Episode 341
Episode 341
'This is strange.'
The Skeleton Principal might have a nasty personality, but he wasn't stupid.
He clearly knew the banquet hall was located in the heart of Granden City—so why would he torment the students while ignoring the possibility of outsiders getting involved?
'...Could it be that these aren't my enemies, but the Duke's?'
Lee Han glanced at Duke Icaldoren.
The Duke stood with his arms crossed, waiting without a single change in expression. His demeanor exuded arrogance, as if he didn't care what emerged from the alley.
If these were enemies attacking the students, he should have shown at least some surprise or a different reaction.
'They are the Duke's enemies!'
Lee Han inwardly regretted his decision.
If he had just left it to the Duke's guards, this would have been over by now. Instead, he had foolishly gotten involved.
'Anyway, the Skeleton Principal is no help at all.'
Lee Han considered calling for the guards to cooperate even now.
But before he could, the enemies inside the alley struck first. The steadily intensifying energy sharpened like a blade, then burst forth with murderous intent.
As Lee Han had guessed, Duke Icaldoren was not surprised.
Of course, it wasn't because he knew exactly who the enemies were. The Duke was simply so accustomed to such ambushes that he was practically bored by them.
A duke of the Empire couldn't possibly lack enemies, and Duke Icaldoren—who had always acted the most aggressively—had made foes from the great noble families to criminal guilds alike.
Though most of these enemies didn't dare make a move and kept their tails tucked, when the numbers grew too large, he inevitably faced such attacks two or three times a year—almost like a routine event.
Naturally, true to his arrogant nature, the Duke neither felt fear nor acted cautiously.
Instead, he fortified his defenses.
The defensive artifacts Duke Icaldoren currently wore were worth more than a dozen castles combined, and the guards stationed around him possessed combat strength sufficient to slaughter an entire guild.
He was practically a walking fortress—why would he fear the attacks of insignificant assassins? If anyone should be afraid, it was the assassins foolish enough to strike at him.
Thus, Duke Icaldoren truly, not even slightly, felt surprised.
By the ambush, that is.
'How astonishing!'
Duke Icaldoren speculated endlessly in that brief moment, trying to decipher the meaning behind Lee Han's actions.
Why step forward in this situation?
It could be to elevate his worth in front of Princess Adenart—or perhaps to raise his standing before Duke Icaldoren himself.
'Or maybe both.'
The Duke leaned toward the latter.
The actions displayed by that boy from the Wardanaz family were remarkably vigorous for a freshman. Though many geniuses entered Einrogard, it was rare to see one so young already solidifying his position and building his reputation.
'I respect your ambition, boy of the Wardanaz family. But there's one thing you've overlooked.'
Having assessed the situation, Duke Icaldoren noticed a flaw in Lee Han's plan.
'That is, ultimately, you'll have to handle this ambush alone.'
Once he had stepped forward declaring he would handle it, he couldn't receive help from the Duke's guards.
And those who dared to ambush Duke Icaldoren were usually powerful individuals who had prepared thoroughly for this very moment.
'You likely have no idea just how strong those who would attack me tend to be. No matter how much of a genius you are, you're still a freshman. Handling these assailants won't be easy, will it?'
Though a mage's spells could possess world-shaking power, people often misunderstood—in reality, a mage's combat strength was often lacking compared to expectations.
Magic was formidable once completed, but before then, it was nothing.
Those who understood this well could easily toy with mages. There were countless ways to disrupt magic, from spell interruption to breaking their concentration.
Duke Icaldoren judged that Lee Han would have a hard time defeating the assailants.
If he ended up needing help after making such a declaration, it would deal a heavy blow to the ambitious boy's pride—but the Duke fully intended to intervene the moment Lee Han was pushed back.
If Lee Han were to get seriously injured, it would also cause trouble for him.
'Even if I help, don't resent me for it. You chose this path yourself.'
"My lord! Be careful! It's poison!"
"Stop whining. If you were truly sincere in your warning, either your eyes or your brain must be malfunctioning."
The Duke spoke to his guard in a disinterested tone. The guard's face flushed red.
Given the detoxification capabilities of the artifacts the Duke currently possessed, even if the entire surroundings melted away from poison, not a single hair on his head would be harmed.
Indeed, despite the guard's warning, the Duke hadn't moved a single step.
"What kind of monster is this? It doesn't look like a slime. Seems like a mix between a spirit and a dimensional beast."
The Duke and his guard had already roughly guessed the nature of the attacker the moment it crawled out of the alley.
Having suffered so many assassination attempts, they could now estimate the threat level just by appearance.
Seeing the amorphous mass writhing with toxic fluid, it was likely a fusion of a slime, spirit, and dimensional beast—though it moved far too quickly for a slime...
The most probable explanation was that the summoner had either corrupted or fused a spirit or dimensional beast with potent venom.
The attacker must have obtained information about the Duke's route and timed the summoning of this Toxic Contaminated Being accordingly.
They could always track down the culprit later by having mages trace the residual magic, but for now...
'This is hopeless.'
Duke Icaldoren concluded.
The opponent was too unfavorable.
If it were an assassin using complex spells or techniques, there might have been room for clever counterplay—but against such a brute-force attacker, wisdom was useless.
It would have to be a contest of raw power, and while the poison spewed by this Toxic Contaminated Being wasn't lethal enough to kill the Duke, it could easily melt through surrounding walls. Far too potent for a freshman to neutralize.
Moreover, it wasn't slow or weak either. If a fight broke out, the outcome would be decided in a single clash.
"If you fall, I'll immediately sa—"
BOOM!
"?!"
Duke Icaldoren's pupils trembled for the first time in ages.
To his astonishment, the boy from the Wardanaz family had charged in first!
'He's insane!!'
No matter how youthful arrogance fueled him, this was outright madness.
The only reason the Toxic Contaminated Being hadn't attacked yet was because there were others present besides Lee Han—but by charging in, he'd narrowed its focus onto himself.
This wasn't just digging his own grave—it was crafting his own coffin and climbing inside.
'Thank goodness!'
Lee Han inwardly sighed in relief.
It seemed he could avoid the embarrassing situation of having to beg for the Duke's guards' assistance.
Fortunately, the opponent's attributes were highly favorable.
Whoooosh—
Enraged by Lee Han's sudden strike, the Toxic Contaminated Being spewed a thick cloud of toxic mist.
Another mage might have cast a spell to wrest control of the poison, but Lee Han simply let it be.
As expected, the poison had little effect on him. Even when he breathed, his vast mana diluted the toxins like an ocean dispersing a drop.
"Scatter, Mist of Ogonin."
Using the precious time bought by his poison resistance, Lee Han cast his newly learned Ogonin's Mist.
His form blurred, flickering and distorting as if losing focus. The Toxic Contaminated Being reeled in shock at this succession of incomprehensible events.
Against a composed, seasoned opponent, this might not have worked—but while such summoned creatures excelled in physical prowess, they were weak against sudden, unpredictable situations. Lee Han immediately followed up with another spell.
"Bones, seize my foe."
Though not overwhelmingly powerful, it was enough to hinder the Toxic Contaminated Being's movements.
At several times the speed of an ordinary mage, bone shackles sprouted from the creature's ankles.
"Pierce!"
Sharp bone fragments embedded themselves into the Toxic Contaminated Being's flesh like bullets.
Since its body wasn't structured normally, the wounds weren't fatal—but pain was pain. The creature howled, spraying toxic fluid in all directions.
"Screeeech!"
'Ugh.'
Lee Han clicked his tongue as he watched his cloak and clothes melting away. Fortunately, they weren't items he'd bought with his own money but rather attire purchased with his family's funds.
'I need to be more careful.'
Duke Icaldoren would have been astonished if he'd heard Lee Han's inner thoughts.
In the midst of such a deadly battle, the boy was worrying about his clothes before his life.
'It's not like the Ghoul King with exceptional defense or evasion. It retains its physical form—just need to land damage.'
Having finished his calculations, Lee Han immediately sprang into action.
Illusionary clone summoning, invisibility spell casting, flanking maneuver, quintuple enhancement magic consecutively cast on iron pellets—then fire!
Thunk!
His movements were so swift and decisive that the duke's guards reacted half a beat too late.
The guards were stunned by Lee Han's ability to cast spells consecutively at a speed far exceeding their expectations.
For a freshman to cast spells at that velocity, and consecutively at that, in the heat of battle...
For guards who prided themselves on anticipating any situation without showing surprise, this bordered on humiliation.
"I've brought it down. Please finish it off properly!"
Though he would've preferred to incinerate it himself, Lee Han called the guards over, wary of uncontrolled flames spreading or triggering unexpected reactions with the creature.
The guards drew their swords without hesitation and swung.
As the flaming blades struck, the Toxic Contaminated Being—already immobilized by a critical hit to its chest—was engulfed in blue flames.
The magical fire instantly burned away the venom before consuming the Contaminant itself. Lee Han cursed inwardly at the sight of the guards' swords.
'They had Artifacts of that caliber and just stood by watching?'
Granted, he'd volunteered to handle the threat, but they could've helped a little.
Not that Lee Han was petty enough to nitpick over it!
"Huff... Impressive."
Duke Icaldoren belatedly composed his expression and spoke, visibly caught off guard.
Rowena felt a thrill watching this. It was the first time she'd seen the perpetually arrogant duke, who never showed a flicker of emotion, react like this.
"I didn't expect you to yield the credit to my guards."
'Ah.'
Lee Han only then realized the duke's implication.
There was a significant difference between "Lee Han single-handedly defeated it" and "Lee Han and the duke's guards jointly defeated it." And everyone preferred sole credit.
But Lee Han didn't particularly care.
'It's not like there's a bounty on it. Doesn't matter.'
Since they weren't splitting any reward, sharing credit changed nothing.
The duke would handle the compensation anyway. If he shortchanged Lee Han for "yielding to his guards," he'd be no better than a petty merchant.
"Credit isn't important. I prioritized quickly neutralizing the threat to ensure everyone's safety."
Though his friends applauded in admiration, Duke Icaldoren wasn't fooled.
An ambitious lad like him wouldn't yield credit for such a reason.
This was a signal to the duke:
I have ambitions matching yours. Men of ambition like us can make deals.
The duke almost heard Lee Han's voice saying those words.
There was no other reason for such generosity.
Ambitious souls recognize their kind.
Age was irrelevant.
Duke Icaldoren now saw Lee Han not just as a talented freshman but as a young equal worthy of sitting across the negotiating table.
"...I understand. I'll consider your proposal favorably."
Not a bad outcome.
The duke also needed access to information within the Magic School.
Though he didn't know what ambitions the Wardanaz boy harbored, a mutually beneficial deal was entirely possible.
"...No. Your Grace! Your Gra— What kind of guy...?"
Lee Han muttered at the retreating figure of the duke, but Rowena pretended not to hear him cursing.