Episode 54
Episode 54
"So you're saying Professor Mortum gave you these bones?"
"Lord Wardanaz. I may not know much about magic, but in our line of work, there's a saying: never associate with black mages."
"......"
The two friends coldly pointed out the reality.
No matter how you looked at it, that Bone Summon was a rather creepy gift.
To think there was a professor who'd give something like that...
Without realizing it, Lee Han found himself making excuses.
"But it's not completely useless, right?"
"That may be true, but it's still creepy."
Ratford loyally replied—though the content of his words wasn't particularly loyal.
Yet Yoner, perhaps sensing Lee Han's complicated feelings, made an effort to find positive aspects of the Bone Summon.
"Well, it doesn't need food, it's loyal, and it can do all sorts of things..."
"What exactly can it do?"
Yoner pretended not to hear Ratford's question.
"...And if you look at it a certain way, it's kind of cute, don't you think?"
"Thanks, Yoner. But hearing you say that just makes me realize how clearly messed up this thing is."
He wanted to believe the gift had its uses, but Lee Han could no longer deny reality.
The Bone Summon was undeniably strange.
"Why on earth would someone gift a Bone Summon?"
"Hmm... More than that, I'm curious why they'd specifically gift bones separately."
"Could it mean we're supposed to find more bones scattered around the school and combine them?"
At Ratford's words, Yoner laughed as if it were absurd.
"That's ridic—...Wait. It is ridiculous, right?"
"......"
But Lee Han couldn't laugh.
Ratford's suggestion sounded far too plausible.
'Did they really give it to me with that intention?'
Otherwise, there was no way a random hand bone picked up by a Tower of the Black Turtle student would stick so perfectly and merge like this.
Of course, with normal thinking, one would wonder, 'Who in their right mind would enjoy such a bone-collecting game?' But as everyone knew, the professors didn't operate with normal thinking.
They likely thought, 'The students will have fun running around collecting these bones, right?'
'That's horrifying.'
Lee Han shuddered.
Even more terrifying than the Bone Summon itself was the professors' twisted way of thinking.
Such terrifying thoughts that no sane person could ever follow!
"Wardanaz! Done browsing the Black Market? ...Wait, what the hell is that bone?!"
Ashan Dalkar, who had returned late, recoiled in shock at the sight of the Bone Summon circling around Lee Han.
What in the world happened?
A considerable number of students had gathered before Professor Ingoldel.
Not just from the Blue Dragon Tower or the Tower of the Black Turtle, but students from the Phoenix Tower and even the White Tiger Tower were all present.
It was only natural—every student taking Alchemy needed materials.
If they missed an opportunity like this, where even the professor was accompanying them, it would be difficult for students of their level to gather materials from within the mountain range.
Once all the students had assembled, Professor Ingoldel slowly began speaking.
"First priority: safety. Second priority: safety. First, group up with students from your own tower. Then, memorize each other's faces and keep track of your numbers. I'll periodically check to ensure no one has gone missing."
"......"
"......"
Professor Ingoldel had a talent for unnerving students. Already, their faces were tense with apprehension.
'But being tense is better.'
It was far better to go in with heightened caution than to treat it like a casual field trip and risk disaster.
The Blue Dragon Tower students all knew each other's faces.
Lee Han and Yoner, of course, along with Ashan—and even the Princess.
Ashan asked curiously,
"Wardanaz. I heard from the Tower of the Black Turtle students that the dish you made for them was incredibly delicious."
"That's an exaggeration. It was just an ordinary stew."
Lee Han thought the Tower of the Black Turtle students were overstating things.
"Anything tastes good when you're starving."
The stew Lee Han had made earlier was a simple one, just vegetables chopped on the spot and cooked with oil, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce.
"No. It was genuinely delicious."
"It truly was delicious."
"?"
Lee Han was puzzled.
He could understand Ratford reacting that way, but he hadn't expected Yoner to respond like that too.
"There wasn't even any meat in it? Wasn't what you usually eat at the dorm better?"
"No. Maybe because we all ate it together outside? That made it taste so much better."
'Was it the ingredients?'
The only plausible reason he could think of was the freshly harvested vegetables in the stew.
Since they had grown so suddenly in Professor Thunderstep's hut, Lee Han wondered if the professor had sprinkled some special medicine on them.
'Oh no. Did I unknowingly take some precious elixir the professor had spread around?'
Lee Han felt a twinge of regret.
But upon reflection, if that were the case, Professor Thunderstep would have left a note warning him not to touch the garden. Besides, wasn't that technically Lee Han's garden?
'No matter how I think about it, it's definitely not my fault.'
If he'd known the stew would be praised this much, Lee Han would have tried some himself. He felt a slight regret.
Just how good had it tasted...?
"Wait. You're from the White Tiger Tower."
Ashan Dalkard spoke to the elf with long black hair.
He was a student from the White Tiger Tower whom they had spoken to once before.
The unusual thing was that, instead of moving with his fellow White Tiger Tower students, he had pledged loyalty to the Princess!
"I've already sought permission from my fellow tower members. I will serve Her Highness the Princess."
Looking around, several students from other towers had already gathered around the Princess.
It was an astonishing display of loyalty.
In contrast...
Lee Han glanced around. Then, one of the Black Turtle Tower students sidled up to him.
"Don't you also dislike the White Tiger Tower students? Should we gather some people and pick a fight with them?"
"......"
Just what kind of person do you all think I am?
"This spot looks good. Everyone, gather your own ingredients."
After walking along the mountain path for several hours, Professor Ingoldel stopped upon discovering a flower field.
Watching the students disperse in small groups, the elf professor wore a pleased expression.
Contrary to his worries, the students were moving in an orderly fashion.
The students had also realized it—
To survive in this school, they had no choice but to stick together.
'They're all doing well.'
No matter which tower they were from, there were always a few students who naturally took on leadership roles.
Though their personalities and methods varied, there was no denying that these leaders helped their peers in times of crisis.
The boy from the Wardanaz family was one of them.
With the icy charisma befitting a noble house, the boy exerted strong influence not only over the Blue Dragon Tower but also students from other towers.
It was fortunate that, despite his cold and aloof demeanor, his nature wasn't bad. Had he been malicious, the towers would have been far noisier in many ways.
'It's common for a natural leader to emerge, but this one is on a different level.'
Having heard about Lee Han from a few students of other towers, Professor Ingoldel was slightly mistaken.
Lee Han absolutely did not harbor any delusions like, "As someone born into a prestigious magic family, it is my duty to rule and dominate others."
Chirp chirp chirp.
"?"
Professor Ingoldel, who had been sitting, turned his head at the sound of birds coming from behind.
Poof!!
In that instant, Professor Ingoldel vanished without a trace.
"W-Wardanaz."
While placing cloud mushrooms and dwarf hammer mushrooms into his basket, Lee Han sensed something was wrong.
From a distance, several Black Turtle Tower students were approaching with faces pale as death.
"What's going on?"
"The professor... the professor...! He disappeared!!"
"?!"
Lee Han was shocked.
Several thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
Could Professor Ingoldel have deliberately lulled the students into a false sense of security before vanishing to teach them a lesson?
'No. I trust Professor Ingoldel. ...Statistically speaking, trusting the professor isn't the wisest choice... but still.'
Lee Han shook his head.
Then, could evil enemies like the Imperial Anti-Magic Zealots have secretly infiltrated and kidnapped Professor Ingoldel?
'That doesn't make sense either. After the last attack, security must have been increased severalfold. Could they really have breached that? If they had, the Headmaster would be unqualified.'
If not that, then the next thought that came to mind...
'Was he taken by a monster? But Professor Ingoldel is a master on par with Alarong. Would such a master fall to a monster without even making a sound? And would such a monster appear in the outskirts of these mountains?'
Come to think of it, given how this magic school was, it wouldn't be surprising if any kind of monster showed up nearby. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but Lee Han still believed in Professor Ingoldel's abilities.
He wasn't the kind of person to fall so meaninglessly.
"What do we do? What do we do?"
"Everyone, stay calm. Professor Ingoldel might have just stepped away somewhere for a moment."
Lee Han didn't really believe that himself, but he spoke calmly for the time being.
The priority now was to reassure the other students.
'No monster has appeared, and we haven't gotten lost. There's no need to panic. We just need to retrace our steps.'
Though everyone imagined wild, untamed land when they thought of mountain ranges, there were actually paths here and there within them.
Natural trails formed by seniors who had walked these paths before.
Even though the students had been walking for quite a while, since they had followed this path in, they could just turn back and...
Swoooooooooosh—
"......"
"......"
As the sudden downpour began pouring from above, Lee Han started seriously suspecting that all of this might be a trap.
Lee Han and a few students gathered under a nearby cliff to take shelter from the rain.
Nilia, her face pale, shook off the moisture and spoke.
"Finding our way in this situation is impossible. We'll definitely lose our bearings. And what's even more dangerous is losing body heat or running into a monster. Encountering a monster in the rain is the worst nightmare imaginable."
At Nilia's words, her friends made despairing expressions.
But Nilia continued as if it was no big deal.
"But don't worry. We're in a decent spot right now. We just have to hold out until the rain stops—"
"Even if it's risky, we should try to find our way. If the rain gets worse, it'll be even harder to find the path."
"No, we just have to hold out—"
"The Phoenix Tower and White Tiger Tower students are missing. How are we supposed to find them in this rain?"
"That's why we should just hold—"
"We have to find the professor! Let's figure out a way to call for the professor."
Nilia gave up and sulked.
Lee Han waved her over. Nilia scurried over and began gathering wood beside him.
Meanwhile, the students continued arguing, each voicing their own thoughts.
They had to find the path, regroup with the other students, find the professor, and so on.
As they debated, Lee Han lit fires here and there. The Bone Summon moved through the rain, gathering more branches.
"That's why we should move first, even if it's just us!"
"We have to find the other students! It's common sense that numbers give us an advantage!"
"We should find the professor first!"
The students' arguments grew even more heated.
Realizing their opinions were at an impasse, they turned to seek a judge.
"Wardanaz!"
"Wardanaz, what do you think?"
"Huh?"
Lee Han, in the middle of lighting a fire, was startled when the metaphorical arrow suddenly turned toward him.
"Shouldn't we just wait until the rain stops?"
"...Oh. Right."
"Yeah. We should wait."
"......"
Nilia glared at her friends.
When I said it, you barely even listened...!