Episode 1204
Episode 1204
No matter how he thought about it, this wasn't the kind of murderous aura that should emerge in a normal situation.
"Why are you asking that, Lee Han? Considering future events, it's only natural to ask where Professor Ku is, isn't it?"
"W-well, that's true."
The increasingly dense murderous aura was pressing down on Lee Han to the point where the hamster whispered beside him:
-Create some distance. Something feels dangerous!
'I want to tell him to stop talking nonsense, but it's hard to deny.'
Though part of him wanted to just feign ignorance and reveal Professor Kirmin's location, Lee Han wasn't cold-blooded enough to sacrifice a professor and pretend he knew nothing.
Above all, there was a high chance this was Lee Han's fault to begin with.
"W-well, actually, Professor Garcia. If you're angry because Professor Ku left without saying anything... that was actually my doing."
Click-
Professor Garcia's movements, which had been tracing Professor Kirmin's location with magic, came to an abrupt halt.
Then she slowly turned only her gaze to stare at Lee Han. He felt greater terror than when he'd faced the Evil God.
"Why, Lee Han?"
"Pardon?"
"Why did you tell Professor Ku but not me?"
Professor Garcia's voice was filled with hurt.
Though she was a kind professor who would willingly take on other professors' miscellaneous tasks without complaint, there was one point of pride she couldn't compromise on.
That was her closeness with students.
She prided herself on being the most approachable professor among all at Einrogard.
Especially with someone like Lee Han—who was practically her direct disciple, learning the extremely rare spacetime magic directly from her—to be excluded like this...
'Ugh.'
Lee Han felt deep guilt looking at Professor Garcia. The terror from earlier seemed preferable now.
Should he have just sacrificed Professor Kirmin after all?
The honest reason was that he didn't want to worry Professor Garcia too much, but that explanation would probably hurt her even more.
"Lee Han?"
"P-professor, you..."
Cornered, Lee Han's words slipped out faster than he'd thought.
"...aren't a combat magic expert, so I didn't call you."
"......"
-......
The passing Death Knights looked at Lee Han as if he were insane.
'Has the successor lost his mind?'
'Shh. Think about what he's been through this year. It wouldn't be strange if madness is creeping in.'
Still, who would have thought someone would dare say Professor Garcia seemed weak?
Even for battle-hardened knights, this was astonishing.
Professor Garcia herself was so flabbergasted she could only blink.
She had expected reasons like overprotectiveness or excessive worrying—never this.
"I-I may not have... received combat magic training..."
"That's correct. I was trained by Professor Bagrak, and Professor Kirmin is also a duel magic expert. I thought only trained experts could participate."
Having reached the point of desperation, Lee Han decided to brazenly push forward.
At this stage, stubbornness was his best option.
"So you're saying... you're saying you could participate, but didn't call me because it was too dangerous?"
The Death Knights' eyes asked, 'Are you really going to answer that?'
Without changing his expression, Lee Han replied:
"Yes!"
Professor Garcia began to grow confused.
She couldn't tell whether her student was being sincere or just being stubborn.
His flawless face showed no trace of emotional fluctuation or panic.
'...D-do I really seem that weak!?'
Professor Garcia suddenly fell into self-reflection.
Now that she thought about it, from Lee Han's perspective, the mages he usually saw were people like Professor Voladi, Professor Kirmin, and the Skeleton Principal.
Compared to such mages, a non-specialist like Professor Garcia would inevitably appear somewhat clumsy in combat.
But still, surely not to the point of being called incompetent?
She thought she had at least pulled her own weight...
Taking advantage of Professor Garcia's confusion, Lee Han quickly slipped away from his seat.
It seemed he'd have to keep dodging her until the expedition was over.
"Give me the key. Os's disciple."
Lee Han handed the blood-red key to the Yaksha King. The Yaksha King clenched the key and tore open a dimensional rift.
"Is there any chance this could be a trap?"
"If you were in such a rational state, you likely wouldn't have spoken to me in the first place. Os's disciple."
With a creaking sound, the dimensional fissure widened further. The Yaksha King's sheer physical strength was astonishing—enough to grasp and pull apart dimensions.
The landscape beyond the rift was truly ominous and unstable.
The crimson-black sky swirled endlessly, creating bizarre meteorological phenomena, while below lay rows of ruined temples.
Some temples attempted to rebuild themselves with broken weapons, only to collapse back into ruins. The wandering dead nearby howled in fury at the sight of the devastation.
'Just as I thought. He's lost control of his power.'
As Lee Han stepped into the dimension, he quietly tried to position himself beside the professors to listen.
With so many experts and powerful figures present, just listening and following along would be overwhelming enough.
But the Yaksha King had always been the one who best understood what Lee Han disliked.
"Os's disciple. Come forward. Why are you hiding in the back?"
"I'm not hiding—"
If you're resentful because I pointed out your subconscious respect for your master, you're mistaken.
"I'll come right away!"
Lee Han hurriedly rushed forward to stand beside the Yaksha King.
If he delayed any longer, he feared this lunatic might spout even more absurd nonsense to unsettle him.
The Yaksha King stretched out a massive finger wrapped in a blazing golden gauntlet and began his explanation.
"Such irregular climatic phenomena suggest a high probability that the domain's master is in an unstable state. Os's disciple."
"Ah, yes."
"Look at those ruined temples. They are clear signs that the domain's master has suffered considerable recent losses."
Unless one took pleasure in ruins, such devastation was likely the result of the domain master's recent defeats.
Indeed, the temple ruins kept attempting to rebuild themselves but repeatedly failed—clear evidence that the damage was far from trivial.
"I see."
"Those wandering dead are the same. Their master can no longer properly support them, so they roam like vagrants. With simple observations like these, you can discern the state of a dimension's master."
"Impressive."
"You'll encounter many such situations in the future. Don't forget to practice."
"Yes... Wait, what?!"
Lee Han, who had been answering mechanically with a lifeless voice, exclaimed in shock.
"Os's disciple. You answered twice—surely that means you're twice as eager."
Seizing the opportunity, the Yaksha King immediately began psychoanalyzing Lee Han.
This yaksha had always been excessively curious and excelled at unraveling and explaining the labyrinthine psychology of mortals.
"Perhaps you've already sensed it. Given your family's legacy, you'll undoubtedly face dimensional adversaries in the future—"
"The second answer was a question, not an acceptance."
"Indeed."
The Yaksha King nodded. Lee Han felt oddly unsettled seeing him yield so easily.
This wasn't like someone who would just back down...
"But Os's disciple, if you had a question, you could have asked outright... The fact that you said 'Yes' first suggests your subconscious is far more eager than you admit."
"...Fine. Just explain things properly."
In the end, Lee Han gave up.
There was no way to counter this yaksha, who overwhelmed him in both strength and status. It felt like trying to stop a rolling boulder.
The Death Knights exchanged pitying glances.
With ordinary mortals, they might have been able to act forcefully, but this Yaksha King was far too significant a figure for such heavy-handed tactics.
The only reason they could even hold this conversation was because the heir had somehow won the other party's favor—normally, there wouldn't have been any dialogue at all.
The Yaksha King wasn't exactly known for being talkative.
"Now then, Os' disciple. How would you go about conquering this domain?"
"...?!"
Lee Han was even more startled by this unexpected question.
In the current expedition, Lee Han's standing was only slightly higher than that of Ibinta, the bandit leader who'd been dragged along as a servant—barely above a menial role.
The knights, professors, angel—everyone here was either stronger or wiser than Lee Han.
And yet, he was being asked for a strategy.
'Wasn't the whole reason the Headmaster called them here in the first place to handle the conquest?'
It was absurd, but ignoring the question would only invite more trouble. Lee Han answered to the best of his ability.
"First, I'd locate where the enemy's forces are most concentrated—or, failing that, where the magical energy is strongest, and proceed from there..."
Having taken Summoning Magic classes, Lee Han had acquired a fair amount of knowledge in Dimensional Studies.
There were certain principles when navigating unfamiliar dimensions without maps or prior information.
When conquering a dimension, head where the enemy is strongest; when escaping one, head where they're weakest.
"Hmm, hmm. I see. So, in your estimation, which area appears the strongest?"
"That ruined temple over there seems the most formidable..."
"Good. Then go and deal with it."
"???"
Lee Han instinctively glanced around.
Of course, there was no one else. The Yaksha King had given the order to Lee Han alone.
"Just... me?"
"Indeed."
"...May I ask why?"
"Because you've faced an Evil God, Os' disciple."
The Yaksha King's tone was grave.
Lee Han alone had received the key from the Evil God—a fact that couldn't be taken lightly.
What if the Evil God had invited only Lee Han?
In that case, it was wiser not to provoke anything prematurely. Until they fully grasped the layout of this dimension and identified the enemy's core, it was best to play along.
"......"
Lee Han found these moments the most frustrating—when he couldn't logically refute the other party's reasoning.
Why did the most insufferable people always have to be magically correct?
-How enviable. O King of Wisdom. Might I at least accompany him?
The angel Apazragon, uncharacteristically, let his emotions show.
This seeker walking the path of ancient wizards truly seemed born under a fated star.
No matter how hard he strove, he couldn't even grasp the threads of ascetic practice—yet trials naturally flocked to this mage like moths to flame.
"No, Celestial. Be grateful for your fortune. You've already received more blessings than you deserve."
-My apologies, O King of Wisdom. My thoughts were shortsighted.
'Once I become an Archmage, I'm beating every single one of them up.'
Steeling his resolve, Lee Han trudged forward with heavy steps.
Watching the retreating heir with pity, one of the Death Knights cautiously spoke up.
-O King. I have something to say.
"What is it?"
-This is by no means to disparage your wisdom... but given that the Evil God is currently irrational, and if it's said that a mage commanding powerful beings isn't a true measure of skill—wouldn't that also be nonsensical?
The knights wanted to step in and help if they could.
While the Yaksha King and professors were too conspicuous, summons like them weren't as easily identifiable in terms of master-servant relationships.
The Yaksha King nodded gravely at the counsel.
"Hmm. I see."
-What are your thoughts?
"Let me think for a moment."
The Death Knights watched tensely as the Yaksha King deliberated. Finally, he spoke.
"It's over."
-What... decision...?
"Not that my deliberation is over—I mean the fight over there is finished."
At the Yaksha King's words, the knights whirled around. In the distance, Lee Han was returning, his face weary.
'He already took them all down?!'