Episode 457
Episode 457
Of course, attempting the waterlogged dungeon was out of the question. Professor Voladi would never allow his prized student to recklessly challenge an incomplete dungeon.
Of course, as a professor, he'd teach better than me. But since this involves the giants, I can't back down easily.
Ikurusha believed Lee Han needed to familiarize himself with the giants before undergoing their trials.
If they clashed unprepared, unexpected accidents could happen.
And if a young mage like Lee Han ended up harboring resentment toward giants because of such a mistake—how dangerous would that be?
What if, in the future, a grand sorcerer with a title like "Giant Slayer" were to emerge...?
Though it seems like he's already starting to resent them.
Lee Han felt that just hearing what Ikurusha had told the professors would be enough to make resentment bloom.
"I shall respect your decision."
Professor Voladi conceded with exaggerated courtesy. There wasn't an ounce of sincerity in it.
Then let's go meet the other giants. Are you ready?
Ikurusha winked to ease Lee Han's tension.
Of course, being a giant, it wasn't very effective.
BOOM!!!!!!!
Hmm. Maybe we should wait a bit longer before going out.
It seemed another goat had escaped outside.
Only after all the goats were caught could Lee Han finally step outside.
As Ikurusha ambled along, Professor Voladi gave Lee Han some advice from behind.
"Don't lower your staff in front of giants."
"......"
I really want to hit him right now.
To call that advice...
"Do you have any other advice?"
"Giants are generally unpredictable."
Giants as wise and intelligent as Ikurusha were rare, and most were hard to read.
There was a reason explorers traveling the Empire's remote frontiers feared being approached by giants.
Get dragged into the wrong situation, and you'd be forced into some absurd wager...
"?"
Lee Han tilted his head.
Professor Voladi's words ended there.
"Is that all?"
"Didn't I just say it?"
"...Ah."
So "Giants are generally unpredictable" was the advice.
Lee Han closed his eyes.
I'd rather deal with the giants.
Giants whose thoughts were inscrutable were still better than this professor.
Bubble-bubble—
When they arrived at the sloping pasture on the mountainside where the giants were resting, the first thing that caught Lee Han's eye was an enormous cauldron.
The giants, looking exhausted, were cutting chunks of rock and tossing them into the pot.
"?"
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't rock—it was cheese. Lee Han had never seen cheese in such massive chunks before.
Mountain goat cheese. Interested?
"Eh? Yes."
Lee Han nodded reflexively.
Living in Einrogard meant he couldn't not be curious about ingredients.
Ikurusha approached a giant and gestured for the cheese.
Hand it over.
Why...?
We must treat our guest.
But why...??
Just give it!
Whack!
Ikurusha snatched the cheese from the giant's hand in irritation, then sliced off a piece and offered it to Lee Han.
The giant behind them glared at Lee Han with eyes full of sorrow, rage, and resentment.
"...Ah, no. You didn't have to take it by force..."
Don't mind it. They're quick to sulk but quick to get over it too.
Though Ikurusha said that, the giant's gaze held far too much depth of emotion.
Uneasy, Lee Han accepted the cheese.
Clank!
"?"
The rock-like cheese was as hard as a rock.
...So wasn't it just a rock?
"Isn't this a rock?"
Hmm? Wait.
Ikurusha inspected the cheese.
It wasn't a rock, nor was it old, hardened cheese—it was freshly made.
It's definitely cheese.
No way this is usable as an ingredient.
Lee Han gave up and handed the cheese back to the giant. The giant snatched it with a huff so strong it nearly blew Lee Han away.
"Lord Ikurusha. Um, we need to build rapport with the giants, but starting off like this seems a bit dangerous, don't you think?"
-It's fine. It's fine.
'It doesn't seem fine at all.'
Lee Han quickly assessed the situation.
Ikurusha was a wise giant, but precisely because he was a giant, he wasn't particularly concerned about getting along with other giants.
He believed that even if the giants got angry or sulky, they'd eventually become friendly.
But from Lee Han's perspective, that was far too optimistic.
'I'll have to approach them myself.'
"Greetings."
-......
-......
The giants sitting around the cauldron made blatantly displeased faces when Lee Han approached, hastily hiding their large brass bowls in their arms.
Their expressions clearly said they didn't want to share food with him.
'What is this, some kind of Gyeongnam-do village...?'
"I didn't come here to take your food. I just wanted to greet—"
-Just give him some!
Ikurusha came charging back and bellowed.
Lee Han covered his face with both hands in frustration.
-This... humans can't eat this.
-They can't even digest it properly.
The giants protested, but Ikurusha sternly scolded them like children throwing tantrums over food.
Then he ladled a generous portion of porridge from the cauldron into a bowl for Lee Han.
"Th-thank you."
-They can't eat it anyway.
-What a waste of food.
The giants grumbled complaints. Lee Han felt increasingly uncomfortable in his seat.
'I absolutely have to eat this deliciously.'
With the mood like this, the only option was to eat it with apparent enjoyment.
Lee Han looked down at the bowl.
"......"
'Is this lava?'
The bubbling crimson liquid made it impossible to tell whether this was porridge or molten rock.
"...I'll eat well."
Cursing the Einrogard professors in his heart, Lee Han brought the porridge to his mouth.
'Ghk.'
It was the kind of taste that made him want to scream for the first time in ages.
Spicy, salty, bitter, sour—every possible flavor condensed into one searing mouthful.
Lee Han focused all his willpower to maintain a smile. Then he scraped the bowl clean.
"It was truly delicious."
-Astonishing. A human ate that.
-I can't believe it.
The giants buzzed with surprise.
Other races usually couldn't stomach giant cuisine.
Even veteran explorers would rather say, "I'd sooner cut off and eat my own arm than consume this," when faced with giant food...
The giants' eyes turned slightly more favorable. Lee Han sighed in relief.
'Somehow, I've taken the first step.'
It seemed he'd barely managed to regain some lost goodwill.
Honestly, if Ikurusha hadn't stolen that cheese, things wouldn't have come to this...
Clink-
"You want some?"
When the basilisk egg clinked, Lee Han scooped a remaining spoonful of porridge and poured it over the egg.
Immediately, the basilisk egg convulsed violently.
Clinkclinkclinkclink!!!
"...You said you wanted to eat it..."
Who knew it would hate it this vehemently after asking for it?
One of the giants who had finished eating yanked out a thick tree to wipe his mouth, then called to Lee Han.
-You. Come. I'll show you around.
"Ah. Yes. Thank you."
The giant lumbered forward slowly. Lee Han strained to observe the surroundings, trying to memorize the location and terrain.
After the flood receded, he'd need to avoid this area as much as possible.
'I should mark this as <Giant Territory> on the map.'
From a distance, Professor Voladi, sitting with Ikurusha, pointed at something with his finger.
A staff.
"......"
Cursing the professor internally, Lee Han picked up the staff again.
If it was going to be like this, he might as well have just stayed with the giant...
-Here pasture. We raise. Sheep.
"Isn't there a fence?"
-We break.
The giant shook his head as he answered. Lee Han immediately understood.
'Well, with that kind of strength, any fence would be easily destroyed.'
No matter what kind of fence was built, giants could smash through it effortlessly.
"Where are the sheep right now?"
-......
The giant stared at Lee Han with an awkward expression.
Any other mage would have been flustered by the giant's inscrutable behavior, but not Lee Han.
He had seen that familiar look somewhere before.
If you asked Gainando, 'Where did you put the cake I gave you last time?'...
"I dislike eating sheep. I have absolutely no intention of eating them."
The giant gazed at Lee Han with a pleased expression, a satisfied smile hanging at the corners of its mouth.
-There. Inside the cave. We keep them there.
A massive boulder was placed at the cave entrance.
It was an excessively large rock just to confine one mountain goat, but to Lee Han, who had heard the earlier sound, that boulder felt as flimsy as a sheet of paper.
"If you block it like that, can they not come out?"
-They come out. Sometimes. So we have to catch them.
The giant grumbled.
It seemed disheartened that the mountain goats wouldn't listen to it.
'Things I can do...'
Lee Han followed the giant around, observing its surroundings and taking note of the tasks the giants performed.
1. Taking care of the mountain goats.
2. Catching escaped goats.
3. Preparing meals, etc.
Helping with these tasks was crucial if he wanted to get closer to the giants, but...
'Wait. Can I even help?'
No matter how he thought about it, none of these were tasks Lee Han could assist with.
More importantly, what weighed on his mind was the fact that he would have to face these giants during the final exam.
He might have to fight the goats, the giants, or even giants riding goats.
-Last time, I caught them. And this time, I caught them again.
"Ah."
Lee Han spoke without much thought, trying to placate the grumbling giant.
"I'll ask Lord Ikurusha for some treats."
He didn't know if the giants even had treats or if Ikurusha would allow it, but Lee Han decided to try anyway—a habit from soothing a whining Gainando.
-Really?!
But the giant's reaction was far more intense than expected.
-Really?!
"...Uh, no. Wait, just give me a moment."
-Oh? Go ahead.
When Lee Han made the request, Ikurusha accepted it without much difficulty.
If it helped Lee Han bond with the giants, this much was worth assisting with.
Thud—
Ikurusha held out a dark, gnarled club, leaving Lee Han bewildered.
"What is this?"
-Dried jerky. Made with plenty of special spices—everyone loves it.
"...Thank you."
Lee Han also learned the recipe from Ikurusha.
If the giants liked it, he might as well learn how to make it.
'But not all giants are like Gainando. Who knows how far treats will get me?'
One hour later.
-Human legs hurt. I'll carry you.
-Move aside! I'll carry him!
The giants grabbed each other by the collars, arguing over who would carry Lee Han.
Watching them, Lee Han thought to himself.
Maybe getting along with giants wasn't as hard as he'd imagined!
"Sage, parsley, cloves, turmeric, geranium... five spoonfuls each... simmer thoroughly... grind the meat... hmm... what kind of flavor is this even supposed to..."
As Lee Han sat at the table, muttering ingredients and reagents while lost in deep thought, the other alchemy students glanced at him curiously.
Since it was the top alchemy student studying a potion recipe, they couldn't help but be intrigued.
"What is that? What kind of combination is that?"
"Priestess Siana. Do you know, by any chance?"
"...It's too dangerous to explain its purpose... Ahem. Ahem."
When the question was directed at her, Priestess Siana deftly sidestepped the answer.
This only made the other students even more astonished.
"Is it a highly toxic potion?"
"Something from black magic?"
"Why is Wardanaz preparing that? Is it related to this exam? Princess, do you know?"
"......"
Adenart blinked in confusion.
Her friends quickly interpreted her silence.
"So it really is a dangerous potion."
"She must be worried other students might recklessly try it and get hurt."
"But why is Wardanaz researching that?"
Just then, Lee Han closed his book and stood up.
His friends cautiously asked,
"Wardanaz. What are you planning to use that for?"
"Hm? It's for the giants to eat."
"...!!"
"!!!!"