Episode 1258
Episode 1258
Come to think of it, I don't think I saw Professor Voladi while talking with my friend earlier...
The students of Einrogard were well aware that these two master and disciple could easily pull off a coordinated intimidation tactic.
What if one distracted attention outside while the other threatened inside the inn?
'That makes sense!'
"......"
Of course, that wasn't the case. The completely innocent Lee Han thought to himself:
'Am I being disliked for visiting Dekarogard?'
He felt somewhat conflicted.
First, he felt slightly wronged. First Oculogard, and now this—why did they hate the very act of visiting so much?
'What did I even do? ...Hmm. Actually, I did do something.'
Lee Han quickly reflected.
Dekarogard's academic atmosphere was so fresh and intense that he must have gotten carried away without realizing it.
But when you thought about it, the root cause was Dekarogard's school rules. Lee Han had merely been respecting their customs.
'And...'
Separate from feeling wronged, Lee Han knew exactly how to act in situations like this.
If Dekarogard's rule was "Extort gold," what was Einrogard's rule?
When the enemy shows weakness, attack even more fiercely!
There were other rules too, like "Never forgive snitches," "Don't discard bones after hunting," and "Never trust the Headmaster."
"By any chance... do you dislike me visiting Dekarogard?"
"What nonsense. Having a young genius like you visit our magic academy would be wonderful stimulation."
Professor Ukablock answered without changing his expression.
Dripdripdrip—
Yet his hands trembled so violently that tea spilled from the cup.
"...Since I won't be going, please deliver this properly to the professor."
"I said it's fine if you visit! But understood! Haha. I'll make sure to deliver it properly by any means necessary!"
Seeing how overjoyed the other was, Lee Han felt bitter.
To be this happy just because I'm not going...
"Ah. Our meeting must remain a secret."
"Understood. Your consideration for your teacher is truly touching."
"That's not exactly the reason but... anyway, I'm counting on you. If you slip up, next semester you'll be living in a tent on Dekarogard's territory."
"......"
"......"
Professor Garcia visited the capital's famous <Rock Spirit's Apple Jam Cafe> and bought hot coffee, apple pie, and stone soup. A soft, sweet fragrance wafted up.
The rock spirit, recognizing the professor, greeted her cheerfully. The spirit pointed beside the professor, then spun its hand near its head and shrugged as if asking where someone had gone.
"The Headmaster didn't come."
The rock spirit grinned and left.
Professor Garcia carefully gathered the gifts and headed toward where the Oculogard mages were.
'Please accept my apologies for the recent discourtesy. Though my words may have been somewhat extreme...'
After mentally reviewing her prepared apology, Professor Garcia sent a paper bird from below the spire.
It was better to request permission before barging in. Especially since she came to apologize.
BANG!
"!"
Professor Garcia was startled when Oculogard mages immediately threw open the spire door and rushed out.
They looked as if they'd been waiting at the tower's base.
But that couldn't be...
"Why are you all down here? What about your magic?"
"We were just stepping out briefly."
"???"
Oculogard mages and "stepping out."
No two words could be more mismatched. Weren't these the people who, even when visiting the capital, would only focus on magic in secluded places?
Professor Garcia was baffled.
"What's the occasion?"
"......"
This time, the Oculogard mages were flustered. After exchanging looks and trying to pass responsibility, they finally forced out an answer:
"We were going sightseeing."
"?????"
Professor Garcia's bewilderment reached its peak.
'Did the Headmaster's doppelganger appear in the capital or something?'
Considering what had happened at the Hall of Gold and now this series of incomprehensible events, there was likely some greater reason behind it all.
This was far too strange to dismiss as mere coincidence!
"W-well then. Sightseeing... sightseeing is good. The capital is beautiful, after all..."
For now, Professor Garcia decided to stop probing further.
Given that she'd come to apologize, asking questions like "Why are you down here?" or "Why are you sightseeing in the capital?" would have been odd in itself.
"More importantly, I wanted to apo—"
"There's no need for that, Professor Kim."
"Huh? You know what I was going to—"
"You came to apologize for what happened recently, didn't you?"
"!"
Professor Garcia was impressed.
As expected of Oculogard's outstanding Divination mages—their insight was razor-sharp.
"Yes. Of course, we weren't the ones who sent those threatening letters, but I truly apologize that you had to go through such an ordeal because of the Exchange Meeting..."
"There's no need for that, Professor Kim. We're all perfectly satisfied."
"Huh? Really?"
Stunned by the unbelievable response, Professor Garcia felt both relieved and utterly confused.
Why were they acting like this all of a sudden?
"We're truly delighted to participate in the Exchange Meeting."
"Thank—"
"We firmly declare our full support for Professor Kim in all matters to come."
"...No. No, wait a minute."
Professor Garcia couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up.
"If you have any complaints, just say so! We don't want to force cooperation between magic schools through threats."
"We have none. We've never been threatened."
"......"
This was getting even more suspicious.
But the Oculogard mages left no openings. No matter how much Professor Garcia coaxed and prodded, they only repeated variations of "We're happy" and "We've never been threatened."
In the end, Professor Garcia had no choice but to give up and turn away.
'What in the world is going on?'
Despite their declaration of full cooperation, an uneasy feeling refused to fade.
Professor Garcia trudged along, her next destination being Dekarogard—someone she was at least on friendly terms with (though his fees were steep).
But before that, she made one more stop.
The Golden Dwarf Bank in the capital.
"...How many gold coins do I have left in my account right now?"
The dwarf assigned to Professor Garcia looked at her with something akin to pity.
The most rigid, stingy, and cold-hearted dwarves in the Empire all worked in banks, and among them, the capital's Golden Dwarf Bank had an especially notorious reputation...
...Yet even a dwarf from such a bank couldn't bring themselves to be completely heartless toward Professor Garcia, showing her a sliver of sympathy.
"Professor Kim. This old dwarf isn't your financial manager, but I must give you one piece of advice. Stop spending so much on your students. No magic academy professor spends like this."
"T-this time, it's not for that—it's for school matters."
"Then shouldn't it be covered by Einrogard's budget?"
"...If I distribute it among the factions, there's barely anything left..."
"Tsk!"
The dwarf clicked his tongue in disapproval.
If Einrogard mages would just cut their wasteful spending on bizarre magic by even a tenth, someone like Professor Garcia wouldn't be in such dire straits.
"Here, your remaining gold coins."
When Professor Garcia saw the number the bank dwarf wrote on the stone tablet, she was shocked.
Her account balance was always lower than she imagined.
With an embarrassed expression, she asked again.
"...Is there any chance I could borrow some gold coins from the bank? As an Einrogard professor..."
"It's possible. But there are conditions."
"Oh! What kind of condition is it? If it's interest..."
"No. You must promise not to use it for anything related to Einrogard. It's an order from above."
"......"
The Golden Dwarf Bank in the capital trusted Professor Garcia but did not trust Einrogard.
If it was related to Einrogard, they couldn't lend gold coins even to Professor Garcia.
In the end, Professor Garcia had no choice but to head off with a sullen face to meet the Dekarogard mages.
As she entered the alley, a mage dressed as a merchant suddenly approached her from the crowd.
"Excuse me, are you Professor Garcia Kim? The one who received the invitation from the Dekarogard mages..."
"Yes. That's me."
"I'll guide you. Please come this way."
Professor Garcia knew full well that this wasn't a merchant but a Dekarogard student dressed as one.
And that if she agreed here, she'd be fleeced for money.
But Professor Garcia pretended not to notice and quietly followed.
Since she had to persuade the Dekarogard mages without any money, she needed to make a good impression even on the students.
'Dekarogard students might want to participate in the exchange meeting. In a way, this could also be an opportunity to extort more gold coins.'
"Here we are, Professor!"
"Thank you. I got here safely thanks to you."
Though she hadn't even walked twenty steps, Professor Garcia praised them without batting an eye.
And just as she was about to take out a silver coin from her wallet...
"No need!"
"Huh? Wh-what, gold coins?"
"No. This wasn't about taking money."
"...What on earth is going on here?!"
Professor Garcia exclaimed in shock.
The Oculogard mages who had acted like they were being threatened earlier were strange enough, but Dekarogard mages refusing money sent an even more chilling shiver down her spine.
What in the world was happening in the capital?
But Professor Garcia didn't know.
That inside, a familiar Dekarogard professor was waiting to donate a massive sum of gold coins to her!
Had she known, she might have fled in terror.
"What kind of magic schools are Terarogard and Pararogard?"
Lee Han checked the remaining magic schools on Professor Garcia's list.
He only knew that Terarogard specialized in healing magic and Pararogard in illusion magic.
Professor Voladi gave a brief explanation.
"Terarogard is a school for radical healing mages."
"Like Professor Lagrinde?"
Lee Han asked, recalling Professor Alkasis from Einrogard.
Truth be told, this person, who forced his disciples to work 28 hours a day in emergencies, might be the true radical healing mage.
"More radical than that."
"......"
The color drained from the faces of the Einrogard students. Lee Han, terrified, asked,
"Do they kill people if they don't focus properly on recovery?"
'At that point, aren't they just combat mages rather than healing mages?'
Unable to bear it, Uman stepped in to clarify.
"They don't do such things. Terarogard mages are just strict about payment."
These strict healing mages were infamous for demanding the most valuable possession their patients had in exchange for their lives.
If the patient was a penniless beggar, they'd cast their magic for just a wooden bowl, but if the patient was wealthy, they might demand several castles.
'No. They seem even better at business than the Dekarogard mages!'
Lee Han marveled at their resourcefulness. As a mage, he always admired those who could sell their magic at high prices.
"It's not as radical as I thought. If the patient is wealthy, demanding that much is..."
"If they can't pay, they initiate collection."
At Professor Voladi's words, Lee Han looked puzzled.
"Do they forcibly take payment? But that seems like a reasonable right."
"They revert the patient's condition to its original state."
If they had been suffering from a plague, they'd return them to that state.
If they had been poisoned, they'd return them to that state.
As Lee Han stared in horror, Uman instinctively defended himself.
"Uman does not agree with the Terarogard mages' methods at all! I was merely pointing out the flaws..."