Episode 303
Episode 303
Salko was being unusually friendly.
This was the complete opposite of his usual behavior at school, where he would scowl and refuse to even acknowledge students from the Blue Dragon Tower.
"So you don't want to borrow money from your family?"
"That's about right."
"Wardanaz. You're a true noble."
Though Salko meant it as praise, Lee Han didn't take it that way.
'If I could borrow money from my family, I wouldn't be doing this, you idiot.'
From Lee Han's perspective, trying to gather funds independently to earn a profit, his family name wasn't much help.
If it wasn't directly related to his studies, he wouldn't receive any support. Even if he asked for help finding a decent job, the response would likely be, 'Huh? Why would you need to do something like that?'
"By the way, Salko. Aren't you working at the guild? Shyles seemed busy."
"Unlike the Transport Guild, our Stonemason Guild has an off-season."
"Ah, I see. So you're using the time to find other work."
"Exactly."
Lee Han and Salko exchanged glances.
It was a sense of camaraderie only workaholics could understand.
"Come on, Wardanaz. I'll show you how it's done."
As Salko turned to leave, his friends suddenly cut in.
"Wait. Tutanta."
"What's up?"
"I owe Wardanaz some silver coins."
"M-me too."
"Same here..."
"......"
Salko stared at his friends in disbelief.
Just how much had these guys been begging from Wardanaz behind his back?
Sitting in a chair, opening boxes, detecting the amount of mana in the reagents inside—if the quantity or quality of mana differed from the original, or if there were any other issues, the reagent was set aside.
It wasn't particularly difficult work.
Just a tedious task requiring patience and persistence.
"This is actually pretty good training, don't you think? Gainen, right? It's also great for honing your ability to distinguish materials."
"......"
Gainen thought his friend had lost his mind.
So instead of answering, when Salko called for Lee Han's help and he stepped away briefly, Gainen desperately whispered to the others.
"He's insane! Lee Han's gone crazy! He's actually enjoying this!"
"Huh? It's not so bad, is it?"
Yoner tossed a reagent into a box as he spoke.
From Yoner's perspective, someone who wanted to run his own business someday, saving up silver coins like this wasn't a bad deal at all.
"...What about you guys?!"
"What? If the work's this easy and the pay's this good, we should be grateful."
Nilia looked at Gainen like he was being ridiculous.
Back in the northern mountains, even after chasing and hunting beasts for three days straight, hunters would split the earnings, leaving her with just a few imperial copper coins. But here, sitting in a warehouse for a few hours sorting reagents earned her silver coins.
'This is why I should've become a mage.' The conditions were so favorable it was almost laughable.
"Exactly. Once we finish organizing here, it'll be a shame we can't earn any more silver coins."
"Right. I'm already dreading it."
Nilia and Ratford nodded repeatedly.
To think a job like this would be a one-time thing.
"But what can we do? Jobs this good don't come around often."
"True. They must be paying so well because it's urgent."
"You—you're all insane! Dalkard! Dalkard!"
Gainen called out to Ashan, his last remaining friend.
But Ashan answered with a serious expression.
"This is a good opportunity."
"...Are you crazy?! What's wrong with you?! Snap out of it! Why are you like this too?!"
What Gainen didn't know was that Ashan had already been persuaded.
-Ashan. Think about it. If you earn silver coins with your own strength, what would your older brother and sister think?
-I-I see... If I use the silver coins I earned myself to give them gifts, even my brother and sister would have to acknowledge me.
-...That's not exactly what I meant, but yeah, that's the gist of it.
"Gainen. How long are you going to rely on your family's power?"
"What are you talking about! The family's power is my power!"
While Ga-inando was fuming, Lee Han returned to his seat.
Lee Han looked at Ga-inando with a puzzled expression and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Just... just some exercise."
"I see. Let's sit back down."
"Okay..."
Ga-inando's resistance ended in vain. He sat back down and began organizing again.
Sniffle. I want to go home.
By the time they left the warehouse, the sun had already set, and dusk was settling in.
At the city's entrance in front of the warehouse, magical lamps began lighting up one by one. Night watchmen could also be seen emerging in full uniform.
"Thank you for your hard work, mages."
The guild employees bowed their heads in sincere gratitude.
When students who clearly looked like they were from noble families had first arrived, they had worried, 'Will this be okay? Won't they cause a fuss, refusing to do such tedious work?' But the students had finished the task with surprising speed and precision.
Honestly, they were tempted to call them again the next time work came up.
'But that would be rude.'
If they dared ask noble scions, "Can we call you again next time we have work?" the response might well be, "Oh yeah? Try coming to our mansion—you won't leave in one piece."
"Um..."
"Hmm?"
"If you ever have work like this again, please let us know."
Lee Han slipped a precious silver coin into the guild employee's hand as he whispered.
The employee was stunned by this networking skill, more polished than that of a laborer with ten years of experience.
'Just who is this person...?!'
Lee Han winked and turned away.
'Seems like things worked out well.'
In this era, jobs ultimately came down to connections.
If you earned high praise from a place you worked once, you could secure another job when it came up—or even receive offers from related workplaces.
"Good work, everyone. Ga-inando, want to go buy some toys?"
Lee Han asked, looking at Ga-inando.
While everyone else stretched, Ga-inando was fixated on his pouch of silver coins, staring at it like it might disappear. It was concerning.
Surely he wouldn't go home and whine to his mother, "Sniffle, Lee Han made me sweat doing honest labor," right?
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
Ga-inando suddenly snapped. Since he wasn't usually like this, even Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
"Huh? Didn't you say you wanted to buy toys? Do you prefer cards?"
Ga-inando's eyes darted around as he hugged the coin pouch tightly against his chest.
His expression made it clear that anyone who touched it would get a staff to the face.
"Do you know how I earned these coins...? I can't possibly spend them like this! I'll lock them in the deepest vault in my room!"
"...Uh, sure."
Lee Han was baffled by Ga-inando's reaction but nodded anyway.
Well, it was a good thing, wasn't it?
As Ashan reached out to pat Ga-inando's shoulder in praise, Ga-inando growled and tried to bite him.
Thwack!
"Hey, you lunatic!! What the hell?!"
"I told you not to come near me! I'll bite anyone who gets close to my coins!"
"......"
Lee Han exchanged glances with Yoner.
"Did we make a mistake bringing him along?"
"N-no... It's still better than before..."
'This should be the best I can do.'
Wardanaz Family Mansion.
Lee Han organized his notes on paper, lost in thought.
He had asked his friends at the Black Turtle Tower, "Since you owe me, let's work together if any decent jobs come up," and told everyone he met, "If you hear of any work, let's team up..."
At this rate, all available jobs should come his way.
"Master Lee Han. Have you returned?"
Alarong knocked on the study door. Lee Han signaled for him to enter.
"If you're available, I wanted to ask if you'd like to spar—it's been a while."
"Sure. Thanks, Alarong."
"You've been going out frequently these days—are you truly sure you don't need any assistance? Please, just call upon me for anything."
"Hmm."
Lee Han paused for a moment.
Then he asked:
"By any chance, do you know of any short-term jobs where one could earn a substantial amount of silver coins as both a Magic School student and a mage?"
"Pardon?"
Alarong was taken aback.
Then he asked again:
"Forgive me, but... why would you need such a thing? If there's anything you require for your magic studies, we can provide—"
Lee Han nodded as if he had expected that response.
"Then let's go clash swords."
"???"
Still visibly confused and unable to comprehend, Alarong trailed after Lee Han in bewilderment.
The training grounds of the estate.
Alarong drew his sword.
Though he usually wore the gentle expression of an elderly knight, the moment his blade was unsheathed, he revealed the imposing presence of a massive boulder.
Lee Han also drew his sword.
There was no chance of victory against Alarong, a knight bearing the title of Master—a distinction granted only to the Empire's most elite swordsmen—but...
'Let's make the most of what I've learned.'
The swordsmanship Lee Han had acquired at Einrogard could be broadly categorized into two techniques.
One was the art of imbuing the sword with mana.
...To be precise, this technique was actually a profound skill that, even amidst the chaos of battle, allowed one to flawlessly circulate mana within the blade, unifying sword and body as one. However, Lee Han's approach was closer to brute-force mana expulsion and wastefulness.
Still, "imbuing" was technically correct.
The other was the subtle principle of suction.
By altering the nature of the mana infused into the blade, swordsmanship could become as versatile as magic.
"Then, I shall begin."
And an hour later.
Thud—
Lee Han collapsed onto the training grounds, having dropped his wooden sword. Though his mana reserves were still abundant, his physical stamina had been utterly drained.
Alarong wiped his sweat and marveled.
"You were splendid."
"Doesn't... really feel like it."
Lee Han spoke through gritted teeth, his entire body aching. But Alarong was sincere.
"I had no idea you could channel mana to that extent in such a short time. For an ordinary swordsman, reaching that level would require decades of training. Your exceptional talent in magic must extend to mana manipulation as well. Though, there is one thing I'm curious about..."
"What is it?"
"Were you using some... special method when wielding mana? The sheer force of it..."
Alarong flexed his throbbing palm as he asked.
Had he not protected himself with mana, his hand would have been drenched in blood—such was the power behind the young master's strikes.
While self-discovery was commendable, if that discovery harmed the body, then as a sword instructor, he had a duty to intervene.
"Ah. That... well..."
Lee Han hesitated, choosing his words carefully.
Struggling to avoid sounding completely insane.
"......"
By the time the explanation was over, Alarong's expression was one of utter disbelief.
"So... you're not circulating and maintaining mana within the blade... you're just expelling it?"
"Well, not all the time—only when necessary."
"......"
Alarong debated whether he should stop this or not.
Any other swordsman would have coughed up blood from mana exhaustion after just a few swings, but Lee Han had such an abundance of mana that it didn't matter...
"In all my years facing countless swordsmen across the Empire, witnessing every secret technique and underhanded method, I've never encountered a swordsman who used the approach you just described."
"That rare, huh?"
Lee Han's spirits dampened slightly.
He had assumed there'd be at least one or two others...
"For now, it's fine, but please be cautious. No wonder your sword kept... Ah. There's one more thing I'd like to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Earlier, you clearly altered the nature of your mana... Was that the Absorbing Sword technique? Where did you learn the Absorbing Sword?"
"Ah. I once sparred with a swordsman from the Enge Family."
Alarong was stunned.
"A swordsman from the Enge Family taught you their secret technique? How in the world—?"
"No, no. They didn't teach me. After clashing blades, it took some time, but I eventually figured out how to replicate the nature shift. I've been trying to make use of it since then."
"......"
Alarong nearly collapsed.