Parselet, a master of divination magic, hadn’t seen through such an obvious lie? It was only natural to suspect something when the Skull Principal gave something with that kind of expression.

‘Is he pretending not to know because he’s in on it?’

Lee Han shot a suspicious look.

"Well, you started the test without saying anything, so I assumed you volunteered."

“......”

* * *

Tizilling, watching Lee Han leave the lecture hall, thought he noticed a slight redness around his eyes.

‘Must be my imagination.’

Surely a boy as stoic as a block of ice wouldn’t shed tears.

“Are you alright?”

“Priest Tizilling, one day, I want to defeat a lich.”

"...What?"

“Nothing. How was your test?”

“I scored 95.”

“Oh, don’t be too discouraged. You can try again next time.”

“……”

Tizilling was momentarily speechless.

“I… I thought I did pretty well…”

“Yes, it’s that positive attitude that’s important. Well done.”

“……”

Even though Tizilling was usually calm, capable of handling even the most deceitful artifact sellers, this Wardanaz boy had a peculiar knack for manipulating other people’s emotions.

‘Ah!’

Realizing he’d been gripping his staff tightly, Tizilling released his grip, surprised at himself.

What on earth was he doing?

‘I’d better change the topic!’

“What exams do you have left?”

“Dance, illusion magic, and some healing magic.”

“I finished with this test.”

Tizilling was startled by his own tone, realizing it held a hint of pride.

“...Did you just brag about finishing your exams before me?”

“Oh, no?? Not at all! Absolutely not!”

Tizilling denied it in a hurry.

To think he would do something like that!

“Well, it’s alright to brag… Go ahead. If I hear it often, that’s on me, not you.”

“That was a mistake.”

“It happens. Everyone’s happy when they finish their exams.”

It wasn’t exactly because of the exams, but Tizilling decided to keep that to himself, staying silent as a way of repenting.

“?”

About to stay quiet, the priest noticed something strange.

“But…”

“Do you have a question?”

“Haven’t you still got the <Repeated Studies in Basic Magical Combat> test left?”

“…Oh. Right, that one. Haha, look at me, I completely forgot.”

Lee Han laughed heartily.

Tizilling had the feeling there was some hidden secret behind that laughter.

What could it be?

“There’s no way you’d just forget something like…”

“Oh, Priest Tizilling! Look out the window! They’ve engraved Enroguard’s motto on the flag. Looks pretty decent, doesn’t it?”

Outside the window, students from the imperial literature class were displaying flags engraved with mottos suited to Enroguard.

-“Seeking freedom through bondage!”

-“The one who gets caught is in the wrong!”

-“More secretive than starlight, sharper than moonlight!”

“…That?”

“It’s… kind of nice, isn’t it?”

* * *

“Uh…”

“Is this the illusion magic exam?”

The students who arrived ahead of Lee Han stared at the area near Professor Kirmin’s tower in confusion.

Although the surroundings were usually transformed thanks to the professor’s mastery of illusion magic, today it looked different.

Instead of the

 tower, there were dozens of barns.

“You’re all here! I was waiting.”

Professor Kirmin greeted them in his usual upbeat tone. “Hello, Professor Ku!”

“Uh, isn’t the final exam supposed to be an illusion magic duel?”

Many of the students had assumed that the final would involve an illusion magic duel.

After all, they had focused heavily on it during class, so it seemed likely.

But Professor Kirmin cheerfully shook his head.

“Oh no, no, no. Just because it was a main focus in class doesn’t mean it’ll appear on the final.”

‘What a shame.’

Lee Han felt a pang of disappointment that the exam wasn’t an illusion magic duel.

If it had been, he could have easily scored a perfect mark.

“You seem relieved, Wardanaz. I guess, after sparring against a professor like me, a duel would have been overwhelming?”

“…Wait, isn’t this exam against other students?”

Professor Kirmin chuckled at Lee Han’s question.

And then paused.

“Oh, you’re serious?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, of course not. That would be meaningless.”

“Sometimes it’s worth verifying, even if it seems…”

“Nonsense! Voladi would be disappointed if you tried to pass a test in such a trivial way.”

‘Can’t we let him be disappointed for once?’

People don’t die from disappointment, but they might if they fight their professor.

"Now, today’s final exam is to create a simple maze. As you explore Enroguard, you’ll find that protecting your personal space is more important than you’d think."

In many imperial fairy tales, wizards loved to build towers and use them as workshops.

Of course, such places weren’t merely architectural; they required robust magical defenses to qualify as a wizard’s workshop.

Excellent illusionists could mask their traces so well that even an army would struggle to find them.

"Over the next two days, you’ll each create a basic maze, and then you’ll test each other’s mazes to see how well they repel intruders. Any questions?"

A few students raised their hands.

"Alright, what would you like to know?"

“Well… Wardanaz… Oh, right, how will we choose who enters each other's maze?”