Episode 1093
Episode 1093
Gonadaltes: How Did You Know?
"......"
Ilendil thought to himself, 'Is this guy insane?'
How many idle dragons would come to the Empire just to sightsee at Einrogard?!
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "Just... a hunch..."
Gonadaltes: "Ah. As expected of my senior. Truly admirable."
'There are few compliments in this world that feel this unpleasurable.' Even though it was praise from a junior, Ilendil's expression remained awkward.
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "So, in reality, they're coming to see you?"
Gonadaltes: "What kind of baseless slander is this? Of course, I am a Dragon Contractor. However, His Highness Jowurin is visiting to admire the scenic spots of Einrogard. You must not misunderstand this point."
Lee Han strongly denied it.
If he got tangled up in this wrongly, all the dragons' visits could be blamed on him.
His Highness Uman's visit was because of the Skeleton Principal, and while His Highness Jowurin's visit might have had a tiny bit to do with him, strictly speaking, the responsibility should be shared by all of Einrogard.
After all, they were coming because Einrogard looked fun.
'I bear absolutely no fault in this matter. I'm an innocent victim.'
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "Contract?"
'Oh no.'
Lee Han realized his mistake.
Lately, with faculty members popping up around him so often, he had forgotten—the fact that Lee Han had been acknowledged by a dragon and even formed a contract was a much bigger secret than he'd thought.
Only a few officials and family heads knew about it...
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "You were chosen by a dragon?!"
Gonadaltes: "If this fact leaks out, I will write down every alias you've ever used and every word you've spoken under those aliases on every bulletin board in Einrogard."
"......"
Though his junior couldn't see it, Ilendil's face turned pale.
Aren't you going too far?!
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "B-but... you're the one who said it..."
Gonadaltes: "Hmph. Keep your mouth shut."
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "I won't say anything. I really won't..."
Gonadaltes: "More importantly, will the school change a lot when the Dragon Inspector arrives?"
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "Probably."
As a fourth-year, Ilendil had seen an inspector visit a few years ago.
Of course, that inspector wasn't a dragon but just an ordinary imperial bureaucrat elf—but even that had been enough to shake up the school.
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "Yeah. There was a time when all the students who'd been caught escaping and sent to the Punishment Room were released. After seeing that, everyone tried to escape."
Gonadaltes: "Oh."
Lee Han's eyes sparkled.
What excellent advice!
Beaver
-Penguin
-Fox: "And then, after the inspector left, they were all dragged back to the Punishment Room..."
Gonadaltes: "......"
'Not very helpful.'
"Are you there?"
The Head Butler called for Lee Han from outside.
Though he had been resting alone in the parlor under the pretense of recovery, the butler had grown worried and came to check on him.
"Should I call for someone?"
"Ah, no. I've fully recovered."
Lee Han closed the book and stood up.
Truthfully, he hadn't even needed to recover.
The Young Prince had handled all the difficult tasks, and the only real exertion had been the mana consumption during the brief battles.
'Should I have pretended to be more exhausted?'
He could have left earlier, but he had waited out of courtesy—to receive a proper thank-you gift.
Noble etiquette was like a set of rules, often dictating how one should behave in specific situations.
In cases like this, where a guest had received help while visiting an estate, it was customary to offer a proper token of gratitude.
Simply sending him off without one would have been perfect gossip fodder for labeling him as ill-mannered.
The problem was that Lee Han didn't really want to receive anything.
He had already come to someone else's estate and dug up an Ancient Artifact—receiving a gift on top of that would have pricked his conscience, even for an Einrogard student.
'Getting a reward for something that wasn't even hard feels a bit...'
Lee Han glanced around.
He wondered if there was anything magical he could teach them in return.
'Tch. I should've studied harder in the past.'
If he were truly an upperclassman, he could've smoothly imparted some profound magical knowledge!
"Thank you so much for today. Please accept this as our gratitude!"
Irendi held out a carefully preserved scroll from a wooden case. Seeing it, Lee Han felt slightly relieved.
'If it's a magic scroll, it shouldn't be too expensive.'
Of course, magic scrolls could be as expensive as one wanted, but judging by the paper, it was Birch Paper—
It was white flower paper—the kind that couldn't possibly contain any powerful magic.
As Lee Han carefully examined the tightly rolled scroll, he suddenly noticed something odd.
'What's this? I can't sense any mana?'
Even if a magic scroll was exceptionally well-sealed, there should still be a faint trace of mana detectable.
Yet, the scroll he had just been given as a gift emitted no magical energy whatsoever.
Could it be a magic scroll so masterfully crafted that it could deceive even Lee Han's senses?
"What kind of magic scroll is this?"
"Huh? It's not a magic scroll."
"Haha. As expected of Lord Wardanaz. Your fascination with magic never ceases."
Irendi and the Head Butler began laughing. Naturally, Lee Han couldn't join in.
'Then what is it?'
"If it's not a magic scroll, what is it?"
Instead of answering, the Head Butler unfurled the scroll himself...
To the owner of this deed, the ownership of the Oak Ranch in the city of Illeinas, western Empire...
"???"
Lee Han froze as if struck by a petrification curse.
Then, belatedly, he stammered out a question.
"Was this... a land deed?!"
"To be precise, it's a document certifying the rights to the ranch and the surrounding land. It's one of the recently purchased documents, and we thought it would make a fine gift for Lord Wardanaz..."
The Head Butler explained with a smile.
Even he had to admit—Irendi's choice of gift was exceptionally tasteful.
It wasn't excessively extravagant, nor did it come off as crassly materialistic. Moreover, the symbolism of a beautiful ranch carried its own charm.
Had it been a deed for a mine or a workshop, it might have seemed a bit greedy.
Thud!
Lee Han staggered and bumped into a nearby chair. The two were startled.
"Are you alright?!"
"I-I'm fine. Just... lingering aftereffects from the earlier battle."
"Still...! We should call for someone!"
"No. Really. Truly. I'm fine."
Meanwhile, the Skeleton Principal, who had been holding a meeting while occupying his student's mansion without permission, spotted his disciple returning from outside.
Huu...
"?"
Haa...
"???"
The usually unshakable student, who never flinched even when Professor Verdus tormented him, was now staring at the ground and sighing deeply every three seconds.
The Skeleton Principal called for Professor Garcia.
"Professor Garcia."
"Ah. Yes?"
Professor Garcia quickly halted the summon she had been remotely controlling and looked up. She had been manipulating an artifact using a summon stationed in Einrogard's private quarters.
"Do you see Wardanaz?"
"Yes. He's sighing every three seconds."
"Why do you think he's like that?"
"Doesn't everyone get depressed when a new semester starts?"
"That kid's the exception. He'd be happy just to have the chance to learn magic again."
"Even so... Hmm. You might be right, Headmaster."
Professor Garcia hesitated mid-rebuttal.
Given how much she herself enjoyed the start of term, it was possible her student did too.
"Could it be because of the new inspector?"
"Clever lad. He already knows outsiders shouldn't be entering Einrogard."
The Skeleton Principal nodded in satisfaction.
Some foolish second-years at the villa were harboring strange expectations about the inspector, but that was a grave misconception.
"Perhaps it's the pressure of His Highness Jowurin's visit."
"...Let's not mention that to His Highness."
The Skeleton Principal spoke seriously.
While Uman could handle a bruised ego, Jowurin was still young.
Hearing such a thing might make him burst into tears.
"Just in case, go ask him, Professor Garcia. If it's because of His Highness Jowurin, tell him to put on a cheerful face."
'Is it really that easy...?'
Professor Garcia tilted her head as she stood up.
Separate from the Skeleton Principal's orders, she was genuinely curious. Why was her student sighing so deeply?
So...
Yes. I really regret...
No, no. Lee Han, you did well...
After exchanging a few words with the student, Professor Garcia nodded and returned. The Skeleton Principal asked eagerly.
"Well? What was the reason?"
"A generous noble gifted him a land deed, but he felt too burdened and tried to refuse it."
"That idiot! What in the world did they teach you at Einrogard?"
The Skeleton Principal scolded sharply, as if utterly disappointed.
Of all students, he never expected Wardanaz to make such a foolish mistake. It was simply unbelievable.
"Actually, Lee Han mentioned he regrets not accepting the land even if it was near Baldrogard."
"Let me retract my previous statement. The boy does have spirit after all. There's no reason to accept such land."
"...You're not actually worried Lee Han might transfer to Baldrogard, are you?"
"Don't be absurd, Professor Garcia."
"I thought so."
Professor Garcia felt slightly relieved. It must have been her imagination after all. 'There's absolutely no reason for Lee Han to go to Baldrogard.' "Though I am a little concerned he might run away and hide."
"......"
While Professor Garcia stood bewildered, the Skeleton Principal called Lee Han over.
Lee Han, who had been sighing heavily, approached with a gloomy and depressed aura surrounding him.
"What is it, sir..."
"Cheer up. If you want it that badly, you can just take it by force later."
"Yes..."
The student's condition was worse than expected.
The Skeleton Principal considered whether a good smack might snap him back to normal as he continued.
"The new semester is about to begin, and I have a task for you."
"?"
Lee Han lifted his head and stared at the Skeleton Principal.
A task right before the new semester?
"Am I going to be late returning to school again?"
"Late? People might misunderstand if they hear that. Come out."
At the Skeleton Principal's command, an adventurer cautiously stepped forward.
Lee Han recognized him—Ibinta, the bandit leader who operated an underground fortress not far from the capital.
"You know him, right? Ibinta the Tin Pot."
"U-uh... Iron Cloak..."
"What?"
"Never mind. Tin Pot it is..."
Though normally a fierce and intimidating bandit leader, before an ancient archmage, Ibinta was nothing more than a mouse before a tiger.
Unable to even correct his own nickname, Ibinta quietly shut his mouth.
"Yes, I remember him, but why is he here...?"
"You'll be using him as your henchman this semester."
"???"
The Skeleton Principal's words seemed to skip several steps, leaving Lee Han even more confused.
Use him as a henchman?
"You mean kill him and summon him as an undead?"
"......"
"...Did you skip your Magical Ethics lectures? I thought you attended. Anyway, that's not it. I'm not telling you to keep him as a servant inside the school. This is for when you're outside."
Ignoring the trembling Ibinta, the Skeleton Principal continued his explanation.
Without a doubt, this student would frequently leave for missions during the second semester.
"It's not confirmed yet. I might just take missions within the school..."
"Quiet. Don't spout nonsense."
The Skeleton Principal dismissed him outright.
Even among Einrogard's standout students, by third year, they'd receive direct requests—but the boy from the Wardanaz family was in a league of his own.
Judging by the letters the Skeleton Principal had received so far, there was no way he'd stay confined to the school.
"You remember those Evil God Worshippers tangled up with Professor Voladi, don't you?"
"Yes."
"They promised not to act recklessly, but I don't fully trust them. Keep a close eye on them."
"You could afford to trust the professor a bit more..."
"I do trust him. If I didn't, I'd have locked him in the Punishment Room."
His words carried not an ounce of actual trust as the Skeleton Principal pointed at Tin Pot—no, Iron Cloak Ibinta.
"This one knows quite a bit about bandits and mercenaries and has wide connections. He might notice suspicious figures before you do, and you can dump petty tasks on him too. If you suspect Evil God Worshippers, contact me immediately."
He was essentially assigning him as a combination servant and Watcher.
Lee Han, still puzzled, asked:
"But Headmaster. Unless it's the capital, missions will take me all over the Empire. Isn't the chance of encountering those Evil God Worshippers too slim? Are you expecting them to approach Professor Bagrak again?"
"Hard to say."
"?"
Lee Han was baffled by the Skeleton Principal's answer.
Then why all these precautions?
"Who knows? I just have a feeling you'll run into them somehow. You've always had a knack for attracting misfortune in these matters."
"......"