Episode 512
Episode 512
"Why Didn't You Guys Help?"
Lee Han exhaled the breath he had been holding while gripping Morning Star. The basilisk coiled around his wrist flicked its tail reproachfully at his friends, as if agreeing with him. But his friends shamelessly retorted:
"We didn't even have time to help!"
"Even if it were you, it would've been impossible!"
"From what I saw, the timing was a bit..."
As they grumbled, they suddenly grew curious and asked:
"But how did you catch it in such a short time? Ah. I get it."
Salko paused mid-question and looked at the basilisk with realization.
"You used this basilisk's petrifying gaze, didn't you? Am I right?"
—......
The baby basilisk awkwardly averted its gaze. Giselle, standing nearby, sighed and said:
"If it were the basilisk's gaze, we would've felt it too. Tutanta. You're not a swordsman, so you wouldn't know—but look at what Wardanaz is holding."
Lee Han was holding Morning Star.
"I see."
"Right. He must have coated the sword with the basilisk's venom."
—......
The basilisk simply slithered back into Lee Han's coat. He patted its tail soothingly before explaining:
"It wasn't the basilisk—it was this sword's power. It's made of black magnetite, so it absorbs mana intensely."
Morning Star, the famed sword once wielded by an anti-magic extremist, exhibited even greater power under specific circumstances. A ghost mage would normally not be an opponent that Lee Han and Adenart could defeat so easily alone... but this one made the fatal mistake of closing the distance to cast touch-based magic.
Any other novice mage would have panicked upon losing their magical range and dropped their wand—but the moment the enemy broke through his spells and approached, Lee Han immediately drew Morning Star. The ghost mage, who never expected a mage like Lee Han to carry such a sword, took massive damage.
—GGRRAAAH...!? Why the hell does a mage have this sword...!?
"We got lucky."
"...No, seriously, why are you carrying a sword like that?"
At Salko's question, the others unconsciously nodded as well. Why would a mage carry such an artifact? That thing not only drained mana but also interfered with spellcasting. And yet he practiced magic while lugging it around...!
"Think about it, Salko. In this school, will we fight more mages or non-mages?"
"......"
Salko initially dismissed it as nonsense, but upon reflection, it made a strange kind of sense.
'...Is that so?'
"Tutanta. I refuse to believe you're actually considering that drivel. You can't possibly be that stupid."
* * *
Either way, the students who had overcome the trial waited briefly instead of ascending immediately.
Poof!
Amidst smoke, their reward materialized before them.
"By the way, what did you guys get last time?"
"We got shock-absorbing armor."
When Angrago answered immediately, Giselle glared at him as if he were pathetic.
'Anyone would think we're from the same tower.'
"Oh. That's a good item. I haven't seen it before—have you not taken it out yet?"
"...I was wearing it when you hit me last time..."
"......"
As the atmosphere turned awkward, Lee Han swiftly changed the subject.
"Look, the reward's here!"
"Is this really the reward?"
Salko frowned at the shabby sight. Astonishingly, the entire reward was just a stack of paper. Of course, an item's value couldn't be judged by appearance alone—but this was a bit...
"It's a communication artifact."
Lee Han was the first among his friends to recognize the artifact's nature. Having seen something similar in the secret base before, he immediately identified it upon sensing the familiar mana pattern.
"Communication artifact?"
"Yeah. If you spill ink on it like this..."
When Lee Han picked up a sheet and wrote "Gainando is an idiot," the same phrase appeared on all the other sheets. It worked on the same principle as the one they'd obtained before, but the difference was that multiple people could communicate with this one.
"There's an artifact like this?!"
"Yep. By the way, if you ever find something like this at school, be careful. Seniors apparently scam people without mercy."
'How the hell does this guy know this stuff?'
While his friends were baffled, Lee Han pocketed the stack of paper.
"Actually, I was planning to go out soon—I'll sell this next time, convert it to silver, and split it with you guys."
"......"
"...???"
His friends froze mid-listening. Something felt off.
Priestess Dijiling cautiously raised her hand and asked:
"Um, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Why are you selling it??"
Giselle couldn't hold back and cut in with her own question. Lee Han looked genuinely confused as he repeated:
"If I don't sell it, what else would I do with it?"
"..."
"Wardanaz. I also like selling artifacts to secure funds, but is it really necessary to sell this one?" Salko said incredulously. There had to be a reason why this trial's reward was an artifact that allowed communication between them. Clearly, it was meant for students from different towers—who normally wouldn't interact—to learn teamwork and grow closer. But to just sell it off like that...
"Is that so? Does it not fetch a good price?"
"That's not what I meant. I think we should keep it for ourselves. It'll be useful for staying in touch if something happens."
"Salko, you make a fair point. But I suspect the others would prefer silver coins."
Lee Han gave Salko a regretful look. Most students wouldn't give up silver coins just to chat through an artifact when they could meet in person.
"Raise your hand if you'd rather keep and share this artifact instead of selling it."
To Lee Han's astonishment, every single one of them raised their hands—even Adenart, who averted his gaze slightly when Lee Han looked at him.
"Seriously?!"
"We can earn silver coins another time."
"What naïve thinking. How do you even know when that'll be...? Well, fine. Majority rules."
Though surprised, Lee Han respected their decision. Since they had all overcome the trial together, everyone's opinion mattered.
"Honestly, I don't even think we'll need it that much."
"......"
"Is it really that useful? We could just send paper birds instead."
"......"
"And it's not like we'll have that much to talk about—"
"Enough already!"
As Lee Han distributed the papers while still talking, his friends finally snapped.
When the students emerged unscathed, the Skeleton Principal grumbled under his breath. The problem was that they were all too damn friendly. In any other year, students in a cooperative trial would backstab, undermine, and fight each other until they self-destructed. But this year's first-years were way too close. What kind of magic could possibly flourish in such a childish, playtime environment?
"We're not that close!"
"Who's even—"
"Shut it."
A few students protested vehemently, but the Skeleton Principal ignored them.
"Wardanaz, that guy actually suggested that the trial was about reducing numbers through mutual agreement..."
Salko, still bitter, brought up the already concluded matter. The Skeleton Principal's eyes gleamed with interest upon hearing this. What an intriguing idea. Maybe next year's freshmen should face that trial...
"......"
"......"
His friends glared at Salko, who immediately felt a pang of guilt.
'Sorry, juniors.'
At any rate, they had all acted like cowards, barely challenging even one trial before calling it quits. The Skeleton Principal hoped they'd return to this place next year—not as losers dragged off to the Punishment Hall, but as victors standing here again. Understood?
"Yes..."
"I'm so thrilled. I'm brimming with motivation."
Good. That's the spirit.
"And Wardanaz, you come with me."
Lee Han's stomach dropped at the Skeleton Principal's words.
'What now? Is he going to teach me some magic?'
Objectively speaking, the Skeleton Principal had taught just as many spells as Professor Voladi, if not more. Lee Han quickly ran through possibilities, trying to guess which spell the Headmaster might push on him now.
But the destination held an unexpected sight.
Waiting there were two exhausted-looking seniors from the Healing Magic faction—Phil and Chil.
"You've been through a lot."
"Oh, no, Headmaster."
"Just your acknowledgment is honor enough."
"Hey. Bring more coffee."
A Death Knight bowed before returning with a steaming tin pot. The two seniors gulped the coffee down with audible slurps.
'Huh?'
Lee Han was baffled by the Skeleton Principal's uncharacteristic kindness. Did even the most wicked of headmasters soften slightly when it came to healing mages?
"Drink up and pull yourselves together. If not you, who else would specialize in healing magic? And don't even think about quitting. If it gets too hard, come talk to me."
"......"
Lee Han was speechless.
'What the hell...'
Right now, the Skeleton Principal was using the carrot—not the stick—to ensure the healing mages didn't flee!
"Ah, junior."
"Here, over here."
The two spotted Lee Han and waved. He gave a light greeting and sat down.
"What's the matter? Healing magic lectures aren't scheduled for today."
The Skeleton Principal glanced outside. It was already pitch-black night.
'This lunatic.'
Lectures at this hour? That was insane, regardless of the date.
"Ah, no, not a lecture."
"We're here because of the Festival of Saint Iactus. It's this week."
'The Empire has way too many festivals.'
Lee Han grumbled internally. With so little entertainment, the Empire seemed to invent every possible celebration. The popular ones even drew priests from outside to assist...
At least the major ones were familiar to Lee Han, but the smaller ones were so obscure that even he—who mostly skimmed the Empire's financial news—had never heard of them.
'And it's not just me.'
Just three days ago, Gainando had begged someone to play a corpse for some "Detective Festival," and everyone had ignored him. The sheer number of festivals was exhausting.
But he couldn't voice his complaints in front of the seniors. Lee Han forced a polite smile.
"The festival, you say? I'm really looking forward to it."
"You too?"
"Good grief. I don't get why everyone loves this one."
The two seniors sighed and grumbled. Lee Han sensed something was off.
'That guy would like it. Unlike you, he's a fierce beast.'
"I wish His Majesty would outlaw this festival by Imperial decree."
"Things are hard enough as it is..."
"I understand. I really do. Those Empire bastards are downright barbaric!"
"Yes, yes! But you can't quit!"
The Skeleton Principal, unusually, took the students' side.
Lee Han cautiously asked,
"Headmaster."
"What?"
"What is the Festival of Saint Iactus?"
"..."
"You're more of a savage than those who enjoy that festival. How can you not know that?" The Skeleton Principal looked at Lee Han as if he were a barbarian. Of course, Lee Han ignored him.
'Anyway, people who love festivals always think their favorite one is the most important in the Empire.' What a truly pitiful state of affairs.
"Saint Iactus was a brat who felled an evil dragon with a single stone. The festival commemorates that brat. Honestly, now that I think about it, it's ridiculous. Shouldn't we be praising the day someone enchanted that stone instead?"
Though the Skeleton Principal's historical anecdotes about his own life were somewhat interesting, Lee Han decided to move on for now.
"I see. How do you commemorate it? Do you bake a cake or something?"
"You throw stones."
"At sacrificial effigies?"
It wasn't uncommon for festivals to involve creating large effigies as offerings, either to sacrifice or burn.
"No."
"Then into a lake?"
"Why would you throw stones into a lake? What if the spirits get angry?"
"You throw them at each other."
"...??"