Episode 604
Episode 604
"Those... kids are kind."
"Oh!"
"What do you mean, 'oh'?"
The Skeleton Principal was dumbfounded.
No matter how much he disliked the Emperor's position, that reaction to the word "kind" was a bit excessive.
Being kind meant having compassion for all living things—and if so, perhaps he might even be qualified to be Emperor...
"And they're not particularly kind either."
The ruthless Lich mercilessly crushed the Gold Dragon's hope.
"Last time I saw them, they were stealing food from students of other towers. What nonsense is this?"
"No, that's just fair competition..."
Lee Han found himself unconsciously defending the Gaïnando students.
"And the White Tiger Tower students stole a lot of food from Gaïnando too."
"I wasn't talking about Gaïnando."
"...Huh???"
Shocked by the statement, Lee Han doubted his ears.
But the Skeleton Principal, seemingly unwilling to waste more time on the students' petty food-stealing rivalry, changed the subject.
"We still have a long way to go."
Still, isn't there an outstanding mage right here?
"Your Majesty..."
The Skeleton Principal looked pleased at the sudden praise.
"If you really think so, please increase our funding. The fourth-years need a pure gold golem for alchemical reagents—minimum height of 15 meters, weight over 20 tons..."
The Dragon wasn't talking about you...
The Emperor blinked and pointed at Lee Han.
With you here, even those overly kind kids might grow stronger.
"What kind of nonsense is that? Just being near a great mage doesn't make everyone grow."
Why not? Didn't you also nurture... what was his name, Iactus? That boy?
"Are you deliberately insulting me? That brat only ever did the exact opposite of what I told him!"
Quiet down. Growth is a good thing.
The Emperor snorted, clearly annoyed by the Skeleton Principal's grumbling.
Anyway, today's conversation was enjoyable. Osu. Seeing your disciple so close to you... Honestly, in a way, that might be the most surprising thing of all. Has this Dragon grown old? I can accept it calmly now.
"......"
"...That's a bit much, isn't it?"
As if signaling the end of the conversation, the Emperor gazed at Lee Han with wise eyes.
I have high hopes for you. Even if you don't necessarily help your friends grow, become a great mage yourself.
"Yes. I will become an excellent mage and serve the Empire as a loyal official."
Lee Han, seizing the opportunity, delivered lightning-fast flattery.
How often would he get a chance to speak directly to the Emperor like this?
This was the perfect moment to leave a good impression.
But instead of looking pleased, the Emperor seemed puzzled.
An... official...?
Hearing Osu's disciple mention bureaucracy, he couldn't help but wonder what this was about.
'Ah. He must mean the Imperial Magic Officer position.'
Despite his master's eccentric personality, this disciple was truly admirable.
Come to think of it, it was hard to believe that such a mage was a child of the Wardanaz family.
It felt like just yesterday that Osu had stormed in wielding divine artifacts, cursing the Dragon into a fate of suffering...
The Dragon closed his eyes.
Rather than nostalgia, recalling those memories only fueled his anger.
Part of him wanted to increase the Wardanaz family's imperial burdens, but given the family head's temperament, it would be pointless.
Suppressing his anger, the Emperor smiled.
I'll be waiting.
"Yes!"
"You've worked hard."
The Skeleton Principal spoke sincerely.
This wasn't empty praise—his disciple had truly played a crucial role.
Had he upset the Emperor's mood, the entire winter would have been a headache.
"It was all thanks to your wise guidance, Headmaster. Haha."
Lee Han replied slyly.
"Brat. No. This was entirely your doing. That silver tongue of yours that makes even the most troublesome pests fall in line."
'That phrasing sounds a bit insulting...'
"Now then..."
The Skeleton Principal pulled out a bundle of papers from his robe. They were crumpled sheets of various sizes and colors, looking like they'd been fished out of a garbage dump.
At the sight of what appeared to be literal trash, Lee Han asked in bewilderment:
"Where did you pick up this garbage from?"
"These are research proposals your seniors submitted to me."
"Now that I look again, they do seem to radiate an auspicious aura."
"Enough. Most are trash-tier research anyway. Like that Music Magic nonsense."
The Skeleton Principal skimmed through the bundle before grimacing in disgust once more.
Even though he already knew the contents, the sheer amount of garbage-tier research was staggering.
-A study on the effects of continuously consuming healing potions without being injured
-Research on how preferred illusion magic varies by region in the Empire
-Research on the most efficient wand-swinging motion
-A study on which species trolls prefer as food...
"Ugh. Still trash upon rereading. Who needs Mental Magic? Just wave this around and they'll be vomiting blood."
"......"
"Sigh. Let's go. Time to squeeze the bureaucrats. I hope Pengerin has charmed them sufficiently."
"You're planning to request funding for these studies?"
"Indeed. Even trash needs doing sometimes."
The Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue as he straightened the papers.
Personally, he'd prefer to drag all these students to the Punishment Hall, but even failures were necessary for true achievement.
While exceptional mages like himself succeeded without failure, the Skeleton Principal—with his brilliant intellect—knew full well not all mages could be like him.
"Ah! Truly I bear a cursed fate! Where else would you find a Great Archmage as tormented as I?"
'That would've been much cooler if you hadn't said that last part.'
As Lee Han thought this, the Skeleton Principal strode forward and flung open a door.
Inside the opulent room, bureaucrats and Pengerin were deep in conversation.
"So you see, ice magic is—"
"As expected of Lord Pengerin! Every word is so fascinating and enlightening!"
With each of Pengerin's remarks, the bureaucrats tittered in admiration.
Though to Lee Han's eyes, nothing about the conversation seemed particularly interesting. He honestly suspected it was due to Pengerin's looks.
"More importantly, Lord Pengerin, aren't you hungry?"
"I'm fine, really."
"Let us call the chefs to bring you some sardines."
"Are you all just trying to watch me swallow sardines whole...?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
The bureaucrats hastily denied this. Pengerin grumbled:
"Instead, please reconsider Einrogard. It's the Empire's premier magic school. Our students receive the finest education. Our students are never hungry. Our students are happy."
"Did... did His Excellency Gonadaltes write that script for you?"
No matter how adorable Pengerin was, the mention of Einrogard's name immediately sobered the bureaucrats.
The Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue as he entered.
"Daring to plot against people now, are we?"
"Eeek!!"
"His Excellency Gonadaltes!!"
The bureaucrats scrambled up and began rushing toward the room's corners.
"?"
Lee Han tilted his head, baffled by their behavior.
The reason soon became clear.
Clunk!
The bureaucrats yanked open a hidden door and fled to the adjacent room. The Skeleton Principal sighed and warped space, instantly returning them to their original positions.
"Y-Your Excellency Gonadaltes! This is His Majesty's palace! There are many others nearby! And the knight order guards the main gate—"
"Shut up. Just. I won't hurt you."
"Last time you said that right before attacking us—"
"How long do you plan to hold onto grudges from years ago? Why are you all so petty?!"
The Skeleton Principal struck the floor with his staff and roared.
"It's utterly frustrating how these so-called imperial bureaucrats cling stubbornly to such trivial matters and make everything so bothersome."
'No way...' Lee Han was dumbfounded.
Had he actually attacked them before?
"No matter how much you threaten us, we cannot allocate any more budget."
The bureaucrats trembled but firmly clasped each other's hands as they spoke. The Skeleton Principal let out a sigh.
"Can't you at least hear me out? Here's a research proposal diligently prepared by the Empire's young mages. Give it a listen. It might pique your interest."
"...Very well..."
The bureaucrats nodded with clear expressions of reluctance. Had it been anyone other than the Skeleton Principal, they would have immediately ordered him expelled.
Most research proposals submitted by Einrogard students were always extravagant and exorbitantly expensive.
Even now, under the Emperor's orders, Einrogard already received a massive budget. If more funds were diverted here, how deprived would the other legitimate magic towers and mage guilds feel?
Perhaps preventing such proposals from being approved was the true mission of the Imperial Treasury.
"Now, listen carefully. First, regarding <Research on Species Preferred as Prey by Trolls>..."
"......"
The bureaucrats' faces turned grave from the very start.
Just hearing what that research entailed was terrifying enough.
"This won't be easy."
The Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue as he left the room. The bureaucrats, having heard about <Research on Species Preferred as Prey by Trolls>, recoiled in horror and refused to budge.
Even to Lee Han, it clearly didn't seem like an easy sell.
"What will you do now?"
"I'll have to persuade some other bureaucrats."
"What about going straight to the higher-ups?"
"First, we need to recruit a few useful ones from the lower ranks. The higher-ups are even more stubborn."
When securing additional budget like this, it was better to first persuade a few lower-ranking officials and bring them along. Barging straight to the top would hardly be effective.
After all, the moment the Skeleton Principal spoke, those in charge were already determined not to approve the budget.
"By now, word must have spread, so they've probably gone into hiding. Let's give them some time to let their guard down."
"......"
Lee Han was at a loss for words and just stared at the Skeleton Principal, who casually checked his pocket watch without a care.
"Follow me."
"Where are we going this time?"
"The printing house."
"Ah, to print the books needed for next year?"
"You catch on quick. Yes, exactly."
The Skeleton Principal left the imperial palace and headed down the capital's streets.
Deep in an alley, a printing house emerged, its air thick with the scent of ink and freshly pressed, warm paper.
"Been well?"
"Lord Gonadaltes! What an honor! You've come again this year!"
"Indeed. Seeing you in good health lifts my spirits."
Lee Han watched curiously as the dwarf printer doffed his hat and greeted the Skeleton Principal warmly.
Come to think of it, those who weren't bureaucrats had no reason to fear the Skeleton Principal so much.
Besides, for a printing house, wasn't the Skeleton Principal a kind of VIP? Anyone would be delighted to have such a client.
"Is this your disciple?"
"That's right. Is what I requested ready?"
"Yes, of course! Hey! Get it ready!"
The dwarf printer and his workers began arranging the metal type.
The enchanted metal type moved as if alive, swiftly assembling into the proper layout.
The Skeleton Principal scanned it once and nodded in satisfaction, having grasped the entire content.
"Proceed."
With a clanking sound, the prepared paper began transforming into book pages.
The skilled printers transferred the completed pages and asked the spirits on the magic circle to refine them further.
Watching the process with an inexplicable sense of pride—even though he hadn't contributed—Lee Han suddenly grew curious and asked,
"By the way, what kind of magic tome is this?"
The Skeleton Principal flipped through a finished copy and replied.
"A magic tome containing fake maps. We'll distribute them across the Empire to fool your juniors."
"......"