Episode 158
Episode 158
"Huu..."
Lee Han let out a sigh.
Then, with a grave expression, he spoke.
"I can't explain that in detail."
"......"
Professor Thunderstep cursed his student inwardly.
'What nonsense is this brat spouting with such a serious face...?'
If it had been any other student—say, someone like Gainando—he would've roared, "Stop spouting nonsense and prepare for your exam!"
But Professor Thunderstep didn't do that to Lee Han.
The student before him was too diligent, and he already had far too much on his plate to warrant a scolding.
"Fine. Drink this, then."
If the Barley Potion didn't work, there were always the Grape Potion and Rice Potion.
Professor Thunderstep pulled out the Grape—no, the Grape Potion and Rice Potion from under the table and pushed them toward Lee Han.
Lee Han shook his head.
"Getting drunk would be dangerous."
'Is this brat really a freshman?'
Rejecting potions—no, alcohol—during such a lively festival?
Truly, his willpower was as unyielding as steel.
"If we need to break through an ambush... we'll have to increase our numbers."
"Hmm."
Lee Han considered Professor Thunderstep's words.
Lee Han wasn't the only one who had obtained an Outing Pass. Given the current trend, it wouldn't be strange if three or four students from each of the other towers had them as well.
What if they formed ranks with these students and prepared to break through the traps set for them?
'Hmm. They won't listen to me.'
Students from the Blue Dragon Tower or Phoenix Tower might be different, but those from the Black Turtle Tower or White Tiger Tower would likely refuse to listen to Lee Han even if their lives depended on it.
Should he attack and subdue his friends first, then threaten them into compliance?
'Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea.'
When all other impossible methods were eliminated, the one that remained—no matter how absurd it seemed—might just be the right answer.
He would have to attack his friends first, but...
"Thank you, Professor."
Unaware that Lee Han was entertaining such insane thoughts, Professor Thunderstep allowed a faint, satisfied smile to cross his face.
As a teacher, receiving sincere gratitude from a student—especially one like Lee Han—was a joyous thing.
"I'm glad I could help. So, you really won't drink?"
"It's fine. But considering this is the Magic School's festival, is alcohol—no, potions like these really enough?"
At Lee Han's words, Professor Thunderstep shrugged.
"Do you think people know anything about alchemy? Even if we showed them potions that underwent countless transformations, the only ones who'd recognize their value would be fellow alchemists. Everyone else would just think, 'Oh, it's a potion,' and move on. But if you give them something like this..."
"Everyone becomes happy."
"Exactly."
A skilled alchemist was also skilled at brewing alcohol.
Lee Han listened with interest to Professor Thunderstep's lecture on <How Alchemists Manage Their Connections>.
The gist was that alchemists, who were usually holed up in their labs brewing potions, tended to be antisocial, so mastering the art of brewing alcohol was essential for maintaining smooth interpersonal relationships.
'He's absolutely right.'
Lee Han resolved to observe Professor Thunderstep's brewing techniques closely in the future.
After all, offering bribes effectively wasn't something just anyone could do.
"I'm impressed, Professor."
"Good."
"Then, may I take some of these potions with me?"
"...Are you planning not to drink them now so you can sell them later?"
The Skeleton Principal surveyed the gue... esteemed guests gathered before him with a weary gaze.
Then, he cleared his throat.
"Esteemed nobles of the Empire who have graced us with your presence... and our proud students, who will shoulder the Empire's future!"
'Disgusting.'
'Once I graduate, I'm never getting involved with a lich again.'
While the guests applauded with impressed expressions, the freshmen glared at the Skeleton Principal.
What is he plotting now?!
"The festival is nearly upon us. To allow everyone a brief respite, I'd like to present a few simple riddles to our gathered guests."
Exchanging riddles while resting was one of the pastimes enjoyed by both nobles and commoners alike.
Moreover, since the Skeleton Principal—one of the empire's most renowned sages—was proposing to present a riddle, the guests watched with keen interest.
What kind of riddle would he pose?
"Ah, yes. If our esteemed guests from outside can solve it correctly, I shall gift them an Outing Pass."
"Headmaster, surely you jest... What would we even use that for?"
"My, how delightfully humorous!"
"......"
In stark contrast to the guests' jovial atmosphere, the students who had yet to obtain an Outing Pass were practically burning with desperation.
And then there were those who hadn't quite grasped the situation yet.
The guests from Baldrogard.
"This is our chance."
"Exactly. An opportunity to demonstrate our abilities to Einrogard's mages."
'Are they really that oblivious?'
Lee Han cast a pitying glance at the Baldrogard students.
The moment anyone here solved the riddle and obtained an Outing Pass, Einrogard's first-years would consider the Baldrogard students their sworn enemies until graduation.
Yet here they were, burning with enthusiasm without even realizing it.
"Now then... Everyone, try guessing my age."
"?"
"??"
The absurdity of the so-called riddle left everyone utterly dumbfounded.
This...
This wasn't even a proper riddle!
'Ah, he's redefining the very concept of riddles now.'
Grrrr...
"What's wrong?" Lee Han frowned as Sharkan tugged insistently at his sleeve.
The undead summon was signaling frantically for him to follow.
'...Don't tell me?'
Lee Han wasn't foolish enough to ignore a warning from his loyal undead summon.
Crouching low, he followed Sharkan's lead, moving silently toward the secluded back of the main building.
There, hidden beneath a tarp, was a massive pile.
Though covered, Lee Han had a pretty good idea what it was.
"...Fireworks."
Through a gap in the tarp, he caught sight of the unmistakable glint of magical fireworks.
He didn't bother asking why such a stockpile was hidden behind the main building.
That was the kind of question only an amateur would ask.
'Should I just flee to the tower and avoid this whole riddle nonsense?'
But before he could finish that thought, rustling came from the pile, and a figure emerged from between the fireworks.
A mage Lee Han had never seen before.
"...Damn it all, caught already! Who the hell are you?!"
"!"
The moment the stranger cursed and raised his staff, Lee Han reacted instinctively.
"Sharkan, attack! Paralyze him!"
One of the first lessons Lee Han had learned at the Magic School was that no matter who the opponent was, if they tried to subdue him, he had to resist.
Even if it was one of the Skeleton Principal's lackeys!
'This isn't the Punishment Room yet! If I subdue him and slip away...!'
With single-minded focus, Lee Han resolved to overpower his opponent.
Knock him out, and he could still walk away from this unscathed!
The mage, Ogonin, was not one of the Skeleton Principal's subordinates.
He was, in fact, a mage of considerable renown in the empire.
...Of course, being renowned didn't mean he wasn't also a thief.
In this particular case, Ogonin was most definitely a thief.
The less a mage knew about Einrogard, the more illusions they tended to harbor.
Unfortunately, Ogonin's fame and skill far outweighed his actual knowledge of Einrogard.
And so, like countless others before him, he fell prey to the same delusion.
That inside those walls lay countless mysteries and arcane secrets waiting to be discovered!
He wasn't entirely wrong.
It was just that getting in, finding them, and getting out alive was nearly impossible.
But mages were a breed like moths to a flame—no matter how impossible the odds, if there was something to be sought, they would leap in headfirst.
Ogonin was no exception.
Though many thieves and adventurers had been caught during the festival, Ogonin paid them no mind.
He didn't care about his own reputation or the consequences of being caught.
-I must get inside and obtain those mysteries without fail!
Ogonin's skills matched his renowned reputation.
Thanks to that, he successfully disguised his identity to enter and managed to move around undetected after infiltrating.
However, his luck ran out the moment he discovered the pile of fireworks.
(At first, Ogonin didn't even realize what they were.)
Upon sensing the immense mana emanating from the fireworks, his face lit up with excitement.
-Aha! They must be conducting some kind of research here!
To investigate thoroughly, Ogonin set up a barrier around the area.
"The will of the forgotten shall repel those who approach!"
This was no crude invisibility spell or simple visual distortion barrier—it was an advanced mental magic designed to crush the will of intruders and force them to retreat.
After erecting the barrier, Ogonin prepared to examine the fireworks...
...Until some freshman suddenly ignored the barrier and waltzed right in.
'How did he bypass the barrier?!'
Ogonin refused to believe the freshman had overpowered the barrier with sheer mana.
He assumed he must have made some ridiculous mistake.
'Did I mess up because I'm not used to sneaking around...? Such a blunder...!'
Ogonin decided he needed to escape immediately.
If word got out that a freshman caught him, the humiliation would be unbearable.
"May another's illusion consume you!"
He cast a powerful illusion spell—one that directly interfered with the target's mind to project visions.
The freshman wouldn't even realize what he'd just witnessed amidst the flood of unexpected hallucinations.
"...?"
Yet Lee Han remained completely unfazed despite being hit by the spell.
Sure, he felt some kind of mana ripple strike his body, but...
'Huh?'
Though he didn't understand why the opponent was acting this way, Lee Han gratefully accepted the mistake.
He'd learned this lesson after facing countless professors:
Never let your guard down.
Subdue them the moment you have the chance!
"Flash!"
A bolt of lightning crackled toward Ogonin, who rolled aside in panic.
The speed of the lightning magic was absurd for a freshman's casting, but what shocked him more was how the illusions had zero effect.
'What in the world is going on?!'
Ogonin wondered if he'd mistaken this student for a freshman.
Maybe a fourth or fifth-year...?
But even that made no sense. No student, regardless of year, should be able to shrug off his illusions like this.
"May another's illusion—!"
"Flash!"
'Guh!'
The spells his opponent fired were anything but weak—brutal in power and unnaturally fast in casting.
Under normal circumstances, Ogonin would've admitted this was a unique case where illusions didn't work and switched tactics.
But his pride refused to let him.
He was, after all, a man who'd built his reputation in the Empire through illusion magic.
Being unable to handle a single student was too humiliating.
"I shall dominate your mind!"
'Damn. You're annoyingly good at this!'
Though Ogonin's powerful illusion was deflected again, Lee Han himself didn't even notice.
Instead, he admired his opponent's evasive skills.
Clearly, this guy had plenty of combat experience.
Every time Lee Han prepared a spell, Ogonin would roll away preemptively.
But then why did he keep wasting mana on useless spells?
'Trying to subdue me?'
Well, if he was the Skeleton Principal's subordinate, it made sense he'd avoid seriously injuring a student... Wait, no, it was still weird, but plausible.
Lee Han decided to gratefully exploit this consideration.
'I can't end up in the Punishment Room!'
Swinging his staff wildly, Lee Han channeled mana like a madman.
Dozens of Water Orbs began materializing in the air. Only then did Ogonin panic and shout:
"Wait, hold on—!"
"Forgive me, Professor!"
"No, I'm not—!"