Episode 471
Episode 471
'It can't be... right?'
The Princess tried to deny reality.
But the signs were unmistakable.
The way Wardanaz had always offered her food whenever he saw her—more frequently than normal.
She'd initially dismissed it as 'Ah, Wardanaz respects me like everyone else,' but looking back now, even that seemed...
Just where had this misunderstanding started?
Adenart furrowed her brow, lost in thought.
Admittedly, he might have unintentionally done a few things that could be misconstrued. And yes, he had thoroughly enjoyed the breakfasts, lunches, and dinners Wardanaz prepared.
But that was simply the self-restraint of a royal who valued ingredients and abhorred waste—not gluttony. It was utterly unfair.
'Could it be because of Gynandros?'
Though the Princess had never blamed others in her life, today marked the first time she found herself doing so. That was how shocking this was.
Seeing Adenart silently furrow his brow, Lee Han nodded as if he understood everything.
"No need to explain. Don't worry, I'll pack some things for you when you leave. Your followers aren't very perceptive about these things."
Lee Han was quite lenient when it came to Adenart.
Given that the Princess's followers were spread throughout the Empire's hierarchy, from top to bottom, it wouldn't hurt to stay on her good side.
Later, if he became an Imperial bureaucrat, he'd much rather hear, 'Ah, you're the one the Princess praised!' than 'Eek! The Wardanaz family that Her Highness mentioned...! Why are you here?!'
And honestly, the Princess's followers really weren't very observant.
If the Princess was starving, they should think, 'Ah, we should bring her something to eat,' not just stare blankly and say, 'Not a single waver in her posture...'
'Honestly, the Princess's followers turn a bit Gynandros-like when it comes to her.'
"What would you like me to pack? The butter cookies and tarts I brought last time were pretty good."
Adenart, who had been about to firmly clear up the misunderstanding and reclaim her dignity, hesitated.
As a royal excelling in all fields, her curiosity was impossible to resist.
"What kind of tart—"
Clink—
Without hesitation, Lee Han let go of the Princess's hand and took the next friend's hand.
Raphael of the Gral Family from the White Tiger Tower took Lee Han's hand—then hesitated.
And started stomping his feet loudly.
Lee Han was baffled, unable to comprehend what bizarre dog-like behavior Raphael was displaying.
"What are you doing? Practicing your steps because you want to step on my foot?"
"Ah, no. It's just... Her Highness was... Isn't this how it's done?"
Raphael glanced around, trying to read the room, before stopping his stomping.
Seeing the Princess beside him stomping her feet like an angry person, he'd thought, 'Huh? Is this part of the dance?' But since it was the Princess doing it, he'd followed along...
Apparently, that wasn't the case.
Lee Han chuckled.
"Got you, Raphael. When dancing, you stick to the moves you know—you don't copy others. The Princess was just tricking you into mimicking her."
"Grr...!"
Raphael gritted his teeth, feeling thoroughly outplayed.
Those high nobles from the Blue Dragon Tower—every single action of theirs was cunning and scheming. You could never let your guard down.
"Wardanaz. Just you wait. I might lack the skill now, but soon, I'll dismantle your black magic and bring you down."
"Yeah, yeah. Work hard and take down the Headmaster while you're at it."
Nearby, Nilia, who was dancing while holding the Princess's hand, tilted her head in confusion.
"What about countermeasures for summoning magic, illusion magic, enchantment magic, divination magic, transformation magic, and healing magic?"
"Shut up!"
"Huh? You shut up. Want an arrow in your back?"
Clink—
"Ah! Priestess Siana. Your dancing skills are exceptional. I should file a complaint with the Flemeng Order."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"Didn't they steal one of the Empire's dancers?"
There were few friends as effective at flattery as Priest Siana. Seeing his friend's face light up brightly, Lee Han also felt pleased.
Of course, Priest Siana had stepped on Lee Han's feet about twice in the meantime...
'If it were those White Tiger Tower bastards, I wouldn't have forgiven them, but since it's the Phoenix Tower...'
"Did you know they discovered a new storage room on the third floor of the main building?"
"Really! What kind of storage room?"
"It seems to be a potion storage, but it doesn't look like the Headmaster's storage—more like one used by the seniors. So I was wondering..."
"It's fine. It's fine. The seniors will understand."
"Really?"
"I met some seniors the other day and had a chat, and they all said the same thing."
Lee Han said this without batting an eye.
Whether it's a senior's storage or not, first-years need to survive first, right?
"If anything happens among the priests from now on, I'd really appreciate it if you'd tell me. Since I'm deeply faithful, it pains my heart when something happens to the priests."
Among the quiet and unsociable priests of the Phoenix Tower, Priest Siana was the most sociable.
Since he always reliably brought information, the flattery wasn't wasted at all.
"But you like the Flemeng Order a bit more, don't you?"
"...Well..."
Ding-
"Priest Sharukal."
Shark beastman Priest Sharukal was the only person who actually liked the Spirit Flood.
Given his race and the fact that his order served Aglataqua, the god of the sea and storms, it was only natural that he'd have an advantage in this situation.
"Lord Wardanaz! Thanks to this flood, we've gained five new believers!"
"Oh... I see."
"It's all thanks to you, Lord Wardanaz."
"?"
Lee Han was puzzled.
If people were gaining faith because of the Spirit Flood, why was it thanks to him?
"What did I do? Do you think I caused the Spirit Flood or something..."
"What kind of fool would think that?"
Priest Sharukal burst into laughter, baring his shark-like teeth.
Lee Han glanced subtly at the White Tower bastards standing some distance away.
"Over the... no. So why is it thanks to me?"
"Everyone seemed very interested in Divine Magic. Whether they could learn it, how long it would take, and so on. So I told them about your example."
"......"
Isn't that a scam??
Ding-
"Priestess Dijiling. Are you eating well? What did you have for breakfast? What about dinner last night? You're not fasting or living ascetically again, are you? I'm also a believer of the Prisinga Order, and I know there's no doctrine that says you have to fast."
"...I-I'm eating well. You don't need to worry."
Dijiling was flustered by Lee Han's motherly concern.
Of course, among the priests, Dijiling was particularly ascetic, but why...?
"Priest Mehrid was really worried about you last time. Honestly, I don't want to worry either, but last time you skipped dinner to focus on prayer, didn't you?"
"How did you... Priest Siana!"
But Priest Siana, happily stepping on Angrago's foot in the distance, didn't hear.
"I'm not usually the type to worry excessively or be a bother, Priestess Dijiling. I just want to make sure you're taking care of the basics."
"It was just one time..."
Dijiling, unusually, tried to argue, but Lee Han ignored him and continued.
"Making sure you eat three meals a day isn't such a difficult thing, is it? There's even an old tale about this. A priest who fasted and endured hardships for a long time collapsed, while the priest who ate three meals a day beside him attained enlightenment..."
"......"
Priestess Dijiling gained two realizations.
One was to never skip meals again.
And the other was that when a boy from the Wardanaz family made up his mind, it was better not to argue and just listen quietly.
Ding-
"Shyles."
"Wardanaz. Thank you once again."
"The Richmond family won't forget this favor, will they?"
"...Huh? Our family doesn't have any motto like that... Do people normally forget favors?"
"I'm not saying this to show off, but I invested quite a bit last time to bring Ponlig here. That curse wasn't your ordinary kind of poison..."
"Th-thank you? Wardanaz, unless I'm misunderstanding, are you...saying this indirectly because you're worried I might forget...?"
Ding-
"Rowena. Just a casual question—have you missed any meals recently?"
"None. As a knight, ensuring proper nutrition is part of my capabilities."
Rowena, a proud member of the White Tiger Tower and a follower of Adenart, answered confidently.
Lee Han patiently rephrased his question.
"Have you ever had meals with Her Highness the Princess?"
"No. It's generally inadvisable for royalty to dine frequently with others, as it increases exposure to danger."
"......"
Lee Han briefly considered stepping on Rowena's foot but held back.
'Well, it's not like followers are obligated to ensure the Princess gets her meals.'
Followers had their own lives too, after all.
Though if they couldn't even manage that, one had to wonder what the point of following was...
"Ah! I understand now!"
Rowena exclaimed brightly, as if she'd just had an epiphany.
Lee Han asked flatly,
"What exactly did you figure out?"
"You want to have a meal with Her Highness, don't you? Am I right? Hehe. So even you, Lord Wardanaz, are impressed by Her Highness's talents. As expected of the Wardanaz family— Ack!"
"Sorry. That was an accident."
Lee Han stepped on Rowena's foot—this time on purpose.
Ding-
"Priest Nigisor. You don't look well."
"The prolonged Spirit Flood is taking its toll..."
Nigisor, who usually burned with vigor, had grown increasingly sullen over the past few days.
'Being a Spirit Half-blood must be affecting him.'
Having spirit lineage wasn't just about unusual appearances or becoming genderless entities.
Even with diluted spirit traits, their inherent mana sensitivity made them vulnerable to such environmental influences.
"Still, I find some comfort thanks to you, Lord Wardanaz."
"Huh? What did I do?"
"You beat up those sirens and lit a fire underwater, didn't you?"
Priest Nigisor wasn't particularly fond of water-related beings.
But that aside, Lee Han had never actually hit any sirens.
"I didn't beat anyone up."
"Really? The White Tiger Tower students said you did..."
"Hmm. I see. Do you happen to remember who said that?"
Lee Han made a mental note of a few people to dunk headfirst into water.
"The Spirit Flood needs to end soon... Ah. Do you have a plan, by any chance?"
"?"
The question came so naturally that Lee Han was briefly taken aback.
"What plan? Dinner plans?"
"No. A plan to end the Spirit Flood."
"...How exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Priest Nigisor gave Lee Han a look that said, 'Playing dumb again, are we?'
"You said the same thing last time, yet you resolved the blizzard crisis."
"That was just coincidence..."
"I see. So this time will be another coincidence?"
"......"
Ding-
"Did someone make you angry? Why that face?"
"Yoner... Priest Nigisor truly lives up to being a Fire Spirit Half-blood."
His skill at igniting frustration in people was extraordinary.
Yoner took Lee Han's hand and spun him around smoothly. The practiced motion caught Lee Han off guard.
"You dance well, don't you?"
"...Of course I dance. What did you take me for? Did you think I couldn't?"
Yoner looked incredulous.
He was of the Maykin family's bloodline, after all!
"I thought you'd be skipping balls to read the business section of the Imperial Gazette."
"...Not entirely wrong, but I did attend some."
Poked where it hurt, Yoner pinched the back of Lee Han's hand lightly.
"And attending these events is important for securing investments or support, you know?"
"Fair point. Hmm. Can't we just use Gainando as our pretty face?"
"You'd better practice and show up yourself."
Yoner firmly shut down his friend's attempt to take the easy way out.