Episode 1147
Episode 1147
"Architecture?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, never mind."
Catten cleared his throat awkwardly.
People like Yukveltire or the Skeleton Principal often scolded Catten, saying he didn't even know what embarrassment was, but contrary to their assumptions, Catten was actually more polite and self-aware than one might think.
Except when it came to learning magic.
This was one of those moments.
As a senior, he couldn't just outright pressure a junior into joining a request.
"But evil god worshippers, you say... Hmm. I understand, junior."
Catten deliberately nodded.
The fanatical followers of the Prahgal Cult had long clashed with the junior from the Wardanaz family.
Given how many times such conflicts had occurred, it wouldn't be strange if they considered each other natural enemies.
"Those corrupted Prahgal fanatics must have threatened and provoked you, junior. We should burn every last one of those blasphemous, excessive bastards to ashes!"
"Ah, it's not Prahgal."
Catten, who had been passionately ranting, paused again.
"...It's not? Ah, then... Ksaxarigol, perhaps?"
"It's not Ksaxarigol either..."
Lee Han, who was explaining, felt puzzled.
How did this senior know he had recently clashed with Ksaxarigol?
"Please keep this confidential."
"It's not like I have anyone to tell anyway."
"...It's the Sanguiros Cult. An old cult that was wiped out, but they've been regaining power lately."
Lee Han explained what had happened as well.
He had gone on an external request, but due to an ambush by these vile individuals, Professor Voladi had gone missing...
"Professor Bagrak was kidnapped?!"
Catten was horrified.
So shocked that his hair practically stood on end.
A professor of Einrogard, kidnapped? This wasn't something to take lightly.
It was a direct challenge to the authority guaranteed by the Empire's name.
They should mobilize the Imperial Army immediately—
"Ah, no, he wasn't kidnapped."
"???"
"The professor got angry and went missing while attacking the cultists."
"......"
Catten had the strongest mental fortitude among the fifth-year students. Given the vastly different paths he and the others had walked, this was only natural.
That's why, even after hearing such a statement, Catten didn't scream or act bewildered—he calmly processed it.
"Mm... That... makes sense. That... could happen."
Though he wasn't entirely convinced, Catten nodded anyway.
Could this really be called a "missing" situation?
"I was really shocked to hear Professor Bagrak went missing."
"Wait, you didn't know the professor had disappeared?"
Catten nodded again. Lee Han muttered in disbelief.
"Aha. Senior Catten, you didn't know because you had no one to talk to."
"......"
Catten bristled slightly.
Sure, compared to other students, Catten had a narrower social circle, but he still kept up with all the necessary rumors and information.
The reason he hadn't heard about Professor Bagrak's disappearance was simply because the professor had few students—not because Catten had no friends.
"Anyway, I want to strike these vile creatures preemptively and wipe them out. Wouldn't that ultimately help the professor too?"
"I doubt Professor Bagrak needs that kind of help... but I understand your intent."
Catten let go of his irritation. The junior's sincerity had reached even this fifth-year senior.
Besides, cutting down evil god worshippers was a great opportunity for self-improvement. Where else could one find such an experience?
"If you need my help, just say the word. I'll join."
"Thank you, senior!"
Lee Han was delighted by Catten's immediate agreement.
Of course, he knew this fifth-year senior was more warlike than expected and never refused a chance to fight—but gratitude was gratitude.
Having such a monstrously powerful senior would be an immense help when fighting the Evil God Worshippers.
"Ahem. Ahem."
After accepting, Catten cleared his throat awkwardly again, looking slightly embarrassed. He then shot Lee Han another meaningful glance.
'Heh.'
Lee Han immediately understood what it meant. Nothing in this world came without a price.
"Please accept this."
Inside the wooden box he'd brought were magic books that Lee Han had personally annotated with additional explanations and interpretations.
Written in a far more accessible manner than the original texts, they would be of great help to Catten, who had a deep interest in magic.
Indeed, Catten was so delighted he nearly leaped from his seat.
"Junior... You made these despite your tight schedule? I'm truly grateful!"
"It's nothing. Feel free to ask me anytime."
Overjoyed, Catten thanked him repeatedly and personally escorted his junior out.
Only after the junior had disappeared into the distance did Catten realize something.
'Ah!'
The construction request...!
"Pfft. Even the Steel Shoe? How amusing."
Falkrius was genuinely surprised to see a fellow fifth-year student he hadn't met in ages.
It wasn't just Falkrius—other juniors were equally astonished. Some eyed Zarun with suspicion.
"Is that guy really an Einrogard student? I've never seen him before."
"He is... He's usually underground. He's somewhat famous among students who explore the underground areas."
"He's not a Baldrogard spy, is he?"
"......"
Zarun glared at them with a sour expression. The juniors who met his gaze quickly looked away.
"Hmph!"
"Steel Shoe, no need to be like that after coming up for once. Have some soup at least."
"More of your tricks! You're just trying to steal a dwarf's blood and sweat again!"
Zarun jumped up as if having a fit.
Having been duped by the Kitchen Club's food sales multiple times before, he was extra wary.
There had been incidents like this in the past:
-"Steel Shoe! Steel Shoe! Oh no, you've collapsed from exhaustion. Here, drink this. The meat broth will restore your energy."
-"Ugh... What happened?"
-"You must've fainted from hunger. Here. One gold coin."
-"...What?! I-I never bought anything!"
-"Pfft. You drank it, didn't you? And don't even think about refusing to pay. The Kitchen Club members have you surrounded."
-"...Thieving bastards! You vile lot!"
Even now, recalling that incident made him seethe with injustice. Zarun brandished his hammer threateningly to keep them at bay.
"Pfft. Steel Shoe, it's a misunderstanding. This soup is free. I swear on the name of someone I trust. Actually, the new inspector has been supplying us with ingredients."
"......"
At that, Zarun's expression softened slightly as he accepted the wooden bowl.
He was mildly surprised to see the thin soup with floating bits of vegetables and meat.
The new inspector must be unbelievably generous to give this away for free.
"Gahk!"
Zarun choked in shock after one sip.
How could soup taste this bitter?!
"Pfft. Feel the energy coursing through you? It's a tonic soup made from the inspector's secret recipe."
"You... You vile wretch! Deceiving me again...!"
"It's not deception—it's revitalization."
But Falkrius's persuasion was in vain. Zarun had already closed the doors of his heart again.
Muttering to himself in a corner, he refused to respond to anyone except with a disdainful "Hmph!"
"Western dwarves are so eccentric."
"Pfft. Don't say that. There are cheerful western dwarves and eccentric eastern dwarves too."
"Well, Professor Thunderstep is an eastern dwarf, right?"
"...I-I wasn't insulting Professor Thunderstep..."
While Falkrius floundered at the juniors' remarks, Lee Han made his appearance.
Nearby, Yukveltire, Anpagon, and other students from the Enchantment Magic faction had gathered.
"What an unusual group. Why are they all together like that?"
"They're from the same faction. The Enchantment Magic faction."
"What?! They're from the same faction?!"
"......"
Some students were genuinely shocked to learn that Lee Han's group belonged to the Enchantment Magic faction.
They had never seen them traveling together like this before.
As Lee Han walked over, he continued discussing something with Yukveltire, their expressions serious. A junior, noticing their grave demeanor, turned to Falkrius and asked,
"Senior, what are they talking about?"
"Pfft. It's probably not an easy request, so they must be deep in thought."
Completing a structure within Einrogard's territory and then sending it outside was never a simple task.
Even someone as capable as Wardanaz knew this, which was why he had clearly mobilized all the senior Enchantment Magic students for help.
Moreover, Wardanaz had publicly declared that he would complete this request within four days.
Considering not only his own schedule but also the schedules of the seniors, he must have judged that any longer would make coordination too difficult.
It was a bold decision, but that only meant the difficulty had skyrocketed.
The fact that they were still discussing so seriously now was likely to shave off even a little more time.
"That's why, Senior. If Diret Senior didn't come in person and just signed like this, it's invalid."
"Why won't you believe it when Diret himself wrote and signed it? Junior from the Wardanaz Family, you're being unreasonable right now."
"It's you who's being unreasonable, Senior. With a document like this, the context can be manipulated however you want."
The reason for their argument was simple.
Junior, I told you to stop what you're doing and take this request.
— Diret
Yukveltire had brought the blueprint for the structure along with this document. It was signed, of course, and even written with a feather from Diret's own wing to prevent easy forgery.
But Lee Han wasn't about to accept it so easily. A simple document like that could easily distort the situation.
"He probably said something like, 'If your junior refuses this request, what would you do if they were cursed to die?'"
Yukveltire, who hadn't trained much in verbal sparring, stood no chance against Lee Han in this kind of confrontation.
Overwhelmed by frustration and anger, Yukveltire made a choice she normally never would have.
He called in reinforcements.
"How can you spout such completely unreasonable nonsense... Anpagon! Sigunting!"
"Yes?"
"Come here and judge the validity of this matter for me!"
At the senior's lofty command, Anpagon and Sigunting responded coolly.
"Wardanaz is probably right. Stop bullying the junior."
"I'd say Wardanaz is correct."
"...You... such low-level trash...!"
Yukveltire regretted not bringing Diret along.
In a gathering of only low-level juniors, sometimes the truth becomes false.
Lee Han quickly snatched the blueprint before Yukveltire could storm off in anger.
Now that he had it, he didn't care whether the senior stayed or left.
"Oh. Seniors, look at this. They used Transmutation Magic to handle the corrosion on the lighthouse."
"Impressive. They transformed the surface into a thin layer of primitive artificial lifeforms. Wait. Doesn't that consume too much mana?"
Anpagon marveled at Yukveltire's idea but also voiced his doubts.
"They probably expect me to supply the mana for it."
"Indeed. But still, isn't the consumption too high? There's the rapid current mitigation spell, the ship guidance spell... Just how many are there?"
Anpagon and Sigunting were stunned by the senior's ruthless blueprint.
No matter how much mana the junior had, designing spells with the resolve to drain him dry without mercy was no easy feat.
"He's insane."
"Well, maybe not to that extent, but it's certainly bold."
At their remarks, Lee Han responded with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"That part was actually my idea."
"......"
"......"