Chapter 32

"..."

"Ga, Gainando has been taken away!"

"AAAAHHHHH!"

Naturally, the students plunged into panic. It was bizarre and terrifying for a monster to fly in broad daylight and abduct one of their friends.

However, Yi-Han strangely felt a surge of calm.

'I must have been influenced quite a bit by this academy.'

Having witnessed countless bizarre situations, he was no longer perturbed by the likes of Gainando's abduction by a flying monster.

"Everyone, get down!" Yi-Han immediately shouted.

The students of the Blue Dragon who were nearby hurriedly lowered their postures upon hearing his command.

-Craaaawwww!

"It's, it's coming back!"

"No!"

Amidst the chaos, another student was captured, this time from the White Tiger.

This sparked an inspiration in Yi-Han.

'Could it be!'

There must be a reason why the monster chose one among the many students gathered here.

Gainando had bright blonde hair. And the student just taken had bright silver hair.

"Everyone, cover your heads with your cloaks! It's going after the shiny ones!"

"You mean, it's taking bald people?"

"It's talking about hair color, you fool!"

The Blue Dragon students were initially confused by the sudden order, but they didn't doubt Yi-Han's words.

Thanks to that, they reacted faster than the students from other towers.

Once they huddled low and covered their heads with cloaks, the monster lost interest in the Blue Dragon students.

'It worked!' Yi-Han realized his judgment was correct. He knew that many birds liked shiny things, but he never expected this to apply to monsters too. Without Gainando's sacrifice, this wouldn't have been discovered.

Tap-tap-

"?"

While crouching, Yi-Han noticed an unfamiliar elf touching him.

From the attire, it was clear the elf was from the White Tiger. Long black hair and elongated ears, a body honed in the tradition of knight families. Clearly from an Eastern Elf Knight family.

Before Yi-Han could respond, there was an uproarious reaction from nearby.

"Who dares to approach Wardanaz!"

"Honorable friends! A country bumpkin from the White Tiger is bothering Wardanaz..."

As the Blue Dragon students reacted swiftly and intensely like falling dominos, the female elf student from the White Tiger, flustered, hurriedly explained.

"I am not affiliated with the Moradi faction! Please explain, Your Highness."

Princess Adenart stepped forward, shielding her. Yi-Han was puzzled.

"What's this? Do you know each other?"

Adenart nodded with her usual expressionless face, buying some time for the elf to explain quickly.

"I am Rowena, a knight serving the princess."

"Serve the princess? But this academy doesn't allow servants or guards to accompany... Ah, I see."

Yi-Han understood without further explanation. The realization reflected in Rowena's surprised eyes.

The academy originally prohibited bringing servants or guards. However, there was always a loophole in every rule. If an equal new student voluntarily offered to serve, that couldn't be stopped.

Given that the princess had been famous in the empire since her youth, it wasn't strange that some new students had sought to serve her even before enrolling.

'It was the same during the Alchemy class.'

That explained why, despite being intimidated by Yi-Han, many students from various towers gathered around the princess – they were individuals who had sought her acquaintance before the academy year.

'Now I feel sorry for Gainando...'

Yi-Han's thoughts drifted to Gainando, likely now soaring in the sky, and he felt a twinge of pity. Princess Adenart effortlessly attracted loyal followers from various regions, while Gainando, also of royal blood, faced a starkly different reality.

"So, I understand you are a knight serving the princess, but why are you telling me this?"

"We've managed to hide from the creature for now, but we never know when it might change its mind. Mr. Wardanaz, please give the orders to keep it at bay."

"...??"

Yi-Han wondered if he had heard wrong.

'Am I supposed to command someone?'

For a moment, he thought unknown undead soldiers might be under his command, unbeknownst to him.

But indeed, there were subordinates he didn't know about.

Swoosh-

Students of the Blue Dragon stepped forward, wiping their noses.

"Hah. Wardanaz. We count on you."

"Wardanaz, we trust you. Please, lead us honorably."

"..."

Yi-Han was dumbfounded.

Unknowingly, he had become the leader of the Blue Dragon.

'Traditionally, taking charge is never a good idea anywhere...'

Despite his confusion, in such a situation, doing nothing was not an option. Yi-Han nodded and began issuing orders as they came to his mind.

—

Rowena watched Yi-Han's movements with a mix of curiosity and intrigue. Among the new students, she wasn't the only one serving Princess Adenart. Others from different towers did as well. They didn't serve Adenart simply because she was one of the many royals. Nor was it for the wealth and power of the royal family. They gathered from diverse backgrounds, races, and social standings, solely because of the abilities Adenart had demonstrated.

Thus, Rowena naturally assumed that Adenart would be the leader of the Blue Dragon. Surprisingly, however, it wasn't Adenart leading the Blue Dragon. It was a boy from the Wardanaz family.

‘Impossible!’

‘How could this be?’

Granted, Adenart wasn't sociable. Her quiet nature, few words, and cold demeanor often intimidated others. 

But Adenart's followers thought none of this mattered, especially given her overwhelming abilities. They believed even the demanding and proud students of the Blue Dragon would have to acknowledge her genius, which spanned multiple disciplines...

And besides, the Wardanaz family wasn't particularly known for their sociability. Though a renowned family of mages in the empire, the rumors about them were often strange and intimidating. That a boy from such a family led the Blue Dragon was unbelievable to the followers.

How could this be?

'This might be the chance to uncover the secret.'

Rowena watched Yi-Han intently while protecting Adenart.

Turning to Yi-Han was a necessity.

Had Rowena or Adenart given the orders, the proud students of the Blue Dragon would never have followed their instructions.

She was honestly frustrated. If only she could figure out how Yi-Han led the Blue Dragon students, maybe Adenart could do the same.

'I'll find out and advise her!'

Rowena couldn't have imagined.

That Yi-Han had won over those proud students with food.

—

'But what can I really command?'

Without bows or crossbows, and facing a monster soaring high in the sky, their options were limited. So, what then?

'Like dealing with a wild beast, we have to startle and chase it away.'

Fortunately, Yi-Han had a few ideas.

"Form a line and create a wall!"

At Yi-Han's command, the students quickly lined up to form an impromptu barrier. Yi-Han crouched behind them, aiming to maximize the element of surprise.

'Here it comes!'

As the monster descended once again, Yi-Han immediately cast a spell.

"Light!"

Though it was a simple first-circle spell of creating light, its effectiveness varied greatly depending on how it was used.

A sphere of light, shining like the sun, appeared in the air. The charging monster, startled by the sudden brightness, screamed and abruptly changed direction.

-Roar!

Yi-Han's sudden use of magic took the creature by surprise.

"Hey! Whooa! Turn!"

'What?'

Just when Yi-Han thought the monster had been deterred, someone’s voice echoed from above it.

Somehow, Yi-Han had an inkling. 'Could it be a professor? No. It must be. No sane professor exists in this academy!'

Though he had no evidence but his intuition, Yi-Han realized that the creature had been brought by a professor.

This damned academy...!

The monster, initially frightened, seemed to regain its composure thanks to the professor, turning around again.

-Roar!

Apparently embarrassed for being scared by a harmless ball of light, the monster, angry, clacked its beak loudly. Then, it aggressively charged toward Yi-Han, evidently recognizing him as the leader of the students.

"No! Wardanaz, evade!"

Rowena, who had been watching, shouted out in urgency.

Yi-Han's plan had indeed been successful. He had exploited the monster's vulnerability to scare it off. But now, he had to evade.

'What's she talking about?'

'Does she even know who she's speaking to?'

The White Tiger students looked at Rowena with disbelief.

Rowena, perhaps due to her absence in swordsmanship lessons, had a grave misconception. The boy from the Wardanaz family was more than capable of taking care of himself. Yet, Yi-Han did not evade. His face set in stone, he swung his staff.

"Move!"

Rocks levitated with his command. Despite being a mere 1st circle magic, Yi-Han appeared as a grand mage to the students there.

—

'Please, just don't hit our own people. Please, just don't hit our own people.'

With limited magic knowledge, Yi-Han had naturally planned to use a <Lesser Control> spell if his light creation spell failed.

The problem was… As soon as Yi-Han levitated the rocks, instead of maintaining control, he inadvertently launched them like arrows. And aiming was, of course, impossible. It was all up to chance.

Had he been able to aim, he would have used this spell from the start.

"Wardanaz! Wardanaz! Wardanaz!"

"Wardanaz! Wardanaz! Wardanaz!"

Unaware of Yi-Han's inner turmoil, the Blue Dragon students chanted his name in a frenzy. Even students from other towers joined in.

Ping!

The levitated rocks shot out sharply.

"!!"

Unfortunately, the rocks flew precisely past the monster's beak.

'Did I mess up!' Yi-Han inwardly sighed. Honestly, he felt thankful that the rocks had even flown that far, leaving no room to curse his misfortune.

-Roar!

But to his surprise, it worked.

Startled by the rocks whizzing past its beak, the monster halted and turned around.

"Wow!"

"Wardanaz! Wardanaz!"

Some students from the White Tiger watched with expressions mixed with fear and bitter anger.

Honestly, they had to admit it. The boy from the Wardanaz family was in a league of his own.

While they were struggling to even cast <Light>, he had already mastered <Lesser Control> spell to use rocks for combat...

Normally, even if one learned magic, employing it in battle was several times more difficult. In the brutal and chaotic environment of bloodshed and flying weapons, even well-practiced magic often failed due to broken concentration. But to succeed like that...

'He's a monster!'

'Huh? Did it work?' While everyone was in awe, Yi-Han himself was bewildered.

Was it fear of the misfire?

'Luck was on my side.'

"Hey! Whoooa! Easy! Yes, that's it. Good boy!"

The voice of the professor from earlier rang out from atop the monster, and then they landed amidst a cloud of dust.

Thud!

Before landing, the professor had thrown down the students who were earlier captured. Gainando was among them, unconscious and foaming at the mouth.

Thump!

The professor landed stylishly.

Leather pants, a leather jacket, and pilot-style glasses perched on her head (an artifact radiating mana). She was a dwarf that screamed 'I am an adventurer' at first glance.

However, Yi-Han sensed something else. Somehow, this dwarf felt familiar. Could she be a relative of Uregor?

'No, that can't be. It's prejudiced to think all dwarves look alike and assume they're relatives.'

Tap-

The dwarf approached and grabbed Yi-Han's collar. Then, in a pleased tone, she said,

"You've got talent!"

"..."

She did seem like she could be related to Uregor...