Episode 40
Episode 40
The opponent was dressed like an ordinary traveler, but they were anything but ordinary.
No ordinary traveler would block the path on an Empire highway this late at night, where not a soul could be seen.
Though concealed by a cloak and overcoat, the ferocious gleam in their eyes shone through the gaps.
The workers' voices grew louder and rougher.
"Final warning! Reveal your identity now!"
When no answer came, the workers immediately fired their crossbows. With a harsh twang, the bolts shot forward.
Thunk!
Instead of the sound of piercing flesh, there was the dull impact of metal meeting something solid. Undeterred, the workers swiftly reloaded their crossbows.
The workers transporting goods for the Magic School were no ordinary laborers.
Not only were they responsible for identity verification, but they also had to be prepared to fight to protect the cargo in emergencies.
These workers consisted of former Empire adventurers, mercenaries, and soldiers!
That's why they didn't panic even in this situation. With practiced movements, they leaped out from the carriage and aimed their crossbows at the enemy.
"Fire!"
"Fools. Do you even know who you're siding with right now?"
"...!"
The opponent spoke in a deep, rough voice. In the darkness, their tone sounded even more sinister.
"You're currently aiding the mages who are corrupting the Empire. Free yourselves before you're ensnared by their wicked magic!"
"By the ancestors' damned beards! They're Anti-Magic Zealots!"
A dwarf worker screamed as if shouting a curse.
The Imperial Anti-Magic Zealots.
Among the countless villains spread across the vast Empire, these were particularly notorious.
As their name suggested, they detested all forms of magic.
—Magic disrupts order, destroys nature, and corrupts humanity!
Of course, their hatred didn't stop at mere dislike.
They frequently ambushed mages and raided magic schools.
There was only one reason such violent individuals would be lying in wait here.
"In the name of the <Twilight Dawn>!"
"In the name of the <Twilight Dawn>!"
As soon as the warning ended, the opponents charged forward. The workers gulped at the sight of weapons glinting sharply under the moonlight.
"Veil of Order!"
A powerful surge of mana erupted, and a massive defensive barrier formed around the carriages.
The charging enemies were sent flying, coughing up blood.
Professor Garcia's magic had been cast.
"Oooh...!"
"As expected of the professor!"
The armed workers marveled at the majesty of the spell.
However, Garcia's expression remained grim.
Due to his appearance, many mistakenly assumed Professor Garcia was a combat expert, but the truth was he had no talent for battle.
There was a common misconception that high-ranking mages were naturally skilled in combat, but that was far from the truth.
Magic and combat were entirely separate domains.
For a mage who had spent their entire life seated at a desk, engrossed in magical research, maintaining composure amidst battlefield chaos to cast spells was no easy feat.
The slightest loss of focus or mistake could drastically alter the outcome of a spell.
A double-edged sword of unimaginable danger!
It wasn't for nothing that mages who underwent specialized combat training were called 'Combat Mages.'
'We need to buy time.'
Professor Garcia swung his staff, and birds made of light soared into the sky.
These birds would alert the other professors at the Magic School about the current situation.
"Rotting bones, withering muscles!"
Attackers near the barrier let out agonized screams.
Mana twisted into a curse coiled around their bodies, beginning to weaken their flesh.
"Activate it!"
But the opponents were no pushovers either.
Professor Garcia's face darkened.
The Empire's mages were never to be underestimated.
And the Anti-Magic Zealots, who had been ambushing mages all this time, knew exactly how to deal with them.
Uooong—
A deep, resonant vibration shook their eardrums as the surrounding mana began to churn violently.
Then, as if being sucked into a single point, it was drawn away in an instant.
"!!!"
Even Professor Garcia's <Veil of Order> melted away like snow in midsummer, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The sheer overwhelming force of it left Professor Garcia utterly stunned.
'An Ancient Artifact!'
It wasn't as if there were no ways to counter magic.
The Empire had metals capable of absorbing or repelling mana, and there were even spells designed to nullify magic.
But among all those methods, none could absorb such a vast amount of mana in a single instant.
There was only one thing in the Empire capable of performing such an absurd miracle.
An Ancient Artifact.
Treasures unearthed from ruins or dungeons, containing forgotten mysteries and knowledge from the distant past!
Of all things, how had these bastards managed to get their hands on one?
"Professor! Fall back!"
As the barrier vanished and the enemies began advancing again, the workers tried to pull Garcia to safety.
Garcia swung his staff, attempting to cast another spell, but before he could even complete the motion, his magic unraveled, his mana being sucked straight toward the artifact.
"You wicked mage! Face divine retribution!"
A zealot, emboldened by the chaos, drew his sword and swung at Garcia.
CRACK!!!!
In that instant, the attacker's head snapped violently to the side.
"...?!"
"???!"
Both Professor Garcia and the workers were stunned.
What the hell just happened?
'Definitely not the Headmaster's trap.'
From the carriage behind, Lee Han, hearing the name "Twilight Dawn," could no longer deny reality.
If the Headmaster was capable of setting up a trap of this magnitude, then Lee Han truly had no dreams or hopes left. At that point, it might have been better to just remain an eternal graduate student under him.
The Twilight Dawn.
Among the Imperial Anti-Magic Zealots, they were the largest and most vicious.
Naturally, as someone from a prestigious magical family of the Empire, Lee Han had heard their name a few times before.
He just never expected to encounter them here...
"Uh, what are you going to do?"
"Ratford. Stay hidden."
"Don't tell me...?"
While Ratford gaped in shock, Lee Han recited an incantation.
"I hide in the night."
With the spell, Lee Han's figure turned invisible. Before Ratford could even process the artifact's effect, he blurted out urgently,
"It's too dangerous! Those bastards aren't normal!"
"I know. That's why I'm being careful."
Rather than foolishly hiding and wasting a potential opportunity, it was better to prepare in advance.
Lee Han was always someone who planned for the worst.
-Veil of Order!
'Could the professor hold them off?'
As the massive barrier unfurled and Garcia's curse sent the attackers reeling, Lee Han brightened with hope.
But then, the zealots pulled out some bizarre artifact and completely dispelled all the surrounding magic—even Garcia's spell!
'!!!'
Though Lee Han was just as shocked, there was one saving grace.
His belt had held firm.
Despite the collapse of nearby magic and the suction of mana toward a single point, his Invisibility Magic remained intact.
Was this the grace of Prisinga?
'...No. It's my own mana.'
Lee Han could read the flow of the surrounding mana.
While all nearby mana was being sucked toward the artifact, his own mana was also being drawn out.
The difference was that no matter how much was drained, his belt was continuously replenished without a single gap.
So no matter how much mana was absorbed, there was no way his spell would break.
Not with a massive battery right beside him.
'They're coming!'
Lee Han had no more time to think.
The enemies were now charging at Professor Garcia.
CRACK!!!!
As both the family's old knight, Alarong, and the elven swordsmanship professor, Ingoldel, had acknowledged, Lee Han had talent with the blade.
And now, with invisibility on top of that, pulling off this level of ambush was only natural.
"Professor! It's me! Lee Han!"
Lee Han immediately shouted to Professor Garcia.
If he got attacked by his own allies due to some stupid misunderstanding, he wouldn't even have anywhere to complain about the injustice.
"Student Lee Han?! Why are you here...?!"
"It's a long story! Professor, just tell me what I need to do!"
Lee Han snatched up the fallen enemy's sword as he shouted.
At the student's cry, Professor Garcia snapped back to his senses.
"I've already sent word to the academy, so reinforcements should arrive soon. Just hold out without getting hurt until then!"
Thunk, thunk—
The sound of crossbows fired by the workers noisily split the night sky.
At first glance, they seemed to have the advantage, but Lee Han could tell their opponents' movements were frighteningly sharp.
'They're all masters of swordsmanship!'
While the crossbows packed serious firepower, the time needed to reload after each shot created dangerous gaps.
The attackers were reading those openings and closing in.
"The workers likely won't hold out long! Professor, can't you cast any magic?"
"Right now the ambient mana is completely... Wait a moment."
Professor Garcia stared in puzzlement at Lee Han's transparent form.
How was he maintaining invisibility magic?
"How are you... Ahh!"
Professor Garcia suddenly realized how Lee Han was sustaining the invisibility spell.
That bottomless well of mana!
"Student Lee Han. Lend me your mana!"
Lee Han firmly grasped Professor Garcia's outstretched hand. Immediately, he felt a massive surge of mana being drawn away.
Having already experienced this once with Professor Voladi, it wasn't too shocking.
"Petra's Diamond Spear!"
Without hesitation, Professor Garcia began chanting toward the artifact.
He'd originally planned to stall with defensive spells to avoid backlash, but facing an unfair artifact like this changed everything.
Even if it meant taking damage, he'd destroy that artifact!
"!"
Lee Han gaped at the enormous diamond spear materializing in midair.
To summon such a spear from nothingness!
"Get out of the way!!"
"Evade!"
Recognizing the threat, the attackers hastily scrambled from its path.
Even as the ancient artifact continued draining mana and weakening the spell, the diamond spear that had already formed refused to dissipate.
CRASH!
With a deafening impact, the diamond spear struck the ancient artifact. Simultaneously, the disrupted mana flow around them normalized.
"Lightning wolves that rend flesh!"
Crackling energy coalesced into massive lightning spheres that morphed into wolf shapes before scattering in all directions.
Every enemy within range was torn to shreds.
"...!"
Lee Han shuddered watching the lightning wolves sever lifelines and incinerate foes.
The gruesome spectacle inspired involuntary reverence for his professor.
Oooom—
"!?"
Lee Han's head snapped up at the ominous sound he'd heard earlier.
The half-destroyed ancient artifact was reactivating.
"Kill... that mage! At all costs!"
Dozens had fallen, but the remaining attackers gnashed their teeth and charged Professor Garcia.
Lee Han intercepted them with his stolen sword.
Thunk!
"There's someone using invisibility magic! Invisibility magic, damn it all!"
The anti-magic zealot impaled on Lee Han's sword vomited blood, then deliberately sprayed it in Lee Han's direction.
A chill ran down Lee Han's spine.
'These aren't ordinary skilled fighters!'
To remain unshaken and counterattack so swiftly against an invisible foe...
It felt like sparring with Alarong.
Worse, the attackers' leader who'd given the order was approaching. His stance alone radiated mastery.
Could Lee Han protect Professor Garcia while fighting them all?
"By morning's light, I am revealed."
"!"
With the incantation, Lee Han's form became visible.
The enemies stared in shock—their opponent was just some greenhorn acolyte.
"Not sure what guts you've got, but I'll send you to join your mage friend with the others."
"Do what you will."
"?"
"I'm going to smash that artifact!"
With those words, Lee Han sprinted forward—straight toward the ancient artifact.
The attackers froze in horror seeing their defenseless artifact left unguarded.
"NO! Stop him!!"