Episode 558
Episode 558
"......"
Hodrong silently wiped the coffee splattered on his face with a handkerchief.
Eunrade, who had spat out the coffee he was drinking onto his superior's face, was left speechless—even if he had ten mouths, he wouldn't have known what to say.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!!"
"Enough. It's fine."
After wiping off all the coffee, Hodrong spoke with a deeply suspicious look in his eyes.
"Did the Duke of Gonadaltes order you to do this?"
"...No!!"
Eunrade, who had suddenly found himself under the terrifying misunderstanding that the Skeleton Principal might strangle him for this, panicked and vehemently denied it.
"Why on earth would I do such a thing!?"
"There are plenty of reasons. You could've sprayed coffee to create chaos and steal my bag. Or maybe you were planning to attack me the moment I stepped away."
Hodrong was someone who harbored deep-rooted distrust toward the mages of Einrogard.
In truth, it wasn't just Hodrong—most imperial bureaucrats didn't trust Einrogard's mages either.
There had been cases in the past where officials visiting Einrogard ended up caught in unfortunate magical accidents.
The Duke of Gonadaltes had tearfully insisted it was all just a coincidence, but the bureaucrats didn't believe him.
"Or maybe it was just emotional retaliation."
"No! I swear it wasn't!"
"Fine. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. But stay back."
Hodrong gestured dismissively, openly suspicious of his subordinate. Eunrade stepped back, his entire body radiating indignation.
"Alright. Let's go."
"Huh? Go where?"
"You must've heard it just now. They said an Einrogard student caught a wanted criminal."
"Ah."
Only then did Eunrade remember why he had spat out his coffee in the first place.
It was because he had heard something utterly absurd.
'This is bad!'
Though the townspeople were shouting, "An Einrogard student caught a wanted criminal!", Eunrade wasn't fooled.
After all, he himself was an Einrogard graduate.
It was obvious the townsfolk must have misunderstood.
Originally, the cry had probably been, "An Einrogard student is the wanted criminal!", but as it spread from person to person, it must have twisted into, "What? An Einrogard student caught a wanted criminal?"
"H-Lord Hodrong. Isn't this just a rumor? The city is always full of baseless gossip. There's no need to waste your time on something like this!"
As Eunrade tried to dissuade his superior, he inwardly lamented why he even had to go this far.
If only his juniors had handled things properly, none of this would be happening!
"Is that what you call reasoning right now? Follow me. I need to see what's really going on."
"B-But... it's crowded, and there might be pickpockets..."
Hodrong seemed even more convinced after seeing Eunrade's hesitant attitude.
He was determined to see with his own eyes what the Einrogard student was up to—and put a stop to it!
"I'll flay your skin, salt your flesh, and hang you from a mountain peak for the crows to peck at, you worthless bastard worse than a broken, rusted scrap of a sword!"
"You deserve to rot forever in the deepest dungeon of the Punishment Hall, turned to stone without even the ability to blink, you bastard who should be locked in the cell right next to Professor Verdus!"
Gardam, now captured, sobbed uncontrollably as he flailed his arms. He desperately tried to crawl away, scrambling across the ground in a futile attempt to escape.
Though he had survived countless battles and even the brutal Inkatan Rebellion, all that experience was useless against the true terror of a real mage.
The two mages dragged Gardam back while hurling curses at him.
"Try to escape one more time, and I'll add a few more holes to your body."
"You could've just surrendered, but you had to drag this out. Are you even human? Do you have any idea how many students have suffered because of you?!"
'I don't know, you bastards!'
Gardam let out a silent scream at the mages spouting nonsense he couldn't understand.
When he had broken through the main gate and exhausted all his magic items to block their path, he had truly believed he had escaped.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
Gartham shoved and kicked through the crowd of citizens blocking his path.
Their human wall would prevent the pursuing mages from recklessly firing off spells.
"A basilisk has appeared, citizens of Granden City! We must capture and relocate it—please clear the way!"
But the mages were just as ruthless, shoving people aside as they chased him down.
Worse, they didn't hesitate to use magic. Deadly spells came flying.
"Wardanaz, what if you miss?"
"I—I won't miss! Moradi, I'll cast Enhancement Magic on you—get ready!"
"Got it—wait, the side effects—"
Gartham had prided himself on his endurance, but the two mages were relentless, chasing him down again and again.
When he toppled stacked fruit crates to block their path, they smashed through. When he ducked into an alley, they summoned creatures to pursue him. When he leapt into the canal, they bombarded him with freezing spells until he nearly died of hypothermia.
Even Gartham hadn't thought he could run this far. It was sheer terror fueling him.
But willpower alone had its limits.
As his strength waned and his mana scattered, exhaustion flooded his muscles.
Thud!
A summoned leopard lunged from the side and clamped its jaws around his ankle.
At the same time, Giselle sliced off both of Gartham's arms. The weapons he'd been holding clattered away.
From behind, Lee Han fired a Water Prison Bomb, precisely shattering both of Gartham's legs.
"Sur—surrender—"
"You son of a bitch, worse than a broken, rusted scrap of a sword! I'll skin you alive, salt your flesh, and hang you from a mountain peak for the crows to feast on!"
"You bastard, rotting in the deepest dungeon of the Punishment Hall, turned to stone without even the strength to blink, with Professor Verdus in the cell ahead of you!"
Realizing there was nowhere left to run, Gartham tried to declare surrender—but the mages who had chased him this far were beyond ordinary rage.
Gartham screamed at the citizens.
"Help me! Please, save me! These mages are—"
Thwack!
Lee Han silenced Gartham with a spell to the solar plexus, then quickly explained to the gathering crowd.
"That's not true, citizens! This man is a wanted criminal!"
"Ah—that guy! Isn't that 'Bloodstained Hands' Gartham?!"
"Yeah, that's him!"
'Phew.'
Lee Han and Giselle exchanged glances, sighing in relief.
They'd nearly been arrested by the city guard—an inconvenient situation—but luckily, someone recognized Gartham's face.
"But who are you two?"
"Uh... We're adventurers from the Granden City Adventurers' Guild. Right, Gubon?"
"...Y-yeah."
'Who the hell is Gubon?'
Giselle had no idea, but she played along. Getting caught as students here would be disastrous.
"Huh? Aren't you mages from Einrogard?"
"Yeah, that's right! Look at those shabby, pitifully plain robes—and the staff! Definitely Einrogard mages!"
"What wandering mage could cast spells like that?"
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and Giselle exchanged horrified glances.
They'd covered Einrogard's insignia with their cloaks, yet they were being recognized just for looking "shabby and pitiful."
'What do we do?'
'Deny it. Wardanaz. Deny it!'
"...What nonsense! Einrogard mages? No way!"
Lee Han shouted dramatically.
"We're just adventurers scraping by day-to-day, sleeping on the dirt with the sky as our blanket—"
"But... you look noble?"
"Aren't you nobles?"
The townspeople eyed Lee Han suspiciously.
He flared up in anger.
"I said no! Don't spout such dangerous nonsense!"
"But... your face..."
"Don't judge people by appearances! Look at—uh—Gubon here! She might look delicate, but inside, she's cunning and vicious—a swordsman who cuts down anyone who disobeys her in a single stroke!"
'This bastard...'
Giselle seethed but couldn't ruin the act. She silently clenched her jaw, glared at the crowd, and nodded.
"Ah! Honored Mage!"
Adventurer Goo Bon, upon spotting a familiar face while passing by with his companions, greeted them cheerfully.
"What are you doing here? It's good to see you!"
"Do you know them?"
"Yes. That gentleman is Mage Wardanaz from Einrogard."
"......"
"......"
Giselle glared at Lee Han as if she wanted to kill him.
"...Anyway, no."
"Ah... I see."
"Understood."
The gathered townspeople hesitated before nodding in agreement.
Their expressions seemed to say, 'They're mages from Einrogard, and they probably don't want to draw attention—let's respect that.'
Lee Han and Giselle both looked sullen.
'We're screwed.'
'We're done for.'
It felt like the time left until their punishment was rapidly dwindling.
Lee Han glared at the fallen Gardam as if he wanted to murder him. Gardam, terrified, pressed his forehead to the ground.
"Will you hand this man over to the city guards?"
"If it's the mage's request, of course we'll oblige. But... are you sure? This was your doing..."
"...It's fine."
Lee Han waved his hand and smiled faintly, a lonely expression on his face.
That smile seemed to say that worldly fame and wealth were utterly insignificant on the path of a mage.
The onlookers were deeply moved, as if they had experienced it themselves.
"Moradi. Let's go buy what we need."
"...Fine. What choice do we have?"
Giselle let out a soft sigh and resigned herself to reality.
At this point, yelling at Wardanaz wouldn't change anything.
They had no choice but to brace themselves for capture, buy what they needed as quickly as possible, and return.
"Wait. Wardanaz. We didn't stop by the mansion—what about the money?"
"Could I get some of the silver coins I entrusted to you last time? Thank you."
Lee Han retrieved the silver coins he had previously left with Goo Bon.
"I left the next batch of coins at the wand-making shop, so let's use those as we head there."
"Are you insane?"
"Why are you cursing at me?"
Hodrong, who arrived late, quietly ordered Eunrade to stay put before assessing the situation.
The dignified citizens of Granden City provided highly credible testimony to Hodrong, who worked for the Empire.
"So, when the mercenary threatened to release the basilisk, the mage dragged it away while gripping it tightly in his own hands?"
"Hah!"
"He pursued it so relentlessly—not even a sworn enemy of his family would have been chased like that."
"Why do you think he pursued it like that?"
"Isn't it obvious?! That vile, wicked mercenary smashed and knocked over the townspeople's belongings—the mage must have been furious!"
"Hah!"
Hodrong let out an incredulous sigh and verified the testimony multiple times, but the stories remained consistent.
"So, he's a first-year student?"
"That's correct."
Goo Bon answered with an earnest demeanor.
At that, the dignified citizens of Granden cast doubtful glances at him.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"Everyone knows adventurers love to exaggerate."
"From what I saw, he didn't look like a first-year. I know a bit about magic—he seemed more like a third-year."
"N-no! He really is a first-year! I've worked with him before!"
Goo Bon snapped, but it only backfired with the Granden citizens.
"Hah!"
"Sure, sure."
"Did I ever tell you about the time I had an audience with His Majesty the Emperor in my youth? That magnificent, beautiful..."
"Yeah, yeah. And I'm actually the illegitimate son of a count's family."
"......"
Goo Bon trembled in humiliation.
The worst part was that if another adventurer had said something like that, he would've dismissed it as 'What kind of insane nonsense is this?'
Regardless of the townspeople's skepticism, Hodrong recorded all the testimonies before sighing in admiration and turning to his subordinate.
"Perhaps... there might still be hope for Einrogard after all."
"Hah! As if that's possible!"
"......"
"My—my apologies. It was a reflex... I truly apologize."