Episode 1161
Episode 1161
Still feeling uneasy because of Saratan, Lee Han looked around at his friends.
"Aren't you guys even a little curious about what kind of magic this is?"
At Lee Han's question, Catten's ears perked up.
Though he'd stayed quiet to avoid interfering with his juniors' request as a senior, among all the students present, this fifth-year had the most burning passion for magic.
Whether he could learn it or not didn't matter—he just wanted to hear about any new magic.
"I'm a li—"
"Not at all."
"Not even slightly interested. Less than Gainando's mystery short stories."
"You should focus on learning it yourself. With all the difficult magic you're studying, adding one more wouldn't even be noticeable."
"......"
Catten, who'd been about to say he was somewhat interested, slumped his head dejectedly.
Giselle, watching from the side, felt inexplicably restless.
'These idiots... completely oblivious...!'
"The last one who spoke—come out."
"Tch. Thought I'd get away with it."
Batrek was pushed forward with a defeated expression.
He'd assumed they'd just move on given the flow, but Wardanaz was truly relentless.
After scolding his friend, Lee Han turned to lecture the other students.
Their complete lack of interest had provoked him.
"Even so, how can you not be curious about magic found in ancient ruins? Are you really Einrogard students?"
"Then tell us..."
"I can't tell you yet because I'm not certain."
"......"
The White Tiger Tower students cursed Lee Han with their eyes.
Isn't this going too far, seriously?
"Moradi, shouldn't we go up and call a professor now? Or maybe Lady Jiklin..."
"Stop with the nonsense. Even if my sister came down, she wouldn't take your side."
Giselle replied indifferently. Her cold response left her friends flustered.
"But we're from knight families... and several of us are even from the North?"
Most students from the Empire's knight families naturally had close ties with each other.
Especially compared to the Wardanaz family, which was a mage lineage.
"She won't take your side."
"But we've met Lady Jiklin before?"
"Yeah. She won't take your side."
"Is this because of that political alliance between the Moradi Family of the North and the Wardanaz Family you mentioned before?"
"How surprising. To think you'd make such a decision, knowing full well it would unite political opponents in the Empire's current three-faction system of Loyalists, Nobles, and Neutrals. Especially when the Western nobles would react particularly sensitively—they have such strong rivalry with the North."
"Moradi, don't worry. Even though some of us are from the West, as fellow Einrogard students, we support this political alliance. Trust your friends."
Giselle quietly lifted her scabbard.
And then she began beating her friends.
"Ow! Aah!"
Catten looked at his junior with newfound respect.
He'd wondered if she lacked the qualities of a true knight, given how polite she usually was, but seeing her now, he realized he'd been mistaken.
'That's how a real knight should be. Truly worthy of being Lady Jiklin's sister.'
Outside, Professor Garcia groaned in distress. Professor Kirmin looked at her sympathetically.
"Professor Kim. If you were going to be like this, why didn't you just go with them?"
"Someone tricked me into trusting and leaving it to my student. Must've been an illusion magic expert."
"...I'm sorry."
At Professor Kirmin's apology, Professor Garcia collected herself and shook her head.
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. We made the decision together."
The serious advice Professor Kirmin had given in Marheim had truly struck a chord with Professor Garcia.
-Wardanaz is already skilled enough to blend in seamlessly even with fourth-years, and he's proactive enough to take on evil god worshippers first. Rather than blindly protecting and sheltering him, it might be better to give him autonomy and wait for his growth.
Of course, right after hearing that advice, she'd tried to send him back to Einrogard, but as time passed, even someone as astute as Professor Garcia couldn't deny there was merit to it.
After all, hadn't Lee Han and his friends ultimately resolved the incident in Marheim?
That's why, for this ruin expedition, the two professors only assigned Catten to accompany them without further interference or supervision.
"If the students can resolve it among themselves, there's no reason for professors to accompany them."
Even if it was the same archaeological excavation achievement, the impression was entirely different between one led by a professor and one solved by students alone. The former was ordinary and expected, while the latter was astonishing and remarkable.
"If you're that concerned, I shall go down myself."
"......"
"......"
When Jiklin abruptly cut in, the two mages were so flabbergasted they couldn't even respond.
They were so stunned that even the Death Knights openly stared at her.
'They're trying to gain prestige by having students solve it themselves—what exactly do you plan to accomplish by going down there?'
If anyone other than Jiklin had said that, the Death Knights would've immediately grown suspicious.
Being former knights themselves, they knew all too well how knights could degrade when consumed by ambition.
Would she suddenly grow envious now that Einrogard mages were descending into the ruins? Was she trying to steal their credit?
Fortunately, the Death Knights knew exactly what kind of knight Jiklin was.
It was only natural—despite her youth, she had already earned a formidable reputation among the Empire's most renowned swordsmen.
Born with talent on par with Catten, one of the Death Knights' most esteemed sword prodigies, and possessing even more experience...
These exacting undead knights would have gladly welcomed her into their ranks if she ever chose to join them after death.
'She probably just wants to move alongside her younger sister.'
-If a knight like you interferes, what's left of the students' contribution?
"Ah. You're right. I hadn't considered that. ...Then what if I disguise myself as Giselle? Any credit I earn would become hers."
"......"
Professor Garcia gaped at her in disbelief. Her eyes already screamed, How can you even say that?
The Death Knights, unsurprised, exhaled deeply before responding.
-Then what becomes of Student Giselle's dignity? What of your pride as a knight?
"Indeed..."
Jiklin reflected deeply.
Her protective instincts as family had nearly wounded Giselle's pride.
"Then what if I disguise myself as Wardanaz?"
-Go over there and look for suspicious people instead.
The Death Knights ruthlessly shooed her away.
This knight was stubborn and obstinate—if left unchecked, she'd undoubtedly keep pestering them.
Only after Jiklin withdrew did the Death Knights finally sigh in relief.
-...Had the Successor heard that, it could've been dangerous.
-He would've agreed without hesitation.
Given that he wasn't from a knightly family and cared nothing for such schemes or deception, he likely would've approved readily.
Someone with that much pride wouldn't have even created a persona like "Stedal Nago" in the first place.
"......"
Ibinta muttered to himself that he hadn't heard a thing, shaking his head vigorously.
"Phew. Everyone's worked hard."
Garko greeted them while regenerating his half-severed arm with a magic scroll.
Though his arm healed quickly, his appearance remained disheveled. His hat and cloak had vanished somewhere, and half his beard was singed—proof of how fierce the battle had been.
"W-what in the world was that thing?"
The Watcher of the ruins was a Chimera unlike anything even seasoned adventurers had seen before.
It resembled the monster Bokabat but was nothing like it—aside from its six legs and weaponized elongated tail, they shared no similarities.
The most terrifying aspect was the malevolent ultrasonic curses it shrieked upon opening its maw. Unblocked, victims would petrify as if turned to stone.
Then, it would plunge the sharp stinger at the tip of its tail into them, instantly draining all their vitality. The ultrasonic shrieks and this lethal attack followed each other in rapid succession, making it devastatingly deadly.
Had it been only adventurers, they would've never won—even if they fled, half would've perished.
But fortunately, Garko was an exceptionally skilled mage. Despite facing an unknown Chimera, he didn't panic.
He immediately inflated his body fivefold like a flesh golem, then split himself into multiple clones.
This clone magic was one of Garko's specialties, characterized by being made of real flesh and blood. The Ruins Guardian chimera couldn't distinguish the clones and immediately devoured one of them.
"It would be wise to cover your ears and prepare for the curse's sound. Also, be careful of its tail."
"L-Let's retreat! Mage! Who knew it would be this threatening?"
"Impossible. We must defeat it to find our clue."
Garko was determined to uncover the clue necessary to descend further.
Though the chimera was dangerous, it could also serve as a clue.
Garko instantly transformed the ground into a swamp, sinking half of the chimera's body. Then, he changed it again into molten lava, dealing additional damage.
Enraged, the chimera abandoned the other clones and focused solely on Garko, relentlessly firing terrifying ultrasonic waves.
But Garko had already transformed into a phoenix. Immune to sonic attacks, the phoenix effortlessly pierced through the assault, driving its talons into the chimera's shoulder.
Those talons were no ordinary claws—the moment they made contact, they transformed into dozens of venomous snakes, poisoning the target.
The toxin wielded by a master of Transmutation Magic was anything but ordinary. The venom burrowed deep, continuously mutating as it tore the chimera apart from within.
In its final desperate struggle, the chimera tried to bite Garko. Despite the raging poison, it still had enough strength for one last attack.
Yet, surprisingly, Garko willingly let it sink its teeth into his arm. At the same time, he shouted:
"Attack now!"
The moment the chimera bit his arm, it could no longer move. It was clear Garko had enchanted his limb with some magical trick.
The adventurers, still dazed from the dazzling battle, snapped back to action belatedly. If they could just unleash their full firepower, their combined assault would be more than enough to tear the chimera apart.
And so, they barely managed to defeat the enemy...
...but the adventurers were completely shaken.
Wouldn't it be better to retreat and investigate this ruin later if it spawned such dangerous Watchers?
"This wasn't an ordinary Ruins Guardian—it seems to have been corrupted through some means. Most likely due to the Evil God Worshippers."
Unaware of the adventurers' distress, Garko kindly explained.
The chimera they had just faced bore some resemblance to the ancient Watcher monsters he'd seen in other ruins, but its traits were vastly different.
It had likely been corrupted by exposure to malevolent magic or energy.
"Evil God Worshippers? W-Why would their name come up? Did they come here?"
"Oh, that's not what I meant. Haven't you heard how ominous things have been in the North lately?"
When a region was described as "ominous," it could mean many things.
Disasters, the stirrings of Evil God Worshippers, the corruption or violent fluctuations of local magic...
...and all of these factors could lead to the corruption of chimeras hidden in underground ruins.
Even if the cultists hadn't come here, this could still happen.
'That's even more horrifying!'
Frankly, the idea that the cultists had come first sounded preferable.
"I-I see."
"We should track the direction this chimera came from. We'll need clues to descend further."
"......"
Garko's unwavering resolve made the adventurers want to cry. Part of them wished they could just abandon this mage and flee.
But they weren't irresponsible mercenaries. They were adventurers who had built their reputations.
Having promised to escort their employer, they had no choice but to press on.
No matter how dangerous the path ahead!
'From now on, no matter how reputable or composed a mage seems, I'll investigate more thoroughly.'
'Investigate? I won't even accept the job in the first place.'
"I-Isn't there another way to find clues?"
"There isn't."
"Maybe one of the creatures roaming above has information."
"If that were the case, they would've found the passage and descended already."
Garko maintained his dignified gentlemanly demeanor, but he wasn't about to be swayed by the adventurers' pleas.
Mages were inherently unshakable unless they themselves were convinced.
"Wait. There's someone who arrived before us."
"We entered a bit late. Let's just pass by without getting too close and causing misunderstandings."
"...?!!!"