Episode 420
Episode 420
"How truly fascinating. I can't fathom what might have happened here."
As the Death Knight muttered beside him with a voice full of curiosity, the Skeleton Principal responded not with a click of his tongue but with the sound of bones clacking together.
"Still far off. I noticed it immediately."
"Is that so?"
The Death Knight was astonished.
To have discerned the secret hidden within this mysterious scene already—
It reaffirmed his belief that his master truly deserved to be called the Empire's greatest sage.
The name Gonadaltes was so renowned that even the Printing Guild, which produced the Empire's most popular magazine The Toberiz Detective (featuring beastfolk detectives), frequently sought his counsel.
"The culprit is undoubtedly that Wardanaz brat."
"...?"
The Death Knight shot his master a bewildered look.
Of course, he knew the Headmaster tended to torment his favorite students the most, but this accusation seemed entirely baseless.
If he pushed them too hard and they ended up warped, wouldn't it be difficult to handle the aftermath...?
"This is no baseless accusation, you empty-headed fool."
"Understood. I trust in you, Master."
"If you truly trusted me, you wouldn't even say that. Now, think. You must have guessed that first-years were here, right?"
"Well..."
The Death Knight nodded.
Though the knights and mages hadn't admitted it, the atmosphere clearly suggested that first-year students had passed through.
And among those first-years, the only one who got along with both the mages and the knights was that Wardanaz brat.
"But the ones who escaped were from the White Tiger Tower... How could...? And even if they were close, is such a thing really possible...?"
"There must be more to it. Remember this well: When you eliminate all the impossible, whatever remains—no matter how absurd—must be the truth."
The Skeleton Principal spoke in a voice brimming with mystery. The Death Knight bowed his head in admiration.
He'd known they were close, but he hadn't realized Lee Han could mediate between the two factions. What remarkable talent.
"Yes. It's still astonishing. Those two little bastards—"
"Ahem."
"My apologies. That was an improper expression."
"No, lower your voice and continue. They are little bastards. If words don't get through to them, can they even be called human?"
The Skeleton Principal was genuinely intrigued.
The vast Empire was filled with geniuses.
Of course, Lee Han stood out even among them, but still...
Even among his seniors, there were several who displayed astonishing talent in their respective fields.
But those geniuses were usually only interested in their own studies—they didn't feed their friends, assist professors, or mediate between outsiders in their spare time.
Yet Lee Han could do all that.
Now it was clear he had even mediated between the knights and mages.
This was a feat even seasoned Imperial bureaucrats would struggle with...
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Shouldn't this be the professors' job? How could they be less sociable than a student?
The Death Knight privately thought, 'But Master, you're the one who hired those professors...' Yet he remained silent.
Instead, he changed the subject.
"You must be truly pleased to have such a talented disciple."
"I suppose so. Now that I know he's capable of this much, I can assign him even more tasks. What should I have him do next...?"
"......"
The Death Knight felt this might be a bit excessive for a first-year, but he kept his silence.
A loyal summon knew when to hold its tongue.
"Ah. I nearly forgot. Handle this for me."
"What do you mean? A reward?"
The Death Knight wondered if the Skeleton Principal would give his disciple a reward for taking on extra work.
Frankly, mediating between mages and knights was harder than defeating an evil archdemon.
"Are you insane? What reward? Should Einrogard look so pitiful as to reward a runaway?"
"...Understood. My apologies."
The Headmaster meant for him to investigate how the Wardanaz brat had slipped away.
"Could he have left with the White Tiger Tower students?"
"I thought so too at first, but upon reflection, that Wardanaz kid isn't that careless. He said he released the staff, right? He probably left separately. Go find him."
The Skeleton Principal was surprisingly meticulous about the rules he himself had established.
Unless caught red-handed or leaving physical evidence, he wouldn't confine students based solely on suspicions or testimonies.
If he was going to confine someone, he'd make damn sure to catch them so they couldn't refute it!
-"But he's just a first-year student. Unless it's an exceptional situation like this, wouldn't it be difficult?"
That complacency is precisely what's so arrogant! How many times must I say not to underestimate your opponents? Remember this—erase the thought that he's 'just a first-year.' Treat him like a battle-hardened fourth-year!
-"...Yes. Understood..."
After surviving the weekend's madness and barely making it back at dawn, Lee Han managed to grab a brief nap before waking up for breakfast.
The priests were trying not to show it, but they were visibly flustered by the sudden change in the morning menu.
"Could today be some special occasion...?"
"No. This is just the proper amount you should be eating for nutrition."
Lee Han spread a thick layer of jam on a slice of bread and pushed it toward the skinniest-looking priest.
One of the priests suddenly had a realization and asked,
"By any chance, did the students from the Blue Dragon Tower eat like this last semester?"
"Generally, yes?"
"Ah...!"
The priests nodded as if everything suddenly made sense.
No wonder during the first semester, the Blue Dragon Tower students hadn't seemed desperate for snacks, even politely refusing when the priests offered to share food—"Haha, it's fine, you have it, priests." But lately, their hollow-eyed stares had been unsettling.
"No wonder..."
"But if they used to eat like this and suddenly stopped, wouldn't they be starving? Maybe if we brought them some—"
As a priest began loading a plate with egg custard, pumpkin pie, egg rice, and aged roasted duck to take over, Lee Han immediately warned,
"Anyone who takes food to another dorm automatically gets disqualified from the lottery."
"W-what?!"
"Why...?!"
The priests who'd been about to deliver the food froze in panic.
They were desperate to ensure Lee Han's next Divine Magic awakening would be through their own sect's teachings—falling behind in the queue was unthinkable.
"It feels wrong to eat this luxuriously..."
"I heard the Order discourages indulging like this..."
Ignoring their grumbling, Lee Han kept feeding them.
"Priestess Dijiling. You're taking too little. Fill your plate properly."
"This is my third plate alread—no, this is too much...!"
Priestess Dijiling frantically tried to refuse, but it was no use.
After contentedly watching the priests eat their fill, Lee Han turned his gaze outward.
'Something's off.'
Though he'd only been here a semester, Lee Han had adapted to Einrogard with razor-sharp awareness.
That's why he could sense the shift in atmosphere.
Death Knights patrolling densely around the towers and walls, unfamiliar undead summons flying overhead...
The reason was blindingly obvious.
'Those White Tiger Tower bastards are useless, as expected.'
Of course, Lee Han bore some responsibility too—he'd joined the commission to make some quick cash during that short weekend. But the ones who'd escalated the chaos were undeniably the White Tiger Tower idiots.
And yet, they had the nerve to pick fights with Lee Han, saying crap like, "Hope you had fun with the knights." Utterly useless.
'Did they catch on?'
Lee Han glared toward the spire.
He'd sternly warned everyone involved, but there had been too many people. He hadn't held much hope that the secret would stay hidden.
The fact that he hadn't been dragged to the Punishment Chamber yet suggested the Skeleton Principal hadn't caught them in the act—a stroke of luck.
'But he's not the type to just let it go.'
If the Headmaster believed Lee Han had left with the White Tiger Tower students, that would be ideal—but he doubted the man was that careless. It'd be wise to stay cautious for a while.
'I need to go out three or four times a semester to keep supplies comfortable...'
Despite the search efforts, Lee Han's soul remained utterly at peace.
He'd brought back a mountain of supplies, and with his Outing Pass, the situation was far better than he'd braced for.
'At least there won't be another Mage Festival like last week, so if I just focus on this week's assignments...'
Crash-bang-bang-bang!
As Lee Han entered Professor Voladi's classroom, he was sent tumbling head over heels.
The lecture content had changed since he last saw it.
"...So now you attack the moment someone enters?"
"It can't be helped."
Though Lee Han wasn't truly curious about the reason, he suppressed his irritation and asked.
"Why is that?"
"Because the only way to block teleportation magic at your level is through repeated training."
"Huh? Why teleportation magic all of a sudden...? I still need to practice lightning magic form variation, there's so much to—"
Lee Han was utterly confused. Where had all the relatively safe curriculum gone—basilisk egg care, lightning magic form variation—and why had it suddenly changed to teleportation magic countermeasures?
Then Professor Voladi showed him a note.
To Voladi Bagrak:
Lee Han Wardanaz is suffering defeat and frustration against golems using teleportation magic. You should help him.
- Os Gonadaltes
"......"
Lee Han's face twisted.
'Is this because I went out? Seriously?!'
Of course, the note had been sent before his outing, but Lee Han didn't know that.
Just lock me in the Punishment Room already!
"...So now we're doing teleportation magic countermeasures?"
"Indeed. It's better to prepare in advance for something you'll eventually face."
Professor Voladi spoke in a grave tone.
The Skeleton Principal's point was valid.
If Lee Han ever wandered into the Empire's most remote and sinister corners and encountered a combat mage who had spent their entire life specializing in teleportation magic, his life would be in danger.
"......"
Lee Han barely suppressed the words rising in his throat—'Why not teach me how to fight dragons while you're at it?'
If he said that, Professor Voladi might very well reply, 'Good point,' and start dragon-slayer training that very day.
All Lee Han could do was mutter sarcastically.
"I'm so... thrilled... to be learning how to counter a space magic specialist combat mage, whom I might encounter once or twice in my entire lifetime."
"Is that so?"
Professor Voladi looked satisfied at Lee Han's apparent enthusiasm.
As a teacher, imparting knowledge the student desired was a source of pride.
"From now on, speak up directly."
Professor Voladi assumed Lee Han, out of respect for his teacher, had been too reserved to voice his wishes.
"...I will speak directly, so please don't listen to other professors. You know how misunderstandings arise when words pass through one or two people."
"That could be true."
Professor Voladi nodded understandingly. Lee Han sighed.
"Teleportation magic is one of the hardest spells to counter when used offensively. Because there's no warning."
Space-time magic was among the most esoteric and difficult branches of magic.
As such, mages who could use teleportation magic—let alone cast it swiftly and precisely enough for combat—were exceedingly rare.
And the mana cost? If you just wanted to kill someone, one arrow would suffice. Why bother with such complex magic?
"Professor. Given what you just said, is preparing for this really necessary?"
"But you've already encountered it once. What happens once can happen twice."
"......"
Times when Professor Voladi's logic defeated him were the moments Lee Han felt most frustrated.
Losing to that kind of reasoning...
"There are few countermeasures, but they do exist."
As the Skeleton Principal had said, teleportation magic itself had no gaps—but its users did.
If you could predict your opponent's patterns, even the most powerful magic could be evaded.
"Divination magic."
"!"
Lee Han was surprised by how sensible the solution was.
Divination magic was indeed perfectly suited to the situation.
"Wait. So I don't have to get hit while learning?"
"No. You must get hit a lot to use divination magic."
Instinctively, Lee Han flung himself sideways. Right on cue, a chair materialized where he'd been standing and came flying at him.
Before he could relax, a desk spawned behind him and slammed into his back, sending him rolling across the classroom floor.
"That first dodge was excellent. You have talent."
"That wasn't divination—just luck—"
Lee Han got no chance to finish. The attacks resumed.