Episode 593
Episode 593
"It's the End of the World!"
"That monster's going to destroy Einrogard and trample the headmaster!"
The students screamed in terror, even slipping in some petty wishes they'd secretly harbored amidst their panic.
Lee Han tried to calm his friends down.
"Calm down! It's just a sheep!"
"......"
"......"
Normally, these were friends who would've trusted Lee Han's words and settled down.
In fact, they almost did calm down this time too.
If only the Mountain-Destroying Sheep hadn't just obliterated an entire mountain peak and altered the landscape.
"...How can we calm down right now?!"
"How is that a sheep?! Are you insane, Wardanaz?!"
'It really is a sheep though...' Lee Han thought to himself at his friends' outcries.
While Mountain-Destroying Sheep were large creatures that could devastate the surrounding terrain with a single charge, they weren't actually that bad once you got to know them.
If they were truly vicious creatures, they wouldn't be called Mountain-Destroying Sheep but rather Mountain-Destroying Behemoths or Mountain-Destroying Goliaths.
"Trust me. It's a gentle creature."
"Wardanaz... Are you doing this because we didn't want to enter the labyrinth?"
"Please forgive us!"
"...Enough, just follow my instructions."
Lee Han gave up on persuading his friends and decided to take action instead.
That seemed faster. 'But why did it come down here? Ah.' Mountain-Destroying Sheep usually preferred high mountain ranges and rarely descended.
If it were the type to frequently come down, it would've been called School-Destroying Sheep or something similar.
So why was this one rampaging like this? 'It's because of the giants...!' Clearly, the giants who served as shepherds weren't properly tending their flock, causing one of the sheep to go berserk and escape.
"Ratford. Stay with the others and go down immediately if the sheep heads this way. I'll go calm it down."
"No way!!!"
Ratford immediately attempted to tackle Lee Han. Of course, Lee Han, trained in swordsmanship, didn't budge an inch.
"Everyone stop him! Quickly!"
"No, Wardanaz! We'll really enter the labyrinth, so stop being angry!"
"We admit we were wrong! We'll even enter the labyrinth twice if you want!"
Even with four people clinging to each of his arms and legs, Lee Han maintained his upright posture without faltering.
"...Listen, guys..."
"No matter that you've defeated a Rock Drake before, this is different!"
"That's not what I..."
"Wardanaz, we know you're crazy! But the wand that makes a wizard can also break him! This is too dangerous!"
"You've been thinking of me like that? No, that's not the point..."
"That monster just took out another peak! Look!"
"...Guys. Just listen for a moment."
When Lee Han spoke seriously, his clinging friends turned their attention to him.
"I have a confession to make."
"???"
"But I hope you won't be shocked or think I'm crazy after hearing this."
His friends looked at him as if he was saying something completely absurd.
"Wardanaz... I wouldn't even be surprised if you told me you'd mastered all the Empire's forbidden magic."
"Why bring this up now?"
"Wardanaz, you're already... an astonishing guy... We can't be shocked anymore."
Their responses made Lee Han's emotional wounds deepen just a little more.
"Right... Thanks. Your reactions are reassuring. That sheep... is actually one I used to take care of."
"......"
"......"
His friends fell silent.
Then they all spoke in unison:
"Wardanaz, you're truly insane."
Kltran and Gatono from the White Tiger Tower were screaming as they ran for their lives.
Behind them, a monstrous creature summoned by demons to destroy the continent was in hot pursuit.
"AAAAAAH! AAAAAAH!"
"Why is this happening? What exactly did we do to deserve this?!"
"Throw whatever you're holding! Toss it to the side!"
Kltran threw the fruits he'd diligently collected today to the side.
They weren't for the Illusion Magic exam—he'd gathered them as snacks to eat later.
But the monster didn't stop chasing them, clearly not angered by the fruits.
"Next?"
"It's...it's a rabbit I caught in a trap..."
"Throw it!"
"But it's a rabbit! Not even a bird! This is precious—"
"Just...just throw it!"
Thud thud thud!
Meanwhile, Lee Han came sprinting from ahead.
With several Enhancement Magic spells cast on himself, his movement speed was extraordinary.
"Wardanaz!!"
"Stop!"
Lee Han stretched out his hand from a distance and shouted at the monster.
The White Tiger Tower students, who had been tearfully calling for Wardanaz, were stunned.
"...?!"
"????"
What in the world was he doing?
If it had been any other friend, they might have thought he'd made a mistake out of fear, but Wardanaz was a prodigy raised under the harsh training of a renowned magical family—someone who wouldn't make such a careless error.
But how in the world was he planning to stop the monster with just that—
Skkkkreeeech!
The charging monster suddenly came to a halt. Trees were uprooted and rocks shattered around it, but somehow, the monster managed to stop its advance.
"Good. Well done."
"W-word magic?!!"
Kltran instinctively recalled the legendary high-tier magic.
"No, you idiot."
"If not word magic, then what...?"
Ignoring Kltran, Lee Han approached the Mountain-Destroying Sheep.
Unlike the other sheep whose wool had been properly sheared, this one had apparently been missed by mistake, leaving its fur overgrown to the point where it looked twice its normal size.
Seemingly extremely frustrated, the Mountain-Destroying Sheep growled and repeatedly stomped its hooves against the ground.
"Alright. I'll shear you soon."
"I-its neck?!"
At Kltran's words, the Mountain-Destroying Sheep spat. Kltran was sent tumbling.
"Hey. Don't say such violent things. You're scaring it."
"......"
The two White Tiger Tower students couldn't comprehend what they were hearing. Their brains refused to process it.
"W-wait. That monster is scared?"
The Mountain-Destroying Sheep spat again. This time, Gatono was the one sent rolling.
"Why do you keep doing that? You're making it angry."
Lee Han frowned at his friends' repeated rude remarks.
Talking about cutting its neck or calling it a monster—how hurtful that must be for the sheep.
"But—"
"Hey—"
"We almost died—"
"Just look behind us—"
The two were so indignant they could barely speak.
If they turned around, they'd see half the mountain had been sheared off—if they'd run even a second later, they'd have been crushed.
And yet he's worried about the sheep?!
"Wardanaz, do you care more about that sheep than us??"
Lee Han stared at them in shock at such an absurdly childish question.
The Mountain-Destroying Sheep seemed to share his sentiment, casting a disdainful look.
Gatono, who still retained a shred of human dignity, tried to stop his friend.
"Hey, quit it. Wardanaz isn't your nanny—don't ask such embarrassing questions."
"Quit what?! I have the right! Wardanaz! Is that sheep more impor—"
Splat splat splat splat splat!
"Ahk! Agh! Aaaagh!"
The Mountain-Destroying Sheep, thoroughly enraged at Kltran, kept spitting until he couldn't get up anymore.
After shearing all the wool, Lee Han escorted the sheep back to its cave before returning.
The students, who had been anxiously waiting at the foot of the mountain, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"What the hell was that monster, Wardanaz?"
"It's a sheep that lives up in the highlands. Big, but not that fierce once you befriend it."
"Why would anyone raise such a mon... sheep?"
"Quite a few of the clothes sold to you guys were made from its wool, you know."
"......"
"......"
'No wonder the wool was so incredibly sturdy and warm!'
The students, having realized the secret behind their clothes, gazed up at the towering mountain peak with trembling eyes.
They had known that surviving in Einrogard required fierce struggle, but...
Perhaps they hadn't truly understood the full extent of it.
Maybe befriending such sheep was necessary after all...
"Wardanaz. Thank you."
"Right. We should've expressed our gratitude first."
"And... sorry for trying to avoid entering your labyrinth."
'I must never tell them I led the giants down the mountain.'
As his friends offered sincere apologies with remorseful expressions, Lee Han made a firm inner vow.
"Haha. Don't mention it at all."
'Though you did make that labyrinth excessively brutal...'
"I'll go through it twice."
Kltran, moved by Gatono's words, also nodded in agreement.
"Me too. It wouldn't have been right to refuse."
"Hey. Once is enough. Don't push yourself."
"No! Thinking about it, passing through others' labyrinths is part of the test. Trying to reduce attempts was the real problem. Avoiding it like this won't improve our magic skills."
"Wow, since when did you start making sense?"
'I said it's fine.'
"...Hey..."
"Ah. My apologies."
Lee Han apologized to his friends.
His inner thoughts had accidentally slipped out first.
"Wardanaz. I'll go through it three times."
"I'll also go again as a sign of repentance..."
The Illusion Magic students gathered at the mountain's base apologized to Lee Han with genuine sincerity.
Considering all they'd received from him, it was wrong to withdraw just because the labyrinth seemed frightening.
Lee Han accepted their apologies with dignified grace.
"Thank you, everyone."
"Hmm. Wardanaz. Upon reflection, I think the labyrinth you created this time was a bit too harsh."
Professor Kirmin spoke cautiously after watching students foam at the mouth and collapse upon entering Lee Han's barn.
In hindsight, Wardanaz's labyrinth should have been saved for last.
With all the lecture attendees knocked out from the start, Professor Kirmin now had to handle the remaining evaluations alone.
"I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but even upon reconsideration, it was rather excessive."
Professor Kirmin didn't want to cause hurt either.
But if he didn't speak up now, Wardanaz might fail to control his intensity again.
Someone had to say it!
"...My apologies, Professor Ku."
Lee Han covered his face with his hand, speaking in a defeated tone.
"It's alright. Everyone makes mistakes."
"But wasn't it more about bad luck than true severity? With better fortune, everyone could've passed—"
"Now, Wardanaz. Let's start this discussion over."
With immense patience, Professor Kirmin explained to Lee Han.
What consequences could arise from creating an excessively cruel miniature labyrinth?
"Does Lee Han seem down to you?"
"Isn't it weirder if he's energetic after so many exams?"
"No, I mean for another reason..."
"Ah. It's because he wiped out all the Illusion Magic students."
"What? That's their fault for being weak."
At Gainando's remark, the Illusion Magic students flared up.
"Have you even tried entering it yourself?!"
"Fainting in a labyrinth makes you the fool! Am I wrong?!"
"Gainando does have a point here."
"True enough..."
Students not taking Illusion Magic failed to grasp the full context of today's events.
Frustrated, the Illusion Magic students flailed their limbs as they launched into explanations.
"So the moment you open the door and step in, your sense of direction vanishes, and the Headmaster appears before you—"
"And you passed out over that for half a day?"
"That's not even the whole thing! Ugh, just try it yourself! Come on! Forget exams—I'll show you right now!"
"But the barn's already dismantled after the test..."
"...Wardanaz! Let's rebuild it just once! Just once!!"
"No. Thinking back, it really was too extreme."
Lee Han spoke with genuine remorse.
His conversation with Professor Kirmin had given him much to reflect on.
'A skeleton illusion resembling the Headmaster really wasn't necessary.'
Now that he considered it, that had been an excessively cruel trap.