Episode 479
Episode 479
"Don't worry."
Lee Han soothed the basilisk egg.
At its owner's words—as reassuring as mana itself—the basilisk egg stopped vibrating.
"Objectively speaking, you're still weaker than a wyvern. Even if someone took notice, they'd be more interested in the wyvern than you."
-......
The egg made another sound, this time full of wariness.
"Wardanaz. Take these flags."
Professor Thunderstep placed two flags atop the wyvern.
One bore the emblem of Einrogard, while the other displayed the imperial crest overlaid with a sword.
Lee Han asked, puzzled:
"The Einrogard flag is to show we're affiliated with Einrogard... but what's this one?"
"It signifies that we're carrying out official duties in the name of His Imperial Majesty."
"I see. But why is there a sword drawn on it?"
"It means anyone obstructing our path will be dealt with immediately."
"...Uh, are you joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Professor Thunderstep replied as if questioning what kind of nonsense Lee Han was spouting.
It was easy to forget while within the academy, but mages were always high-ranking personnel, and Einrogard's mages were among the most critical of them all.
Since there was no telling what dangers might approach outside, it was only natural to issue a warning with the flag first.
—Approach carelessly, and you will be attacked immediately!
Professor Voladi nodded in agreement.
"If enemies approach, attack without hesitation."
"...Does that include me?"
"Yes."
"Professor. I'm still a student..."
Lee Han's tone carried the implication, "You're the escort here—I'm just a student on a field trip under the professor's guidance," but it didn't register with Professor Voladi.
"A student?"
The professor's voice carried the sentiment, "And what of it?"
Lee Han gave up and sat down beside Professor Voladi.
Unlike the wide, flat back of the wyvern, the neck area was narrow and unstable. Seeing Lee Han and Professor Voladi seated there, his friends were already whispering among themselves.
"Is that professor the one I think he is?"
"I didn't know any students still took classes under him. Weren't they all gone?"
"Wardanaz's goal is to attend every single lecture, remember?"
"Ah. Right. So that's why?"
'No, you bastards.'
Lee Han cursed his friends inwardly for spreading baseless rumors about him.
"Keep your eyes forward."
"Yes..."
Professor Voladi immediately launched into a practical lecture for Lee Han: "How should a wyvern rider fight in midair?"
"...So the rider's most vulnerable angles are the rear diagonal and below. As a mage, you can compensate with magic. Secure your line of sight first. Aerial combat begins with visibility."
"Uh, Professor Thunderstep..."
Passing by, Professor Thunderstep noticed Lee Han being tormented and asked:
"Is it really necessary to make Wardanaz sit beside you?"
Once they arrived, the students would already have plenty of menial tasks to suffer through, and the workload assigned to Wardanaz—who had abundant mana—would easily be several times heavier than the others.
Considering that, there was no need to torment Wardanaz from the start.
Besides, escort duty was Professor Voladi's job, not a student's.
Lee Han was slightly moved.
'Truly, Professor Thunderstep embodies the standard of Einrogard!'
Just this much was already impressive.
Professor Voladi answered Professor Thunderstep's question with a calm, expressionless face.
"He seemed eager to learn."
"Ah. Is that so?"
"......"
Lee Han was so dumbfounded he lost his words.
Without even a hint of hesitation, this was the most absurd lie he'd ever heard.
Even the basilisk egg seemed to radiate disbelief.
'If I refute this now, will Professor Voladi push me off?'
"Well, if that's the case, there's nothing to be done. Wardanaz. Hang in there."
True to his reputation as the standard of Einrogard, Professor Thunderstep didn't pry further, offered some encouragement, and left.
Lee Han cursed him inwardly.
Screeeeeeeech—!
The wyverns, now fully prepared, tore through the sky like lightning.
The students shrieked in exhilaration.
"This is my first time riding a wyvern, Professor!"
"They're precious creatures! Taming them is trickier than you'd think. You can't even imagine how much effort went into retrieving this egg!"
As Professor Lightning Step cheerfully shouted while wearing his flight goggles, the students let their imaginations run wild.
The imperial outskirts—majestic peaks and valleys that seemed to pierce the heavens.
And there, Professor Lightning Step, who had ventured alone into those lands to steal a wyvern egg and bring it back.
"Exactly! Can you imagine how furious the count was?"
"That madman! He bought it from the Black Market and still had the nerve to get angry. I saved his life! If it had hatched there, the wyvern would've wrecked his entire mansion!"
Professor Lightning Step explained how he had stolen the wyvern egg from the count's estate.
The students exchanged bewildered glances at his explanation.
"Lee Han. Lee Han. What do you think? Is this really okay?"
Lee Han couldn't answer his friend's question—Professor Voladi was still tormenting him.
"What was that monster that just flew past below?"
"Wasn't it... a ghost... a ghost eagle?"
"Wrong. It was an eagle ghost. Remember the difference. An eagle ghost is..."
"......"
Ashan recoiled with a disgusted expression.
The students who had been reading books and playing cards on the wyvern's back were starting to get bored, and Lee Han, who had to keep scanning the skies and accurately call out every monster in sight, was on the verge of collapsing when Professor Lightning Step finally gave the signal.
"That's enough for today! The wyverns need their rest. Landing! ■■! ■■■!"
At the professor's shout, the wyverns began their descent.
Below, where darkness was beginning to settle, a few sparsely lit villages came into view.
'That must be our destination. We should arrive before lunch tomorrow.'
In the distance, a dazzling port city ablaze with lights stood where the land met the sea.
It was Isran, one of the most beautiful coastal cities in the southern empire—a place one would normally visit as a resort. The students whispered excitedly among themselves.
"But we'll still have some time to look around, right?"
"Can't we just escape? Even if we get sent to the Punishment Room, it's fine, right? Wardanaz. What do you think? You know the Punishment Room best."
"Don't ask stupid questions..."
Already exhausted from Professor Voladi's torment, Lee Han answered in a voice heavy with fatigue.
As the wyverns landed on a grassy hill near the village, the villagers rushed out with torches in hand.
Upon spotting the flags of Einrogard and the empire, they gasped in surprise and cried out.
"Wizards! The wizards have arrived!"
"Indeed, good people."
Professor Thunder Step greeted the village chief politely.
Inside Einrogard, they could curse at imperial dukes and the Skeleton Principal would clean up the mess, but outside, they had to behave as proper gentlemen.
"We're here on urgent official business, hence the wyverns. Rest assured, these wyverns are fully trained and pose no threat whatsoever. I swear this on the honor of Einrogard and all wizards."
Lee Han discreetly shifted to block the view as Professor Lightning Step punched the snout of a wyvern that had been grumbling earlier.
"O-of course! We trust the wizards completely. Naturally!"
The village chief shouted in a tense voice, his tone a mix of reverence and fear, and he bowed with exaggerated motions to hide his terror.
"Please, come into the village! We've prepared accommodations! A-and, y-you can bring the wyverns too!"
The students immediately got ready to move.
Though Einrogard students were sometimes misunderstood when outside—like being asked, "Do Einrogard students enjoy sleeping outside in the cold dew?"—the answer was obviously no.
Sleeping inside a warm inn, on soft and smooth beds, was obviously the way to go...
"No. We'll stay outside."
Professor Thunder Step refused firmly.
"We've already made all necessary preparations. We wouldn't want to inconvenience the villagers."
"N-no, it's no inconvenience at all! If anything—"
"No. With this many people—and wyverns, no less—it would be impossible not to cause a disturbance."
Professor Thunder Step had several reasons for insisting on this.
Even though the mages of Einrogard were revered by all citizens of the Empire, the villagers who didn't know them well could still be intimidated.
And the wyverns were even worse. If they accidentally caused a rampage, Professor Thunderstep would have to take responsibility.
Lastly...
'Don't unnecessarily bother people on the way. Don't go calling villagers over and saying things like, "We're from Einrogard, so could you give us some warm bread and drinks...?"'
'Don't worry. It's not like we're doing this for the first time.'
The Skeleton Principal wasn't particularly fond of Einrogard members interacting with ordinary citizens of the Empire during their travels.
"Hmph."
"I thought we were staying in the village."
The students prepared for camping with sorrowful expressions.
If this had been when they first enrolled, they might have said, "How can people sleep outside?" But now, even the students from the Blue Dragon Tower weren't particularly surprised by the idea of sleeping outdoors.
"Let's lay out some more blankets here."
"Wait. Let's get rid of the bugs first."
"Spray this potion. It'll help keep the bugs away."
"Priestess Siana...! Thank you. Wow, it's incredibly effective! The grass died all at once too!"
"Wait. I gave you the wrong one. Spray this instead."
"......"
Lee Han dumped the travel rations his friends had brought into a pot and began boiling them.
Hard bread, cheese, salty jerky, and still-fresh carrots, onions, and potatoes went into the mix.
"Thanks."
"You'll have to pay me back for what you eat later."
"......"
Professor Thunderstep found it absurd but nodded anyway.
Well, how valuable could such rations be to an Einrogard student?
'But where did they get these vegetables when their garden was washed away by the flood?'
Professor Thunderstep wondered as he poured the mixed soup into his bowl.
Judging by how fresh they were, they didn't seem to have been brought from outside...
Lee Han set aside a separate pot of soup boiled with only vegetables for Professor Voladi, then turned to Professor Thunderstep and asked,
"By the way, Professor. We were invited by the Maykin Family, right?"
"That's correct."
"Then couldn't we just have traveled with the Maykin Family's procession?"
"That would've been too slow. We still have lectures to attend."
The students were deeply disappointed.
If they had traveled with the Maykin Family, they might have had a whole week or two to relax!
Lee Han tilted his head and asked again,
"But at the very least, shouldn't the Maykin Family have provided the necessary supplies for the journey?"
"Tch, a family like the Maykin Family wouldn't bother with such trivial details. They'll deduct it from the payment later."
"I see. Do we receive the payment as soon as the job is done?"
"Yeah. But don't get your hopes up too much."
"Is the payment small?"
"No. Some requests are like that, but the Maykin Family is quite generous. Still, you won't be able to splurge with it. Even if you save up, next year's experiment and research funds will still fall short."
No matter how much Einrogard emptied the Emperor's treasury for support or twisted the Imperial Treasurer's beard to extract more budget, it was impossible to satisfy the greed of mages.
Mages were the kind of people who would demand even more funding for experiments even if the Empire handed over all its gold.
In the end, to freely practice and experiment with the magic they desired, they had to secure investments, extract sponsorships, and earn gold themselves.
'Horrifying.'
Lee Han felt his heart wrench at the thought that the payment from this job would just meaninglessly vanish into experimental gemstones.
What kind of waste was that?
Morning.
As soon as they woke up, the group mounted their wyverns and arrived at the port city, where members of the Maykin Family came to greet them.
"We apologize for summoning you so urgently. Students, did you all sleep well last night?"
"There's no need to worry!"
"Camping is nothing..."
The students put on a bold front in front of outsiders.
It was something every Einrogard student did.
"...You camped?"
"Huh? Yes."
"......"
The Maykin Family members exchanged bewildered glances.
Then, they spoke up.
"Um, since you said you were coming by wyvern, we earnestly requested nearby villages to accommodate your landing. Did... no one say anything to you?"
"We even paid them in advance and asked them to treat you well if you stopped by..."
"......"
"......"
All the students simultaneously turned their heads to glare at Professor Thunderstep.