Episode 1183
Episode 1183
Though he had thought it many times before to no avail, the hamster once again squeaked and engraved the thought in his mind.
Lee Han tucked the hamster into his sleeve (the baby basilisk was extremely displeased) and headed toward Professor Thunderstep's Alchemy Hall.
He could have made it in his private room, but the Alchemy School's tower, with its well-prepared facilities, was simply more convenient.
...And occasionally, when Professor Thunderstep was distracted, he could even borrow the professor's reagents.
-Wait. Why are you dragging me along?
At the hamster's protest, the baby basilisk wagged its tail as if in agreement.
This cozy sleeve was meant only for the furless one!
"Ah. Could you watch me make that Wisdom Incense and give me some advice?"
-Why not just ask that thought-form?
The hamster was puzzled by Lee Han's sudden request.
If the thought-form was already kindly correcting the student's magic assignments, it would surely be even more willing to give advice while watching him work.
'It's strange, but Gonadaltes' thought-forms are all completely insane.'
For such high-level beings to willingly assist with trivial tasks without complaint—it was beyond absurd.
It was like bending an arm so far inward it broke.
"Ah, I already feel bad for making you write all that down. How could I possibly ask about every single step of the process?"
-Hmph. And here I thought you never felt fear...
"Besides, since you've already written down the instructions here, even if my magic skills are a bit lacking, I can still manage with your guidance."
-......
The hamster, who had been about to sneer, abruptly shut his mouth. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
What??
-Wh-what did you just say?
"I said, since you've written it all down here, I can follow along and ask for advice if I make a mistake?"
-No, after that. After that.
"?"
Lee Han glanced back.
All he saw was the chaotic pile of books on his desk and the new snack recipe he had devised for his friends.
-Your magic skills are lacking???
"Well, they're not as good as yours, right?"
-......
The hamster blinked his eyes like a cow.
It was an incredibly insulting remark, but the problem was that the one saying it was such a formidable existence that he couldn't even retort.
-You damned little...
By the time he mustered his anger to argue, Lee Han had already started walking. The hamster had no choice but to cling tightly to avoid being flung out of the sleeve.
"Is that really true?"
"I'm telling you, it is."
"He's even more obsessed with magic now?"
Nilia, who was gently simmering prepared ingredients in the third-floor laboratory of the Alchemy Hall's maze, responded to her friends' words with disbelief.
Wardanaz being 'even more' obsessed with magic than usual?
That sounded like trying to pour more water into an already full cup.
"I'm serious!"
Batrek, the dwarf student from the White Tiger Tower, stomped his feet in frustration.
"This time, he's planning to finish all his exams first and leave at his leisure!"
'Does the word "leisurely" even make grammatical sense in that sentence by Imperial standards?'
"If you don't believe me, go ask the Blue Dragon Tower guys!"
"It's true. Really."
Yoner nodded.
The Blue Dragon Tower students, including this red-haired friend, all looked deeply concerned.
"I think it's because Wardanaz doesn't have to handle our meals anymore, so he's got extra time to dive into madness."
"We're from the same tower, but that's a garbage take. If anyone asks, say the White Tiger Tower said it."
"Could it be that he's gone insane from eating too much of His Highness's tasteless meals?"
"The seniors said the food's been decent lately, though?"
"Ugh. The seniors will eat anything."
The students of the Alchemy School came up with various hypotheses.
Starting with 'he went mad with magic because he had free time,' all sorts of novel theories emerged.
Yoner spoke with a bemused expression.
"...It's probably because the professor disappeared."
"What?! Which professor?"
"Professor Verdus, of course. I always thought that if any professor were to be assassinated, Professor Verdus would be the first."
"No... Professor Bagrak..."
"Ah."
The friends hesitated.
Some even wore expressions that seemed to say, 'Who was that again?'
"That professor who used to torment Wardanaz?"
"He didn't torment him. ...Or did he?"
As Yoner grew confused, Ratford and Batrek stepped in to support.
"He wasn't a bad person."
"Right. Wardanaz is genuinely worried. You should've seen him when we went out this time."
Batrek recalled what had happened during their recent request in the North.
Even thinking back on it now, it was truly...
"Overreacting."
"Exactly. We've gone out together before too."
As their friends jeered, Batrek flared up.
"This time was really different, I'm telling you! A bandit group was completely wiped out!"
"What's the big deal? It's doable. Wardanaz probably took down Anti-Magic Zealots before too."
"I mean... it's just..."
Batrek was at a loss for words.
For an Einrogard mage, wiping out a bandit group was certainly a feasible request.
But having witnessed Wardanaz's eerily calm, maddened gaze firsthand on the scene, he could never say, 'What's the big deal?'
The level of pressure was on a completely different scale.
"It was different, I swear!"
"Pfft... And Wardanaz would worry even if Professor Verdus disappeared. You can tell just by how he looks after you White Tiger Tower guys too."
"Even so, would he really worry about Professor Verdus?"
As the debate among friends shifted from 'Would Wardanaz really worry the same if Professor Verdus disappeared?' to 'Who in White Tiger Tower would he worry about next?', Nilia couldn't hold back and cut in.
"Everyone! Weren't we supposed to be worrying about Wardanaz just now?!"
"Ah. Right."
"Well, I did introduce him to some knights I know to help Wardanaz."
The White Tiger Tower students explained what they had done during their trip to the North.
Since knight families in the Empire generally knew each other to some extent, it was easy to request help in situations like this.
"Who did you introduce him to?"
"I introduced the Moonless Night Knights. And Moradi introduced the Voig Knights."
"!!"
Even students who weren't from knight families recognized the names of these two renowned orders.
Especially in patrols and reconnaissance, these two knight orders had illustrious achievements.
The Moonless Night Knights were composed of such vigorous individuals that they could run nonstop from the western coastal edges all the way to the Nightmare Swamps, while the Voig Knights were so thorough that rumors said they had eyes and ears even in the last inn of the northern snowfields.
These were not the kind of people one could summon simply with money or influence.
"How did you manage to introduce them?!"
"Huh? I have an older brother in the Moonless Night Knights, so I asked him."
"......"
The students were slightly deflated by the unexpectedly simple reason.
Well, nothing was thicker than blood.
"But even if it's family, it's impressive they agreed to help. I heard the Moonless Night Knights are so busy with their duties that it's hard to even meet them."
"My brother said he owed Wardanaz for helping him avoid failing, so he insisted on repaying the favor."
"......"
"......"
The friends quickly changed the subject.
"Moradi, you introduced the Voig Knights? Was it because you're from the North too?"
"Aren't the Voig Knights notoriously secretive? How did you manage to introduce them?"
"Moradi said the Moradi Family Head personally stepped in to make the connection for him."
"Moradi, really. To tell such an obvious lie."
The White Tiger Tower students naturally didn't believe it.
The Moradi Family Head wasn't someone with that much free time, and there was no way he'd pass along such a request just for some mage who'd done him a single favor.
"He could've just been honest like Batrek."
"Haha. Don't you think Batrek should've hidden his reason a bit better?"
"I contacted some of my old guildmates."
As everyone shared how they'd gathered information for Wardanaz, Ratford also spoke up.
Under the banner of the <White Crow>, Ratford's former colleagues were exceptionally skilled at discreetly transferring ownership of items.
Yoner, who knew Ratford's background, asked with slight anticipation:
"Did you get any useful information?"
"Only that Lord Wardanaz is beating up every visible thief so brutally it's terrifying..."
"......"
Rumors about the devastated back alleys of several cities in the west and north had already spread rapidly.
Criminals elsewhere in the Empire were seriously wondering, 'What's the reason?' 'Did someone steal something from Einrogard?' 'Has Gonadaltes finally gone mad?' But the real answer was in a place they'd never expected.
"Well, Professor Bagrak isn't the type to leave traces so easily... I also asked the alchemists from my family, but got nothing."
"Gainando and I sent letters to the imperial family."
Adenart spoke in a dispirited, sullen voice.
Like Yoner, she'd had no success either.
"Cheer up. Just making the request was impressive enough."
"Right. Gainando even got rejected."
There weren't many imperial family members who got along well with each other.
Though none of the high noble family heads would ever consider it, they were essentially contenders for the Empire's succession rights.
They wouldn't grant a rival's request without good reason.
"I got rejected too..."
"......"
"......"
Adenart's gloom, having failed on the same level as Gainando, wasn't so easily dispelled.
If anything, in terms of being politically checked, Adenart had it worse than Gainando.
'Huh?'
As Nilia carefully listened to each friend's story, she realized something odd.
Was she the only one who hadn't done anything...?
'Am I the only one?!?!'
Everyone had secretly been doing something for their friend without saying a word!
Nilia's fingertips trembled slightly. This was no ordinary problem.
'Th-the Shadow Patrol doesn't leave the mountains... They wouldn't be able to track this kind of thing...'
While Professor Voladi could be anywhere in the Empire, if there was one place he'd absolutely never go, it'd probably be the northern mountain ranges.
What possible reason would anyone have to go to such a barren place where only monsters lived?
Still, she couldn't just stay idle. Seizing a moment when her friends' attention was elsewhere, Nilia quickly began scribbling a letter.
"?"
Lee Han grew puzzled when he didn't see his friends in the tower.
Normally, there'd always be one or two Alchemy School students wandering the first or second-floor greenhouses, tending to plants or checking reagents.
'Well, it happens.'
After preparing his cauldron, Lee Han took Hamster out from his sleeve and placed him atop his head.
This spot seemed most convenient for immediate conversation.
-......
Hamster momentarily recalled an old fairy tale.
About a failing inn inherited by an adventurer with terrible cooking skills, who revives it with the help of a genius mouse...
'Damn it. Why am I remembering this now?'
"Let's make the Ascending Fragrance first. Ah— Professor. Good day."
-......
Hamster squeezed his eyes shut at the sight of Professor Thunderstep in the distance.
Soon, that professor's pride would be shattered into pieces by an evil ancient thought-form!