Despitetheencouragement,eeansilentlyreflectedwhilelisteningtohisfriendcriticizehim.

heWhiteigerowerstudentsmusthavecausedanunbelievableamountoftrouble.

Well,itwasn’tasifhecouldn’tunderstandMoradi’sfeelings.

Statisticallyspeaking,Whiteigerowercausedthemostincidentsoutofallfourtowers.

BlueDragonowerstudents,beingnobles,stillcaredsomewhataboutappearancesevenwhilecausingtrouble—thoughtheystillpickedupfoodoffthegroundandateit—andBlackurtleowerpreferredtohandlethingsquietlyandsecretly,sotheyrarelygotcaught.

Whiteigerowerstudents,ontheotherhand,wererecklesslyboldinthestrangestsituations.

JustlookatAnglago.

Didn’theboldlyescapejusttowatchaballgame,thenboldlygethimselfthrownintothepunishmentcellsafterward?

oBlueDragonowerstudentwouldeverdosomethinglikethat.

hinkingaboutitthatway,BlueDragonowerreallyissuperior.

eeannoddedtohimselfwithfaintsatisfaction.

isellenarrowedhereyessuspiciouslywhenshesawhim.

Whydoesthissomehowfeelirritating...?

“Moradi.Don’tbetooupsetjustbecauseAnglagoendedupinthepunishmentcells.Salcowenttoo.”

“...waswonderingwhatnonsenseyouwerethinkingabout.hat’snotthereason.”

“t’snot?hen...Ah.see.t’sbecauseoftheexams.Don’tworry.heBlueDragonowerstudentsdon’twanttotakethemeither.”

hosewerenotcomfortingwordsatall.

Andevenwhendoingtheexactsamething,WhiteigerowerstudentsdiditfarmoreaggressivelythanBlueDragonowerstudents.obodyshouldevertrustcomparisonslikethat.

hisbastardissmugbecauseheawakenedaurafirst...

Butvoicingthatthoughtwouldonlydamageherdignity.

isellegaveupandchangedthesubjectinstead.

“...ow’syourexampreparationgoing?”

“’llprobablystartseriouslypreparingoncethisweekisover.”

Ashespoke,eeanglancedtowardtheinsaneduplicatewalkingahead.

heinsaneduplicatepreferredseeingeeanriskhislifelearninghigh-levelmagic,butdidn’tparticularlyappreciatehimobsessingoverinroguardexams.

obeprecise,heconsideredexamsaworthlesswasteoftime.

“...Areyouokay?”

“Whatdoyoumean?”

“Withexampreparation.here’sachanceMasterwon’tapproveofit...”

“tdoesn’tmatter.’llteachyou.”

“?”

eeangenuinelydoubtedhisownears.

otonlywastheinsaneduplicateallowinghimtofocusonexampreparation,hewasofferingtohelppersonally?

eeanhadneverevenconsideredaskinginthefirstplace.twouldhavebeenfartoounreasonable.

Yetheretheinsaneduplicatewas,volunteeringassistanceforarequesteeanhadneverevenmade.

“You’llhelpmeprepareforexams?”

“Areyoufailingtolistentoroyalty’swords?”

“o,no,that’snotit.’msimplyoverwhelmedbythehonor...”

Aseeanhesitatedawkwardly,iselleaskedcuriously,

“sn’tthatagoodthingforyou?”

heprojectionmightbeaninsaneancientArchmage,butnobodycoulddenyhismagicalability.

fanarchmagelikethatpersonallyassistedwithexampreparation,itwouldbemoreeffectivethananyordinarytutoring.

fcourse,itwasdangerous.

Atthebeginningofthesemester,theotherstudentshadnearlypanickedwhenthatinsaneprojectionabductedWardanaz.

But—

KnowingWardanaz,heprobablydoesn’tcaremuchaboutdanger.

oiselle,eeanWardanazhadalwaysbeenamagicaddictobsessedwithhighriskandhighreward.

Someonelikethatwouldneverhesitatesimplybecausetheteacherwasdangerous.

speciallynow,whenthetwoofthemseemedtobegettingalongstrangelywell.

Somethingaboutthisfeelsirritating.ssheinsultingmeinherhead?

eeangrewsuspiciousinwardly.

isellewasstaringathimratherintensely,andhefeltoddlyuncomfortable.

“t’sdefinitelygood...butit’sconfusingwhensomeonewhonormallywouldn’tactthiswaysuddenlydoes.magineiftheprincipalsuddenlybecamekind.”

“...hat’shorrifying.”

“Right?here’snotmuchdifference.”

Butwhethereeanandisellefounditunsettlingornot,therewasn’tmuchtheycoulddo.

heinsaneduplicatewasnotthesortofpersonwhowouldbackdownjustbecauseeeanrefused.

“Ah.henhelpingtheothersstudymightbecomedifficult.”

eeanrealizedbelatedly.

ftheinsaneduplicatestayedbesidehimhelpingwithexampreparation,tutoringhisfriendswouldbecomenearlyimpossible...

“tdoesn’tmatter.Bringthemalongtoo.Royaltyshallgranttheminstruction.”

“!?!”

hosewordsshatteredexpectationsevenfurther,andthistimeevenisellelookedstunned.

“What...whatisthis?Whyisheactinglikethis?”

“-don’tknoweither.ventellingyourgrouptocomewithusearlierwasunexpected.”

venwhenaskeddirectly,eeangenuinelyhadnoanswer.

ehadnoideawhatwashappeningeither!

o.havetoask.

venthoughisellehadwarnedhimnottoprovoketheinsaneduplicate,hiscuriosityhadreacheditslimit.

Aftersilentlycheckingwhichdefensivespellshecurrentlyhadprepared,eeancautiouslyasked,

“Master.henwhydidyoutellmetobringtheothers?”

“Foranincompletemage,comradesareanecessitythatcannotbedenied.ftheyareyourcomrades,mayaswellrefinethemintosomethingsomewhatuseful.”

“...!”

“!!!”

heunexpectedlyreasonableanswershockednotonlyeean,butiselleaswell.

othinkhewouldacknowledgeeean’sfriendsascomradesandevensayheintendedtoimprovethempersonally.

Cattenlookeddeeplymoved.

Asexpectedoftheprincipal’sprojection!isloveanddevotiontowardstudentssimplycannotbeconcealed!

Unfortunately,thetwocold-heartedjuniorsweren’tdeceivedsoeasily.

hisissuspicious.shisinsanitydevelopinginanotherdirection?Didthehamsterdosomething?Shouldinterrogateitlater?

alreadyknewWardanazattractedinsanearchmagesthewaycarnivorousplantsattract➤оvеⅠight➤(Readmoreonoursource)insects,butthisisbeyondabsurd.e’scompletelyinsane.

...Moreprecisely,onlyonecold-heartedjuniorwasn’tfooled.

eeantiltedhishead,butdecidedtoacceptthingsfornow.

ftheinsaneduplicatereallyintendedtoshowconsideration—evenifitwasbornfrommadness—thenperhapsmadnesscouldoccasionallymoveinapositivedirection.

houghwhetherpositivemadnessactuallyexistedwasanothermatterentirely.

“henthereasonyoutoldthoseWhiteigerowerstudentstocomealongearlierwasbecausethey’remycomradestoo?”

heinsaneduplicatestoppedwalking.

henheslowlyturnedaroundandstaredattheWhiteigerowerstudents.

“heywerecomrades?”

“Yes?Yes...they’refriendsfrommyyear.”

“assumedtheywereservants.”

“...”

“...”

heWhiteigerowerstudents’expressionsinstantlydarkened.

eeanglancedtowardthembeforehurriedlytryingtosmooththingsover.

“Whatareyoutalkingabout?owcouldtheseguyspossiblylooklikeservants?”

“heywerebehavinglikeservants,soassumedtheywereservants.”

“...”

histimetheWhiteigerowerstudentsturnedbrightred.

obefair,afterspendinghoursmining,theyreallydidlookrathershabby.

“W-wenormallydressmuchmoredignifiedly...!”

“hatwasjustbadtiming,Wardanaz!Saysomethingniceaboutus!”

Whatexactlyamsupposedtocompliment?

eeaninwardlysighed,buttheywerestillhisfriends.

“heyjustpreferphysicallabor,butthey’reallexcellentmages.Master,youevencalledthemmagesearlier.”

“nemaybebothamageandaservant.Aproperservantmusthandlemiscellaneoustaskswhilealsoservingasaguard.Whatexactlyareyoutryingtosay,disciple?”

Ancienttimesareexhausting.

Apparently,inancienttimesevenservantswereexpectedtobecompleteall-rounders.

heyneededmagicalability,andalsohadtostepforwardasguardswhenevernecessary.

“Regardless,thatisn’tthesituation.”

“understand.Royaltysummonedthembelievingtheywerethedisciple’sattendantsandguards.hatwasroyalty’smistake.Youmayreturn.”

“?”

heWhiteigerowerstudentshesitated.

hentheylookedbehindthem.

heyhadalreadytraveledquitefarfromthesafezonemarkedonthemap.

Returningalonetothedimensionalgatefromhere...

“mm.onestly,it’sprobablysaferforyoualltoheadbackratherthangetscoldedbyMasterfornoreason.”

eeanattemptedtosendhisfriendsaway.

omatterhowhelookedatit,travelingtogetherwouldonlyresultintheinsaneduplicateconstantlyirritatingthem.

AndWhiteigerowerhaditsownpride.herewasnoreasontofollowalongasglorifiedservant-guards.

“We’llprotectWardanaz!”

“Justleaveittous!”

“...”

eeanstaredblanklyattheimmediateresponsefromhisfriends.

isellewassoembarrassedthatshesimplyturnedawayandlookedelsewhere.

***

“DoyouknowmuchaboutFrostiants,juniors?”

ncetheyarrivedneartheFrostiantterritorymarkedonthemap,Cattenmovedtogetherwitheeanandiselle.

hegoalwassimple:

ContacttheFrostiantsandnegotiate.

heinsaneduplicatedidnotaccompanythem.

Archmagesgenerallydidnotinvolvethemselvesinpreliminarynegotiations.rivialmatterswerealwayslefttodisciples.

“’veheardthatunlikeordinarygiants,Frostiantspossessahighlydevelopedcivilizationandintelligence.”

“hat’scorrect.iantsonthecontinentdeclinedlongago,buttheFrostiantsavoidedthatfatebyexistinginanotherdimension.”

heFrostiantshadescapedthedeclinesufferedbytheancientgiantsthroughtheisolationofextradimensionalspace.

Asaresult,terrifyingbeingsliketheFrostiantKingoccasionallyappearedatinroguardandtriedtokilleeanpersonally.

Ugh.Whycouldn’ttheFrostiantsjuststayintheirowndimensionforever...

eeaninwardlylamentedasunpleasantmemoriesresurfacedonceagain.

FacingtheFrostiantKingdirectlyhadnotexactlybeenapleasantexperience.

Andthesufferinghadn’tendedthere.

Afterward,everyFrostiantheencounteredwouldsaythingslike:

h?You’rethechallengeracknowledgedbytheking?henshalldefeatyouandclaimthatgloryformyself!

Fromeean’sperspective,itwasanutterlyunreasonablecurse.

Still...there’sasolution.

eeandiscreetlycheckedtheFrostiantKing’sbluegemstonehiddeninsidehisstaffbeneathlayersofconcealmentmagic.

Aslongasthatremainedhidden,theFrostiantswouldneverrecognizehim.

ewouldsimplyappeartobeanordinaryhumanmage.

“heyareaproudandpowerfulrace.here’sahighprobabilitythey’lldemandproofofstrengthbeforenegotiations.”

“owdoweproveourselves?”

“here’sastrongchancethey’llrequireatrial.Junior.heyrespectstrength.”

eeanandisellenoddedseriously.

Cattenwavedcasuallyasiftellingthemnottoworry.

“’llhandlethetrial,soyoujuniorsdon’tneedtoconcernyourselves.Andiftheyinsistontestingyoutoo,’llpersuadethem.”

“...?”

iselletiltedherheadslightly.

DidCattenpossesssomesecretdiplomaticskillthatallowedhimtonegotiatewithFrostiants?

“Doyouactuallyhaveamethodforpersuasion?”

“Ah.Sorry,juniors.misspoke.ftheytrytotestyoutoo,’llcutthemdown.”

Cattencorrectedhimselfsheepishly.

Apparently,hehadaccidentallyexaggeratedinfrontofhisjuniors.ehadnoconfidencewhatsoeverinpersuadingFrostiantspeacefully.

“...”

“...”

hatanswerleftamuchstrongerimpressiononthetwojuniorsthandiplomacyevercould.

eeanandiselleunconsciouslystraightenedtheirpostures.

“Senior.ftherewereanypartsofmymagicalexplanationsyoudislikedearlier,pleasefeelfreetotellmedirectly.”

“Andifthetowerjuniorsactdisrespectfullyinanyway,pleasemakesuretoletusknow.”

“???”

Cattenlookedgenuinelyconfusedbythesuddenchangeinattitude.

Whyweretheysuddenlyactinglikethis?

“hisshouldbecloseenough...onorablegiantsofeternalfrost,hearme!CattenofouseJahanhascomeseekingdialogue!”

-!

heFrostiantsreactedimmediatelytotheboomingvoiceechoingacrossthecliffs.

UD!

AFrostiantpatrolwarrioremergedfrombeneaththeglacierinasingleleap.ookingoverthethreevisitors,thegiantspoke.

-newarriorandtwomages.Sinceyouannouncedyourselvesfirst,youdonotappeartobeintruders. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“hreemages.Andwecametonegotiate.”

-egotiation?Wedonotnegotiateeasilywithoutsiders.speciallynotthosefromotherdimensions.

“hewayyousaidthatimpliesthere’sstillapossibility.”

AtCatten’swords,theFrostiantgrinned.

hestrengthradiatingfromthiswarrior’sposturetoldhimthatthehumanunderstoodsomething.

-hatiscorrect.hereissomethingweseek.

“Yourlostartifacts?”

-a!Asifwewouldentrustsuchmatterstoweakmagesfromanotherdimension.

heFrostiantscoffeddisdainfully.

heirsacredartifactsweretoberecoveredbyFrostiantsthemselves,notoutsourcedtoweakerraces.

“henwhatareyousearchingfor?”

-Weseekthechallengeracknowledgedbytheking!Surprisingly,heisapparentlyamagefromthesamedimensionasyou.fyoudiscoverhiswhereabouts,wewillrecognizeyouashonoredguests.

“...”

eean’sfaceslowlypaled.