Episode 490
Episode 490
"Huh...?"
The mercenaries felt the greatest sense of bewilderment they'd experienced all day.
Participating in the subjugation itself wasn't the problem.
With city guards, adventurers, and even nearby guilds joining as vigilantes, the harbor was bound to be crowded.
A few suspicious individuals mixed in wouldn't even stand out.
But...
'Don't tell me they're trying to approach the mages from Einrogard again?'
'If we accidentally poke the hornet's nest...'
There was no way a mage like Ianov would participate in the subjugation out of pure goodwill for the city.
It was obvious he had ulterior motives to get close to the Einrogard mages.
Sssssk!
A sinister sizzling sound, as if flesh were burning, echoed through the air as strange patterned ropes materialized around the necks of the seated mercenaries.
Choking sensations suddenly gripped their throats, making them gag.
"M-Mage, sir..."
"Mage, sir, spare us! W-we've been completely loyal!"
"Of course. And I naturally trust you all."
Ianov swung his staff, tightening the nooses around the mercenaries' necks.
Now that the situation had reached a point where the mercenaries might try to flee unpredictably, he had to keep a close eye on them.
"Ghk... Forgive us for failing to recognize your great Black Magic... Spare us!"
"......"
For a moment, Ianov felt irritated that these mercenary fools had mistaken his beautiful Enchantment Magic for Black Magic, but he restrained himself.
Right now, he needed to focus solely on the gemstone that had come from Einrogard.
"Don't you think this quill is nice, Wardanaz?"
"Hmm... But it seems a bit expensive."
"B-but it's pretty, isn't it? Aren't you tired of making quills from goose feathers you scavenge at Einrogard?"
"I should ask for a discount."
"...Seriously? You mean it?"
Ashan whispered in shock, but Lee Han was dead serious.
"Hello. I noticed the shop next door has..."
"......"
Ashan found Lee Han more admirable now than when he had defeated the Frost Giant King or demonstrated his abilities before the Dalkard Family siblings.
But the students' enjoyable market visit ended there.
The Shadow Patrol hunters had returned.
Lee Han let out a deep sigh when he saw them.
There was only one reason they would come back now.
"The Sea Serpent is definitely approaching."
"Understood."
Lee Han really didn't want to go, but he prepared himself to report to Professor Voladi.
At this point, the entire city needed to prepare.
"...Sorry."
Nilia apologized with an unusually guilty expression.
"It's not your fault, just the Sea Serpent's... Kids! Gather up! Stop playing, it's time to head back to the manor! If you have anything to buy, hurry up!"
Lee Han shouted, then casually asked the quill merchant,
"By any chance, is there a discount if we take down the Sea Serpent approaching the harbor?"
"......"
"......"
Nilia briefly considered just leaving first.
Meanwhile, her friends gathered, each carrying a bundle tucked under their arms.
Yoner had a new small bronze cauldron (much thicker than the ones used at Einrogard, capable of holding even volatile ingredients), Ratford was smug about getting a slightly bloodstained lockpick set for cheap, and Batrek grumbled about buying a fracture-healing ointment but not knowing if it would even work...
Adenart looked slightly flustered.
Everyone had bought something.
Noticing this, Lee Han kindly pointed out,
"You don't have to buy anything, Princess. Nilia didn't buy anything either."
"...!"
Nilia subtly glanced around before shoving the book she had bought to read—Wasteland Star-Catchers: They Are the Empire's Watchers!—deep into her robes.
"R-right. Coming all the way here just to buy something is more provincial, isn't it? Right?"
"It's not provincial... Let's go, since everyone's here."
As they returned to the mansion, Professor Voladi happened to be coming back from the opposite direction.
Lee Han greeted him and asked,
"Where have you been, Professor?"
"Looking for something useful."
Professor Voladi answered indifferently.
Though the professor's reply was brief, Lee Han found himself lost in boundless imagination.
'What does he mean by "something useful"? Could he have been searching for a new opponent I'll have to face in the second semester? Or maybe he kidnapped some criminal from a back alley?'
The terrifying part was that all of these were entirely plausible for Professor Voladi.
For some reason, there also seemed to be a faint trace of blood on the professor's coat...
"Ah, Professor. There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Well... it seems a Sea Serpent is coming."
Lee Han carefully explained the information brought by the Shadow Patrol hunters, making sure to be as precise as possible.
He didn't want Professor Voladi to misunderstand it as, 'Did he deliberately withhold this from me?'
"A Sea Serpent?"
"Yes."
The rigid muscles of Professor Voladi's face relaxed ever so slightly.
Lee Han realized that the professor was now looking rather pleased.
"...Ah, no. Professor, I'm not suggesting we go hunt the Sea Serpent together. This is just a procedural matter..."
If a large monster appeared at the harbor, wasn't it standard procedure to inform the people there and those in the city who could participate?
Naturally, reporting it to Professor Voladi was also part of the protocol.
But if the professor interpreted it as, 'What a dutiful disciple, coming to invite me to hunt a Sea Serpent together,' Lee Han would be in deep trouble.
"I see."
'He doesn't seem to understand.'
"So the Sea Serpent is finally approaching?"
Professor Thunderstep, who had just heard the news, walked out with a frown.
"We'll have a rough night ahead."
"Professor, here's your wallet."
"Oh. Thanks."
Professor Thunderstep absentmindedly took the wallet Lee Han handed back to him.
It was completely empty.
"......"
What a thrifty little brat!
"Just when we finished our work, that monster shows up with no sense of timing."
"Exactly."
Even the people from the Maykin Family clicked their tongues in annoyance.
If it had appeared before the negotiations were settled, they could have used it as leverage. But now that the talks were neatly concluded, hunting the Sea Serpent felt more like an annoying overtime task.
"Let's think positively. Sea Serpents always drop useful materials... So the professors will have to put in some extra effort."
At Professor Thunderstep's words, the professors nodded in agreement.
With the appearance of a large monster like the Sea Serpent, it was only natural for the professors to take the front lines.
"You students, stay in the rear. There shouldn't be any danger, but don't let your guard down. We might need your help at any moment."
Though the students were only first-years within Einrogard, outside, they were proper successors of the Empire's magical lineage.
Compared to the inconsistent and unstable skills of common mages outside, Einrogard students were more than deserving of respect.
"Yes!"
The students stood up with solemn expressions.
Even though they had faced all sorts of trials at Einrogard, the feeling of dealing with something outside was entirely different.
Lee Han was about to move with his friends when Professor Thunderstep gave him a look as if to ask, 'What are you doing?'
"Where are you going?"
"Huh? To the rear, as instructed..."
"Ah!"
Professor Thunderstep burst into a hearty laugh, as if he had forgotten.
"Of course not you!"
Professor Lightning Step also roared with laughter.
"Why would you go to the rear?!"
"......"
The Maykin Family members were baffled by the dwarven professors' laughter.
Lee Han didn't find it funny either.
'Dwarves are so annoying.'
"Light, heed me!"
Lee Han swung his staff.
A sphere of blazing light rose into the air.
Though the professors had burst into laughter, it wasn't entirely without reason.
In a situation where they had to hastily prepare for a large-scale monster attack, there was no way they'd keep someone like Lee Han—a near-infinite mana source—in the rear.
The first thing Lee Han set out to do was prepare light sources.
The sun had already sunk far beyond the horizon, and darkness was creeping over the harbor.
If a chaotic battle broke out in the dark, it would naturally favor the monsters, so preparing light was essential.
The townsfolk had hoped that since the mages had arrived, 'Surely magic can solve this somehow?' but...
This...
"...What in the world?"
"Did I lose track of time?"
The city guards who had rushed over couldn't hide their astonishment at the dazzling sight of the harbor.
They had wanted light, but this was too bright—wasn't it?
Even so...
Was this even acceptable??
"Wait, is magic supposed to be able to do this?"
"Well, they are mages from Einrogard..."
But even the guard who said, 'Maybe it's possible because they're Einrogard mages' lacked confidence in his own words.
Frankly, they were all still bewildered.
"Light, light, light, light, light..."
Without pause, Lee Han moved around the harbor, summoning spheres of light everywhere.
The adventurers waiting with their bows drawn were dumbfounded and began whispering among themselves.
"That... that's a student, right?"
"Can even students from Einrogard cast magic at that level? No, last time, the mage who joined our party complained endlessly just making a single lantern-sized light..."
Completely unaware of the incredibly strong impression he was making on the harbor's residents, Lee Han kept circling around.
Though his mana was overflowing, the harbor was so vast that placing light spheres one by one was exhausting.
'They say if you're not smart, your body suffers.'
Lee Han sighed inwardly.
He was starting to understand why the Skeleton Principal was so relentless about making people learn magic.
If only he knew higher-tier spells, he could have just flicked his fingers and filled the entire area with light!
"Done."
"Good work."
"Then I'll start enchanting the equipment."
"...R-right."
Professor Thunderstep was about to tell him to take a break but hesitated instead.
Lee Han, oblivious to the professor's thoughts, immediately set off to handle the next task.
While the Shadow Patrol hunters had already received theirs, there were still countless people in the harbor holding unblessed bows and crossbows.
And when you considered the ballistae and other weapons stationed here...
"Uh, shouldn't you rest for a bit?"
The people from the Maykin Family hesitantly spoke up.
Interfering with teaching methods in front of an Einrogard professor could seem quite rude, so they were cautious, but this time, they couldn't hold back.
Professor Thunderstep glanced at the outsiders before making an excuse.
"For a Wardanaz, this kind of work is like taking a stroll."
"...Excuse me?"
The Maykin Family members stared at the floating light spheres scattered across the harbor, utterly baffled.
What kind of nonsense was this...?
But Professor Thunderstep remained bold and shameless. Having pushed the lie this far, he intended to stick with it.
"On the contrary, telling him to rest would wound Wardanaz's pride. Please don't mention it."
"Ah, I see..."
"Of course."
Had Lee Han heard this, he would have kicked Professor Thunderstep into the sea from behind. But right now, he was too busy enchanting the guards' equipment to notice.
The Maykin Family members marveled at what they'd just heard.
It made them think that being from the Wardanaz Family was no joke.
'Well, with that kind of personality, no wonder Yoanen took a liking to him.'
The Maykin Family respected Yoanen for his exceptional abilities, but that didn't mean they were blind to his flaws.
Objectively speaking, Yoanen was a workaholic lunatic.
Hearing someone like that say, 'I really like you—after you graduate, I want to invite you to my workshop,' was a dangerous sign, if not in terms of ability, then at least in terms of personality.
There was a chance the other person was also a bit... obsessed with work.