Episode 428
Episode 428
"Is there really anything to gain by going that far?"
"What are you talking about, Priest Nigisor? Of course there is. Where do you think that stew we had for dinner came from? Do you think you could make something like that with Einrogard's black bread and cold rice balls?"
The priests, who had enjoyed the meal thoroughly, had no rebuttal even if they had ten mouths.
No matter how frugal and simple their lives had been, once they got used to warm, hearty meals, it was only natural they'd adapt.
The priests, who had initially protested with things like, "This is unacceptable," "We don't eat meals like this," or "If you insist, I'll just have a little bread," had gradually started responding with, "We'll enjoy the meal," and "We're always grateful."
"I-I see. I'm sorry. You didn't have to go through the trouble of preparing it..."
"No, there's no need to apologize. I did it because I wanted to."
Though he had already made them feel guilty, Lee Han continued.
"But that's not the point I'm trying to make. The important thing is that action is better than inaction. What would you do if the students of the Blue Dragon Tower were starving and collapsing from hunger?"
"I would share my bread with them."
"Right. But what if there were two? Three? What if the entire tower was starving?"
Priest Siana, who had been listening nearby, tilted her head in confusion.
"What on earth happened in the Blue Dragon Tower that all the students are starving to death...?"
Lee Han pretended not to hear and ignored her.
"The important thing is that this kind of situation can't be overcome by the goodwill of individual priests alone."
If this had been the Black Turtle Tower or the White Tiger Tower, they would've dismissed it with, "What kind of nonsense is this?" But the priests, perhaps because they were kind-hearted, listened attentively.
Moreover, it was a topic that resonated with them.
"Indeed..."
"That makes sense."
"Right? So what's the solution to this problem?"
"Uh... Since it's hard for individuals to solve, if all the priests pooled their resources and shared a little of what they have..."
Priest Nigisor, contrary to his usual confident demeanor, hesitated slightly as he spoke.
The madness Lee Han had displayed today had unsettled him a bit.
"No."
"N-No?"
"Then what if the students of the White Tiger Tower or the Black Turtle Tower were on the verge of starvation? That wouldn't solve the problem."
"???"
Priest Siana, who had been listening, grew even more bewildered.
Just what had happened that all the students of the three towers were starving to dea—?
"Then what is?"
"The answer is to raid Einrogard's storerooms in advance and smuggle in supplies from outside to stockpile. That way, even if a crisis hits, we can overcome it."
"......"
"......"
The priests were stunned, but Lee Han continued seriously. Then, his voice, filled with compelling persuasion, began to enchant them.
"It's not like you're raiding the storerooms and smuggling just for your own luxury. You could do it to help your friends, right?"
"Indeed... The more I listen, the more sense it makes."
"It's true that even if you want to help, it's hard to do so when you have nothing. Even if you try to brew potions to distribute, you'd struggle with ingredients."
Priest Nigisor, who belonged to the radical faction, and the pragmatic Priest Siana were quickly convinced.
Priestess Dijiling, standing nearby, stared at the two with an utterly bewildered expression.
Even so...
Is this really okay?
"I understand."
"Make sure to pass this on to the other priests too. It's not about raiding for luxury—it's about doing good deeds. It'd be great if everyone prepared in advance."
"I'll definitely tell them!"
The three mages exchanged determined glances.
'If the priests of the Tower of the Eternally Burning Phoenix help out, the Einrogard black market will flourish even more.'
Given that they had an advantage over students from other towers when it came to nighttime strolls, if they actively participated, supplies would flow more smoothly into the black market, prices would stabilize, and the students would be overjoyed.
Of course, there was the ethical question of whether it was right to make priests commit theft, but Lee Han judged that part to be acceptable.
'This is self-defense. Even the gods would approve.'
At Einrogard, everything counted as self-defense!
Priest Nigisor went around lightly setting small fires here and there to check, while Priest Siana poured corrosive acid to verify which walls were real and which weren't (Lee Han briefly regretted bringing her along when she enthusiastically insisted on checking, even though they'd already confirmed everything with Light of Truth)...
After repeating this search process, it was Priestess Dijiling who finally got lucky. Using a cursed artifact she carried, Dijiling examined beyond the walls and immediately called the other three.
"There's a passage here!"
"Finally, we've got one!"
Lee Han, who had been keeping watch from behind to make sure Nigisor and Siana didn't cause any accidents, rushed over with a bright expression.
Priest Nigisor clicked his tongue in regret.
"Ah... I should've tried setting a fire there."
"Ugh. I didn't check because I was trying to save my potion."
"......"
Lee Han pretended not to hear and pushed the wall.
Crrrrk—
Fortunately, there was no complex mechanism—the wall simply slid open, revealing a hidden underground staircase.
"Eyes, pierce the darkness..."
As Lee Han was about to cast Darkvision, Priest Nigisor spoke up knowingly.
"Is this that spell? The one that drastically boosts overall physical abilities but gives you terrible muscle pain afterward..."
"Ah! That one! I know it too!"
Lee Han was taken aback by Nigisor and Siana's words.
"That's not it...?"
"...No?"
"That's a different spell... Wait. More importantly, why do you two even know about that?"
"The White Tiger Tower folks talked about it a lot."
"......"
Lee Han decided that if he ever ran into those White Tiger Tower bastards again, he'd grab them by the collar and scold them for their ungrateful, loose tongues.
Sure, Gonadaltes' Enhancement Magic had some strong side effects, but he'd cast it for their sake! And yet they went around badmouthing it behind his back!
'Ungrateful wretches. Unforgivable.'
"That's a physical enhancement spell—no need for it now. Besides, the muscle pain is pretty severe, so it's not ideal."
"Ah..."
"I was ready for it, though."
"......"
As the two priests visibly sulked, Lee Han and Dijiling exchanged glances.
'Are they... actually excited?'
'...Seems like it.'
Whether their self-justification had worked or not, the two priests were clearly hyped up for a lifetime-first experience: permanent relocation of goods.
Lee Han understood.
'Admittedly, righteous thievery is kind of fun.'
Strictly speaking, it was closer to a survival necessity, but calling it unenjoyable would be a lie.
The sheer joy of finding the headmaster's storage and looting all the useful supplies.
And when you added the thought of resisting a wicked archmage, the pleasure doubled.
'Is this how righteous thieves came to be?'
Lost in thought, Lee Han stepped forward.
Beyond the green-tinted vision that pierced the darkness, damp air began to seep in.
The smell of water.
"...There's water. Everyone, be careful."
"No need to worry. I won't slip."
"No. I mean, monsters might appear."
"!!"
Priest Nigisor immediately tensed up, bracing himself.
Lee Han had snapped them out of their careless mindset—they'd forgotten they were still inside the school.
Priestess Dijiling whispered nervously.
"Will they really appear? You're joking, right?"
"No... They really will."
"......"
Lee Han worried this might make Dijiling hate night walks, but he couldn't hide the truth.
With a body of water that size, the chances of monsters lurking were high.
"A lake...!"
"Good heavens!"
The priests couldn't help but gasp as they descended the stairs.
As the stairs leading underground ended, a vast, dark blue lake stretched out before them in the darkness.
The lake was so enormous that it was impossible to guess where the opposite shore might lead.
"Why on earth is this inside the school...?"
'Why act surprised now?'
It really was belated surprise.
There was no way to tell whether this was inside or outside Einrogard, whether it was an external space or an expanded one—but in any case, it wasn't something to be shocked about.
The important things were what was in this lake and where the other side led.
If it connected to the outside, he'd be overjoyed to the point of tears, but Lee Han, having spent over half his first year here, knew better than to entertain such absurd expectations.
'I'd be happy even if it's just someone's hidden storage.'
Priest Siana cautiously scooped up some of the lake water into a potion bottle and checked its quality.
No traces of toxicity or residual mana were detected.
"The water's fine... What are you doing!?!"
"Huh?"
At the sight of Lee Han splashing straight into the water, Priest Siana let out a sharp shriek in shock.
"Going into the water..."
"You have to check for poison!! You have to check for poison!! What are you doing!?"
"Ah. I checked by dipping my hand in."
"......"
"......"
The three priests' eyes widened in horror at his ignorant response.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Lee Han quickly defended himself.
"...Must've gotten too used to crude methods after hanging around those White Tiger Tower guys. I'll be more careful from now on."
"R-right."
In truth, White Tiger Tower had nothing to do with it—Lee Han had simply trusted his own mana and thought, Even if there's poison, it'll be fine—but there were no White Tiger Tower students around to contradict him.
After reciting an underwater breathing spell, Lee Han submerged himself in the water.
Blub blub—
"Light!"
As a sphere of light, brimming with mana, hovered above his staff, its glow began piercing through the dark lake water.
Even with darkvision magic, there were still many limitations to seeing clearly through murky water.
'Wait, there are no monsters?'
Lee Han was surprised.
A lake this vast, yet no monsters?
And then he was surprised again.
'Why am I surprised there are no monsters...?'
It's possible for there to be none!
Seemed like he'd gotten too accustomed to Einrogard.
When Lee Han emerged from the water, Priest Nigisor immediately lit a fire. Though the weather wasn't cold, soaking in water naturally brought a chill.
"You could cast <Latent Heat Enchantment>."
"No. Let's conserve mana. Who knows what might happen? I'll just—"
"Wait!!"
"Hold on!"
"I'll just cast it myself!"
"......"
Grumbling, Lee Han stopped his movements.
This was the first time he'd ever been so distrusted regarding magic.
"Since there are no monsters at the bottom of the lake, we could make a boat and go a bit further."
"A b-boat...!"
"That's...!"
Priests Nigisor and Siana's faces brightened.
Even if they pretended otherwise, their eyes betrayed unmistakable excitement.
"Are we getting wood for it?"
"Earlier, I saw reeds near the shore—we could weave them together...!"
Lee Han drew up the overflowing lake water and shaped it.
Water was one of the elements he had the most experience with, so he could easily transform and solidify it even with his eyes closed.
Then, he cast the ice magic he'd learned from Alsicle.
"Freeze!"
The power of a 1st-Circle ice creation spell had its limits when it came to freezing enough water for a small boat.
In fact, only the edges of the boat had frozen.
But Lee Han paid no mind and continued casting the spell without pause. In an instant, layers of cold stacked up, and an ice boat began to take shape.
Clunk clunk clunk—
After lightly testing its sturdiness, Lee Han nodded in satisfaction.
"This should do. Everyone getting on?"
"...Fine."
"Hmph."
"???"
Lee Han was baffled by the priests' sullen expressions.
"Is it because it's an ice boat? It's sturdier than it looks—no need to worry about safety."
"That's not the issue right now..."