Episode 1179
Episode 1179
"Krrrk (Are you talking about the knights?)"
"Who's pretending not to know... Of course we're talking about that!"
Diret sharply retorted, shedding his usual polite demeanor.
The black mages present were startled by his attitude.
While the Empire's black mages weren't particularly close, they did share certain common perspectives.
One of them was their evaluation of promising juniors who would lead the next generation of the Empire's black magic school.
Having outstanding talents continuously join was an essential condition for ensuring their lineage remained unbroken and their school flourished.
From that perspective, a mage like Diret joining the black magic school was an undeniable stroke of luck—even stubborn, unreasonable figures like the Descendants of Ahrag couldn't deny it.
But for such a junior to lose his temper like this...
"What nonsense are you spouting? What exactly did we do?"
"Stop lying. It's pointless. You all know very well what you've done."
"......"
Only then did the black mages look ashamed.
Come to think of it, Diret's anger was justified.
During the recent crisis in the North, they had deliberately excluded the Einrogard Black Magic School from the summons.
"Krrrk (That's just how the Descendants of Ahrag are.)"
"...My apologies. Mortum was being particularly insufferable... But we should have invited you regardless."
"?"
Diret was momentarily puzzled.
What did they mean by "invite"?
"Invite? We're currently discussing the issue of forcibly recruiting a junior."
"!"
"What do you mean by 'invite'—"
"Ah, that's what you were talking about! Right! That was the issue!"
"Krrk (Exactly!)"
The black mages quickly responded. Though Diret felt something was off, he let it slide for now.
"If you're planning to forcibly take a junior, I'll formally raise an objection."
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. Of course, we did make an offer! But right now, we were discussing something else!"
"Krrrk (We were talking about something far more important!)"
The black mages pointed indignantly at the scattered magic documents on the table, as if truly wronged.
Admittedly, they had briefly discussed inviting a mage from the Wardanaz Family.
But that was only for a moment—afterward, they had been engaged in a proper magical discussion.
"A magical discussion?"
"We were discussing the spells needed to reinforce the Moradi Family's fortress."
Catten kindly explained. At this, Diret's expression softened slightly.
So they weren't trying to forcibly recruit a junior—they were having a constructive discussion for the sake of a regional family.
Perhaps Diret had judged the Empire's responsible black mages too harshly.
"And this? Is this also a spell design?"
"That's a collection of spells each mage wrote down to bet on how far the junior could learn them."
"......"
Diret's expression hardened again. The black mages glared at Catten.
"Krrrk (It's a long story to explain...)"
"No need to explain. I suppose you happened to teach him one spell, and since he picked it up so well, you started competing to see how far he could go."
"!!!"
The black mages were stunned.
How did he—?!
'Is there a spy among us?!'
Fortunately, Diret didn't realize they had taken the junior's completed request and deliberately made it more difficult, leading to this mess.
If he had, he wouldn't have been able to stay composed.
"You should all be ashamed! What kind of—teaching an Eye of Ahrag to a mere second-year?! How can you be so unreasonable!"
"Krrrk (We already taught him that...)"
"Can you not shut up?"
The Descendant of Ahrag scolded the undead beside him.
"What a clueless guy!"
In the midst of this, the mage from the Obsidian Magic Tower spoke up.
"May I say something?"
"What is it you wish to say?"
"Choosing the Obsidian Magic Tower over the struggling Einrogard Black Magic School seems like a rational decision, not exactly an unreasonable demand."
"......"
In the end, despite his friends' protests, Lee Han managed to revise the completed blueprint once more.
"It looks much better now."
"It's perfect! Let's absolutely not touch it again."
"It seems too excellent, Lee Han. If we tamper with it any further, it might actually get worse."
Angrago and Durgyu showered him with exaggerated praise before glancing at Giselle. Giselle looked utterly repulsed, as if to say, 'Absolutely not.'
'Are you insane?'
The two turned to Giselle again with desperate looks. Since they weren't usually like this, their behavior felt several times more burdensome.
"...I also think it's excellent, so let's stop messing with it. Wardanaz."
"Hmm. If even Moradi is saying that, it must really be good... Huh? Senior Diret?"
Lee Han paused when he spotted the familiar wings of a senior student in the distance.
Why is the senior here?
"Why is Senior Diret here?"
"No idea. Maybe he came because the black mages gathered?"
"That can't be. The black mages deliberately excluded the Einrogard Black Magic School and didn't invite them."
"......"
"......"
The White Tiger Tower students fell silent at this unexpectedly sad backstory.
What kind of reaction do you expect from us?!
Meanwhile, Diret arrived at the scene. Breathing heavily as if he had run nonstop, Lee Han asked curiously,
"Is something the matter?"
"Ah, you didn't fight, did you?"
"?"
"Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing!"
"But why is the senior here...?"
"I came for the black mages' gathering!"
"Didn't the Einrogard Black Magic School not receive an invitation?"
"What!?"
Only then did Diret realize the meaning behind the senior black mages' earlier conversation.
Those petty and shameless bastards...!
"...Even without an invitation, I can find out about black mages' gatherings. Don't ask how."
"How... Ah, right."
Lee Han was about to ask, 'How did you participate?' but stopped himself.
"Since I'm here, I thought I'd take a quick look at the request you're working on. Want to show me? How far along is it?"
"Uh..."
At the senior's question, Lee Han hesitated briefly.
Seeing this, the White Tiger Tower students sensed something ominous.
No way...?
"It's not at a level where I can show it yet."
"Really? Jahan said it was almost done."
"Senior Catten doesn't know the first thing about magic. Don't trust him."
Lee Han spat out such harsh words that if Catten had heard them, his eyes would have welled up with tears.
Of course, Diret didn't believe him and eyed his junior suspiciously.
"You could just show it to me."
"It's really not even close..."
"It's a lie, Senior! It's completely done! Please stop him from making more changes!"
Angrago couldn't hold back and shouted, then hid behind Durgyu to avoid Lee Han's murderous glare.
"...So it's done, you say?"
"Angrago also doesn't know the first thing about magi—"
"Hand it over."
Diret forcibly took the blueprint and quickly reviewed it.
The result was even more outstanding than he had expected. Not only did it perfectly block both external intrusions and internal escapes, but the magic required was also significantly less than the usual standard.
Magic inherently possesses a beauty that emerges when it's refined to the point where nothing more can be stripped away, rather than being cluttered with unnecessary additions. Nodding in approval, Diret said,
"Excellent."
"Really? You're not just saying that..."
"Let's proceed with this as it is. Before the black mages cause more trouble."
The friends behind Lee Han let out sighs of relief and expressed their gratitude.
'Thank you!'
"And, junior. It would be best for you to return to Einrogard as quickly as possible."
"Excuse me? Why is that?"
"Because... if you stay outside for too long, it'll be difficult to catch up with the professors' teachings later."
"I see. Thank you for your concern."
Unlike Lee Han, who accepted this explanation, his friends behind him were bewildered and couldn't understand.
Why bring this up all of a sudden now?!
The black mages gathered in the fortress grumbled and complained incessantly.
Ever since Diret from the Einrogard Black Magic School arrived, contacting the mages of the Wardanaz family had become extremely difficult.
Diret had erected an impenetrable barrier with the help of Professors Garcia and Kirmin, even mobilizing the Death Knights. The black mages had to endure endless searches just to visit the dormitory once.
-Please cooperate with the search.
-Tch.
-This staff shows traces of dangerous magic being cast.
-You insane undead bastard! Of course it does at my age!
-Until we call a professor for detailed inspection, you can't pass...
-Just say you won't let us in!
-Fine? You're not entering.
-......
Renewing their hatred for Einrogard, the black mages eventually had to keep retreating.
"At least deliver this today. It's a masterpiece we black mages created after much suffering..."
-Got it. We got it.
"...Listen to the end, damn it!"
-This is why black mages are so annoying. They always think the magic they've conceived will go down in history. I've seen hundreds of mages like you, kid.
"......"
The Descendants of Ahrag truly despised these knights.
These undead who oppressed them with age every time they met were practically their natural enemies.
"Deliver this too. These are the spells we black mages have chosen for our wager. We'd like you to send a letter telling us which of these spells he learns fastest and which he learns slowest."
-What a trash request.
The knights openly showed their displeasure but didn't block this one.
After collecting the blueprints of insanely difficult magical constructs and the spells the black mages had chosen for their wager, the knights suddenly remembered something and said:
-Oh right. Student Wardanaz left a letter for you too. He said to open it after he's left.
"Why should we follow that?"
-Don't worry. We already know you won't. We'll give it to you after everyone's left.
The knights put the letter away again. The black mages were speechless.
What kind of...!
True to their word, the Death Knights didn't hand over the letter until the very end. They only sent it from afar after the carriage bearing Einrogard's flag had departed.
Grumbling, the black mages unfolded the letter.
What could possibly be so troublesome that...
To the Esteemed Black Mages,
While you were busy selecting spells for your wager, the Crone appeared and then left without a word. I wanted to tell you, but the Crone instructed me to inform you later, so I had no choice. My apologies.
Leehan Wardanaz
"......"
"......"
"Student Lee Han. Are you reviewing the spells the black mages gave you?"
"Huh? Why would I do that?"
Lee Han was taken aback by Professor Garcia's question.
These black mages were practically bothersome outsiders, unrelated to either requests or lectures.
Why would he bother looking at spells they'd forced upon him?
"Ah. My mistake."
Professor Garcia felt slightly embarrassed.
Lee Han had been reading so carefully that she'd assumed it must be something related to advanced magic...
"Then what is it?"
"Ah. I was drafting a request form after getting advice from the knights."
"...A request form? You're making one?"
Professor Garcia was startled that he was making a request rather than receiving one.
Isn't it usually the other way around?
Wanted
Voladi Bagrak
Description:
...
...
Characteristics: Extremely aggressive
...
...
If spotted, DO NOT approach! Contact the nearest knight order immediately!
"...Wh-wh-what is this, Student Lee Han?"
"Huh? The knights offered to help me find someone first."
"That's not what I meant..."