Episode 561
Episode 561
"Punishment room? How did you interpret my words? I'm praising you."
"Yes. Thank you."
"So when do we go to the punishment room...?"
No matter how much the two students spoke, the Skeleton Principal suppressed his anger and growled.
He wasn't sending them. He wasn't sending them! Of course, they had set a new record for first-year escape attempts that would go down in history, but he had already said he wouldn't send them, hadn't he?!
—The Headmaster is being sincere.
Unable to stand by, a Death Knight interjected from the side.
—Though it's true that the two of you set a historic record for first-year escapes and nearly made the Headmaster foam at the mouth...
The Skeleton Principal waved his hand irritably.
Immediately, the Death Knight who had been explaining was reverse-summoned to another dimension.
Another Death Knight nearby, unfazed, continued the explanation.
—It seems an inspector from the Empire happened to witness that scene.
"You mean the scene of us escaping and wandering around?"
—No. The scene of you helping Imperial citizens.
"Ah."
Only then did the two finally understand why the Skeleton Principal was acting this way.
But there were still parts they couldn't quite accept.
"Does it make sense that we're spared the punishment room just because we did a good deed?"
"Wardanaz is right. I don't understand. If that's the case, why do our seniors still get sent to the punishment room?"
—Are you two that eager to go to the punishment room?
The Death Knight was baffled by their reactions.
If they were lucky enough to avoid the punishment room, shouldn't they be cheering, "Wow, awesome!" instead of questioning, "Does that make sense? Are you tricking us?"
—First of all, the good deed that moved the Empire's inspector wasn't just any ordinary act of kindness...
Giselle absentmindedly nodded in agreement.
Now that she thought about it, it really hadn't been an ordinary good deed.
—...Your seniors, well, they've never really done any good deeds, have they?
"There's no way they've done none at all, right?"
—Haven't...
they? It doesn't seem like it. Have they, perhaps?
The Death Knight genuinely seemed unsure and even turned to ask the Skeleton Principal.
The Skeleton Principal also shrugged as if he didn't know.
He didn't recall any. They caused plenty of trouble, though.
'Hmm. If I push further, I might face retaliation.'
Lee Han quickly read the mood and changed his attitude.
"We sincerely appreciate your generous decision, Headmaster. Normally, such misconduct would warrant punishment, but you've been so lenient..."
Cut it short. Before I smack you.
"...Thank you."
Good.
'He dislikes flattery.'
The Skeleton Principal, still in a foul mood, grumbled.
When are they arriving?
—They've just arrived. They should be here soon.
"Who's coming?"
The Empire's in...
—The inspector.
Right. The inspector.
'Aha.'
Lee Han understood a little better now.
If the inspector had expressed a desire to meet the kind students who had done a good deed, then the Skeleton Principal sparing them the punishment room made sense.
"Ah, Headmaster."
What? Why? What? Why?
Though fearful, Lee Han asked what he needed to.
"If the inspector from the Empire thinks highly of Einrogard because of us, wouldn't the school's funding increase? Doesn't that count as our achievement?"
"...You..."
You crazy bastard...!
Even when facing the Three-Headed Tiger in the blinding white blizzard of the Northern Wastes, he had probably been less terrified than he was now.
Giselle wanted to sew shut the mouth of the Blue Dragon Tower's sworn enemy standing beside her.
The Death Knight seemed to share the sentiment, staring at Lee Han with a look of utter disbelief.
'He must have left his fear in his mother's womb!'
The Skeleton Principal glared at Lee Han for a moment before speaking in a voice as thin as a thread...
That's why I asked if there was anything you wanted to eat. Huh?
"We secured plenty of supplies during our outing, so maybe some reagents for the exams..."
—Headmaster. The inspector will be here shortly.
I know.
—Yes. I was just worried you might... explode.
The Skeleton Principal reverse-summoned another Death Knight and then walked toward the door.
Then, he earnestly admonished the two of them.
"Got it? You got it, right? Then speak properly in front of the auditor! Understood?"
"Yes! We will absolutely bring honor to the school!"
Lee Han nodded with determination.
As Giselle beside him kept silently staring, Lee Han asked curiously:
"What's wrong?"
"You really do seem like the successor."
"How dare you?!"
The Skeleton Principal's successor glared at Giselle in outrage.
Hodrong praised Lee Han and Giselle until his mouth ran dry.
"Einrogard students always cause trouble and harass innocent imperial citizens whenever they go out, yet to see first-years so devoted is truly..."
"We believe it's thanks to Einrogard's outstanding educational policies and our devoted Headmaster."
"Hmm. Hmm. Perhaps I may have misunderstood somewhat. Due to preconceptions..."
Eunrade beside him barely restrained himself from saying 'It's not a misunderstanding' by pinching his own thigh hard.
"I'll be sure to report everything I've seen when I return. If more students like this emerge, other officials may change their minds too."
"Ugh."
"?"
When Eunrade pinched his other thigh and made a sound, Hodrong looked at his subordinate strangely.
"Well then, Lord Gonadaltes. I'll write to you when I return. Thank you for your hard work this year."
'Phew. Do we really need to see the other students?'
"Wouldn't it just make things awkward for everyone? Let's just consider this year's inspection done with what we've seen."
For the first time that day, the Skeleton Principal smiled.
The auditor's sincerity had moistened and melted the frozen heart of the archmage.
Few things were as dreadful as having an auditor inspect the magical research progress of upperclassmen within the school.
Students would boast about uncovering all truths and principles of the world when receiving imperial funding, but when inspection came, they'd whine like clueless freshmen making excuses.
"Have a safe trip back, Auditor Hodrong! Do visit again next time!"
"That likely won't happen. The assignment changes every year."
Hodrong bowed politely and left with Eunrade.
The subordinate sighed in relief and spoke to his superior:
"Well, at least it ended well."
"True. Though I feel somewhat uneasy about not seeing the upperclassmen directly, nothing good would've come of it anyway."
If they'd included the upperclassmen's research status while talking about touching good deeds and requesting support, even moved officials might have become angry again.
For the sake of Einrogard's young talents, Hodrong decided to make an exception just this year.
"But Lord Hodrong, may I ask why you didn't inquire about the vacation incidents?"
Eunrade asked curiously.
While the current good deeds were personally confirmed from students' mouths, Hodrong hadn't asked at all about incidents during summer break or earlier.
After going through the trouble of verifying rumors from townspeople, he just let it slide.
It was uncharacteristically careless for the meticulous Hodrong.
"Because they're just baseless rumors?"
"Huh?"
"They were clearly baseless rumors at first glance."
"...Well, about that..."
Eunrade agonized over how to explain this to his superior.
How should he phrase this to make it sound plausible?
A strange tension hung over the school with one week left until finals.
Especially when the morning lecture was <Advanced Basic Magic Character Education>, the tension became palpable.
Because it was taught by none other than the Skeleton Principal!
"Hey, how's my outfit?"
"Hmm... You should probably put away that scarf and hat you bought outside."
"Hey everyone, breathe through your noses. Not your mouths."
"Put away all magazines, toys, snacks! Hide everything bought from outside!"
Students with guilty consciences were being extra careful even before the Headmaster entered.
Having gone on a massive shopping spree last weekend, their fear was even greater.
Although Lee Han and Giselle had returned safely, the Headmaster's temperament was unpredictable—there was always a chance the flames of his wrath could ignite even after some time had passed.
Even the usually indifferent Gainando was pretending to read a book and study at the moment.
How heartwarming.
"Good morning, Headmaster!"
"Good morning, Headmaster!"
Yes. What a fine morning.
The Skeleton Principal swept his gaze over the students. They froze stiff, not even daring to breathe, their eyes darting nervously.
Do you know the name of this lecture?
"Uh..."
'Uh' is not the name of the lecture.
"<Advanced Basic Magic Character Education>."
Correct. Character education. But what's the point of learning it for a whole year? You all just hold hands and break the rules anyway.
"......"
"......"
Under the weight of his lingering displeasure, the students averted their eyes.
It's not your fault, of course. It's your seniors' fault. If your seniors can't set a good example, how can you be expected to follow one?
Lee Han nodded in agreement.
Wardanaz, stop nodding.
"But..."
'But we never even got to meet our seniors in the first place, did we?'
Yoner looked slightly confused. The first-years' actions didn't seem to have much to do with the seniors at all.
Now, a few announcements. There will be no final exam for this <Advanced Basic Magic Character Education> course. The teaching materials have gone missing.
"......"
"..."
HURRAH!!! HURRAH!!!!!!!"
As one student kicked their chair and leaped onto their desk, others quickly followed suit.
Some brandished their wands, shooting off sparks, while Gainando outright tore his notebook apart and flung the scraps into the air.
The Skeleton Principal blinked once. Instantly, every student who had caused the commotion found themselves dangling upside-down from the ceiling.
Silence fell in an instant.
The final exam will be replaced with an assignment: write "I will not skip school with my friends" 100 times.
That was practically a free pass. The students nodded happily in response.
But Lee Han eyed the Headmaster suspiciously.
"You're not setting a trap to catch us off guard, are you?"
"Gasp. Is that it?"
Beside him, the upside-down Gainando perked up at the plausible suggestion.
And Wardanaz. Dalkard. You two, come with me.
"Is it really a trap??"
"No. He called Ashan too. If it were a trap, he'd only have called Lee Han."
"Shut up, Gainando."
Surprisingly, the Skeleton Principal did not lead the two into Einrogard's Hell Trap.
Instead, he took them to an ordinary storage room.
Character Education Lecture Storage
—No Entry for Outsiders
As the Skeleton Principal muttered a low incantation, the wall parted, a statue shifted aside, and the storage room door was revealed.
Since there's no final exam, there are some alternative tasks to be done.
"Do we have to clean the entire storage room by ourselves?"
No. The others will help too. Did you think they'd just laze around?
"Ah, I thought it was just the two of us."
Lee Han scratched his head awkwardly.
He had assumed it was one of the Headmaster's petty punishments.
Then again, upon reflection, the Skeleton Principal wasn't the type to single out just one student for his grudges.
If they all skipped school together, he'd hate them all equally.
You'll oversee the others and make sure everything is neatly organized by next week. Throw out the broken items, clear out the expired ones... for next year's freshmen.
"......"
For a moment, Ashan thought to himself, 'We're barely surviving ourselves—do we really have to think about the freshmen?'
Your seniors thought the same way, Dalkard.
"Gasp... How did you...!"
I don't expect perfection. Just make it usable enough for lecture preparations.
The Headmaster surveyed the dust-covered storage room as he spoke.
CRASH!
A nearby shelf collapsed, sending a guillotine tumbling out.
The Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue at the sight.
Ruined. That one's trash.
"......"
"......"
They were curious why it was even there, but both decided against asking.