Episode 1220
Episode 1220
Hierdan truly pulled out more pouches. The death knights hid their bewilderment and accepted them all.
This many?
'Open if attempting to attack the master'? What on earth could be written inside?
-This pouch says 'Open if rebelling within Einrogard'...
On their way back after completing their mission,
the death knights debated what contents might lie within the rainbow-colored pouches.
Pouches labeled things like 'Open if attempting to attack the Skeleton Principal' or 'Open if rebelling within Einrogard' truly sparked their imagination.
Just what kind of pouches were these?
-What other pouches are there?
-Hmm... There's also 'Open if taking only Black Magic courses' and 'Open if making unhelpful friends'.
-Shouldn't we open that last one right now?
-I... don't think it's quite that bad yet.
As the knights examined each bizarre pouch one by one, they could all agree on at least one thing.
Now they understood why the successor found Hierdan so unsettling!
-No wonder people avoid him if he makes pouches like these.
-Shh. Keep quiet until we return to Einrogard.
The senior knight gestured.
Until their return to Einrogard, they needed to watch their words everywhere.
When Lee Han opened his eyes, he realized he was locked in an unfamiliar solitary confinement cell he'd never seen before.
"...Ugh!"
As he tried to rise from the bed, his entire body screamed in protest. It felt like not a single muscle in his body was intact.
Lee Han circulated mana throughout his body. As expected, traces of unhealed injuries were evident everywhere.
When he opened his vision to inspect his soul, his spiritual state was just as much of a mess as his physical one.
Fortunately, the healing was properly done, but it seemed he'd need several more days of rest.
'How long was I out?'
A sign hung on the solitary cell's door. Puzzled, Lee Han flipped it over to check its contents.
[An utterly wicked criminal (extremely dangerous) who ignored all instructions from the Headmaster and three professors to act recklessly]
"......"
Lee Han crushed the sign and threw it into the nearby fireplace. Then he lit the fire.
'Nice and warm.'
The solitary cell looked different from standard punishment rooms.
It was quite spacious, containing several pieces of furniture. From the fireplace he'd just used to the old desk, bookshelf, and even the bed...
'Wait. Bookshelf?'
Curious, Lee Han checked the books on the shelf.
Do punishment rooms even have bookshelves?
<The Tragic End of Disobedient Students>
<Seven Reasons Why Wizards Shouldn't Ignore Their Masters and Act Recklessly>
"......"
Lee Han threw these books into the fireplace too. The flames grew slightly warmer.
'Ink, quills, paper... even a kettle.'
After placing a water-filled kettle over the fireplace, Lee Han sank into thought.
Original punishment rooms didn't have these things.
Students normally had to bring their own supplies if they wanted them...
This unusually considerate preparation only made him more uneasy.
In Einrogard, you should always be most wary when the school shows kindness.
"Lord Perkuntra?"
Lee Han tried calling for Perkuntra once.
As the spirit overseeing Einrogard's punishment rooms, he should definitely hear if Lee Han called.
But no answer came.
'Hmm. No luck after all.'
This wasn't entirely unexpected.
The professors knew about Lee Han's relationship with Perkuntra, so they wouldn't have left the spirit unattended when sending him to confinement.
No jailer hands prison keys to their prisoner before locking them up.
Alternatively, Perkuntra might just be sulking and refusing to answer.
Ignoring all warnings and acting recklessly...
'That was a bit foolhardy of me.'
After resting deeply and clearing his head, Lee Han truly felt just how dangerous his actions had been—and how perilous the Small World Dynamis spell really was.
To forcibly draw magic from the future into the present at the cost of his own well-being...
It was sheer luck that he hadn't collapsed on the spot. Vomiting blood and collapsing immediately wouldn't have been surprising at all.
"Is anyone there?"
Swish—
Without a sound, a figure emerged from the corridor outside the door.
Where ears should have been, bandages were tightly wrapped, and hollow eyes stared piercingly at Lee Han.
Though the appearance was shockingly unsettling, Lee Han had seen beings like this before.
The Warehouse Keeper with his eyes bandaged and the Spire Keeper with his mouth bandaged were exactly such figures.
The Skeleton Principal's far more loyal minions than even the Death Knights!
"Ahem, excuse me, but who are you? And could you tell me where this is...?"
Instead of answering, the figure continued to stare holes into Lee Han, as if checking his condition.
'Ah. They can't hear me.'
Only then did Lee Han realize the figure was deaf. Lowering his gaze, he spotted a nameplate at the waist that read 'Jailkeeper.'
After finishing his inspection, the Jailkeeper silently walked away.
"...Hmm. I'll just have to figure it out myself!"
Feeling awkward, Lee Han muttered to himself before beginning his deductions.
This wasn't the regular Punishment Room, nor was it the Deep Punishment Room...
'A Punishment Room under the lake, reserved for aquatic species? No, there's no reason for me to be there. A desert-based Punishment Room? Does that even exist?'
"Awake, Wardanaz?"
From a distance, the sound of clicking heels announced Professor Kirmin's arrival as he peeked in.
Lee Han greeted him cheerfully.
"Professor Ku!"
"Oh? Wardanaz. I thought you hated me since you ignored everything I said. This is a surprise!"
"Ah, don't say such things. That's a misunderstanding."
"Hmph. What misunderstanding?"
Grumbling, Professor Kirmin summoned a chair out of thin air. Feeling apologetic, Lee Han added,
"Well, if we're being precise, it wasn't just your advice I ignored—I disregarded Professor Garcia and Professor Bagrak's warnings too..."
"...Are you trying to comfort me with that?"
Professor Kirmin stared at his student in disbelief.
He was so baffled that his irritation faded entirely.
Is this really what passes for an explanation now?
"My apologies."
"Well... I suppose it's better than being the only one ignored..."
Unlike Professors Voladi and Garcia, Professor Kirmin had spent relatively little time with this student.
He didn't have as few students as Professor Voladi, nor was he as meddlesome as Professor Garcia, so it was only natural.
In fact, he wasn't even that upset—if anything, he felt slightly pleased that Wardanaz had ignored others too.
Though he wasn't sure if he should be happy about that!
"Professor Ku, where is this place?"
"The Punishment Room reserved for upperclassmen and professors."
"Huh? But Professor Verdus was locked up somewhere else last time?"
"This is where they detain those with relatively minor offenses. Like failing to submit magic on time or neglecting duties..."
"...???"
Lee Han felt something was off.
Then shouldn't Professor Verdus have been sent here? Why was he in a different Punishment Room?
'Never mind. Better not ask.'
On second thought, he wasn't that curious. What good would it do to know why Professor Verdus had received harsher punishment?
There were far more pressing matters at hand.
"So that's why the facilities are a bit nicer. How long was I asleep? What's the date now?"
Professor Kirmin spread his fingers wide.
When he revealed that there was only one month left until the Final Exams, Lee Han was horrified.
So I basically slept for over ten days!
"You let me sleep that long?! Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"......"
Professor Kirmin looked around the hallway for something to throw.
Unfortunately, since this was the Professor's Punishment Room, there was nothing useful in the hallway.
"Who told you to get hurt like that? How could I wake someone who's recovering from injuries?"
"I could've woken up and recovered on my own."
"...You're not trying to lure me into opening the door, are you, Wardanaz? Planning an escape attempt?"
This time, it was Lee Han's turn to be dumbfounded by the professor's words.
"Why would I do such a thing? I'm well aware my condition isn't great right now."
"S-sorry. Professor Bagrak has tried that before."
"......"
The atmosphere suddenly turned solemn. Lee Han blamed Professor Voladi.
'That's really too much!'
No wonder his friend had developed such a distrustful personality.
"Um, Professor."
"What."
"How long do I have to stay in the Punishment Room? Until the semester ends?"
At Lee Han's question, Professor Kirmin smirked. He looked like he'd been waiting for this very question.
"Until vacation ends."
"...No!"
Lee Han was utterly shocked by the much longer duration than expected.
If he had to stay in the Punishment Room until vacation ended, when would he ever collect gold coins?
"Professor! I'll be a third-year next year. I need to save up gold coins!"
"Wardanaz, what you've saved so far is more than enough..."
Professor Kirmin answered with a weary expression.
Though he didn't know the full extent of Wardanaz's business ventures, even just calculating what had surfaced so far showed he was far from lacking.
Just looking at this semester—where he'd wasted so much time because of Voladi—hadn't he received rewards dozens of times higher than other students?
"And you can always take on requests that can be handled within the Punishment Room."
"The outdoor requests pay better though."
"Who told you to recklessly use dangerous magic without listening?"
Professor Kirmin replied with what seemed like schadenfreude.
Instead of pleading with this wicked professor, Lee Han decided to seek out a kinder one.
"Does Professor Garcia know about this? If she doesn't, could you tell her? She'd definitely help me if she knew."
"Wardanaz. It was Professor Kim who got angry and insisted you be confined until vacation ends."
"......"
"See, you shouldn't make kind people angry."
After all, when good people get angry, they're even more terrifying.
Even the Skeleton Principal—who had considered releasing him given his achievements in the Evil God Subjugation and his magical progress—had been subjected to Professor Garcia's wrath, a fury that would make even hell's demons tremble.
Her rage was so intense that even professors who usually opposed sending Lee Han to the Punishment Room (citing how much work they needed him for) had bowed their heads in submission.
"Couldn't my achievements in the Evil God Subjugation count as extenuating circumstances?"
"The medal might arrive by mail. Though you won't be able to attend the award ceremony."
Lee Han sighed and gave up.
It seemed there was no way out.
Perkuntra's help was blocked, and if even Professor Garcia was that angry, no other professor would help either...
At this point, he might just have to reflect quietly and stay until vacation ended.
'Still, I don't regret it.'
Thanks to the blessings of the many Einrogard seniors who'd been caught before him, Lee Han steadied his resolve.
Regretting being caught was for amateurs.
A truly great mage should be thinking about how not to get caught next time.
'Next time, I'll forge things a little more cleverly...'
"Here, take this."
Professor Kirmin handed over a package he'd brought.
It contained several advanced Illusion Magic spellbooks and some simple snacks.
As Lee Han pulled out cheese, butter, jam, and soft round bread from the package, he expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, Professor."
"Don't mention it. If there's anything you don't understand while reading, send a Paper Bird to ask. I've got places to be."
"Going to lecture?"
"No. Meeting Professor Bagrak. He's in the cell next door."
"......"