Episode 1089
Episode 1089
Moreover, the members of the Watcher Club were inherently suspicious, so even impersonating someone to approach them wouldn't yield much benefit.
Take Lee Han, for example—if he received a message like, 'Hey, I'm Bakwantalana. Can you lend me a hundred gold coins?', he'd block the sender immediately.
"Impersonation aside, could you at least tell me what kind of artifact they're using?"
Even if it wasn't useful right now, it might serve as a clue to track down other members later.
Lee Han diligently noted down every piece of information the Young Prince provided.
'Bakwantalana uses a mirror artifact to access the club. Bulgasari... a room? The entire room is an artifact? Did Einrogard even have a place like that?'
As he wrote, Lee Han found it fascinating.
Bakwantalana using a mirror artifact wasn't particularly surprising. After all, Lee Han himself had used a similar artifact when he first entered the Watcher Club.
Mirrors, with their conceptual and mystical nature, were excellent magical tools for channeling mana. They were a fitting choice for the Watcher Club's artifacts, which required a steady supply of mana.
But Bulgasari using an entire room as an artifact was intriguing.
The magic itself wouldn't be too difficult—just drawing and circulating mana throughout the room—but realistically, pulling that off in Einrogard wasn't easy.
To enter the Watcher Club, one needed a stable and reliable method. Could such a room even be secured in Einrogard?
'Did they modify a private room? No, that would be too inconvenient to live in. Maybe there's a good spot I don't know about.'
As Lee Han pondered, a new message arrived—a private one from Bakwantalana.
Bakwantalana:Right now, some lunatic intruder is wrecking the Watcher Club.
"......"
Lee Han froze.
Though the shared space of the Watcher Club had been taken over, private communications were still active.
Beaver-Penguin-Fox:What the hell is going on?!
Bulgasari:Could it be the Headmaster?!
Not just Bakwantalana, but other members Lee Han had built some rapport with were also sending private messages.
Lee Han first replied to the Senior whose identity he knew.
Beaver-Penguin-Fox:Right. Can you ask Bakwantalana when and how this will be resolved? I need to find someone for a smuggling plan before the semester starts.
Gonadaltes:Why don't you ask him yourself?
The Young Prince stared at Lee Han with sparkling eyes.
How could someone have such a moving alias?
Beaver-Penguin-Fox:We got into an argument last time, and I blocked him.
Gonadaltes:...
I'll pass it along.
Lee Han relayed the message, and Bakwantalana responded.
Bakwantalana:I'll hurry, but it'll probably take about a week. Tell Beaver-Penguin-Fox to stay alert—no telling what the intruder might do.
Gonadaltes:Just talk to him directly.
Bakwantalana:We blocked each other—it's impossible. Do you have any guesses about the intruder's identity?
Gonadaltes:No idea. Maybe it's the work of Baldrogard's spies.
Bakwantalana:Hmm. That's possible. Especially since we recently had an outsider among our members.
'Sigh.'
Lee Han exhaled deeply.
Hiding one's identity in the Watcher Club was harder than expected.
-Now, disciple. Shall we depart?
"Understood. By the way, where is the outer robe stored?"
-In the basement beneath an abandoned ruin no one cares about. Since I frequently travel across the continent, I've set up hideouts like this in various places.
To roam the continent and endlessly battle evil, brute strength and magic alone weren't enough.
Steady and meticulous preparation was also essential.
-As I said, it's not something anyone can just take, so you can look forward to it quite a bit.
Lee Han's mood lifted at the Young Prince's bold declaration.
An ancient artifact obtained for free?
Perhaps this was what a real vacation felt like.
Following the Headmaster and professors around while suffering might have been the fake vacation...
"Huhu. Thank you, Master."
"......"
Arriving before an unfamiliar noble mansion in the western capital, Lee Han was at a loss for words.
Huh?
Wait.
Even the Young Prince was taken aback.
Originally, he had set up a hideout in the basement of a ruined swamp area where no one ever approached, but now the swamp had disappeared, replaced by a lavish noble mansion.
"...Hmm. Come to think of it, the capital must have expanded considerably in that time, so the swamp was probably reclaimed. Someone must have taken—"
The hideout hasn't been touched by anyone, Disciple.
"!"
At the Young Prince's words, Lee Han's eyes widened slightly.
It still hadn't been touched?
'Then does that mean it's still under the mansion? Well, they wouldn't have dug through every inch of the basement while building the mansion...'
As long as the basement space was secured, there was no need to dig deeper underground to search.
In that case, it made sense that the Prince's hideout might still remain.
Disciple. There's only one way.
"Indeed. Understood."
Lee Han nodded.
Though flaunting his status as a scion of a great noble house to engage in social activities wasn't his preference, in this situation, he had no choice.
As a member of the Wardanaz family, visiting another noble mansion to build connections...
I was going to suggest finding an empty house nearby and tunneling into its basement, but your method is good too!
"...Then we'd get arrested..."
Suddenly, the image of idiots who had been caught tunneling underground to rob a dwarven bank flashed through his mind.
He didn't want his name appearing in the Imperial Newspaper that way.
"Is anyone there?"
"What... I mean, what brings you here?"
The gatekeeper, initially responding dismissively, quickly straightened his posture upon seeing Lee Han's face.
He had assumed it was some random merchant, but it was clear at a glance that this person was no ordinary figure. Moreover, judging by his attire, he was likely a mage.
"I am Lee Han of the Wardanaz family. I've long admired your esteemed house, and if it's not too much trouble, might I visit briefly to exchange words..."
"P-please wait a moment!"
The gatekeeper hastily called for someone.
A direct descendant of the Wardanaz family was not someone he could handle carelessly. At the very least, the Head Butler needed to come.
'But why is he here in person?'
As he ran, the gatekeeper couldn't help but wonder.
The usual protocol for invitations or visits was as follows:
A servant would deliver a letter, and after several exchanges, they would meet at an external club or hunting ground, and only then would an invitation to the mansion or a visit be proposed...
Of course, some steps could be skipped. Sometimes, meeting at a club or hunting ground could be omitted.
But showing up like this without even a servant was truly unusual.
'Must be because it's the Wardanaz family.'
The gatekeeper rationalized it to himself. Mage families were known to be eccentric, and among them, the Wardanaz family was the most notorious.
While waiting, Lee Han surveyed his surroundings to identify which family this mansion belonged to.
This wasn't some Einrogard black market—they didn't hang the family name at the front gate. But for those with a discerning eye, there were clues to deduce the family's name.
The best way was to look for the family crest or banners decorating the mansion or garden.
"...?"
Lee Han tilted his head.
The family crest looked familiar...
'Huh? What is this? The Kraha family...?'
"What an honor this is!"
The head butler came rushing in a fluster.
Who would have thought a mage from the Wardanaz Family would visit like this?
There could only be one reason.
"To think a mage from the Wardanaz Family would come to visit Lady Irendi. What an honor."
'Who's Irendi?'
Lee Han quickly racked his brain.
First, she didn't seem to be an Einrogard mage, and she certainly wasn't a renowned established mage famous across the Empire.
Well, if she were, they wouldn't call it an honor just because Lee Han had come to visit.
'Then is she a young mage? Around my age? From another magic academy?'
As his thoughts reached that point, Lee Han suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
If she wasn't from Einrogard, what other magic academy would be attended by a noble family wealthy enough to own a mansion in the capital?
Ipelldrem: PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
'What the—'
Lee Han was startled by the sudden one-on-one message from a new member of the Watcher Club.
He hadn't expected to receive a message in the middle of this situation.
Gonadaltes: Sorry, but I don't have the bandwidth right now. Ask someone else.
Ipelldrem: Everyone else is busy and turned me down. Please, I'm begging you!
It seemed the other members were all on edge because of some unidentified intruder.
In such a situation, the Einrogard students weren't generous enough to indulge the whims of a Baldrogard student.
Gonadaltes: Sorr—
Ipelldrem: An Einrogard student just visited my mansion!
Gonadaltes: Pretend you're not home and shoo them away. They're probably just here to scam you out of money.
Ipelldrem: R-really... Gonadaltes, you're so rude! How can you insult an Einrogard student you've never even met?
'Hmph.'
Lee Han made a disinterested face.
What would someone who's never even been to Einrogard know!
Gonadaltes: I'm saying this for your sake. Most Einrogard students are wicked.
Ipelldrem: Even if I conceded that a hundred, no, ten thousand times, the one who visited today isn't like that. They're an upperclassman!
Gonadaltes: Being an upperclassman doesn't make them any different.
Lee Han considered warning him to be careful of upperclassmen from the Enchantment Magic school whose names started with 'Yu' and ended with 'Re.'
An innocent Baldrogard student could get completely fleeced if they weren't careful.
Ipelldrem: The visitor is from the Wardanaz Family. How should I respond to receive them properly without being rude? How do you treat guests at Einrogard?
Cough!
Lee Han choked on his own spit, coughing so hard that even the Young Prince grew concerned.
'...'
Damn it...!'
Only now did Lee Han understand why he'd felt that chill earlier.
This was a Baldrogard student's mansion!
And at the same time, the family crest finally clicked in his memory.
'The Kraha Family...!'
Which meant the person he was dealing with was a distant relative of Gainando and a student currently enrolled at Baldrogard.
Lee Han genuinely wanted to flee.
'Damn it. Maybe I should've said I was Gainando instead of the Wardanaz Family. No, that would've given me away even faster.'
Even if they were distant relatives, as part of the Kraha Family, they'd know what the imperial princes looked like.
If some black-haired guy showed up trying to pull a scam, they might've called the knights immediately...
Ipelldrem: Hello? Are you upset? I'll apologize. But Gonadaltes, your rude attitude—
The Young Prince, who had been watching, offered advice.
Disciple. This is a good opportunity.
"Do you have some wise counsel, perhaps?"
Amid his confusion, Lee Han brightened when his master's words appeared before his eyes.
An experienced prince like him should be able to handle such a tangled situation with wisdom.
If they seek your guidance, tell them to donate their mansion to you, Disciple. Given how thirsty they are for magic, it should work.
"...Do you have any slightly less extreme advice?"