Episode 493
Episode 493
"Magician, sir."
"......"
"Magician, sir?"
Even after the sailors had left, when Ianon remained completely silent, the mercenaries asked with slightly fearful expressions.
There was no omen more terrifying than a magician standing still without a word.
'I must draw him in at all costs!'
Beneath his hood, Ianon's pupils blazed like torches, burning fiercely.
Until now, his actions had been solely due to Antagondals' orders and rewards.
But after catching a glimpse of that magic just now, Ianon's eyes had flipped, and his thoughts had completely changed.
'That boy... is undoubtedly the makings of an Archmage.'
The Empire's Magic Criminals were wicked and depraved, but their greed for magic was no different from that of proper mages.
Ianon was no exception.
What reason could there have been for him to bow his head for so long under a dangerous and capricious figure like Antagondals?
It was all for his greed for magic.
But what if that boy were to delve into the wicked path of dark magic and become an Archmage?
What if, in the process, Ianon could serve faithfully as his right hand?
Then he could freely indulge in the arcane secrets that would flow from his side.
That was a reward he could never expect from a miser like Antagondals.
With absolute certainty that the boy was Archmage material, Ianon was willing to stake even his own life.
'Instead of reporting to Antagondals...'
Ianon resolved to secretly monopolize the boy for himself rather than hand him over to Antagondals.
Pulling the boy in and making him a loyal subordinate was far more appealing than simply delivering him.
To the magician of the great Wardanaz family, blessed with extraordinary talent...
Ianon began writing a letter with utmost sincerity.
He completely abandoned his previous approach of gradually revealing Antagondals' magic as a means of persuasion.
Looking back, it had been a foolish plan.
How absurd it was to approach the boy—who even Antagondals would look up to as Archmage material—in such a manner.
He needed to be far more blatant, far more tempting.
...Though I am old, I am an experienced mage. I know of certain forbidden magics banned by the Empire due to their dangers, and I have even set foot in prohibited zones. Yet I have never seen a magician with talent as great as yours. Please allow me the honor of serving you! So that I may offer my meager knowledge and wisdom to you, to become a foundation for your great magic...
Ianon wrote a letter so subservient that the mercenaries would have been shocked if they knew.
It was rare for one mage to send another a letter offering to serve them like a vassal.
But Ianon felt no humiliation whatsoever.
If he could just make contact, he planned to corrupt the boy of the Wardanaz family with the wicked wisdom he knew.
Compared to that, kneeling and pressing his forehead to the ground was nothing.
"Send this!"
"Y-yes!"
Terrified by the eerie intensity in Ianon's voice, the mercenaries didn't dare respond and immediately dashed into the night streets.
The next day.
Ianon remained deeply secluded in a corner of the harbor inn, waiting for the mercenaries to return.
'It'll definitely work.'
What mage wouldn't be intrigued by such groveling?
Ianon was certain the Wardanaz boy would at least exchange a few words with him.
"Magician, sir!"
'They're back!'
Hearing the mercenary's voice and the inn door opening, Ianon's heart pounded.
But the mercenary's expression was strange.
As if hiding something... as if guilty of something...
His face was awkward and uneasy.
Ianon's instincts began ringing alarm bells.
"Wha—"
"That him?"
"Yes!"
At Lee Han's question, the mercenary hastily nodded. Forgetting his unease for a moment, Ianon's face brightened.
"Lord Wardanaz..."
"Professor! That's the guy!"
"?!"
The moment Lee Han pointed, the inn's back wall suddenly shattered, and a shadow lunged forward savagely.
CRASH!
Though Ianopp was a back-alley mage with some rough experience, he wasn't completely unfamiliar with magical combat.
The moment he sensed something amiss from behind, he startled into action, activating his artifact.
A powerful Enhancement Magic accelerated Ianopp's thoughts and expanded his field of vision.
At the same time, a transparent barrier of force materialized in front of him, deploying his defenses.
SCREECH—
Finally, Ianopp's ring spun once before staining his hand a deep violet.
It was a potent Enchantment Magic—one that would reverse the target's regenerative abilities upon contact.
Against most mediocre Combat Mages, this would have been enough to reduce them to nothing.
Unfortunately, his opponent was far worse.
Professor Voladi accelerated even faster than Ianopp. By the time the barrier formed, the professor had already launched himself into the air, positioning himself above Ianopp's head.
As Ianopp's ring activated, concentrating magic into his hands, Professor Voladi didn't hesitate—he severed both of the man's arms.
A scarf, reinforced with Transformation Magic and Enchantment Magic, sliced through the Magic Criminal's limbs like a divine blade.
Ianopp let out a scream of agony, resorting to one last desperate move. He triggered a scroll tied to his ankle, intending to flood the area with sulfurous mist and escape.
But Professor Voladi had already impaled him with his sword.
THUD!
The petrification potion—crafted personally by Professor Thunderstep—coated the blade and spread through Ianopp's body, turning him to stone in an instant.
"Secured?!"
"Secured."
"Well do—... You've done well!"
From behind the shattered wall of the inn, Professor Thunderstep's voice rang out, tense with urgency.
He was so agitated that he even forgot the usual formalities between professors.
"You alright, Wardanaz?!"
"Yes. I'm fine."
"What kind of lunatics keep crawling out of the woodwork?!"
Professor Thunderstep exhaled in disbelief as he examined the petrified Ianopp.
From the artifacts he carried to the magic he attempted, this was no ordinary Magic Criminal. He was undoubtedly someone of considerable notoriety.
That such a man had approached Wardanaz was surprising enough, but what was even more astonishing was...
"...Weren't you even a little curious about this?"
Professor Thunderstep held up the letter Lee Han had given him and asked.
Frankly, if he had been a younger Professor Thunderstep, he might have met the sender just out of curiosity.
What kind of mage would grovel like this, offering their wisdom? As a proud and inquisitive mage, how could he refuse such an offer?
No matter what, he would've at least met them first.
But Wardanaz? The moment he received the letter, he came running—"Professor! Professor! Some shady criminal sent me a letter!"
Thanks to that, the situation was resolved cleanly without any unnecessary complications, but honestly, it was a little baffling.
...Did this kid just have no greed?
"What's there to be curious about?"
Lee Han looked genuinely puzzled.
If some suspicious mage said, "I offer my wisdom and wish to become your slave," the natural reaction was to think, "What's this? A scam?" and be suspicious. Why would anyone agree to meet them?
And if he had Einrogard professors with him, the right move was to call them in to handle it.
They tormented him all the time—wasn't it only fair to use them in situations like this?
"No, I mean... Don't you think there might be some unknown magic or knowledge from the Empire?"
"There's nothing good about recklessly learning that kind of thing. There's already more than enough properly verified magic to study."
"......"
Are you even a real mage?
The petrified Magic Criminal was tossed aside like a pile of luggage, and the students prepared to return.
Since they had completed the request on schedule, both Professor Thunderstep and the students were in high spirits.
"Wardanaz. I didn't see you this morning—what happened?"
"Some magic criminal sent me a weird letter, so I went with the professor to catch him."
"...If you don't want to tell me, just say so, you bastard."
Batrek grumbled.
No doubt, Wardanaz had probably visited some secret shop in the city that only he knew about.
Shops selling precious artifacts like <Mirror of Future Sight> or <Quill of Correct Answers>.
If it was that kind of shop, it was understandable why Wardanaz wouldn't share the information.
Instead of hitting Batrek, Lee Han asked him a question kindly.
"Batrek. If you received a letter from an unknown mage praising your talents and offering to serve under you, what would you do?"
"What?"
Batrek reacted as if the question made no sense, but soon became completely engrossed in thought.
"I'd receive such a letter? Me? Hmm... That seems a bit unrealistic. Isn't it too soon? But assuming I did receive one..."
'This guy's really into it.'
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
Though Batrek verbally dismissed it as "unrealistic," the way he rolled his eyes and pondered so seriously was absurd.
It was exactly like Gainando seriously contemplating, "What if I got transported into the Tovaris series world and became an assistant?" or "What should I do if I became a Wizard Card champion?"
"Well, I'd probably meet them and give them some guidance, right? If they're that desperate to see me..."
"...What if that person seemed suspicious and had a criminal record? Still?"
"A criminal? Uhhhmm."
Batrek fell deep into thought again.
"Well... even so... if they're coming to serve as my subordinate..."
"Tch."
Whack!
Lee Han smacked the back of Batrek's head.
He figured he'd have to report this to the Skeleton Principal once they returned to Einrogard—it seemed like a perfect case study for ethics training.
'Aren't Einrogard students way too vulnerable to scams?'
If you get a letter like that, you should be suspicious first...
"What was that for!? What did I say wrong...!?"
Batrek rubbed his head, completely baffled as to why he'd been hit.
Meanwhile, the city guild members and the Maykin Family gathered to see them off.
"Thank you for your hard work. You could stay a little longer to rest..."
The students perked up at this and glanced at Professor Thunderstep.
If the locals were this insistent on hospitality, wouldn't it be fine to stay another day or two?
'I still haven't seen the Water Statue Festival.'
'There are so many streets I haven't explored yet.'
"No, no. Since this was an academic excursion, the students must return quickly to focus on their studies."
Professor Thunderstep laughed artificially as he answered.
The gathered crowd let out sighs of admiration.
"As expected...!"
"We were being inconsiderate with our request! Our apologies."
The Shadow Patrol hunters tilted their heads in confusion.
"Does that make sense? Whenever I went down to a village during training, I never wanted to go back."
"Wizards must think differently, I suppose."
The students glared at Professor Thunderstep as if praying for the back of his head to be impaled.
Yet the professor remained utterly unfazed under their scorching gazes.
"We won't forget your warm welcome and kindness. And once again, we sincerely thank the Maykin Family for your generous compensation. It will greatly aid the students' training."
The Maykin Family members humbly waved it off.
"We only regret we couldn't provide more. Students must need a lot of gold for their research."
"Haha... It's fine."
"Oh, Professor. About that third-year student, Balpatan—the one who left his sword as collateral to buy reagents—could you tell him he can repay it slowly? We already said it's fine, but he keeps sending apology letters..."
As one of the Maykin Family members cautiously brought it up, Professor Thunderstep' face turned red.
Somehow, Einrogard disciples always had a knack for embarrassing their professors, no matter where or when.
"...I'll let him know."
The first-years whispered among themselves upon hearing about their senior's shameless begging.
"What kind of person is that senior? Did he come from a thief guild?"
"Thief guilds steal with pride—they don't do such pathetic things."
"Quiet! All of you! You think you're any better!?"
Professor Thunderstep scolded the students with an irritated voice.
How dare they mock their senior when they might end up the same way!