Episode 293
Episode 293
'What's this? A trap?'
Lee Han hesitated when someone other than Ashan, an elder from the family, appeared.
Could it be that Ashan was resorting to such tricks because he didn't want to repay the silver coins he borrowed?
'No. Ashan isn't that kind of villain.'
Still, he couldn't let his guard down.
Even if Ashan wasn't like that, other members of the family might resort to underhanded tactics.
Not all nobles were honorable people.
While some genuinely revered honor, others like Lee Han considered it merely a superficial courtesy.
There were plenty of ways to maintain noble honor while avoiding debt repayment.
For instance, if they nitpicked Lee Han's attitude and declared, "How dare a guest behave so rudely! You may leave now!" with a command to expel him, Lee Han would be pushed out before he could even demand repayment.
That would make things quite troublesome.
As a member of the Wardanaz family, Lee Han couldn't just protest in front of their mansion shouting, "The Dalkard Family must repay the borrowed silver coins!"
The noble way of handling things was either direct and forceful for large sums or, like Lee Han's case, tarnishing the other party's reputation and dignity by spreading rumors for smaller amounts...
'Whether the Dalkard Family loses face or not, the real problem is that not a single silver coin comes back to me.'
A lose-lose outcome.
That absolutely couldn't happen.
The best approach was still to avoid giving the other party any grounds for criticism.
"Greetings. I am Lee Han of the Wardanaz family."
Lee Han bowed as politely and formally as possible, without the slightest deviation from etiquette.
Daihal and Haidan's stern expressions softened ever so slightly before returning to normal.
The change was so brief that no one around noticed—except Lee Han.
A genius of perception, acknowledged even by the Skeleton Principal, capable of discerning the emotions of Einrogard's eccentric professors!
'First impression seems successful.'
Though the other party seemed satisfied, Lee Han didn't let his guard down.
He still hadn't figured out their true intentions.
"To meet a mage of the Wardanaz family like this is an honor. I am Daihal of the Dalkard family."
"I am Haidan of the Dalkard family."
Lee Han shook hands with the twins. Their hands were dry and cold.
"Being from the Wardanaz family, you must be excelling at Einrogard as well."
"Not at all. Noble lineage doesn't guarantee ability, and Einrogard has many outstanding students."
The twins' expressions hardened slightly again.
For someone from the prestigious Wardanaz family to speak so modestly—was he perhaps lacking in skill?
"Is that so? If you don't mind, I'm curious—who are these students surpassing a mage of the Wardanaz family? Who might they be?"
"Uh."
Lee Han was at a loss for words.
Well, as the top student of his year, it was only natural.
The pitfalls of excessive humility!
'Damn. I messed up.'
"?"
When Lee Han didn't respond, faint wrinkles appeared on the twins' brows.
Ashan then whispered quietly beside them.
"Brother. Sister. Wardanaz is the top student of his year."
"Is that true?"
"You've made quite an impressive friend."
For the first time that day, Daihal and Haidan's expressions softened enough to be called "gentle."
Ashan, seeing this side of his usually strict siblings for the first time, couldn't help but be startled.
"...Is Wardanaz being the top student really something to be so happy about? You're not usually like this..."
"What are you talking about? We're happy that you've made a good friend."
"You never gave us reason to be happy before because you kept making mistakes. If you'd just done things properly from the start..."
Listening from the side, Lee Han thought to himself:
'Hmm. They're quite insane.'
It might have been slightly rude, but seeing how they nitpicked their younger sibling like that, they didn't seem entirely sane.
From their demeanor, it was clear why the two had come out—to assess what kind of person their younger sibling's friend was.
'Thank goodness I arrived before Gainando.'
Lee Han had the exact same thought as Ashan.
"And this gentleman here..."
Daihal asked, looking at Ratford.
As Ratford, overwhelmed by the atmosphere, stiffened and tried to speak, Lee Han cut in first.
"This is Ratford. The top student in the Tower."
"!"
Once again, Daihal and Haidan's expressions softened.
"You've made an excellent friend."
"Make sure to learn a lot and strive diligently."
"The First Reception Room should be available now—feel free to use it. Call for anything you need."
The twins bowed politely once more to Lee Han and Ratford, looking satisfied, before withdrawing.
Ratford asked, bewildered.
"But I'm not the top student in the Tower?"
"I meant top-tier thief. Let's go."
"......"
Ratford and Ashan stared at Lee Han as if he were absurd, but he paid them no mind.
"...So that's why they're like that."
"I see."
After hearing Ashan's detailed explanation, Lee Han couldn't help but feel sympathetic.
'Wait. This isn't the right atmosphere to ask when I'll get my money back.'
No matter how much Lee Han wanted to collect the debt quickly and head to the next mansion, he wasn't heartless enough to bring up business while his friend was lamenting, "My life is miserable because of my overly perfect older brother and sister."
"Sorry, Wardanaz. I guess I'm not the only one with these struggles. Wardanaz, you must have similar issues, right?"
Not everyone in a great noble family lived happily and comfortably.
With the weight of honor and responsibility as heavy as their family's history resting on their shoulders from birth, the heirs had no choice but to compete fiercely among themselves.
Of course, to Lee Han, this sounded like the complaints of the privileged.
Better to compete fiercely within a family than to be some nobody who can't even compete at all...
And above all, Lee Han's circumstances were different from Ashan's.
"No. Our family doesn't really care about each other."
"Really? Well, the Wardanaz family is a bit unique, I suppose."
Among the great noble families, few were as indifferent to imperial politics and social affairs as the Wardanaz.
A single-minded family that poured all their focus solely into magic.
"But Ashan, about the money—"
"Ah! What should I do, Wardanaz? I don't want to disappoint my brother and sister! Help me, Wardanaz. I know you'll give me a 100% foolproof plan."
"......"
Lee Han was taken aback but calmly redirected the conversation.
"You mentioned there's a gathering at the mansion salon today, right? Just show off your skills there."
Lee Han had no idea how skilled the other Magic School students were.
But one thing was certain:
They couldn't possibly surpass the students of Einrogard.
'No matter how I think about it, that's impossible.'
Ashan's magical prowess alone would be enough to impress the guests at the gathering.
Then his brother and sister would be satisfied with his abilities...
...And Lee Han could collect his debt and leave.
"Exactly. At the gathering. That's a great idea."
"Honestly, an even better idea would be to pretend I don't exist."
"Thanks for the joke, Wardanaz. It actually gave me some confidence."
'That wasn't a joke.'
The gathering of the city's elite in the salon wasn't particularly extraordinary.
In fact, aside from the refreshments and drinks, it wasn't much different from the Tower's lounge.
Musicians performed chamber music (in the Tower's lounge, students sang because they were hungry), well-dressed nobles sat playing chess or card games (same as in the Tower's lounge), and they discussed the latest interesting happenings in the city...
"This is my newly acquired gemstone staff. Three others were vying for it besides me, so it was quite a hassle, but well worth the effort."
"The prices in Amad have been rising quite a bit lately, which is worrying. I've placed an order with the workshop, but if they demand an even higher price..."
'How familiar.'
Boasting about acquisitions and discussing recent concerns—it was exactly the same as the students in the Tower.
"Ah! Could you perhaps be students from Einrogard?"
As Lee Han, Ashan, and Ratford revealed themselves, several guests turned their gazes toward them.
It was the vacation period, and with rumors circulating that a descendant of the Dalkard Family had enrolled in Einrogard, it was only natural for curiosity to arise.
"That's correct."
"What an honor! My name is Guun. Though modest, I deal in silk fabrics and textiles."
The elf Guun's words were tinged with humility. No small-scale cloth merchant could possibly dress as finely as Guun.
The patterned silk and the jewelry adorning his wrists—it was easy to guess just how wealthy he was.
'He's rich.'
And Lee Han liked rich people.
"I'm Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lee Han extended his hand with the same ingratiating, artificial smile he'd used earlier to win favor.
And then he saw it.
The flicker of fear, like a spark, in the other's eyes.
"W-Wardanaz Family...! It's, it's an honor to meet you..."
"......"
Lee Han sighed inwardly.
All he'd wanted was to be friendly, but the mere mention of the Wardanaz name had this effect!
Still, Lee Han didn't give up.
"Though my abilities are still lacking, if you ever need assistance with anything related to magic..."
Truthfully, this offer held little real meaning.
Of course, even a first-year student from Einrogard was far more capable than the wandering mages one might encounter outside.
Mages were an exceedingly rare profession, and because of that, there were plenty who boasted about being mages just because they could conjure a single flame.
But people attending a gathering like this had the means to summon proper mages, not just wandering frauds.
In other words, Lee Han's offer wasn't really about providing magical assistance—it was more of an excuse to get closer and build rapport.
"Y-Yes... I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for your kindness."
'Damn. That backfired.'
Naturally, the response wasn't great. Lee Han felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Students of Einrogard, you say?"
Lee Han and his friends turned their heads.
It was immediately clear that the speaker was a mage—the flow of mana around them was distinctly different from the others.
"That's correct."
"I heard you're freshmen. Mind if I test your skills a little?"
In any other situation, Lee Han would've flaunted his family name or something else and retorted, Who the hell do you think you are, testing me? Did you ever give me a single gold coin? Are you a professor? before crushing them. But now was different.
He'd been planning to showcase his magic in front of the gathered guests anyway.
'Thank you.'
Normally, he couldn't just do this on his own.
If Lee Han had gone ahead with something like, Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention here as we, graduates of Einrogard, demonstrate something for you, it would've damaged his dignity and reputation.
This was the proper way—having the other party say, I've heard of you, I'd like to see your skills, so he could pretend reluctance and then say, Well, if you insist!
"Though my skills are still feeble, I'll do my best."
"What's going on?"
"They say the Einrogard students are going to show us some magic."
"What incredible luck we have today. I never thought I'd witness something like this."
The surrounding guests stopped their conversations and games, their interest piqued.
A perfectly set stage.
'But who exactly is our opponent?'
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Doin of the Valor Family. I've studied the advancement of magic at Baldrogard."
"Ah."
"Hmm."
A murmur of admiration came from one of the guests nearby.
"Baldrogard! One of the empire's finest magic schools, isn't it?"
'Is this how school pride develops?'
For a moment, Lee Han almost snapped back reflexively.
What kind of magic school allows students to come and go as they please?