Episode 483
Episode 483
Though one unfortunate student had suffered, the work progressed remarkably quickly.
Thunderstep Professor located the Sangoria Flowers in an instant, while the Shadow Patrol hunters captured the monsters along the coastline as if drying seeds.
Meanwhile, Professor Voladi and his outstanding apprentice took care of the monsters hiding on islands and reefs.
"...Let's stop here for today and return to rest."
Thunderstep Professor addressed the sailors.
Though slightly puzzled, the sailors nodded.
"Understood."
'We could still keep going a bit longer...'
'The mage must have his reasons. Well, considering how hastily he rushed here, he might not have fully recovered yet.'
Since the work had progressed swiftly, the sailors weren't too exhausted.
They could still sail further, but assuming the mage had his reasons for the order, they turned the ship around without hesitation.
Lightning Step Professor asked, sounding confused.
"Are you tired or something?"
"Ah, no."
"Then why? If we push a little harder, we could finish everything around here today."
"I feel bad for Wardanaz..."
"......"
Lightning Step Professor and Voladi both glanced at Lee Han, who was walking back from the island.
Then they nodded in agreement.
"You're right!"
Among the outsiders in Isran, there were quite a few whose true nature was difficult to guess—shady individuals of all sorts.
It would be stranger if a port open to all didn't have such suspicious figures.
But the shady character currently staying at the <Cloudy Fish Eye Inn>, a run-down and fish-scented inn near the western docks, was a bit special.
A former mage, now a wanted magic criminal in the Empire—someone who had, in a way, reached the pinnacle of infamy attainable by an imperial mage.
The magic criminal, Ianov, sat in a corner of the inn, listening to rumors.
"The Einrogard bastards have arrived... So it wasn't just a false rumor?"
"Oh dear. Honored Mage, how would I dare deceive you?"
The retired sailor rubbed his palms together obsequiously and bowed his head.
Mages were a respected profession anywhere in the Empire—even in its darkest alleys.
To those who lived in the shadows, a mage like Ianov was both an object of reverence and fear.
That Ianov's identity was uncertain and suspicious didn't matter at all. Most people in this area had one or two shady aspects about them anyway.
"Good. If it turns out to be a false rumor, I'll pluck out your eyeballs and tongue."
"......"
Cold sweat trickled down the retired sailor's back.
He knew full well that this mage wasn't joking.
After all, what had happened to those mercenaries who had tried to ambush the mage for his hefty pouch of gold coins?
They had withered away like dried-up old trees.
'Definitely a Black Mage.'
The sailor didn't know much about magic, but he was certain Ianov was a practitioner of Black Magic.
How else could someone cast such vile curses?
"I knew things would get chaotic because of the Sangoria Flowers... but the Einrogard bastards showing up was unexpected. Could they be the ones who called the Shadow Patrol too?"
"Huh? How did you know that?"
Ianov shot the sailor a look of mild contempt.
"Do you really think the guilds here would embrace each other and summon the Shadow Patrol?"
"Well, they might have—"
The sailor trailed off.
Ianov didn't bother explaining further.
What was the point of detailing the factional strife among the city's guilds, the tangled web of interests surrounding the Sangoria Flowers, or why none of them would dare summon the Shadow Patrol to resolve the issue first?
They wouldn't understand anyway.
"So, are you going to curse the Einrogard bastards? If you are, I'll gather whatever materials you need."
The retired sailor grinned, deepening the wrinkles on his face.
His greedy smile flickered with the desire to secure a hefty cut for himself.
"'Cursing Einrogard bastards... Just how many livers and lives do you think you have? Even if you're a cripple or a moron, you should at least stuff your skull with some straw rolling on the roadside.'"
Ianov laughed incredulously at the sailor's suggestion to target Einrogard mages.
While the occasional reckless Anti-Magic Zealots were lunatics begging for death that he could dismiss, Ianov was perfectly rational and sane.
And any mage who was rational and sane wouldn't dare lay a finger on Einrogard's wizards.
"You were a sailor, weren't you? What did you do when a storm approached while fishing in the open sea?"
"Well... You avoid the storm..."
"Exactly. Think of Einrogard as that storm. There's always time to claim your share after the storm has passed."
Ianov leaned back leisurely. The retired sailor looked discontented at losing his chance for profit, but fear kept him from speaking further.
"Don't look so disgruntled. Shall I pluck out your eyes for you?"
"N-no, no need!"
"I have a job for you. Do it well, and I'll reward you handsomely."
"!"
"Spread the word among the mercenaries around here. If Einrogard mages appear—and there'll likely be students among them—report to me if you spot any exceptionally talented ones."
"Exceptionally talented... you say?"
The retired sailor hesitated.
He doubted he could distinguish a mage's skill level.
"No need to overthink it. You'll hear the rumors. A mage's achievements spread like wildfire even when they do nothing. I don't need mediocrities. Only report those so extraordinary it sounds unbelievable even to you. Einrogard produces geniuses like that every now and then."
"Y-yes... understood."
The sailor couldn't fathom Ianov's intentions.
First, he calls Einrogard a storm to be avoided, then asks to be informed of outstanding students.
Was he planning to kidnap them?
'But... wouldn't that contradict what he just said?'
Ianov chuckled as he poured cheap liquor into a tin cup.
No magic-ignorant fool could possibly guess Ianov's thoughts.
'The more talented they are, the easier they fall.'
Though not an Einrogard graduate himself, Ianov had once witnessed an Einrogard-born Magic Criminal.
Decades had passed, but the memory remained vivid.
A genius who had completely surpassed Ianov's own level—someone he'd believed could rival him in magical talent—a prodigy who embodied the essence of imperial magic.
Just meeting his gaze had been suffocating.
Every incantation he spoke was brilliant, every magical construct flawlessly complete without a single weakness...
And he was more arrogant than anyone.
Baffled, Ianov had once asked the great and wicked Archmage Antagondals:
-What could possibly drive an Einrogard graduate to such ends?
-Foolish question. The greater the mage, the easier their fall. Though I suppose someone as mediocre as you wouldn't understand.
The more gifted a mage became, the more trivial reality seemed, every rule and restraint feeling increasingly meaningless.
When pursuing the sublime truths of magic's ultimate principles, what did a few hundred insect-like lives matter?
No matter how much imperial glory and fame awaited a mage, the greatest temptation for the truly exceptional was magic's truth itself.
-Ianov. Imagine it. That brilliant... that incomparably great magical intellect—far beyond your meager grasp—succumbing to corruption.
-Lord... Lord Antagondals.
-Too abstract? Very well. How's this? Succeed just once, and I'll take you as my apprentice.
-...!!!
For a mage like Ianov who'd hit his limits, becoming an apprentice to an archmage like Antagondals was an irresistible temptation.
Decades later, that desire still burned.
'I'm not expecting much, but...'
He'd had a few encounters with Einrogard mages since, but none had matched the caliber he sought.
Even if they were from Einrogard, moderately talented geniuses wouldn't easily succumb to Ianov's temptations.
Only an arrogant genius willing to do anything for the truth would fall for such temptation.
Ianov desperately hoped that among this batch of Einrogard students, there might be such a genius.
Evening.
The faces of the students seated at the mansion's dining table were pale and exhausted.
Lee Han was startled to see the Princess dozing off while still clutching her spoon beside him.
'Good heavens!'
He'd seen a similar phenomenon before.
Even Gainando, who displayed extraordinary abilities when it came to food, had once dozed off during a meal when overcome by exhaustion.
Gainando had been so shocked by this incident that he subsequently made desperate efforts to stay awake during meals—even resorting to pricking his thigh with a needle.
As this shows, for a royal to doze off at the dining table meant they were that exhausted.
"Your Highness. Wake up."
"...!"
Adenart's eyes flew open.
"You must eat. You'll regret it if you miss the meal by dozing off."
"Thank you..."
Still half-asleep as she tried to express gratitude, the Princess suddenly sensed something odd.
...Wait, would she really regret missing just one meal?
"Wardanaz..."
She was about to question what was going on, but Lee Han was already conversing with someone else.
"Wardanaz. I heard you wiped out all the monsters on the island."
"...What? How do you know that?"
When Batrek of the Bark Family from White Tiger Tower spoke, Lee Han was taken aback.
How could these guys, who'd been holed up in the mansion's workshop the whole time, know?
"The servants told me."
"...No. No. Wait."
Lee Han couldn't comprehend it.
"Could you come here for a moment?"
"What's the matter..."
A flustered servant attending to them hurried over.
"Is the beverage not to your liking? It's a southern-style drink, so..."
"No, that's not it. About me wiping out all the monsters—well, I didn't do it alone, but anyway, where did you hear that rumor?"
"There's a fishmonger I trade with at the harbor, and I heard it from him."
"...Do you know where he heard it?"
"He said he heard it from the fishermen who went out to cast their nets today...? Apparently, the hunters told the fishermen about it. Isn't that correct?"
"......"
The rumor spread faster than the communication network among Einrogard professors.
While Lee Han had been hunting on the island, the Shadow Patrol must have been catching sea monsters nearby and telling passing fishermen, "That Wardanaz boy is really good at hunting monsters," spreading the rumor further.
It was an unbelievable multitasking ability.
'Truly, they don't become hunting masters for nothing...'
"Did I make some mistake?"
"Ah, no. Actually, I called you because the food is so delicious. Could you bring another plate of woodcock dish for Her Highness here?"
"Understood."
The servant withdrew happily.
The Princess, now awake and eating, stared at Lee Han with utter disbelief.
No...!
"What...?!"
Of course, she had thought about wanting another plate, but that had remained just a thought.
Adenart was about to firmly and dignifiedly protest by grabbing Lee Han's shoulder.
"...Wardanaz. How was the Shadow Patrol today?"
But another interruption came.
Nilia, with a deeply concerned expression, glanced around cautiously before asking her question.
Her worry that something might have gone wrong was evident.
Lee Han barely held back from saying, 'The hunters kept refusing to believe we were friends and thought you'd threatened me with your bow. And they kept offering me liquor, wouldn't listen to my explanations about magic, and were as annoying as Gainando.'
Instead, for his friend's sake, he spoke up.
"...I think I met the most outstanding and capable hunters in the Empire. It was an honor. I doubt I'll get another chance like this."
Yoner, who had vaguely heard the story from the Maykin Family members, gave Lee Han a sympathetic look before picking up the apple tart plate in front of Batrek and sliding it over to Lee Han.
Batrek felt wronged but endured it.
After all, when it came to workload, Wardanaz had every right to it.