Episode 369
Episode 369
Of course, Lee Han's question was meaningless from the start.
If these people had any common sense to begin with, they wouldn't have been sparring in a duke's mansion.
"I shall teach you my secret technique. Please compare it with the one you just learned."
"......"
Lee Han was already starting to feel annoyed at the thought of how to respond.
'From now on, I really shouldn't get involved with knights.'
Despite his annoyance, surprisingly, the knights' secret techniques were more useful than expected.
From swiftly drawing a second blade hidden inside a coat for an instant thrust (it wasn't just about drawing quickly—the clever concealment within the coat was equally important) to momentarily making the sword whip-like with elasticity to confuse the opponent.
Of course, if a knight like Alarong saw this, he'd sigh and say, "There's no need to learn such trivial tricks!" But Lee Han's way of thinking was different from Alarong's.
Naturally, once one reaches a certain level, such miscellaneous techniques become unnecessary—but until then, weren't they still useful?
"So, whose technique was the most...?"
"Hmm. I'd say everyone is a winner."
"Ooooh!"
The knights, who had been nervously awaiting Lee Han's evaluation, applauded and showed mutual respect.
As things seemed to conclude pleasantly, Lee Han finally opened his mouth to leave for real.
"Well then, I'll be going—"
"Ah. Wait just a moment."
"?"
Lee Han paused when the knights called him again.
By now, he was starting to feel nervous every time they stopped him.
What else could they possibly want...?
"There's a gathering of knight families coming up soon, and we'd like to invite you, Lord Wardanaz. If we share what happened today, everyone will be genuinely impressed."
"......"
This was the first time he had ever felt so reluctant to attend an event.
Lee Han nearly scowled on the spot.
'Why would I go there?'
He wasn't even from a knight family to begin with!
Of course, the knights' intentions were pure—they wanted to spread word of today's events and Lee Han's generosity among other knights—but from Lee Han's perspective, it was nothing but a nuisance.
"What a shame. Unfortunately, I'll be inside Einrogard at that time."
"What a pity!"
The knights were genuinely disappointed.
If word got out, knights from other families would surely want to meet Lee Han in person...
"Ah! We'll ask Duke Gonadaltes for permission!"
"Haha. Go ahead and try."
"Wait, what did you just...?"
"If you manage it, I'd be nothing but grateful. As a student, I can't just leave on my own, but if an outsider makes the request, the Headmaster might reconsider."
"Understood!"
The knights eagerly promised to visit during the second semester and make their case.
Finally freed from the knights, Lee Han let out a deep, weary sigh. Giselle, who had been watching from the side, asked as if she didn't understand.
"You don't want to attend the gathering?"
"...?"
Lee Han stared blankly at her, wondering what she was talking about.
Why on earth would he want to go to that gathering?
In the worst-case scenario, the Beech Knights might be lying in wait, sneering, "Tch, still green from Einrogard, huh? Falling for tricks like this!"
"Is there any reason I should want to go?"
"...It's a chance to build connections with the families, isn't it?"
The Beech Knights, though slightly lacking in martial prowess, had other strengths.
Considering the names of the knight families attending the gathering, forming ties with them wouldn't be a bad thing.
Moreover, judging by what the knights said, Lee Han wouldn't just be an ordinary attendee—he'd likely be the star of the event.
If it were a position that could garner that much attention, Giselle would crawl out of the Magic School even if both her legs were broken.
"What would I even do there?"
"If there's something useful, you can make use of it."
"...And where would I use that?"
If it were a family of mages, or even guild families specializing in construction, transportation, or baking, Lee Han might have been tempted.
A family renowned for baking... By any chance, would there be a short-term position suitable for a top-ranked mage from Einrogard—one confident in firepower and even holding a permit from the Afha Order?
But knight families truly had nothing to offer Lee Han.
They weren't particularly wealthy, and Lee Han didn't need another swordsmanship instructor...
At Lee Han's question, Giselle was uncharacteristically flustered.
The question was so obvious to her that she couldn't grasp what he was getting at.
"What do you...? You can politically intervene in imperial affairs or leverage necessary interests when the opportunity arises?"
"W-wait, to that extent?"
"......"
She had assumed he was thinking the same thing, so when he suddenly played innocent, Giselle grew furious.
"Stop pretending you don't know."
"...Just joking around."
Since it seemed she wouldn't believe him no matter what he said, Lee Han decided to drop it.
"I knew it."
'Knew what? What exactly did you "know"?'
As Lee Han walked back to the banquet hall with Giselle, a sudden thought occurred to him, and he asked:
"By the way, do knight gatherings also give out high-value commemorative gifts like this place?"
"You've all worked hard."
"Worked hard at what?"
"We ate well and even got these—what hardship is there?"
"Wardanaz. You... should set up a feast."
The Black Turtle Tower students, looking thoroughly satisfied for the first time in a while, praised Lee Han.
And they each handed him a silver coin.
"Right. Everyone, take care."
Having eaten their fill and even received golden accessories, the Black Turtle Tower students left in high spirits.
"......"
"......"
Witnessing this, the priests of the Phoenix Tower hesitated before speaking.
"We don't have silver coins..."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. You were just invited, weren't you?"
"But you just received silver coins..."
"You must've seen wrong."
"The coin pouch..."
"Maybe you mistook it for repaying a debt? Come on, hurry back. If you return too late, the temple will worry."
Though the priests hesitated, wondering if they were the only ones getting free treatment, Lee Han quickly ushered them out.
'Not bad earnings.'
Not just the Black Turtle Tower students, but even golden commemorative gifts.
Lee Han slightly raised his evaluation of the Duke.
Though eccentric and odd in many ways, he hadn't forgotten to treat his guests with genuine hospitality.
'Maybe I judged him too harshly. He might be a decent person at heart.'
"Lord Wardanaz."
"Ah."
Spotting Rowena, Lee Han immediately extended his hand.
"???"
The black-haired elf tilted her head in confusion before shaking his hand.
"You've worked hard...?"
"No. Hand over the money you got from the Duke."
"Ah."
The gold coins the Duke gifted the Princess as rewards for solving riddles—
Rowena had only participated because the followers could split and keep them. Otherwise, there was no reason to join.
"But Her Highness was wondering why you called her earlier..."
"Huh? Don't know. Did that happen?"
"You called her just..."
"Hold on. Let me check first."
With extreme concentration, Lee Han inspected the gold coins in the pouch Rowena handed him.
His focus rivaled when dodging Professor Voladi's attacks.
'An amount that soothes my rage.'
The riddles, the tedious formalities—everything was tolerable at this sum. "Imperial customs must have their meaning," after all.
Tucking the pouch into his coat, Lee Han nodded.
"Thanks. You worked hard too."
"I didn't do much. But why didn't you take out that staff earlier...?"
Worried the followers might be hurt by the truth, Lee Han lied.
"His Grace developed a phobia of staffs, apparently. So I just described what kind of staff it was."
"...That's hard to believe!"
"Well. That's just how the world works."
"No wonder he looked a bit pale earlier... Yet to remain so composed—truly remarkable."
"The Duke is embarrassed about it, so keep it quiet. Understood?"
"Of course."
Rowena nodded, moved that Lee Han had trusted her enough to share this.
Among all of Princess's many followers, he'd chosen to confide only in her—didn't that mean he considered her the most reliable?
"Do we really have to wear these outfits?"
Gainando asked with a grimace.
Professor Mortum had invited them to observe the Undead Realm's Overlap Phenomenon.
The upperclassmen, clearly concerned about first-years participating, had offered several pieces of advice:
-Wear these exact outfits. And also... pack a backpack with plenty of fresh water.
-(Lee Han) Can't we just summon water?
-You'll be too mana-depleted to summon water, and whatever you do summon will get corrupted by the realm's ambient mana. Purifying it would cost several times more mana.
-Oh. Then I guess we don't need to pack any.
-Are you talking back to your seniors right now?
-?!
Among these useful tips was one particularly detailed suggestion about their attire.
To put it bluntly...
"We look like farmers."
"Not bad, actually."
Truthfully, walking around a city dressed as farmers was far better than looking like black mages.
When people saw farmers, they'd think, 'Ah, they must've brought rice and wheat to sell,' and smile warmly. But if they saw black mages, they'd panic, thinking, 'Oh no, they must've brought corpses this time.'
"There's a good reason for these outfits."
Dilette yawned as he approached from behind.
With his tattered hat and the magically animated cart he dragged along, he looked every bit a farmer with twenty years of experience.
"The moment you enter and give off black mage vibes, the undead will attack immediately. We're avoiding using black magic until absolutely necessary."
The undead in this realm particularly disliked intruders.
Thus, black mages had to conceal their identities as much as possible.
Their goal wasn't to fight the undead to the death—it was to gather useful materials and reagents before leaving.
"But why farmers specifically?"
Lee Han asked, puzzled.
Surely there were other harmless disguises they could've chosen?
"Cheap clothes. Good for carrying heavy loads. Doesn't matter if they get dirty."
"Makes sense."
"What do you mean, 'makes sense'?!"
Gainando grumbled, but Lee Han and Dilette ignored him.
"Listen. You're only being allowed in as an exception... so stick to Zone 1 when gathering. Got it?"
"Yes."
Normally, first-years weren't brought along when the Undead Realm opened.
This was a rare opportunity granted by Professor Mortum, but even so, they couldn't venture too deep.
"How far is Zone 1, exactly?"
"Hmm? Hard to explain in words... You'll know when you get there. You'll feel it."
According to Dilette, any mage would unmistakably sense it.
The shift in atmosphere when crossing from the realm's outermost boundary inward.
Black mages had conveniently classified these areas as Zone 1, Zone 2, and so on.
"Not scared, are you?"
At Dilette's question, Gainando answered confidently.
"With Lee Han here? What's there to fear?"
"......"
"...Right. Wait a second. This junior here is actually going into Zone 2."
"Huh?"
Gainando was shocked.
"But Lee Han's a first-year! Wait... is that why...?"
No wonder he's so ridiculously good at magic!
"This kid got special permission from Professor Mortum, remember?"
"What about us, then?"
"That's why I said you're staying in Zone 1..."
"......"
As Gainando's eyes welled up with tears, Dilette sighed and relented.
"Fine. I'll watch over you until you leave."
"Thank you!"
Lee Han, observing this exchange, handed Dilette a bar of chocolate.
"...?"
"Have some. You're working hard."
"...Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only doing this once."
'That doesn't seem true.'