Episode 533
Episode 533
Even as the lecture ended and everyone relaxed while looking forward to the upcoming weekend, Lee Han couldn't rest.
There was simply too much to do.
On top of already having to write Professor Voladi's assignments—"On Wardanaz's Water Prison Bomb and Its Fundamental Principles" and "The Limitations of the Water Prison Bomb and Its Potential Developments"—he had also received an external assignment from Professor Alpen. It was only natural that he couldn't relax.
Normally, he would have thought, 'I'll just do the rest over the weekend,' and put it off, but this time, he couldn't even do that.
Because even if he used up the entire weekend, it still wouldn't be enough time to prepare for the group outing to the Skeleton Principal's villa with his friends.
"Lord Wardanaz. Would you care to join us for fishing at the lake to honor our Aglataqua?"
"My apologies, Priest Sharukal. I have books I must read."
The shark beastman priest left regretfully, fishing rod in hand.
"Lord Wardanaz. Would you care to join us to gather mushrooms in honor of our Flemeng? We found a cluster of honey bread mushrooms. It would be best to hurry before others find them... Though, of course, if others do find them first, that too would be Flemeng's will!"
"My apologies, Priest Siana. I have reports I must write."
Priest Siana left regretfully, basket in hand.
"Lord Wardanaz."
"My apologies, Priestess Dijiling. I have a professor to— Ah. No. What am I saying? I have problems to deal with."
Lee Han quickly regained his composure and covered the doodles around him with paper. It wouldn't do any good to show Dijiling sketches like "101 Ways to Bury a Professor Alive."
"Just now, I definitely..."
"You must have misseen. Anyway, I'm too busy to go out right now."
"I wasn't going to ask you to go out...?"
Priestess Dijiling tilted her head in confusion before offering some snacks—sweetly baked cornbread and a tin cup of steaming hot cocoa.
"Did the other priests ask you to go out? Surely you didn't..."
"They did."
"......"
"There must have been a reason. If there was a reason, then it must be acceptable."
The demon-half priest gracefully shifted the direction of the conversation. Lee Han was slightly impressed.
"I really appreciate it. Wait—isn't this the cornbread I baked this morning?"
"Ah, yes. There was too much, so I baked it again."
"Hold on. This cocoa—don't tell me it's from the batch I handed out last time when everyone was exhausted?"
"I thought I didn't need to drink anything sweet, so I brewed it...?"
'Gainando would be horrified if he heard this.'
The idea that someone "didn't need to drink anything sweet" was the complete opposite of Gainando's personal philosophy.
"If you eat first, then I'll have some too. No—wait, I already have my own food. Not many people have as many supplies as I do."
Lee Han scolded Priestess Dijiling in disbelief.
Being frugal was one thing, but skipping meals was not the right way to go about it.
Unable to refute Lee Han's words, Priestess Dijiling fidgeted with her lips before suddenly noticing something and asking:
"Did you take out that tart box to eat?"
"Huh? No, I'm selling that for money. I've got plenty of other food—why would I fill my stomach with something that expensive?"
"Then did you take out that roll cake to eat?"
"That's for Gainando—I promised to give it to him if he finishes all his assignments by the end of the week."
"......"
"Then... doesn't that mean the only thing you can actually eat here is that bread?"
Priestess Dijiling pointed at the stiff, hardened standard Einrogard rations and asked.
Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
"No, I eat it with cheese, meat, and lettuce as a sandwich."
"Is that so? ... Wait, I don't see any of that."
"......"
"I usually do. I've just been a bit busy today..."
"......"
Priestess Dijiling stared at him with a look that said, "And yet you had the nerve to lecture me?"
Lee Han gave up and sighed.
"Fine, let's eat something together. Could you call the other priests? Since we're setting this up, we might as well share."
"Lord Wardanaz, sometimes you remind me of our temple's archbishop."
"Ah. Is the bishop perhaps wealthy?"
"No? He lives quite modestly."
Lee Han looked disappointed. 'Wait. Then what's similar about us?'
Lee Han cooked a simple meal with the priests in the dormitory lounge.
"The sandwiches seem too cold."
"Isn't this fine as it is?"
"Hmm. Wait a moment. Today's leftover ingredients..."
Lee Han tossed rice, chicken, onions, and garlic into a pot with the priests, fried them in oil, and made pilaf.
Priestess Dijiling stared pointedly at him, likely remembering the hardened bread Lee Han had been about to eat earlier, but Lee Han pretended not to notice. 'When you're busy, sometimes you skip meals.'
Knock knock knock
"!"
At the sound of someone knocking, Lee Han immediately grabbed his staff and prepared for battle.
Professor Voladi would've been moved to tears if he'd seen it.
"...I-I just knocked on the door."
"Right. And that's how all ambushes start. Who is it? Answer and immediately step back five meters."
-I've come to deliver a gift for the Young Master.
"Ten meters back!"
Hearing the Death Knight's voice, Lee Han's tone grew even sharper and fiercer.
The priests, sensing something unusual, immediately set down their bowls and picked up their staffs.
"Priest Nigisor, that's not a staff—it's a spoon."
"Ah, my mistake. Sorry. It was just so tasty..."
Priest Nigisor sheepishly picked up his staff again.
Meanwhile, the door slowly creaked open. The Death Knight, who had obediently stepped back as ordered, spoke calmly.
-I understand why you students are wary, but I assure you, there are absolutely no traps today.
"Sure, sure."
Lee Han scoffed, and the priests chuckled under their breaths.
The Death Knight looked slightly wounded.
Sure, the Wardanaz boy was his master's successor, so his twisted personality was understandable—but the priests were going too far!
-If you don't believe me, check for yourself.
"I was planning to do just that."
Lee Han sent out Sharkan and Gonadaltes to scout the surroundings.
Not stopping there, he conjured a Water Orb and fired it near the Death Knight, then launched various offensive spells as well.
Though the Death Knight couldn't make expressions, his eyes betrayed his gloom as he brushed off the ice shards that had splattered onto his bones.
-Are you done checking?
"I haven't checked everything yet, but I get the gist. So, why are you here?"
-Didn't I say... I came to deliver a gift.
The Death Knight shook the large wooden chest he was holding.
-A gift from my master.
"Ah."
The moment Lee Han saw the chest, realization struck like lightning. 'That wicked bastard.'
This was one of the traps Professor Garcia had warned about—the Skeleton Principal's way of tormenting students before finals.
One of his many traps: a snack box hiding an undead warrior lying in wait.
"Thank you."
-May I hand it over, then?
"Yes. Of course."
As Lee Han nodded, the Death Knight slowly approached.
The moment the Death Knight stopped right in front of him, Lee Han acted swiftly.
Drawing Morning Star, he sliced the wooden chest clean in half.
Slickk!
-...?!
"Hah! Did you think I'd fall for it?!"
The contents spilled out from the perfectly bisected chest.
An evil undead warrior, lying in wait under the Headmaster's orders...
...except it wasn't.
It was clothes.
"???"
-???
Staring at the neatly severed coat, Lee Han realized why the Skeleton Principal had sent this gift.
This weekend, the Headmaster had to take Lee Han and the Empire's wandering poet, Ifadur, out on an excursion.
Since they'd be accompanying a famous figure of the Empire, they couldn't dress shabbily.
The cloaks and coats students wore at Einrogard were practically rags anyway...
"...Trying to dress me in clothes like this? Tell him I absolutely refuse!"
-Understood, sir.
The Death Knight left with an oddly impressed expression.
'Truly a disciple worthy of his master,' it thought, marveling how he never bent even before such a terrifying superior.
* * *
'This sharp-eyed brat. He somehow always recognizes expensive clothing.'
Saturday morning.
Having completed his human transformation, the Skeleton Principal grumbled inside the carriage.
Lee Han silently thought to himself:
'Master Ipatur, please hurry.'
It seemed the Headmaster would keep complaining until the bard arrived.
"Being originally from high nobility, I simply cannot wear clothing unbefitting my status."
Yet you wore those rags just fine at Einrogard?
"That was an unavoidable circumstance."
Even during vacations, you never dressed particularly...
"When living among friends, one cannot dress extravagantly alone."
That sounds like a lie. Are you just looking for excuses to complain?
The Headmaster kept muttering, still resentful about having to purchase clothes far more expensive than originally planned.
Since this outing involved Ipatur, he couldn't scold his disciple for demanding expensive attire.
He even suspected this cunning disciple had deliberately exploited the situation to extract high-end clothing despite having no real interest in fashion.
"My apologies for the delay."
Ipatur approached from the distance. The Headmaster personally opened the carriage door, using his vocal cords for the first time in ages:
"Not at all, sir. We arrived early, so please don't concern yourself. Now, where shall we proceed?"
"If it's no trouble, I'd be grateful to visit Philone Village... I wish to meet all the region's most gifted singers."
The elderly turtle demi-human replied in his slow but stubborn voice.
The Headmaster gestured as if to say "don't worry," whereupon the carriage door closed and they sped forward.
The interior could easily accommodate dozens more Tower freshmen. Ipatur couldn't hide his awe at the spaciousness.
"Might I look around briefly?"
"By all means. Feel free to explore. Show him around."
While the Death Knight guided Ipatur, Lee Han and the Headmaster sat silently observing the passing scenery.
"How much progress have you made regarding Music Magic?"
Lee Han broke the silence—after all, enlivening such occasions was naturally the junior's role.
The Headmaster pretended not to hear, staring fixedly outside.
"Headmaster? About Music Magic—"
"Look! Outside! Butterflies in this season! How magnificent is the cycle of life!"
"...You don't want to discuss Music Magic, do you?"
At Lee Han's remark, the Headmaster exhaled an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. I don't. This is precisely why Primitive Magic... Can we even call it magic when measurements fluctuate constantly? When every single aspect changes based on trivial moods?"
"But Divine Magic is still magic."
There already existed magics incorporating unstable elements like emotions—Divine Magic being a prime example, its effectiveness varying wildly based on priests' faith or condition.
The Headmaster seized on Lee Han's words with surprising enthusiasm:
"Exactly! That's precisely why Divine Magic isn't real magic! I'm delighted you finally understand!"
"...I didn't say Divine Magic isn't magic..."
Lee Han was dumbfounded by how the Headmaster could perfectly articulate an idea yet completely misinterpret it in return.
"I see the future clearly. Some talented singers will likely wield magic-like abilities. But record those techniques for students to replicate? Utterly pointless. Primitive Magic has value only for those who can wield it—as academic study, it's practically failing. No wonder these traditions die out..."
As the Headmaster rambled on, Lee Han organized his mental checklist while gazing outside.
"?"
In the distance, rapidly shrinking figures were desperately waving.
'Send-off party?'
Pondering why they seemed so frantic, realization struck Lee Han belatedly.
"...Ah."
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
It occurred to him they'd planned to loot the Headmaster's villa together this weekend.
'...'
Guess we'll go next week...'