Episode 579
Episode 579
"How Would Ponlig Know That?"
Lee Han protested while giving Professor Lightning Step a suspicious look.
He suspected that Professor Lightning Step might be lying just to mess with him.
How could Ponlig possibly know just because he rode a pegasus a few times?
"Of course he'd know. Don't underestimate a griffin's sense of smell. It's not just any ordinary nose. Especially when it comes to creatures like pegasi—they can detect it even more easily."
Naturally, Professor Lightning Step dismissed Lee Han's protest as absurd.
Just as a pegasus could instinctively sense its owner's sincerity and honor, a griffin could sharply detect whether its owner had ridden another beast or not.
If it were just a horse or a wyvern—creatures griffins considered beneath them—then maybe. But if it were a pegasus, a creature griffins despised...
"What happens then?"
"Either the pegasus dies, or the griffin dies. You... well, you probably won't die."
"......"
Lee Han silently stared at the pegasus.
Its dazzling white fur, soft wings, and gentle eyes blinked slowly as if acknowledging Lee Han's worth.
It almost seemed like it was telling him to hurry up and ride it.
"...No. Really, there's no other way?"
"If there were, I would've told you. Why are you being like this? Do you realize how lucky you are that the griffin chose you?"
"Didn't you force this on me, Professor?"
"Ungrateful brat. Just go get your griffin already."
Grumbling, Lee Han turned to fetch Ponlig.
The pegasus let out a sorrowful whinny, as if asking where he was going.
"......"
At the sound, Lee Han paused, only for the baby basilisk to hiss threateningly at him.
"Hey. Stop threatening me."
The basilisk flicked its tail and pretended to know nothing.
When Lee Han temporarily lifted Ponlig's curse and brought him back, some of his faster-progressing friends had already grown close to the pegasi.
Ponlig openly displayed his disgust at the sight.
"...Do you really have to hate pegasi that much?"
When Lee Han casually asked, Ponlig kicked up mud with his front hooves, splattering it onto the back of an innocent Gainando's head.
"Who did that!? Was it you, Angrago!?"
"Sharp as ever. Yeah, it was me. And by the way, I was the one who took your cake last week. Shouldn't have bragged about it all week!"
"What nonsense! We're talking about mud here!"
While his friends bickered, Lee Han gave Ponlig a bitter look.
Seeing him growl threateningly at the pegasi, reconciliation seemed impossible.
'Tch.'
Most creatures he encountered only showed fear, terror, or submission—so the pegasus's reaction was incredibly rare.
A creature that acknowledged his efforts and respected his honor?
Would he ever meet another like it?
Ponlig stared straight at Lee Han, as if suspicious of his interest in the pegasus.
"...Look at those pegasi! They're so scrawny, they can't even carry anyone properly!"
Ponlig perked up at Lee Han's words and nodded eagerly.
"Compared to them, you're truly the emperor of the skies. A pegasus can't even compare."
Ponlig nodded so vigorously that it created a gust of wind around them.
"Yeah, yeah. You're the best."
"Right. Wardanaz. Since Ponlig's presence might scare the pegasi, you should head back separately."
"......"
Lee Han was hurt by Professor Lightning Step's bluntness. 'Isn't that too harsh?'
"Look! I'm flying!"
Nilia screamed as she soared into the sky.
Having bonded with the pegasi the fastest, she was also the first to take flight.
Professor Lightning Step shouted,
"Stay calm and keep your back straight! Don't show fear! Pegasi aren't violent, but if you keep acting scared, they might look down on you! Convince them you're worthy of riding them!"
"Got it, yes sir!"
"Next, follow the flag markers to change course! If you return without falling, you pass!"
Nilia looked down at the flags planted in the ground and the glowing sky paths drawn above them.
The course stretched straight across the sky before suddenly descending close to the ground, even passing over muddy swamps at one point.
Nilia tensed up momentarily and glanced at her pegasus.
Would this noble creature truly trust her enough to fly over a swamp?
"Hey. Hey. Hey. Calm down. Hey! That's not the path!"
"......"
Just as Nilia was growing nervous, she spotted a familiar friend in the distance riding a beast with the lower body of a lion and the upper body of an eagle, and her tension instantly melted away.
Lee Han was angrily whacking the griffin's head with his staff.
"Stop staring at the pegasus. Follow the path. Quit growling! She's my friend! Just follow the damn path!"
'...'
Hang in there.'
Seeing the struggling Wardanaz student made Nilia realize just how fortunate she was.
"Thank you. Really."
The pegasus let out a pleased whinny when its dark elf owner suddenly expressed gratitude.
What a kind-hearted master indeed.
The Lightning-Step Professor's exam remained a hot topic long after it ended.
First-year students from every tower excitedly chattered about the pegasi in animated voices.
"So, like, the pegasus clearly liked me more, right? You saw how it turned its head when Dulak approached?"
"That was just because it was tired! Don't twist things!"
"Isn't there any way we could raise a pegasus? They were so amazing."
"I know a senior knight who once climbed a mountain range and brought back a pegasus foal."
"Whoa...! That's a method?"
"Wait. Is that even allowed?"
"Of course not. By the time he got back, his dorm was wrecked and the pegasus had vanished."
"Damn..."
As the White Tiger Tower students eagerly exchanged opinions, they turned to Lee Han nearby.
Being the top student of their year, he was naturally expected to be knowledgeable even in these matters.
"Wardanaz. What do you think? Is there any way we could raise pegasi?"
"Maybe we could go catch one together during winter break?"
Lee Han answered with a blank expression.
"I already have a griffin."
"But wouldn't it be nice to have a pegasus too?"
"I hear griffins bite their owners if they smell pegasus on them."
"......"
"......"
The White Tiger Tower students recoiled in horror.
They knew griffins were among the most unruly of riding beasts, but this was beyond expectations.
Their ferocity was incomparable to pegasi.
"I'd heard griffins were vicious..."
"But griffins are still cool, right? Isn't there a way to get one?"
"It'd be even harder than getting a pegasus. Like I said earlier, if you tried bringing back a griffin cub, the surroundings wouldn't just be wrecked—they'd be a bloodbath."
"No way. Even considering that, griffins are worth it. I know a senior knight who couldn't stop praising them."
"What? He owns a griffin?"
"No. He lost an arm to one on the battlefield."
As the oblivious students kept trying to rile up Lee Han about his mount, Durgyu cautiously spoke up.
"Lee Han. Don't mind them too much. They just don't realize how difficult griffins can be."
"Don't worry, Durgyu. I was just thinking about another exam."
"Oh, really?"
Durgyu's face brightened at Lee Han's words.
With Professor Ingoldel's final exam starting that evening, it was a good sign that Lee Han was focusing.
"Right. Sure, the griffin tried charging at the pegasus earlier and I barely stopped it, but I'm not really bothered."
"......"
"......"
'You're clearly extremely bothered...'
Durgyu and Giselle thought to themselves.
Of course, Lee Han had suffered more than most during the Lightning-Step Professor's exam.
His usually obedient griffin had kept growling and picking fights with the pegasi as if holding some grudge.
Even when Lee Han hit it with his staff and yanked its leash, the griffin stubbornly glared at the pegasus with extraordinary persistence.
"Hey. Wardanaz. Forget about the perfect score and focus on the next exam."
"You're right, Moradi. How embarrassing."
Lee Han uncharacteristically conceded without protest.
After all, there was no reason to obsess over an exam that was already over.
Though the image of the pegasus still lingered in his mind...
"You've prepared mountain shelters, right?"
"Three of them. I also hid divided portions of food."
"I made two and hid them as well."
Lee Han and the two White Tiger Tower students exchanged meaningful glances.
Professor Ingoldel's final exam was originally meant to test their endurance by surviving a night in the frigid mountain range with nothing but their bare bodies. However, the seasoned Einrogard students interpreted the exam a little differently.
-So it's a test of hiding as many supplies as possible in the mountains without getting caught!
Of course, Professor Ingoldel had never said anything of the sort, but Lee Han and his friends understood it their own way.
"Do we have any intel on the starting point yet?"
"None. The professor didn't give a single clue."
"Wherever we start, we'll just orient ourselves and move fast. Here—a mountain map I made recently. It's missing a lot of details, but the parts that are there should help."
"Thanks...?"
Giselle tilted her head as she examined the map.
The handwriting on it was bizarre no matter how she looked at it.
Yang Cave Majesty! Nearby Forbidden Gold!
The letters were huge and crooked, as if scrawled by a giant.
'Where did you even get this?'
Chk-chk-chk
"...?"
"Wait, why are those guys here again?"
The Einrogard students recoiled when they spotted the young apprentice knights of the White Poplar Knights approaching.
Just like last time, outsiders showing up had never brought anything good.
Besides, the students had already prepared for the exam in their own way—sudden changes now would just...
"Professor. Why are those knights here?"
"Do the White Poplar Knights have too much free time? Why do they keep coming to Einrogard? Do they want to learn magic?"
At the White Tiger Tower students' remarks, the apprentice knights flushed red.
"We came here to help you!"
"Is that any way to talk to people who came to assist you in your exam?! Have you forgotten how we shook hands and greeted each other last time?!"
"???"
The students were baffled by the knights' words.
"Help? What do you mean?"
"Let me explain."
Professor Ingoldel tapped the ground with his sword, signaling everyone to calm down.
"Since the students must scatter and survive a day in the mountains alone, I thought it would be better to assign a few more personnel."
"Then let's just merge our groups!"
"Wardanaz! Join us! Huh? You're in?! Great! Perfect!"
Ignoring the White Tiger Tower students' protests, Professor Ingoldel continued.
"In the outside world, you'll often have to work alongside others. Especially as mages, you won't always be operating alone."
Hmm. I should tell Professor Voladi about this.
Lee Han listened while thinking to himself.
If only Professor Voladi shared the same mindset.
"Learn to coordinate with others as mages. That's all!"
Professor Ingoldel wasn't a harsh man, but he wasn't soft enough to change rules just because of complaints.
Grumbling, the students glared at the apprentice knights.
The knights, in turn, scowled back with deeply resentful expressions.
"...Honestly, we just didn't want to make things harder for you."
"Get lost!"
"Hey, what's with the attitude? Enge! We trained hard together at the dorm during break!"
"I don't know someone like you!"
The only saving grace was that Lee Han, Giselle, and Durgyu kept their mouths shut.
Perhaps because of that, the apprentice knights waved at the three warmly instead of lashing out.
"Choi. We meet again after last time."
"Good to see you, Moradi. I heard you and Wardanaz took down some Anti-Magic Zealots together? Are you planning to recommend Wardanaz to the knight order under your family name?"
Haha. There seems to be a misunderstanding—how could I recommend someone from the Wardanaz family to a knight order?
"Have you lost your damn mind, you crazy bastard?"
Hearing Giselle's unfiltered thoughts slip out, Lee Han whispered under his breath.
"Hey. Keep those thoughts inside."