Episode 394
Episode 394
"???"
At their friend's sudden question, the two White Tiger Tower students were taken aback but managed to respond.
"Probably not a good reaction, I'd say."
"Even considering Professor Ingoldel's lenient nature, meeting him wouldn't be good, Lee Han."
"Hmm. I see. There's a high chance the Angrago gang is skipping class to play in the forest right now."
"?!"
The two found it hard to believe how that could possibly make sense.
"Lee Han. Even if Angrago isn't fond of studying, skipping swordsmanship class to..."
"They're fixing a golem."
"Ah. That makes sense. I get it now."
Durgyu immediately understood.
Angrago and his friends had been whining nonstop inside the tower, saying, "The golem's broken—can't you fix it?"
It got so bad that Giselle almost couldn't hold back from swinging her twin swords at them.
"Then we just need to pass along the message for them to stay out of sight. I'd rather not face an angry professor."
"...How?"
"Uh... Don't you have some way to communicate with each other? Secret signals or..."
At Lee Han's question, the two students stared at him as if he were spouting nonsense.
Why on earth would they have something like that?
"Are you serious, Lee Han? Does the Blue Dragon Tower have something like that?"
"Yeah. Learned it from someone from the Shadow Patrol. When entering places like forests, we leave markers behind."
"......"
"......"
Overwhelmed by the unexpected madness of his words, the two fell silent.
Giselle inwardly resolved to make sure White Tiger Tower students would start leaving markers like that from now on.
Angrago swung his wooden sword, cutting through the thicket blocking their path.
Screeeech—
"More blade-flies?!"
"Duck!"
A sparrow-sized insect let out a sharp cry as it swooped down. The rapidly vibrating wings were sharper than expected—getting hit could leave deeper wounds than an actual blade.
But unlike before, the White Tiger Tower students' senses had been honed razor-sharp through grueling training.
Not just from the requests they'd completed during the first semester and break...
"Burn away!"
As the flaming wooden sword grazed past, the insect plummeted to the ground.
"Hmph. Compared to that Wardanaz bastard's magic, these bugs are nothing."
"Hey. Did you really have to say it like that?"
"S-sorry. It just slipped out."
"...No, my bad."
Angrago and his friends exchanged heated glances.
The sticky camaraderie forged while facing the evil archmage couldn't be broken by petty squabbles.
"According to the map, it should be around here..."
"You don't think those Black Turtle Tower bastards tricked us, do you? They've got no conscience."
"No way. Even they wouldn't go that far. That Wardanaz guy deals with them too."
"...Even if they're too scared to trick Wardanaz, they might still try pulling something on us, no?"
"......"
Angrago suddenly began to feel suspicious of the forest map he was holding.
Thud!
"!"
The White Tiger Tower students flinched.
A heavy sound echoed from deep within the forest.
"...What was that?"
"Stay alert. O power, dwell within me!"
"O sound, linger in my ears!"
The White Tiger Tower students cast Enhancement Magic and heightened their guard.
Though students from other towers sneered, saying, "If they're just going to fight with their bodies, why join Einrogard instead of a knight order?", the White Tiger Tower students had their own areas of excellence.
Especially in fields requiring seasoned physical instincts, like Enhancement Magic, they progressed faster than students from other towers.
The magic they cast now wasn't as advanced as comprehensive enhancement spells like Gonadaltes' Agile Footsteps, but even this much was quite effective.
...And that magic Wardanaz casts comes with way too many side effects.
"Can't see anything..."
The White Tiger Tower students cautiously advanced.
Had Lee Han been there, he would've sighed at the sight.
When you hear a strange noise but can't identify the enemy, you should use every possible method to scout and gather information—not just charge in blindly.
And their carelessness was swiftly punished.
Whoosh!
Thick tree roots burst from the ground, seizing the White Tiger Tower students' ankles and flipping them upside down.
"!!!!"
"A ghost tree!"
A monster formed when an evil spirit merges with a tree, moving not as a spectral entity but in physical form.
The earlier thud had clearly been the sound of the tree awakening.
"Burn awa— Ugh!"
The White Tiger Tower student's staff fell from their hand as they tried to chant.
The monster instinctively sensed the mana and exerted its power to suppress them.
Angrago, left alone, was torn with conflict.
'What can I do now...'
Suddenly, Angrago thought of Wardanaz.
What would Wardanaz have said in this situation?
—If you don't have the ability to handle it alone, at least call for backup! What are you doing?
"Guys! If we wait here, we can call for—"
"Angrago! Save us now!"
"What are you doing? Attack already!"
"...N-no, I mean, we should call for—"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you just gonna leave us behind?!"
"...Damn it. Fine, I'm coming!!"
Angrago changed his mind and gripped his weapon tightly.
But he couldn't shake the discomfort gnawing at the back of his mind.
"Lee Han. So what should we do in a situation like this, where there's no marker?"
"Huh?"
Lee Han stared at Durgyu as if he had said something absurd.
Durgyu was slightly taken aback.
'Did I say something strange?'
"Uh... If what you said is true, didn't Angrago and his friends enter the forest first? Shouldn't we contact them now and get them out? The professor might get angry, and more importantly, skipping class to search for them isn't the right thing to do."
Durgyu pondered over the possible solutions.
If it were a mage like Lee Han, he could send a Paper Bird or perhaps even a trained messenger bird...
"I can't do that."
"Y-you can't? Then is there another way?"
"Nope."
"...None?"
Lee Han nodded. Durgyu was left speechless, blinking in disbelief.
"Durgyu. I appreciate your high opinion of me, but I'm not skilled in every kind of magic. Right now, with no markers and no way to contact them, there's only one thing to do."
"And that is...?"
"Deny any knowledge of them even if they're discovered. In that regard, I have an advantage being from the Blue Dragon Tower, but you two should cut ties quickly."
"......"
Durgyu gaped in disbelief, but Giselle agreed.
"He's right. There's no need to take collective responsibility."
"Durgyu. The living must survive. No point in getting penalized for nothing."
"N-no, but—"
"What are you all doing over there?"
While they were talking, Professor Ingoldel, who had gone ahead, called out to the three. Lee Han and Giselle responded immediately.
"We're coming now!"
"Hurry up. By the way, Wardanaz. I received word from the Beech Knights, and I must say, I was quite surprised. What did you do to earn such praise?"
"...I suppose the knights of the Beech Knights are just very kind."
"Hmm. That doesn't sound like them..."
Professor Ingoldel tilted his head in confusion.
Thud!
"Ahh!"
"!"
One of the students ahead screamed and tumbled to the ground.
A human-sized wooden puppet had leaped out from the side, brandishing a weapon.
"P-professor! There's something weird here!"
"Ah. That's just something I prepared for today's lesson."
"...W-we're surrounded!!!"
Another student belatedly realized the situation and shrieked.
They had just realized that Professor Ingoldel hadn't placed just one puppet—he had densely arranged them all around the forest.
"Don't fight with brute force. Use the terrain wisely. Fighting in a forest is different from fighting in an open space."
Professor Ingoldel offered advice to the students.
In a forest packed with thickets, branches, slopes, and loose stones that could trip you at any moment, the battle was as much against oneself as against the enemy.
Only those who conserved stamina, calmed their nerves, assessed the surroundings with composure, and adapted flexibly could endure long in a forest battle...
"This way! Break through the encirclement!"
"Go through the side!"
"Scatter! Scatter!!"
The students, regardless of affiliation, split into small groups and immediately tried to break free and flee, leaving Professor Ingoldel momentarily stunned.
"N-no, if you all fight together—"
He had prepared this exercise expecting them to fight together in the forest, but they were abandoning their peers to escape?
Professor Ingoldel didn't realize that the students, traumatized by the Skeleton Principal's methods, had learned one crucial lesson.
When trapped in an encirclement of unknown scale, the most strategic choice isn't to fight together and get captured—it's to scatter and maximize survival!
'Professor, I'm sorry.'
Lee Han, of course, understood this logic perfectly. The moment the wooden puppets appeared, he was already breaking through the weakest point in the encirclement.
"Space, be recognized! Durgyu, this way! Moradi, that side might be weaker!"
"Now's not the time for your tricks!"
Giselle flared up in anger. Lee Han was pulling some utterly nonsensical stunt.
Who was he trying to use as bait now?!
Normally, one would feel embarrassed if caught, but Lee Han didn't even blink.
He turned to another White Tiger Tower student and shouted.
"From what I see, that side looks weak!"
"Thanks! Wardanaz... Ugh!"
"Let's go!"
After sending another student ahead to disrupt the encirclement, Lee Han quickly dashed forward.
As the wooden puppets rushed at him, he drew his wooden sword and chanted a spell.
"Frost, take hold!"
The strength of ice magic was that even if it didn't land a direct hit, it could still inflict damage on the opponent.
Frost swirled through the air, freezing the wooden puppets' feet in place.
Lee Han saw an opening ahead.
'We broke through!'
Though many wooden puppets still remained, the distance was considerable, and the students had scattered.
The puppets would prioritize subduing the other students before chasing after Lee Han's group...
"I underestimated all of you. I should have treated this like real combat."
From behind, Professor Ingoldel's grave voice rang out.
A sudden unease gripped Lee Han.
Rarely had it ever turned out well when professors spoke in such a serious tone.
Rip!
The sound of a scroll tearing echoed as a powerful surge of mana rippled outward.
And then, the number of wooden puppets began multiplying wildly.
"Though this deviates from the plan, a forest chase will also be a valuable experience. Everyone, do your best to evade!"
'Damn it.'
Lee Han swore to himself that from now on, he would stop students from recklessly ignoring the professor's curriculum.
"Transform into steel! Cloak!"
Thud!
The cloak, now hardened into steel, blocked the wooden puppet's attack with a dull clang.
Five puppets lunged at Lee Han simultaneously, hammering at him. He defended with his cloak while twisting his feet—the footwork he'd learned from Alarong saved his life.
'There are too many!'
He was reminded just how overwhelming sheer numbers could be as a weapon.
And judging by how they kept increasing...
Gritting his teeth, Lee Han shot a glance at Professor Ingoldel in the distance.
"Wardanaz, you are not permitted to fight with any magic other than summoning or transformation!"
"...Tch."
How did he know?
Lee Han clicked his tongue in frustration—he had been about to secretly cast another spell.
Giselle, using her twin swords, twisted a puppet's leg and toppled it before shouting.
"Let's split up too!"
Sticking together as a trio in this situation, where the enemies had multiplied several times over, was a luxury they couldn't afford.
Lee Han nodded and raised his hand. Giselle did the same.
Durgyu stared at them in confusion.
Why were they raising their hands...?
"...I won! I won!!"
Giselle shouted, her face flushed with excitement. Durgyu had never seen her look so thrilled before.
"Damn it."
"...W-were we deciding who gets to pick the escape route first...?"
"What? You didn't know? Well, no choice then. Durgyu, you pick first."
Lee Han conceded the second turn.
Durgyu had a lot he wanted to say, but time was running out. Reluctantly, he dashed off. The last one remaining, Lee Han glanced at the horde of puppets closing in and pulled out an iron sphere.
"Move!"
He hadn't taken it out for combat.
It was the method he'd considered earlier but postponed.
Lee Han sprinted toward the cliff with no path, grabbed the sphere, and flung himself into the air.
Thud!
But the wooden puppets were more tenacious than expected.
They began leaping after him, trying to grab him midair.
'Which professor made these summons!?'
Cursing inwardly, Lee Han swung his staff.
Though the situation was alarming, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
"Water, heed me..."
As he chanted, water rapidly gathered and took shape below.
With one hand gripping the iron sphere to keep himself aloft and wooden puppets diving at him from above, it was a desperate moment—yet his spell remained steady.
"...Spread forth!"
Honestly, Professor Ingoldel couldn't help but be impressed.
As much as he wanted to focus solely on swordsmanship, how could he criticize a student escaping so cleverly?
Splash!
Landing on the water, Lee Han rolled to the side and quickly regained his stance.
The wooden puppets shattered upon impact behind him, but he couldn't let his guard down. Who knew if they'd revive?
'Gotta get out fast and descend...'
"Wardanaz!!"
"...What are you guys doing?!"
Lee Han was genuinely stunned when he saw Angaroh and his friends dangling upside down from above.