"It seems to have settled for now."

"Settled? What exactly has been settled?"

"What do you mean settled!"

Ogoldos shouted in surprise at his junior's words.

Normally, he wouldn't have paid attention to the words of an unfavorable enemy, but what the King of Ghouls said now was not wrong.

A magic circle of that level could not last long.

It seemed to be maintained solely by the mage's mana without any other supporting devices...

"We need to get out before the magic circle ends! I'll take care of it, so get out!"

"..."

For a moment, Yi-Han was startled by his senior's words.

No matter how he looked at it, the moment Ogoldos took charge of this magic circle, there was a high possibility that he would turn pale and die instantly within a few seconds.

"That..."

"Hurry!"

"Well..."

"I said come out! You'll collapse!"

When Ogoldos tried to pull Yi-Han out and take his place, Yi-Han also became desperate.

Thoughts came out of his mouth without going through his head.

"...If someone like you takes charge of this, you'll collapse right away!"

"..."

An awkward silence.

Ogoldos bowed his head deeply, having nothing to say. Yi-Han felt very sorry.

"That's..."

"...You're right. You're a better mage than me."

"Ah. Why are you saying that, senior? You have the years of experience you've accumulated."

'It's a 1-year difference, you bastard...'

Ogoldos was dumbfounded.

Of course, one year at the magic academy had an incomparable density compared to one year elsewhere, but it wasn't to the extent of expressing it like that.

Moreover, it was even less something Yi-Han should say.

"It's fine. I'm sorry. I couldn't even help and kept getting in the way... But are you really okay?"

"Yes. The recovery rate is faster than the consumption rate."

"..."

...Don't bullshit me! The King of Ghouls was dumbfounded.

"Isn't he lacking dignity for a king?"

Yi-Han threw a contemptuous gaze at the King of Ghouls trapped in holy magic.

Even if they were both kings, the King of Frost Giants had dignity, but the King of Ghouls was like a street thug.

"The king that summons speak of... It's like a title given to the strong."

At Ogoldos's words, Yi-Han nodded in understanding.

"Indeed. It's like a self-proclaimed title, right?"

Gainando also sometimes referred to himself as the 'Mage Card King of the Blue Dragon Tower'.

"How dare you!"

Yi-Han ignored it and said, "Senior. I have a favor to ask."

"Yes! Tell me!"

Ogoldos shouted with delight.

Then, realizing that he had shouted too excitedly, he became embarrassed.

"Ah, no. Tell me."

"Please give me some water. I've been thirsty for a while..."

"...Okay!"

Come to think of it, this junior was in a situation where he had been fighting and climbing up from that underground prison.

It wouldn't be strange if he collapsed from exhaustion right away.

Ogoldos held his staff and tried to summon water.

"Water..."

However, the lump of water that formed in the air, a few finger-widths in size, emitted a sour stench.

Seeing that, Ogoldos belatedly recalled.

'Oh no...! It was the undead realm!'

The realm itself was filled with dark elements and negative mana, affecting the use of other elemental magic.

It was the worst in a situation like now when they needed to create drinking water.

"Senior?"

"Wa... Wait a moment."

Ogoldos concentrated more desperately than when taking the dark magic final exam.

To purify this water now?

'The types of poison I can purify... Bacterial poison might be difficult to handle. Can dark elements be removed with magic? Ah. Right. I had a purifying handkerchief.'

"Senior?"

"Just a moment! Just a moment!"

"No. I just summoned it myself."

"?!"

Ogoldos turned his head.

Yi-Han had summoned a large lump of water and was drinking it.

"Don't drink it!!!"

"Pardon?"

"There's poison in the water!!"

Ogoldos ran at the fastest speed of his life. He ran so fast that he lost his balance and fell over.

Thud!

"...I said there's poison!"

"There's no poison. I checked."

"Even if you can't see it, there could be..."

"I even used component separation magic to check. It's the undead realm, after all."

Ogoldos, who was lying face down on the floor, tapped the lump of water floating in the air.

It was water composed of pure water elements, without any trace of the undead realm's dark energy.

"Would you like some?"

"...I... I'm fine."

"Aw. Senior. Why are you being like that?"

When it was visibly clear that Ogoldos was dejected, Yi-Han tried to appease him.

"You must not have water to drink either..."

"No. I have plenty of water."

He really wasn't lacking as he could summon water with mana as much as he wanted.

"...I'm really sorry for not being helpful."

"Ah. Why are you saying that? Your help was so great. You helped me earlier too, didn't you?"

"...?"

Ogoldos tilted his head.

"With what?"

"Uh, reducing the number of undead."

"..."

Ogoldos felt an indescribable feeling.

The biggest self-loathing was that his junior was considering his feelings in this situation.

'This can't go on.'

Ogoldos made a resolution to at least maintain the last bit of dignity he had left.

Let's do what we can!

"For now, I'll try to find the way around here."

"Be careful, senior."

Only three remained in the vicinity of the throne in the palace where the fierce battle had ended.

From the undead mage to the berserkers, everyone had been swept away, and only the King of Ghouls was trapped in holy magic, constantly grinding his teeth.

There may not be any direct danger, but the paths in this palace were like a maze and not easy to find.

"Don't worry and rest."

'I'm really worried.'

Yi-Han was very worried about not being able to leave his spot to maintain the magic circle.

"Wait. Senior. Just a moment."

"Why?"

"Just a moment..."

Yi-Han took out colored pebbles from his pocket.

They were divination stones learned in the 1st-semester divination magic class.

'Let's be careful.'

Although Yi-Han was confident in tackling most magic, divination magic was a little different.

It would be strange not to be nervous when the professor kept scaring them whenever she spoke.

'Finding a way to escape with divination magic... It would be dangerous. If it's something easier and simpler...'

After pondering, Yi-Han made a decision.

"Stones, is it okay to let my senior out?"

At that moment, an image of negation flashed by.

Yi-Han looked at Ogoldos and said, "It doesn't seem okay?"

"Is... Is that so?"

Originally, he would have gotten angry and been stubborn, but Ogoldos had no intention of doing that now.

Rather, he was curious about something else.

"Can you... Can you already use divination magic? Isn't it dangerous?"

"It should be fine if I use it carefully. ...Probably."

'Crazy bastard.'

Ogoldos was disgusted by Yi-Han's answer.

He thought that a true genius of magic should be at that level.

The madness of throwing one's own life into magic without any concern!

"Senior?"

"Ye, yes? Why?!"

"I'm going to prepare a meal, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"..."

The range in which the magic circle could be maintained was wider than expected. Yi-Han walked around the hall, scanning the surroundings.

In the meantime, Ogoldos rummaged through the backpack Yi-Han had been carrying.

Surprisingly, it was packed with various emergency rations, seasonings, and even tea leaves, coffee powder, and sugar.

"You, you've been carrying this around?"

"Pardon? Oh. Don't all Einroguard students do that?"

"Not to your extent..."

"Is that so? That's interesting."

"..."

Ogoldos quietly shut his mouth and searched for the rations that seemed to spoil the fastest and took them out separately. Then he moved the intact rations to Yi-Han's portion.

"Would you like coffee? Tea?" Yi-Han offered him.

"Water is enough for me."

"Senior, by any chance..."

"Wha, what is it?"

Feeling like his inner thoughts had been exposed, Ogoldos hesitated. Yi-Han silently brewed another coffee and held it out.

"If you don't drink it, I'll give it to the King of Ghouls over there."

"...Thank you."

"Why are you being like this over something like this?"

Ogoldos, who was sipping the coffee, spoke with a flushed face.

"I'm sorry. For suspecting that a junior like you who entered wasn't sincere about dark magic."

Actually, it wasn't completely wrong.

Yi-Han's interest in dark magic was due to the possibility of a stable job with less competition.

"Anyone can have such suspicions. I'm just happy that you're apologizing like this."

Yi-Han answered hypocritically.

Ogoldos was greatly impressed once again by that answer.

Where else would there be a junior with such a great capacity?

"...If you need help later, let me know. I don't know what help I can be, but I'll do my best to the extent possible."

"Ah. Then, when we go back to school and enter Einroguard, could you please bring in some supplies for me?"

Ogoldos chuckled at Yi-Han's joke.

Although his sense of humor was strange for a junior, this joke was definitely funny.

'It wasn't a joke.'

Yi-Han secretly cursed a little.

After having a simple meal, Ogoldos began to search the hall further.

Although they were trapped, the place they were trapped in was the center of the palace and where the throne was located.

If there was treasure, it was the place with the highest possibility.

Of course, doing it blatantly in front of the owner made the owner furious.

"You bastard..."

"Ah. Shut up."

Yi-Han threw a pebble even though he knew it wouldn't work.

The magic circle operating with holy magic burned the pebble as it was. Seeing that, Yi-Han suddenly had a thought and picked up a pot.

"What are you doing now..."

"Ooh."

Chiiiik!

Yi-Han poured the remaining trash in the pot onto the King of Ghouls and exclaimed in admiration.

Surprisingly, it cleanly burned even the remaining trash!

"Verduus... Thank you."

Although it was unfortunate that they had the same name, which made it sound unpleasant, the undead mage Verduus was an incomparably good person compared to the professor.

It was evident just by the fact that he sacrificed himself to complete such a magic circle.

Yi-Han hoped that Verduus would recover quickly and respond to the summoning.

"You -"

Ignoring the King of Ghouls' creative curses unique to ghouls, Yi-Han called out to Ogoldos.

"Senior. Did you find anything good?"

"Just a moment..."

Click!

Ogoldos, who had been diligently investigating while even taking out the dark magic book he had been carrying, opened something on the wall and shouted with joy.

"I found it!!! I found it, junior!!!"

"Do you mean treasure!?"

Yi-Han, who had been playing around by throwing trash at the King of Ghouls, was also startled and got up.

"Yes! It's treasure!!"

"Wha... What kind of jewels are attached to it?"

Yi-Han asked, suppressing his excitement.

Then Ogoldos answered as if asking what he was talking about.

"It's bones?"

"...Pardon?"

"I said it's bones! I'd like you to have this. You'll have many occasions where you'll need it!"

Ogoldos returned excitedly, holding an armful of bones mixed with purple and black colors.

Although it was unclear exactly what kind of being the bones belonged to, just by looking at the color and mana pattern, it was evident that it was a considerably powerful being.

For dark mages who enjoyed using bone element magic, bones used as reagents were very important.

The quality of the bone fragments used as reagents not only simply enhanced magic but also increased the limit of usable magic itself.

"..."

Of course, such knowledge was meaningless to Yi-Han. Yi-Han became gloomy and threw trash at the King of Ghouls again.

'Well. This person is also a dark mage.'

Wouldn't it be dark mages who think of bones as treasures instead of jewels?

"Thank you. I'll make good use of them."

"Yes. This is really great. When we return to Einroguard, take a closer look at them."

Yi-Han, who was picking up the bones with a bitter smile, suddenly thought of something and shouted.

"Senior!!!"

"Ye, yes?!"

"If we keep staying here, won't we be late for the start of the semester?!"

"That... That's true, but is that important now?"

When Yi-Han asked with a pale face, Ogoldos was startled.

He didn't make such an expression even when the King of Ghouls was rampaging...