Episode 34
Episode 34
"You can't just say anything to the disciple of Lightning Step."
"...I'm truly happy."
Lee Han struggled to keep his expression in check.
Even when the professor's kindness was less than welcome, maintaining a composed expression was necessary.
An irritated professor was a far more terrifying existence than your average demon.
Lightning Step trudged along before stopping in front of a horse.
It was a truly beautiful white horse.
Neither unusually large nor small, it had a sturdy build with well-defined muscles.
The white horse stared intently at Lee Han before blinking its eyes. There wasn't a hint of aggression in its gaze.
Had Lee Han been a little younger, he might have naively thought, 'Did the professor really pick out a good horse just for me?'
But Lee Han was someone who had weathered all kinds of storms.
He wasn't so easily fooled.
'This isn't a demon disguised as a white horse, is it?'
Something was definitely off!
"Here. This is a truly fine horse. But it's also the most stubborn and difficult one in this stable. If you can tame this one, the other monsters will be a breeze."
Lightning Step spoke with an extremely pleased expression.
"Of course, it might be too tough for a first-year."
"If that's what you think, then perha—"
"But you, a Wardanaz who handled the Thunderbird so skillfully, should have no problem! I believe in you!"
'Damn it.'
Just because he did well, the difficulty had to spike?!
How could things be so irrational and absurd...
While Lee Han and Professor Lightning Step were talking, the other students were still stubbornly approaching various horses, trying to strike up conversations.
"Good boy? Good boy— Ouch! It bit me!"
"Stop spitting! Stop spitting, I said!"
"It's headbutting me?!"
Naturally, the horses weren't exactly cooperative.
As the chaos continued, Nilia cautiously spoke to her friends.
"Shouldn't we try to befriend the horses first?"
"That's what we're trying to do!"
"I mean, don't just rush in and try to pet them out of nowhere. There are other ways—like coming early in the morning to groom them, clean their stalls, or feed them..."
Nilia didn't think she was saying anything particularly strange.
Back when she worked with the <Shadow Patrol>, this was the kind of effort needed to tame unfamiliar beasts.
If you didn't consistently put in time and effort, the other party would never open up to you.
"Do we really have to go that far?"
"We have to come to the stables early every morning?"
"?!"
But surprisingly, the other students reacted with resistance.
Even in the Black Turtle Tower, many students came from wealthy families.
Horses were something servants or slaves took care of—there was no need to bother with them personally.
'Are they all idiots?!'
Nilia almost blurted out, 'Do you still think you're outside the academy?' but held back.
If she said something like that, she'd just be labeled the weird one.
She had no choice but to swallow her frustration.
'Fine, I'll just come out and do it alone. Maybe once they see the horses listening to me, the others will start taking my advice.'
As Nilia walked over with her ears drooping dejectedly, Lee Han and Yoner approached her.
"Nilia. Did you pick a horse yet?"
"We're planning to come out every morning to take care of the horses. Want to join us?"
"...Yeah!!"
With a teary expression, Nilia threw her arms around Lee Han and Yoner.
True friends didn't care which tower you were from.
Lee Han and Yoner exchanged bewildered looks as they stared at Nilia.
'Why is she like this?'
'Who knows...?'
After the Basic Mount Training class ended, Lee Han headed toward Thunder Step's cabin with Professor Lightning Step.
To be precise, it was less "heading there together" and more "being dragged along." There was no way Lee Han could refuse the professor's request.
"You're he— No."
Lee Han saw it clearly.
The way Thunder Step's pupils trembled and his complexion paled the moment he spotted the elder of the household!
"...What brings you here?"
"Do I need a reason to visit my nephew? Step aside. Goodness! Living in a remote corner in a hut again, I see. And it's not even properly organized! Just look at all this dust!"
"I-it is organized, in my own way."
Thunder Steps attempted to defend himself.
Truth be told, the hut had become considerably tidier since Lee Han had arrived.
"Organized, you say! What kind of organization is this! Alchemy is fine and all, but it's time you found yourself a good partner and started a family. How long do you plan to live alone? The elders are worried sick about you—"
"......"
Thunder Steps looked at Lee Han with pleading eyes, as if begging for help. Lee Han couldn't bring himself to refuse that desperate gaze.
"Um, Professor. Should I prepare some food?"
"Ah, right. I brought my disciple here, so I should at least feed him. You stay put, Thunder Steps. Your cooking tastes terrible. I'll whip up something delicious, Eastern-style."
"But I don't really like Eastern-style food..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Thunder Steps mumbled before shutting his mouth. Then, turning to Lee Han, he spoke in an earnest voice.
"Did anything unusual happen to you?"
His tone practically begged for a change of subject.
Lee Han pondered what to say.
Should he mention joining the Prisinga Order?
"Wait. That staff..."
Only then did Thunder Steps notice that Lee Han was holding an unfamiliar staff.
"Where did you get that staff?"
"Ah, this one?"
Lee Han hesitated for a moment.
Then he asked again.
"You'll keep it a secret, right?"
"......"
Thunder Steps was dumbfounded.
He had only asked casually to steer the conversation elsewhere—he hadn't expected such a response.
And the fact that Lee Han said that at all made it obvious something suspicious was going on...
"...I'll keep it."
"Child, our bloodline always keeps secrets."
Lightning Steps, who had been chopping ingredients on the cutting board behind them, paused to wash his hands before approaching.
"Whatever the secret, we don't take dinner-table conversations outside. By the way, what kind of ingredients do you even have here? Nothing but bread and meat?"
"Ah, I told you, I can take care of myself just fine...!"
"That's why your health is suffering! Eastern eating habits are the best for dwarves. You should be eating rice, not wheat. I'll make you a delicious stew."
Thunder Steps' face darkened with sorrow.
Determined to divert the topic, the dwarf professor turned back to Lee Han.
"So, how did you get that staff? I can sense a life force from it..."
Lee Han summarized and polished the events of that night.
—Went up the mountain for a walk by chance, met a talking oak tree...
"...You went deep into that mountain at night... for a walk???"
"Yes. The best walks are in secluded, out-of-the-way places, after all."
"......"
"......"
Both Thunder Steps and Lightning Steps stared at Lee Han in disbelief, but he remained unfazed.
'He was trying to run away.'
'An escape attempt.'
There was only one reason a freshman would climb a mountain late at night on a weekend.
"But wait. You met a talking oak tree? Did you solve its riddle?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"It's a rather famous spirit... So that staff must be from the talking oak tree."
Thunder Steps nodded with interest as he examined the staff.
Talking oak trees were known for their finicky and bothersome personalities, but the arcane knowledge they possessed couldn't be ignored.
The staff Lee Han held radiated the vibrant life force of a tree spirit. It was an unusual staff, not something one would come across often.
"Does this staff have any special effects?"
Lee Han asked with a hint of anticipation.
As a human, it was only natural to feel hopeful.
After all, the talking oak tree had made it sound like quite an extraordinary item...
"That staff is great for farming."
Lightning Step placed a bubbling pot of pork stew on the wooden table.
The stew, made by stir-frying well-fermented kimchi (though it was called something like 'Eastern Empire Pickled Cabbage,' Lee Han simply referred to it as kimchi) along with various seasonings and roughly chopped pork before letting it boil vigorously, emitted a scent that made Lee Han's heart flutter.
As someone originally from Korea, the typical Eastern Empire-style cuisine always felt familiar to Lee Han.
In contrast, Thunder Step's expression was tinged with sorrow.
With green onions and chili peppers added and the whole thing looking bright red, it was obvious at a glance that it was spicy.
'Even though he has a disciple, cooking such spicy Eastern food on a whim...'
"I'll dig in."
"?!"
Thunder Step was startled when he saw Lee Han scoop a large spoonful of white rice into his bowl and start eating heartily.
He's eating it just fine!?
'Is it not spicy? Does he actually enjoy spicy food!?'
"As expected. Truly worthy of being Thunder Step's direct disciple—knowing how to eat properly, Wardanaz."
Lightning Step spoke with a satisfied expression.
Since the Empire was so vast, there were people who couldn't stomach dishes from regions other than their own.
Compared to those people, seeing Lee Han devour his meal so heartily was endlessly pleasing.
A way of eating that any old dwarf would love!
"In contrast, why are you picking at your food like that? Eat up!"
"Ah, yes!"
Meanwhile, Thunder Step was eating even slower than his disciple. As the dwarf and the human ate, Lightning Step continued the conversation from earlier.
"Since that staff is imbued with tree spirits, it'll be particularly good for growing and nurturing things. It's literally a living staff, after all. Staves like that aren't easy to come by. A very rare item."
"Uh... are there any other effects?"
"Hmm? That's the most prominent one."
Of course, helping crops grow wasn't a bad effect, but it was quite far from what Lee Han had hoped for.
'It's for farming...?'
He hadn't expected it to make him invincible or let him learn magic in his dreams, but he had at least hoped it would help with mana control...
"Well, this works out. Weren't you planning to start a garden anyway?"
"I was, yes."
"A garden?"
Lightning Step showed interest at the exchange between Thunder Step and Lee Han.
"Aren't you from the Wardanaz family?"
"This one's a bit... unique."
"I can see that. What are you planning to grow?"
"Anything edible, really. Just trying out this and that."
"This guy's interested in Eastern cuisine, so he wants to plant things like cabbage and green onions," Thunder Step explained.
"Oh?"
Thunder Step's words seemed to please Lightning Step, who spoke with anticipation.
"If you want, I can help you out a bit."
"Ah! Really?"
"Of course. I've tended quite a few gardens myself."
Lee Han followed Lightning Step outside the cabin.
Behind it was an empty plot of land, cleared out specifically for Lee Han's garden.
Thanks to occasional soil preparation, it was ready for planting seeds or seedlings at any time.
"It's best to start with the longer-growing stuff first. Potatoes and sweet potatoes will be very useful."
Lightning Step knew all too well how much the academy's freshmen suffered.
Crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes that could fill one's stomach would be invaluable.
"They'll take at least two months, but planting them now means you'll be grateful later."
"That makes sense."
Lee Han agreed with Lightning Step's reasoning. Accepting the potato and sweet potato seeds, he began carefully planting them in one section of the garden.
'...He's from the Wardanaz family?'
Lightning Step was slightly taken aback by how Lee Han worked.
Anyone with experience could only marvel at the way Lee Han handled the task.
That seasoned, effortless skill—it was like watching a born laborer.
...Was he really from the Wardanaz family, a renowned magical lineage?
"...?"
Thunder Step, who had come out late to watch, sensed something odd.
"Did you plant these last weekend?"
"Huh? We just planted them now."
"Really?"
Thunder Step tilted his head in confusion.
'Just now?'
Then why does it already look like sprouts are growing?