Episode 1062
Episode 1062
But that wasn't my fault.
Even after recalling the events, the Skeleton Principal remained utterly shameless.
If he'd wanted to use them as magic slaves during vacation while having a prior contract, he should've just taken them by force from the beginning.
After pulling the same stunt under Professor Verdus, it made no sense for him to complain about getting a taste of his own medicine now.
"Magic slaves?"
That bastard was being metaphorical.
"......"
This time, Lee Han also glared at the Skeleton Principal.
After all the trouble he went through to refill Einrogard's empty vaults, this was the thanks he got?
"No. Principal. Did you really take Yukveltire away despite his prior contract?"
When Professor Garcia spoke up in disbelief, the fifth-year senior's eyes sparkled with hope.
Thankfully, there was at least one mage here with a proper sense of justice.
Indeed. But Professor Garcia, if I may dare to defend myself—Yukveltire isn't much better. Last year, he attempted to kidnap a professor, and the year before that, he tried to abduct a friend. If you swing a sword, you should be prepared to get cut, no?
"......"
Unfortunately, Professor Garcia was immediately rebutted.
Yukveltire's past had come back to bite her.
Had Wardanaz even formed his contract properly? Had he abused his seniority to bully the kid?
"Gasp."
"N-No, that's not it."
When Professor Garcia gave him a skeptical look, Lee Han floundered in response.
Sure, Yukveltire was an annoying person, but at the very least, this wasn't a case of coercion through authority.
Don't listen to him, Professor Garcia. That Wardanaz brat even got kidnapped last time and still ended up becoming his disciple. If he can learn magic, he loses all sense of rational judgment.
"That was just the principal's doppelgänger..."
Lee Han retorted in exasperation, but Professor Garcia was already halfway convinced.
The tips of Yukveltire's fingers trembled with fury toward the Skeleton Principal as she sensed her utter defeat.
'Looks like we'll have a future archmage who despises the Skeleton Principal to a suspicious degree.'
Even without using Divination Magic, Lee Han could somehow see the future. To placate his senior, he spoke up.
"I'm pretty much done with what I was doing. I'll help with your research."
"But we can't recover the lost time."
"Would you like to work during the remaining vacation, or would you prefer to just... leave?"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yukveltire replied.
"Working during the remaining vacation would be better."
"As expected, you're brilliant, Senior."
While Lee Han praised his senior, Professor Garcia quietly approached Alsicle.
Alsicle huffed indignantly.
"Abandoning someone like this!"
"Shh! Now's not the time for that."
"Such cheap tricks won't—"
Alsicle only grew angrier at the typical Einrogard tactics.
Mages from Einrogard excelled at all kinds of scams. One of their signature moves was making a huge fuss over nothing to deceive people.
—Ah! Lord Pengerin! That mage seems to have been poisoned by the gargoyle's flames! Emergency treatment, please!
—A-Alright!
—Got him! Pengerin's out! We're meeting that sponsor first! Run!
...These bastards!
Having already fallen for such tricks multiple times from graduates, Alsicle's fury only burned brighter.
No. This really isn't the time. You have more important matters to attend to.
"?!"
When even the Skeleton Principal spoke seriously, Alsicle froze.
Gonadaltes was a great archmage, and no matter how close Alsicle was to him, that reverence never faded.
Suppressing his anger, Alsicle asked,
"Why is that?"
Professor Voladi is certain about what happened during the last expedition and intends to hold you accountable for it. Well then, I'll take my leave.
Poof!
Not wanting to get dragged into Alsicle's mess, the Skeleton Principal vanished instantly.
Flustered, Professor Garcia stammered,
"W-Well, it should be fine! Just don't wander around alone!"
"...I should have just stayed in Petrogard."
Alsicle deeply regretted his decision.
'What glory was I expecting to find by coming back here?!'
"Wow! It's Alsicle!"
"Eek!"
Alsicle's suffering was far from over.
As he trudged into the mansion and climbed the central staircase, he was startled to see a golden-eyed girl he'd met a few times before.
'Why is His Highness Jowurin here?!'
"Alsicle! Wyvern play! Let's play wyvern! Where are you going?! Play with Jowurin!"
"Wardanaz! Wardanaz! Help me!"
Flapping his wings desperately, Alsicle searched for Lee Han—the only one who could possibly restrain this dragon—while creating an icy shortcut by covering the stairs with frost. The second-year students watched in awe as he slid down.
"What amazing magic."
"It's even cute!"
Alsicle barely managed to find Lee Han on the first floor, where Wardanaz was chatting with friends.
"Wardanaz! His Highness is trying to kill me!"
"Huh? It's not that serious. Why the dramatics..."
Lee Han knew exactly what "wyvern play" entailed.
It involved throwing Alsicle into the air and watching him flap his wings like a wyvern.
"Don't you know it's harder to control strength in human form than dragon form? Do you want to see me embedded in the ceiling? And if that happens, Voladi Bagrak will come skewer me on the spot."
"......"
Instead of saying, 'Oh, it won't be that bad,' Lee Han made a deeply contemplative face.
That reaction only terrified Alsicle further.
"Y-you should say no! Why are you making that face?!"
"Honestly, it might be wise to be cautious around Professor Bagrak..."
"...I'm staying here for a bit."
When Alsicle squeezed himself into their group, the second-years firmly warned him.
"Hands off the loot."
"Loot?"
"Wardanaz raided a bandit stronghold and brought back spoils. We're auctioning them right now."
"...What the hell happened while I was gone???"
Though he had wasted quite some time in Petrogard, he never imagined so much could have changed.
What on earth had happened in his absence?
"Senior Alsicle. Could you close the reception room door, please?"
"Ah. Is there some reason you need it quiet?"
Alsicle wobbled to his feet, but Lee Han shook his head.
"It's because Senior is staring, and it's unsettling."
"......"
Only then did Alsicle notice Yukveltire standing motionless outside the door.
Her relentless determination was clear—the moment the auction ended, she would drag her junior away for research without wasting a single second.
Adenart ducked her head in embarrassment. She wished everyone would forget they were sisters.
"C-can't you just come in and wait?"
"We'd rather not."
"Honestly, Senior makes us uncomfortable."
'Cold-hearted brats.' Alsicle shuddered at the second-years' icy response.
Though he specialized in frost magic, the chill in their attitudes made his spells feel warm by comparison.
"You'll change your minds once you hear this. Listen up."
Alsicle began explaining Yukveltire's journey.
First, Yukveltire had calmly accepted that the Skeleton Principal had ruined her perfect vacation research plan—despite the shock.
-"Oh no! Yukveltire! To think your magic would be disrupted by that wicked archmage. Let me be your attendant and help instead!"
Though her friend volunteered, Yukveltire refused—this wasn't something a friend could assist with.
"...Wait. Wait. This sounds off from the start."
"Why?"
"If it's a friend, wouldn't it be Senior Diret? There's no way Senior Diret would say something like that..."
The Diret Lee Han knew would have definitely said this instead:
-"What can you do? Can't help during break. Go complain to the Headmaster."
"Really? Well, that's how I heard it."
Alsicle shrugged. Lee Han had no choice but to listen, despite the blatant and shameless distortion.
'What a despicable person. Twisting words when the person isn't even here.'
Anyway, after shaking off her clingy friend, Yukveltire arrived belatedly at the capital.
Since Lee Han had left a week earlier, no matter how fast they flew, there was bound to be a time difference.
"But as we know, we went to Petrogard."
"That's right."
"Petrogard was better than I expected. There were plenty of annoying people, though."
The friends who had been listening opened their mouths and chimed in.
The experience of visiting Petrogard had been quite a shock to the Einrogard students as well.
"That's a relief. Judging by how the Petrogard mages were talking, it seems an exchange meeting will be held. If Einrogard and Petrogard do it together... it would be the Ptah Festival, right?"
Alsicle racked his memory and recalled the old name.
The Empire's magic academies each had their own names for exchange meetings.
When two schools held one, when three schools did, and so on...
The name of the event held jointly by Einrogard and Petrogard was definitely the <Ptah Festival>.
Suddenly curious, Lee Han asked,
"Has Einrogard and Kallarogard ever held an exchange meeting between just the two of them?"
"Yeah. Walpurgis Night."
"What about Einrogard and Baldrogard?"
"Uh... I think it was called the Empire Magic Academy Fellowship Exchange Meeting."
"......"
"......"
The sudden appearance of such a bureaucratic and cold name left the students flustered.
Lee Han regretted asking for no reason.
"Anyway, the Princess arrived late at Petrogard, right?"
Surprisingly, Yukveltire was already acquainted with the Petrogard mages.
Well, considering her grade and skill level, it would have been stranger if she didn't have any connections.
"So after talking with them, you chased after us?"
"No. The Petrogard mages threw a fit, telling me to get lost. As you know, the relationship between Einrogard's Enchantment Magic school and Petrogard isn't exactly great."
"......"
I didn't know that!?
Lee Han was dumbfounded, but unfortunately, there was no one to explain it to him.
"A commotion broke out, so I stepped in to mediate. To reconcile, we exchanged magic theories and showed each other artifacts."
Alsicle's outstanding magic, remarkable achievements, and cute appearance were exceptionally effective at calming people down.
When Alsicle stepped in to mediate, the Petrogard mages set aside their old grudges and allowed Yukveltire to enter.
Yukveltire also complimented the Petrogard mages' artifacts.
"Oh."
"So then the Princess asked where you were, and they said you'd already left?"
Lee Han suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
The atmosphere had been warm, so why did he feel this unease?
"What happened next?"
"She immediately pointed out that the Petrogard mages' artifacts were trash..."
"I didn't point anything out."
A senior standing outside, whose face wasn't visible, retorted. Alsicle ignored him and continued.
"She pointed it out. Honestly, it was less of a critique and more like outright condemnation."
Realizing things were going south, Alsicle quickly whisked Yukveltire away.
There was no good in starting a fight in enemy territory.
"...Uh, Senior Alsicle. Listening to this, it sounds like you had a rough time, yet you still took Senior's side?"
"Once I thought about how she'd been abandoned, I suddenly felt sorry for her."
"...Senior Yukveltire! Please come inside!"
Lee Han swiftly opened the door and changed the subject.
"So what do we need to do?"
"This week's challenge is the fusion of these two spells."
Yukveltire spread dozens of magic circle blueprints across the table and began explaining.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but her eyes seemed to gleam slightly with intensity.
"Fusing these two spells won't be easy, so you'd better be prepared. Specifically, bounty hunting or other tasks can all—"
Lee Han half-listened while gathering the important blueprints.
"Hold on. I'll be right back after asking something quickly."
"Wai—"
Yukveltire panicked, thinking her wicked junior was attempting the wicked escape technique he'd learned from the wicked Skeleton Principal.
But surprisingly, Lee Han returned shortly after.
"I've brought a newly drawn magic circle. They said there were some mistakes in the original one."
"...?!!!"