Episode 498
Episode 498
'Is that really Senior Diret?'
To be honest, Lee Han hadn't asked the question with absolute certainty.
It had just occurred to him while talking, so he'd thrown it out there.
But when the other party suddenly stopped responding, his suspicion turned into conviction.
Who else could it be?
'It really is Senior Diret.'
This time, when Lee Han remained silent, the other party wrote a few more lines. For some reason, their words seemed oddly flustered.
Whoever this is, randomly throwing out names to test people isn't a good habit...
-Senior. It's Wardanaz. The Wardanaz who shared the Punishment Room snacks with you.
Silence fell again.
Lee Han slightly regretted speaking up.
'Maybe I should've pretended to be Moradi?'
Upon reflection, pointing out a senior's mistakes as a junior wasn't a good habit.
Sometimes, pretending not to notice was how you became a beloved junior.
Why does a first-year have an artifact like this...
Diret finally gave up and admitted it.
The handwriting on the note looked particularly feeble.
Diret gave Lee Han some additional explanations about the artifact.
Since it requires considerable mana, it's probably drawing mana from its surroundings. That's why you can't move... You said you found it in a storage room used by graduates?
-Yes.
Those things aren't usually found by accident. How did you get it?
-I asked a graduated senior who was trapped in the Punishment Room's restricted zone.
...Just say you don't want to tell me if you don't want to, junior.
Diret responded with slight exasperation.
'But it's true.'
Lee Han felt wronged.
-Actually, I caught and threatened the forest mouse guarding the third-floor Polymorph Forest, and it told me.
Ah. That mouse...! Clever, aren't you?
"......"
In his frustration, Lee Han had thrown out an absurd lie, but Diret's complete lack of skepticism left him flustered.
'Does this actually make sense to you?'
It made him question what Diret really thought of him.
-Do you seriously think that makes sen...
I need to head out soon, so I'll keep this brief. If you get your hands on more communication artifacts like this, don't approach carelessly like today. The upperclassmen here at Einrogard are absolutely not kind to juniors.
-You're so kind, Senior. What terrible people they must be.
Shut up.
Diret bluntly cut off Lee Han's flattery.
First-years usually had few interactions with seniors, so they often held idealized views of them.
-Maybe the seniors are decent since Einrogard is full of dogs?
-Maybe the seniors are alright since the professors are trash?
But if you thought about it carefully, those fantasies were full of holes.
What kind of beings do you think Einrogard seniors are, having gone through the same first-year experiences and climbed up first?
They were the type who wouldn't hesitate to sell out juniors if it benefited their own survival and interests.
It was only after being thoroughly used a few times that the naive students who'd just entered second year could realize, "Ah, seniors and professors are all the same here."
That's why Diret was a little worried about Lee Han.
Of course, this boy from the Wardanaz family possessed extraordinary talent in many ways, but when it came to social experience, he couldn't possibly keep up with the battle-hardened upperclassmen of Einrogard.
Moreover, as evidenced by how he'd gotten his hands on this communication artifact, his talent in these areas could actually be a poison.
Wouldn't it just lead to more clumsy encounters with seniors?
I'll tell you a few rules—remember them. First, approach aggressively. No need for honorifics or polite speech.
-Should I try swearing at them?
Not a bad idea. It could hide your background.
'Huh.'
He'd said it as a joke, but Diret responded seriously.
Lee Han nodded and jotted down a memo beside him.
1. Swear like a back-alley thug.
"...???"
Ratford, who was organizing supplies nearby, tilted his head in confusion after glancing at Lee Han's memo.
Never let it show that you're new to using artifacts. Those who frequently use such artifacts are experienced and quick to notice.
-I'll keep that in mind.
This was definitely sound advice.
It was only because the other party was Diret that Lee Han could get away with it—had it been someone with malicious intent, he could have easily been fooled.
Speaking less isn't bad either. Just ask what you want and what they want. If they're experienced, they'll understand what you mean.
Lee Han added another memo.
2. Speak less.
"???"
People who blatantly deceive are rare. But there's no one who doesn't deceive at all. You have to remember that.
Given how difficult it was to obtain such communication artifacts, those who outright broke agreements were uncommon.
Even among thieves, there was honor, and even in lawless back alleys, there were unspoken rules.
But ambiguous wordplay was within acceptable limits.
Don't take everything they say at face value. And don't use this too long. Your grades will suffer. I should go now. Anything else you want to ask?
-Senior.
What?
-I'll be taking Black Magic in my second year too. Please look after me.
...I didn't ask to pressure you. Just like with the Monster Wave, you don't have to take Black Magic if you don't want to. I just wanted to let you know in advance so I could send you off properly without making you feel burdened. Let me say it again—I'm really not pressuring you. If you don't want to take it, you don't have to. Got it? Are you listening?
'Was he always this talkative?'
Lee Han felt slightly overwhelmed as he watched the notebook fill up at twice the speed from before.
-I just genuinely find Black Magic interesting and want to take it.
After inking the words onto the paper, there was silence again.
Lee Han thought Diret had left and was about to close the notebook.
Then one more line appeared.
Glad to hear it. See you next year.
-Yes.
Once Diret had truly left, Lee Han closed the notebook.
Ratford, who had been organizing nearby, approached cautiously and asked,
"Um. Lord Wardanaz. Do you... need to act like a back-alley thug for something?"
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Lee Han and Ratford finished their work together.
They sent Sharkan and Gonadaltes back after a long day (Gonadaltes gave Lee Han a sorrowful look every time he had to move a large pile, mourning his own plight), and once they cleared out the trash, some space finally opened up.
"Was there always a window here?"
"Yes. It seems we forgot because there was too much graffiti on it."
Looking up through the small skylight, stars were already twinkling above.
Lee sighed as he placed the necessary books on the long, imposing table at the center of the warehouse.
"An entire day just went by. I should really get started now."
"Huh? Do you have an assignment?"
Ratford, who had been slicing cheese for the two of them, looked puzzled.
This week's lectures were canceled for everyone, and last week was the midterm exam...
Even if Wardanaz took a lot of classes, when would he have had time to receive an assignment...?
"I got a separate assignment when I went out last time. I have to write two books."
"Oh. A separate assignment. Writing two whole books... That must be tough."
Ratford nodded and walked away.
Lee Han sat at the table, opened a book, and prepared to focus.
"...Wait. Did you say write?"
"Huh? Yeah. I said I have to write two."
"......"
Ratford opened his mouth to say something but gave up and changed the subject.
It was too heartbreaking to bear without shifting the conversation.
"By the way, Lord Wardanaz, since this place is practically your new territory, shouldn't you give it a name? Like 'Wardanaz's Secret Base' or something?"
"Can't we just call it 'Moradi's Secret Base'?"
Lee Han preferred a name that wouldn't be traced back to him in case they got caught later.
"Why Moradi...?"
"Fine. Let's call it Wardanaz's Secret Base. The name doesn't really matter."
Ratford's eyes were so innocently pure that Lee Han quickly changed his tune.
"By the way, Ratford. Don't you have anything to do right now?"
"Huh? Not really."
Ratford absentmindedly took a bite of a thick cheese slice as he replied.
"Then sit in front of me and open your alchemy book. We can study together."
"...Ah, r-right! Come to think of it, there's still a lot of junk left over there. Please let me sort through it a bit more!"
"Hmm. Isn't that too much? Trying to finish it all in one day seems a bit greedy..."
"Only by doing our best can we make progress, little by little!"
Ratford hastily dashed back to the pile of miscellaneous items. Lee Han shrugged and turned his gaze back to the book.
<Wardanaz's Water Prison Bomb and Its Fundamental Principles>
Water-element combat magic is often underestimated, yet its true value cannot be easily dismissed by any imperial mage. The imperial mage Yumidihus compiled classical water-element combat spells...
<The Limitations of the Water Orb Bomb Spell and Its Developmental Direction>
What exactly is the Water Orb Bomb spell? To explain this, we must first discuss the underestimated field of water-element combat magic... The imperial mage Yumidihus...
'Huh. My skills haven't dulled yet.'
Lee Han felt a slight admiration for his own ability to pack the same content into different books so effectively.
Professors Voladi and the Skeleton Principal might dislike such unnecessary prefaces, but a proper book should have one.
It was a matter of consideration for the reader.
...First, the following prerequisites are necessary... The massive mana consumption is a drawback... To compensate, methods of amplifying mana, such as blood magic, are required...
'Too extreme?'
While drafting the introductory section for <Wardanaz's Water Prison Bomb>, Lee Han paused.
The drawback was heavy mana consumption, and suggesting ways to compensate made it seem a bit extreme.
"Lord Wardanaz?"
"Ah. Ratford. Here to study alchemy?"
"...N-no."
Ratford was starting to feel a little intimidated by Lee Han.
"There's a peculiar artifact here."
"!"
Lee Han set down his quill and walked over to where Ratford stood.
As the mountain of junk was cleared away, a mirror firmly embedded in the floor was revealed.
The bronze mirror's surface was cloudy, marred by many scratches, making it impossible to see a clear reflection.
But thanks to his earlier experimentation with the notebook, Lee Han instinctively recognized what kind of artifact this was.
Their mana wavelengths were similar.
'A communication artifact!'
So there was more than one in the warehouse.
Lee Han approached the mirror with curiosity in his eyes and activated it the same way he had the notebook earlier.
"......"
"......"
But unlike before, nothing happened.
'Is the connected artifact also without an owner?'
That was entirely possible.
Einrogard had many abandoned places, and the artifacts linked to them would have been discarded as well...
Earlier, he had been lucky that Diret had the connected artifact, and Lee Han had been nearby when activating it—otherwise, getting any response would have been difficult.
"Hmm. What a shame. I was hoping to talk to another senior."
"I'll keep watch over it."
"No. Only the connected person can see it anyway. Let's stop here and sit down to study."
"...Yes..."
Ratford slumped down in front of Lee Han, instinctively sensing that his excuses wouldn't work anymore.
'Is that old saying true—that learning alchemy makes you a better thief? Or is it a lie? Do I really need alchemy?'
As he opened the alchemy book, the skeptical thoughts trapped within its pages began to torment Ratford with boredom.
Buzz—
"!"
Lee Han, who had been scribbling with his quill, flinched at the sudden vibration from the mirror.
"It's here!"
"Let's go check it out!"
"No. Finish what you were studying first."
"......"