Episode 264
Episode 264
'I almost suffered the worst misunderstanding in the world.'
Even after giving his answer, Lee Han felt uneasy.
He was worried that Duke Icaldoren might return to Imperial Social Circle and spread false rumors like, "That boy Lee Han from the Wardanaz family is unusually close to Gonadaltes."
If that happened, how would those who held grudges against the Skeleton Principal react?
There probably wouldn't be just one or two of them.
"How is life at Einrogard? Are you satisfied?"
Duke Icaldoren tilted his teacup and inquired about life at the magic school.
Lee Han felt every nerve in his body tense up.
What is this...?
'This might be a trap!'
What if Duke Icaldoren was actually close friends with the Skeleton Principal?
What if this was an attempt to fish for complaints from a student he'd coincidentally met?
"I couldn't be more satisfied."
"Is that so?"
"The Headmaster always helps students focus on their studies. The environment at the magic school allows students to think only about magic at all times."
"...?"
Duke Icaldoren was confused.
Einrogard was an insular place where outsiders found it difficult to grasp what was truly happening, but nothing in the world could remain a complete secret.
Some rumors inevitably leaked out.
Naturally, several rumors about Einrogard had spread, and Duke Icaldoren was aware of them.
According to those rumors, Einrogard was absolutely not such a satisfying environment.
'What's the scheme here? Wardanaz? What's the angle? Gonadaltes?'
Duke Icaldoren's small eyes gleamed slightly. The unexpected answer made his head spin.
But no matter how much he thought about it, the boy before him didn't seem to be lying.
After all, there was no reason for him to lie.
Could Gonadaltes have really changed the rules?
'That itself is entirely possible. But why? For what reason?'
A figure like Gonadaltes wouldn't change the rules without a reason.
Duke Icaldoren's deductions dug deeper.
'Could it be... an attempt to curry favor with other great noble families or the Emperor?'
Gonadaltes was a renowned archmage who was famous for being blunt even in front of the Emperor.
For such an archmage to make efforts to win the favor of other great noble families or the Emperor meant he was preparing for something big.
Just what was he planning?
Duke Icaldoren felt a chill run down his spine, as if an icy blade had been pressed against it.
'Could it be... he's targeting me? Gonadaltes! So?!'
"Not only that, but all the professors are excellent. They spare no effort to teach us even a little more... and support us in every way."
Mid-sentence, Professor Voladi nodded, nearly making Lee Han cough, but he managed to finish his words.
Duke Icaldoren grew even more convinced by that attitude.
If he was emphasizing it to that extent, it definitely wasn't a lie. There must have been some real changes within the magic school.
'I need to be cautious. More than ever.'
"Duke, Your Grace."
"Speak."
One of his subordinates approached, bowing his head and murmuring quietly.
"We've found what you ordered."
"What is it?"
"A basilisk."
Professor Voladi set down the teacup he was holding. Though his face remained expressionless, a sense of satisfaction radiated from his entire body.
'Duke Icaldoren. I won't forget this.'
Lee Han suppressed a sigh and made the vow once again.
"This... isn't a basilisk, is it?"
"To be precise, it's the creature's egg, sir mage."
Lee Han felt slightly better.
In contrast, Professor Voladi seemed slightly displeased.
"When will it hatch?"
"That's difficult to say precisely. As you know, rare monsters like basilisks can be quite temperamental."
An egg laid by a rooster and incubated by a venomous snake for a long time, transforming into what it was now.
That was the egg of a basilisk.
While it was indeed an extremely rare treasure, for Professor Voladi, who urgently needed an opponent for his student to face, the egg was utterly useless.
You couldn't very well make someone fight an egg, could you?
As Professor Voladi remained silent, the atmosphere grew awkward. The duke's subordinates were visibly displeased—enough that one could practically feel their irritation.
Even if it was just an egg, a basilisk's egg was still an incredibly rare treasure. How could a mage accept such a gift without so much as a word of gratitude?
Noticing this, Lee Han quickly stepped in.
"Thank you very much. We won't forget His Grace's kindness. It seems the professor is so overwhelmed with gratitude that he's at a loss for words."
"Haha. Your delight brings us joy as well."
Only then did the duke's subordinates relax, looking satisfied.
"It was truly difficult to obtain. You'd be shocked if you knew how much extra we had to pay."
'Damn it. Just give us gold coins instead.'
It was an unfortunate deal for everyone involved—the duke's subordinates, Lee Han, and even Professor Voladi.
Lee Han briefly entertained the grim thought of whether Duke Icaldoren would send assassins after him if he secretly sold the basilisk egg and got caught.
Once the subordinates left and only the two of them remained, Professor Voladi finally spoke.
"That thing is useless."
"No, Professor. If we take good care of it, we can hatch it, right?"
Lee Han wanted to wrap things up here.
He was afraid that if this dragged on, Professor Voladi might go pick a fight with a dragon instead.
"Even if it's just an egg, it's still a basilisk's egg. If raised well, it'll grow in no time."
"......"
After a moment of contemplation, Professor Voladi finally responded.
"...I see. As long as it's not too late, we might be able to use it for the next exam."
"No. That's not what I meant."
Lee Han answered with a stern face.
With the gift exchanged and the fact that they weren't particularly close to the headmaster now clear, Duke Icaldoren began preparing to see them off.
"You came out to buy materials?"
"Yes."
"Then accompany him. Merchants don't easily part with truly valuable goods, after all."
The duke ordered one of his subordinates.
While merchants weren't cunning enough to deceive mages, they weren't foolish enough to hand over their best goods easily either.
This was Duke Icaldoren's way—small favors, accumulated one by one.
Especially when dealing with someone from a great noble family, this approach was even more deliberate.
A noble's honor meant they wouldn't easily forget a debt.
Of course, the fact that the boy was from the Wardanaz family gave him slight pause, but this one seemed relatively sane compared to the others...
'Is Duke Icaldoren perhaps a pushover?'
Lee Han found it strange.
Just giving away favors like that.
It wasn't as if he expected Lee Han to feel indebted and repay him later—was he just trying to flaunt the magnanimity of a great noble?
If so, that was truly baffling.
Why bother with such a meaningless gesture...
"First, give me all the low-grade mental fortification potions you have. Do you have any Setrivi's Dew Potion? I also need Blood Drop of Dobruk Potion."
"P-Please wait a moment."
The alchemists in the guild workshop were startled by the unexpected visit of a distinguished guest.
"It'll take some time to check our stock and prepare them. But are you really buying this much?"
"Yes."
Lee Han's strategy was simple.
Since Professor Thunderstep had said, "Gathering materials is part of your ability, so figure it out yourselves," he intended to truly demonstrate his capability.
He would buy every useful potion available.
Starting with the potions needed for the pre-final assignment, all the way to those that might be useful for the final exams—everything!
Originally, he had planned to buy only the bare essentials due to lack of funds, but with Duke Icaldoren providing the gold, there was no reason to hold back.
The duke's subordinates watching from behind exchanged bewildered glances.
-Isn't he... buying way too much?
Yet none of them dared to stop him.
If they interfered unnecessarily, Duke Icaldoren might roar about them disregarding his dignity.
Though the purchases were more expensive than expected, considering Duke Icaldoren's intention to bestow a favor, this might have turned out for the better.
"Let's go to the candy shop next."
"Excuse me?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Ah... no, nothing at all."
The duke's subordinates followed Lee Han past the door of <Dasig's Candy Shop>, decorated with colorful, elongated candies.
They wondered why a mage would enter a candy shop but assumed he needed some ingredient they weren't aware of.
Perhaps there was a potion that required crispy crème brûlée or a spell prepared with sweet éclairs...
...Do those actually exist?
"This massive chocolate cake seems extraordinary."
"You have a keen eye, sir. Adventurers who've struggled for months occasionally buy this to celebrate their victories. It takes a full week to make one."
"Excellent. I'll take this as well."
"Good heavens! I knew you were distinguished, but I never imagined you'd buy this!"
Lee Han nodded confidently.
The duke's subordinates behind him could only wear increasingly puzzled expressions.
"It's all done, Professor."
After the frenzy of shopping, by Sunday evening, Lee Han reunited with Professor Voladi in front of the Amur Stables.
Amur's jaw dropped at the sight of Lee Han carrying what looked like a mountain of luggage.
"What in the...?"
Even a porter with over a decade of experience at the merchant guild wouldn't carry that much luggage so ruthlessly.
"It's fine. Let's depart."
"No... wait a moment."
Amur was flustered.
If there was anything more important than breaking out of prison—no, the academy—it was returning without getting caught.
Naturally, Lee Han and Amur had prepared for that.
They had planned to disguise themselves as Amur and his subordinate staff and enter around midnight on Sunday.
But that amount of luggage was excessive.
One or two boxes might have been manageable, but carrying that much would prompt even the blindest Spire Stable keeper to say, "Let me check this briefly."
"Hmm. I might have bought a little too much."
"A little is an understatement..."
"It's fine."
"??"
"Just say it's the professor's luggage."
"Uh... is that alright?"
Amur grew even more flustered.
Was it acceptable to exploit the revered name of their sky-like mentor for smuggling?
Professor Voladi nodded indifferently. Lee Han's expression suggested he had expected as much.
"Then let's depart! Oh, and I brought some desserts. Have them when you're peckish."
"No, students shouldn't have money to... wait...?"
Amur couldn't comprehend how Lee Han had managed to buy so much.
Unless one was exceptionally immature or shameless, leveraging one's family name wouldn't be easy...
"...Alright, let's go for now!"
Lee Han fed the Griffin some treats (the Griffin was overjoyed by the premium jerky) and checked Professor Voladi's luggage.
While wandering the village with the duke's subordinates, Professor Voladi had also acquired several long boxes, each large enough to fit a person.
'...Surely not monsters, right?'
Lee Han felt uneasy but steeled himself. Even Professor Voladi couldn't have procured more monsters in such a short time.
"What's inside those?"
"Adventurers."
"...Excuse me?"
"Adventurers. The ones who tried to deceive us earlier."
Professor Voladi spoke nonchalantly.
So nonchalantly that the snack boxes Lee Han had piled up and the adventurer-filled boxes seemed almost interchangeable.
Of course, Lee Han wasn't fooled.
"Professor, why would you need them?"
"I plan to use them for the final exams. They're worthless trash, but with training, they might prove useful."
"......"