Episode 1149
Episode 1149
The reason Lee Han was awake in the middle of the night was simple.
While the giants could sleep soundly at night, a wizard who had accepted a commission couldn't do the same.
He had to check if there were any issues with the magic performed during the day, send progress reports to the Capital Stonemason Guild members, prepare food for the giants, placate the grumbling fifth-year senior who seemed to be devouring his years backward, verify that the quantity and quality of procured materials weren't lacking...
And then suddenly encountering a siren bubbling up from the water—even someone like Lee Han couldn't help but be startled.
"...What? What's the matter?"
-......
Siren Parthenope blinked.
Normally, she would have immediately sung to put her opponent to sleep and fled, but unfortunately, the wizard before her was a monster unaffected by a siren's song.
Having been bested several times before, Parthenope didn't dare take the gamble.
"Wait a minute. Your face looks familiar... Ah! Could you be the siren Parthenope I met last time?"
Lee Han was genuinely delighted to encounter a siren he knew for once.
Unlike other sirens, Parthenope had a connection with Lee Han.
Last year, when he had to secretly guide giants through underground passages, he needed the help of these sirens—and Parthenope had been the bridge between them at that time.
Since she had obliged his request, Lee Han considered himself somewhat close to this siren. At least as close as he was with the mountain giants.
...Of course, Parthenope herself didn't think so at all...
Vigorously shakes head!
Parthenope hurriedly shook her head side to side. Lee Han, puzzled, asked:
"You're not Parthenope?"
Nods.
"Oh... My apologies. It seems I've mistaken you again."
Apparently, distinguishing the facial features of unfamiliar species he rarely encountered required a bit more skill.
He had mistaken one siren for another before, and now he'd done it again. Lee Han felt embarrassed.
"What should I call you? Ah, if your name is difficult, I once tried to give Parthenope a human nickname—'Gainando'—so perhaps you'd prefer that instead..."
Frantically shakes head!
Parthenope shook her head wildly. She couldn't possibly accept that disgraceful name again—she had already refused it once before.
The siren hastily pulled out a stone tablet and wrote "Fenoterpa" on it.
"I see. Miss Fenoterpa. Could you perhaps call Parthenope for me? We're acquainted, so it'd be easier to talk."
-......
The tips of Parthenope's fins trembled slightly.
In her heart, she wanted to scream a song of rage and agony into his ears.
Who does he think he is?
But if she tried to settle things with a song, the siren would be at a disadvantage. Parthenope clenched her teeth and wrote on the tablet.
"Is that so... What a shame. But, Miss Fenoterpa."
-?
"What brings you here?"
-......
Parthenope nearly hiccupped in disbelief.
Lee Han pondered for a moment before asking tentatively:
"Did the lighthouse construction get too noisy...?"
Came to help.
"Ah! Is that really the case?"
Lee Han was surprised by the unexpected response.
Since sirens were closer to spirits, he had assumed they'd be angry about such construction—never had he imagined one would come to help.
"I thought you came because of the noise. Thank you for this. Did Parthenope recommend you?"
-......
Fenoterpa—no, Parthenope—felt like sinking to the bottom of the ocean forever.
How on earth had things turned out like this?
"Then I'll be in your care."
The siren nodded weakly.
-Off goes the knight, struck by an arrow and dead!
-Bashed by a mace, stabbed by a sword, dead!
As morning broke, the giants began their work while singing boisterously.
The sirens, who had been working since before dawn, pressed their hands to their ears in agony at the pig-slaughtering noises coming from above ground.
-♪♩!!!!!
-♩♩♪!!!!!!
'Hmm. I haven't learned the siren language yet, but I can tell that's swearing.'
Lee Han grew worried that the sirens might launch an attack in their fury.
Tears welling in their eyes, the sirens turned to look at Parthenope.
They could accept coming here to teach a lesson and ending up helping with the work instead.
Just as Parthenope feared that mage, so did they.
But this was too much.
Just look at those insulting melodies that trampled upon the pride of sirens!
-♪♩♩♩♪...
Finally unable to endure it any longer, the sirens launched a counterattack under Parthenope's direction.
As the sorrowful song unique to their race echoed around, students near the lighthouse startled and looked up.
"That's a siren! Why are sirens here?"
"Did they come angry to attack us?"
"...No, they're helping with the work? Look, they're pulling the ferry. Though right now they're doing a chorus with the giants..."
Had the sirens heard this called a "chorus," they might have strangled themselves on the spot.
To call this spectacle a chorus!
This was a sacred struggle to push back the giants' hideous singing.
-Hmph!
-Fishfolk! They're disrupting our song!
-Off goes the knight, struck by an arrow and dead...
-Bashed by a mace, stabbed by a sword, dead!
But surprisingly, the giants didn't back down easily.
Ever since an anonymous mage taught them songs last year, these giants had grown deeply interested in singing and practiced diligently ever since.
They sang while herding sheep, sang while moving stones, sang even when the Yaksha Elder came begging them to please let him sleep...
And now that chorus practice was shining here today.
Astonishingly, they succeeded in standing their ground against the musical prowess of the sirens, the race of song.
The Einrogard students quickly took action.
"Cover your ears!"
"Anyone who doesn't know hearing protection magic, come get some now!"
Neither the sirens' song nor the giants' singing held any benefit for the students.
If the former won, the students would fall into a half-hypnotized state; if the latter won, they'd grow to hate music forever.
"Stop! Stop!"
Seeing no sign of the musical competition between the two races ending, Lee Han swiftly stepped in to mediate.
"Both of you, please focus back on the work. We don't have time for this."
Parthenope wrote on the stone tablet that if they banned the giants' curses, she would do her absolute best to work.
"Curses? Ah. The singing."
-Curses, they say!
-Fishfolk are always like this! Always making noise by the water!
Naturally, the giants flew into a rage. Gathering their strength, they made their demands clear to Lee Han.
-We work with song!
-No song, no work! ...That doesn't mean no food, right?
Who would have thought the problem wouldn't be magic but this interracial conflict?
The Stonemason Guild had been right—in real fieldwork, wisdom beyond magic was always more important.
Rubbing his temples as if he had a headache, Lee Han made a new suggestion.
"How about working while listening to the sirens' song?"
-Ugh!
-......
Parthenope ground her teeth.
If only the water weren't about to overflow, she'd drown those lumps by the lakeshore!
"Hmm. Then how about I play some music for you?"
-Well... um. Can we request songs?
"No. And no singing along either."
-Aww.
The giants looked disappointed, but Lee Han remained as firm as an iron wall.
If they started singing along, the war between the two races would reignite in an instant.
Having persuaded one side, Lee Han turned back to the siren and asked,
"I promised to perform for you instead—that should be acceptable, right?"
-......
Parthenope stared at Lee Han with eyes full of suspicion and distrust.
Now that she thought about it, wasn't this the very same mage who had taught those giants that horrendous song last year?!
She couldn't bring herself to trust someone like that. Whether it was the giants singing or this human mage performing, there wouldn't be much difference if she had to endure terrible music while working.
As the sirens hesitated, Lee Han pulled out an ominous-looking violin. The sinister aura emanating from it only heightened their wariness.
What kind of instrument was that...?!
Sensing the sirens' gazes, Lee Han steeled himself.
'I can do this. My skills have improved a lot.'
Sure, the only music magic he could perform was stuff like Praise the Einrogard Freshmen or Escape to the Shadow Fortress, but considering the nature of music magic, that was still an impressive feat in itself.
More importantly, what mattered in music magic wasn't how many songs one could play—it was how well one could perform a single piece.
'I'll play with my whole heart!'
Just as he had gained inspiration for Escape to the Shadow Fortress after witnessing the duel between the Crazy Doppelganger and the Skeleton Principal.
With the sole determination to mediate between the sirens and the giants, Lee Han began to play.
It was truly a magnificent march.
Even the giants, who had been quietly trying to hum along, gaped in awe. The seniors, who had been covering their ears, subtly released their silencing spells.
But the most astonished were the sirens.
A mage who lived among those dim-witted giants—a mage with the same level of refinement and sensibility as those brutes—could play like this?!
It wasn't just the melody—the interwoven magical energy drew everyone in, infusing the work with vigor.
When the performance ended, the giants clapped excitedly. They were more than satisfied with such a performance.
Only after the music stopped did Parthenope snap out of her daze and, without thinking, blurted out:
Whatthehellwasthatsong???
"That was the song the giants were singing earlier."
-......
The sirens bit their tongues in shame at the realization that they had been moved by such a song.
The stonemasons from the Capital Stonemason Guild who visited Einrogard this time were responsible individuals.
Naturally, they were quite concerned about this commission.
Working within Einrogard itself was already challenging enough, but to boldly promise to finish the job even faster...
They restrained themselves from unnecessary interference, offering only advice, but their worries were inevitable.
"Shouldn't we go check on them?"
"We can't do that. What if they misunderstand and think we don't trust the mages?"
While giving mages too much freedom wasn't ideal, excessive meddling was also impolite.
Either don't entrust them with the task at all, or trust them once you do.
"Ah, a letter arrived. It says they've gathered the students as planned."
"That's a relief! If they've gathered as many Einrogard mages as they wanted, that's half the battle won."
And then, some time later.
Another letter arrived.
"What does it say? They must've started construction by now. Given the timeline, they should've begun immediately."
"...It says they used dragon power to clear the site and giant labor to start construction."
"???"
Mages often wrote in codes or metaphors, reserving their knowledge only for those who understood.
Could this be one of those cases?
"Well... I suppose we'll find out when we see the results."
And then, some time after that.
Yet another letter arrived.
"Give it here! I'll read it this time. Hmm. 'The sirens are helping, so the timeline might be shortened. There was a conflict with the giants, but I mediated it with a performance...'"
"Are you messing with me right now?"
"Here, you read it!"
The guild member, who had thought his colleague was joking, snatched the letter and read it aloud.
Then, he spoke.
"...Let's go see for ourselves."
All the guild members nodded in agreement.
Forget tradition—this was something they couldn't possibly endure without seeing with their own eyes.