Episode 497
Episode 497
"It's like a poetic metaphor."
Ratford, being a proper Einrogard student, didn't panic.
Just as the ceiling had become the floor earlier, walking on the ceiling instead of the floor in Einrogard wasn't particularly surprising.
"If we can just turn the ceiling back into the floor again—"
"Huh?"
"......"
Ratford lost his words upon seeing Lee Han standing upside down in a handstand.
Lee Han had floated a Water Orb high into the air, grabbed it with both hands, and then flipped himself upside down into a handstand.
Watching this, Ratford was impressed.
'If you have a strong body, you don't need to use your brain!'
He had wondered why someone like Lee Han hung out with the beast-like brats of White Tiger Tower, but seeing this, it made sense.
Thud—
As Lee Han forced his feet onto the ceiling and took a few steps, his vision suddenly wobbled, and the direction of gravity reversed.
Now Ratford was standing on the floor while Lee Han was walking on the ceiling—the scene was complete.
"Let's go, Ratford."
"Lord Wardanaz."
"What?"
"Do you think the other students who came here walked like this too?"
"Probably, right?"
'Probably not...'
Ratford clutched his trembling arms and thought to himself.
Fundamentally, being a mage was a profession that required brains, not brawn.
Fortunately, there were no further obstacles after that. Lee Han easily reached his destination.
The so-called <Kettle's Secret Base>.
However, there was no door or window in sight. Ratford stared at the wall, bewildered.
"There's nothing here."
"There's a passphrase. Just wait."
Lee Han checked the bottom of the map and cleared his throat.
"As an honorable student of Einrogard, I swear that I shall never trust professors, nor be bribed, nor snitch on others."
"......"
Ratford wore an expression of speechlessness at the entry method devised by the seniors.
It felt more intense than some thief guild's initiation ritual.
"Especially the headmaster—I shall distrust him even more."
'It's not over yet?'
"This shall continue until my graduation, for I am the hidden puddle that wets the professor's ankles, the bird droppings that fall upon the professor's head..."
"......"
After about a minute of cursing professors, the wall rumbled, and a small door—only waist-high—appeared.
"Done. Ratford, let's go in."
"Einrogard is a terrifying place, it seems."
"Only realizing that now?"
Crawling through the low passageway, they finally arrived at a large storage room.
Lee Han pushed aside a sign that read <PROFESSORS FORBIDDEN!!!> and surveyed the warehouse.
"This is..."
Ratford spoke in a trembling voice.
As an experienced thief, he sensed the thrill of a potential score.
Of course, at first glance, there were no obvious treasures in sight.
At the center of the warehouse, a large table was cluttered with Magic Tomes with no covers, scattered haphazardly. The bookshelves along the walls held more strange potions and broken Artifacts than actual books.
Further inside, it was even worse.
From shattered Golems to half-eaten canned food, empty wine bottles, polo sticks, and rusted bronze mirrors—the warehouse was packed to the brim with junk, making it impossible to know where to even start cleaning.
But treasures often came from places like this.
Just the thought of digging through it all made his heart race.
"Looks like Senior Kettle wasn't the only one who used this place."
Lee Han muttered.
No matter how he looked at it, this wasn't a place used for just a year or two. Graffiti from decades ago was common enough to see.
It was probably a spot passed down through generations of graduates.
"It seems no one's been here in the last few years. The dust..."
"Seems like it was forgotten."
Considering Einrogard's structure, it wasn't unusual for rooms or lecture halls to be forgotten for years.
"I'm not sure how to make use of this place."
"Lord Wardanaz, you should think it over."
"What about you, Ratford?"
"I'll do some treasure hunting first."
Ratford immediately rolled up his sleeves and began inspecting the nearest pile of junk, one item at a time.
'This is definitely not a one-person job.'
Lee Han summoned Sharkan and then called forth a Skeleton Warrior.
"Sharkan. Find something useful. Gonadaltes, you focus on clearing out the large items first. We need to expand the usable space."
Being a merciful master, Lee Han reinforced Gonadaltes several times over using bone fragments to assist the Skeleton Warrior.
Yet somehow, the Skeleton Warrior's back still looked somewhat pitiful.
'Must just be my imagination.'
Lee Han averted his gaze.
Even with the summons helping, he had no idea how long this would take.
'For now, I should just do what I can.'
Lee Han began organizing the books scattered across the table, dusting them off before slotting them into the bookshelf.
Those that looked like Magic Tomes went into the Magic Tome section, while those resembling notebooks went into the notebook section.
As for the vials and broken Artifact fragments tucked between the books, he separated them and placed them into a wooden crate.
'I should casually ask Professor Verdus to fix these later.'
If he left broken Artifacts near Professor Verdus while he was focused, the professor might unconsciously repair them without even realizing it.
'What's this?'
Lee Han paused when he spotted a blank white notebook with nothing written on it.
All the other notebooks had scribbles like "Death to professors," "Death to the Skeleton Principal," or "Just wait till I graduate," but this one was completely empty—unnervingly so.
When he tried to lift it from the table, it didn't budge, as if firmly fixed in place.
Then, a drop of blood welled up from Lee Han's fingertip where he held the notebook.
And the notebook absorbed it.
'Magic!'
Having just been warned by the Skeleton Principal to "beware of wicked Magic Criminals," Lee Han reacted instantly.
"Ratford, be careful! There's dark magic here!"
"Gah!"
Ratford shrieked and hunched over.
Lee Han also pulled his hand back and pointed his staff at the notebook.
"......"
"......"
But nothing happened.
Slightly embarrassed, Lee Han explained as if making an excuse.
"The notebook absorbed my blood."
"Isn't that some kind of cursed Artifact?!"
Ratford scrambled over in panic.
"Burn it right away!"
"Given that it won't even move, I doubt ordinary fire would work. And let's not start a fire in here."
Lee Han still had deep reservations about Fire Magic.
After finally securing this storage room, setting the whole thing ablaze would be utterly ridiculous from a graduating senior's perspective.
"First, let's figure out what kind of Artifact this is—"
New owner?
"!"
Words rose across the notebook's page.
Lee Han was startled, but Ratford showed no reaction.
"Ratford. You don't see these words?"
"Huh? What words?"
'So only I can see them.'
Lee Han guessed the drop of blood he'd shed earlier was the cause.
It must have been the activation condition for this notebook.
'Can I write a reply?'
Lee Han hesitated.
He didn't sense any suspicious mana patterns, but interacting with unknown objects was always dangerous.
Especially a notebook that drank blood.
What if some vile demon was sealed inside?
—Who are you?
You must be using this for the first time. Asking someone's identity is rude.
"......"
Lee Han's face stiffened.
Whoever was sealed inside this notebook, they were clearly wicked, petty, and shameless.
Since he couldn't sense any mana, they must possess strength far beyond his own...
—I already know exactly who you are.
Without hesitation, Lee Han flicked his quill. The notebook rapidly absorbed the ink.
...Go on, then.
Though he couldn't see their face, he could feel the other party tense up.
—Sealed inside a wicked Artifact, dodging questions so brazenly... You're a powerful demon, aren't you?
...You clueless fool, the Artifact you're using isn't a sealing Artifact—it's a Communication Artifact.
The faceless stranger admonished Lee Han as if exasperated by his ignorance.
Lee Han felt slightly flustered.
-Aren't you trying to deceive me? According to old stories, evil beings used to dwell in notebooks like this...
There are stories like that? More importantly, aren't you bad at studying? If you were to imprison an evil being, you'd use a special artifact—why would you trap it in a notebook? What if someone sold it to an antique bookstore?
'Hmm. That makes sense.'
Lee Han felt slightly ashamed at the other party's reprimand.
Upon reflection, if it was an artifact that emitted no mana at all, it was far more likely to be just a harmless artifact.
After all, there was no way a notebook-shaped artifact containing a great demon would be lying around in a student storage room.
'I've read too many novels.'
-Then this notebook is...
It's a tool made by students.
The nameless interlocutor kindly explained.
While second-years could meet their seniors, that didn't mean they could speak openly with them.
There was a tendency for students to stick to their own grades and towers, and sometimes professors even planted spies among the students.
Perhaps because of this, at some point, these artifacts began appearing in Einrogard's hidden locations.
The base objects for the artifacts varied.
Notebooks, being easy to write in, were the most common, but parchment, mirrors—basically anything that could hold ink—were all possibilities.
This was how they communicated.
In fact, not knowing each other's identities allowed for more honest conversations.
Depending on who you're talking to, it's generally considered rude to ask about identities, so keep that in mind. You might be mistaken for a professor.
-Thanks for the advice.
Lee Han expressed his gratitude.
Without the other party's explanation, he would still be lost.
'So this is how Einrogard students communicate anonymously.'
Well, Lee Han openly cursed the Skeleton Principal, but most students were careful not to voice their insults aloud.
For them, this anonymous communication method must serve as a kind of bulletin board.
-It seems this notebook was left unused for a while before I found it. Was there anyone else writing in it before me?
No. I thought this notebook was a lost cause too, so I just put it back.
'This person has multiple artifacts.'
Lee Han inferred a few things from the other's words.
Given how well they knew about Einrogard's communication artifacts, it was clear they had more than just this notebook.
'In that case, they must know much more about Einrogard's situation than I do.'
-If I have questions, may I ask them?
It's your choice. Answering is mine. Usually, it's an equivalent exchange. You get what I mean?
Since both were anonymous, one-sided questions or answers weren't allowed.
If someone wanted to ask a question, they had to offer something of equal value in return.
-Understood. What I'm curious about are the hidden locations on the third floor of the main building.
Third floor? Are you a second-year?
-Maybe.
Fine. If I can answer this, we'll trade.
Lee Han grew nervous.
Would he be able to meet the other party's demands?
Should he resort to deception?
'But if I get caught lying, the connection will be severed.'
There's a first-year named Wardanaz in your faction.
'How?!'
Lee Han was startled.
Not only was his name mentioned, but he couldn't believe how the other party had guessed his faction.
Was there a way to determine someone's faction through the notebook?
'Ah. No.'
Come to think of it, Lee Han was just affiliated with everyone.
-Yes.
Find out which faction's magic you'll be learning in second year.
-I thought first-years contacting second-years was grounds for severe punishment.
So don't get caught.
'Who is this person, really?'
Lee Han frowned.
First, mentioning his name was suspicious.
Had they heard rumors?
Some seniors helping professors knew his name, but...
'Has it spread that far?'
And then...
The other party hesitated.
They seemed to be deliberating whether or not to say something.
'What is it?'
Make sure to ask whether you'll be learning Black Magic.
-...Are you Senior Diret?
Suddenly, the notebook fell silent.