Episode 442
Episode 442
Lee Han subtly signaled to his friends with his eyes.
Since they couldn't possibly know what kind of temperament the massive being before them might have, they needed to be as cautious as possible.
Hadn't they learned in their <Language and Logic> lectures that statistically, quick-witted and eloquent mages survived longer than those who merely possessed abundant mana and magical talent?
"Yes. The sea. The sea."
The water... doesn't seem salty...
"It appears the elemental spirits' rampage has reduced the salinity."
According to our contract... I shall fulfill the mage's request...
Though the watery voice kept cutting in and out with gurgling sounds, expressions of relief began appearing on the students' faces.
The fact that Tanjuer was speaking about fulfilling requests like this clearly meant the summoning had succeeded properly.
"Hurry! Wardanaz!"
"Make this flood stop!!"
"I know, I know. It's exam period—of course we have to stop it."
"...Ah, no! We'd have to stop it even if it wasn't exam period!"
Lee Han's madness left his friends slightly flustered.
"O Swallower of Ships! Do you see the havoc these elemental spirits are wreaking now?"
I can... feel it...
"Please stop this rampage of elemental spirits and cease the rain! Halt the flood and return the waters to their original place underground!"
Gulp-
The sound of one student swallowing loudly was clearly audible.
Tanjuer remained silently quiet.
......
When only the sound of water gurgling could be heard again, Lee Han cautiously asked:
"O Swallower of Ships! Perhaps my voice was too quiet to..."
No... I heard...
Tanjuer answered slowly.
But... it's difficult... my power isn't complete...
'Damn.'
Lee Han clicked his tongue.
It was unexpected, but when he thought about it, it made sense.
The Tanjuer summoned now was in spirit form.
Having lost most of the power he'd possessed in life, it wasn't surprising he couldn't fulfill Lee Han's request.
'In that case...'
Lee Han calmly revised his request.
"O Swallower of Ships. Then I won't ask you to stop this flood. Instead, please change the direction of the rainclouds and storm!"
The rising waters were problematic for Einrogard right now, but the constantly raging rainclouds and storms were an even bigger issue.
First-year mages could cross calm waters, but there was nothing to be done against lashing rainclouds and storms.
That much... is possible... Where to...
"Please send it all straight to the upper floors of Einrogard's main building."
"......"
"......"
After listening quietly, Lee Han's friends looked at him in horror.
Hey...!
'Is this okay?'
'Shouldn't we stop him?'
Aren't the upper floors of the main building the Headmaster and professors' domain?
Sending rainclouds and storms there would be tantamount to a declaration of war, wouldn't it?
"No. Wardanaz's choice is correct."
Salko spoke up in a grave voice.
"What do you mean, Tutanta?"
"Who do you think caused this flood in the first place?"
"...!"
The students all thought of one name.
Who else but the master of this school could have caused a flood?
'Huh? That's not it though?'
Lee Han, who'd been concentrating on Tanjuer, tilted his head in confusion.
This incident truly wasn't the Skeleton Principal's fault.
The elemental spirits had just periodically grown stronger in energy and gone berserk...
"Headmaster!"
"Exactly. Who else but the Headmaster? So are we just going to keep taking this lying down? Do you think the Headmaster would be satisfied if we just accepted this?"
"No way! Absolutely not!"
"Tutanta's right. We can't keep living like punching bags. Let's show them we can retaliate too!"
The first-years, who had plenty of pent-up grievances, raised their voices in unison.
Sending the waters to the Skeleton Principal's residence?
Just the thought was thrilling.
"Lord Tanjuer! Please send all the water over there!"
"That's right!"
In response to the students' shouts, Tanjuer slowly replied.
...I'd rather... try stopping the flood... and ceasing the rain...
"......"
"......"
Tanjuer was more timid than expected.
Rather than sending the water to the lair of the archmage currently ruling this area, Tanjuer declared he would somehow stop the flood instead.
'Wouldn't the former be better?'
Though Lee Han thought so, there was nothing he could do now that Tanjuer had chosen the latter.
"How do you plan to stop the flood and halt the rain when you're not at full power?"
It's difficult...but temporarily...
Tanjuer explained with a wavering voice.
While permanently subduing the spirits and redirecting the water would be impossible, temporarily suppressing the spirits and blocking the water was feasible.
Of course...power will be consumed...continuous recovery needed...
Each attempt would drain his energy, so he'd recover, then temporarily block again.
Tanjuer said he'd repeat this process as long as possible.
"......"
Lee Han was flabbergasted.
'Seriously, wouldn't the first option be better?'
When summoned through a mage's contract, summoned beings typically want to fulfill the agreement quickly to regain their freedom.
Given that, they should choose the fastest method—yet here he was refusing to do so, insisting on staying until completely drained.
Just how terrifying was the Skeleton Principal...
"If that's what you wish, we don't mind."
Only then did Tanjuer seem relieved, releasing a surge of water.
"Then will you do it right now? We need to get going."
Yes...
"While you're at it, could you give us a ride? We need to get to class and might be late."
......
Tanjuer shot Lee Han an annoyed glance.
But he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
He feared the mage might bring up what he'd said earlier.
Fine...
Professor Logine Flüwerk, who taught Advanced Basic Imperial Language and Logic, stood in the classroom with a slightly troubled expression.
"Sigh..."
Beside her, Oripulas, a devil who had served as an imperial legal officer for 131 years, spoke as if he couldn't comprehend the situation.
Mage. From what I see, this doesn't seem like a conducive educational environment.
"......"
I once saw a devil duke training young devils, and even they didn't deliberately cause natural disasters like this.
"Be quiet."
Professor Logine silenced the devil beside her.
What she'd heard from the Skeleton Principal over the weekend had been so shocking that it still echoed in her ears.
-Professors. The spirits are causing chaos, flooding Einrogard. This is a periodic phenomenon, so newcomers needn't be alarmed...
Seeing how the veteran professors remained unfazed confirmed that this explanation was meant for external hires like Professor Logine.
In fact, Professor Ingoldel, who taught swordsmanship, had repeatedly questioned in disbelief, 'Shouldn't we stop the flood?'
-Professor Ingoldel. Calm yourself. This flood normally occurs once every ten years or so—it's just unfortunate timing...
-But shouldn't you drain the water so students can come take the exam?
-Why?
-Well...so the students can take the...
-Why?
-......
-Why?
The Skeleton Principal made it abundantly clear he had no intention of helping.
Professor Logine reluctantly accepted it, but she worried whether students would even make it.
Glancing outside the stained-glass windows, she saw torrential rain and towering waves crashing relentlessly...
'If students are absent, should only those who attend take the exam? That seems too harsh, doesn't it?'
After all the preparation...
Oripulas clicked his tongue regretfully and pointed to the center of the classroom.
This midterm exam required students to form simple, minor contracts with powerful entities.
Of course, first-years couldn't possibly summon and face such malevolent, powerful beings without assistance. So, Professor Logine and Oripulas had painstakingly gathered, weakened, and sealed these entities before displaying them in cages throughout the classroom.
The students had to converse with these various entities, carefully understanding them, and if they could form even a single contract, it would be considered a success.
Do you know how valuable that demon knight is? The imperial officials demanded so much just to lend him...
"I know, I know. You went through a lot to borrow him."
That eight-headed beast was no easy feat either. It's naturally wild and ferocious...
—Mage! Demon! I'll kill you! Grrr! I'll rip out your heart and swallow it! Release me! You insignificant, stinking fools!
The monster trapped in the cage roared with a guttural voice, spewing bloodthirsty threats. Oripulas sighed in annoyance, picked up a spear, and mercilessly stabbed the monster.
—GGRRAAHH!
Didn't I say I'd release you if you behaved?! Why are you acting like this? Can't you even endure for that short time? I've been keeping my contracts for over a hundred years!
—Demon! Kill! Demon! Kill! GRAAH! GRAAH!
I don't like resorting to violence, but for the sake of the young mages, I have no choice. Reflect on your actions before speaking.
Oripulas didn't stop, continuing to stab the monster. Such powerful and violent beings had to be firmly restrained from the very beginning—if given even the slightest opening, they would immediately try to dominate.
"...Mr. Oripulas."
What is it? Should I stab harder? But if I push too far and it dissipates...
"No. That's not it..."
Rodinet couldn't finish his sentence and instead pointed outside.
Oripulas also turned his gaze toward the window—and then dropped his spear in shock, his mouth hanging open.
Far in the distance, a massive summon was parting the sea, calming the storm clouds as it approached.
Tanjuer?! What a rare sight! Which professor summoned it?
"There are students on top of it."
......
"......"
The two mages and the demon fell into silence.
Oripulas recalled the young student from last semester—the one who had managed to contract with a demon without any special conditions.
Sure enough, that very student was now riding Tanjuer, heading straight for the lecture hall.
"Wait, Wardanaz! Won't a creature this huge damage the school building if it goes inside?"
"The Headmaster will fix it. O Swallower of Ships! Please enter!"
Despite his friends' concerns, Lee Han had absolutely no intention of getting off Tanjuer.
And sure enough, inside the main building, waves and storm clouds were already wreaking havoc.
'Just because we're inside doesn't mean we can let our guard down. In fact, getting swept away here would be even more dangerous.'
If they were caught in a single current and dragged all the way to the Punishment Room, there'd be no one to complain to.
Lee Han had no plans to dismount Tanjuer.
Swoooosh—
As Tanjuer pushed through the doors, Einrogard's entrance hall suddenly expanded, the corridors stretching to accommodate its size.
A student riding beside him gasped in awe.
"Ah...! So that's how it is!"
"Well, a building like Einrogard wouldn't be damaged by something like this! Wardanaz, you trusted in that, didn't you?"
"No. I just figured the Headmaster would fix it if it got damaged. To the right!"
Tanjuer, resembling a whale, raced across the now-calm water, the storm clouds and waves having subsided.
The students, momentarily forgetting their hardships, cheered in excitement.
CRACK!
Suddenly, a nearby wall split open, and a terrifying waterfall came crashing down.
Water from somewhere else had been redirected straight toward them.
Lee Han shouted urgently.
"O Swallower of Ships! Now—"
I know...
"If you can't stop it, send the water to the Headmaster's office!!"
Tanjuer gurgled in response, hastily blocking the waterfall.
The water reversed course, flowing back into the wall.
"Thank you!"
Tanjuer was too exhausted to reply.
Watching this from inside the lecture hall, Oripulas couldn't help but shout out loud.
Perfect score... PERFECT SCORE!
"???"
The students were baffled by the sudden exclamation coming from the lecture hall.