Episode 432
Episode 432
A cracked pot that leaks from the inside will inevitably leak outside as well.
A mage who stole village livestock for Transformation Magic experiments and borrowed city guild property for Alchemy was highly likely to have amassed considerable wealth during his time at Einrogard.
'That inheritance is tempting.'
While Lee Han was inwardly entertaining such nefarious thoughts, his eyes gleaming, the senior turned to look at the juniors and spoke.
"You're all still first-years, right? Most of you probably don't even know about night strolls or sneaking out yet."
No... um... never mind. Keep talking.
The Skeleton Principal almost interjected, 'Your first-years and this year's first-years are quite different,' but stopped himself.
"Those were truly good times, juniors. Break a rule once, and you'll break it twice. Break it twice, and you'll break it thrice... You must never disregard school regulations! Sometimes, those who flout the rules might seem cool, but that's just an illusion."
The juniors reacted vehemently to the senior's earnest sermon.
"What's he even saying? Is he really a senior?"
"He's just the Headmaster's lackey!"
"Must've gotten too comfortable after graduation—can't even remember his own first-year days!"
"Boo! Back off! The Headmaster's lapdog!"
Telling first-years, who had grown sharp-tempered from eating nothing but coarse, tough food, to "follow the school rules" was utterly ineffective.
It only backfired.
"Juniors! Calm down! I know my words might be hard to believe now, but with time—"
"Back off! Back off!"
Gainando, caught up in the excitement, crumpled a piece of paper and threw it.
The Skeleton Principal watched with disdain.
'What a bunch of idiots.'
In fact, this wasn't even something the Headmaster had ordered. He didn't prohibit students from deviating entirely.
Of course, he did get furious whenever someone dared to raid even his personal storage...
But even so, that eerie spirit of self-discipline was precisely the foundation for improving magical prowess.
'Just don't do it outside the school. Don't blame the school for your own lack of restraint.'
"Juniors! Juniors! Please listen to me!"
"Boo! Back off!"
"Listen to—"
"Back off! Back off!"
BAM!
The senior struck the floor with his staff.
In an instant, Gainando's coat transformed into dozens of birds that began pecking at him madly with their beaks.
"Ah! Aaah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"......"
The jeering students immediately fell silent at the sight of Gainando.
No matter how weak he seemed, the senior before them was still a monster who had survived the hell that was Einrogard.
Though the senior came to his senses belatedly and released Gainando, the atmosphere had already turned icy.
"...Headmaster. Is this really alright?"
Who knows. How should I know?
At the Skeleton Principal's indifferent tone, the senior broke into a cold sweat.
Having been dragged here as punishment for causing trouble outside, this Einrogard graduate had to fulfill his duty accordingly.
-Participate in the lecture. Drill it into those iron skulls why they mustn't cause trouble outside.
-Headmaster! But I'm a mage who graduated from Einrogard...
-Then stay locked up in the detention room forever.
-...Thank you so much for entrusting me with this mission!
Given the offer to reduce his confinement period based on his lecture performance, the senior was desperate.
But the first-years' mood remained frosty.
Though fear had silenced their jeers, their eyes were filled with distrust.
"...Juniors. I got a little carried away earlier. But I'm really not a dangerous person."
"......"
Gainando sniffled as he plucked out a feather. The students glared at the senior.
"...Does anyone have questions? Ask me anything."
"I have a question, senior."
In the situation where no one else raised their hands, Lee Han was the only one who did.
Seeing this, the senior brightened up.
"Ask away!"
"You mentioned being caught after committing a crime—where exactly were you imprisoned?"
"Uh... Einrogard's Punishment Room. You first-years might not know this, but Einrogard has Punishment Rooms here..."
"Aren't Punishment Rooms only for students?"
"Excellent question. You see, there are multiple Punishment Rooms. When you're in lower grades, you only get sent to the outer ones. But as you advance to higher grades, there are hidden inner Punishment Rooms. That's where they keep wizards captured from outside..."
You idiot. Is that really what you should be talking about in this lecture?
As the Skeleton Principal grew irritated, the senior startled and clamped his mouth shut.
Lee Han looked at the Skeleton Principal with a hint of disappointment.
"Headmaster. I was merely asking for my friends' sake—to understand how harsh and dreadful the Punishment Rooms are. If they knew how terrible those places are, wouldn't they be more careful to avoid ending up there?"
The senior was impressed by his words.
Even among the first-years, there was a model student willing to help him.
Of course, the Skeleton Principal was too dumbfounded to speak.
"That's very admirable. I'm sure your friends will appreciate your concern."
"Since we're on the topic, could you tell us where exactly the Punishment Rooms are located? I'm curious how deep and impenetrable they must be for students to need such caution."
You're banned from asking questions.
The Skeleton Principal had seen enough and forcibly silenced Lee Han.
The senior shot the Headmaster a resentful look.
'He was just helping me lighten the mood...'
Look away, you fool. You don't even realize what you're dealing with.
Annoyed by the foolish graduate's audacious glare, the Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue and issued a command.
Stop wasting time and just show them magic. The kind of magic you can't use outside. That should cover the basics.
"Ah, understood."
The senior cleared his throat and raised his wand, reshaping the space.
The classroom desks vanished, and the students gathered in a circle, ready to observe the magic.
"Now, everyone, watch closely."
A spell was cast, and a chair transformed into a sheep.
The first-years gasped at the high-level Transformation Magic.
While they couldn't agree with the senior's views, his magical skill was undeniable.
"As you can see, this is one of the Transformation Magic spells that turns inanimate objects into living creatures. But there's a very dangerous aspect to this magic."
"What is it?"
"You must never sell anything created this way without declaring it as magic-made."
"......"
"......"
The first-years stared coldly at the senior, but he enthusiastically explained why selling counterfeit livestock was forbidden.
"And there's more. Look—do you see this gemstone created by magic?"
"Let me guess—we can't sell that either?"
"Excellent deduction, juniors! Now, everyone, take notes."
The first-years muttered curses under their breaths as they picked up their pens.
What they'd hoped would be an interesting magic lesson had turned into nonsense.
'Hmm. I think that senior will be heading back to the Punishment Room soon.'
Lee Han, who still had more questions, approached the senior while his classmates grumbled and pulled out their papers.
"Senior."
"Aha."
The senior regarded Lee Han with great warmth.
This was the junior who had been trying to help him since earlier. He couldn't help but feel fond of him.
"I know what you want to ask."
"Oh, you do?"
"Of course. You want to know how to use the magic I just demonstrated, right?"
"......"
"But junior, this spell is too advanced for first-years. If you really want to learn it, master Steel Transformation first and come back."
"I've already mas— No, that's not the point right now. Senior."
Lee Han took advantage of the students' distracted chatter to whisper as quickly as possible.
They had to finish communicating before the Skeleton Principal noticed.
"By any chance, didn't you leave anything behind at school?"
"...!"
Only then did the senior realize that Lee Han hadn't approached him with pure intentions.
"Left behind at school?"
"Yes."
"Not much, but not nothing either."
"Let's make a deal."
Lee Han didn't just ask for it out of senior-junior camaraderie. The senior was surprised by Lee Han's proposal to negotiate.
A first-year student had already grasped the essence of Einrogard so thoroughly.
Even among siblings at Einrogard, no one made deals empty-handed.
"What kind of deal? Junior. I doubt you have anything to offer me."
"Senior. Aren't you going back to the Punishment Room?"
"Are you provoking me now?"
"No. Just tell me the location. I'll sneak food in for you."
"...!"
The senior was genuinely impressed for the first time in a while.
That a mere first-year could propose a deal so skillfully.
Admittedly, as someone who'd be locked in the Punishment Room for a long time to reflect, the junior's offer was undeniably tempting.
But...
"How can I trust you? As a first-year, you must be struggling to get enough food for yourself. And most importantly, you wouldn't be able to break into the Punishment Room."
"It doesn't matter, Senior. Just tell me when I come. Even if I fail, you won't lose anything."
"You... are you really a first-year?"
The senior was genuinely astonished.
Judging by his actions, he seemed more like a fourth-year or above...
"Fine. Take it."
Deciding he had nothing to lose, the senior handed over a note. Magical letters had been quickly inscribed on it.
"The letters will appear when placed in darkness. Use that to find me."
What are you two whispering about over there?
As the Skeleton Principal approached, sensing something suspicious, both the senior and Lee Han realized their mistake.
Their prolonged conversation had drawn suspicion.
"Uh... he was asking about magic, so I was teaching him."
Magic?
'Damn it!'
The senior gritted his teeth.
Having graduated some time ago, his lying skills seemed to have rusted.
What a pathetic lie.
Who would believe he was teaching such advanced Transformation Magic to a first-year student?
You too? Well, at least you have some sense... This isn't magic-teaching time, so keep it appropriate.
"??"
The senior couldn't believe his ears.
But even more astonishing words were yet to come.
Since you were fooling around during lecture time, you'll learn at least one spell as punishment. I'll check after class.
"That's impossible!"
Nonsense. You can learn one. You will learn one.
"????"
The senior was utterly confused about what kind of conversation was even happening anymore.
"You're selling waterproof-treated fabric at this price? Seriously?"
"...Then don't buy it, you bastard."
"N-no... I'm grateful it's cheap. Thank you, Wardanaz."
The White Tiger Tower student bowed his head and purchased the fabric.
Lee Han sighed as he watched.
'Damn. I wish I could exploit this like those Black Turtle Tower bastards.'
His friends from Black Turtle Tower, who usually stockpiled materials, were gleefully selling them off in anticipation of the flood.
Students from other towers had to drain their food reserves to buy various lumber, leather, and reagents.
But Lee Han couldn't raise his prices.
The priests were watching.
Their sharp eyes fixed intently on Lee Han.
In front of them, he couldn't possibly say things like "Floods don't come often—we should make big profits now."
"What's Wardanaz saying?"
"He's just not raising prices?"
"What's going on? I was sure he'd hike them... During last exam period, he doubled coffee powder prices, saying 'free market pricing develops Einrogard's economy.'"
"But what does that even mean... market... economy?"
"No idea. Must be some Wardanaz family secret."
"Isn't Wardanaz from a great noble house? Profiting from a crisis like this would be beneath his dignity."
"Sigh. I suppose we have to acknowledge that—"
"Hey. If you've bought everything, scram."
Annoyed, Lee Han flung a Water Orb to chase away the students from other towers.