Episode 189
Episode 189
"How did you know... huh? It really is a spirit? How did you know?"
"Spirits usually run away when they see me."
"......"
"......"
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.
Nilia hesitated before speaking.
"...Y-you don't necessarily have to have a spirit to be a good mage! And Wardanaz, you have plenty of other friends!"
'She's really bad at comforting people.'
That's what Lee Han thought, but he nodded anyway.
When a friend was sincerely trying to comfort him, he couldn't exactly grumble about it.
"Wardanaz. Come here for a sec. Want to check something up ahead?"
"Why?"
"There's something over there. I want you to check if it's a spirit or not."
"......"
Lee Han gave Nilia a hurt look.
Either oblivious or ignoring it, Nilia gestured impatiently.
"Hurry up! We need to check!"
'This is why hunters...'
Lee Han grumbled internally as he trudged forward.
Blizzards generally weren't ideal hunting weather.
But skilled hunters could still track prey even in these conditions.
"Impressive."
Lee Han was amazed as Nilia bagged another rabbit.
"When snow falls suddenly, animals get startled and confused too."
"I see... Earlier, when you ran across the snow, it looked like you were using some unique technique. Can you show me again?"
Nilia took considerable pride in her background as a member of the Shadow Patrol.
Naturally, she enjoyed talking about the Shadow Patrol and hunting with her friends.
-This bread tastes absolutely disgusting.
-Huh? But it's better than the bread I ate when I got stranded alone in the mountains before. That bread was the worst. Some hunter left it in a cave, and it was full of mold and bugs...
-Ugh. Nilia...!
...Needless to say, these attempts weren't particularly successful.
So Wardanaz's genuine respect and interest pleased Nilia, but...
"Wardanaz."
"What's up?"
"I really appreciate you asking about the Shadow Patrol... and I'll answer all your questions properly... but let's talk about it later!"
Whoosh!
Nilia cleanly took down a fleeing deer.
This was precisely the seventeenth question Wardanaz had thrown at her.
'How do you choose or shoot a bow?' 'How do you track prey in the snow?' 'How do you conceal your presence...' and so on.
At first, Nilia had been excited to explain.
Why wouldn't she answer when her friend was curious?
Lee Han diligently took notes, learning each technique one by one.
But Nilia had forgotten one crucial detail.
That her friend was a lunatic who attended every single lecture at the Magic School!
'There's such a thing as going too far!'
By the seventeenth question, Nilia's mouth was dry and her throat was sore.
"Can't we stop after this one?"
"No!"
Though Nilia usually struggled to refuse her friends' requests, spending time with Lee Han was improving her ability to say no.
Swoosh!
"That should be enough."
"Right?"
After butchering the last catch, Nilia washed her hands in the piled snow.
Lee Han melted some nearby snow with fire, boiled it, and poured it into a canteen.
'It's good to get a little more familiar with flames.'
Watching this, Nilia awkwardly borrowed some water.
Magic sure is convenient!
Freshmen coming all the way here in this weather? It's dangerous. Turn back.
"!"
Lee Han and Nilia spun around in shock.
Surprisingly, there was nothing visible around them.
Yet the voice continued—soft and kind.
Where I am doesn't matter. It's dangerous. Turn back.
'Whoever this is, they must be in the top 5% of Einrogard's most considerate people.'
Any being that warned students to turn back because it was dangerous was likely friendly by nature.
"I don't know who you are, but we need food."
I still don't understand why Einrogard starves young students like this... But it's dangerous. Go back. This weather is artificially created and won't subside easily.
Encouraged by the other party's kind demeanor, Lee Han became slightly more proactive.
Such considerate individuals were rare at the Magic School. When help was offered, one had to take it.
"Could you reveal yourself? I'd like to see you and talk properly."
Seeing me won't do you any good.
The voice maintained its courtesy while issuing the warning.
"Why is that?"
My scent is too potent for freshmen—it would intoxicate you.
'What kind of race is this?'
From the warning, Lee Han deduced that the speaker belonged to a rather unusual race.
A race that could intoxicate people with just their scent...?
"But I'll be fine."
"Wardanaz. Isn't this too reckless?"
Nilia whispered.
The other party's serious warning made her unnecessarily anxious.
Judging by the tone, this was clearly no weak opponent...
"It's fine, Nilia."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But you might be in danger, so it'd be better if you stepped back a bit."
"......"
Nilia stared at Lee Han with deeply concerned eyes.
Are you really sure about this?
Gandharvas—with their bird-like wings and legs—were often mistaken for avian beastfolk, but they were an entirely different race.
The key difference was that gandharvas emitted an intoxicating fragrance from their bodies.
They were closer to spirits than beastfolk in lineage.
The gandharva speaking to Lee Han had long resided near the Rockgrass Underground Cave, acting as a guardian to prevent incidents.
Given this, it was no surprise he found approaching mages tiresome.
'This is why mages are like this!'
The gandharva shook off the heavy snow piled at the cave entrance and revealed himself.
Immediately, an intense fragrance enveloped Lee Han.
No matter how strong one's alcohol tolerance was, an inexperienced mage could never withstand—
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Lee Han."
Lee Han bowed politely. The gandharva was taken aback.
Before he could recover, Lee Han pressed on.
"Might I ask your name?"
...Just call me the Master of the Rock-Grass Cave.
"!"
This time, it was Lee Han's turn to be startled.
The Rock-Grass Cave...?
—Rockgrass Underground Cave (Beware the Cave Master)
Wasn't this one of the exits outside Einrogard that Professor Lightning Step had mentioned?
'He seems perfectly fine to me?'
Frankly, the gandharva before him felt far more approachable than the professor.
"You're the Master of the Rock-Grass Cave?"
You know of the Rock-Grass Cave?
The gandharva's face momentarily twisted before radiating an intense aura.
Lee Han remained utterly unruffled and replied calmly.
"I recall seeing the name in the library."
You're not planning to pass through the cave, are you?
"Me? What could possibly be outside the cave worth going for?"
Lee Han played innocent.
His expression didn't flicker—so convincingly that even Nilia listening behind him was completely fooled.
Good, if not. Stay away from the Rock-Grass Cave.
"Might I offer a suggestion?"
What is it?
"Mages are inherently curious beings. If you simply tell them not to take an interest, they'll only grow more intrigued. But if you explain why they shouldn't, they'll understand and lose interest."
The gandharva fell into brief contemplation at Lee Han's words.
The freshman's reasoning was surprisingly sound.
That... might actually work.
"Very well."
The Rock-Grass Cave is extremely dangerous.
"How exactly is it dangerous?"
"......"
From behind, Nilia stared at Lee Han in utter disbelief.
You're not seriously considering going in, are you?
The cave became an unstable path due to overlapping dimensions from the collision of grand magics.
Nilia had clearly heard the same explanation as Lee Han, but she couldn't make sense of it at all.
'What is he even saying?'
"Indeed... If that's the case, then it can't be easily tampered with. The mana must be tangled in a complicated mess, with other dimensions overlapping..."
Exactly.
"......"
Nilia shot him a look of betrayal.
'Is this some kind of disaster zone caused by mages?'
Mages were, by nature, the type to cause major accidents.
Even the sudden blizzard raging outside was the result of a magical mishap.
The Rockvine Cave, located underground, was undoubtedly another such disaster site.
Due to the collision of grand magics, the flow of mana had been thrown into chaos, and other dimensions like the Spirit World had become entangled...
Lee Han finished taking notes.
Though the cave's guardian had warned against entering, other professors frequented the place when bored.
There must be a way to pass through safely.
"Thank you for the warning. I won't even think of approaching the Rockvine Cave."
Good! You're truly different from other mages. You'll surely achieve great success.
Gandharva was pleased by Lee Han's understanding.
He had been constantly on edge due to students poking around, so this was a huge relief.
Is there anything else I can help with? Didn't you mention a lack of food earlier?
"Yes. And also..."
?
"We're also short on clothing. The cold came so suddenly. Everyone's shivering in tattered clothes."
"?"
Nilia was baffled.
'But you're loaded with fabric...?'
Ah, that too, I suppose.
"We're also running low on potions. The cold makes it impossible to gather ingredients..."
Gandharva's heart genuinely ached at Lee Han's words.
I'll take care of it!
"...Weren't you supposed to be hunting??"
Lee Han's friends were stunned by the cart he had dragged back.
No matter how skilled a hunter he was, there was no way he could have "hunted" neatly packaged food supplies, potions, and winter coats.
Yoner's eyes widened in realization before he whispered under his breath.
"Did you raid a professor's workshop?"
"...Creative, but no."
Lee Han began organizing the supplies with his friends.
This should be enough to last them through the week, at least.
He was worried about what would happen if this dragged on, but...
'We'll cross that bridge when we get there.'
Lee Han was also seriously considering going back to the cave to make another request.
The guardian had been far more accommodating than expected.
'I should visit periodically.'
"Everyone ready?"
"Let's move! Stay sharp and follow closely!"
The students of the Blue Dragon Tower, bundled tightly in their coats and tied together with ropes, trudged through the snow under Lee Han's command.
Their expressions were grim, but their destination was none other than the main building of the Magic School.
It was time for Monday morning lectures.
"Ghk... Hahk..."
"Stay focused! Don't collapse now!"
The Blue Dragon Tower students pulled each other along, barely managing to stagger through the main hall's entrance.
The inside wasn't much warmer, but at least they were free of the blizzard and gale winds.
"Everyone..."
Professor Garcia wore a deeply pained expression as he looked at the students seated in the lecture hall.
How did things come to this...
'Less than half are here?'
Lee Han was shocked by the attendance.
No matter how bad things got, skipping class was just unacceptable...
"Professor Verdus. Would it be possible to adjust today's Enchantment Magic lecture to focus on cold resistance?"
Professor Garcia turned to the beaver beastman professor standing beside him.
Originally, this was supposed to be an introductory lesson on the nature of Enchantment Magic, but...
Seeing the half-frozen students, cold resistance seemed far more urgent.
"Why? Why should we?"
"Please."
"Freshmen are too stupid to learn even if we teach them."
"Still, if you show them the method, at least one or two might keep trying until they succeed."
"No. They're too stupid."
"Do it."
Professor Garcia crushed the corner of the lectern with his bare grip.
Professor Verdus immediately understood.
"Fine! I'll do it!"
'I really need to watch my behavior around Professor Garcia...'