Episode 185
Episode 185
The imperial princess and heir.
The Death Knight's summoning wasn't over yet.
Gainando, who had been dragged outside the door, tilted his head and asked.
"Me?"
You're the second-ranked student of the Blue Dragon Tower. Follow me.
Of course, it was referring to the Princess.
Gainando grumbled and turned his head away.
This damn magic school and its filthy sex discrimination!
"I refuse to believe that I'm being dragged to the Punishment Room just because I did well on the exam."
That's not possible.
The Death Knight answered calmly.
"It may not be the Punishment Room, but I refuse to believe I'm being dragged somewhere just as terrible."
The Death Knight didn't respond to that.
Lee Han felt a sense of foreboding.
The Princess, who had been walking toward the door, suddenly looked at the line in front of the dessert table with a dawning realization.
Then she whispered to the Death Knight.
No. I have to go now.
"......"
The Princess glared coldly at the Death Knight. But the undead, true to its nature, remained indifferent.
Clang!
"Lee Han! You're there, right?? You're there, aren't you?!"
Gainando, seated in the carriage ahead, desperately clung to the iron bars of the window, trying to stick his head out.
"Yeah."
"Can you take down the Death Knight and rescue us?"
"No way."
"Ugh...!"
Gainando and the other trapped students let out despairing groans.
Did these idiots seriously think I could take down a Death Knight and save them?
Lee Han was speechless.
Silence. We're heading to the next dormitory.
The two carriages—one carrying the failing students and the other the top students—rattled as they sped through the school grounds.
Tap tap—
"?"
The Princess whispered to Lee Han in a hushed voice. Her expression was so serious that Lee Han instinctively tensed.
What? What did she figure out?
"...When's the next time...?"
"You mean the desserts?"
The Princess nodded.
I wasn't planning on it.
It was more troublesome than he'd thought, and he'd already used up all the extravagant ingredients he'd bought outside.
With no idea when he'd be able to go out again, there wouldn't be a next time.
"I've run out of ingredients."
The Princess looked shocked, then glared even more icily at the Death Knight outside the carriage.
"Compensate us with snacks! Give us back our snacks!"
Coincidentally, Gainando seemed to share the same sentiment as he banged on the iron bars and shouted loudly.
The Death Knight, looking thoroughly fed up, closed the carriage window.
"Why are they making so much noise up ahead?"
"Who knows. I have no idea."
The top-ranked student of the Black Turtle Tower (Salko of the Tutanta Family) and the second-ranked (a student Lee Han had never spoken to before) looked puzzled as they boarded the carriage.
The carriage ahead seemed to be making a continuous racket...
Were they screaming because they didn't want to be taken away?
The second-ranked student of the Black Turtle Tower, after glancing at the Princess's expression, asked Lee Han in a voice so quiet only he could hear.
"Her Highness seems upset. Did something happen?"
She was usually cold, but today she seemed even frostier.
"Hmph. Probably her pride."
Salko clicked his tongue in displeasure as he spoke.
From Salko's perspective—someone who didn't particularly like students from the Blue Dragon Tower—the Princess, who had gathered followers from multiple towers right after enrollment, was far from likable.
It seemed like she was enjoying excessive privileges just because of her bloodline.
"Tutanta. You're being too loud."
"If she hears, then so be it. She's probably just bitter about losing to Wardanaz."
"Anyone would be upset in that situation."
"But to show it like that when Wardanaz is right next to her? Unacceptable. These high-blooded types only care about themselves..."
I'm from the Wardanaz family too.
For a moment, Lee Han wondered if Salko considered him part of the same tower.
"That's a misunderstanding, Salko."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Yeah. She's just in a bad mood because she got dragged away while eating snacks. Anyone would be."
"...Wardanaz. I thought you were good at everything, but turns out you're bad at something. You have no talent for jokes."
"Wardanaz. That was a terrible joke."
"Anyway, it seems you don't want me insulting your friend, so I'll stop. But Wardanaz. Think carefully. Friends walk side by side as equals, not with one unilaterally standing above the other..."
"......"
This time, Lee Han found himself inexplicably boiling with anger.
'Even if these bastards speak the truth...'
Meanwhile, the top and second-ranked students from other towers also boarded the carriage.
You've arrived. Honors students. Step out of the carriage.
"Where is this place?"
The Honors Students' Chamber.
'A hidden tower?'
The carriage had arrived near the main building, revealing a sinister-looking tower he'd never seen before.
It was clearly located in a magically concealed space.
Judging by its exterior alone...
'It just looks like another punishment room.'
No need to be nervous, honors students.
The Skeleton Principal's familiar voice tickled their ears.
The figure of the Skeleton Principal, floating ominously above the sinister tower, came into view.
While failing students go to the punishment room, honors students receive rewards. This place was prepared to reward honors students.
"Is that really true?!"
Angrago exclaimed joyfully.
Lee Han and Giselle simultaneously looked at him with pity.
You believe that?
Of course! Surely there aren't any students who don't believe me?
"How could that possibly be true?"
Exactly. Unlike failing students, the students gathered here are the most outstanding from each tower.
As he spoke, the circular plaque hanging on the tower's door began spinning rapidly.
Now, go inside and take what's yours!
"...Excuse me, but may I ask exactly what we're supposed to take?"
It's simple.
The Skeleton Principal, perhaps in a good mood today, explained quite generously.
This tower was created to celebrate students who performed well on exams.
All you had to do was open the door, overcome the trials on each floor, and claim your rewards!
If you're capable enough, you can keep ascending floors to collect rewards—essentially a tower of happy rewards!
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and Giselle's expressions turned grave.
Just hearing the explanation sent chills down their spines.
'This sounds more like a Tower of Trials and Suffering.'
Given the Skeleton Principal's personality, it wouldn't be strange if he'd prepared hell from the very first floor.
What use were good rewards if you couldn't obtain them?
If you can't overcome them, they're meaningless!
"Thank you, Headmaster!"
Your joy is my joy.
Angrago, still oblivious, remained delighted.
Now then... White Tiger Tower first. Enter!
"Why are we going in first?"
If you find it unfair, do better on the next exam.
"Isn't going in first a good thing?"
Angrago looked puzzled. Giselle closed her eyes as if steeling herself.
The rotating plaque gradually slowed to a stop, revealing its emblem.
A sword emblem.
Trial of the Sword!
The tower door opened and swallowed the two White Tiger Tower students.
Though it lasted only a brief moment, thanks to the brutal training he'd received from Alarong, Lee Han caught a glimpse of the room's interior.
It was unmistakably filled with dozens of sword-wielding golems.
"......"
Lee Han seriously considered whether the punishment room might have been the better option.
The challenge Lee Han and the Princess drew was marked by a potion emblem.
'Not sure if this is good or bad luck.'
Lee Han swallowed his anxiety and stepped forward.
What was the wisest choice in this situation?
'Forget the second or third floor—just clear the first floor and leave immediately.'
Only a lunatic would think, "Wow, I wonder what the second-floor reward is?" after clearing the first.
Of course, realistically, even clearing the first floor wouldn't be easy.
The priority now was to escape the tower with minimal injuries.
Lee Han was even considering whether surrender was an option.
Trial of Wisdom
When one person consumes poison, the trial begins. Create an antidote to revive your friend.
"...Surrender? Give up? Abandon?"
The tower gave no answer. Lee Han sighed.
Ahead, a cake sat on the table. Anyone could tell it was laced with poison.
Beside it were a cauldron, alchemy tools, and ingredients.
The Princess raised her staff and aimed it at the cake.
"Poison, reveal yourself."
Instantly, multicolored smoke erupted from the cake. The Princess's pupils widened with shock and disbelief.
"Surely all that can't be poison... is it?"
The Princess nodded. Lee Han made a disgusted face.
'She couldn't have even identified all the poisons inside with that spell, yet there are already this many varieties?'
At this point, it wasn't a cake containing poison—it was poison shaped like a cake.
The Princess gestured that they should cut the cake. There were limits to identifying the poisons without opening it up first.
But the cake wouldn't be cut.
"...They made it so it won't open until eaten."
Lee Han muttered with hatred.
The Skeleton Principal truly spared no meticulous cruelty in these details.
'No choice then.'
Lee Han steeled himself.
Based on his experiences so far, his mana provided considerable resistance to various poisons.
Of course, he wouldn't remain unscathed after eating such a vicious poison cake, but he'd clearly endure better than the Princess.
"I'll eat it. Start brewing the antidote immediately."
"!"
The Princess's cold eyes wavered. Startled, she shook her head and tried to stop him.
Naturally, Lee Han wasn't the type to respect royal wishes, whether from Gainando or the Princess.
He immediately took a bite of the cake.
"!"
'No way. It's delicious—that just makes this even more absurd.'
Surprisingly, it was quite sweet for something laced with poison, and actually tasty.
Rumble!
The moment he took a bite, the door ahead opened, and the text changed.
Trial of Wisdom
The trial has begun. Pass through the door without succumbing to poisoning.
"Hurry!"
Lee Han urged. There was no telling how much time they had left.
The Princess rushed toward the ingredients. In her haste, she nearly tripped and fell.
Proving why she was called the Empire's genius, her movements were flawlessly efficient.
She placed a slice of the cake on a board, decomposed its components, and immediately began tossing ingredients with antidote properties into the cauldron as she identified each poison.
The cauldron bubbled as the potion boiled. With a few more ingredients and a swing of her staff, the potion's color rapidly shifted.
'Focus...!'
An unprecedented pressure weighed on her.
When would she ever have experienced alchemy with a friend's life on the line? The Princess bit her lip.
Crack!
The Princess's movements, which had been tirelessly brewing the potion, suddenly halted.
An ominous sign.
Sure enough, her pupils began trembling—a poison she'd never seen before had appeared.
Frantically, she pulled out whatever antidote ingredients she could, matching them against the cake crumbs. None worked.
Despair crept in. The Princess turned a defeated gaze toward Lee Han.
"Mi...!"
Lee Han sat there perfectly fine, his expression serious.
Wondering why the poisoning hadn't started yet, he took another bite of the cake, then noticed the Princess's stare and looked up.
"...Hm. I don't think I'm getting poisoned."
"......"
The Princess glared at him icily, her face stiff.
Though the Princess stared at him with a betrayed expression, Lee Han remained unapologetic.
'Bet you didn't expect I wouldn't get poisoned at all.'
It wasn't that Lee Han had idly watched her struggle for his amusement.
He'd assumed the poison would take some time to act.
On a whim, he tried passing through—and the trial cleared instantly.
Trial of Wisdom
You have splendidly cleared the trial. Claim your reward.
The honorable mage may advance forward, but retreating like a cowardly weakling is also your choice.
"Let's take the reward and leave immediately."
The Princess nodded.
After a brief wait, smoke appeared, and the reward materialized before the students.
Poof!
It was a silver spoon. Lee Han and the Princess each picked one up, baffled.
'What's this?'
The Princess, as if realizing something, lightly scooped the remaining cake with her spoon. Lee Han startled and smacked the back of her hand.
"Don't eat it!"
"......"
The Princess was too dumbfounded to even react properly.