"Actually, doesn't Professor want to participate in the dark magic gathering?"

Not all professors in the world were like Professor Boladi.

Among professors, there were more cases than one might think where they wanted to (tactlessly) mingle with students.

Especially if it was an unpopular school like dark magic, it was even more so.

It would be difficult to get along with other professors at Einroguard, so the loneliness would be even greater.

"What?"

However, Direth reacted with surprise at Yi-Han's words.

"That's not it. He's not the type to do that."

"Is that so?"

"I've also invited him a few times, but he refused, saying it's fine."

"Hmm."

Yi-Han fell into thought while making a humming sound.

Direth was an outstanding dark mage and an excellent senior, but she wasn't a cunning disciple like Yi-Han.

Especially when it came to professors, there were often cases where they said A with their mouth but said B with the rest of their body.

One had to understand the language of these professors to become a cunning disciple.

"How did he refuse, by any chance?"

"Huh? He said, what would he do by participating there, and that it would interfere with the student gatherings."

"Indeed."

Yi-Han nodded his head as if he understood.

It was a typical fake statement.

"Did he happen to add that if you need help with magic research, you should call him?"

"...!"

Direth's eyes widened.

"Did you just use divination magic?!"

"Not divination magic, just a prediction. Senior, if it's alright with you, I'd like to visit Professor Mortum's workshop now and invite him."

"I don't mind, but... Will it be okay? Professor might get angry, saying you're unnecessarily bringing up something he kept refusing."

"Don't worry."

"Want to go together?"

"No."

Yi-Han stopped Direth.

If a disciple who had worked under Professor Mortum for a long time, like Direth, was beside him, he might stubbornly refuse out of embarrassment.

"I'm enough alone. Then I'll be back."

"O-Okay. Be careful and come back. ...Wait a minute! Hey! Junior! What was that about professors fighting on the street?!"

Direth shouted as she belatedly recalled, but Yi-Han had already disappeared down the street.

As professors at Einroguard, they were mages who had reached a certain level, so they each had a mansion or workshop in Granden City.

And Professor Mortum's workshop was located in the central noble district.

...Next to the cemetery in the district.

'Is it really okay?'

Of course, it was a much more dignified space than the nameless public cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

As it was a noble family's cemetery, beautifully carved marble tombstones and beautifully tied flowers were refreshingly placed here and there, but...

...Nevertheless, the gravedigger's tower used as a workshop gave off a somewhat eerie feeling.

At this point, it seemed that the problem was not the cemetery but dark magic.

"Professor Mortum, are you there?"

"Cough. I clearly told you. I said I'd finish it by next week. If you rush me one more time, I'll mix up your organs... Is it you, Wardanaz?"

Professor Mortum, who had opened the door while speaking fiercely, was surprised to find an unexpected disciple.

"This is a surprise."

"Do you have another appointment?"

"Cough. I'm not surprised because of that... There were so many professors who went to catch you that I thought you'd be torn into pieces by now."

"..."

For a moment, Yi-Han almost cast a curse spell on the professor.

If you knew, you should have stopped them!

'Stay calm. Professor Mortum is still better.'

From Yi-Han's perspective, a professor who did his own thing and occasionally invited him, like Professor Mortum, was better than a professor who came to find him and drag him away.

Both were like immature children, but the latter was a bit more...

"Who were you talking to just now?"

"Ah. Cough. I took on a request, but they keep bothering me to rush it."

It seemed that a noble from a family had died, and they had come to Professor Mortum wanting to find the inheritance that noble had hidden.

They had entrusted it to a few divination mages, but due to lack of clues, it had failed.

They had to at least salvage a fragment of the dead person's memory through dark magic.

"Even such requests are possible!"

Yi-Han newly realized that a mage's job was truly broad.

Perhaps later, it might not be bad to try controlling skeletons to sweep up the work of a transportation guild or attempt street performances.

"It's not a good request. Cough. But it's good for dark mages to accept such requests."

"Is it because of connections with noble families?"

"No. Cough. Such expensive requests don't come often."

"..."

"So... What brings you here? If you want me to stop other professors from chasing you, it's impossible. I'm not in a position to stop them."

'I know that.'

"How could that be? And it's an honor for professors to come looking for me. I'm lacking, so it's more than I could ask for them to personally come to me."

"Cough. You have a really good personality for a dark mage. If it were me, I would have released all the poison. During a student's break..."

Yi-Han almost nodded for a moment but clenched his teeth and endured.

"I came today because I wanted Professor to participate in the gathering."

"...What gathering?"

Professor Mortum answered a beat late. That was enough. Yi-Han was convinced that the other person knew today was the gathering day for dark magic school students.

"The gathering where seniors learning dark magic gather to pass on knowledge to juniors."

"Ah. Ah...! Cough. That one?"

"Yes."

"I'll pass."

Professor Mortum waved his hand and spoke.

"Cough. If you have something you don't know while researching magic, you can come and ask... Well... They don't ask much anyway."

A flash of disappointment appeared in Professor Mortum's eyes and disappeared.

Yi-Han spoke firmly.

"Professor!"

"...W-Why are you suddenly shouting?"

"The seniors always want to ask you questions. But they had no choice but to hesitate, knowing that you are always suffering from heavy workload and overwork."

"...!"

"Even if you say it's okay, if you don't directly participate in the gathering, the seniors won't be able to ask."

"What kind of cowardly..."

"I'm sorry. But please understand."

Although his words were blunt, Professor Mortum's face was slightly relaxed.

"Gainando, Raphael, and I were all curious about the golden experience you have accumulated as a dark mage. We couldn't hear it during the semester because of busy lectures, but we went expecting to hear it at the gathering during the break, but we were all disappointed that you weren't there."

"Is... Is that so?"

"Yes. When we were disappointed, the seniors asked us why. So when we spoke honestly, the seniors said, 'We also want to invite him, but we can't because we're sorry.'"

"That...!"

Professor Mortum let out a sigh.

He knew his disciples were timid, but he didn't know they were this timid.

There was no need to be that afraid anywhere.

"So I gathered the courage to come. I thought you might be a little lenient since I'm a first-year."

"Cough. Of course, it should be like that. What mage would get angry at a first-year's mistake?"

The skull principal immediately came to Yi-Han's mind, but he stayed quiet.

"...Alright. Cough. If you say that much, I have no choice. I can't let the already few new students disappear."

"That's right. If Professor participates in the gathering, would the new students drift to another school?"

Professor Mortum picked up his staff and stood up.

And he patted Yi-Han's back and walked.

"Cough. Wardanaz. I have a really good disciple."

"No, Professor. I'm just embarrassed."

Yi-Han swallowed the smile of a successful hunter inwardly.

'It would be nice if other professors were this easy too.'

How convenient would it be if everyone became happy like Professor Mortum?

Why were there only professors who said, 'Since I'm in a good mood, I'll teach you more magic' when they were happy...

"Oh my god. This is the first time I've seen Professor Mortum so happy."

"Did he poison him?"

"No. It's a curse. What else would he have to mix to make him that happy, a laughter curse and an intoxication curse?"

Some seniors were shocked to see Professor Mortum, who usually frowned, coughed, and was full of complaints, looking satisfied.

Of course, Direth was the same.

"H-How..."

"Senior. The professor just wanted to participate in the gathering."

"...!"

Direth looked at Yi-Han with a thrilled gaze.

The first-year junior who hadn't been here for long suddenly felt like a reliable comrade.

To the point where she felt she could entrust her back to this junior when dealing with crazy professors.

'Am I crazy? To a first-year...'

"Cough. The thieves were stubbornly holding out in the fortress. So I turned the captured thieves into undead and had them charge. In the meantime, I turned the newly captured thieves into undead and had them charge again. And again... Then they surrendered."

"Truly an educational story!"

"I want to try it too!"

Without Yi-Han even needing to set the mood, the dark magic school students showed deep interest in Professor Mortum's speech.

Thanks to that, Professor Mortum was greatly satisfied, finished his speech, and took a break.

"So... You're saying you're a prince?"

"Yes!"

In the meantime, the seniors' attention turned to the other juniors, excluding Yi-Han.

"Wouldn't a royal family member be criticized for being interested in dark magic?"

"Huh? Is that so?"

"..."

Yi-Han casually intervened.

"Remember to mention when I used black magic in front of the nobles during the basilisk incident."

"That's because you stopped midw..."

Yi-Han pinched the back of Gainando's hand. Gainando immediately understood.

"When the basilisk appeared, I protected the nobles with dark magic!"

"!"

"Oh..."

The seniors were surprised by those words.

To think he would take out dark magic in front of nobles without much thought.

"The idea that there is no class distinction in magic, and if one is confident in oneself, the gaze of the world isn't that important, right?"

"Class distinction? The world?"

Yi-Han pinched Gainando again. Gainando understood again.

"Yeah!"

"The first-year juniors this time are really amazing."

The seniors whispered in amazement.

However, their gazes had changed to be very favorable.

Because if they weren't sincere about dark magic, they couldn't show such an attitude.

"So. White Tiger Tower junior... Why are you learning it? The White Tiger Tower is also quite rare in dark magic."

"You're not learning dark magic destruction techniques, are you?"

"..."

Raphael felt cold sweat running down his back.

"That, well, it's..."

"There's no one as sincere about dark magic as Raphael, despite the misunderstanding he receives for being from a knight family."

"Really?"

"Yes. Because every time we explored the undead realm, he was always at the forefront."

"Isn't that just... a pervert?"

The seniors looked at Raphael with a bit of a different meaning, surprised.

What's so good about the undead realm?

"He just likes undead and takes the initiative."

'That's being a pervert, right?'

Raphael stood still with a flushed face, unable to do this or that.

Perhaps understanding it differently, the seniors didn't ask any further.

"I-I see. You're all unique, but you're sincere about dark magic."

"I'm glad to have juniors like you. ...Of course, one person's taste is a bit strange, but I'll respect it."

"You're not going to ask about Ymirg?"

"He's from the Black Tortoise Tower."

"Right."

"..."

Gainando's mouth gaped open in disbelief.

What kind of petty seniors...?

When the seniors' barrage of questions ended, Yi-Han lightly tapped Raphael's shoulder.

Raphael glared at Yi-Han for a moment and then opened his mouth.

"...I suppose I should say thank you."

No matter what, it was true that Wardanaz had covered for Raphael.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed from the earlier situation.

"Yeah. Forget the thanks and pay back the silver coins."

"...No, you crazy bastard, seriously!"