“What are you doing?”
Phil frantically scribbled a message and sent it over.
However, the junior, deep in concentration, didn’t notice the message.
“Hmm.”
Phil was terrified seeing his junior constantly using precognitive magic to adjust the direction.
‘Doesn’t that guy have any fear?’
Using precognitive magic incorrectly could make you vomit blood and collapse, yet he was acting so boldly.
“All done.”
Professor Alkasis strode forward.
He nodded after seeing what Lee Han had extracted.
“Good job. Take a rest for a bit.”
“Thank you.”
“Professor.”
Phil couldn’t hold back and raised his hand. Professor Alkasis glared at Phil, his eyes warning him to be quiet.
“I know getting it right is the most important thing, but I’m still worried about my junior.”
“…Worry about your own work. The slime is still waiting.”
Professor Alkasis looked at Phil with utter disdain.
In some magic classes, if there weren’t many talented students, older students would worry about the new younger students.
This worrying wasn’t good for the younger student or the older student because everyone learns magic best by practicing themselves.
“I can solve my slime problem right away! It’s just that my junior is using such a dangerous method of healing!”
Surprisingly, Phil didn’t back down.
The other students buzzed with worried glances at the sight.
‘Is he going to draw his wand?’
“I would have said… if it were truly dangerous, he would have failed on his own. Why are you wasting time on a junior who succeeded so well…”
“Even so, extracting it with precognitive magic isn’t right!”
“…Precognitive magic?”
“Yes!”
Professor Alkasis frowned and looked at Lee Han.
Then he asked,
“Did you extract it with precognitive magic?”
“Uh… I used it as an aid.”
“Why?”
“…I couldn’t think of any other way?”
“……”
Professor Alkasis fell into deep silence. Then, he looked at the seniors and asked,
“Didn’t I teach you >Disease Detection< or >Life Force Identification” “No.” “You didn't teach us.” The seniors said in unison. The dark elf professor ruffled his hair, which was already messy and streaked with grey, and muttered, “I forgot…” “……” “……” Not only the seniors but even Lee Han stared at the professor in disbelief. How could he forget that? “It's a spell you learn in the second year, so I made a mistake. Tell me next time if something like this happens. Precognitive magic isn't a good spell to use repeatedly in situations like this.” Lee Han glared at the professor. New writing appeared beside him. -Bear with it. He's the professor. After the lecture, Lee Han decided to avoid Professor Alkasis as much as possible until the next class. Judging from what the professor said during the lecture (Phil, keep your evenings free this week. A patient is coming), Lee Han felt he might be dragged along if he was unlucky. However, such resolutions were in vain as Lee Han had to urgently call out to Professor Alkasis, who was passing by. The basilisk had started to get sick. Lee Han had finished his lecture and was in his hut, feeding the basilisk and taking care of its egg as usual. But suddenly, the egg started shaking as if it had eaten something wrong, and began rolling around inside the hut. Startled by the unexpected situation, Lee Han immediately rushed out to ask for help. When he saw Professor Alkasis in the distance, Lee Han called out to him without hesitation. “Professor! Professor!” “Don't shout so loudly…” Professor Alkasis already had trouble sleeping and headaches from working too much, so he didn't like students shouting. “What is it? Why did you call me?” “Please help me for a moment!” “I have to prepare medicine now…” Professor Alkasis took out his pocket watch to check the time and raised an eyebrow. “If it's not important, you'll owe me a big favor. What is it?” “The basilisk is sick!” “...I suppose that is important.” Professor Alkasis changed his mind about the student. This boy from the Wodanaz family really didn't make empty promises. “Why on earth a basilisk…” “It's a long story if I explain.” “Then don't.” “Thank you.” Lee Han was grateful for Professor Alkasis's consideration. Professor Alkasis was taken aback by Lee Han's gratitude but brushed it off as he found it bothersome. “Ah, you have to go this way.” “……” Seeing that even an illusion spell had been cast to prevent access from outsiders, Professor Alkasis wondered who had ordered this. The headmaster? “The path is narrow.” “Professor Verdus made it based on his own standards…” Lee Han shook off the leaves that had stuck to his hair and clothes. Professor Alkasis did the same. Dark elves were generally a slender race, and Professor Alkasis, being a woman, was even thinner, but even considering that, she was bound to be larger than Professor Verdus. Lee Han watched the professor's expression. He had asked for help in a hurry, but it wouldn't be good to get the professor covered in dirt. If the professor got covered in dirt, the student's chances of ending up buried under the dirt would increase. “Hurry up. If I can't make the medicine because of you, will you take responsibility?” “I'm going now!” Lee Han hurriedly opened the door to the hut. Professor Alkasis looked surprised to see the basilisk's egg rolling around in the small hut. The hut was simple, with shelves of jars and a faint smell of herbs and something else, something a little wild. “You really were raising it… and raising it well.” “Several professors helped me. Professor Lightning Foot or Professor Lezh… Lee Han absentmindedly left out Professor Verdus. Professor Alkasis didn't bother to ask again. “If Professor Lightning Foot helped you, you could have asked him?” “……” Lee Han realized his mistake. Come to think of it, that would have been the safer option. The basilisk had suddenly fallen ill, so he had called Professor Alkasis, who was the first person he saw, but Professor Alkasis was definitely not a kind professor. ‘I should have remained calm in any situation.’ Lee Han learned another lesson. “I thought asking the professor about disease-related issues would be the most accurate.” “I'm glad you think so.” Professor Alkasis unexpectedly accepted his student's compliment readily. Except for wasting time unnecessarily, making mistakes when using healing magic, and not being helpful when he needed to save a patient, Professor Alkasis might have been a surprisingly kind and approachable person. ‘Hmm. Now that I think about it, that's a really meaningless statement.’ Lee Han shook his head inwardly. If you looked at it that way, there wasn't a professor who wasn't kind. Even Professor Volardy was a kind professor, except for the beatings. “It's a growth spurt. The basilisk is growing too fast, so it seems to be experiencing a fever…” “I've never seen that symptom in a book, I must have missed it.” “No… basilisks aren't supposed to have growth spurts.” Professor Alkasis said with a look of wonder. Even if he wasn't knowledgeable enough to know all the rare animals in the Empire, Professor Alkasis knew quite a bit about useful monsters like basilisks. Because it grew so slowly and required so much magic and food, growth spurts weren't a common symptom. Most monsters that suffered from growth spurts were those that grew rapidly… “Oh dear. Is it because I gave it too much food?” Lee Han wondered if he should divert some of the food and sell it on the black market. The basilisk's egg next to him shook from side to side and made a noise, but Lee Han ignored it. “If food could cause growth spurts, the Empire's ranchers would be crying tears of joy. There must be another factor besides food. Look for it.” Lee Han scanned the hut and asked about various suspicious factors. Was it a problem with ventilation, or a problem with the flow of magic in the area where the hut was located, or was the basilisk stressed because of Professor Verdus… Professor Alkasis, who had been listening quietly, stared intently at the basilisk's egg. The way it rolled around and tried to stick to Lee Han even inside the egg was unusual. Monsters had an imprinting phenomenon where they regarded the first person they saw after hatching as their owner, but it was rare for them to chase after their owner like that even before hatching. It could be because he took such good care of it, but more likely… “You're the cause.” “Yes?” “That basilisk is constantly sucking your magic. Even now… wait. You didn't notice? Really?” He could feel the magic being sucked out every time the basilisk egg stuck to Lee Han, but he hadn't noticed it himself. Was that even possible? “You were doing that?!” Lee Han pushed the egg away with a betrayed expression. The egg rattled and tried to stick to Lee Han, but Lee Han firmly held it back. “Didn't you feel your magic being drained?” “No.” Professor Alkasis's eyebrows twitched at his student's immediate answer without a second's hesitation. “...I see.” There was nothing he could do if he didn't feel it. It was absurd, but Professor Alkasis accepted it. “I'll make a fever-reducing potion for the basilisk, so give it one drop a day. It's best not to allow anyone else to approach it until it gets better. Basilisks are more sensitive monsters than you think. And stop indulging it.” “I didn't indulge…” Lee Han felt wronged, but the professor didn't listen. Professor Alkasis quickly made the potion and then looked at Lee Han, like he was thinking about how much work Lee Han could do. Lee Han quickly shouted, “I am always grateful for the professor's grace. However, I have assignments to do, and this week…” “I'm not going to make you do anything, so don't worry.” Professor Alkasis stood up and said in a slightly hoarse voice. “It's true that we're short-handed. That's a fact. But… the students also have a point. No matter how urgent it is, if we keep pushing first-years into real-world situations, there might be an accident…” As he spoke, Professor Alkasis watched the basilisk's egg stick to Lee Han again and suck out his magic. The professor decided to pretend he didn't see it. He felt his resolve would waver if he saw that. “...could happen. It's enough that he's keeping up with the lectures right now. If he keeps this up for another year or two, he'll become a decent healing mage.” The dark elf professor, despite being exhausted, showed a hint of anticipation for his student in his eyes. Normally, this would have been a situation where one would be moved by the professor's sincerity, as he rarely showed his emotions, but Lee Han wasn't. Lee Han wasn't someone who could be easily swayed like the other healing mage seniors. ‘It sounds touching, but if you think about it, it just means we're going to suffer and die together.’ Of course, Lee Han didn't reveal his true feelings. He nodded and expressed his deep gratitude. “Thank you for understanding. I will study healing magic diligently and try to do my part as quickly as possible.” “Do so.” Professor Alkasis chuckled and tried to open the door. At that moment, Professor Verdus, who had arrived with a tap tap tap, called out to Lee Han from outside. "Are you inside?! I need magic to make an artifact right now! Come out quickly! Hurry! Hurry!" “……” Professor Alkasis looked back and forth between the door and Lee Han with a mixed expression of confusion. …Do the other professors just make him do it?