Episode 1019
Episode 1019
Lee Han was bewildered.
The Skeleton Principal's words had come completely out of nowhere.
"What does Professor Bagrak arriving have to do with me not being here?"
Oh, it has... everything to do with it.
As he spoke, the Skeleton Principal shot another glare at the archmage standing beside him. The Empire's archmage—the parent of Yukveltire and Adenart—fidgeted uncomfortably before bowing his head deeply.
As you know, Professor Voladi does have a tendency to be unnecessarily overprotective, doesn't he?
"Excuse me??!"
The sheer absurdity of the statement nearly made Lee Han blurt out, What kind of nonsense is this?
Had there been no onlookers around, he absolutely would have said it.
Professor Voladi? Overprotective?
Sure, he had been moved when Voladi had taken his side during the last incident, saying, He's still my student. But there were some truths in this world that simply could not be bent.
No matter how perfectly and meticulously Erindarbel had calculated everything before inviting him, if Voladi heard this, he might misunderstand. There was no need to unnecessarily worry him, was there?
'Something's off.'
As both a student of Einrogard and the Skeleton Principal's current top disciple, Lee Han felt a strange sense of dissonance.
It felt like some kind of sinister scheme was lurking beneath the surface.
"Excellent. There's no need for him to receive unnecessary, excessive training. The more he does, the greater the risk of him going berserk."
The evil god-worshipping elf beside him quickly chimed in.
From the elf's perspective, he would much rather Lee Han live a relaxed and stable life than provoke Voladi into giving him even harsher training and growing stronger.
The boy was already a dangerous enough monster as it was...
Just who is this guy? He sounds like an evil god worshipper, but his reasoning is oddly sound. He doesn't seem like part of the investigation team...
At the Skeleton Principal's perfectly reasonable question, the investigation team members immediately answered.
"He is an evil god worshipper."
"He's a devotee of the Ksaxarigol cult, but he surrendered and turned himself in."
Those lunatics? Why? Ah. I see. If that Wardanaz brat goes berserk, it'll become harder to predict anything, won't it?
The Skeleton Principal didn't even need to hear the report to guess why this guy was blabbering next to Lee Han.
From the perspective of a prophecy-obsessed fanatic, a disciple whose actions were impossible to predict must have seemed like a monster that could tear apart foresight at any moment.
"Indeed. You there, mage. Cease fattening this monster. If the Great Prophet's visions are disrupted, the world will descend into chaos."
True to his lunatic nature, the elf didn't cower even in front of the Skeleton Principal and instead delivered a stern reprimand.
Wasn't it precisely because the Skeleton Principal had trained his disciple too harshly that the seeds of all this chaos had been sown?
Of course, the Skeleton Principal didn't even pretend to listen.
You don't even know what chaos is, you brat. Who do you think you are, preaching at me like this? Get lost.
With a flickering sound, the elf vanished. Lee Han had a good idea of where he'd gone.
'Another prisoner added to the Deep Punishment Room, I suppose.'
Those bastards have always been useless, spouting nonsense about how they should just stay quiet... Anyway, do you understand? You were never here today.
"Ah, yes. Understood."
Lee Han nodded for now. The Skeleton Principal, having finished his preparations, unveiled a new grand spell.
In an instant, the characteristic darkness of the lich that the Skeleton Principal carried with him vanished, transforming into a radiant, holy light.
The light began as a mere halo but swiftly expanded, filling the surroundings and even flooding the deep dimensional erosion space far below.
Samadhi of Fire!
With the Skeleton Principal's declaration, the light transformed into flames. Astonishingly, despite the change, the flames still retained the properties of light.
The investigation team members who could use magic stared at the Unique World without even breathing. It was a sublime spectacle—one no mage could dare look away from.
Lee Han, who was also staring intently, sensed something familiar in the power radiating from the light.
'Nine Mountains and Eight Seas!'
The light that had shone at the pinnacle of dimensions.
The blazing flames sweeping through the surroundings now carried the same power.
The Skeleton Principal gave a slight nod at his disciple's reaction and explained.
'Since you've visited the yaksha's palace, you must have seen this light before. That's right. This is the Eternal Radiance of Truth—flames of enlightenment that only the awakened can summon.'
The Unique World became both light and flame, incinerating everything. Even the spider monsters, which had been charging forward without any fear until now, seemed to realize something was different and began scrambling to retreat underground.
Yet the radiant flames did not stop, surging forth in violent waves. The complex obstacles of walls, ceilings, and waterways could not hold back the tide. The waves crashed fiercely, piercing through barriers and burning the enemies to ashes.
'This fire is my enlightenment. You must fill your own flames with your own enlightenment.'
"Thank you."
In the past, he wouldn't have understood a single word of this. But now, having stepped into the realm of the Small World, he could vaguely grasp the meaning the Skeleton Principal was trying to convey.
Even the Small World, which could be shared among mages, manifested vastly differently depending on the individual mage's nature.
If even the Small World—a method of adapting oneself to a completed world—varied this much, then the Unique World, where one had to create and expand their own world, made it fundamentally impossible to imitate another's magic.
That was likely why the Skeleton Principal had gone out of his way to say it.
Instead of pointlessly trying to mimic this grand magic while intoxicated by its power, forge your own.
'You're... thankful?'
"Ah? Yes."
'Then you truly weren't here today.'
"...Please, be honest with me. Why are you doing this?"
Jinon, the successor of the Green Jade Magic Tower, possessed an outstanding and brilliant mind.
Because of this, it didn't take him long to realize that the letters had been mixed up.
"Hello. I've come after receiving a letter from Lady Erindarbel, but..."
"Welcome! Are you a student of Einrogard?"
"No."
"Is that so? Please take a look around at the artifacts here, and if you find one you like... Wait. Did you say no?"
"I'm from the Green Jade Magic Tower."
"This makes no sense! The Great Mage clearly mentioned an Einrogard student. How could this have happened?"
"Hmm. I think it might mean the artifact is so good that she referred to it as an 'Einrogard student'..."
"Ah! I see. Could the letters have been mixed up?"
"!!!!!"
With his brilliant mind, Jinon hurriedly turned back.
If the letters had indeed been mixed up, then the Einrogard student—whose face he didn't even know—might have taken his place in a high-difficulty expedition by now.
"This is bad! It seems the letters were mixed up. I need to head to the expedition team immediately!"
"Hoho. There's no need to worry."
"Huh? Why not...?"
Despite the pale-faced successor's reaction, the mages of the Green Jade Magic Tower remained composed.
"Think about it, Jinon. If an Einrogard student had gone to the expedition team with the wrong letter, do you think the team would have accepted them so easily?"
"..."
"Ah!"
"If that were the case, they would've realized it and contacted our tower by now. Most likely, only our side received the mixed-up letter."
Thanks to the mages' advice, Jinon regained his composure.
Indeed, the seasoned mages of the Green Jade Magic Tower had a far broader perspective than the still-inexperienced Jinon.
"Thank you! My thinking was too narrow."
"Hoho. Not at all. That's just youthful vigor for you."
"What's going on here?"
"Ah! Professor Bagrak!"
In the middle of his warm conversation with the mages, Jinon spotted a welcome guest.
It was Professor Voladi, an important client and reliable friend of the Green Jade Magic Tower.
"It's nothing serious. The letters got mixed up, and I ended up worrying for no reason."
"Hmm."
Professor Voladi read the mixed-up letter once, then read it again.
After carefully reading it one last time with a cautious demeanor, he immediately created a paper bird and sent it flying.
"I should go check."
"Are you referring to the investigation team? If that's the case, let's go together! Since we're also involved in this matter, it would be rude of us to let you go alone—"
But before the words could even finish, Professor Voladi was already moving far into the distance.
The mages of the Green Jade Magic Tower looked puzzled at his retreating figure.
Even if an Einrogard student had received the letter, there was no way they would have joined the investigation team. So why was he in such a hurry?
"!"
Upon arriving at the outskirts of the capital, Professor Voladi halted abruptly upon seeing the investigation team already gathered outside.
An ordinary mage might have wondered why the team had come out so soon, but Professor Voladi, being an exceptional Combat Magic practitioner, immediately checked the most suspicious detail first.
Just as he had feared, his disciple was among the investigation team. The only relief was that he seemed unharmed.
"Professor Voladi! What a coincidence! Hahaha! I've been wandering around the capital with this promising disciple of mine. Along the way, we heard news of monsters emerging from the Void and rushed here to help."
"...Should I just explain?"
Shh. Be quiet.
The Skeleton Principal signaled his disciple to stay silent.
Lee Han hadn't realized the letters had gotten mixed up, but he could roughly guess the situation.
'He wants to hide the fact that I joined the investigation team.'
Frankly, he didn't think Professor Voladi would be particularly shocked (if anything, he'd probably send him into even more dangerous situations). But it never hurt to be cautious in this world.
If Professor Voladi got competitive, Lee Han would be the only one at a disadvantage.
Alsicle, looking utterly confused, asked,
"Why has Professor Bagrak come here?"
"It's because Professor Voladi cares for his disciple. Stop prying. It's not like you're trying to flatter him."
"What kind of flattery is th—"
BANG!
Jinon arrived a step later than Professor Voladi. As he dispelled his acceleration and enhancement magic, he shouted,
"Professor! There was no need to rush— Wait, why is everyone already out here?"
"Why did the Green Jade Magic Tower come?"
Alsicle, growing even more bewildered, asked first.
The kind-looking future successor of the Green Jade Magic Tower answered sheepishly,
"Actually, the letters got mixed up."
"...Mixed up?"
Jinon explained what had happened, adding with some relief,
"But it seems everything turned out fine. Professor Bagrak must have been worried enough to come personally, but I had faith in the investigation team! Surely, none of the esteemed mages gathered here would let a mere student join such a dangerous investigation, right? Even if they're from Einrogard, that would be absurd."
"......"
"......"
The faces of the investigation team members, including Alsicle, instantly lost color, turning deathly pale.
Lee Han, who had only just grasped the situation, also wore an awkward expression.
So right now...
'No. There are too many people to curse—I don't even know where to start.'
Should he curse the Great Mage Erindarbel, who was currently hanging her head in shame? Or the Skeleton Principal, who didn't even read the letter properly and confidently assured everyone it was fine? Or maybe Alsicle, who had grabbed his hand and cheerfully dragged him along, saying, "Oh, Wardanaz? Let's go together!"
"Wait. By any chance, are you Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family? The one all the mages of the tower have been so interested in lately?"
"Ah. Yes. That's me."
"What a coincidence! Though, come to think of it, even if Great Mage Erindarbel cares deeply for younger mages, there can't be that many Einrogard students worthy of receiving a personal letter from her! What a relief. If he had accidentally joined the investigation team, not only our tower but mages from all the other towers would have been furious!"
......
The Skeleton Principal shook his head at the sight of Erindarbel, sweating profusely.
He wanted to be angry, but his heart softened at her pitiful state.