Episode 356
Episode 356
'This is bad.'
There was no phrase more terrifying to a struggling researcher than "Let me see how your research is coming along these days."
Indeed, Alsicle was trembling so hard that his teeth were chattering audibly.
"Alsicle Pengerin. Pull yourself together. Do you intend to show weakness in front of the inspector?"
"I... I know. If we kidnap the inspector—"
"I said pull yourself together."
"Y-yes, I understand."
"You've been struggling a bit lately, but you're an outstanding researcher. You'll do fine. Just tell me exactly what you've been attempting."
"Yes..."
Yumidihus, being an experienced senior mage, remained unfazed by the inspector's visit. Calmly soothing Alsicle, he led the way out of the cave.
Gainando looked at the inspector and asked,
"Did I just save a villain—"
"I'm not a villain!!"
The inspector looked aggrieved.
Of course, he was well aware that mages tended to dislike people like inspectors.
—Aaaah, it's the inspector!
—You think you'll get away with this?! Once this spell is complete, I'll cast it on you first! You'll never get drunk no matter how much you drink!
—What do you know about magic, you fool?! Great magic is born only after wasting enough gold to fill an entire castle!
Mages who received funding for their research had no reason to like inspectors.
But people like inspectors were also indispensable to the empire.
Without these watchful eyes, who would protect the investors?
"It's just that mages are a little wary of them."
"Gasp. I'm a mage too."
Gainando wondered if he had just saved the enemy. The inspector was flustered, but Gainando was already stealthily backing away.
"Enough, Gainando. That person is just doing their job."
"Th-thank you."
The inspector was moved by Lee Han's words.
No one had ever spoken up for him like that before.
But Lee Han's inner thoughts were different.
'This is serious.'
Come to think of it, hadn't Lee Han just recklessly used Alsicle's top-tier rare materials, which were already in short supply due to stalled research?
No matter how things unfolded, it was impossible not to worry.
'Bribery is out of the question, but...'
At this point, the only option was to win the inspector over to their side.
If they became friendly, wouldn't the inspector be more inclined to view things favorably for them?
"By the way, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Thank you again for saving me earlier."
Before leaving, the inspector politely bowed. Gainando looked at Lee Han with a proud expression.
"See?"
"See what? Don't disappear without a word and make your friends worry from now on."
"Hmph."
Gainando grumbled as he followed Lee Han, then suddenly remembered something.
'Wait a minute. Come to think of it, Lee Han has also disappeared without a word and made people worry plenty of times!'
"Hey, Lee Han did the exact same thing!"
"How is that the same?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
"......"
Back at the Magic Tower, Alsicle cleared his throat awkwardly and formally greeted the inspector.
Of course, his gaze kept subtly avoiding the inspector.
"Alsicle Pengerin. I've come today as a representative of the four lords, and this letter bears their seal."
"I... see."
Alsicle glared at the letter as if he wanted to shove it into his mouth and swallow it whole.
"Yes. If it's not too much trouble, regarding the magic research currently in progress—"
"Wait! Do you see that boy from the Wardanaz family over there?!"
Alsicle suddenly pointed at Lee Han.
Lee Han was puzzled.
'Has the pressure driven him mad?'
"Yes? I do, but..."
"I've been given the opportunity to teach that boy this time. And let me tell you, he's truly remarkable!"
"Is that so?"
The inspector from the capital hadn't yet heard the rumors from Granden City.
As such, his reaction was along the lines of, "Well, he's from the Wardanaz family, so of course he's talented."
"No, it's not just that. He... he has talent surpassing even mine."
"Is that so!?"
Even the inspector was somewhat startled by this statement.
For Alsicle of the Pengerin Family to say such a thing...
Indeed, Alsicle's pride was wounded, and he was so frustrated that his eyes brimmed with tears.
"Han... take a look at this..."
Lee Han understood what Alsicle was trying to do.
He was desperately trying to divert the inspector's attention.
'This is genuinely painful to watch.'
As a fellow mage—and as someone who had bankrupted Alsicle's Magic Tower storage while learning Frost Element Magic—Lee Han resolved to help him to the best of his ability.
"O ice, become a shield and float!"
Lee Han summoned not only a floating ice shield but also a dense fog.
"O mist, spread! O darkness, gather here!"
"Oooh... ooooh!"
Though the inspector wasn't a mage, he had witnessed countless spells before, so he could clearly tell how extraordinary it was for Lee Han to cast spells in rapid succession like this.
And he was still just a young student!
"O bones... no, not this one. Flash forth!"
Lee Han unleashed his spells at a terrifying speed.
The inspector couldn't stop marveling.
"Truly incredible..."
"How many spells has he mastered?!"
"Alsicle Pengerin, sir?"
"Ah, s-sorry."
Alsicle had unconsciously exclaimed before snapping back to reality at the inspector's words.
Lee Han had successfully drawn attention—perhaps too well, as even Alsicle had gotten distracted.
'Just what kind of place is Einrogard...?'
At this point, it wasn't just Lee Han's talent that was shocking—it made him suspect that Einrogard's training methods were excessively harsh.
Is this even acceptable?
"Einrogard's education... no... well, isn't it remarkable?"
"Yes. It is remarkable."
"Today, while teaching..."
"Alsicle Pengerin, sir. But I'd like to see the research..."
"Y-yes, of course. By the way, did you get to see the scenery on your way here?"
"I fell off my horse and broke my ankle, so I didn't have the leisure to enjoy the view."
"S-sorry. I should have prepared some spirits to assist you. I was too preoccupied with the guests."
"It's fine. His Highness the Crown Prince saved me."
"R-right? Do you know how incredible His Highness is? He has many followers, and even the great noble families of the empire support him!"
"......"
Lee Han and Yoner flushed bright red and lowered their heads.
Meanwhile, Gainando stood there blankly, unaware they were even talking about him.
"Huh? Wait. Are you talking about me?"
"...Probably not...?"
The inspector was taken aback.
"Is that so? Well, judging by what I've seen, I never doubted that you must be someone of great renown."
"Y-yeah! Exactly!"
"But, Alsicle Pengerin, sir. I'd like to see the research..."
Alsicle was on the verge of tears. His eyes were glistening.
Unable to bear it any longer, Lee Han cleared his throat.
"Please wait a moment. Everyone must be exhausted from traveling in this blizzard. Let me bring some warm drinks."
"Ah, I'm fine, but—"
"Inspector, no. I know you're strong, but after taking such a fall, you should rest a little. Besides, the other students..."
Lee Han made a meaningful glance.
At that, Yoner, Ratford, and Nilia immediately started coughing dramatically.
"Cough, cough!"
"Hack! Haaack!"
"My... my fingers are numb..."
'I should stop asking Nilia to do this.'
Her frostbite act was so realistic that it stood out too much.
"See? Even the professor here has turned pale from the cold."
"......"
Yumidihus was speechless, watching Lee Han spout such nonsense in front of Voladi Bagrak.
He knew the kid had no fear, but...
What was truly astonishing was that Voladi Bagrak was just standing there, playing along.
"Al... alright. A short rest would be best."
"Yes. I'll bring the drinks shortly."
Having bought some time, Lee Han asked Yumidihus:
"By the way, what research is Pengerin working on?"
"Alsicle Pengerin is challenging the limits of extreme cold."
Yumidihus tapped his staff on the floor. At once, the ice fragments scattered across the Magic Tower's floor shot upward into the air.
"Surprisingly, even Frost Element Magic practitioners often don't fully understand the true nature of ice element magic. Did you know that?"
"Is that so?"
"Indeed. All magic reveals different facets when pushed to its absolute limits. Though we haven't yet reached the extremes of absolute cold, when you approach that boundary, you start witnessing peculiar phenomena."
By mages' standards, even the flesh-rending blizzard raging outside was considered ordinary cold.
At temperatures where such a blizzard would feel like a warm spring breeze, you'd begin observing truly anomalous phenomena—like mana moving freely without any expenditure or loss, substances losing viscosity and transforming into bizarre states...
"Or even time freezing... You don't seem particularly surprised?"
"Ah. I was listening with great interest."
Truthfully, Lee Han wasn't especially astonished by such things.
Pushing any discipline to its extremes always unveiled realms beyond human imagination—this was an inevitability. And magic was no exception.
"Of course, attempting such feats can't be done through a mage's power alone, which is why we're experimenting with various methods..."
As Yumidihus spoke, Lee Han—who'd stolen Alsicle's reagents—felt a pang of guilt. Those reagents were likely part of those "various methods."
"But if you've been consistently researching, wouldn't it be hard for the inspector to criticize? There must be records..."
"Given Alsicle's personality, I doubt he kept detailed research logs. Too bothersome."
"......"
Lee Han turned to Professor Voladi.
"Professor. Do you have any advice we could give to Pengerin?"
"Hmm."
After a thoughtful pause, Professor Voladi slowly replied.
"When fleeing, it's best to leave no traces."
"......"
Lee Han nearly asked what life experiences had led to that particular advice before stopping himself.
"I meant besides that."
"In the current situation, that seems the optimal approach."
Professor Voladi gestured forward with his eyes.
When Lee Han followed his gaze, he was stunned.
Alsicle was hurriedly packing his belongings while glancing around.
"Wait—what are you doing?!"
"Uh, um? This? It's nothing. Just... suddenly felt like gathering some things..."
"You can't seriously be running away!"
"R-run away? What nonsense. I'm not running away."
Yet Alsicle's eyes darted frantically from side to side.
Lee Han tried reasoning with him.
"The inspector doesn't understand magic anyway. It'd be better to prove you've been diligently researching without waste."
"I did buy quite a lot of anchovies..."
Lee Han pretended not to hear that.
"Do you have research logs? Documentation?"
"Over there."
"...Wasn't that the trash heap?"
Alsicle looked slightly wounded by the remark.
"The inspector is being handled by Gainando, so let's find what we can as quickly as possible."
Lee Han began rapidly sorting through the trash heap—no, the storage room piled with logs and materials.
As he dusted off papers and organized them by date, Alsicle watched with touched admiration.
"Couldn't I just keep him as my apprentice instead of sending him to Einrogard?"
Yumidihus gave a noncommittal smile at the question.
Doing that might provoke an assault on Alsicle's Magic Tower by Einrogard's faculty.
"Couldn't hurt to try, I suppose."
"No. He probably wants to live happily and joyfully at Einrogard with his friends. Not that I ever needed such things."
Alsicle decided to be considerate of Lee Han's feelings.
While Alsicle himself had no need for friends—having learned magic alone—many nobles found happiness in cultivating friendships. Lee Han was likely one of them.
"Happily and joyfully?"
"Hm?"
"Never mind."