Episode 330
Episode 330
Professor Verdus watched as Lee Han broke another bracelet and asked with curiosity.
"Can't you just break them from now on without releasing them? That'd be faster, wouldn't it?"
"No."
Clearing away the fragments, Lee Han answered firmly.
'I have to save them for when it really matters.'
He carefully tucked away the remaining two bracelets.
He planned to use them when there was an important exam or when Professor Voladi threatened him with a sword, saying, 'If you don't perfectly master the Rotation Attribute by today, I'll kill you.'
Baishada, a hunter from the <Shadow Patrol>, waited in front of the Maykin Family's mansion, having arranged to meet Nilia.
As a fellow <Shadow Patrol> hunter, he wanted to support a student who had enrolled in Einrogard and also deliver the gifts his comrades had asked him to pass along. And also...
'Can I ask how she managed to get inside the Maykin Family's mansion???'
Baishada stared up at the mansion with a bewildered expression.
He couldn't fathom what trick she had used to stay there.
Did she threaten them with an arrow or something??
"How on earth did she end up staying here?"
Gethse, a hunter from the <Wasteland Star-Catchers>, answered as if it were obvious.
"She probably has a friend in the Maykin Family, no?"
"That's ridiculous. Why would those high-nosed nobles be friendly with the likes of us?"
"Sometimes, there are nobles who have the soul of a hunter."
"Huh? That exists? I've never seen one."
"U-Um...!"
Some passing children shyly called out to them.
The two hunters turned to look, wondering what was going on.
"A-Are those uniforms... Are you from the Wasteland Star-Catchers??"
"That's right."
Gethse nodded in response. Baishada felt a deep pang of jealousy at the sight.
Regardless of the Wasteland Star-Catchers' reputation, Gethse always carried an inexplicably profound and melancholic aura, no matter what he did.
'Is it an angle thing?'
While Baishada was confusedly checking his own angles, the children asked Gethse for autographs.
"P-Please write 'Wasteland Star-Catcher'!"
"Here too! Please sign here too!"
"Now, now. Calm down. I'm not going anywhere."
"......"
Baishada kept glancing at the children.
But they didn't seem to recognize anything from his uniform.
'Ugh.'
"Thank you!"
After the children left, Gethse sighed slightly, looking tired.
"It's nice that they recognize the name of the Wasteland Star-Catchers, but it feels a bit too much for someone like me who still has so much to learn. It weighs on my heart."
"Sounds like a damn hassle."
Baishada muttered. Gethse looked puzzled.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just that I'm jealous of the Wasteland Star-Catchers."
"Really? I'm more envious of the Shadow Patrol."
"......"
For a moment, Baishada considered grabbing him by the collar.
Was this bastard mocking him right now...?
"The Shadow Patrol silently guards the northern mountain ranges without caring for empty fame. Compared to us... Not that I don't understand the higher-ups' policies, but we get too many unnecessary visits from unrelated people."
"I... I see."
Baishada was both pleased and envious at the praise.
Couldn't they just switch?
"And on top of that, the Shadow Patrol even has a student who got into Einrogard. That must mean there are plenty of young hunters with outstanding talent."
"Hmph, hmph."
Baishada struggled to keep his expression neutral.
Still, hearing that didn't feel bad.
"Have you been waiting long?!"
Nilia came running out from the main gate. As fellow Shadow Patrol members, they recognized each other instantly. Baishada shook his head.
"Not too long. You're Nilia, right?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Here. Take these first. This is a gift Pullam asked me to give you. This one's from Vanda. And this... was it Iyal?"
"Th-thank you."
Nilia was deeply moved by the gifts from her fellow Shadow Patrol members, reminders of their shared homeland.
"And this person is?"
"This is Gethse, from the Wasteland Star-Catchers."
"Wha—???"
Nilia's eyes clearly asked, 'Why are you associating with someone like that?' Baishada hastily explained.
"He's a kind and outstanding person. We worked together on a job recently."
"Oh. I see..."
Though Nilia nodded in understanding, her eyes still held a hint of skepticism. Baishada decided to change the subject.
"But how are you staying here?"
"A friend invited me to live together."
"From the Maykin Family?!"
"Yes."
'Good heavens!'
Baishada was utterly shocked.
Who would have thought a hunter from the Shadow Patrol could have such connections?
She had always assumed the Shadow Patrol was full of socially inept misfits who couldn't adapt to imperial society!
"Am... amazing!"
'Is the world changing?'
Baishada began to hope that someday, when the era of young hunters arrived, the Shadow Patrol might become as renowned as the Wasteland Star-Catchers.
Frankly speaking, what could possibly make them inferior to the Wasteland Star-Catchers?
"Anyway, you've got all the gifts, right? Checked them? Then we should get going."
"Ah, please wait a moment. You're leaving already...?"
"Cities just don't agree with us."
At Baishada's words, Gethse also nodded in agreement.
This city—where the horizon was blocked at every turn, where people appeared the moment you turned your head, and where towering spires pierced the sky—was simply too much for hunters.
Every time someone suddenly popped up nearby, their hands instinctively reached for their bows.
"But still, at least—"
"Thanks for your concern. But really, it's fine. There's nothing in particular we want to do here."
"Ah! Wait. There's a place where you might find some useful Artifacts if you're lucky."
Nilia suddenly remembered the Prisinga Order event Lee Han had mentioned.
She had been planning to go today anyway, and now that the two hunters were here, it seemed perfect.
Even hunters who usually had no interest in cities would change their minds if there was a chance to acquire useful Artifacts.
Sure enough, the two immediately perked up.
"Really? There's such a place?"
"Well, it's the Prisinga Order..."
"Ah. So they lift curses from Artifacts and give them away?"
"Sounds like a good idea."
"But wouldn't those Artifacts belong to the Order's priests? Is it okay if we don't know anyone there...?"
"I know someone!"
Nilia shouted, praying that Lee Han was still there.
"Now you try lifting this one."
"No..."
Lee Han was at a loss for words as Professor Verdus, after demonstrating once, casually tossed the cursed Artifact to him.
If there hadn't been people watching, he might have grabbed the professor by the collar.
'Calm down. The Granden City Gazette can't run a headline like <Einrogard Professor and Student in Collar-Grabbing Brawl>.'
Following the professor's earlier method, Lee Han carefully erased the outer lines of the curse magic circle, working his way inward.
As he meticulously dismantled the circle without disturbing the stagnant mana, he could feel the curse's power gradually weakening.
"Done."
"Thank you!!"
"Good job. Now do this one. I'll grab something to eat."
"......"
As Lee Han debated whether he really should grab the professor's collar, a familiar face appeared at the door.
"Nilia! Wait—Baishada?"
"Wardanaz?!"
Baishada was equally startled to see Lee Han.
Wasn't this the student who had performed monstrously among the White Tiger Tower students last time (though why he was there remained a mystery)?
"What are you doing here?"
"I was helping with the Prisinga Order's work."
"Ah. So the 'someone you know' is..."
Baishada looked at Lee Han, then at Nilia, then back at Lee Han—and was utterly astonished.
'Just what kind of talent does this kid have to be mingling with nobles?!'
Even the fastest Shadow Patrol member, the one who could shoot arrows the farthest, or the one who caught the most prey would feel insignificant compared to this young patrol member here.
It was impossible to imagine how she had become so close with nobles.
Was it magic?
"How did you get so close to them?"
Baishada whispered to Nilia, who flusteredly replied.
"Uh, just... naturally?"
"Just...!"
The profound simplicity of the answer sent a shiver down Baishada's spine.
Once, she had asked a master archer, "How do you shoot so well?"
Come to think of it, that archer had also answered, "Just naturally."
'She's no ordinary socialite. Amazing. Truly amazing.'
Baishada gazed at Nilia with eyes full of respect. Thetse also watched Nilia with interest.
"To be on such friendly terms with nobles. Impressive."
"A Wasteland Star-Catcher shouldn't say things like that."
"Seems there's a misunderstanding. It's not like we get along particularly well with nobles either. Nobles are always difficult to deal with."
Though the Wasteland Star-Catchers were widely known in the empire, they were still hunters at heart.
Of course, mingling with nobles wouldn't come naturally to them.
Hearing that, Baishada suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
"But that social skill is fascinating... If it's alright, I'd like some advice. So I can handle them better in the future too."
"Ah, no."
Nilia was flustered.
Why had the topic suddenly shifted to 'learning Nilia's exceptional social skills'?
And besides, there was no such thing.
"There's nothing like that. I just... sincerely..."
"Ooh...!"
"Ooh!"
While the three chattered, Lee Han, who had just successfully repaired another artifact, lifted his head.
'Was Nilia always this socially gifted?'
Though puzzled, Lee Han stayed silent for the sake of his friend's reputation.
"By the way, Nilia. Did you come to pick up some useful artifacts?"
It was an offhand remark, but Nilia perked up her ears, looking so grateful that tears nearly welled in her eyes.
Lee Han was taken aback.
'Was she that desperate for artifacts?'
It wasn't like she was starting a business—why?
"Would it be possible to find something the hunters here could use?"
"Ah. So that's why... Not a problem. Wait a moment. Let's go look."
Lee Han stood up and headed toward where Dijiling and Priest Mehrid were.
"Useful artifacts, you say?"
Normally, they wouldn't distribute them outside, but Priest Mehrid wasn't so rigid as to outright refuse a devoted student like Lee Han.
Besides, the Order valued cursed artifacts—those whose curses had already ended weren't treated as particularly important.
"You can pick a few from these and take them."
"Thank you!"
Though the hunters' hushed conversation behind her—'What kind of connections does she have?' 'Is she a genius at persuasion?'—was distracting, Nilia forced herself to focus.
"Nilia. How about this?"
Lee Han lifted a leather canteen. He turned it upside down to empty the water inside, then righted it again. After a moment, water slowly began to fill it with a gentle sloshing sound.
It wasn't incredibly fast, but it was still usable in the field.
Plus, a canteen like this would be quite handy for hunters. When traversing mountain ranges, finding water could often be difficult.
Nilia asked in amazement.
"It's good. What kind of cursed canteen is this?"
"I made it."
"......"
While others agonized over whether to flip a single page of a magic tome, this friend of hers had been capturing rival mages, hunting basilisks, slaying the Ghoul King, defeating an Undead Chimera, and even crafting artifacts.
Nilia found herself reflecting on her own life.
'Starting tomorrow, I'll live more diligently...'