SMMA 105

Chapter 105

“Because of your arrogance, the students have lost a precious opportunity to learn—”

Before the Skeleton Headmaster could finish his rambling complaint, the Blue Dragon Tower students shouted.
“Wardanaz!!”
“You’re alive! We thought you’d been kidnapped!”

“Kidnapped?”

Angrago, who followed behind Ihan, asked in confusion.
Who on earth could possibly kidnap Wardanaz?

“Hands up! Don’t move! Move and we’ll blast a curse right at you!”

The Blue Dragon Tower students pointed their staves at Angrago and Dukema the moment they appeared.

“W-what’s the meaning of this?!”

“You schemers… You dragged him to the lake, didn’t you? Leaving evidence near the academy would’ve been too risky!”

Asan looked bewildered, but Gainando proudly presented his deduction with the confidence of an avid reader of the Empire’s popular mystery series Dog Beastkin Detective Toberitz. Even Asan found the logic oddly convincing.

“We weren’t kidnapped—we got swept away while exploring the lake together,” Ihan explained.

“Oh… that’s what happened?”
“That makes sense.”
“That’s a relief. Just be careful next time.”

The Blue Dragon Tower students quickly lowered their staves at his words.

Meanwhile, the White Tiger Tower students were left speechless.

‘How can they be so shameless…?’

They were supposed to be noble-born heirs of great imperial houses, yet here they were acting utterly brazen.

They hadn’t been like that when they first entered the academy. Something had changed them—but none could say what.

“Don’t you owe us an apology?! You accused us of being kidnappers and now you just move on?”

“Seriously? Must we start blaming each other on a day when we’ve just found our missing friends? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Why, you lowborn ruffian—!”

Some of the White Tiger Tower students fumed, but most were more concerned about something else.

“Angrago! Are you all right? Any broken bones? Did Wardanaz cast some strange spell on you?”
“Dukema, how many fingers am I holding up? You still remember your family name? Tell me!”

They fretted over Angrago and Dukema as though the two had spent a night trapped with a demonic warlock.

“If he’d used black magic on them—”

“Don’t worry,” Angrago said solemnly. “It was chaotic, but… Wardanaz did nothing of the sort. In fact, we owe him our lives.”
“Wardanaz took down the summoned creature lurking beneath the sand. Had he not, we’d have been dragged underground.”

The two explained everything to the gathered students—
about the Skeleton Headmaster’s sinister plot beneath the island’s sand—and how Wardanaz had shattered it.

The tale was so astounding that even students from other towers gathered to listen.

“…That’s impossible. Did Wardanaz brainwash them?”
“No way… but still…”

A few White Tiger Tower students tilted their heads, unable to believe it.

So, the Skeleton Headmaster had built a dungeon beneath the sand, summoned monsters into it, and lured students there with a fabricated “assignment”?

It sounded ridiculous.

Yet they didn’t doubt for long—because the Skeleton Headmaster himself began spilling the details aloud.

“Well done! Well done indeed! You’ve deprived your fellow students of their valuable learning experience, Wardanaz—but still… well done!”

“…My apologies.”

Though bewildered, Ihan bowed and apologized.

Offending a petty Headmaster was never smart.
After all, pettiness was a basic qualification for any professor.

The Headmaster, still aggrieved, continued complaining about all the meticulous traps and enchantments he’d prepared.

When students heard what had actually been lying beneath the sand, their faces turned pale.

He prepared that kind of horror…?

“Shouldn’t we report him to His Majesty the Emperor…?”
“Shh. Do you want to get dragged under the sand yourself?”

After a long string of complaints, the Skeleton Headmaster finally seemed appeased and looked to Ihan.

“Regardless… You retrieved the outing permit on your own. I must praise that much.”

A bright light flashed from his eyes—and Ihan felt his broken arm instantly heal.

“Thank you,” Ihan replied politely.

“Your feat means next year’s freshmen will face even harsher trials.”

“How unfortunate,” Ihan answered flatly.

Though he said so, he felt no regret; it wasn’t his fault.

“And you didn’t do it alone, did you?”

Ihan pointed at Angrago and Dukema.

Whenever one committed an illicit deed, it was only proper to share the spoils with one’s accomplices. These two were essentially his partners in forging the counterfeit permits.

But both White Tiger Tower students quickly waved their hands.
“No, we did nothing.”
“Wardanaz did everything by himself.”

“I know. Do you think I’m blind? I never intended to give either of you extra credit anyway.”

“……”

The Skeleton Headmaster had a special talent for making even simple words infuriating.
They hadn’t expected him to say something like “How noble your friendship and honor! I’ll give you all bonus points!”, but his blunt dismissal still stung.

‘Just you wait until we graduate.’
‘We’ll see about that when the time comes.’

Having gained two lifelong White Tiger Tower enemies, the Headmaster turned back to Ihan.

“Ihan of House Wardanaz. For accomplishing a special task the other thick-headed lot could not, I award you bonus points. Now, take out the outing permit.”

Ihan placed the permit onto his palm.

The light in the Skeleton Headmaster’s eyes flared, and the permit vanished on the spot—teleported into one of his private vaults.

“…???”
“????????”

The onlookers froze with shock.

Even students normally too terrified to speak against the Headmaster found this too outrageous.

“Headmaster! That’s not what you promised!”
“Indeed! You can’t break your word so easily! Have you forgotten your honor?”

“When did I break any promise?”

Rather than scold them, the Skeleton Headmaster replied calmly—almost innocently—leaving the students momentarily stunned.

Was he seriously about to pull a Gainando and act completely shameless?

“Headmaster, you said… that if we completed this task, you would give us an outing permit.”

“Oh dear, it seems none of you learned anything from Basic Imperial Language and Logic. Tell me exactly—what were my words?”

And, when recalled precisely, what he had said was:
“There is an island on that lake. I have hidden the outing permit there. Bring it back to me—all of you working together.”

He had never once said he’d give it to them—only bring it back!

Smiling pleasantly now that he had humiliated them enough, the Skeleton Headmaster concluded,
“Now you understand how every single word matters in a contract. How wonderful that you’ve all learned such a valuable lesson!”

“……”
“……”

Ihan could almost feel the murderous thoughts radiating from the students.
If sheer looks could kill, the Skeleton Headmaster would have perished a hundred times over.

‘Did he just almost call me a little dragon bastard?’

The Headmaster tilted his skull toward him.

“Little dragon—no, Wardanaz. You were most closely involved in this task. Tell me—do you feel deceived?”

Ihan didn’t fall for the gentle tone for a moment.
He knew well the rule of academia: when a professor asked, “Do you have any complaints?”, the only right answer was, “My only complaint is with myself, for making you worry, Professor.”

If he argued now, he’d be sent straight underground—or, worse, into the punishment chamber.

“Not at all, Headmaster. I was never interested in the permit to begin with. Why would I be dissatisfied?”

The Skeleton Headmaster gazed at him with a mix of pride and regret.

What a remarkable student—his mastery extended beyond magic to impeccable self-control.
Most talented mages grew arrogant early. Even half of Ihan’s power would have tempted others to challenge the Headmaster outright, only to be humbled after three visits to the punishment hall.

But this boy—this Wardanaz—had both unmatched talent and restraint.

Admirable… yet frustrating.

No fun at all!

‘Didn’t take the bait, huh…’

Still, the Headmaster wasn’t disappointed. There would be time—plenty of time for another chance.

“Very well. Let all of you learn from Wardanaz’s example. Understood?”

“Yes…”
“We understand…”

Without mind-reading magic, Ihan could still hear their thoughts loud and clear.

But his concern wasn’t with future assassins of the Headmaster.

‘To think he’d actually take the permit… thank goodness.’

He sighed internally in relief. Even he hadn’t expected the Skeleton Headmaster to confiscate it.

Luckily, the one taken had been a counterfeit. The real one was still safely tucked away—and the Headmaster hadn’t noticed.

Angrago and Dukema stared at Ihan in disbelief.

‘Did he… plan for this…?’
‘What are you, Wardanaz?’

Of course, Ihan hadn’t foreseen any of it, but they couldn’t believe otherwise.

“Wardanaz… how did you…?”
“Shh. Quiet.”

Ihan raised a finger to his lips. The Skeleton Headmaster was still nearby.

If he became suspicious and checked his vault, discovering the switch, Ihan would end up in the punishment cellar faster than he could blink.

“C-can we really accept something so valuable?”

The two White Tiger Tower students hid the counterfeit permits quickly within their robes, fearful anyone might see.

Ihan hadn’t only made one for himself—he had used his spare time to forge duplicates for Angrago and Dukema as well.

Though they were mere sheets of paper, they now felt as heavy as gold.

“Use them carefully. Especially never when the Headmaster’s in the academy. If you do, you’ll be caught immediately.”
“O-of course.”
“Understood, Wardanaz.”

He watched them leave thoughtfully.

But will the fakes actually work?

He had crafted convincing counterfeits, but even Ihan couldn’t be sure they’d pass inspection.
Perhaps if used through another professor when the Headmaster wasn’t around… there might be a chance.

The problem would be what happened afterward.

Hopefully it’s not a month locked in the punishment chamber…

For now, Ihan decided to wait and see what happened when the two White Tiger Tower students tried theirs first.

His own was the genuine article—but even so, using it while the Skeleton Headmaster was on-site made him uneasy.

Following the icy road across the lake, the students began returning the way they came.
Ihan too hurried to pack up; if he lagged behind, there was no telling whether the Headmaster might simply make the ice vanish beneath him.

The water spirit waved at him—a clear gesture of farewell.

“Thank you. Without you, I might still be wandering that island.”

The spirit looked shy, almost bashful.
Seeing it, Ihan suddenly had a thought.

Wait… did I just befriend a spirit?

Compared to his constantly quarrelsome relationship with Perkunde, this felt far more like real companionship.

He opened his mouth.
“Would you consider forming a contrac—”

Before he could finish, the water spirit dashed away and rolled at Nillia’s feet, right before she left—

as though asking her to form a contract instead.

“……”

Ihan was struck by a profound sense of betrayal.

 

Footnotes
¹ Outing Permit: A legal document issued by the academy that allows students to leave the premises under strict supervision.
² Punishment Chamber: A dreaded disciplinary chamber in the academy used for repeated offenders.
³ Skeleton Headmaster: Headmaster Gonadaltes (해골 교장), an undead lich-like being who governs the academy with eccentric cruelty.