Episode 355
Episode 355
"Right. Tell the other followers to stay inside the Magic Tower."
"No, there's nothing like th—"
Even Lee Han started talking nonsense, leaving his friends even more bewildered.
"Lord Pengerin! Let's hurry and find His Highness! If the prince goes missing, the great noble families of the Empire who are close to him will be extremely worried!"
"O-okay! Wait for me!"
Alsicle staggered out in a hurry.
Being from a prestigious family of the Empire himself, Alsicle could roughly guess just how renowned a member of the imperial family must be to have connections with the Empire's great noble houses.
If such a prince were to go missing around Alsicle's Magic Tower, how troublesome would that be?
He absolutely couldn't let that happen.
Yoner brushed the snowflakes clinging to his hair and whispered to Lee Han.
"Does Ga-inando have connections with any great noble families?"
"Hmm. If I had to name some, the Wardanaz family and the Maykin family, maybe?"
"......"
Damn!
In that split second, Yoner was speechless at how his friend had cleverly played with words to deceive the mage.
"So how did Ga-inando end up stranded? Wait—more importantly, why are you guys here?"
"...We thought you had been kidnapped, Wardanaz..."
Nilia hesitated before explaining what had happened.
Looking back now, it didn't seem like he had been kidnapped after all.
After hearing the explanation, Lee Han stepped in to clarify.
"I wasn't kidnapped."
"That's right."
When Professor Voladi agreed beside him, Lee Han froze for a moment.
'Wait... was I kidnapped?'
Sometimes, after spending too long as a professor's student, one could develop Stockholm syndrome.
Before you knew it, you'd start saying things like, Haha, the professor must need my help. It's nothing serious, so don't worry about it, even while being dragged away against your will.
"...Or was I? Was I kidnapped?"
"To be honest, we're not that different from the other professors."
Yumidihus said with a slightly remorseful expression.
But even Yumidihus had an excuse.
"I knew Einrogard's professors were ruthless, but I had no idea they'd chase students around and torment them during vacation. Had I known, I would've let you rest."
"Indeed. Students should be allowed to rest during vacation."
When Professor Voladi agreed with Yumidihus, Lee Han's eyes widened involuntarily.
"Professor?"
"What's wrong?"
"No... it's nothing."
Lee Han swallowed the scream that was about to escape.
Professor Voladi must have genuinely believed that his teaching methods were different from those of the other professors who chased students around.
Maybe he thought his teaching was restful or something...
Of course, that was a ridiculous delusion. The two were exactly the same.
"Over here! He disappeared from this spot!"
Hearing Nilia's shout, Yumidihus swung his staff and halted the carriage.
As the water spirits pulling the carriage stopped in their tracks, Alsicle immediately rushed out.
Pat!
The snowflakes falling from the sky suddenly reversed as if time itself were rewinding, floating back upward.
After sweeping away the blizzard with a swing of his staff, Alsicle stepped into the air. Instantly, an ice platform formed beneath his feet, propelling him upward.
Mages didn't need to trudge through the blizzard to search the mountain valley below.
Especially not a mage like Alsicle, who had reached such heights.
"Ice, vanish! Snow, conceal yourselves!"
Alsicle cleared away the ice and snow blanketing the valley beneath the snowy peaks.
In an instant, the once-white mountain turned ashen gray.
'Incredible!'
As a fellow mage, Lee Han couldn't help but marvel at Alsicle's skill.
To clear away such a vast expanse of ice and snow in one go—
"Spirits, seek out the living! Is this the right spot?"
"Yes!"
"This is bad! Really bad! If His Highness gets hurt, what will the people of the Empire think of me?! They'll say I'm an idiot who can't even take care of a guest in front of my own Magic Tower!"
"Calm down, Alsicle. Prince Ga-inando is a mage—he has the ability to protect himself."
Yumidihus tried to calm Alsicle down, but Alsicle shook his head vigorously as if refusing to listen.
Meanwhile, Lee Han was talking with his friends.
"Disappeared from here?"
"Yeah. When I looked back, he was gone."
Nilia and her friends had ridden horses to chase after them quickly for pursuit.
If Professor Lightning Steps had seen them, he would have been pleased, thinking, 'They all learned properly in their first semester.' Their riding skills were that outstanding.
However, when Gainando, who had been at the rear, looked back just before arriving at the Magic Tower, he had already vanished.
"Why on earth would he disappear?"
"Could it be that a monster appeared or he was possessed by an evil spirit?"
"If a monster or evil spirit had appeared, you all would have noticed... Did you maybe find someone collapsed?"
At Lee Han's words, all his friends answered simultaneously.
"That can't be it."
"Lord Wardanaz, does that make sense?"
"I'd rather believe he found a dropped Wizard Card on the ground..."
"......"
At his friends' utterly cold reactions, Lee Han felt slightly sorry for Gainando.
"Enough of this. Ice Clone, aid me!"
Alsicle brought out spells he had been saving due to mana constraints.
An ice clone took shape, transforming into an appearance identical to Alsicle.
Among ordinary clone spells, those indistinguishable from the mage were exceptionally high-level and difficult.
Seeing Alsicle complete such a clone using the already challenging ice element, Lee Han was impressed once again.
"That's incredible..."
"You like that spell?"
"Huh?"
Lee Han was startled by Professor Voladi's sudden question.
He had carelessly let his guard down, not realizing the professor was beside him.
"No, I—"
Before he could finish, Professor Voladi approached Alsicle and spoke.
"Teach me that spell just now."
"...What nonsense are you spouting?! Why should I teach you that?!!"
Of course, Alsicle was outraged.
In the middle of being swamped with work, and now this guy suddenly demands to be taught his prized clone spell?
What mage would agree to that?
"You want to learn it, don't you?"
"Just because someone wants to learn it, I have to teach it?!"
"I taught everything I knew, didn't I?"
When Yumidihus chimed in from the side, Alsicle flinched.
Well, it was true—Yumidihus had never withheld knowledge from those who came to learn.
"T-this spell is too advanced, it's not the right time to learn it yet. You need to solidify the basics more..."
As he spoke, Alsicle recalled the spells Lee Han had demonstrated today.
There didn't seem to be any particular basics left to solidify.
"...Well, besides the basics, you should master more intermediate spells first..."
"I believe I mentioned earlier that a challenge was needed."
"That can't possibly mean this!"
They had indeed discussed this earlier when only Yumidihus and Voladi Bagrak were present.
-Seems he's learning a bit faster than expected.
-A bit??
-Eat a sardine or something. If he picks things up this quickly, his motivation might wane. Maybe we should give him a slightly challenging task. Mages grow stronger when they have a goal to strive for.
While fundamentals were undoubtedly important, forcing a mage of exceptional talent to only practice basics was also risky.
They might lose interest altogether.
A mage needed a grand ambition.
A burning goal that would drive them through any thorny path!
...Though they had debated what Frost Element Magic to set as his goal, this wasn't it.
This was a spell he truly cherished...
"I'm fine without it, Lord Pengerin. You must find me unsatisfactory, don't you?"
Lee Han feigned reluctance, forcing a bitter smile.
That smile struck a pang of guilt in Alsicle, who hesitated before finally shouting in frustration.
"Fine! Let this be your next goal then! Voladi Bagrak, you bastard!"
"Why are you angry?"
"Shut up!"
As the two continued arguing, Nilia suddenly yelled.
"Fighting is all well and good, but there's smoke rising over there!!"
"?!"
Just as Nilia had said, smoke was rising from a spot far across the valley.
"Th-thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"It's only natural for someone born with the duty of nobility."
Gainando still didn't fully understand what "nobility" truly meant, but he had no hesitation in using the word.
The noble with the broken ankle nodded with a moved expression.
"Had it not been for Your Highness... I can't imagine what would've... Though I must say, I'm astonished Your Highness would even know how to do such things."
"...Any Einrogard student could do this much."
"Even humble to the end!"
"I'm not being humble."
Gainando finished applying the splint to the noble's broken ankle and helped push him deeper into the cave.
While he couldn't use healing magic like Lee Han, all Einrogard students inevitably learned basic first aid like splinting.
When Gainando rummaged through his bag and pulled out some cookies, the noble politely declined.
"I'm fi—"
Crunch crunch—
"Hm? What was that?"
"N-nothing at all."
It had been sheer luck that Gainando found the unconscious noble in the first place.
The man had fallen from his horse, tumbled down the valley slope, and knocked himself out—all while a blizzard raged.
Had it not been for the Wizard Card the noble dropped, Gainando wouldn't have even glanced his way.
"But Your Highness... taking shelter in this cave from the blizzard was wise, but... do you truly think your companions will find us?"
"Ah, no need to worry about that."
Gainando confidently thumped his chest.
"I told them everything. They're definitely gathering help right now."
Of course, Gainando's shouted "Wait a moment!" had been completely drowned out by the howling blizzard and clattering hooves.
"Gainando!!!"
"See?"
Gainando nodded proudly. The noble's face brightened.
"What a relief—"
Thwack!
"Ow!!"
"Why'd you disappear without a word and make everyone worry?!"
The noble blinked in shock as the crown prince's "companions" immediately began scolding and even hitting His Highness upon arrival.
'Are these... really his friends?'
"I-I did tell them! I did! They're lying!"
"You didn't just shout something then immediately change direction without confirming they heard, did you?"
"......"
Gainando fumbled for words, suddenly tongue-tied.
Lee Han sighed in relief.
"Well, at least you're unharmed."
"D-did you truly come to rescue someone?"
"Shh. Ratford. Gainando will hear."
The friends were genuinely astonished.
Who would've thought he'd actually gotten stranded while trying to save someone?
Oblivious to his friends' wicked assumptions, Gainando asked:
"You followed the markers I left, right?"
"What markers?"
"I drew arrows on the ground the whole way here."
Lee Han sighed, wondering how to reprimand this fool who'd drawn arrows in the snow during a blizzard.
"Your Highness! Are you injured—?!"
Alsicle, who'd landed after Lee Han, came rushing over in a panic.
Then he tilted his head in confusion upon seeing Gainando's face.
"Pardon, but who might you be...?"
"I'm Gainando."
"Uh... you don't look a day over twenty...?"
Alsicle looked at Lee Han in bewilderment.
He'd assumed the "Crown Prince" would be in his thirties or forties...?
"He's our friend. Thank you, Lord Pengerin."
"Uh, y-yeah? I mean, sure, but... it's just... um..."
Alsicle felt duped but couldn't pinpoint exactly how, leaving him scratching his head.
Meanwhile, the fallen noble struggled to his feet.
"Lord Alsicle Pengerin. What an honor to meet you like this."
"...Eep!"
Alsicle hiccuped and averted his gaze.
Lee Han found Alsicle's startled reaction curious.
'What's this? Is the guy some kind of assassin?'
"Who is he?"
"Oh dear. This is bad."
Surprisingly, even Yumidihus wore a concerned expression.
"Judging by the uniform, he's an inspector."
"An inspector?"
"Sent by the investors funding Alsicle's magic research. Here to verify results."
"......"
Lee Han could sincerely empathize with Alsicle's plight.