Episode 306
Episode 306
When it came to elemental control and manipulation, Lee Han honestly didn't think he would lose to a second-year senior—unless it was in Enchantment Magic, which was their specialty.
After all, the second-year seniors hadn't learned under that mad professor while getting beaten up.
"Senior. I think you might be misunderstanding because I just passed the test earlier—it's not that I'm weak at elemental control, it's that if I lose focus, I could burn this entire temple down."
"...Uh... uh. R-really?"
Balgaro was starting to understand why this first-year junior didn't have any friends.
What kind of insane bravado was this?
"Fine. If you're not confident, I'll just do it myself. I owe you for the advice you gave me earlier."
"Hey! I said no! I'd rather—"
Before Balgaro could stop him, Lee Han stepped forward.
"There's no need for the seniors here to deal with this. I'll handle it."
"Good."
Otilo didn't back down easily.
As they say, ignorance breeds courage.
Otilo didn't know exactly what level the students of Einrogard were at.
Seeing that this was an underclassman—one even younger than Balgaro—he thought it was worth a shot.
'Controlling fire elements is something I've done countless times. Losing to some kid...'
It wasn't something just anyone could do—modifying a 1st Circle spell to mimic a 4th Circle one.
Having steadily practiced fire element control, Otilo believed that even against an Einrogard student, he stood a chance if it came down to a contest of flame manipulation.
Fwoooooooosh!
...At least, that was what he thought until dozens of flames erupted into the air in an instant.
"...I-I was wrong! I've committed a capital offense! Please, have mercy!"
Otilo immediately prostrated himself.
The moment he saw it, his mind went blank.
Lee Han, his face expressionless, had been concentrating on the flames before finally lifting his head.
Controlling dozens of flames wasn't particularly difficult, but losing focus and causing them to explode would be a serious problem.
That's why his words were brief.
"What exactly did you do wrong?"
"Huh??"
"Tell me what you did wrong."
Lee Han focused his mind again on maintaining the flames' power.
Misinterpreting his frown, Otilo hastily blurted out:
"I—I tried to deceive other mages... I tried to deceive other mages! I'm sorry! I got greedy after gaining some petty skill..."
"You... you bastard!"
"How dare you try to trick us?!"
Naturally, the mages nearby were furious.
Not only had they been about to make a bet, but they'd almost been fooled on a much larger scale—it would've been strange if they weren't angry.
'Is this enough to wrap things up?'
Seeing that the situation wouldn't escalate further, Lee Han began dispelling the flames one by one.
Careful not to accidentally set them off and turn the surroundings into a sea of fire.
"You... you...!"
While the mages surrounded Otilo, hurling insults with hostile expressions, Balgaro stared at Lee Han in shock.
If a mage couldn't recognize the kind of magic they'd just witnessed, they had no talent as a mage.
'Oh no.'
Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.
He'd summoned as many flames as possible to overwhelm his opponent, but in doing so, he'd given himself away.
"...You're a fire magic prodigy!"
"...Senior, you truly embody the White Tiger Tower."
"Huh? Why the sudden praise?"
Balgaro felt embarrassed by his junior's abrupt compliment.
"Earlier, when you used fire magic, I thought you were too nervous and had some issue... but it turns out you're just timid. What a shame."
"Haha."
"But so what? Even if you get nervous easily, what matters is your magical skill. Among second-years, I've never seen anyone who can summon dozens of flames simultaneously like you."
Balgaro wasn't just giving empty praise—he was genuinely happy.
"I've been waiting for a junior like you to join the tower."
"Huh?"
"A junior who can crush the arrogance of those insufferable Blue Dragon Tower bastards!"
"......"
Lee Han suddenly felt guilty.
"Do you have any idea how arrogantly those bastards flaunted their magic skills? Those sons of bitches... Just you wait!"
While Balgaro was excitedly chattering away, the mages who had beaten up Otillo came over to Lee Han to express their gratitude.
"Thank you so much."
"Thanks to you, we weren't deceived. Just thinking about how we could've fallen for that scammer's tricks makes me dizzy..."
"Wait! By any chance, are you Lee Han of the Wardanaz family?!"
"?!"
Lee Han was startled.
A mage he'd never met before had guessed his name correctly.
"Is that right? It is, isn't it? I heard Lord Zolbabden talking about you! Even though you're just a first-year at Einrogard, you subdued a basilisk in a single strike!"
"......"
Lee Han regretted not subduing Zolbabden when he had the chance.
Hearing this, another mage slapped his knee and exclaimed.
"Ah! I heard about that too! Didn't you also win a magical duel against Sir Doin of the Valor Family at the Dalkard Family's mansion?"
"They say you completely overwhelmed Sir Doin, a graduate of Baldrogard!"
"It wasn't overwhelming—his mana was just depleted..."
"You mean you exhausted your opponent's mana?"
"......"
Lee Han hadn't realized the social circles of Granden City spread rumors this quickly.
"Uh... Gainando? What are you talking about? You're Gainando of the Moradi Family, right..."
"Oh no. I have an urgent appointment. Senior, I'll see you next time!"
Lee Han quickly grabbed his permit and hurried out of the temple.
The gathered mages surrounded Balgaro, bombarding him with questions.
"If you're a student of Einrogard, then perhaps..."
"Are you close with that person? Could you possibly arrange an introduction..."
"Hey, move! I said move! Junior! Wait a second! Junior!!"
"Oh? Lee Han."
Durgyu waved cheerfully.
He had coincidentally spotted Lee Han on the main street of Granden City.
But Lee Han, walking from a distance, looked unusually exhausted.
"What's wrong? You look worn out."
"...Had a bit of an incident. What were you up to, Durgyu?"
"After the semester ended, I rested up and was preparing to work with some friends. You probably wouldn't know, but us White Tiger Tower students..."
"You sharpen your skills in real combat by taking on requests as adventurers. And you earn your own living expenses on the side."
"How did you know?!"
Durgyu was shocked.
Since noble families usually mingled only with other noble families, and knightly families only with other knightly families, they rarely knew much about each other's lifestyles.
Lee Han smiled gently and said.
"We're friends, aren't we? Of course I'd be curious about how you're doing."
"Lee Han...!"
Durgyu was deeply moved.
Among the White Tiger Tower students, there were some narrow-minded jerks who said ridiculous things like, 'Don't meet Wardanaz during Durgyu's vacation, that guy's dangerous.'
He wanted to show them Lee Han as he was now.
'How could anyone say such things about such a considerate friend?'
"So you're planning to register as an adventurer first?"
"Yeah. That's the idea."
Durgyu nodded.
Adventurers who take on and complete requests.
At first glance, it might seem like qualifications and registrations were unnecessary. Couldn't you just find someone who needed help and strike a deal?
But that kind of approach only worked in the lawless outskirts of the empire. In the empire's major cities, such haphazard methods didn't fly.
To prevent unnecessary conflicts and disputes, the Empire's Adventurers' Guild handled management and mediation.
Adventurers registered with the guild after identity verification, while clients deposited silver and gold coins with the guild to guarantee credibility. It was a fairly systematic process.
"I borrowed some equipment from an acquaintance, and the others are getting theirs from a place that sells gear cheaply..."
Before he could finish speaking, a group of White Tiger Tower students clad in armor appeared from the opposite side.
Though there were minor scratches and rust spots here and there, the gear seemed perfectly functional. Clearly, they'd gotten a good deal through connections with knightly orders or knightly families.
"Wo, Wardanaz!"
"Yeah."
"...Wait! Don't get the wrong idea!"
"What wrong idea should I not get?"
Lee Han was puzzled as the White Tiger Tower students began stammering nervously.
At the moment, Lee Han hadn't actually done anything.
"The debt... we'll earn money to pay it back!"
"Y-yeah! This equipment was half-bought on credit too! Don't misunderstand! We didn't spend the silver coins meant to repay you first!"
'Ah.'
Only then did Lee Han understand the situation.
Unlike the generally affluent students of the Blue Dragon Tower or a few wealthy merchant-family students from the Turtle Tower, White Tiger Tower students weren't exactly flush with funds.
There were only a handful of wealthy knight families, and students from other knightly households had no spending money unless they earned it themselves.
While lodging and meals could be arranged through connections, everything else had to be procured personally—so this kind of preparation was only natural.
"Alright. It's fine."
"We've already signed contracts, so even if you beat us to death right now, there's no way money would... huh? You said it's fine?"
"Yeah. I said it's fine."
At Lee Han's words, the White Tiger Tower students froze.
"R... really?"
"Yeah."
"Seriously? We can really earn and pay you back later? You won't go to the knight order and leave insulting messages about our family names if we're late...?"
"That's a creative method, I'll admit. But I won't do anything like that."
"In that case, would you perhaps send a letter to our families...?"
Annoyed, Lee Han raised his staff. The White Tiger Tower students flinched.
"I said it's fine."
"O-oh. Thanks."
One of the White Tiger Tower students, who had been gauging the mood, spoke up cautiously.
"Well then, we... uh... have to go register at the Adventurers' Guild."
"I'm coming in too."
"Huh?"
"I said I'm coming in with you. I came to register too."
"......"
"...Why??"
"To earn silver coins."
Lee Han answered, but not a single White Tiger Tower student believed him.
'He's probably doing this to maintain his combat instincts, right?'
'Must be. What kind of guy is more battle-crazed than actual knights?'
'He's a magic-crazed lunatic, that's what!'
"Alright. Stop standing around and let's go in."
Durgyu urged his friends on.
The White Tiger Tower students didn't want Lee Han behind them, but they had no choice but to open the Adventurers' Guild's door and step inside.
The Adventurers' Guild didn't have any particularly special atmosphere. If anything, it was quieter and more businesslike than other buildings.
If not for the people in assorted outfits sitting quietly and waiting, it would have been hard to tell this was the Adventurers' Guild at all.
Thud!
"Einrogard first-year, Angrago of the Alpha Family, confirmed. We look forward to your exploits."
Thud!
"Einrogard first-year, Dukehma of the Jay Family, confirmed. We look forward to your exploits."
Adventurer registration proceeded much faster than expected.
With their clear status as Einrogard students and their family backgrounds, it was only natural.
The clerk stamped their papers without even looking up, then handed out permits and medals.
"Einrogard first-year, Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family."
"Yes."
"......"
The clerk paused briefly before looking up at Lee Han with an extremely bewildered expression.
"Are you... intending to join your friends in this?"
"Huh? If there's work we can do together, I suppose we might."
"The requests are unlikely to be dangerous, but there's always a basic risk of injury. Please keep that in mind."
"Understood."
Lee Han understood the clerk's concern.
No doubt, idle nobles occasionally showed up out of boredom, wanting to try adventuring.
If that was all, it'd be fine—but usually, such nobles would get hurt and then rage, "How dare you drag me into this filth!"
"But really..."
"Clerk. That Wardanaz guy... no, Wardanaz doesn't need that kind of worry."
"Right. He's truly ma—... I mean, he's more than capable of protecting himself."
"We guarantee it."
"????"
As the knight-family students spoke in unison, the clerk grew even more confused.
Just what was the deal with this student?