Yi-Han was lost in thought.

In truth, Yi-Han didn't need to learn every dance to make a name for himself at the Imperial Ball. It would be enough to learn the basics, dance once with others when they took their turns, and then return to his seat.

Outstanding dancers were said to be well-versed in the subtle differences of the round dances from each region of the Empire, but...

'Is that even possible?'

Yi-Han, who was inwardly amazed, felt a twinge of remorse.

Come to think of it, he, who was taking all the schools of magic, was in no position to say such things.

'The easiest way to learn this is probably...'

It was more comfortable to learn with a friend who was as bad at dancing as Yi-Han than to learn alone.

It was good for asking favors and practicing.

'And make preparations in advance so they can't say anything unnecessary.'

"Gainando is not here?"

"Yes. I apologize."

But surprisingly, Gainando was not at the mansion.

"How...? No. That was a rude question. After all, Gainando can go out and play on his own."

Upon hearing Yi-Han's words, the head butler thought to himself, 'He might have other friends, you know,' but didn't say it out loud.

Gainando had indeed gone out to play alone.

"It seems he went out to test the new Mage Cards he got."

"As expected of the Wardanaz family..."

"That guess has nothing to do with the family. Anyway, I understand."

"Do we have a guest?"

"!"

From inside the mansion, Gainando's mother, whom he had met before, appeared.

The head butler bowed his head at the dazzling spirit's radiance. Gainando's mother recognized Yi-Han's face and was delighted.

"You're Yi-Han from the Wardanaz family, Gainando's fr... fri... acquain... from the same tower... right?"

"Yes. And since we're friends, please feel free to speak comfortably."

Yi-Han could sense the other person thinking, 'Are they really friends? Are they still friends? If I say they're friends and they deny it, it'll be awkward for both of us, so I should be careful.'

Gainando's mother still spoke as if she found it hard to believe.

"I see. What brings you here today?"

"There's a big social gathering hosted by the city soon, and I came to practice with Gainando."

"..."

Gainando's mother looked at him again with an amazed expression.

It was a look that seemed to ask why he was going to such lengths to take care of Gainando.

'I should pretend not to notice.'

"That's really... kind of you. If I had known in advance, I would have locked him up so he couldn't go out."

"It's fine. I can wait until he returns."

The head butler cautiously opened his mouth.

"If you need any assistance with your practice, we will gladly prepare it."

At that question, Gainando's mother frowned.

A noble with strong pride might take offense at such a suggestion.

Offering to help with etiquette between noble families could be seen as disrespectful and looking down on the other party at first glance.

"How rude. A young master from the Wardanaz family should be able to do such a thing on his own, shouldn't he?"

"I, I apologize."

"..."

Yi-Han felt embarrassed.

'I was going to ask for help.'

"He's someone who can't do such a thing on his own, so it would be better if you helped him."

"!!"

A nobleman Yi-Han had seen somewhere appeared from inside the mansion.

A cold-looking handsome man, wearing a ceremonial robe made of dark blue silk and holding a cane with the unique elegance that only a nobleman could display.

His eyes glinted with a wicked mischief.

"Skull pr...! No, Principal!"

"I think you were about to address me casually just now, but I'll let it slide as a sign of friendliness."

The skull principal tapped the floor lightly with his cane as he spoke.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Yi-Han thought the skull principal looked very tired.

'Strange.'

The skull principal was one of the most powerful mages Yi-Han knew.

A mage of that caliber wouldn't get tired from using a few spells.

"Did something happen to you, by any chance?"

"...What's the reason for your question?"

"You look a bit tired."

"It must be your imagination."

The skull principal glared at Yi-Han with a scowl on his face.

As a result, there was no persuasiveness at all in what he had just said.

'You said it was my imagination.'

Yi-Han pondered if he had done something wrong.

"Is it because of the King of Ghouls? But that wasn't my fault, it was because the Adventurers' Guild didn't investigate properly..."

"Wait. What do you mean by the King of Ghouls?"

The skull principal interrupted Yi-Han's words.

His foresight magic-enhanced instincts were warning him of something ominous.

It was telling him that nothing good would come from hearing it!

'I was harassed by the Emperor until dawn, and don't tell me...'

The skull principal had faced the Emperor alone at the Imperial Palace from after the break until dawn today.

It was closer to a reprimand and criticism than a one-on-one meeting.

-Os... I respect your policy. But there are clearly some parts that are too much. I heard that a mage who graduated from Einroguard caused another incident recently-

-Mages are basically crazy, so it's not that Einroguard is particularly unusual... The higher proportion at Einroguard is because there are more capable mages there, so the incidents naturally increase accordingly-

-Stop making excuses. I didn't summon you to hear that. I heard an outstanding student from the Wardanaz family enrolled this time?-

-Yes.-

-Seeing you agree so readily, it must be a truly outstanding student. Well, it is the Wardanaz family.-

-I will take responsibility and teach him well.-

-Don't try to change the subject. I heard that student is receiving harsh teachings beyond the normal level. Is it true that a freshman is learning magic from all the schools of magic?-

-...It's not unprecedented-

-That kid was a troll mixed-blood, wasn't she? Even then, there was a lot of talk about dismissing you. This time, there's no such talk since it's the Wardanaz family, but.-

-That just shows how little insight the bureaucrats have, doesn't it? No, do you think a troll mixed-blood would endure well, or a pure human would endure well?-

-Well, if they're from the Wardanaz family, one can't help but expect some level of extraordinariness... Stop beating around the bush. There's only one thing I want to say. Teach that student well.-

-Yes.-

-Os. When I say teach him well, I don't just mean magic. I mean guide him so he doesn't become twisted.-

The Emperor's words were not entirely unreasonable.

Mages were fundamentally dangerous beings.

And outstanding mages were even more dangerous beings, and outstanding yet twisted mages were extremely dangerous beings.

Considering the abilities of the mages Einroguard produced, it was only natural for the Emperor to speak so gravely.

However, the skull principal still felt wronged.

Why was it the skull principal's fault that mages learned magic and caused accidents?

He wanted to argue for hours, but the skull principal endured.

There was no point in saying such things to the Emperor, who was tired from overseeing the Empire's affairs, as it would only be disadvantageous to himself.

And the skull principal had too many weaknesses that the Emperor could exploit.

-I will do my best.-

-I'm telling you this in advance in case you try to play clever word games later... Here are some examples of what I mean by guiding him well. If there's a situation where he has to fight a Rock Drake, make him avoid it. If he's already taking ten classes, dissuade him from taking an eleventh. If there's an intruder from outside, avoid having the freshman fight. Similarly, if the King of Frost Giants is summoned, avoid having the freshman resolve it-

-...I swear, I didn't intentionally push for any of those things.-

-Is that so?-

-But Your Majesty won't believe me, will you?-

-That's right. Don't resent me too much, Os... It's all because you've deceived me too many times.-

-...-

The skull principal couldn't say anything because it was his just deserts.

This was the consequence of always committing misdeeds and then making excuses, saying, "It wasn't me."

But the incidents related to Yi-Han were truly not something the skull principal had forcibly pushed.

Most of them were things he had volunteered for!

-From now on, I will be careful not to let the freshman go through too harsh of trials.-

-Hearing that answer satisfies me... I'll trust you, Os. Even though I suspect that after saying this, in 3 days, you'll harshly pass on your mantle as you please-

-No, Your Majesty. What era do you think this is?-

-Gathering just the disciples who ran away from you, one could establish a magic tower. Anyway... I'll trust you.-

After enduring the barbaric slander of the Emperor, who insulted an innocent Great Mage based on unfounded rumors and hearsay, and returning, the very person who was the cause of all this was saying something ominous, so he couldn't help but be afraid.

"Let me guess. Undead rising from the cemetery? It is about time for that. Idle nobles like to give them grandiose nicknames."

"Ah. How did you know? But that wasn't the King of Ghouls, it was an undead chimera. I tracked it down and caught it with Senior Direth."

"..."

The skull principal felt phantom headaches from his nonexistent body.

He had been away for just over a month, and he was afraid to even ask what had happened during that time.

"...Then did the noble brats cause an incident? They're the kind who don't know what's dangerous and buy this and that to play around with."

"Oh. You heard? But that was a Basilisk."

"...What the hell is wrong with you!"

In the end, the skull principal exploded.

"Other Blue Dragon Tower brats are wasting their family's wealth and indulging in debauchery during the break, but why are you doing this! Acting like you have multiple lives when you're not even a lich!"

"..."

"..."

Not only Yi-Han but everyone else in Gainando's mansion was dumbfounded.

"My friends are all working during the break though..."

"You must have influenced them!"

"That's not... Or is it?"

When Yi-Han agreed, the skull principal became even more spiteful.

Gainando's mother stepped forward to defend Yi-Han.

"Lord Gonadaltes. Yi-Han from the Wardanaz family is completely different from those lunatics who do dangerous things unsuited to their abilities for the sake of false reputation. There was an incident where members of the Crimson Lotus Forest subjugation team were unfortunately teleported, and they were very grateful that Yi-Han saved their lives."

"..."

Originally, he should have been happy about a student's achievements, but instead of being pleased, the skull principal sighed even more deeply.

What he feared most was the lingering unease that there were still more of Yi-Han's accomplishments left.

After sighing a few more times, the skull principal decided to accept reality.

'At least there's an alibi, fortunately.'

Even if the Emperor asked later, it was possible to make the excuse that he wasn't in Granden City at that time.

He didn't know how effective that would be, but...

"Enough... If he were someone who could be stopped, he wouldn't have had that level of capacity in the first place. Just learn to dance. Lady Kraha. This kid didn't take the social etiquette class, so it would be good if you could teach him."

"Really?"

Gainando's mother looked at the skull principal as if asking if it wasn't too much.

The skull principal immediately realized what misunderstanding she was having.

"No... Lady Kraha! I didn't prevent him from taking it!"

"Then he just didn't take it?"

"That's right!"

"I see... I understand..."

"The sacred cabinet will break...! You explain it!"

The skull principal called Yi-Han while enduring his headache.

"Yes? What should I say?"

"It was your choice not to take the dance class, wasn't it!"

"Yes. It was my choice, but."

"Do you see...!"

The skull principal, who was about to speak, faltered when he saw the shocked look Gainando's mother was giving him.

At that moment, the skull principal realized that no matter how he explained it, it was impossible to clear up the misunderstanding.

"...Just teach him to dance."