Lee Han was confused.

The Skull Principal’s words had come far too suddenly.

“What does Professor Voladi’s arrival have to do with me not being here?”

“Very... much, actually.”

As he spoke, the Skull Principal glared once more at the archmage beside him. The Empire’s archmage, who was connected to Princess Yukbeltire and Adenart, fidgeted restlessly and bowed her head deeply.

“As you know, Professor Voladi has a tendency to be unnecessarily overprotective.”

“What???!”

At such an absurd statement, Lee Han nearly blurted out, What nonsense are you talking about?

If not for the surrounding gazes, he really would have said exactly that.

Professor Voladi being overprotective of people.

While Lee Han had been moved when Professor Voladi took his side during the previous incident, saying he was still his disciple, there were certain truths in this world that could not be compromised.

“Even though Erindarvel calculated everything very perfectly and precisely before extending the invitation, Professor Voladi might misunderstand if he heard about it. There is no need to worry him unnecessarily, is there?”

Something is strange.

As a student of Einroguard and the Skull Principal’s current top student, Lee Han felt an odd sense of unease.

It seemed like some evil scheme was hidden beneath this.

“Excellent. There is no need to receive unnecessarily advanced teachings. The more you receive, the greater the risk of running wild.”

The demon-worshiping elf nearby quickly responded.

From the elf’s perspective, rather than have Lee Han provoke Professor Voladi into giving him even more advanced teachings and making him stronger, it was better for him to live as leisurely and stable a life as possible.

He was already a sufficiently dangerous monster as he was.

“...Who is this fellow? He seems like a demon worshiper, but he speaks quite reasonably. He does not seem to be part of the exploration team.”

At the Skull Principal’s natural question, the exploration team members immediately answered.

“He is definitely a demon worshiper.”

“He is a worshiper of the Kraksarigor cult who surrendered and was captured voluntarily.”

“Those lunatics? Why? Ah. I see. When that Wardanaz kid runs wild, it becomes difficult to predict this and that, does it?”

Even before hearing the report, the Skull Principal guessed why the other party was chattering beside Lee Han.

From the perspective of a fanatic obsessed with prophecy, an unpredictable disciple would feel like a monster that could tear apart prophecies at any moment.

“That’s right. You there, mage. Stop fattening up that monster. If the great prophet’s prophecies go awry, the world will fall into chaos.”

The elf, truly befitting a lunatic, delivered a stern lecture without being intimidated even in front of the Skull Principal.

Was it not because the Skull Principal had raised his disciple too powerfully that the seeds of all this chaos had been born?

Of course, the Skull Principal did not even pretend to listen.

“A mere youngster who does not even know what chaos is, and yet you dare preach so pathetically? Get lost.”

With a flicking sound, the elf disappeared. Lee Han could guess where he had gone.

One more prisoner added to the deeper punishment cells.

“Those fellows have never been useful since ancient times, yet all they do is babble nonsense about staying still... Anyway, do you understand? You were not here today.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

Lee Han nodded for now. Having finished his preparations, the Skull Principal brought out a new grand magic.

Suddenly, the darkness characteristic of the lich that the Skull Principal carried with him vanished and transformed into sacred light.

That light began as a halo, then instantly filled the surroundings and completely filled even the depths of the dimensional erosion space below.

“Fire-Born Samadhi!”

With the Skull Principal’s declaration, the light transformed into flames. Amazingly, even after transforming, those flames still maintained the properties of light.

Among the exploration team members, those capable of using magic held their breath and gazed at that unique world. For any mage, it was a sublime spectacle from which they dared not turn their eyes away.

Lee Han, who was gazing at it as well, felt something familiar in the power emanating from the light.

Nine Mountains and Eight Seas!

The light that had emanated from the edge of dimensions.

In the blazing light now sweeping through the surroundings, he could feel the same power.

The Skull Principal nodded slightly at his disciple’s reaction and explained.

“Since you visited that yacha’s palace, you must have seen this light before. That’s right. It is ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the eternal flame of truth that only the enlightened can summon.”

The unique world became light and flame, burning everything. Even the spider monsters that had charged forward without fear until now seemed to realize something was different, and hurriedly tried to retreat underground.

However, the blazing light did not stop. It created fierce waves. The complex obstacles made of walls, ceilings, and waterways could not block those waves either. The waves surged violently, penetrating obstacles and burning enemies.

“This fire is my enlightenment. Put your enlightenment into your fire.”

“Thank you.”

In the past, Lee Han would not have understood what those words meant at all, but now that he had stepped into the Lesser World, he could vaguely understand what the Skull Principal was trying to convey.

Even the Lesser World that mages could share with one another manifested very differently depending on the individual mage.

If even the Lesser World, which was a method of adapting oneself to a completed world, was like this, then with a unique world, where one had to directly create and expand a world, imitating another person’s magic should be considered impossible.

That was probably why the Skull Principal had gone out of his way to tell him.

Instead of becoming intoxicated by the power of this grand magic and making useless imitations, create your own magic.

“You are grateful?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“Then you really were not here today.”

“...Please tell me honestly. Why exactly are you doing this?”

***

Jinnon, heir to <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower>, possessed an excellent and clever mind.

As such, it did not take long for him to realize that the letters had gotten mixed up.

“Greetings. I came after receiving a letter from Lady Erindarvel...”

“Welcome. Are you an Einroguard student?”

“No, I am not.”

“I see. Please look around at the artifacts here and choose whatever catches your fancy... Wait. Did you say no?”

“I am from <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower>.”

“I cannot understand this at all! The archmage definitely mentioned an Einroguard student. How did this happen?”

“Hmm. I think she used the expression ‘Einroguard student’ to mean it was that good of an artifact...”

“Ah! I understand. Could it be that the letters got mixed up?”

“!!!!!”

Jinnon, with his excellent and clever mind, hurriedly returned.

If the letters had gotten mixed up, then the Einroguard student whose face he did not know would have participated in a high-difficulty exploration in Jinnon’s place by now. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“This is terrible! It seems the letters were mixed up. We need to move toward the exploration team immediately.”

“Hehe. You do not need to worry.”

“What? Why on earth...”

Despite their heir’s pale reaction, the mages of <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower> maintained their composure.

“Think about it, Jinnon. If an Einroguard student had taken the wrong letter and gone to the exploration team, would the exploration team have accepted that student so easily?”

“...Ah!”

“If that had happened, they would have realized it long ago and contacted our tower. The mixed-up letter probably only arrived here.”

Thanks to the mages’ advice, Jinnon was able to regain his composure.

Indeed, the experienced mages of <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower> had a much broader perspective than Jinnon, who still lacked experience.

“Thank you! My thinking was too narrow.”

“Hehe. Not at all. That is what youthful vigor is like.”

“What is going on?”

“Oh, isn’t that Professor Voladi!”

In the middle of the warm conversation with the mages, Jinnon spotted a welcome guest.

An important client and reliable friend of <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower>, Professor Voladi.

“It is nothing serious. The letters got mixed up, but it seems I worried for nothing.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Voladi read the mixed-up letter once, then read it again.

Then, with a cautious attitude, Professor Voladi read it one more time before immediately creating a paper bird and sending it flying.

“I need to go.”

“You mean to the exploration team? If that is the case, let us go together! We are involved in this matter as well, so if we let you go alone, we would feel...”

However, before Jinnon even finished speaking, Professor Voladi was already moving far away.

The mages of <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower> were puzzled by this sight.

Even if an Einroguard student had received a letter, there was no possibility that student would have participated in the exploration team. So why was Professor Voladi in such a hurry?

***

“!”

Professor Voladi, who had arrived on the outskirts of the capital, paused when he saw the exploration team outside.

An ordinary mage would have wondered why the exploration team had already come out, but Professor Voladi, being an excellent combat mage, first checked the most suspicious point.

As feared, his disciple was mixed in among the exploration team members. At least the fortunate thing was that Lee Han seemed fine.

“Professor Voladi! What a coincidence! Haha! I have been continuously roaming the capital with this admirable disciple here. In the meantime, I heard news of monsters coming from the Void and rushed here to help.”

“...Should I just tell him myself?”

“Shh. Be quiet.”

The Skull Principal signaled his disciple to stay quiet.

Lee Han had not figured out that the letters had gotten mixed up, but he still roughly guessed the situation.

He wants to hide that I participated in the exploration team.

Honestly, Professor Voladi probably would not be surprised to hear it. Rather, he would probably go one step further and want to send Lee Han to dangerous places as well. But in worldly matters, it never hurt to be careful.

If Professor Voladi became competitive, would Lee Han not be the only one to suffer?

Alshicle asked as if he did not understand.

“What brings Professor Voladi here?”

“It is because Professor Voladi cares for his disciple. Do not keep asking. It is not as if you are flattering him.”

“No, how is this flattery...”

Thud!

Jinnon arrived one step later than Professor Voladi. Releasing his acceleration and enhancement magic, Jinnon shouted.

“Professor! There was no need to rush like that... Wait, why is everyone outside?”

“Why did you come from <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower>?”

Alshicle asked first, understanding even less.

The kind-looking future heir of <Green Pyroxene Mage Tower> answered with slight embarrassment.

“Actually, the letters got mixed up.”

“...Mixed up?”

Jinnon explained what had happened. While doing so, he added as if relieved.

“But it seems everything was fine after all. Professor Voladi was worried and came personally like this, but I had faith in the exploration team members! Surely the people gathered here would never have let a mage who is still a student participate in a dangerous exploration? No matter if the student is from Einroguard, that would be absurd.”

“...”

“...”

The faces of the exploration team members, including Alshicle, instantly turned pale, as if drained of blood.

Lee Han, who belatedly grasped the situation, also made a bitter expression.

So right now...

No. There are too many people to curse at. I do not know where to start.

Should he curse Archmage Erindarvel first, who was hanging her head low? Or should he curse the Skull Principal, who had not read the letter directly and had boasted it would be fine? Or should he curse Alshicle, who had said, “Oh, Wardanaz? Come with us!” and dragged him along?

“Wait. Are you by any chance Lee Han of House Wardanaz? The one all the mages of the towers are interested in?”

“Ah. Yes. That’s right.”

“What a coincidence! Come to think of it, no matter how much Lady Erindarvel looks after younger students, there would not be many Einroguard students worth writing separate letters for! This is truly fortunate. If you had mistakenly participated in the exploration team, how much would the mages of our tower, as well as the other towers, have resented us?”

“...”

The Skull Principal shook his head at the sight of Erindarvel breaking out in cold sweat.

Even when trying to get angry, his heart seemed to soften.