Episode 1006
Episode 1006
"No. What do you mean by circulating such a letter? If word spreads, only wicked people will flock around His Highness."
"His Highness Jowurin rarely goes outside, so that's fine. And it's not like it'll spread 'widely' anyway."
The Skeleton Principal was already in a good mood after having his debt erased.
Seeing his student hopping mad in that state made him feel even happier.
"Only the heads of moderately influential families would have received the letter in the first place. The imperial bureaucrats are bound by oaths of silence, so it won't spread further. Don't worry too much about it."
'This is utter nonsense.' If the heads of noble families and the bureaucrats knew, that was already more than enough to worry about.
At that point, it wouldn't be strange if everywhere Lee Han went, people exclaimed, "Ah! Aren't you that wizard who just contracted with a new dragon?"
While it was touching that even non-contracted dragons would protect their contractors, more than that...
'I'll definitely have to use disguises and aliases whenever I do anything shady from now on.' Feeling like he'd likely continue using the identity of Stedal Nago, Lee Han thought to himself.
-"Indeed! Did you calculate even that, my lord? That the bureaucrats wouldn't dare treat the newly emerged Dragon Contractor harshly..."
"Hmph. That was just one of the reasons."
-"As expected of you, my lord!"
Seeing the Death Knights cheering excitedly and the Skeleton Principal's expression, Lee Han grumbled to himself.
He was already troubled enough, but seeing them so happy made him want to smack them from behind.
Haidan, a member of the Dalkard Family and Ashan's older sister, was currently staying in the imperial capital.
This was due to the guests visiting from various noble families of the Empire.
"Even considering Lord Gonadaltes's devotion to the Empire, this time he's gone too far."
"Indeed. We cannot let this pass."
...To be precise, they were closer to being victims visiting from various noble families of the Empire.
The families whose treasures had been plundered by the Skeleton Principal's violent actions had gathered to precisely calculate their damages and file claims together.
Given that they came representing their respective families, their statuses were anything but ordinary. Some families even sent their heads in person.
Under these circumstances, Haidan had no choice but to come to the capital from the eastern region herself.
"We trust in Lady Haidan's capabilities."
"As the Dalkard Family has also suffered damages this time, we sincerely hope you'll handle this matter impartially."
The nobles looked at Haidan with hopeful eyes.
Haidan of the Dalkard Family belonged to the Bronze Dwarf Bank in the east and was an accomplished individual recognized even by those demanding dwarves.
They believed someone like Haidan could coldly and accurately calculate the damages inflicted by the Skeleton Principal this time.
Since the losses had been so sudden, none of the families had even determined exactly how much to claim yet.
"But... isn't Lady Haidan's younger sibling attending Einrogard? There's a saying about arms bending inward for a reason..."
One noble attending as a family representative cautiously raised this concern.
If someone had family studying at Einrogard, they might take the Skeleton Principal's side.
However, the other nobles actually scolded the one who voiced this doubt.
"Mind your words. Even if it's family, Lady Haidan is absolutely not someone who would show favoritism."
"When Lord Daihal of the Dalkard Family visited the Bronze Dwarf Bank, Lady Haidan refused to even see his face and turned him away. Even if it's family, she'll coldly cut ties if there's no benefit."
Though it sounded somewhat like an insult, Haidan actually felt proud instead.
Daihal and Haidan, these twins, had always been pursuers of cold rationality.
For them, letting family ties or blood relations interfere with their work was absolutely unacceptable behavior.
Though Haidan had refused Daihal's request, Daihal didn't feel the slightest displeasure. In fact, had she accepted, he might have even despised her for it.
"I appreciate the compliment."
"Indeed. Your younger sibling, Ashan, also possesses quite remarkable qualities as a mage."
"He still has a long way to go. He should at least strive to match half of his friend's abilities."
'Truly humble.' Though Haidan spoke sincerely, the surrounding nobles merely took it as modest courtesy.
Merely gaining admission to Einrogard was already an extraordinary achievement, yet Ashan had managed to secure quite high grades among the entrants.
No one realized that Haidan was actually comparing him to the top-ranked student in his year.
"Then, please submit the lists of the treasures and reagents each of you lent. We will calculate the damages."
While Haidan collected the lists from the nobles, Yoanen whispered irritably to Lady Kraha.
As the mother of Gainando, Lady Kraha had ties with Yoanen, given that her younger sibling had married into the Maykin Family.
"Why must we be the ones to do this?"
"Yoanen, don't complain too much. Someone has to take responsibility for it, don't they?"
Compiling lists of the items stolen from each family and determining their value wasn't a task that required particularly high intelligence.
Moreover, the actual work was being handled entirely by someone from the Dalkard Family.
Yet that didn't mean the responsibility was negligible.
Since this gathering required mutual discussion and final decision-making, it practically demanded full authority.
At the very least, a direct descendant of each family needed to be present to facilitate the process.
Lady Kraha spoke with graceful composure.
"I heard the Maykin Family also lent several precious treasures."
"Well, they weren't my treasures, so I don't particularly care."
Yoanen was indifferent.
While nobles with strong familial loyalty might feel otherwise, high-level mages rarely obsessed over their family's pride.
Whether the family treasures were looted by the Skeleton Principal or not, managing the reagents for tomorrow's workshop was far more important to her.
"By the way, Lady Kraha, weren't you quite generous toward Mage Gonadaltes?"
Yoanen tilted her head slightly as she asked.
The head of the Kraha Family, whose wealth was always mentioned whenever the Empire's riches were discussed, had long been Einrogard's most generous patron.
Once, Yoanen had even witnessed the Skeleton Principal turning a noble who insulted the Kraha Family into a frog and burying them deep in a swamp. Such affection didn't come without substantial donations.
"That's correct. But Mage Gonadaltes explicitly promised to repay what he borrowed."
Lady Kraha drew a firm line.
Though she consistently sent sponsorship funds to the Skeleton Principal for the sake of the Empire's cause (Lady Kraha still suspected that Gainando's admission might have been influenced by donations), she wasn't so kind as to defend every eccentric action.
"Then isn't it only natural to reclaim what's owed?"
"This is just my estimation, but I doubt Mage Gonadaltes will repay on time."
True to her reputation as an exceptional alchemist, Yoanen made a sharp prediction.
The insane expenditures of Einrogard's madmen, spending gold coins like water each year...
Even with the Empire's financial support and sporadic donations from various sources...
The Skeleton Principal's vault could never be abundant. Unexpectedly extravagant expenses like this incident were especially devastating.
"That must also be something Mage Gonadaltes has already accounted for. There's no need for Yoanen to worry. He'll surely return with some countermeasure prepared."
"...I suppose we'll be stuck here for a while, then..."
Yoanen let out a sigh laced with frustration.
As Lady Kraha said, the Skeleton Principal was indeed the type to return with some solution.
But neither the composed Lady Kraha beside her nor the ruthless gold-reclaimer from the Dalkard Family would make things easy.
And since the Skeleton Principal wasn't the type to hand out favors generously, the negotiations were likely to drag on tediously.
"What a waste of time. 'If Einrogard were on vacation, I would've asked Yoner for help.'" Yoanen had an absurd thought.
Even if the Maykin Family trusted Yoner, they wouldn't send their youngest sibling for such a matter. 'Please, let Gonadaltes bring some useful countermeasures...'
"Everyone, hello!"
"!"
"!"
The nobles gathered in the grand hall were startled by the appearance of the Skeleton Principal in human form, his voice cheerful.
Some nobles even wore hopeful expressions at the sight.
"Your Excellency, seeing you in such high spirits must be a positive sign, no?"
"Indeed! It seems you've secured compensation!"
Normally, the Skeleton Principal was always in a moderately bad mood.
And given the current situation, it wouldn't have been strange for him to be in an even worse one. Yet, his cheerful demeanor was baffling.
There had to be a reason for it—otherwise, it made no sense.
"This doesn't add up..."
"I heard rumors that he even borrowed gold coins from the bureaucrats. Those people would sooner lose their heads than be persuaded."
Of course, there were skeptical nobles as well.
While everyone murmured among themselves, the Skeleton Principal spoke.
"Everyone, I sincerely thank you for lending your strength to seal the Thought-form this time."
"......"
"Uh... well..."
The nobles present nodded with awkward expressions.
Strictly speaking, it was closer to the Skeleton Principal showing up with his staff and threatening them, but what was done was done.
From the nobles' perspective, phrasing it as if they had acted voluntarily sounded much better.
"Has the compensation for the borrowed items been prepared?"
Haidan spoke up, indifferent to whether the Skeleton Principal was cheerful or displeased.
When the bloodline of the Dalkard Family—who had tormented her for generations—took aim, the Skeleton Principal sighed.
"Compensation. Ah, compensation..."
"I have faith in Lord Gonadaltes."
With Lady Kraha joining in, the Skeleton Principal felt even more overwhelmed.
"Of course, I'm aware you all have... some grievances against me."
"'Some'?" The nobles flinched internally but didn't dare voice it.
The debtor in question was also the Empire's greatest archmage.
Picking a fight over trivialities could mean disappearing from the Empire forever.
"It's not like I've disappointed you just once or twice, so I suppose it can't be helped."
"Your Excellency Gonadaltes. To be frank, if you just hand over that bastard Verdus, I'd be willing to pay any price—even a whole castle—"
One of the family heads gnashed his teeth as he spoke, but the Skeleton Principal pretended not to hear.
As unfortunate as it was, that was one request he couldn't grant.
"But here's the thing—what if it's a request from my disciple? Wouldn't that change things a little? Hmm?"
The doors opened again, and death knights ushered his disciple inside in a flurry.
Ta-da!
Lee Han had to exert superhuman effort to suppress his embarrassment.
It was even worse because he recognized a few faces in the crowd.
"Can't you show some mercy, if only for the sake of my disciple's face?"
One of the nobles looked utterly baffled.
"Your Excellency... There's no way you'd grant a request just because your disciple asked, right? Are you mocking us?"
It was a fair question.
Even if the Skeleton Principal begged, it was questionable whether they'd listen—yet they were supposed to comply because his disciple asked?
Other nobles who shared the same thought turned to Haidan.
Surely, the bloodline of the Dalkard Family would deliver a sharp rebuke worthy of their reputation!
"If it's a request from your disciple, then I understand. That makes perfect sense."
"????!??!?!"
The nobles in attendance nearly toppled over.
Was that really Haidan, or was it a professor from Einrogard disguised as her?!
With their trusted pillar crumbling, the nobles instinctively turned to Lady Kraha.
She was the only one left to rely on now.
Yet Lady Kraha—though her expression was hidden behind her veil—spoke apologetically.
"What can I say? If it's a request from your disciple, I have no choice but to comply..."
"!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!"