Episode 541
Episode 541
"Uh, sorry. I..."
Suddenly finding himself on the verge of having his status changed from an Einrogard student to an Einrogard mountain caretaker, Lee Han expressed his refusal.
The yaksha didn't seem to have expected Lee Han to agree either, nodding in understanding.
-Well, of course. A young mage wouldn't abandon Einrogard's academic lineage to hole up deep in the mountains.
"..."
After graduation, with connections and sharp business acumen, I could multiply my assets dozens of times... Ah. Right. You're correct.
'Did I mishear?' The yaksha doubted his own ears for a moment.
An Einrogard student—especially one who had accumulated such virtue—was unlikely to be greedy for money.
"So, what's the troublesome creature settled in the swamp? Is it a Purple Swamp Worm?"
Lee Han racked his brain for monster knowledge and recalled one.
The Purple Swamp Worm was an ox-sized monster that, once settled in a swamp, would spew toxic fumes, killing surrounding vegetation—a real nuisance.
'But with the giants' help, it shouldn't be too difficult.'
The only reason it was annoying was because it hid in swamps. For a race like giants, resistant to poison and physically formidable, brute force would suffice.
Just stir up the swamp until it's forced out and caught.
-Hmm? Purple Swamp Worm? Ah... that tiny thing. You wouldn't call giants for something like that.
"It's pretty big, though..."
-It's a Ghoul Dragon. An ancient one, so its size is massive, and its toxicity is no joke.
"......"
-Ow! Mage! Why are you pulling my hair? Don't pluck it. It's precious hair.
"S-sorry."
Lee Han, flustered without realizing it, had yanked the giant's hair.
Truthfully, while the Ghoul Dragon bore the name "dragon," it wasn't technically one.
It was a similar subspecies—no, not even a subspecies, just something vaguely resembling—a creature with dragon-like features.
Imperial dragon scholars had protested, 'If you're going to slap "dragon" on every big reptile, might as well call drakes "walking dragons" too!' But people naturally preferred intuitive names.
And Lee Han had no real issue with the term "Ghoul Dragon."
If a monster could crush him flat, poison him with toxic breath, or slice him apart with tainted claws, whether it was a real dragon or a fake one didn't matter much.
"Uh... Should I call the Headmaster?"
-What? Stop right there, brat. You clearly don't know the terror of Gonadaltes.
The yaksha was baffled by Lee Han's suggestion to summon the Skeleton Principal for something so trivial.
No matter how fond Gonadaltes was of Einrogard's students, he wasn't the kind of soft mage who would indulge every unreasonable whim.
"No, I think he'd probably help with a request like this..."
-That's a delusion. The same delusion shared by your seniors, their seniors, and their seniors' seniors! You've barely even spoken to him—where does this confidence come from?
"Ugh."
Lee Han was slightly overwhelmed by the old yaksha's firm tone.
Is that so?
'Well, the Skeleton Principal is a bit of a madman.'
Maybe Lee Han just thought they were close, and calling him might provoke a tantrum...
"Understood. Still, facing a Ghoul Dragon seems a bit dangerous, don't you think?"
-Nonsense. Mage!
-Trust us!
The giants bristled at Lee Han's reaction.
The mage was valuing the Ghoul Dragon over them.
"It's not that I don't trust you..."
-Lead the way, old yaksha!
-Fine. Got it. Got it.
"......"
* * *
Freed from the giants' grasp, Balpatan and Anpagon didn't head straight back to safety—
Instead, they followed the giants.
They were worried about their junior.
Even if he held the title of Giant Tamer, giants were a capricious and unpredictable race.
One wrong move, and the Giant Tamer could become the giants' next meal.
"...Wait. Isn't that a yaksha?"
"What? A yaksha?! There's really a yaksha here?"
Balpatan was startled.
He had heard from a graduated senior before that 'there are yakshas somewhere in the mountain range,' but he naturally assumed it was just a scary story the senior made up to intimidate them.
-'On a day when the snow was falling heavily, I met a yaksha, hic. It lectured me about accumulating evil karma. So you brat Moradi should serve your seniors well... hic. Where was I?'
"This is astonishing... Where are they going?"
"Well... I don't know. Damn it. Send another note. We should probably start making our escape soon."
As the giants and the yaksha began to move, the two seniors' faces stiffened.
Their orderly movements were unsettling.
"You don't think they're planning to eat our junior, do you...?"
"Barbaric fool. What kind of nonsense are you thinking?!"
Anpagon flared up in anger.
Though he didn't believe in superstitions, the guy from White Tiger Tower making ominous remarks right now was incredibly irritating.
"Do you think I'm not worried right now? You know how bizarre those giants can be!"
"That junior is too small to be a meal for all those giants."
"What if he's just seasoning?"
"...Shut up!"
The two quietly closed their mouths and followed.
Humming, the giants began uprooting the massive trees around them and started chopping them to make something.
'Wait, are they preparing to camp?' Balpatan was horrified.
Giants preparing to camp -> preparing to cook -> the junior becomes the meal
"Send a note! We need to prepare an escape immediately!"
"O-okay. I'll send it now!"
Anpagon, unusually pale-faced, quickly sent the note.
-The Ghoul Dragon isn't a particularly violent or cruel creature. It's just that its temperament is a headache.
The yaksha examined the makeshift wooden shields the giants had prepared and gestured.
-It would be better off sleeping deep underground, but sometimes it crawls out like this. Fine. That's enough. We're not here to capture it anyway, so this is sufficient.
"Ah. Are we resolving this through dialogue?"
-The Ghoul Dragon doesn't understand speech. And even if it did, it's too lazy to bother.
Lee Han sulked.
-The method isn't that difficult. The youngsters will go in and physically push the Ghoul Dragon away. Once it's far enough, it'll be too lazy to return to the swamp and will go back to its underground den.
"...Is that really all it takes?"
Lee Han was surprised by the unexpectedly peaceful approach.
-Yes. These brats may not listen well, but they're incredibly strong.
Though the method seemed simple, executing it was another matter.
Getting giants of this size to unite and exert their strength wasn't easy.
-There's only one thing for you to do, brat.
"Understood. What magic should I use at the front?"
Steeling himself, Lee Han gripped his staff and asked.
-What nonsense is that? Why would we put a greenhorn mage at the front to deal with a Ghoul Dragon? Just stay back and give orders to the giants. They don't listen well to me.
"That's all?"
-No... What else did you think you'd be doing?
The yaksha gave the young mage a strange look.
Embarrassed, Lee Han quickly spoke up.
"It just feels like I'm not doing much..."
-You're already doing something impressive enough. Those brats never listen to anyone. Good. That's settled. Pull it out now!
Rumble—!
The moment the command was given, the giants began pushing through the forest, clearing a path.
Then, the hidden swamp and the massive Ghoul Dragon perched atop it came into view.
At a glance, it resembled a dragon but was much smaller. Its twisted, grotesque appearance made it look less like a dragon and more like a vicious chimera botched together by a mage.
-Uoooorgh!
"Wait, wait! Coordinate with the others!"
-Ugh...
"To the side! Turn to the side!"
The giants truly wouldn't listen.
Lee Han coaxed, pleaded, and threatened as he maneuvered the giants into forming an encirclement.
The yaksha watched this with immense satisfaction.
-You're really good at this. Hmm. What year are you? I forgot to ask.
"First year."
-Oh... What?
-Yaksha old man! Help us out!!
The giants called for the yaksha.
The Ghoul Dragon, reluctant to leave the swamp, began resisting with all its might.
As the noxious fumes it emitted made the giants' noses and eyes sting, they started screaming.
-I'm going. Go! Lend me some strength for a moment!
"Huh?"
The yaksha lifted Lee Han onto his head. The giant who'd suddenly lost his mage let out a howl.
-Wait a moment. I'll return him soon!
As accumulated merit transformed into power, an incomparably fierce energy surged through the yaksha's entire body.
He'd sensed it from the start—this young mage's accumulated virtuous deeds were anything but ordinary.
-Scram, you nuisance! Go back to that place you love so much and take a nap!
-Yaksha old man, nice one!
The surrounding area seemed to crumble and shatter under the giants' violent collision.
Lee Han exerted all his strength to avoid falling from the violently shaking yaksha. 'Hang on... Hang on!' At some point, he realized he was naturally standing atop the yaksha's head.
Thanks to the epiphany he'd had while climbing the ship's hull during the last exam, he'd finally internalized mana conversion with adhesive properties in this situation—effortlessly, without forcibly expelling mana! 'Got it...!'
-Push it back! Roll it! Roll it!
-Push it out of the swamp!
Oblivious to Lee Han's struggles, the giants enthusiastically shoved with glee.
The impact was enough to shake even someone perfectly adhered.
The basilisk hidden in Lee Han's sleeve let out a pitiful whimper.
How had it ended up dragged along with these giants...!
-Huff, huff, huff.
-You've worked hard. You youngsters have accumulated quite some merit.
Once it was over, the yaksha spoke with genuine sincerity.
Had it not been for the mud-covered, panting giants, he couldn't have pulled the Ghoul Dragon out alone.
They'd truly done well.
-Yaksha old man, what did you even do!
-Have you forgotten that I stepped in because you lot couldn't pull it out?
-Yaksha old man did something too...
The giants, initially puffing up to argue, deflated.
-Mage. Where'd the mage go?
-Yaksha old man stole him!
-I didn't steal him, you brats.
Chiding the giants, the yaksha returned Lee Han, who sat exhausted on a giant's shoulder.
-Wait. Why are you so tired?
"It was a bit shaky up here..."
-Huh? With magic... Wait. You don't know how? Are you really a first-year??
The yaksha was utterly shocked.
He knew all sorts of students existed at the foot of the mountain, but he'd never imagined a first-year would be here playing with giants.
-You're going to go far. Really go far! A first-year coming all the way here and befriending giants.
"It's not like I wanted to—the professors forced me..."
Lee Han was about to badmouth the professors, but the yaksha didn't listen.
-Here, take this. If you ever need this old man's help when you're around here, just pull and call. Since you helped me, it's only right I help you too.
The yaksha handed over a small horn-shaped fragment. Lee Han accepted it skeptically. 'Will I ever come back here?' Once this was over, he doubted he'd ever set foot here again...
"Yes. Thank you."
-Had I known you were a first-year, I wouldn't have asked for help. I feel bad about this.
"Not at all. Just the offer makes me happy."
Lee Han replied bitterly, thinking of the professor who'd sent him here.
"?"
While the giants excitedly praised each other, Lee Han glanced at the ground.
A few scattered notes lay strewn about, as if someone had tossed them. 'Huh? Was someone else here besides seniors?'