SMMA 103

Chapter 103

 

“Angrago, what are you doing?!”

“Dukema. I’ll be the one to make the sacrifice.”

Angrago declared solemnly.

“Of course, the wicked deeds committed by that Wardanaz bastard can never be forgiven, but…”

‘These bastards… how persistent.’

Ihan thought to himself.

At this point, it felt like they should’ve already let go of their past grudges.

“…If Wardanaz hadn’t helped us this time, we’d still be trapped inside that dungeon. I can’t deny that. I’ll concede this outing permit¹ to Wardanaz, and I’ll earn the next one with my own hands.”

“Angrago, that noble spirit of yours makes me respect you. I’ll stand by your side!”

Even Dukema, who had tried to stop him, was moved by Angrago’s words.

If only one among the three could have the outing permit, it had to be that bastard from the Blue Dragon Tower—no, the Tower’s very own Wardanaz.

For the first time, Ihan felt a flicker of emotion at seeing the White Tiger Tower idiots act with such integrity.

‘So they do have consciences after all.’

He didn’t think they had any!

Ihan was about to shout, “Then, by all means, go ahead!”—but the water spirit suddenly grabbed at his sleeve in a panic.

“?”

The water spirit flailed about frantically, gesturing as if begging him to stop them.

Ihan couldn’t figure out why, but he could feel the urgency.

“…Understood. Rise, water!”

A sphere of water shot out, bowling over the two White Tiger Tower students as they ran forward.

The two who fell rolled across the ground, staring up at Ihan with astonishment.

“What do you think you’re doing, Wardanaz?!”

“What kind of madness is this?!”

He’d knocked them down first and thought afterward—and now that he saw how badly they’d fallen, he almost felt guilty.

‘If I say the spirit told me to stop you, they’ll go berserk…’

Ihan searched for another excuse to justify his actions.

Honor always worked well.

“As the heir of an honorable house, do you truly think I’d accept an outing permit earned through another’s sacrifice?”

“…!!!”

While both were struck speechless, Ihan leaned down and whispered softly to the water spirit.

“If you told me to stop them for some useless reason, I’ll lock you in that altar myself.”

The spirit shivered violently, then began gesturing to explain.

It pointed to the pillar, then to the students, and finally crossed both arms in an X.

A shiver of realization passed through Ihan like a bolt of lightning.

“…Don’t tell me, the gate won’t open even if a student is placed inside it?”

The spirit nodded.

Ihan was dumbfounded.

He’d thought he was getting a grasp on the Skeleton Headmaster’s² mind, but this man’s logic was impossible to follow.

What kind of lunatic designs things like this?

Putting someone inside doesn’t even open it?!

‘How has this guy not been assassinated by now?’

Ihan slowly turned toward the altar.

He could now be certain there were no further traps nearby.

To realize that the altar wouldn’t activate even after a student was trapped, it was best to confirm the surroundings were safe first.

“Let’s find another way. There must be one.”

“Wardanaz…”

Angrago nodded with a trembling voice, still moved by Ihan’s earlier words.

Ihan poured his mana into the altar, just as he had at the White Tiger Tower previously.

Boom!

A silent shockwave rippled outward from the impact of raw magic. The water spirit ducked down in fright.

“This… this is?! What on earth…?!”

“I was trying to dispel the magic sealing it with mana, but it failed.”

Dukema looked disappointed. Then his eyes widened.

‘…Wait, isn’t this the same way Wardanaz broke into the rest stop last time??’

The White Tiger Tower students still hadn’t figured out how Wardanaz had bypassed the barrier at the rest area.

So this was how he’d done it?

Ihan rapped on the altar, flowed mana through it to probe its structure, and even blasted at it to test for weakness—but it didn’t budge an inch.

At that point, he began to doubt.

‘Maybe it’s not a defensive enchantment at all?’

Usually, wards would react in some way under pressure, no matter how complex or subtle.

This one was unnervingly silent.

Perhaps the Skeleton Headmaster’s mastery was so far beyond his own that he couldn’t even provoke a response—but Ihan decided there was no harm in testing further.

“Stand back, all of you.”

“?”

When Ihan began forming a water mass several times larger than usual—and set it spinning slowly—the White Tiger Tower students both froze.

“It would be wise to move further away.”

“???”

They didn’t know what he was planning, but instinct told them to retreat.

The water spirit had already taken cover far behind him before he even spoke.

Boom!

Professor Volady³ had told him not to be greedy with rotational properties yet—but if the professor’s duty was to torment students, then the student’s duty was to rebel.

Following that logic, Ihan ignored Volady’s warning and completed the Aqua Explosion Orb again.

It had taken more than twenty minutes, but the effort paid off.

The whirling mass of water slammed into the altar, tearing it apart completely.

Angrago and Dukema ducked in alarm. Even though they’d backed away, they hadn’t expected such destructive power.

Not just the altar—the entire surrounding area was shattered.

‘What kind of magic is that?!’

Goosebumps crawled down both their spines.

They’d seen Ihan use water-element spells before, but never at that level.

Even though they had studied together under Professor Garcia Kim⁴, this technique was utterly unfamiliar.

‘Did he find a forbidden grimoire in the library?’

‘No—it must be an ancient Wardanaz family secret!’

Ihan swayed, exhaustion written all over his face.

Even with his overflowing mana, the intense concentration over tens of minutes had overtaxed his mind.

He was utterly drained.

Rustle—

At that moment, a black book—the one gifted by the Skeleton Headmaster—slipped out of his robes, almost as if it were alive.

It opened of its own accord, spilling glowing letters again just like before.

That jarring impact of knowledge slamming directly into his mind—

When the sensation faded, new understanding surfaced: “Gonadaltes’ Sharp Hand”, a second-circle physical enhancement spell that imbued a mage’s hand with deadly sharpness.

…Why give that now?

‘Seriously, what are you playing at?’

He glared at the black book in disbelief, but it closed again as if indifferent and slipped back into his robes.

‘Is it mocking me for brute-forcing it?’

The scary part was that it could actually be true.

He still couldn’t be certain this book wasn’t an evil grimoire.

“Wardanaz, are you… all right?”

“I’m fine. Go retrieve the permit.”

Though he spoke to Angrago, the water spirit dashed forward eagerly.

The leopard-bone summoned beast nearby pounded the ground as if displeased.

“……”

Ihan wanted to clarify that it was a misunderstanding, but he was too tired to even speak.

Flap—

The water spirit respectfully presented the recovered permit.

Though dust had clung to it from the ruined altar, it remained intact.

“You did it, Wardanaz! You really did it!”

“You overcame every trap!”

Both of them rejoiced as though it were their own victory, and even the water spirit began clapping shyly.

Ihan examined the permit carefully. It was identical to the one he’d received before—rectangular, signed by the Headmaster, stating permission for a one-day excursion to whichever student currently held the permit.

“Bring me that flat rock over there.”

“Why, Wardanaz? Whatever you’re planning, can’t it wait until you’ve rested?”

“No. I’ll do it now.”

He pulled out a quill and several ink bottles from his pack.

When he had first used an outing permit, the thing that bothered him most wasn’t being unable to use a carriage or summon creatures.

It was that the permit couldn’t be forged.

Fake permits couldn’t simply be made—they required the right parchment and several specific types of ink.

Ihan had quietly gathered all the needed materials during supply runs outside the tower, and what he couldn’t buy, he’d “borrowed” from Professor Thunderstep⁵’s lab.

Wherever he might find a permit, he intended to be ready to produce a counterfeit.

“…Wait… you’re not…?”

“You can’t be serious…”

Angrago and Dukema were horrified.

At first, they denied it—but no matter how they looked, it was exactly that.

‘He’s forging it! Wardanaz is forging it!!’

‘What in the world…?!’

Ihan arranged his tools on the stone with the solemn air of a master craftsman.

The atmosphere was so serious neither dared interrupt.

“Move.”

At his command, the quill rose into the air. The controlling spell he’d used before had now found its true purpose.

Ordinarily, achieving finer precision than a real hand with Lesser Control required years of training—but Ihan had already surpassed that.

Professor Volady’s Magical Combat Theory was now being applied by his student… for document forgery.

Before their eyes, a perfect counterfeit permit emerged line by line.

“By the Sacred Beard of Creation!”

“This… this can’t be real!!”

When Ihan and the White Tiger Tower students were stranded on the island in the middle of the lake, the other towers’ students were busy with their own affairs.

The Blue Dragon Tower students remained in the lounge, poring over books and trying to analyze the remaining potions.

“Ah… if I could just see that potion again, I might figure it out! Can you get it?”

“Someone tie up Gainando.”

“Where’s Wardanaz?”

“He went to check the lake. Said we should make our own lunch.”

Ihan had even sorted ingredients beside the fire before leaving.

The students who saw the neat arrangement felt oddly excited.

Having grown up eating meals prepared by servants, they now had the rare chance to cook for themselves—so creativity suddenly bloomed.

“Can I try making a pie?”

“Sure. What kind?”

“I read in a book once about a pie baked with fish inside. It sounded delicious.”

“You’re out.”

“What? Why?!”

Despite minor squabbles, the Blue Dragon Tower students enjoyed preparing food together.

…But Ihan still didn’t return.

“Why isn’t Wardanaz back yet?”

“Gainando, did you say something that upset him?”

“N-no! I turned in the assignment all on my own!”

“Was it because you kept talking during dinner yesterday? You were supposed to eat quietly and be grateful.”

“Ugh…”

Like children worried over missing parents, anxiety began spreading.

“This won’t do. I’m going to the lakeshore.”

“Me too. Let’s go together.”

The Blue Dragon Tower students gathered and hurried toward the lake.

But Ihan, who had left much earlier, was nowhere to be found.

Disappointed, and now uneasy, they started to ask around nearby areas.

They soon heard alarming news.

“A White Tiger Tower student went missing?”

“Those damned empty-headed tin cans?!”

“What’s going on?”

“They say the White Tiger Tower idiots kidnapped Wardanaz!”

“The White Tiger Tower did? …Wait, is that even possible…?”