Episode 1085
Episode 1085
"Let's just... get this over with."
Diret, having given up, changed the subject.
Now that the matter was resolved, it was time to deliver the good news to Bulserak, the owner of the mansion.
As the servant rushed to convey the news, Bulserak immediately came running out.
"Is it true?! The demon has been dealt with?!"
"Yes. You need not worry anymore."
"Truly, thank you—"
BANG!
Bulserak, who had been about to express his gratitude in his joy, forgetting even his dignity, was startled by the sudden violent opening of the mansion's front gate.
'Did we miss a demon?!'
But what entered wasn't a demon—it was Yukveltire, panting heavily.
"......"
"......"
Diret and Stedal Nago subtly averted their gazes. Yukveltire's fingertips trembled faintly.
"Wh-what's going on?"
Coholti, unable to grasp the situation, asked in confusion.
Why had Yukveltire come alone?
"Why has this mage come separately now?"
"She must have gotten lost. Don't mind it."
At Diret's words, the trembling in Yukveltire's fingertips intensified. Stedal Nago chimed in as well.
"The capital is crowded—it's easy to lose your way."
"I... should have assigned a guide for you. My apologies."
At this unexpected exchange, the students of the Black Magic Department began whispering among themselves.
"Senior Yukveltire got lost?"
"I didn't know that."
Seizing the moment while his friend was momentarily paralyzed in a state of rage, Diret acted swiftly.
If they didn't receive and distribute the reward now, he could already imagine how troublesome things would become later.
"Thank you for the reward. Here, I'll distribute it now."
"Huh? You could just deposit it all in the department vault. Honestly, the senior did most of the work..."
"What nonsense. Dirimpa. And without money, you can't do anything in the capital."
"It's not like I have anything to spend money on. I just practice magic in my room..."
"......"
"......"
Coholti and the other students gave him pitiful looks.
Unlike Dirimpa, their eyes said they needed the gold coins.
"...Fine, just take it quickly."
"Th-thank you!"
"No need for thanks. Here."
Bulserak watched the mages' conversation with a pleased expression.
Though this whole incident had happened because of his own mistake, seeing the Einrogard mages dividing the reward so warmly made his heart swell with satisfaction.
"I was worried because of the rumors about black mages... but the black mages of Einrogard are truly polite and diligent people!"
"...Wh-what are those people doing there?"
At the voice coming from behind, Bulserak turned his head.
Lafadell, a distant relative of the family and a young prodigy, was staring into the mansion with a horrified expression.
"Ah! Lafadell! You're here! It's nothing. Everything's been resolved."
"No... that's... why... are those people...?"
Lafadell stammered.
In truth, the fact that Lafadell belonged to the Black Magic Department wasn't widely known within the family.
Only close relatives knew, and since Lafadell had never explicitly stated his affiliation, the rest of the family had little idea which department he belonged to.
"Right, you're also from Einrogard, so you might have met these people before. Even if they're from a different department, you're from the same school!"
'That brat...'
'He never mentioned it.'
The seniors of the Black Magic Department looked at their junior with understanding eyes.
For someone from a family that cared deeply about appearances, admitting to being in the Black Magic Department could be a little embarrassing. The seniors understood that feeling all too well.
"Let's help him out. He's still our junior."
"We should back him up. By the way, what department did he say he was in?"
While the seniors whispered among themselves, Bulserak suddenly seemed to remember something and asked:
"Now that I think about it, Lafadell, which department did you say you were in?"
"That's..."
Lafadel blinked repeatedly at the unexpected question, his mind going blank from the sheer unexpectedness of the situation.
'Should I hide that I'm from the Black Magic faction? Would the seniors be upset? What happens if I reveal it? More importantly, why the hell is Wardanaz here in that disguise?'
Unable to stand it any longer, Coholti spoke up.
"The junior is from the Enchantment Magic faction."
The problem was that Coholti wasn't the only one who opened his mouth.
"Divination Magic faction."
"Transmutation Magic faction..."
Other seniors, wanting to help the junior, each suggested plausible faction names.
Thanks to that, the surroundings suddenly fell silent. It was an extremely awkward silence.
"......"
"......"
"W-wait. Can someone even study that many factions at once, Lafadell? Are you trying to go insane or something?!"
'That's way too harsh.' Lee Han bristled internally.
Lafadell looked at the seniors. Then he glanced at his disguised friend.
A determined glint flashed in Lafadell's eyes.
"...Actually, I'm from the Black Magic faction!"
"What?! You're studying all those factions?!"
"N-no... Just the Black Magic faction..."
Fortunately, Bulserak wasn't ashamed that a prodigy of his family was studying magic in the Black Magic faction.
In fact, he was so startled by the revelation that his direct junior was from such a prestigious background that he insisted on treating him properly.
"Wow. What a good person."
"Right. Gral."
"......"
Lafadell sat with his head deeply bowed, embarrassed for no reason. Lee Han tried to comfort him.
"Lift your head, Lafadell. You've got a good relative here."
"Why are you in that disguise, though...?"
"It's a long story."
"......"
Coholti, looking utterly confused, asked,
"We were trying to cover for you with respectable factions, so why did you insist on revealing you're from the Black Magic faction?"
"No, but why Enchantment Magic? If you'd said Divination Magic, even Gral would've accepted it."
"Transmutation Magic would've been better..."
"Enchantment Magic is superior. Just look at the income."
"But then you'd have Professor Verdus' reputation attached to you like a tag."
As the seniors began arguing over something utterly trivial, Lafadell hastily interjected.
"I've worked hard to learn what I have, and I didn't want to hide it."
"...!"
"This kid..."
The seniors' eyes softened slightly with emotion.
Just earlier, this same kid had been stomping around, declaring he'd come to dismantle Black Magic—who would've thought he'd show such affection for his faction?
Coholti couldn't understand and thought to himself, 'Why is our faction so tight-knit compared to others when we don't even have money?'
Even Stedal Nago was moved and placed a hand on Lafadell's shoulder.
"Magnificent. A true mage."
"...Please stop."
Lafadell, visibly displeased, brushed off the hand and asked,
"More importantly, why are you all here?"
"We came to deal with a demon summoning in the mansion. Got caught up here like this."
"?!"
Lafadell was stunned by the unexpected answer.
But the surprises had only just begun.
"Except the demon came with an angel, so we've been negotiating with the angel, and even Senior Yukveltire is here now..."
"?!!!"
"Lord Nago helped too."
"Mhm."
"......"
Lafadell gaped at his disguised classmate.
What the hell has this bastard been up to?!
"You negotiated with an angel?!"
"Ah. Come to think of it, the Gral family does have angel blood mixed in."
Lee Han belatedly recalled his friend's lineage.
Hadn't they said there was angel blood mixed into their ancestors?
"Lord Nago, you truly know everything!"
Coholti rubbed his palms together, fawning. Disgusted by the sight, Lafadell turned his head left and right, glancing between them.
What the hell is going on here?!
'Wardanaz...! What the hell are you doing, seriously...!'
But Lee Han—no, Stedal Nago's expression didn't change at all. His cold demeanor sent shivers down Lafadell's spine.
Is this level of composure what it takes to be the top of the year?!
"Do you have any advice about the angel?"
"Advice... Well..."
Lafadell suppressed the urge to shout, 'Stop pretending, you bastard!' and focused his thoughts instead.
What were those stories about angels that had been passed down in his family again?
"...Generally speaking, most celestials are rather single-minded."
"I see."
"Under normal circumstances, there's little reason to interact with them, but on rare occasions, contracts are made. One of my ancestors was such a case..."
Contracts with spirits, angels, or demons left significant and minor traces upon one's soul.
Depending on the depth of those traces, certain traits manifested in descendants.
"In that regard, I'd say the most crucial factor is the first impression."
"First impression?"
"As I mentioned, celestials are stubborn. If you wish to form a contract, you must properly persuade them during the first meeting. Otherwise, it'll be quite difficult..."
"...What about the opposite scenario?"
At Stedal Nago's question, Lafadell hesitated.
He couldn't quite grasp what the other meant.
"Opposite, you say?"
"That is, what if you don't want to form a contract?"
"You'd have to make it absolutely clear from the first meeting that you have no interest in the angel's purpose...?"
"And if that fails, what should you do when you meet them again?"
"...If that fails, isn't it just over? I'd imagine the angel would keep pursuing you until you form a contract."
"......"
Not getting the answer he wanted, Lee Han's expression darkened.
'This guy. Doesn't know a damn thing.'
It seemed his inner thoughts had been transmitted to Lafadell as well. Lafadell protested indignantly.
"Wait, even with spirits, if a contract fails once, it's practically impossible to attempt another with the same spirit. Why would you expect angels to be any different—"
"Hey now! Lafadell! Such rudeness!"
When Coholti deliberately scolded him, Lafadell nearly lost his mind.
This damn graduate, seriously!
Unable to stand it any longer, Diret stepped in to mediate.
"Enough, all of you. More importantly, why are you here?"
"Ah. I came to prepare the things I'll be bringing in for the new semester. I was told I could take some unused magical items..."
"Bringing things in? How do you plan to do that?"
The seniors looked puzzled. Unless they were fifth-years, no one could confidently talk about bringing items into the new semester like that.
At any moment, they could get caught smuggling and lose everything.
"Wardanaz agreed to bring them in for me."
At Lafadell's answer, the seniors fell silent.
And then they thought:
'These second-years are really insufferable!'
No matter how much they cherished their juniors from the same faction, seeing them live so happily thanks to a single friend stirred up an inexplicable jealousy within them.
Why didn't we have friends like that back then???
As the end of the break gradually came into view, the second-year students slowly began packing their belongings.
As always, no matter how much they prepared, the supplies they could bring into Einrogard never seemed enough. The list of 'I should've brought this!' items kept growing.
"??"
Eandurde and Alhidel couldn't understand the seniors' behavior.
Surely, external supplies were prohibited, so why were the seniors preparing so nonchalantly?
"Um, I have a question."
Spotting Gainando passing by, Alhidel spoke up.
Startled, Gainando shot them a wary look. He was worried this sharp first-year junior might ask a difficult magic question.
"Wh-what is it? Just so you know, I'm busy."
"Sorry. I'll keep it brief. Do you seniors have a way to bring these items inside?"
"Huh? Yeah. Lee Han agreed to bring them in. Apparently, there's a new smuggling method? He said there's plenty of space."
"Th-that's... astonishing. Is this a favor granted because we're from the same tower?"
"No? He does it for the other towers too."
"...Truly... shocking. I see... Is this a one-time thing? Are you paying a steep price?"
Alhidel kept probing, trying desperately to preserve the world inside his head.
But oblivious to his junior's desperation, Gainando answered honestly.
"He did it last time too? Smuggling's just free. Cooking costs money, but smuggling's whatever..."
"......"
"......"
Gainando failed to notice the envy and hatred burning in the two juniors' eyes.