Episode 433
Episode 433
"Everyone's helping each other prepare for the flood."
"??"
Lee Han, listening from the side, doubted his ears.
"Uh... the Black Turtle Tower guys are... raising prices... Never mind."
He almost blurted out, 'They're the bad guys raising prices because of the flood, and I'm the good guy who didn't raise prices,' but stopped himself.
What kind of pathetic snitching was this in front of the Skeleton Principal?
"Right. Everyone's working hard to help each other."
"What nonsense are you talking about, Priest!"
"The Black Turtle Tower bastards are bleeding us dry!"
The White Tiger Tower students shook off water as they protested, but Lee Han pretended not to hear and ignored them.
"Are you all prepared?"
"Of course. Who do you think we are?"
"......"
Lee Han hesitated before answering the White Tiger Tower students' question.
Enraged, they shouted:
"Hey, you punk! Why the hesitation?!"
"Sorry. I blanked for a second on how to answer."
"Knights! We're knights! What's so hard about that?!"
The young knights were furious that the Wardanaz kid, who could brilliantly answer the most difficult questions, couldn't respond to the simplest one.
Being knights, the White Tiger Tower students had some capability to handle such situations.
They moved their stacked supplies to higher ground, dug drainage ditches around the tower, and prepared rafts and oars in case of flooding...
The Black Turtle Tower students were naturally skilled at such preparations, and the Phoenix Tower priests, having grown up in temples, weren't lacking either.
The problem was the Blue Dragon Tower.
'I wonder if they'll be okay.'
Though Lee Han had given instructions before leaving, he worried whether they were actually following through.
Having finished his business, Lee Han turned to the White Tiger Tower students.
"Good timing. Come with me."
"Huh? Are we going hunting?"
"No. We're going to help out at the Blue Dragon Tower dorm."
"......"
"...Why should we?"
The White Tiger Tower students looked at him like he was insane.
Short of an arrow to the head, there was no reason they'd ever help the Blue Dragon Tower guys.
What, were they cute or something...?
"You bought those expensive magic items at cost price, right? Should I stop selling them now?"
"Wha—how could you...?!"
The White Tiger Tower students trembled at the short but powerful threat.
One of them even had an epiphany.
'So this is the power of monopoly that Wardanaz guy was talking about!'
Last time, when Lee Han had said, 'If you monopolize essentials in the market, you gain immense power,' they'd brushed it off, thinking, 'What nonsense is this? Some kind of black magic spell?' But experiencing it firsthand made perfect sense.
"Fine, we'll help! Just... help..."
"Wardanaz."
"?"
"At least tell the Blue Dragon Tower guys we're helping them honorably as knights."
"...R-right. Got it."
Gainando yawned as he watched Princess Adenart use spirits to dig deep drainage ditches.
'Why is she working so hard...?'
"Gainando. Stop lazing around and start shoveling."
"I-I'm recovering mana."
"Even if you're out of mana, you can still move your body."
Grumbling under his friends' scolding, Gainando picked up his shovel.
Though Lee Han wasn't here, too many of his friends had learned nothing but mischief from him.
"Gainando. Think about it. Don't you know the story of the ant and the grasshopper?"
Ashan spoke up to motivate Gainando.
"If you don't prepare in advance, that's what happens."
"Can't we just convince the ants to live together...?"
"Would you take them in?"
"If I groveled and begged to be their servant, they might..."
"......"
Ashan was almost swayed by the bizarre logic.
Honestly, if Gainando groveled and offered to be a servant, Ashan would probably take him in just to torment him forever.
The ability to make even enemies surrender out of sheer worthlessness!
'Is this... a talent?'
Ashan glanced at Adenart.
Just as she naturally exuded the dignity of royalty, Gainando had his own natural... pitifulness.
'...But does a seemingly insignificant ability have any meaning? Where could it be used?'
"What? What are you thinking about?"
"Your innate ability as a royal."
"!"
Gainando's face lit up.
"What is it? What is it??"
"Uh? Uh."
Ashan was uncharacteristically flustered.
"Well... uh..."
"It must be the ability to unite everyone's hearts toward a common goal. Right?"
"Wardanaz!!"
Hearing the voice from behind, Ashan turned his head with a brightened expression.
'But does such an ability even exist?'
"Everyone seems to be preparing well..."
Lee Han sighed deeply as he surveyed the surroundings of the tower.
At the sight, his friends averted their eyes as if they had committed a crime.
The drainage ditches were uneven, two-thirds of the pre-made rafts were unbalanced, and the supplies meant to be moved up remained untouched...
Without prior experience, it was inevitable that there would be many trials and errors, and progress would be slow.
While everyone else was disheartened, the Princess alone maintained a stiff posture. She had some confidence in her assigned task.
Compared to what the other friends had done, the Princess's section was overwhelmingly more complete!
"We should start working right away."
"?!?!?"
However, Lee Han began working without even checking the Princess's section.
The Princess stared at Lee Han with wide, shocked eyes.
The students from the White Tiger Tower behind them whispered in confusion.
"Why is Her Highness glaring like that?"
"Obviously. She must be trying to keep Wardanaz in check. Put yourself in her shoes."
"Ah. Right. A tower can't have two suns."
The White Tiger Tower students nodded, recalling Giselle.
They remembered how mercilessly Giselle had crushed those who challenged her authority.
Being royalty, she would naturally be even more sensitive about power.
While Wardanaz was in the tower, his overwhelming presence made others bide their time, but now that he was gone, things were different.
She must be trying to reclaim the tower's power for herself.
In such a situation, it was only natural she wouldn't look kindly upon Wardanaz's return.
"Hehe. This is going to be fun. If the Blue Dragon Tower guys start fighting among themselves... And Wardanaz seems completely off guard."
"Let's not tell Wardanaz. Hehe."
Few things were as entertaining as watching insufferable people tear each other apart.
The White Tiger Tower students exchanged sly glances and nodded.
"What's up with you guys? Why are you looking so suspicious?"
"N-no reason!"
"Why are you questioning us? We came here to help!"
"Hmm. Strange... Fine. Alright. The White Tiger Tower students are here to help."
At Lee Han's words, the Blue Dragon Tower students were stunned.
"What? Why?"
"Is this a trick?"
"Tsk. Quiet. As knights, we came to help our fellow students."
At Lee Han's explanation, the Blue Dragon Tower students were even more shocked.
"Wardanaz! It's definitely a trap—!"
"Be quiet."
Lee Han forcibly silenced his friends and began working.
Giselle walked alongside Angrago and Batrek, all three looking utterly exhausted.
The reason was Jean-Cliff of the Jean-Clin family, who was chattering incessantly beside them.
"So, young knights... Ah, right. I missed something while talking, let me start again—"
'I feel like blood is pouring from my ears.'
For Giselle, who detested excessive chatter, the deputy leader of the Beech Knights was the devil incarnate.
His title might as well be 'Lord of Rambling' or 'Duke of Nonsense.'
Crash! Crash! Crash!
As dirt erupted violently before them, forming a path, Jean-Cliff momentarily fell silent.
The three felt their sanity returning now that he had stopped talking.
"It's over... Wait. What are you all doing there??"
The three of them were startled to see their friends helping with the construction of the Blue Dragon Tower and asked,
"Why on earth...?"
Their friends also seemed to think the same, looking utterly bewildered before belatedly answering.
"...F-for honor...?"
"Spl... Splendid!!"
Jean-Cliff was so moved he nearly teared up as he exclaimed.
"Truthfully, I'd heard that Einrogard students, coming from all corners of the empire, don't get along well—but these knights are different! Truly touching!"
"...Y-yes, that's right."
"We're... a bit like that."
The White Tiger Tower students holding shovels reluctantly admitted.
Beside them, the Blue Dragon Tower students stared with looks that said, 'What nonsense is this?'
"Since when were we ever close—"
"Hey. Save some face."
"You helped us! At least pretend!"
"......"
Meanwhile, Giselle furrowed her brows and averted her gaze.
Though curious why her friends were acting like this, she had no intention of asking.
Her headache from Jean-Cliff was bad enough already.
"Wardanaz. Let's go soon."
"Huh? Where?"
"...What kind of act is this, you—"
Giselle nearly spat out a curse before remembering the crowd and deciding to maintain her dignity.
"...The gathering. You remember, right? We all agreed to attend together."
"Leaving already? What about tomorrow's Friday lectures?"
"Just ask to attend them later. There are only one or two lectures on Fridays anyway."
"No, there aren't."
"......"
Lee Han's words left Giselle speechless.
Come to think of it, that Wardanaz brat was different.
"Fine, I get it. We should leave now to have enough travel time anyway. We can ask the other students to handle things with the professors."
"Right. Hurry and get ready."
"Wait. Moradi."
"...What now?"
Giselle responded with clear irritation when Lee Han called her.
"There's going to be a flood soon—should I really be leaving?"
"What can you do? It's fate."
At that, an intense reaction erupted.
"That evil White Tiger Tower bastard!"
"And he gets to leave?!"
"Moradi! Even if you go, we still need Wardanaz! Without him, we'll be short-handed!"
Even the White Tiger Tower students chimed in, leaving Giselle dumbfounded.
These insane little—
"Prepare yourselves, idiots! Do I have to spoon-feed you everything?! Is Wardanaz your babysitter?!"
Giselle's sharp retort wounded Lee Han.
"Calling me a babysitter is too—"
Wait.
Was he, though?
Lee Han reflected on his past actions and was slightly shocked.
"Wardanaz! Don't fall for Moradi's evil tricks! Our friendship isn't like that!"
"Right! Wardanaz, you're no babysitter! What babysitter beats people up like you do?!"
"...I-I see."
Lee Han replied half-heartedly but decided he should start preparing to leave immediately.
His friends would manage fine on their own!
"Your horse is quite remarkable."
"...Y-yes, I suppose?"
When Ponlig whinnied as if protesting, Lee Han quickly stroked his mane to quiet him.
Admitting, "I turned a griffin into a horse to ride around," probably wasn't the best move in front of knights.
Jean-Cliff watched the young—no, calling them immature might be more accurate—knights following behind him with a face full of joy.
To think he'd be traveling alongside the empire's future leaders.
That alone was an honor and a delight.
"To walk the night path with the empire's finest talents..."
'Good grief.'
'Dear gods.'
'I should've brought earplugs.'
"...By the way, everyone. How are your studies at Einrogard going?"
"......"
"......"
While Lee Han and Giselle remained relatively composed, the other two began sweating nervously.
Jean-Cliff smirked knowingly.
"I understand. Coming from knightly backgrounds, numbers and letters must be difficult. But you excel in horsemanship and swordsmanship instead—no need to feel inadequate."
"......"
This time, even Giselle started sweating.
Shockingly, in every subject mentioned so far, students from other towers had taken the top spots from them.