Episode 439
Episode 439
"So... I was right after all."
Lee Han nodded as if he'd expected this, misunderstanding the Skeleton Principal's gaze.
Wrong!
"Huh?"
Did you think all the Empire's magic criminals were Einrogard graduates?!
"Eh? They're not?"
......
The Skeleton Principal was momentarily at a loss for words.
It was even more infuriating because he could tell the student wasn't joking but speaking in complete earnest.
What kind of—!
Seriously, no.
"Is that so... Then, um, is it because there are knights outside, so they can't be?"
I swear on my magic that it's not. Satisfied?
"Aah..."
Only then did Lee Han finally understand.
The Skeleton Principal wanted to smack him but held back, remembering the donation the student had just secured.
"If we're talking about magic criminals, then..."
Right.
The Empire had enemies whose very titles alone invoked fear and hostility.
Anti-magic extremists, evil god worshippers, separatists, black magi— no, not black mages. That was a slip of the tongue.
"......"
Not black mages, but magic criminals. That was the term he meant to use. Anyway, even among wanted criminals of that caliber, it was extremely rare for any of Einrogard's four seniors—no matter how much of a troublemaker they were—to be branded as magic criminals.
'So there are some, though.'
Lee Han wasn't surprised.
If there had been absolutely none, that would have been more shocking.
In any case, the Skeleton Principal's logic was sound.
Surprisingly, not just anyone could become a magic criminal.
A mage who failed a magic experiment and flooded a valley, destroying all the village's crops?
Impressive, but not a magic criminal. That just fell under "crazy mage."
A mage who infiltrated another knight order's cemetery to steal corpses but got caught on the spot?
Truly impressive, but still not a magic criminal. That just fell under "crazy mage"—no, "very crazy mage."
To be branded a magic criminal in the Empire, one had to deliberately cause incidents incomparable to the above and repel the Empire's bounty hunters and knight orders dozens of times.
Only at that level would the decree come down: "By the name of the Emperor, this mage can no longer be called a mage. Eliminate them, dead or alive."
It was the worst infamy an Imperial mage could earn.
No matter how much Einrogard was a school for insane mages, it couldn't easily produce the worst of the worst like that.
Besides, judging by how even after graduation, alumni kept getting dragged into the Punishment Hall, it seemed the Skeleton Principal cared about the Empire's dignity and reputation enough to handle post-graduation management.
"I thought they were just outstanding mages, so I assumed they were Einrogard graduates."
A common misconception.
The Skeleton Principal nodded sympathetically.
Did people think that if an outstanding mage in the Empire caused trouble, they were automatically from Einrogard?
What was even more irritating was that this misconception was 95% correct.
Returning to the topic of Antagondals, he wasn't even an Einrogard graduate—just a greenhorn mage who hadn't even lived five centuries yet...
'Calling a mage over a hundred years old a "greenhorn" feels a bit odd.'
...but he had been steadily building his infamy to an irritating degree.
In an annoyed tone, the Skeleton Principal lifted the artifact [Antagondals' Piercing Eye] and the Black Spirit Wood Bracelet artifact, tangled with seven snakes.
When the Empire's enemies showed up with shoddy artifacts, about three out of ten times, they were his creations...
"A mage selling artifacts to anti-magic extremists?"
The enemy of my enemy is always an easy ally. And honestly, would corrupted scum even care who they deal with? If the profit's right, they'd even sell their own flesh.
The Skeleton Principal's voice dripped with contempt.
Lee Han could understand why the Headmaster felt that way.
Artifacts were items that allowed even non-mages to relatively easily cause anomalies.
It was hard to look favorably upon a magic criminal who crafted and sold such artifacts to anti-magic extremists and other enemies of the Empire.
The most insolent part was how he took the name of an old kingdom's lineage to mock me! The audacity!
"...Uh... well... I see."
As important reasons were being listed only to suddenly shift to a trivial one, Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
'You're too young to understand how important this is.'
The Skeleton Principal grumbled.
To the Headmaster, who carried the legitimate lineage of the now-vanished ancient kingdom, the noble families of the kingdom each held distinct and honorable titles with their own significance.
And now some brat—not even an Einrogard graduate—had the audacity to steal and flaunt one of those titles...
"I understand. If I ever meet Antagondals again, I'll be sure to point out the arrogance you just mentioned."
'Good. Make sure you remember.'
Lee Han found it absurd how seriously the Headmaster took what was meant as a joke, but then a thought struck him and he asked:
"But why did you tell me about Antagondals? Ah—do you have some lesson to impart regarding this artifact?"
'Ah. So you wanted to learn about the artifact? Understood. I'll keep that in mind.'
Lee Han cursed his own loose tongue. He hated himself so much he could barely stand it.
"That wasn't it?"
'I told you about Antagondals because, as you just said, you'll likely encounter him in the future.'
"......"
'He avoids me out of fear, but since he doesn't know you yet, he might approach you. Especially after how you slaughtered those Anti-Magic Zealots.'
"I didn't slaughter—"
'If you see any suspicious mages, don't hesitate—use the ring I gave you to summon me. Understood?'
Lee Han barely stopped himself from summoning the Headmaster right then and there.
With the help of the Skeleton Principal and the Death Knights, the camp, which had been devastated by battle, was quickly restored.
Even the severely wounded knights finished their recovery and stood up to express their gratitude to the Headmaster.
In a generous tone, the Headmaster addressed the students:
'If you wish, you may stay a little longer before returning.'
"Eh? Really?!"
Angorod was shocked.
He hadn't expected the Headmaster to show such kindness.
Batrek couldn't believe it either, blinking at his friend in disbelief.
'Of course! How much credit have you earned here? Naturally, you're welcome to stay!'
At the Headmaster's words, the knights also smiled warmly and spread their arms in welcome.
Bathed in this heartwarming atmosphere—something unimaginable at Einrogard—Angorod and Batrek already looked intoxicated.
'So the Headmaster is human after all!'
'Right. After fighting so hard, staying a bit longer wouldn't...'
Going back early wouldn't do them any good.
They'd just have to roam mountains and forests hunting for food rations with their friends.
Compared to that, this place overflowed with food and drink.
"Headmaster."
Lee Han called out to him.
The Headmaster turned to Lee Han with a warm look, as if asking what was wrong.
"By any chance... are the spirits inside causing trouble?"
'You're not making sense. Why not stay a little longer before heading back?'
Lee Han sighed deeply and called his friends.
"...Hey. Let's go back."
It was clear that a flood had broken out at the school.
Instead of obediently returning to the White Tiger Tower, their friends flopped onto the ground, thrashing and rolling around in protest.
"There might not even be a flood!"
"There is."
"Fine, let's say there is! But do we really have to go back? Wardanaz! Be honest—you don't want to babysit those guys either, do you?!"
"......"
It wasn't that they didn't believe Lee Han—it was sheer denial, a desperate refusal to face the reality of returning to Einrogard.
Things were already hard enough, and now with a flood on top of it? They couldn't even imagine how much worse it would be.
Lee Han considered hitting them but held back, thinking that even if no one was watching, beating up someone from a knightly family in the middle of a knight camp might be a bit much.
Instead, he called Giselle.
"Moradi. It's your tower—you convince them and bring them along."
Giselle glared at the two trash—no, friends—with utter irritation and "persuaded" them.
"Why don't you just stay there and die?"
"......"
"......"
The two stopped rolling and awkwardly got up. If Giselle was like this, resisting would only invite worse consequences later.
But they didn't fully stand. That was how much they didn't want to return to Einrogard.
"Haha. Looks like you're misunderstanding something."
It was the Skeleton Principal who had helped Lee Han.
"If the Wardanaz returns, you're all going back together. That's what friends do."
"Huh!? But we're from different towers!"
What did they expect? Should he stamp 'Different Towers but Friends' on their foreheads?
The Skeleton Principal was in an extremely foul mood upon hearing that Lee Han was returning to Einrogard.
Sensing the irritation in his voice, the two White Tiger Tower students gave up and scrambled to their feet.
"Let's go... we should go."
"Wardanaz... when our other friends ask later, could you tell them we were the first to suggest going back?"
Giselle finally lost her patience and started whacking her friends with her scabbard. The two students screamed and fled.
Lee Han, indifferent to the commotion, began gathering the boxes he'd have to carry back.
"Moradi. Stop hitting them and help me out."
"...Wait. There's way too much here."
Giselle, having calmed down slightly after taking a deep breath, frowned as she counted the wooden boxes.
No matter how she looked at it, there was too much for the four of them to carry back. Even with the horse...
"Ah. I'll carry from here to here."
"What? How?"
"I'll carry this one, load this onto Ponlig, and float the rest with magic."
"......"
Giselle was speechless at the unexpectedly crude solution.
"Hmm. I did receive this box, but... Aren't Southern Whirlpool Clams too much of a luxury? Plus, they spoil quickly."
Lee Han frowned at the box filled with high-end clams harvested from the southern coast of the empire.
Giselle nodded in agreement.
"We should probably leave that behind."
"What a waste... Headmaster. Would you consider bartering?"
Get lost.
Giselle's heart nearly stopped when she heard Lee Han call out to the Skeleton Principal.
Giselle wasn't one to scare easily, but the Skeleton Principal was an exception. Even after spending considerable time at the academy, he remained a formidable figure.
And yet, Lee Han just called out to him like that...
'Is this guy actually insane?'
"Hold on a moment. You there, from the merchant group. Did you bring any extra provisions? You did? Would you be open to a trade?"
Lee Han approached the remaining workers from the merchant group and exchanged the perishable luxury ingredients for preserved rations.
Since there were many workers, the amount of food was surprisingly large. Plus, it was all compact and non-perishable—easy to transport.
"Wow, are you really just giving this to us?"
"We value frugality, so we don't usually indulge in such extravagant foods."
Lee Han said without batting an eye. The workers, having endured a tough ordeal, gladly accepted, likely planning to celebrate later.
"Is that all the remaining food? There still seems to be quite a bit left."
"Yes. We brought enough to last us in case the job took longer."
Lee Han stared at the remaining canned food boxes, deep in thought.
How could they carry all that?
"Hey. Bring out the alcohol."
"N-no! Wardanaz!!"
"Now's not the time for you to indulge in expensive liquor."
"We might never get another chance to drink a 20-year-old <Knight's Joy>!!"
Lee Han snatched the ornately decorated bottle from his friends' hands and traded it with the workers. The workers were delighted, while his friends shed tears of blood.
Once the trades were roughly settled, Lee Han surveyed their haul with satisfaction.
Aside from being slightly mountainous, the setup was quite solid.
'Considering what got washed away in the flood, this should easily last us a month.'
"Ah. Lord Wardanaz?"
A knight approached and called out to Lee Han.
Thanks to his actions during the attack, the knight's gaze and demeanor were filled with respect.
"Yes?"
"This is traditionally a gift for the knight who brings the most honor to the gathering."
"!!"
Lee Han's eyes widened.
Could it be?
'Gold coins? A golden statue? Or maybe golden weapons?'
"Though the gathering was canceled midway, no one will ever honor it as splendidly as you did, Lord Wardanaz. We unanimously agreed to present this to you with great pleasure."
"I'm truly honored!"
Lee Han gratefully accepted the gift.
It was a liquor bottle, even more extravagantly decorated than the one his friends had lost.
"......"