“Hm.”

The Bronze Golem Senior groaned as his wisdom slammed into a wall right from the beginning.

Who would have thought this kind of situation would appear the moment he was told to rely on wisdom instead of magic?

He was already tempted to solve it with magic.

No. This isn’t something magic can solve.

If it were the same weak prophecy as before, he could have redirected the bad fortune with a few taboos somehow, but the current situation was impossible.

To twist something like this with magic, his junior might have to transform into a dragon, walk only on his left forepaw, avoid being seen by any mages, and never open his mouth again for the rest of his life. Ridiculous taboos like that could easily appear.

“...Wait. You made a contract with a star?”

The Bronze Golem Senior, who had been deep in thought, suddenly froze.

His wisdom had been blocked, so he had overlooked it at first, but this absolutely wasn’t something to casually pass over.

Lee Han let out another deep sigh.

“Senior. Is that really the important part right now...?”

“It is important!”

This time, the Bronze Golem Senior refused to let it go.

No matter how terrifying the future he had seen was, some things still needed to be addressed first.

A mere second-year student had formed a contract with a star!

“What star did you contract with?”

“Guest Star Arna.”

“Indeed.”

The Bronze Golem Senior nodded calmly.

Lee Han found himself impressed.

As expected of a fourth-year. Something like this doesn’t even surprise him.

When Lee Han first learned what kind of star Arna was, he had practically rolled around in despair, but seniors truly were different.

“Indeed...”

“...?”

Something felt strange about the way the senior kept repeating the same word like a broken phonograph.

When Lee Han looked down, he realized the distance between them had somehow widened. The senior had stealthily backed away without him noticing.

“Indeed...”

“Senior. You’re not trying to run away, are you?”

“N-no.”

But the Bronze Golem Senior’s eyes were already wandering desperately through the corridor in search of Professor Paserlet.

Normally, ominous fortunes like this were supposed to be handled by professors.

I’m still too inexperienced. I should’ve run away the moment the professor sensed danger and collapsed.

At last, the Bronze Golem Senior achieved enlightenment.

True wisdom meant pretending to be insane and lying down.

Unfortunately for him, Lee Han had no intention of letting him escape. He immediately rushed over and grabbed hold of him.

“Senior. Honestly, the danger surrounding Guest Star Arna is heavily exaggerated. Most of the records are ancient, so a lot was lost over time, and the rest became embellished.”

“If that’s what remains after the exaggeration, then it sounds even worse...”

“If you don’t help me, I’ll come visit you every day.”

“Junior. I’ll squeeze every last drop of wisdom out of my brain. Please trust me!”

The Bronze Golem Senior hurriedly looked back /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ at the drawing.

Being forced to interpret the prophecy of a junior who had contracted with Arna was dangerous.

Having that junior come find him every single day was even more dangerous.

“Now then... Let’s see. You’re wearing a crown. Crowns usually symbolize victory, glory, power, authority, immortality... You may win some kind of confrontation and seize power. If it’s the Principal’s authority, then perhaps the Principal of this territory...”

“...This is actually miniature world magic.”

Lee Han explained apologetically.

Anyone could tell that modest crown represented Basilios Pocket Dimension magic.

“...”

The Bronze Golem Senior looked at Lee Han with eyes that clearly asked:

Why are you doing this to me?

“Interesting.”

“!”

The voice from behind made Lee Han jump straight into the air.

For someone trained in swordsmanship, the height was absurd. The Bronze Golem Senior stared in amazement as Lee Han nearly hit the ceiling.

Did he cast enhancement magic?

“Master, you’ve arrived!”

“Your voice is too loud. Show proper etiquette.”

“Master, you’ve arrived.”

“...”

The Insane Duplicate narrowed his eyes.

It looked as though he was trying to determine whether his disciple was being insolent.

Fortunately, he seemed to conclude that Lee Han was merely flustered rather than disrespectful.

“Is this the disciple’s prophecy?”

“Yes...”

“Hm.”

The Insane Duplicate carefully examined the black-powder drawing.

The two students held their breath and exchanged silent glances.

Senior. If you have some secret magic, now’s the time.

If I had something like that, I’d already be a professor...!

“I’ve seen enough of the drawing. You’ll need to be careful.”

“Yes?”

At the same time, Lee Han desperately wanted to ask what he needed to be careful about—

—and desperately did not want to ask.

Was there some ancient-kingdom custom where disciples who annoyed their masters got thrown into rivers preemptively?

“Time’s up. Aren’t you moving to your next lecture?”

The Insane Duplicate checked the time as he spoke.

Lee Han nodded awkwardly.

“I do have another lecture...”

“Then let’s go.”

***

A madman was most terrifying when acting normal.

As he walked down the corridor beside the Insane Duplicate, Lee Han felt genuine fear.

The man said nothing.

He didn’t unleash his usual incomprehensible scolding like, Disciple, why are you only following the royal family’s methods of fortune-telling through comet observation? You should’ve completed the miniature world as well, nor did he rage about daring to oppose royalty.

He simply walked silently, lost in thought.

That alone was so unnatural that Lee Han almost forgot they were heading toward Professor Verdus’s lecture hall.

Ordinarily, he should have been thrilled at the fact that he was personally dragging the Insane Duplicate to Professor Verdus...

“Master?”

“For what reason does royalty hear its disciple speak?”

“You seemed deep in thought.”

“...Do you perhaps not know that disciples are supposed to remain silent while their masters meditate?”

The Insane Duplicate looked at Lee Han with a mixture of contempt and disbelief.

The familiar expression instantly reassured Lee Han.

“Thank goodness. I was getting worried.”

“...Have you finally lost your mind? What nonsense are you talking about now?”

As his disciple continued speaking nonsense one sentence after another, the Insane Duplicate looked genuinely bewildered.

“Oh right. You’ll definitely enjoy the lecture we’re heading to, Master.”

“...”

Whether the Insane Duplicate stared suspiciously at his apparently deranged disciple or not, Lee Han happily explained the lecture as they walked.

Originally, Lee Han didn’t even need to attend 【Staff Materials and Magical Amplification】 anymore.

He had effectively completed the course when he finished his staff, and Professor Verdus probably wouldn’t care whether Lee Han attended or not.

Honestly, the professor might not even care whether he himself attended.

But Lee Han headed toward the lecture hall with genuine excitement.

This was the first time he had ever felt this happy on the way to see Professor Verdus.

I can’t believe visiting Professor Verdus could actually feel enjoyable.

“...You claim royalty will enjoy this lecture. Is it truly that advanced?”

“Yes! And if it isn’t, you may punish the professor however you like.”

“Hah. Disciple, you truly must learn humility. Overconfidence is an ugly flaw. Since you’ve boasted this much, there will be no mercy in royalty’s judgment.”

The Insane Duplicate scolded his disciple’s arrogance.

Having made such bold claims, there would not be even the slightest leniency in his evaluation.

If the lecture failed to meet his standards, the professor would suffer the consequences.

“Excellent. Professor! I’m here!”

Bang!

Lee Han kicked the lecture hall doors open and strode inside.

The upperclassmen froze at the unmistakable excitement in his voice.

Had they misheard?

“Wardanaz, did you come to the wrong lecture?”

“...Why does he sound excited?”

“I’m always excited whenever I enter a lecture hall.”

He’s finally gone insane!

The upperclassmen stared in horror.

The students from other schools concluded that the Divination Magic School had finally driven Wardanaz mad.

Well... honestly, that’s understandable.

“Master. Please come in.”

“...?”

The students turned toward the figure entering behind Lee Han.

Professor Verdus had been completely absorbed in examining an artifact, ignoring both the students and Lee Han’s entrance as usual, but some inexplicable animal instinct suddenly made him glance up.

And scream.

“Eek!”

“?!”

The students nearly jumped out of their seats.

Professor Verdus was the kind of man who wouldn’t notice even if the lecture hall collapsed around him while he worked.

For someone like that to suddenly scream was terrifying.

“What happened?!”

“Go-Gonadaltes...!”

“It’s not the Principal. It’s the duplicate.”

“Ah.”

Professor Verdus immediately exhaled in relief, his beaver beastman face still bizarrely adorable.

“For a second, I thought the Principal came because I was slacking off during class!”

So he’s aware of it.

Lee Han and the students all glared at him.

It wasn’t only the students who became ecstatic whenever the Skull Principal left Einroguard.

Professors like Verdus also became dramatically happier.

Normally, he at least halfheartedly taught while worrying about ending up in the punishment cells.

Now he could openly slack off without fear.

“...Wait. If it’s the duplicate, why are you here?”

Professor Verdus finally realized something was wrong.

If it were truly the Insane Duplicate, shouldn’t he be busy kidnapping Wardanaz somewhere?

Why was he casually wandering through lecture halls?

“He wanted to observe the lecture.”

“Why?”

Professor Verdus asked Lee Han directly.

Lee Han silently looked toward his master.

The Insane Duplicate immediately turned an ice-cold gaze on the professor.

“Does royalty require your permission?”

“N-no, of course not... Please, come in. Feel free to observe.”

The Insane Duplicate might look identical to Gonadaltes, but there was one crucial difference.

Even if Gonadaltes became angry, he probably wouldn’t kill Verdus.

The Insane Duplicate absolutely might.

“Then... I’ll begin the lecture...”

Professor Verdus glanced around nervously before returning to his artifact.

The students also quietly resumed working on their staffs.

“...?”

The Insane Duplicate’s eyes widened.

Even during the ancient kingdom era, he had never witnessed a lecture like this before.

What in the world was this supposed to be?

“Didn’t you say this was a lecture?”

“Yes.”

“Then where is the teaching?”

“You watch the professor work over there and steal techniques from him.”

“...”

The Insane Duplicate fell silent.

Then he immediately swung his hand.

“Eek!”

Professor Verdus hurled himself aside as though he had anticipated the attack from the very beginning.

Any Einroguard professor who saw Gonadaltes’s face instinctively prepared for battle.

Click!

The miniature world sealed within the glass-cube necklace—his Magnum Opus—activated instantly.

But the Insane Duplicate had already anticipated that response.

A survivor from the ancient age would never assume a mage of Verdus’s caliber would quietly surrender.

“Masterpieces return to lead.”

The moment the incantation rang out, Professor Verdus’s miniature world collapsed completely.

The beaver beastman’s large, adorable eyes shook with shock.

Even without deploying his complete personal world, his miniature world magic had been destroyed in a single strike.

The Insane Duplicate had analyzed a miniature world he had barely seen—

—and cast counter-magic against it immediately.

Using a spoken incantation, no less.

“Li-Liberum Veto!”

Click!

Professor Verdus desperately activated the second miniature world hidden inside the heel of his boot.

It was his emergency masterpiece prepared specifically for monsters like Ragesa—

his final lifeline.

“Cause and effect shall reverse.”

“!”

Professor Verdus nearly fainted in horror.

The artifact that should have activated in his own hands now rested calmly in the Insane Duplicate’s grasp instead.

As though it had always belonged there.

“The criminal shall be imprisoned.”

And just like that, Professor Verdus ended up hanging upside down in midair.

Every artifact he possessed had been neutralized at once. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

All magic was sealed.

“Vermin.”

The Insane Duplicate looked at Professor Verdus the way someone might look at a hamster.

Despite all the insolence regarding his disciple’s escape and other incidents, the man had still been shown mercy—

—and yet he remained this shameless.

“...Waaaaaaaaah!”

“LONG LIVE THE PRINCIPAL’S DUPLICATE!!!”

The students overturned desks and chairs as they leapt to their feet cheering.

Even the Divination Magic School students slowly began applauding.