Episode 389
Episode 389
'I had a vague suspicion about this.'
Lee Han had been sensing it too.
Professor Voladi wasn't a basilisk-rearing expert, and it wasn't like there were other disciples around...
...so the likelihood of Lee Han being put in charge of the basilisk was high!
But that didn't mean his heart didn't ache over it.
"Do your best. It's truly a rare experience."
"Ah, yes."
"Why the hell should I have to go through such a 'good experience' or 'rare experience'?"
Professor Thunderstep grumbled as if it made no sense. Professor Lightning Step looked at him incredulously and asked what nonsense he was spouting.
"Think about it. When and where else would you get the chance to care for and raise a basilisk egg? And how much would that experience help you? Once you handle this well, every other serpent monster in the Empire will feel like child's play."
'Yeah, right.'
There were countless monsters in the Empire, and there was no need to specifically prepare for serpentine ones in advance.
Couldn't you just avoid going to places where they appeared?
"From my perspective, it seems more reasonable to either avoid dangerous areas or leave it to snake experts..."
Professor Thunderstep said this while handing Lee Han a basket filled with food. Inside were bread, rice cakes, large chunks of meat wrapped in paper, cheese, a jar of fruit preserved in honey, salt, sugar, and a few canned goods.
"What's this?"
"Take it and eat. You must be busy since you arrived late anyway."
Someone like Lee Han could easily catch up with the other students' progress even after being two weeks late, but that didn't mean it wasn't exhausting.
Considering all the tasks he had to handle in the second semester, he needed to at least eat well.
Lee Han was genuinely touched.
There weren't many professors who would do something like this for him.
"Professor...!"
"Hmph. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only giving this to you because you're doing a good job."
"Thank you."
Lee Han bowed his head, then pulled out the canned goods he had hidden in his robe and placed them back in the basket.
Professor Thunderstep glared at him when he saw that.
Evening.
Lee Han prepared a simple dinner using the ingredients he had brought from the cabin and garden.
Though it was more plentiful than the meals provided by the school, the table still felt noticeably sparse since they hadn't properly stocked up on supplies from outside yet.
The priests weren't exactly the type to actively hunt or forage either.
'Hmm. It's a bit lacking.'
Lee Han skewered rice cakes, meat, and asparagus on a stick, roasted it over the fire, and handed it to the priests.
"It's still a bit disappointing, but please bear with it until our next outing. Once we go out, I'll make sure to bring back plenty."
"What... This is more than enough already!"
"That's right! If we indulge any more here, we'll be punished for extravagance!"
The priests shoveled down the pot of boiled potatoes, vegetables, spices, and rice as they spoke.
Seeing their endearing behavior, Lee Han couldn't help but feel a warm satisfaction.
'The Blue Dragon Tower bastards should learn from them.'
Just moments ago, while preparing the meal, he had been thinking, 'I wonder if those Blue Dragon Tower guys are eating well,' but after seeing the priests, his thoughts shifted to, 'Well, they'll manage on their own.'
"By the way, Lord Lee Han. Shall we go together to receive our assignments?"
"Has it already gotten that late? Sure."
Lee Han nodded at Sharukal's words. Sharukal, worried the other priests might notice, quickly began pulling Lee Han away.
"Why the rush?"
"If the other priests notice, it'll be bothers— I mean, I was supposed to go receive the duty roster earlier, but I'm a bit late."
"It doesn't seem that late..."
—Where did Lord Lee Han of the Wardanaz family go?
—Huh? Didn't he just go into the tower for a bit?
—Wait, didn't Priest Sharukal go to receive assignments? I think they went together!
—Let's follow them!
"......"
Lee Han stared pointedly at Sharukal. Sharukal pretended not to notice and ignored his gaze.
"Let's hurry up and go!"
"Aren't priests supposed to dislike lying...?"
Upon arriving at the main building, an undead waiting there greeted Lee Han and Sharukal.
-You arrived quickly.
"......"
-But why is a descendant of the Wardanaz family among the priests?
"There are circumstances. If you ask the headmaster, he'll explain."
-Ah. Does the master want to torment the students of the Blue Dragon Tower?
"...That's not it... Wait. Is it?"
-Well, the first-years from the Blue Dragon Tower lived too comfortably last semester. The master cursed them out several times.
"......"
Lee Han decided to pretend he hadn't heard that.
As they exchanged words, students from other towers began arriving one by one.
Unlike Lee Han and Sharukal, the faces of the other tower students were filled with tension.
Lee Han waved his hand and called out to his friends.
"Did you have dinner? Did Gainando bring the ingredients properly?"
Upon spotting Lee Han, his friends didn't wave back—they burst into tears instead.
"W-Wardanaz...! Sob! Please come back!"
"...Did Gainando cook?"
"No. We didn't let Gainando cook, but..."
A Blue Dragon Tower student sniffled as he spoke.
Lee Han had taken precautions, but there was a fatal flaw in his thinking.
Just because they stopped Gainando from cooking didn't mean any of the other friends were any good at cooking!
The Blue Dragon Tower students committed every beginner's mistake—burning food, messing up seasoning, mixing incompatible ingredients—you name it.
No matter how much a talented alchemy student like Yoner tried to control things, there was only so much she could do.
-Turn down the heat! I said turn it down!
-Why? Stronger fire means faster cooking, so isn't that better?
-Measure the salt properly before adding it!! Don't just dump it in!!
-Huh? Wardanaz just sprinkles it in, though? Isn't it about instinct?
-What instinct do you have when it's your first time?! Hey! Stop adding water! I told you the vegetables already have enough moisture!
"Why don't you just rename the tower to the 'Hungry Blue Worm Tower'?"
"We're not that bad. Heh heh."
The White Tiger Tower students listening nearby suddenly grew smug.
Of course, to Lee Han, it was utterly ridiculous.
'What are these guys who only know how to grill even saying...?'
They were better than the Blue Dragon Tower students, but that was the bare minimum expected of any human being. The White Tiger Tower students weren't exactly culinary masters either.
Lee Han knew this well, having heard stories from Moradina and Derkyuhan.
-I caught a rabbit!
-Ooh... let's grill it!
-I got bread!
-Ooh... let's grill it!
-I bought fish!
-Ooh... let's grill it!
-I brought some spices and sugar. Can't we make something with these? Like that dish Wardanaz made. That was delicious.
-I've got a great idea. Grill it first, then sprinkle them on.
These idiots only know how to grill!
'Well, at least they can do something with fire.'
"You guys should just eat everything raw. Don't bother cooking."
Once all the students had gathered, the undead spoke up.
-Attention. Everyone's here. I'll now explain this week's tasks. First... the third-years tried to loot the 4th-floor kitchen but failed and started a fire inside. You need to clean that up.
One student raised their hand.
"Uh... but why aren't the third-year seniors cleaning it up?"
-Good question. The third-year seniors are busy cleaning up a mess made by the fourth-years.
"......"
"......"
-Next... has anyone here been to the forest by the southern stream near the main building?
"I have."
A White Tiger Tower student answered. Lee Han felt a foreboding sense of dread.
-I see... I don't recall ever telling anyone to go there, so you snuck in, huh? I'll remember your name.
"W-Wait, no...!"
'Called it.'
You couldn't even let your guard down when answering questions.
-Anyway, pests have been swarming there. They're not particularly strong, so just go deal with them. Next up... organizing the 2nd-floor storage room. There's so much junk in there that it'll take a while.
"!!"
When his friends flinched, Lee Han asked in puzzlement:
"Why are you surprised?"
"Ah. That one came up last week too. The White Tiger Tower students handled it."
"I see."
Lee Han turned to the White Tiger Tower students and asked:
"How was it?"
"Umm. It wasn't too difficult. Wardanaz."
"Though we couldn't finish because of the quantity..."
The way their pupils shook told Lee Han everything.
'Must've been tough.'
Judging by the White Tiger Tower guys' reactions, it was clearly a large and exhausting task.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so reluctant to do it again.
-Right. Then I'll divide them up.
The undead priest busily made paper lots before tossing them out one by one. Sharukal grabbed Lee Han's wrist and spoke seriously:
"Lord Lee Han. How about praying to Lord Aglataqua?"
"Huh... wasn't he the god of sea and storms?"
Lee Han had never heard that Aglataqua presided over lot-drawing.
"Yes. But Lord Aglataqua's power is mighty, so surely if you pray with faith..."
Lee Han unfolded his lot.
Second-floor storage room cleanup.
"......"
"...Come to think of it, he doesn't oversee lot-drawing after all."
"Sorry about that. Seems like you drew the short straw."
"Not at all. What's difficult or easy about such tasks anyway?"
"Exactly. If anything, the harder ones are more rewarding."
'Can't get used to this.'
Lee Han felt pained by the priests' words.
At least with Blue Dragon Tower students they'd be shamelessly brazen about it—these priests were so kind it was almost painful at times.
Creeeak—
When they opened the door, a massive junkyard greeted the students.
Whoever had piled it up, the storage room was crammed full with all sorts of junk.
Einrogard's interior layout changed frequently on a whim, and as a result, spaces that countless students had secretly used as storage would suddenly reappear like this.
And if left unattended, this space might suddenly explode and scatter trash everywhere.
Now that they'd found it, they had to clean it up as quickly as possible.
"...Wait."
While surveying the mountain of junk, Lee Han noticed a cloth covering a corner.
When he lifted it, there was another pile of trash beneath.
That alone wouldn't have been surprising, but...
'This trash pile looks fairly recent.'
Feeling suspicious, Lee Han checked the top of the pile.
There, he found broken wooden swords frequently used by White Tiger Tower students.
"...Looks like the White Tiger Tower guys got lazy during cleanup and hid their trash here."
"How disgraceful..."
"Then we'll just have to work harder."
The priests spoke with pity in their voices.
Lee Han stared at them blankly for a moment before speaking after some thought:
"Mind if I make a quick trip to the tower?"
"Of course. Feel free to go."
"Don't worry about the streamside forest. Nothing dangerous there. I've gone hunting there multiple times."
"Really?"
A White Tiger Tower student who'd been to the forest spoke confidently.
"Yeah. There's absolutely no dangerous monsters here—GACK!"
Thwack!
Lee Han struck one White Tiger Tower student from behind with a spell, then pointed his staff at another.
"Hands up. Move a finger and something's breaking."
"Wo... Wardanaz! You bastard! Just because we called your tower the Hungry Worm Tower earlier—"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"...No?"
"Last week's storage cleanup crew. Did you do it properly or not?"
At Lee Han's question, the White Tiger Tower student flinched.
His face was clearly that of someone with a guilty conscience.
"We... we worked hard!"
"Is that so. Take two steps to your right."
"Why, why?"
"If you pass out there, you might fall into the stream. Wouldn't want your clothes wet."
"...Okay we might've... cut some corners..."
"Is that so. Two steps to the right—"
"J-just a little! Really just a tiny bit!"