Episode 474
Episode 474
"Eh?"
Lee Han stared at Perkuntra with a startled expression.
Perkuntra found his reaction even more absurd.
If something happened to a professor, wasn't it natural for the seniors to come looking first?
Why was this first-year acting surprised?
"Ah, right. The seniors were here too."
Exactly!
"But the seniors probably wouldn't come even if I called them..."
......
Perkuntra was dumbfounded, but Lee Han was dead serious.
Of course, Lee Han didn't know all of Professor Verdus's disciples, but he had a rough idea of what kind of people they were.
'The only ones who can endure under Professor Verdus are people just like him.'
People who stubbornly walk their own path in Enchantment Magic, no matter what Professor Verdus barks at them.
There was no way such people would react with, "Our master has disappeared! We must rescue him!"
If they were that soft, they wouldn't have lasted under Professor Verdus in the first place!
"So since I'm the only one left, what can I do?"
...Just how does that Archmage manage his teachers?
If the Skeleton Principal were here, he would've retorted furiously, "I did my absolute best to filter them out!" But unfortunately, the Skeleton Principal wasn't present.
Perkuntra piled on another layer of prejudice against Imperial mages and the Skeleton Principal.
'They're not just ordinary lunatics! Instead of expanding the punishment rooms, they should manage their teachers properly!'
"Anyway, is Professor Verdus here?"
Not in this one.
"Ah! Did he already escape?!"
No...
Perkuntra crackled with sparks, visibly exasperated, and slowly explained.
Einrogard didn't have just one punishment room.
From Perkuntra's punishment room, where misbehaving students were currently detained, to the specialized punishment rooms for other races located in the western desert, to the underwater punishment room beneath the lake...
"Why are there so many punishment rooms?"
Well, they couldn't exactly keep external felons and students together...
Perkuntra harbored a slight suspicion that designing and constructing new punishment rooms might actually be the Skeleton Principal's hobby. But regardless, mixing students with external criminals wasn't a good idea.
The serious felons brought in from outside are kept in much deeper areas. I don't manage those. The Archmage's subordinates handle them directly.
"I see... Ah, then what about the professor?"
In the place I just mentioned.
"......"
Lee Han was speechless.
'You said students can't be kept with external felons...'
But it's fine for professors?
Of course, a professor of Einrogard's caliber could probably subdue external felons with just a glance, but still...
"This is bad. If it's a place managed by the Headmaster, it'll be even more heavily guarded and complicated."
Lee Han fell deep into thought.
Originally, he had planned to borrow Perkuntra's power to meet Professor Verdus and somehow bring him out. But now that he knew the professor was in a more dangerous place, things had gotten complicated.
'Can I really get him out?'
......
Perkuntra watched Lee Han with a peculiar gaze.
'...Is he not going to ask?'
Why do mages, knowing full well the dangers, still form contracts with beings greater than themselves?
Precisely to accomplish tasks they can't handle alone.
In situations like this, it was customary to ask their contracted being for help.
But this dense, mana-rich boy seemed to have forgotten Perkuntra's existence, lost in his own thoughts.
Perkuntra asked in a dry tone:
Aren't you forgetting something?
"Huh? Uh... Did the Headmaster set up traps around there?"
No. Not that.
"?"
Lee Han tilted his head at Perkuntra's words.
What was he missing?
A way for you to bring your master out! There must be something you're overlooking, right?
Perkuntra's booming voice carried a slight hint of irritation.
"Ah. Perhaps Sharkan?"
That rat-like summon!
"Don't you think that's too harsh?"
Lee Han protested.
How could he speak so rudely about Sharkan, who was such a loyal summon?
"Sharkan works so diligently—"
Quiet, next!
"Ponlig?"
What do you expect to do with one griffin!
"Uh, Gonadaltes? Not the Headmaster, but another Gonadaltes. The Skeleton Warrior I contracted."
...Next!
Lee Han pulled out several spells and items, but Perkuntra kept rejecting them.
Only then did Lee Han realize.
"I understand."
...Finally? Speak!
"You mean I don't have the ability to rescue him yet? But the situation is urgent—"
What exactly do you think our contract is for?! Do you think the sigil is just decoration?!
Perkuntra, thoroughly enraged, thundered loudly for thirty minutes.
Lee Han, who had been listening patiently since the spirit seemed unfairly treated, took the opportunity to ask when Perkuntra paused to catch his breath.
"But earlier, you said you wouldn't help with the flood—"
Perkuntra felt the urge to smack this boy, who had an annoyingly sharp memory for trivial details.
Seriously!
...That was a flood. Rescuing a professor from the Punishment Room is a different matter.
"They seem similar..."
I said they're different!
As Perkuntra growled, Lee Han conceded.
"I see. They do seem different. But do you intend to help?"
Yes!
"Really?"
I said yes, didn't I?!
Perkuntra, trembling with rage, his lightning beard bristling, suddenly felt something was off.
Why was he the one practically begging to help?
Any other mage would be groveling, politely requesting, "Please lend me your power as per our contract," and even that wouldn't be enough!
Wait! Why are you doubting—
"Ah. So you're not helping after all—"
I said I would help, didn't I?!
Perkuntra roared, then immediately regretted it.
How in the world had things come to this?!
Having expended his energy to create an avatar, Perkuntra grumbled incessantly as he led the way.
Remember, this is absolutely not a normal situation—using my power like this to help you!
'Does he have mood swings?'
From Lee Han's perspective, Perkuntra seemed like nothing more than a capricious spirit who had arbitrarily decided to help after throwing a tantrum.
Of course, Perkuntra was indeed a powerful spirit, and his assistance was invaluable—but why he was helping so erratically remained a complete mystery.
Step back! It's dangerous to approach carelessly.
After navigating the maze-like corridors, they arrived before a massive door radiating a powerful magical barrier.
ABSOLUTELY NO TRESPASSING!
Any outsider who dares touch this door shall face an exceptionally gruesome fate!
Students-turned-thieves, take heed! This is neither my storage nor the kitchen—it's where the most vicious criminals are kept! Don't linger foolishly and regret it later!
The Skeleton Principal's warnings were scrawled everywhere like graffiti.
Lee Han shook his head disapprovingly at the sight.
KRRRUMBLE!
Perkuntra swelled like a storm cloud. Not satisfied with that, he even borrowed Lee Han's mana to replenish his strength.
In his original state, he could have blown it open with a breath—but bound to the Punishment Room as he was now, he had no choice.
This should be enough, right?
"Huh? What do you mean?"
......
Perkuntra felt a pang of embarrassment. He had taken a fair amount of mana, yet the mage himself hadn't even noticed.
If he had a human face, it might have flushed red by now.
Open...!
Lightning coalesced into a massive blade, slamming into the gap between the doors with a deafening crash.
'Ooooh.'
Unbeknownst to Perkuntra, Lee Han was thoroughly impressed from behind.
Professor Voladi had recently been emphasizing to Lee Han the importance of stabilizing and transforming the form of lightning element magic.
The wild and difficult process that Perkuntra was executing with effortless ease.
And on an enormous scale at that!
Just witnessing this process alone provided the young mage with immense inspiration and lessons.
'If I watch just a few more times, I think I'll get the hang of it.'
Lee Han had discovered a new path in his lightning element magic training, which had previously hit a wall.
Now, all he had to do was walk this path to break through the barrier of lightning element magic and challenge the dozens of other advanced magical theories Professor Voladi had assigned.
...But the moment he thought about that, the epiphany he was on the verge of grasping suddenly slipped away.
'Ah, damn. Focus.'
Lee Han decided to push aside his turbulent thoughts and focus only on the excitement of the moment.
SCREEEECH!
With a deafening noise, the door finally began to creak open. Perkuntra let out a satisfied, heavy exhale.
It opened!
"...Uh. Lord Perkuntra?"
Both the mage and the great spirit froze.
Beyond the opened door, a massive surge of water began rushing toward them like a raging beast.
What the—? Had some insane mage trapped all this water here?!
Cursing under his breath, Perkuntra hastily gathered his power again.
The vessel of his manifested avatar screamed as it reached its limit, but there was no other choice.
If he didn't block it immediately, the young mage would be swept away by that torrent, and after that...
-Hmph. I'll never trust you again.
-Hmph. I've learned that rumors are always exaggerated. What kind of fight did you even have with the Headmaster? You probably just surrendered.
...Their cynical reactions were all but guaranteed.
And they were already skeptical enough as it was!
By the faith of the Bellkeepers who guard the belfry, I summon my attendants! Servants, arrive with utmost haste!
Lacking sufficient power, Perkuntra frantically called upon other spirits.
The summoned spirits would undoubtedly resent being dragged into an unrelated matter, but there was no time to care.
Tears in space formed as other spirits arrived, and under Perkuntra's command, they erected a fierce barrier.
By the fear offered by the Lookouts of the Driftwood, I borrow my dominion! Thunder, become a wall and repel the waters!
Perkuntra converted the deafening noise into physical force, pushing back violently.
The torrent surging from beyond the prison was no ordinary natural phenomenon.
It was clear that enraged spirits were continuously summoning water to flood the area.
After exhausting every possible means to barely hold back the water and catch his breath, Perkuntra shouted toward the completely submerged underground punishment chamber corridor.
The master of thunder and lightning, the terror of Bellkeepers and Lookouts, speaks! Cease this water at once!
Lee Han, standing behind the barrier erected by the spirits, asked in confusion.
"The spirits are angry enough to cause a flood—will they really listen obediently?"
They may not heed a mage's words. But they will listen to Perkuntra.
Though his words were arrogant, there wasn't a shred of doubt in them. He was that confident.
Even if the spirits had caused the flood, if it had grown to this scale, they must have summoned a high-ranking spirit from another dimension—and spirits of that caliber possessed intelligence and refinement proportional to their power. Negotiation was always possible.
They wouldn't dare ignore Perkuntra's name.
SSSSPLAAAAASH!
But no answer came—instead, the torrent grew even fiercer.
Realizing someone was blocking them, the unseen spirits intensified their assault, summoning even more water and unleashing crushing pressure.
......
Perkuntra's form flickered violently, his entire body distorting and discharging energy in sheer fury.
HOW DARE THEY?!
"Uh, I've heard that if spirits are angry enough to cause an Spirit Flood, negotiations are pretty much impossible. Maybe we should just ignore them and go find the professor?"
Lee Han offered his mage's insight, but Perkuntra had already lost his rationality.
By my true name, my deeds, and the terror I command! I shall pierce your wretched heart with lightning and put an end to this absurd waterplay!!!
"N-no... Lord Perkuntra. I came here to find the professor—"