Episode 557
Episode 557
The mercenaries retreated down the stairs while hurling curses.
Even excluding those who had fallen, the mercenaries weren't in good shape.
From those with burns to those whose armor was torn to shreds and bleeding—
A well-prepared magician, no matter how green, possessed terrifying destructive power.
And when there were several of them? The outcome spoke for itself.
"Damn it all, getting ambushed by mages..."
"They're chasing us. Hold them off first!"
Clang!
A wolf beastman mercenary with a long scar across his cheek threw sharp metal seeds.
With a burst of sound, steel thorn vines sprouted in the space connecting the hallway and stairs.
Though they'd been overpowered head-on, these battle-hardened mercenaries still displayed quick thinking even at a disadvantage.
It wasn't an exceptionally powerful magic item, but used skillfully, it could prove quite handy.
With their path blocked, the student mages' pursuit halted momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, the wolf beastman mercenary snarled and shouted:
"You spell-slinging brats, if you value your lives, don't even think of sticking your heads out! Do you know who I am? I'm 'Bloody-Handed' Gardam! I've torn apart countless young wizards like you!"
"Gasp!"
The mercenaries were buying time to retreat by flaunting their infamy and intimidating their foes.
Given how young their opponents looked, such bloodthirsty threats stood a good chance of working.
Few things were as helpless as a mage whose focus had been shaken or broken.
These were clearly men well-prepared to face magic users.
But they'd picked the wrong opponents.
"They really are criminals!"
"Wardanaz was right...!"
"I believed him from the start. You guys didn't trust Wardanaz?"
"I did too! I believed him too!"
"...???"
The mercenaries were baffled by the utterly unperturbed conversation drifting from above.
This wasn't the reaction of frightened or hesitant prey.
Gardam gritted his teeth. As expected of a mad archmage's underlings—their nerves weren't ordinary.
"Fall back! Get out of their firing range!"
The mercenaries descending the stairs turned a corner, moving out of the magic alleyway.
They reloaded their crossbows and drew hidden weapons, planning to strike the mages down the moment they carelessly pursued.
"Don't go down."
Despite their initial victory, Lee Han didn't immediately descend the stairs.
"Sharkan."
The leopard roared as it bounded downward. When the bolts and hidden blades the mercenaries fired sliced through the air, Gardam howled:
"You stupid bastards! Aim before you shoot!"
"Now."
The Skeleton Warriors descended the stairs again. Suppressing his fury, Gardam ordered another retreat.
"That leader up there... he's no ordinary foe."
"If we keep retreating like this..."
"I know that too!"
Though the villa was disgustingly large and spacious, if they kept being pushed back by the mages, they'd eventually be surrounded.
And as their earlier beating had shown, a head-on fight would be near suicidal.
"Use the Devil's Tongue too!"
"Now?!"
"Would you rather wait until we're all dead?!"
"Damn it. Fine! Fine!"
Expensive magic items were a mercenary's lifeline—things they hesitated to use unless absolutely necessary.
But the overwhelming pressure the mercenaries felt compelled them to act beyond such cost-benefit calculations.
Whoosh!
Black flames engulfed the Skeleton Warriors descending the stairs.
The flames didn't just burn—they took physical form, slashing through the undead like blades.
"Spring forth."
Lee Han summoned a massive sphere of water in midair.
The mercenary who'd thrown the Devil's Tongue, clearly regretting its use, cursed violently.
"You think water will work?! These flames—"
Splash!
"Spring forth, spring forth, spring forth, spring forth."
In less than a second, the stairway was completely flooded.
The mercenaries froze at the sight of a mage conjuring that volume of water without any nearby river or stream.
Sssss—
At first, the black flames vaporized the water effortlessly, but under the relentless assault, they finally sputtered out.
Lee Han swiftly pulled out bone fragments and summoned five black Skeleton Warriors.
The mercenary, whose precious magic item had just vanished without a trace, could only blink in shock.
"Gather and rotate."
The remaining moisture began to coalesce and spin.
The mercenary hastily raised his shield at the incoming mass of water, but that was clearly a mistake.
Unlike the water-element spells commonly seen on the battlefield, the Water Prison Bomb possessed an entirely different level of destructive power.
Crunch!
With the sound of breaking bones, the mercenary who had wielded the Devil's Tongue collapsed.
"......"
"......"
"Uh... what do we do, Gardam? What should we do?"
Though he had considered himself battle-hardened, Gardam now realized just how narrow his world had been.
The Death Knights' words had been true.
'All this time... I've only been dealing with fake mages...!'
"Over there! Get those criminals!"
"This side is blocked too!"
"!!"
By the time they regained their composure, mages were descending from the opposite corridor as well.
While they had been stalling, the enemy had split their forces and taken a detour.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"Tell the reinforcements to stay put and wait for further orders."
Lee Han sent a message to his friends waiting back at the school and focused on the pursuit.
He didn't know why these criminals were in this villa, but he had a guess.
'Did the Skeleton Principal store something here to use for finals?'
Nothing else seemed suspicious.
It seemed highly plausible...
Regardless of the reason, these criminals needed to be subdued quickly.
The situation was already more chaotic than planned.
If things escalated further, the Death Knights might come running, outing privileges be damned.
'Subdue them as fast as possible and get out!'
"Surrender, mercenaries! We'll be lenient."
"Cut the crap, you damn spell-slinging brats!"
"Aren't you ashamed, licking the boots of those tricksters who dabble in Black Magic?!"
The mercenaries reacted violently.
Lee Han was baffled by their response.
'What did we even do?'
They had fought fair and square—if they lost, they should accept defeat gracefully, not resort to insults like "spell-slingers" and "tricksters."
The other students were seething with rage.
"Spell-slingers?!"
"Black Magic? Do I look like a Black Mage to you? Ah—Wardanaz, not insulting you."
"...Enough. Everyone, follow me."
Though victory was all but assured, Lee Han didn't let his guard down.
Leading the students systematically, he secured sections of the mansion and checked each room.
Mercenaries who had fled and hidden to survive were dragged out pitifully.
"No, please! Have mercy!"
"Call me a spell-slinger again, you criminal scum!"
"Call your allies! If you don't bring your allies here, we'll throw you into the Punishment Room—"
"Hey. The Punishment Room only works on us."
"Oh, right?"
"Knock them out and bring them! We need to subdue them fast!"
At Lee Han's shout, the Phoenix Tower priest nodded and swung his staff.
"Sleep spell—"
Wham!
Lee Han swung his staff and sent the mercenary's jaw flying. The mercenary wobbled before collapsing.
"Move out!"
"Ah, no—"
"This is the real sleep spell!"
The Black Turtle Tower and White Tiger Tower students marveled as they followed Lee Han.
Say what you will, but Wardanaz's magic never failed to impress.
"Those bastards are heading for the main gate!!"
As they knocked out the last mercenary hiding in the mansion, a scream erupted from behind.
The remaining mercenaries were desperately sprinting toward the main gate.
'What?'
Lee Han's expression darkened.
'Do they have an escape route? Why?'
Naturally, Lee Han had assumed the mercenaries couldn't escape this mansion.
The Skeleton Principal wasn't a fool—there had to be a reason they were trapped here.
But seeing them run like that made him uneasy.
What if the mercenaries had a method he didn't know about?
"After them! Stop them at all costs!"
Lee Han fired the Water Prison Bomb at the mercenaries without even aiming. The floor shattered, and the main gate shook.
"Flash—"
As urgency gripped him, the Thunder Spear began gathering at the tip of his staff once more.
Drawing the Morning Star with his other hand, Lee Han charged forward explosively.
"Crazy bastard!?"
Gardam hadn't expected the young mage to charge at him and barely managed to throw his body sideways.
The Thunder Spear struck the main gate as Morning Star cleaved through empty air.
"Moradi!"
Giselle, who had been charging alongside, swung her twin swords and sent Gardam's weapon flying. Gardam let out a pained scream.
"What kind of damn sorcerers are you?!"
"Surrender!"
"Shut up! I'd rather die here than be tortured by undead!"
"No... damn it."
The mercenaries were stubborn to a fault. Lee Han lamented the lack of time to explain as he swung his weapon again.
Gardam leaped back and drew a dagger. The remaining mercenaries stood back-to-back, weapons at the ready.
"Wardanaz. Be careful. They're no pushovers."
"I know!"
Though their swordsmanship wasn't formally trained, their opponents' style was ferocious and explosive.
Moreover, those who had survived this far were the most seasoned and vicious among the mercenaries.
If they weren't careful, they could be overwhelmed despite having the upper hand, so the two approached cautiously.
Crackle-zzzt!
"!"
As the Thunder Spear enveloping the staff grew even larger and shot forward, the mercenaries gritted their teeth and dodged.
"Gahhk!"
"Ugh!"
But the lightning arced in all directions, striking the mercenaries. They groaned as the electric current coursed through their bodies.
Seizing the opening, Giselle simultaneously slashed one mercenary's leg and wrist, subduing him.
"One more time!"
"Got it!"
When Lee Han noticed his opponent focusing on the Thunder Spear, he instantly canceled the spell and moved to the next.
"Strike forth, Perkuntra's Lightning!"
A thick bolt of lightning struck from an unexpected angle, piercing through one mercenary.
And then through the main gate.
Screech—BANG!
The villa's main gate let out an earsplitting metallic groan as it swung open violently.
Lee Han and Giselle froze.
The mercenaries froze too.
"...Move!"
This time, Gardam was the first to act. Shoving his fallen comrades aside, he sprinted toward the main gate with everything he had, using every magic item in his possession.
An indescribable cacophony of sounds erupted as fog, sandstorms, and poison clouds briefly filled the air.
While Giselle subdued the fallen mercenaries, Lee Han turned to his friend and said gravely,
"Just so you know, you were the one who told me to strike again. Moradi."
"...Are you seriously saying that right now?!!!!!!"
Giselle's scream burst out before she could stop it.
"Let's chase him first."
"Chase him!! If we lose him, we're both headed to the Punishment Room!"
Gritting their teeth, Lee Han and Giselle took off running.
They had to catch the last remaining bastard as quickly as possible.
"Salko! Get the other students changed and stick to the original plan! We'll handle that bastard!"
"A-alright! Wardanaz. Moradi. Good luck!"
* * *
Einrogard bureaucrat Lee Eunrade bowed obsequiously to his superior.
"Another splendid day, Auditor Hodrong! Governor Gonadaltes must be eagerly awaiting your arrival as well!"
"Stop spouting nonsense, Eunrade. Governor Gonadaltes would never look forward to a visit from an auditor like me."
Hodrong sipped his coffee with a displeased expression as he sat in the city café.
His mood was sour since he'd soon have to enter Einrogard.
How many ridiculous excuses and absurd incidents would he have to deal with once he stepped inside?
-"My research notes were eaten by a dog! Sob! But please forgive the dog—isn't it cute?"
-"Th-the claim that the entire farm was burned down is a misunderstanding. Sure, there was a fire, but shouldn't we first clarify what 'entire' even means?"
"I understand that as an Einrogard alumnus, your arm naturally bends inward."
"N-no, what are you—absolutely not!"
"But personal feelings have no place in this. Understood? If you want to persuade me, bring me proper documentation."
"W-well, magic often fails..."
"If the magical results are lacking, then at least bring proof of the mages' attitude! Evidence that Einrogard's mages have dedicated themselves to the Empire's citizens! Only then can I even begin to justify requesting more gold for funding!"
'That sounds even more impossible.' Lee Eunrade quickly gave up internally.
Rather than expecting his juniors to dedicate themselves to the Empire's citizens, it seemed more plausible to hope for one Grand Mage to emerge.
-"We caught a criminal!!"
-"An Einrogard student captured a wanted fugitive!"
"Ghk—"
Lee Eunrade sprayed coffee all over his superior's face.