Episode 1073
Episode 1073
"Probably Entrusted Because of Talent"
Avalkaigen, true to his reputation as a renowned Enchantment Mage, accurately guessed Lagesa's thoughts.
Just by looking at the magical works the Princess Yukveltire had collaborated on, it was clear how exceptional this boy's talent was.
Though he didn't want to admit it, Lee Han's abilities surpassed even Avalkaigen's own disciple. It made sense why Lagesa had entrusted Verdus's sky schooner—despite the massive gold investment—to him.
-Oh...!
-I thought it was out of pity, but it seems his words are correct after all. As expected of Lord Avalkaigen!
The Death Knights marveled at his sharp insight.
Come to think of it, it was strange.
The sky schooner was far too expensive an item to be given away out of mere pity.
It seemed they had been deceived by the earlier claim that the successor had received it out of sympathy.
'Are they mocking me?'
Avalkaigen was slightly taken aback by the knights' absurd reaction, but he didn't show it and spoke again.
"So, you're the one in possession of that schooner?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Then it doesn't matter. If you wish, I can cast the magic I prepared onto that schooner."
"I'll do the same."
The two mages had reached an agreement, but Lee Han hadn't.
Frankly, he still hadn't fully grasped the situation.
"Wait a minute. Everyone. Is this really okay? Didn't you all come here because of Professor Verdus's work?"
-Our duty is escorting, not assisting Professor Verdus with his work.
The Death Knights, true to those who had lived twice, displayed flexibility.
Their mission was to keep Professor Verdus's head attached to his body—not to ensure the completion of his work.
Lee Han regretted choosing the wrong people to ask. Even if he had asked, 'Is it okay to sell Professor Verdus into slavery?', the Death Knights would likely have replied, 'Well, as long as he's alive, it should be fine.'
Instead, he turned to the two mages, who possessed both common sense and experience.
"Is this really acceptable? Both of you came here because you needed something from Professor Verdus—this damn... I mean, this place."
'Did he just try to say "this damn place"?' Avalkaigen thought to himself.
But he must have been mistaken. A mage from the Wardanaz family wouldn't use such vulgar language.
"Of course it is."
"You don't need his help anymore?"
The two mages nodded simultaneously.
"I'd rather not receive anything than humor that fool's unreasonable demands."
"I feel the same. Cooperation is necessary, but not to the point of readjusting the magic I've prepared from scratch."
"......"
Lee Han was overwhelmed by their resolute determination.
Only one emotion radiated from them:
Rather than bending to Professor Verdus's stubbornness, they'd sooner throw their magic into the dirt!
"Besides, the magic we prepared has no use other than for Professor Verdus's schooner anyway."
"True. Might as well have it received, now that we've brought it."
"But right now, the schooner is in Einrogard..."
-Don't worry. We've already contacted them to bring it.
"......"
From the moment the professor started being unreasonable, the knights had been sending word to their comrades in Einrogard.
To have predicted this entire situation...
They truly were extraordinary strategists.
"Th-thank you."
-It's us who should be thanking you. But if you ever mention this to Professor Verdus later, be sure to call us too!
* * *
Though the two mages rushed outside, Professor Verdus didn't chase after them to apologize or persuade them—instead, he used his time efficiently.
He immediately immersed himself in his work.
Watching him meticulously adjust the shrunken schooner, Alsicle grew restless and asked,
"Um... aren't you going to go outside?"
"Why?"
"...Because we gathered here to cooperate?"
"Would my going out there actually help with cooperation?"
"!"
Professor Verdus had an unexpectedly sharp side to him.
That was certainly true. There was no way those two would change their minds just because Professor Verdus followed them outside. 'Is this person... perhaps a genius?' Alsicle, who had been gaping in shock, blinked his eyes at the bizarre sight outside the window.
What the—? 'What the hell? That sailboat... that thing... huh?' The Death Knights floating in the air were cutting away the outer walls of the upper floor and pushing in a small sailboat.
Even for mages, such a surreal sight was rare to behold.
Alsicle, who had been staring blankly, locked eyes with Lee Han. Lee Han quietly gestured for him to keep it down, then pleaded with his eyes.
-Please keep Professor Verdus occupied.
"...H-how am I supposed to do that?!"
"Can't you be a little quieter?"
Professor Verdus snapped irritably, not feeling the slightest bit of unease.
He was currently in the middle of rearranging the mana structure inside while maintaining the shrinking spell, which was extremely delicate work.
"S-sorry. Uh... keep up the good work. I won't disturb you. Is there anything I can help with?"
Alsicle decided to give it his best shot.
He wasn't confident he could do it well since he wasn't close with Professor Verdus (with anyone else, he would've charmed them with his cute penguin beastman appeal, but unfortunately, his opponent was a beaver beastman), but he had to at least try.
"Something to help with? Yeah."
"Oh. What is it?"
"Can you make me some ice?"
Various types of ice could be used as reagents depending on their shape and properties.
A frost mage of Alsicle's caliber could create several reagents that were impossible to gather naturally.
"What kind of ice do you need? The shape and attributes..."
Professor Verdus held out a mug.
"Just put some on top of the water here."
"......"
Realizing that his help was needed just for iced water, Alsicle flew into a rage.
Dropping the polite demeanor he'd maintained because there were people listening, Alsicle shouted.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Huh? Why?"
"I said I'd help with magic-related things, not with menial tasks like making your damn iced water!"
"Isn't it the same thing?"
Professor Verdus was bewildered.
If he got hot and thirsty, his magic efficiency would drop—wasn't that obvious?
"What kind of mage would use magic for this crap?!"
"Wardanaz does it for me."
"......"
Even in his fury, Alsicle was so dumbfounded that he snapped back to his senses. 'Wardanaz, you bastard...!' To think such a skilled mage could be this pitiful.
It was truly a mysterious phenomenon.
Alsicle steeled himself. Now wasn't the time to lash out in anger.
While they were working upstairs (though he had no idea what they were doing), he had to stop Professor Verdus for the sake of the most pitiful mage in the Empire!
"...Fine. Here you go."
Alsicle filled the mug with ice, packing it tightly with hatred. Professor Verdus mumbled something and went back to his work. About an hour must have passed.
Alsicle, who had been keeping watch, gauged the time in his head. 'I might actually be able to keep this up longer than I thought.' At first, he hadn't been confident about persuading him, but upon reflection, Professor Verdus didn't like moving around in the first place.
As long as he kept getting ice, he was content to stay put.
"Ah."
"!"
But that thought vanished like a bubble the moment Professor Verdus got up from his seat. Alsicle felt his heart sink.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"I need to go to the second floor for a bit."
"Why??"
Alsicle wondered if Professor Verdus had finally noticed something was off.
Had he realized where the missing people had gone?
"I need some Velgarung pigment for a reagent."
There were several paintings hanging on the second floor, originally put up by the homeowner.
If he scraped some off, he could probably get enough reagent for now.
Of course, the original homeowner—the anonymous skeletal archmage—would find this displeasing, but that was none of Professor Verdus's concern.
"Wait! Wait!"
"??"
"...Is that pigment absolutely necessary?"
"It is. Why?"
'Damn it. Why am I so bad with words?!' Alsicle reflected bitterly.
Having relied solely on his cute appearance his entire life, he found himself woefully lacking in persuasive tactics when that no longer worked.
If it had been Wardanaz, that bastard would have talked Professor Verdus into jumping into the fireplace with just a few words!
Professor Verdus, standing before the stairs, hesitated. Professor Voladi was blocking his path.
"I need to go to the second floor..."
Professor Voladi slowly shook his head. Though he made no threatening gestures or words, the message was crystal clear.
Professor Verdus obediently turned around and returned to his seat. Unable to hold back, Alsicle asked,
"You don't need the pigment anymore?"
"Mmm. I think I can make do without it."
"......"
Alsicle pondered briefly...
'Once this is over, maybe I should train as a combat mage too?'
The two mages on the second floor were displaying a level of concentration that even surprised themselves.
The thought that they were helping not Professor Verdus but his disciple made their hearts light and their motivation surge in ways they hadn't expected.
"Thank you so much. Here, have some water."
Lee Han handed a tin cup to the orc mage, Abalkarn, who was Avalkaigen's disciple.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much Lee Han could contribute to the sailboat modification project.
The spells the two mages had prepared were already at a completed level, and the process of integrating them into the sailboat was something that would only be hindered by outside interference.
As a result, Lee Han had no choice but to watch as Abalkarn and his mentor worked tirelessly, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads.
'If only I had a strong will like Senior Yukveltire.'
Surprisingly, Yukveltire hadn't batted an eye. She carried herself with an unshakable confidence, as if questioning why anyone would even think to interfere with another mage's spell integration.
Come to think of it, it wasn't so much a strong will as it was sheer audacity. Lee Han reconsidered and decided he shouldn't emulate that after all.
"Thank you... Was there an ice artifact up here on the second floor?"
Abalkarn was puzzled by the icy-cold water.
Aside from the decorative paintings hung on the walls, there was nothing else of note on this floor—so where had this water come from?
"I made it with magic."
"...?!"
Abalkarn was stunned by such an unbelievable waste of mana.
This wasn't some third-rate mage wandering the streets—this was a mage from Einrogard, far more accomplished than himself! What kind of wastefulness was this?
"But... why...?"
Stammering, he tried to ask for an explanation, but Lee Han beat him to it with his own question.
"More importantly, what was the spell you two were planning to ask Professor Verdus for help with?"
"Ah, we were going to request the casting of <Vible's Sorrow>."
Though Avalkaigen was an exceptional expert in ancient artifacts, he couldn't possibly cast every spell himself.
He had intended to use Professor Verdus's esoteric magic—Vible's Sorrow, a reinterpretation of Bakwantalana's Sorrow—to repair the damaged artifact.
"Is that spell impossible to replicate?"
"More or less. It's not just a simple casting—from what I understand, Professor Verdus has to deploy a Small World just to execute it..."
No wonder it was considered high difficulty.
The fact that Professor Verdus had to cast it while maintaining a Small World was astonishing.
Lee Han fell deep in thought.
"Could you show me the damaged artifact for a moment?"
"That's not a problem, but..."
Handing it over, Abalkarn was still puzzled.
Was he planning to go downstairs and ask Professor Verdus for help after all?
It seemed utterly impossible, but given that this was Professor Verdus's disciple, who knew?
Instead of heading downstairs, however, Lee Han opened the door to the guest room and stepped inside.
Just as the orc mage's confusion was about to reach its bursting point, Lee Han emerged again, opening the door.
"I cast it and brought it out. Could you take a look and see if this is acceptable?"
Thud!
Abalkarn's legs gave out from under him, and he collapsed to the floor in shock.