Episode 1080
Episode 1080
Instead of making a clumsy excuse, Lee Han flashed a confident smile.
Of course, with his naturally fierce and intimidating expression, it didn't have much effect. Dirimpa thought to himself, 'How on earth did Senior Diret become friends with such a violent mage?' To be fair, Diret had always been skilled at summoning and contracting with savage undead monsters and demons.
But who knew that would apply to fellow mages too? 'Well, considering he's also close with that strange Princess, I guess he can get along with anyone.'
After stamping his presence at the gathering (which included Alsicle's request not to send him any letters since they weren't that close), Lee Han walked out with the Black Magic students.
The Count's nephew stared longingly at Lee Han—no, Stedal's retreating back, looking like he might die of regret. If not for the remaining gathering, he would have scurried after them in an instant.
"Senior. How long do I have to keep up this disguise? Should I drop it soon?"
"Now that we've come this far, we're seeing it through to the end."
"!?"
Diret was firm.
Given Coholti's personality, if he found out that "Stedal" was actually a junior, he'd likely spiral into self-loathing and collapse in shame.
"Diret. Could you ask Lord Nago when we might be able to meet again?"
Unaware of his friend's complicated feelings, Coholti made the request in a small voice.
From the looks of it, they seemed fairly close—if he got Diret's help, maybe he could become friends with that Stedal Nago too.
"No."
"I see. Truly befitting a mage who freely roams the Empire—you dislike making such commitments, don't you? Then could you at least pass along a way for me to receive a Paper Bird?"
"No."
"Ah, I understand. You must immerse yourself in quiet meditation, and receiving a Paper Bird would disrupt your focus. My thoughts were shallow."
"......"
Diret stared at his friend with a mix of contempt and shock.
Normally, this was the kind of guy who'd whine, "Aw, why not?!"—yet here he was, acting shy in front of a junior's disguise. 'If only he'd listened half as well back in school...'
Despite being rejected multiple times, Coholti couldn't tear his admiring gaze away from Stedal.
He wanted to be friends!
"Senior Coholti. Stop it already."
Dirimpa spoke with clear exasperation.
If he wanted to be friends, he should do it himself instead of constantly trying to use Senior Diret.
"Dirimpa. If you could just—"
"I only met him today too, you know? And if you keep this up, I might just take back the help I gave you earlier."
At that, Coholti shut his mouth.
He even started worrying—what if Stedal overheard their conversation?
"If you want to get close, just show off your skills when we capture demons at the mansion."
"Ah—ah, right. Wait, but even if I catch demons, if only the Einrogard Black Magic School can command them, it won't benefit me at all..."
"Then should you just leave, Mr. Coholti?"
"Stop calling me 'Mr.'! Fine, fine."
Coholti grumbled, realizing he'd spoken up for nothing.
Then again, considering how much help he'd gotten from his friends and juniors today, this much assistance was nothing.
If luck was on his side, he might even get a chance to properly showcase his skills in front of Stedal Nago.
"Now that I think about it, Senior, you don't have any second-years you're particularly fond of, do you?"
"None of the second-years are here."
Diret shrugged.
While the third and fourth-years had worked with Diret on various requests and research during break, he hadn't bothered calling the second-years.
There was no need to make the juniors miserable in advance—they'd have plenty of time for that soon enough.
"But isn't that kid at least at a fourth-year level?"
'Good point.'
Even the other Black Magic students listening from behind paused.
Dirimpa's words were more logical than expected.
"No matter how skilled you are, it's not good to disregard grade levels."
Stedal advised in a solemn voice.
Though an outsider, hearing the conversation of these renowned Einrogard students made him want to offer guidance.
"Indeed. Juniors also need time to spend with their peers in the same grade."
"You're absolutely right, Lord Nago."
The students of the Black Magic Department were thoroughly convinced. Coholti in particular nodded his head repeatedly, deeply impressed.
To think he'd give such thoughtful advice!
"......"
Diret stared intently at his junior. Lee Han subtly avoided his gaze.
"But..."
Despite the earlier answer, when Dirimpa spoke up again, Lee Han shot him a wary look.
What was he about to say?
"...Didn't he say he has to spend this vacation helping that weird person with magic? Then wouldn't he not have time to spend with friends anyway?"
"Yukveltire isn't that weird."
Diret defended his friend. Lee Han thought to himself, 'So it wasn't about the Skeleton Principal.' At first, he'd wondered if Senior Dirimpa knew about him assisting the Skeleton Principal, but it turned out to be about Yukveltire.
With so many odd people at Einrogard, it was hard to guess just from the term "weird person." 'More importantly, how did Senior Diret immediately realize it was Senior Yukveltire?' "Besides, I couldn't take Yukveltire this vacation. The Headmaster took her first."
"Hmm."
Lee Han wondered if he should say something.
In the end, Senior Yukveltire had indeed chased after them until the very last moment...
"Wait, the Headmaster took her?"
"......"
"Which is worse—spending vacation with that senior or spending it with the Headmaster?"
"That's... an incredibly difficult question."
The Black Magic students whispered among themselves.
Spending vacation with Senior Yukveltire versus spending it with the Skeleton Principal.
Both options seemed utterly terrifying.
"If the Headmaster took her, there's nothing we can do, but Senior Diret, you're being too lenient with that weird person."
"Exactly."
"I agree. Diret."
Not only the juniors but even Coholti joined in.
Save that affection you have for Yukveltire and use it on the Black Magic juniors instead!
"I thought so too— No, I mean, friendship is a personal choice. Hmm."
A fierce combat mage who'd been about to add his opinion quickly shut his mouth.
Diret was already preparing to stomp on his foot with the heel of his shoe.
"Anyway, I heard she's quite an impressive combat mage. It's a shame she's not here." 'Maybe she's actually a good person.' At Dirimpa's praise, Lee Han relaxed his guard slightly.
Since he spent most of his time underground and occasionally threw away gemstones, Lee Han had assumed he was a madman...
"That junior is indeed remarkable."
Coholti also praised him.
Given that Lee Han had helped Coholti back when he was a first-year, Coholti held this junior in high regard. 'Senior Coholti...' Lee Han felt a slight pang of emotion.
Though their connection wasn't long, the bond with a senior from the same department wasn't easily forgotten.
"At first, when I heard he was taking classes from every department, I thought he was insane? But he turned out to be kinder and more diligent than expected."
"So he's fairly normal?"
"No, he's definitely crazy! Otherwise, who would take classes from every department? Hahaha!"
Taking advantage of his junior's absence, Coholti boldly cracked a joke.
It never crossed his mind that the disguised junior might be right beside him. 'Hmph. I shouldn't have helped Coholti.'
* * *
Bulserak of the Gral Family was a fairly wealthy capital noble, and like many nobles, he had a hobby of collecting.
When such collecting hobbies grew too deep, they often teetered on the precarious line between legality and illegality.
It led to participation in secret auctions where stolen goods or items of dubious origin surfaced.
"My apologies, my deepest apologies!"
The well-groomed noble kept bowing his head in apology.
Having caused trouble by purchasing dangerous relics from an unauthorized auction, he clearly felt too ashamed to face the mages properly.
"I swear I'll never participate in such auctions again."
"Hmm."
"Well..."
The Black Magic students exchanged awkward glances.
Truth be told, Einrogard mages also participated in unauthorized secret auctions.
"A true mage's virtue is to obtain necessary artifacts, whether through legal or illegal means, if they appear."
"It'd be best if you refrain from participating in the future!"
"Exactly! Hahaha!"
The students quickly laughed it off.
Even their conscience made it difficult to prolong the conversation any further.
"Th-thank you for understanding. I was quite worried after hearing the rumors... The mages of Einrogard are far more lenient than I expected!"
Bulserak, who had braced himself for a hostile reaction due to the rumors about Einrogard mages, looked genuinely moved.
Who would have thought they'd be this kind?
"Hmph. It's just that the Black Magic Department is unusually lenient—"
Diret struck Stedal Nago's back from an unseen angle.
The junior, whose identity needed to remain hidden, had been acting conspicuously since earlier.
"We aren't overly strict with unintentional victims. Could you guide us inside?"
"Please, this way!"
Bulserak hastily nodded and personally led the group deeper into the mansion.
After the demon was summoned, he had sent all but a few trusted senior servants home, fearing rumors might spread.
"It's in better condition than I expected?"
"There's no trace of foreign mana either."
"Seems like it's not a particularly strong demon..."
The students couldn't hide their disappointment as they walked through the elegantly decorated corridor with its pristine white wallpaper.
If a demon were truly trapped inside, especially a powerful one, traces would inevitably be visible—signs of mana corruption or spatial distortions, for instance.
Diret called upon the mage among them with the most experience dealing with high-ranking demons.
"Do you sense anything unusual?"
"...I don't feel anything yet, but why are you asking me?"
Lee Han asked, bewildered.
With reliable upperclassmen and even a graduate present, why single him out?
"In terms of experience facing high-ranking demons, few mages can match you."
"That's absurd—"
Lee Han stopped mid-protest...
Was it, though?
Now that he thought about it, just counting Pride Duke and the Duke of Wrath, he had already encountered two high-ranking demons of duke rank.
And if he included other powerful demons...
"Plus, I trust your instincts. Yours are unmatched."
"Senior!"
"Don't call me 'senior' with that face."
Diret coldly drew the line.
It was unsettling to be called 'senior' by a battle mage who looked at least ten years older than him.
"I don't sense anything unusual. It's either weak or skilled at hiding its nature."
'It couldn't be hiding because of him, could it?' Diret wondered inwardly.
Demons were surprisingly quick to share information. Especially when it came to families like the Wardanaz, whose reputation was well-known among demons.
If the mansion's demon had sensed the Wardanaz bloodline and gone into hiding, extracting it would be troublesome.
"Let's begin the operation."
"Right."
Diret nodded at the juniors' words. Since there seemed to be no immediate danger, they would proceed as planned.
The black mages took out censers filled with ash, lit them, and began chanting incantations.
A smoke with powerful binding properties against demons spread throughout the mansion. What was unusual was that this smoke didn't just spread physically—it permeated other dimensions as well.
It flowed into mirrors, portraits, the fountain in the garden—every possible subspace.
Whoosh!
A dark figure flickered past inside a mirror. The demon hiding in the mansion had begun to move.
"If you surrender now, we'll reduce your sentence, demon!"
One of the students warned.
It was a rather sinister threat. Of course, demons didn't descend upon the continent with benevolent intentions either, so it was fair game...
Clank!
Dirimpa signaled. After sealing several portraits, they began herding the demon.
The demon's movement patterns grew increasingly simplistic. Once trapped inside the mansion, its fate was already sealed.
Without escaping before the mages arrived, it had no means to resist. 'It'll be caught soon,' Lee Han thought, quietly waiting to see what kind of demon it was.
Just then, the demon revealed itself in the mirror before Lee Han and cried out:
-Help me!
"...Is this a crazy demon?"