Episode 485
Episode 485
"Worthless bastard!"
"!"
The subordinates thought Pasher was angry at another guild, but in truth, he was furious at himself.
While he had been solely focused on winning the competition against other guilds, a young student had been risking his life fighting. And he had just stood there doing nothing.
Pasher trembled violently before shouting.
"Let's go!"
"Huh?"
"I said follow me!"
'Why is he acting like this?'
As the old fisherman erupted in anger, his subordinates grew worried.
Picking fights with outsiders wouldn't do them any good.
Even if their conflicts with other guilds were severe, there was no way outsiders would understand that.
They should be as polite and courteous as possible—if anything, they were already falling short...
"?"
Lee Han, who had just emerged from the reef with Professor Voladi, looked puzzled at the sight of the fishermen approaching in the distance with furious expressions.
"What's going on?"
"Fishermen."
Professor Voladi answered as if it were nothing unusual.
Lee Han asked with a bewildered expression.
"They look really angry... Did something happen?"
There were too many possibilities, and that was the problem.
As Professor Thunderstep had mentioned, the guilds in this area had grown sensitive due to prolonged friction, so naturally, they viewed outsiders with complicated feelings.
On top of that, the hunters of the Shadow Patrol weren't exactly kind or gentle gentlemen.
'They didn't steal the fishermen's catch or anything, did they?'
Given how obsessed these hunters were, Lee Han suspected they might have secretly crossed into unauthorized hunting grounds to poach more game.
"Could be."
"What should we do?"
"Prepare."
Professor Voladi spoke to Lee Han the same way he had when they climbed the reef to exterminate monsters.
For a moment, Lee Han didn't understand what he meant—then it hit him.
'No, this is insane...!'
Was he seriously telling them to prepare to fight the fishermen!?
"...Professor, we can't fight the fishermen! What will the city people think?"
"They'll consider it self-defense."
"......"
That was technically true, but that wasn't the point right now.
They needed to resolve the situation quickly and return, so escalating unnecessary conflicts was the last thing they should do.
They should be avoiding existing conflicts, not adding to them...
"Be careful of their nets. Once your feet get tangled, it could be dangerous."
"Have you fought fishermen before?"
Lee Han had asked the question lightly, without much thought, but Professor Voladi nodded.
"Yes. They're especially threatening on boats."
"......"
'At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you attacked someone just for making eye contact while traveling.'
As Lee Han agonized over the situation, the fishermen arrived.
The old fisherman who appeared to be their leader suddenly bowed his head and shouted in a booming voice.
"As the representative of Isran City's officially recognized guilds, and as a member of Isran City's council, I sincerely apologize!"
"?"
"?"
Both Lee Han and the hunters were baffled.
"Why is he doing this?"
"Are they trying to stop us from hunting starting today? If they dare do something so barbaric, they'll incur the curse of the mountain range—"
"This is the sea."
"Then the curse of the sea!"
While the hunters floundered in confusion, Pasher continued.
"As the head of the guild alliance, I failed to provide any assistance to those who came from outside to resolve the city's troubles. Meanwhile, a young student from Einrogard risked his life to exterminate the monsters!"
"?"
Lee Han didn't understand at first, then realized belatedly.
'Ah, so right now...'
Did it look like Professor Voladi, wielding his staff and intimidating the monsters, was a student forced to step in due to a lack of manpower?
Of course, that was a complete misunderstanding.
The Maykin Family weren't fools, nor were they poor—they wouldn't neglect securing proper personnel.
"I shall reflect deeply on this, and I humbly ask for your leniency."
The old fisherman finished his speech in his booming voice, bowed once more, then boarded his boat and left.
The hunters of the Shadow Patrol couldn't comprehend and asked:
"What was that supposed to mean, mage?"
"So they're saying they'll punish themselves?"
Typically, hunters who committed crimes in the northern mountains would atone through ordeals.
Like entering deep into the snow-capped peaks bare-handed with just one arrow to hunt a designated monster...
Is it like that here too?
"No, nothing like that. They're just saying they'll reflect on their actions."
"Reflection should be more painful than—"
Ignoring the hunters' comments, Lee Han turned his gaze away.
While the old fisherman's words had contained some political rhetoric that made them hard to fully understand, the gist was clear enough.
They'd done wrong, they were reflecting, and from now on they'd unconditionally respect Einrogard's stance in negotiations.
From Lee Han's perspective, this was a good outcome, but...
'Did they eat something bad? Why the sudden change?'
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand.
One of the hunters beside him spoke up:
"Maybe they felt guilty after seeing you hunting alone, mage?"
"...No..."
Lee Han thought that couldn't possibly be it.
But upon reflection, it did seem somewhat plausible.
Nothing else came to mind as an explanation.
When he glanced at Professor Voladi, the professor just looked back at him as if asking why he was staring.
"It's nothing."
One of Professor Voladi's virtues was that he rarely spoke unnecessarily.
If the Skeleton Principal had been here instead, he'd have flipped Lee Han's stomach upside down by saying something like, "You only managed to persuade them because of me, be grateful!"
News that Pasher and the Fishermen's Guild had made contact with the outsiders from Einrogard spread quickly.
When the Adventurers' Guild heard this rumor, they were baffled.
"Those stubborn guild members already..."
"Shouldn't we make a move too? Maybe prepare some bribes?"
"Shh. If we carelessly offer bribes to Einrogard's mages, we might end up as slugs."
Truthfully, the Adventurers' Guild was the most removed from the city's internal conflicts.
While the Fishermen's Guild and Alchemists' Guild actively competed for Sangoria flower collection rights due to their respective contributions, the Adventurers' Guild wasn't that invested.
For one, their guild unity wasn't particularly strong, and since they'd started as hired help, their perspective was naturally different.
The Adventurers' Guild didn't care who won as long as adventurers could collect a reasonable amount. That was enough for them.
The problem was the other two guilds were so deeply entrenched in their feud that this kind of negotiation wouldn't work with them.
The only ones who might listen were outsiders, but...
'We're afraid of Einrogard's mages, no matter what.'
'What if contacting them backfires?'
The Adventurers' Guild feared Einrogard's mages far more than the other guilds did.
Unlike the lifelong city craftsmen, adventurers who traveled frequently had bone-deep understanding of how dangerous mages could be.
And with Einrogard, that went double.
"At the very least, we should pay our respects. We need to leave a good impression."
The Adventurers' Guild leader gathered some clerks and headed to the harbor.
Just then, they spotted the mage and hunters returning from their hunt.
"H-h-hello?"
Their voice cracked noticeably from tension.
Lee Han immediately recognized their guild insignia and attire.
'Did the Adventurers' Guild come out too?'
Since the Adventurers' Guild was also involved in this conflict, gaining their goodwill wouldn't hurt for resolving matters.
Lee Han greeted them with a bright smile:
"Hello! Pleased to meet you. Might you be the devoted souls who brave the Empire's most remote and desolate valleys?"
"...!"
The Shadow Patrol hunters grumbled inwardly.
Even if it was a conventional expression, wasn't this going too far?
What adventurers would roam the empire's most remote and desolate valleys?
They hardly even came to the northern mountain ranges...
"That's correct!"
The Adventurers' Guild members' faces brightened, their tension easing slightly at the compliment.
"As expected of mages from Einrogard, your eyes are brimming with mystic energy."
'More like bloodlust.'
Lee Han glanced at Professor Voladi and himself. There was still some bloodstains on their coats.
"Might we ask which family you're from..."
"Ah. I'm from the Wardanaz family—"
"Gasp!"
Someone's sharp intake of breath was audible.
Though Lee Han tried his best to maintain composure, he could see fear flickering across the guild members' eyes and expressions.
"......"
Having spent time recently only with people from major families or those who didn't care about the Wardanaz name, he'd almost forgotten—the Wardanaz family carried far more intimidation than he'd realized.
'Did I mess up? Should I have let Yoner or someone else handle this?'
He needed to be a friendly, kind mage to persuade the guild, yet here he was scaring them first.
If Professor Thunderstep learned of this, he might shed tears of sorrow.
'But this isn't my fault.'
No matter how he looked at it, this was the Wardanaz family's karma, not Lee Han's.
"...Lee Han of the Wardanaz family."
Lee Han finished his introduction.
One of the clerks then asked in a startled voice:
"Are you... by any chance the one who helped adventurers subdue the Ghoul King in Granden City last time?"
"...The story's a bit different, but something like that."
"We also heard you assisted in investigating the anomalies in the Black Rock Forest..."
"That's also correct."
"And you're still a student!?"
The clerk was genuinely shocked.
Though the distance was great, interesting rumors naturally spread.
When they'd heard rumors about a mage named Lee Han of the Wardanaz family helping adventurers complete requests—still young, a mage yet so considerate of adventurers—they'd dismissed them as nonsense.
But seeing him now, the rumors suddenly seemed surprisingly plausible.
"Yes."
"But if you're an Einrogard student... why would you work with adventurers...?"
"......"
Lee Han was speechless.
'For money, obviously...'
It's not like anyone asks adventurers "Why do you complete requests?"
Still, saying "I did it to make money" outright was difficult, so Lee Han answered as diplomatically as possible.
"I believed it was something I should do."
"Wow...!"
"Incredible...!"
The Adventurers' Guild members were so astonished they couldn't even whisper among themselves.
Though this was a different kind of shock compared to when they'd heard the Wardanaz name.
As Lee Han noticed their expressions softening and the fear fading, he sighed in relief.
'At least it won't interfere with the conversation.'
"Lee Han of the Wardanaz family. There's something we'd like to discuss regarding this matter."
"I'm listening."
"Ah, we were so flustered we didn't even ask about this professor. Our apologies. May we know your honored name?"
The guild members turned to Professor Voladi with their question.
Professor Voladi answered impassively:
"Voladi of the Bagrak family."
"Gyaaahk!!"
An even more terrified shriek erupted than when they'd heard the Wardanaz name.
"......"
Lee Han shot Professor Voladi an accusatory glare.
Just what have you been doing to earn this reaction...?
Professor Thunderstep, who had returned to the mansion earlier, tilted his head at Lee Han's exhausted appearance.
"Did something happen?"
Though he usually looked tired, today he seemed several times more worn out.
"Well..."
Lee Han hesitated, unsure where to begin.
Sensing this, Professor Thunderstep asked cautiously:
"Professor Bagrak didn't suggest going to hunt a Sea Serpent, did he?"
"Huh? Are there Sea Serpents around here?"
"We found traces earlier."
"...Please keep this absolutely confidential."
Lee Han spoke with complete sincerity.