Episode 1219
Episode 1219
The Death Knights, who arrived belatedly, whispered in confusion.
-Even so, sending him to the Punishment Room after he's accomplished so much seems a bit...
"He must be sent without question."
-?!
The knights flinched at the chilling voice of Professor Garcia coming from behind.
Having just cast a grand spell, Professor Garcia's face was deeply fatigued.
Yet her eyes blazed with fury toward her disobedient student.
"If the Headmaster shows favoritism and doesn't send him to the Punishment Room, I'll file a complaint with the Imperial Inspector. And if the Inspector shows favoritism, I'll take it directly to His Majesty the Emperor."
-I too believe he should go to the Punishment Room, Professor. Coddling him too much won't help him grow.
-Exactly! Sometimes a stern lesson is necessary.
The Death Knights swiftly reversed their stance.
During this Evil God expedition, they had been too partial to the heir.
It was time to placate the professors before they exploded.
And honestly, the heir had acted rather recklessly during this mission.
Now that it was over, they could say it—charging ahead without orders, dragging others along, recklessly using dangerous Small World Magic...
Perhaps some time in the Punishment Room to cool his head and reflect on his actions might actually do him good.
'We can just say we opposed it.'
'If the professors insist, that's that.'
The Death Knights were indeed cunning. Even as they agreed, they'd already prepared their exit strategy.
Everyone fought bravely and well.
The Yaksha King arrived last.
The battle against the rampaging Evil God had taken a considerable toll on the Yaksha King as well. The monarch tore off his shattered, crumpled armor and spat out blackened blood.
"Your arm is ruined. Avoid straining it for about a month."
The Yaksha King grasped Professor Voladi's shattered arm—destroyed by magic—and invoked his Authority of healing.
Professor Voladi pointed at his student with his other hand.
"Please attend to Wardanaz first."
"I'm fine. Take your time."
"Worry not, Professor of Einrogard."
After finishing the healing, the Yaksha King gestured behind him.
"Os's disciple. Look there."
"?"
Lee Han turned his head. His vision was dark and red, making it hard to see.
What was there?
Thud!
With a single punch, the Yaksha King cleanly knocked Lee Han unconscious.
Unlike the professor's injuries, knocking Os's disciple unconscious was better for his recovery.
Professor Voladi's wounds were actually easier to heal.
Though his shattered arm looked gruesome, it simply needed regeneration—just one limb.
As an experienced combat mage, he'd calculated his limits even when pushing himself.
In contrast, Os's disciple, still immature, had lost control without considering the consequences.
The Yaksha King's earlier healing hadn't been complete.
Yet in that state, he'd repeatedly activated Small World Dynamis, overexerting himself as if fully recovered.
The strain on both body and soul was severe; proper rest was essential now.
"A wise suggestion."
Professor Garcia promptly hoisted her unconscious student over one shoulder.
"Tell Os to forbid Dynamis for a while. His disciple lacks self-control."
"...You could've said that before he used it."
Professor Garcia couldn't help but retort.
This Yaksha King feigned ignorance, but it was clear he'd anticipated most scenarios during this expedition.
Then why couldn't he finish off the Evil God properly?
"......"
"......"
This bastard?
The professors glared daggers at the Yaksha King.
Now they understood why this king was unpopular across dimensions and had no friends except the Skeleton Principal.
"The realm's energy is returning. I'll order the yakshas to plant Fig Blossoms. That should hasten the purification."
Though the tension hadn't fully dissipated, the professors surveyed the bleak landscape of the domain at the Yaksha King's words.
With the master who had ruled this domain now dead, this scenery would likely be the last time they'd see it like this.
Professor Garcia expressed her gratitude to her colleagues and the Yaksha King.
"Though it may sound belated, I truly appreciate everyone's hard work."
"Don't mention it. Thank you for not abandoning Voladi and coming together. Professor Kim."
"We're all gratef—"
Wait.
The Yaksha King cut them off. The professors stared at him with bewildered expressions.
Why was he ruining this heartwarming atmosphere?
It wasn't completely over yet.
"Huh? Are there remnants left??"
Professor Garcia's eyes widened in surprise.
How could there possibly be any remnants left in this situation?
'The Wardanaz family's Hierdan is leading the Yaksha legions outside, conducting guerrilla warfare. Go and inform him that it's been successfully concluded.'
"......"
Though absurd, it was easy to understand.
Just who else could lead Yaksha legions and destroy a domain?
There weren't many who could do that.
"I-I see. But why can't Your Majesty deliver the message yourself?"
'No.'
"???"
While Professor Garcia was left dumbfounded, the Yaksha King turned to the Death Knights.
'I shall entrust this to you honorable knights.'
'Um... It's an honor, but why us?'
The knights felt an uneasy premonition.
It was an instinctive sense only knights who had endured countless bloody battles could perceive.
'Because you're the most suitable. Oh, and hide the fact that Os's disciple was injured this badly. The moment the other party arrives here, a fight will break out.'
'......'
"......"
The Death Knights cursed the Yaksha King hundreds of times as they flew toward Hierdan.
'That insane, lunatic king bastard.'
'In the old days, we would've beheaded such a tyrant.'
What kind of confidence made him use his successor as bait and recklessly employ dangerous magic? The conclusion was painfully simple.
'Just don't let the other party find out!'
Calling that guy the King of Wisdom was utterly ridiculous.
'But will the lie even work?'
'Hmm.'
The Death Knights knew all too well how powerful archmages were.
Lying to them was an extremely dangerous gamble. If they got caught by any detection methods, they'd be digging their own graves.
'We'll have to lie without actually lying.'
'Understood. We must minimize our words.'
Though it sounded cryptic, the other knights quickly grasped the veteran knight's meaning.
A lie wasn't necessarily about speaking falsehoods.
By withholding words and answering evasively, they could craft deception.
"You warriors of the Seventh Gold Mountain—turn over every inch of land to that horizon and root out whatever hides within. Tainted monsters corrupted by evil energy will emerge, so don't forget to dispose of them."
'Y-You want us to clear everything all the way to that horizon?!'
'I'll grant you three torches. Finish the task before these torches burn out.'
'This side is just as much of a nightmare.'
The Death Knights thought they saw glistening teardrops in the eyes of those battle-hungry Yaksha.
Having confirmed the Evil God's death, Hierdan no longer bothered hiding his true nature. He was driving the Yaksha to their absolute limits, wringing them out like dry rags.
The sheer cruelty of piling on just barely manageable workloads!
Given Hierdan's abilities, he'd already calculated exactly how far he could push the Yaksha.
The only fate left for the Yaksha was to work themselves to tears.
Ahem. 'Lord Hierdan of the Wardanaz family. By His Majesty's command, we've come to deliver news of the Evil God's demise.'
"Indeed. You have my gratitude."
Unlike the Yaksha King, Hierdan treated the Death Knights with courtesy.
After all, while the Yaksha King was just the Yaksha King, the Death Knights were the Skeleton Principal's knights.
"Any unusual occurrences..."
-There are none! Everything went exactly according to the king's plans!
The Death Knight who had just shouted immediately regretted it. His response had been a beat too quick.
He should have answered more slowly...!
Fortunately, Hierdan didn't seem particularly suspicious. Death Knights were known for doing plenty of strange things anyway.
"As previously discussed, we'll proceed with purifying the contamination in this domain alongside the Yaksha forces."
Though the corruption in that distant dimension seemed unrelated to the Material Plane at first glance, leaving it unchecked would eventually cause repercussions in some form.
Moreover, an Evil God like Sanguiros had once caused a massive incident on the continent.
Preemptively rooting out such corruption was one of the responsibilities shared by both the Skeleton Principal and the Wardanaz Family.
'We're saved!'
The knights let out sighs of relief.
The Yaksha King was irritatingly wise. He must have known Hierdan would focus solely on his assigned duties.
Just then, one of the yakshas spoke up.
-Shouldn't you go meet your younger sibling before leaving?
-...!!!
At those words, the Death Knights felt their nonexistent hearts sink.
These damn yakshas—from their king to their warriors—were all the same!
'No!'
-That's right. You should go, Lord Hierdan!
-Your younger sibling must be waiting for you!
The yakshas desperately tried to send Hierdan away.
Having this insane archmage around would make it impossible to work comfortably.
Even the slightest mistake in their work would be immediately pointed out—how could they possibly breathe easy?
"My younger sibling wouldn't be too pleased if I showed up. He'd probably complain that I'm trying to control him again."
-...Have you ever controlled the successor before?
Hierdan answered the Death Knights' question without hesitation.
"Calling it 'control' is a bit misleading. Doesn't Einrogard also devise various methods to teach and nurture its students? You wouldn't call that 'control,' would you?"
'He definitely controlled him.'
The knights immediately understood.
The long-winded response practically confirmed it was 100% true. Then again, seeing how Hierdan handled his subordinates, it was impossible to imagine he hadn't.
-Understood. It's just... the successor is quite independent and values his freedom, right?
The knights did everything they could to prevent Hierdan from coming to the site.
If he showed up, the yakshas might end up needing to elect a new king.
"True. There's no need for misunderstandings over things I didn't do. If my younger sibling remains unaware of my involvement, inform him that this expedition was entirely the Yaksha King's plan. Keep my name out of it."
-Yes! We'll do that!
They were more than happy to throw the Yaksha King under the bus.
In fact, the knights were even willing to join Lee Han if he ever decided to ambush the Yaksha King.
Having completed their mission, the Death Knights internally sighed in relief and prepared to leave.
Now, all they had to do was grab the successor and race back to Einrogard as fast as possible...
"Wait."
-!
The knights' nonexistent hearts dropped again.
-...What is it?
"Take this pouch."
-???
Hierdan tossed them a small pouch sealed with magic.
"If my younger sibling becomes overly obsessed with learning magic, open this pouch and follow the instructions inside."
-...Ah, yes.
It was a bit awkward that he'd just denied controlling the successor and was now doing exactly that, but the knights took it anyway.
At this point, they'd accept anything if it meant escaping this situation.
"Wait."
-...What now?
"Take this pouch too."
Hierdan threw another pouch—this one a different color.
"If my younger sibling becomes overly obsessed with hoarding gold, open this pouch and follow the instructions inside."
-...If you have any more pouches, just give them all to us now. We'll take notes and deliver them.
[Translation complete. All content preserved without omission.]