Episode 1266
Episode 1266
"Be quiet."
The Crone silenced the mouth of the black mage whose memory was poor and manners even worse.
When his upper and lower lips stuck firmly together and his tongue became as immobile as a lump of lead, Gainando turned deathly pale.
"Mmmpgh! Mmmph?!"
"I told you not to move carelessly in front of an entity from another dimension."
"Mmmphh...!"
"It's been a while. Thank you for your help last time."
Lee Han offered sincere words of gratitude.
This 'Wisest and Most Eccentric Crone' was infamous among the Empire's black mages, but to Lee Han, she was a benefactor.
Most importantly, had this powerful being not helped him, he wouldn't have been able to defeat the Evil God alongside Professor Voladi.
For that reason alone, Lee Han held her in extremely high regard. Her personality didn't matter.
'It's not like beings with bad personalities are rare across dimensions. If they're helpful to me, that's enough.'
Even the Yaksha King, with his vicious temperament, received praise from the Empire's people—there was no reason the Crone couldn't either.
Perhaps sensing Lee Han's genuine gratitude, the powerful entity cackled with laughter.
Many had received magic from the old granny, but few greeted her so politely. What a commendable lad!
"Keheheh. It's only basic manners."
That disgusting laughter—stop it this instant! Where did you learn such terrible habits?
"......"
Lee Han's expression darkened slightly.
He had been thinking of quitting the habit for the Skeleton Principal's sake, but he hadn't expected to be criticized this harshly.
'It's not that bad, is it?'
"What do you mean I'm handling things carelessly? I don't think that's the case."
"Mmmph mmph!"
Gainando made muffled noises of agreement from the side.
By any measure, Lee Han was absolutely not handling things carelessly. Just look at the remnants of the Separatists they had dealt with earlier.
Seeing them try to draw weapons only to get beaten down almost evoked pity.
Those small fry would have self-destructed even without you stepping in, kid. Don't you feel it too?
The Crone scoffed at the various individuals captured today.
The Separatists were fools dreaming empty dreams without proper ability, and the Anti-Magic Zealots were nothing but opportunists looking to cause a ruckus.
The others were no different. Even if Lee Han hadn't captured them and they had caused trouble, the nearby knights or priests would have subdued them quickly.
The real enemy was lurking in the shadows beyond the dimension, their sinister gaze gleaming.
You should be wary of that enemy, kid.
"...Uh, by any chance, is it Apazragon?"
Who's that?
"The angel who's been following me around..."
......
The Crone was momentarily confused whether to be shocked by a celestial being persistently following a mere mage or by a mage who treated such a being as an enemy.
The Undead, you fool! You utterly brainless brat!
When Lee Han realized she meant the Bishop of the Prahgal Cult—a monster who had shed his mortal form and become half an entity of the dimension—he was greatly surprised.
"Why would he target m—... Hm. Now that I think about it, it makes sense."
Lee Han, about to protest, immediately conceded.
Now that he considered it, he had indeed exploited the Undead quite a bit while fighting the Evil God.
Using him as a shield, as bait...
You did all that? This old granny didn't even tell you to, yet you went that far. I'm so moved I could cry.
The Crone marveled once again.
To handle a heavyweight of the Evil God Cult that everyone fears like that...
Say what you will, no one can deny this kid's got guts.
"It wasn't intentional. The Evil God was just too powerful, so I had no choice but to—"
Yes, yes. This granny also tells the annoying debt collectors locked in the basement that it wasn't intentional. Anyway, that's not the reason.
"Then what is it about?"
Lee Han was completely baffled.
What on earth could it be then?
...Stedal Nago! Have you forgotten what you did under the identity of Stedal Nago? Even I, who am second to none in shamelessness, find you utterly outrageous, kid!
To have shattered the Prahgal Cult's schemes under the guise of Stedal Nago and then forget about it—unbelievable.
The Crone unconsciously slapped her knee in disbelief at Lee Han's audacity. The Undead himself should have witnessed this.
"Ah."
Only then did Lee Han recall the incident where he had even stolen the opponent's Authority.
He distinctly remembered thwarting their plot and stealing their Authority...
"No. That happened ages ago—you still remember that?"
......
"......"
This time, even Gainando gave him a look of utter disbelief.
'Lee Han... It hasn't even been a year...!'
This old woman may be generous and forgiving, but lunatics never forget, you know. Of course, I remember the name Stedal Nago!
Choosing to respect Lee Han's shamelessness, the Crone refrained from pointing it out and instead stuck to the necessary discussion.
Lee Han, his expression turning serious, asked again,
"You wouldn't bring this up unless you had a countermeasure in mind. Am I wrong?"
Sharp as ever. There is a Secret Art. A very powerful and convenient spell.
It was truly rare for the Crone to bestow gifts upon a mortal twice without demanding anything in return.
This could only mean she held Lee Han's capabilities and boldness—demonstrated during the Evil God expedition—in exceptionally high regard.
And also because he was shameless beyond measure!
This Black Magic Secret Art was a grand spell that melted and twisted the connections between spaces and dimensions to distort the approach of hostile entities.
The moment he heard the explanation, Lee Han could already guess how difficult this magic would be.
'...This is at least 5th Circle... no, 6th Circle, isn't it?'
<Bakwantalana's Dimensional Rod>, which interfered with dimensions, was 6th Circle. Similarly, this Black Magic, which also manipulated surrounding dimensions, would be impossible to implement with just three or four spells.
Having accumulated some experience as a mage himself, Lee Han could grasp the intended purpose of this spell.
It was clearly designed to summon beings from other dimensions according to the caster's will.
The hardest part of dimensional summoning was locating and accessing the target.
Finding and pinpointing a single entity across countless vast dimensions was no ordinary feat.
But what if, instead of searching, you twisted your own dimension to pull the target toward you?
The target might find it annoying, but from a mage's perspective, nothing could be more convenient.
'Now that's the coercive essence of true Black Magic...'
As a practitioner of the Black Magic school, Lee Han couldn't help but think so.
Summoning Magic schools rarely employed such forceful methods—there was no benefit in strong-arming a contract.
Why the silence? Are you moved or something?
"If I understand correctly, this arcane spell was originally meant to forcibly summon beings from other dimensions, wasn't it?"
...Exactly! You really are sharp!
The Crone marveled inwardly.
Truly, as a disciple of Gonadaltes, his brilliance was extraordinary.
To deduce the original purpose of the spell just from its description.
"This doesn't seem like an ordinary challenge."
Indeed. If you're only casting it to block, it'll be much easier.
Twisting dimensions to prevent a summoning was far simpler than twisting them to summon something in the first place.
The latter only required corroding and warping without complex calculations or rituals.
"Still, it seems quite difficult."
Naturally. ...But why do I sense a whiff of suspicious scheming from you...?
As the conversation continued, the Crone began to feel uneasy.
It seemed like this kid was circling around something he wanted to say.
What is it?
"Couldn't you cast it for me instead?"
......
"......"
Both the Crone and Gainando were left speechless. Well, Gainando had been speechless for a while now.
Did he really just say that...?
"Wait!"
"?!"
The sudden appearance of the dragon left not only Lee Han but even the Crone utterly flabbergasted.
"Why is there a dragon here?"
What the hell is that? Who's this tactless dragon?
'She's surprisingly sharp.'
"That is His Highness Uman."
Is he one of the dragon's nine unfilial offspring?
"!"
Lee Han was greatly surprised by the Crone's unexpectedly profound knowledge of imperial politics.
Even within the Empire, many were unaware of such details—how could a being who roams other dimensions know this so well?
"You're mistaken on one point. To call him an unfilial offspring—how diligent His Highness is!"
Whether diligent or not, if he has no intention of inheriting the throne, then he is indeed unfilial... Not that there's any shame in that. All children are unfilial by nature. Even the little ones who made contracts with this old crone act willfully and don't listen—why should a dragon's children be any different?
"...U-Uman is doing his best."
Uman, perhaps embarrassed, flushed and spoke up.
"Not inheriting the throne is because Uman lacks the ability—"
Enough. Tell me why you interrupted this old crone.
"If a powerful enemy is targeting us from beyond dimensions, then Uman will use his draconic speech to block their approach. After all, Uman is the one responsible for this area, and the mage from the Wardanaz family here is merely assisting. There's no need to take on more responsibility than necessary."
"!"
Wouldn't it be better for the kid to learn?
The Crone, having lost interest, spoke in a bored tone.
Of course, with a dragon's innate abilities, he could indeed block any approach.
But then it wouldn't be fun at all. The Crone's Secret Art wouldn't be passed down either.
Ignoring the Crone's interference, Uman turned to Lee Han and spoke in a serious voice.
"I have a request in return."
"What is it?"
For this dragon to take on the task himself and still have a request—it was clearly no ordinary favor. Lee Han unconsciously tensed. Gainando beside him gulped audibly.
"...Could you go and stop my elder sister...?"
"Ah."
Only then did Lee Han realize he'd forgotten about Jowurin in the midst of apprehending the villains.
"My apologies, Your Highness."
"Hmm. It's fine. Jowurin had fun too."
"My apologies, Professor."
"It's alright."
Having rejoined Jowurin and Professor Voladi (who had been polishing a statue at Jowurin's request), Lee Han threw himself back into his work.
He had to properly complete this dragon statue, received under Yukveltire's name.
It wasn't just about the commission. Since Jowurin had taken an interest, he couldn't afford to finish it carelessly.
"So here, I want it to breathe fire!"
"Understood. I'll make it happen."
"And from its eyes, a destructive beam should—"
Lee Han calculated and inscribed the spells one by one according to Jowurin's wishes. Since the requested magic wasn't particularly difficult, enchanting them on the spot didn't take long.
But Jowurin tilted her head in confusion.
"Is something the matter, Your Highness?"
"Lee Han, you seem troubled."
"Ah. About that..."
Lee Han let out a shallow sigh and recounted the earlier events.
Though Uman had stepped in to handle things, strictly speaking, the grudge Stedal Nago had accumulated was due to Lee Han's own actions.
He couldn't help feeling guilty—had he burdened the dragon too much when he was already busy and exhausted?
'Should I have just learned it myself? But from what I heard, it wasn't a spell one could master immediately.'
Even as he spoke, Lee Han's hands never stopped moving.
Thanks to the harsh training under Professor Verdus, students of Einrogard's Enchantment Magic school could move their hands and minds independently.
And among them, Lee Han was the most outstanding—and the most severely tormented—worker. It was only natural he excelled in this regard.
"...Lee Han?"
"Ha. Maybe I should've stayed behind to lend him mana. Or maybe I overstepped by posing as Stedal Nago... But that magic was—"
"Lee Han! Lee Han!"
Jowurin shook Lee Han's shoulders. Only then did he realize she had been calling him.
"What is it, Your Highness?"
"Do enchanted statues usually come to life like this?"
Jowurin tilted her head as something entirely different from what they'd discussed took shape under the enchanter's fingertips.
Do enchanted statues usually move this vividly?