Episode 310
Episode 310
While the two adventurers were bewildered, thinking, 'Isn't Einrogard a magic school? What on earth are they teaching students from knightly families?', Lee Han approached the fallen mercenaries.
Buldahak, who had regained consciousness, flinched upon seeing Lee Han.
He had just realized who had unleashed that storm of magic moments ago.
"You bastard..."
"Sharkan."
Lee Han summoned Sharkan to keep watch over the mercenaries.
Though they were tightly bound, one could never predict what they might try.
However, Buldahak seemed to interpret Sharkan's appearance in a slightly different way. His gaze shifted with a mix of terror.
"Name."
"Bul... Buldahak."
"Murder, attacking transport carriages, threats... So you're the one with an imperial bounty on your head?"
Buldahak nodded. Delighted, Lee Han turned to Goo Bon.
"He's the one."
"...Excuse me, but you seem... happy about this?"
"Well, we've just earned extra silver coins, haven't we?"
"......"
Goo Bon and Bijidek were appalled by Lee Han's reasoning.
"Well... that's true, but..."
"Don't worry. We'll split it as originally agreed."
"That's not what I was worried about. It's strange that Buldahak is here in the first place."
True to his experience as a seasoned adventurer, Goo Bon sensed something off.
Lee Han and the students had deliberately chosen requests that were close to Granden City and not overly dangerous—tasks that required professional skills (like a mage's magic) without being too risky.
These requests were decently profitable, but they weren't the kind that would attract a wanted mercenary like Buldahak.
Why would someone who should be aiming for a big score show up here?
"Exactly."
"We need to interrogate him."
"Understood. But do you really think he'll spill the truth?"
Lee Han asked, sounding concerned.
"He seems pretty terrified right now. Your magic left a deep impression on him. If you interrogate him now, he might actually talk."
While Einrogard students might consider magic as natural as breathing, to imperial citizens, it was still an unknown terror.
Moreover, the way Lee Han had subdued his enemies wasn't exactly standard even by mage standards.
First, he lured them into complacency before ambushing them with Invisibility Magic. Then, he exploited the darkness to bombard them with lightning spells, throwing them into chaos. And for those who tried to counterattack, he struck from unpredictable angles.
Any one of those tactics alone would've been enough to shatter their morale, but suffering all three in succession had left the mercenaries half out of their wits.
Right now, those mercenaries were trembling, unable to comprehend what kind of battle mage Lee Han even was.
"Buldahak. Explain why you're here."
"...It's for the treasure in the cave."
Buldahak gritted his teeth and spoke.
As a hardened mercenary, he knew better than to lie in front of a mage of this caliber.
The moment he let pride or stubbornness get the better of him, his flesh would be torn, his bones broken, and his very soul shredded.
"Hmm. I see."
Lee Han nodded, pretending to listen.
Then he whispered to Goo Bon.
"That guy's meticulous. He even prepared a lie in case he got caught."
"Huh?"
Goo Bon and Bijidek, who had been wondering what the cave treasure was, were taken aback.
"That was a lie?"
"Of course. A wanted criminal like him wouldn't just obediently answer after one question."
"But... maybe he's just scared of you, Honored Mage..."
Bijidek cautiously suggested.
Given what they'd just witnessed, and with an emerald-hued beast summon growling beside them, even a mercenary with a bounty several times higher than Buldahak's would probably give up and tell the truth.
"Magic isn't that omnipotent. I'll need your help."
"How so?"
"Use your adventurer skills to interrogate him."
"Ooh..."
The White Tiger Tower students looked at Goo Bon and Bijidek with eager anticipation.
Though they had received knightly training, this was their first time seeing adventurers conduct an interrogation.
Just what methods would they use?
"......"
"......"
Goo Bon and Bijdack exchanged glances. Cold sweat was trickling down their backs.
'We must do our best. Understood?'
'Of course.'
"GAAAAAAAH! You bastards born from a father who wrestled demons and a mother who fornicated with monsters... GAAAAH! GAAAAH!"
"Won't you just spit out the truth already?!"
"You can't deceive the eyes of these mages here!"
Goo Bon and Bijdack interrogated Buldahak by drawing upon every ounce of their veteran adventurer experience.
Writhing in excruciating torture, Buldahak twisted his entire body.
"I told you already! I told you! Go ask the other bastards!!!"
"Shut up! Speak the truth now!"
Thud, thud!
Lee Han and the White Tiger Tower students watched the interrogation with solemn expressions.
Angrago whispered,
"So they're twisting a rod between his legs. That must be quite painful."
Lafadell replied,
"I have no choice but to admit it's an effective method. As the seniors said, there's much to learn from adventurers."
When Buldahak finally passed out, Goo Bon and Bijdack wiped the sweat from their brows and took a breather.
Lee Han summoned chilled water into a pewter cup and handed it to them.
"Take your time."
"Yes. Thank you."
Encouraged by Lee Han's support, the two adventurers turned their gaze to Buldahak's underlings.
The underlings were trembling pitifully.
And thirty minutes later.
The two adventurers spoke with deep remorse.
"Apologies. With our skills, we can't go any further..."
"Honorable mage. We dare not impose, but... might there be a way for you to extract the truth from him?"
"Hmm. Unfortunately, I don't know such magic either. I did try to read his emotions, but..."
"Is that so... Wait, what?"
The adventurers froze.
If he could read emotions, couldn't he also discern truth from lies?
"Was he lying the whole time?"
"No. His emotions were close to the truth."
"...Uh... M-mage. I know little of magic, but does that mean Buldahak was telling the truth?"
Lee Han laughed as if to say, "What nonsense are you spouting?" and shook his head.
"One can control their emotions while lying, you know."
"......"
"...Mage. There's absolutely no way Buldahak is at that level..."
Even with their limited knowledge of magic, the adventurers were certain of one thing.
If Buldahak were that skilled, it wouldn't be bounty hunters after him—it'd be the Emperor's royal knights!
"You bastards, may you be cursed forever."
Buldahak, seething with hatred, wept as he screamed.
Even after confessing the truth to escape the pain, he seemed genuinely aggrieved at being tortured.
"Ah. We already apologized. Shut up now."
"......"
Buldahak immediately clamped his mouth shut.
To Lee Han, it was just an offhand remark, but to Buldahak, it sounded like, "Keep yapping, and I'll rip out your tongue."
"So, about that treasure inside the cave..."
Originally, the request was to exterminate ghouls emerging from a cave near Burnt Hill.
These ghouls weren't just lurking in the cave—they were descending upon nearby roads and threatening innocent travelers.
Not only did the task involve slaying the ghouls, but also identifying and addressing the root cause of their appearance. It was an annoying request for adventurers lacking knowledge or expertise...
...Which made it perfect for Einrogard students, especially those with mages among them.
But Buldahak's story was slightly different.
According to testimonies from both the Thieves' Guild and a few who had ventured into the cave, there was undoubtedly an undiscovered Ancient Artifact hidden deep inside.
"What are we waiting for, Wardanaz? Let's go in!"
The White Tiger Tower friends were buzzing with excitement. Even the usually composed Derguma's eyes gleamed.
Few professions were as obsessed with ancient ruins, dungeons, and artifacts as mages.
Lost magic and knowledge from the past were worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.
Yet Lee Han remained skeptical.
"Couldn't this just be some idiot's nonsense?"
The testimonies were all at this level:
-Got lost in the cave and kept seeing a black light from one side! Definitely the glow of an artifact!
-That light couldn't possibly occur naturally.
-When we tried approaching, the ghouls suddenly turned violent and attacked—it has to be an artifact!
Lee Han sighed and looked at his friends.
"This is exactly why you keep falling for the Headmaster's traps. Getting swayed by such flimsy rumors..."
"Tch..."
"Th-that's not what we need to talk about right now."
'Headmaster?'
'Trap?'
The two mercenaries grew puzzled internally.
Gubon cautiously voiced his opinion:
"But Honored Mage, among adventurers, testimonies like these hold considerable value."
Even far vaguer and more absurd rumors often drew crowds of seekers. With rumors like these, even Gubon would've gathered a team out of curiosity.
The fact that mercenaries like Buldahak had prepared this thoroughly just to come here proved the rumor's worth.
"Though this isn't some imperial frontier—I doubt any usable artifacts would remain here..."
"Not true. Dungeons and artifacts appear near cities more often than you'd think."
Due to natural phenomena or the mana inherent in dungeons and ruins themselves, they frequently altered their surroundings and emerged unexpectedly. In such cases, adventurers who discovered them could strike it rich.
"Fine. We needed to exterminate the ghouls anyway."
"So we're going in?!" Angorok shouted excitedly.
"No. The sun isn't fully up yet."
Though dawn had broken, it was still too early to enter.
"...R-right."
Even in this situation, Lee Han's calm demeanor left Angorok speechless.
'This guy's hopeless.'
"In the meantime, we have work to do."
"What is it, Wardanaz?"
Raphael listened intently. Say what you will about Wardanaz, but he never spoke nonsense about magic. He must have something important to say before facing the ghouls.
"Since we're up, let's handle some gathering quests. Raphael—Snow-falling Herb. Angorok—Geranium Flower. Derguma—Sleep Mugwort. I'll track signs of the Rapella Field Mouse."
"......"
"......"
As Lee Han and his resigned friends departed, Buldahak turned to Gubon and asked:
"What the hell is wrong with those crazy mages?"
Thanks to Lee Han's help, his friends completed their gathering quests with ease.
-That's the Snow-falling Herb? What are your eyes even for? Can you tell a skeleton apart from a ghoul?
-Is that how you gather flowers? Do they look like monsters to you? Are you planning to claim you hunted monsters by snapping them like that?
"Good work, everyone."
"......"
By the time they finished gathering, the day had fully dawned. It was finally time to enter the cave.
"But Honored Mage..."
Bijidek whispered so the mercenaries wouldn't hear.
"What will you do about them? If we leave them here, they might flee or stab us in the back later."
The best option would be to drag them to the nearest town, but everyone except Lee Han was too blinded by treasure to consider it.
"We'll take them with us."
"Huh?"
Bijidek froze.
Take them inside?
He couldn't mean cooperating like a joint raid with another party...
"They might try to escape or cause chaos inside. Controlling them won't be easy."
"I've already thought of that."
Lee Han said this and pulled out bone fragments.
Raphael had a sinking feeling.
"Bones, seize the enemy. Bones, seize the enemy. Bones, seize the enemy..."
Clack, clack, clack, clack!
Bone restraints clamped around the mercenaries' wrists and ankles. But it didn't end there.
Bone hands materialized around their necks, gripping tightly. With just a gesture from Lee Han, they could instantly strangle them.
"Good. This should suffice."
"You... are truly... unbelievable..."
Raphael muttered in a drained voice. Before them stood a black mage of terrifying power—the kind only found in fairy tales.