Episode 231
Episode 231
This was a debate that arose in every field, but at least when it came to summoning magic, quality was more important than quantity.
It was simple.
The effort required wasn't worth the marginal gains from increasing the numbers.
Not to mention the mana cost—each summon demanded the mage's full concentration, to the point where the caster would collapse before achieving anything meaningful.
Even summoning from the Otherworld to reduce the burden didn't change this. The beings of the Otherworld couldn't be summoned recklessly either.
For this reason, summoning magic prioritized quality over quantity.
If you mastered summoning a Skeleton Warrior, you aimed for a stronger Skeleton Warrior next.
And if you succeeded at that, you moved on to higher-tier undead monsters.
"But the Headmaster summoned dozens, even hundreds of Summons, didn't he?"
At Gainando's question, Yoner and Lee Han gave him a look of pity.
Then they ignored him.
"Fifteen is pushing it, isn't it?"
"Hmm. Did I summon too many? Still, it's not impossible."
Yoner was surprised by Lee Han's response.
He knew his friend from the Wardanaz family had a monstrous amount of mana, like a crazed dragon, but this was beyond expectations.
"I don't know much about Black Magic... but is this how you normally train?"
At Yoner's question, the Princess shook her head from behind.
Given her knowledge of Black Magic, it seemed she found Lee Han's current method unusual.
"Normally, no. This is a lost ancient method."
"I see... Wardanaz. Regular necromancy was too easy for you, so you revived a lost ancient method to push your progress further? A thought befitting your intellect."
Ashan nodded as if he understood.
Lee Han almost smacked him but held back, wondering what Ashan was even talking about.
"It sounds grandiose... but that's close enough, I suppose."
"Still, this seems way too reckless."
"True. The progress is a bit slow."
Lee Han tapped his staff.
Unlike before, when they hadn't moved at all, this time all the Skeleton Warriors raised their arms in unison.
Then, simultaneously, they hurled balls of paper.
"Ow!"
Gainando was pelted by the flying paper projectiles.
"This is the best I can manage right now. Even then, I only succeed once for every two attempts."
"Oh..."
"There's still a long way to go. A very long way."
The students who didn't know much about Black Magic simply accepted this.
But the Princess was stunned.
Not only had he raised fifteen Skeleton Warriors using an ancient method, but he was already controlling them well enough for a synchronized attack?
Tap tap—
When the Princess pointed as if to say, Look at that, Neblen nodded in understanding.
"Ah. It's certainly not a pleasant sight. I'll help Wardanaz clean up. Wardanaz, your personal room doesn't seem like the best place for this kind of practice. Should I help you move somewhere else?"
"That would be best. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
The friends from the Blue Dragon Tower rolled up their sleeves and began picking up the bones one by one.
"Sharkan. Thanks."
-Grrr—
Lee Han placed the load on Sharkan's back and thanked him.
"Gonadaltes. Carry this."
"Wh-whattes???"
Ashan flinched and looked around in alarm.
Lee Han calmed his friend down.
"Relax, Ashan. The Headmaster isn't here. This Summon's name is Gonadaltes."
"Ah... Wardanaz, I'm in no position to criticize someone else's Summon, but isn't that a bit... dangerous???"
As his friends each picked up a load and started walking, the Princess shook her head in frustration.
Salko of the Tutanta Family was walking with his friends.
He had someone he needed to find.
"Wardanaz is currently at Professor Thunderstep's cabin. Let's go."
"Tu-Tutanta... Isn't this a bit risky?"
"Of course, Wardanaz is a terrifying guy you can never let your guard down around. But unlike those idiots from the White Tiger Tower, he's not someone cooperation is outright impossible with. If we offer reasonable terms, we can strike a deal."
"No. I'm saying isn't it dangerous to go with just this many people? What if Wardanaz suddenly attacks..."
"So that's what you meant."
Salko clicked his tongue while looking at the frightened student from Black Turtle Tower.
"I already told you Wardanaz isn't the type to attack recklessly."
"B-but. Imirg. What do you think?"
The Black Turtle Tower student redirected the question to his friend. The giant hybrid student who took Black Magic classes with Lee Han was flustered.
"Uh, uh..."
Though he did attend Black Magic classes together, he really couldn't get a grasp on what kind of student Wardanaz was.
The prince seemed a bit foolish, and Rafael seemed somewhat rude, but Wardanaz...
Aside from being a genius at magic, he couldn't get any read on him at all.
"H-he's good at magic."
"Wardanaz is indeed exceptional at magic. That guy. Is he really the same age as us?"
"The Wardanaz family is famous, you know."
"No. I've seen Wardanaz family members from afar before, but no matter how I think about it, they weren't on that level."
The Black Turtle Tower students whispered among themselves as they walked.
If there was a moderately outstanding student, one might think 'that guy's smart,' but when faced with a student so incomprehensibly brilliant, the only possible reaction was '????'
Lee Han was exactly that.
The way he effortlessly kept up with lectures from every school of magic didn't just suggest genius—it evoked something monstrous.
A monster that pursued nothing but magic!
"By the way. I heard something strange before. Those guys from Blue Dragon Tower say Wardanaz prepares meals for them every day."
"Does that even make sense?"
"But remember when Wardanaz made that vegetable stew last time? It was really delicious."
"It's not that he can't cook. Being good at alchemy probably means he's good at cooking too. But preparing meals for every single serving is a whole different story. Do you think you could do that?"
The Black Turtle Tower student fell into thought.
In Einrogard, where ingredients were already scarce, having to wake up at dawn every day to wash vegetables, peel them, mince meat, and prepare meals...
"I don't see why Wardanaz would do that."
"Right. Those Blue Dragon Tower guys are just showing off. They're bragging because Wardanaz cooked for them once."
"Those bastards. They're supposed to be high nobles, yet they're making such vulgar lies!"
"That's nobles for you. Among those who boast about their bloodlines, the ones who actually demonstrate matching abilities can be counted on one hand. We're here. That's the place."
Salko pointed with his finger to a hut visible in the distance near the forest.
It was Thunderstep Professor's hut.
"Wardanaz! You there? We need to talk... Aaahhh!"
"Gahhh!"
At the sight of the Skeleton Warriors arranged like scarecrows behind the hut, the Black Turtle Tower students screamed.
"My apologies. I didn't realize it would scare you so much."
"W-wait. We weren't scared."
"Right. We were just startled, that's all."
Salko's group of students were all from rough backgrounds.
They might not react strongly to other things, but the word 'scared' provoked an extremely vehement response.
"Anyone would be scared if they suddenly encountered undead. I understand."
"We weren't!!"
"Enough. Wardanaz. The reason we came today is to make you a proposal."
Salko glanced sideways at the Skeleton Warriors standing motionless throughout the vegetable garden.
No matter how hard he tried not to look, his eyes kept drifting toward them.
'I don't know much about Black Magic, but is it normally possible to summon that many?'
"What kind of proposal? Ah. Salko. Do you want to join the undead faction together?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? I have no interest in Black Magic."
'No need to look so serious.'
Lee Han grumbled inwardly.
It was just a joke!
"...I've found a way to escape."
Salko lowered his voice as he spoke. Lee Han was surprised.
He'd found a way to escape?
"Ah. Are you talking about the rockweed cave guarded by Gandharva? You should probably give up on that one. It didn't seem like something we could possibly break through."
"...I've never heard of that cave. How the hell did you even find out about it?"
Salko was inwardly astonished.
If the Blue Dragon Tower students took pride in their family lineages, and the White Tiger Tower students took pride in their swordsmanship, then the Black Turtle Tower students took pride in their adaptability.
-If anyone knows this vast magic school inside out, it's us!
It wasn't entirely wrong.
In truth, the Black Turtle Tower students generally had outstanding adaptability, often being the first to explore various places and uncover necessary information.
But there were occasional exceptions.
"Heard about it while wandering around."
Lee Han, whose adaptability surpassed any Black Turtle Tower student, answered as if it were nothing special.
An aura that only a seasoned student could exude radiated from him.
Slightly overwhelmed, Salko hesitated before continuing.
"Anyway, it's not that cave."
"Don't tell me it's the mountain range route? You should probably postpone that one too. Last time I trusted those White Tiger Tower bastards and followed them, I only ended up worse off."
"That's not it either... If you follow the base of the mountains westward, you'll reach a desert-like terrain. Do you know it?"
He asked out of courtesy, but Salko naturally assumed Lee Han wouldn't know.
Who would even go all the way there?
Even Salko and the Black Turtle Tower students wouldn't have gone if they hadn't had prior information.
"I know it."
"?!??!"
"H-how?"
"Last time Ponlig went berserk... Not important anyway. So what about that desert?"
"Look at this map."
According to Salko, one of the Black Turtle Tower students had a strange experience while wandering the school at night.
It was an empty, pitch-black room, but when he stepped inside, a whisper floated to him, promising to grant the student's wish.
The student had said, 'I want to leave this school!' and...
"So that's how you got this map?"
"Yeah."
"Interesting. Where was the room located?"
"It disappeared when we went back."
'Suspicious.'
The only thing that grew at the magic school was suspicion.
Frankly, who could tell whether the thing whispering to students in that room was a wish-granting spirit or the Skeleton Principal pretending to be one?
"Anyway, looking at this map..."
The map pointed to the desert area on the western side of the school grounds.
There was a well drawn on it, and if you followed the underground path from that well...
"An underground passage?"
"Yeah. One that passes beneath the outer walls."
"It says 'high monster activity near the well.'"
"Right. That's why we need strong combat power."
"I'm not exactly that strong in combat..."
"??"
"????"
The Black Turtle Tower students glanced at the Skeleton Warriors standing in the garden.
Then they looked back at Lee Han.
"Why are you staring like that?"
"N-nothing. Anyway, any thoughts?"
"Of course I'd want to secure an escape route. The problem is the difficulty. I already have enough to do without wasting effort on pointless attempts..."
At Lee Han's words, Salko gave a subtle chin signal.
Then the Black Turtle Tower students began setting down the chests they'd brought.
'These Black Turtle Tower guys know something.'
Lee Han watched with expectant eyes.
Unlike students from other towers, the Black Turtle Tower students understood the meaning of a proper trade.
'Materials? Reagents? Magic tomes? Food?'
"Wardanaz. Look at this. Statues and ceramics you can decorate your private room with. Aren't they beautiful?"
"...Why are you giving these to me?"
"Uh... don't nobles like this kind of thing?"
"Who would like this stuff?"
"The Blue Dragon Tower students were desperate to buy these..."
"......"
Who knew they'd been secretly purchasing such useless decorations without their friends knowing.
Lee Han sighed inwardly.