Episode 610
Episode 610
In truth, there weren't many people in the imperial capital who dared to refuse Einrogard's summons.
The citizens of this ancient capital had learned their lesson. With rumors circulating about the gruesome fates of those who dared to refuse, few were bold enough to turn down the invitation.
But every era has its unfortunate souls.
Those who had recently arrived in the capital, unaware of these rumors, often made the grave mistake of arrogantly relying on their meager power and acting insolently.
Surely, no matter how great a mage he might be, he wouldn't dare cause trouble in the capital where His Majesty the Emperor resides!...
However, what they failed to realize was that the Skeleton Principal was more than capable of doing exactly that.
"I do hope there are fewer fools like that this year."
"I share the sentiment."
The Skeleton Principal came to a stop before a mansion in the central district of the capital. It clearly belonged to a noble family of considerable influence.
"His Lordship has no appointments scheduled for today, but..."
"The letter from Einrogard must have arrived by now. That letter is the appointment. Open the door."
The Skeleton Principal issued the command with unwavering authority.
That command soon manifested as force, shoving the gatekeeper aside and flinging the mansion's main gates wide open.
"M-My lord! The Grand Mage is here! The Grand Mage is here!"
The fallen gatekeeper screeched hoarsely, like a man who had long feared death finally coming face-to-face with the Grim Reaper himself.
The Skeleton Principal could have stopped the gatekeeper, but he chose to wait quietly instead.
"Shall I intervene?"
"Leave him be. Sometimes, letting fear spread through the mansion makes negotiations smoother."
"......"
Are we really just here to invite students?
Before long, a middle-aged nobleman, his face drained of color, came rushing out in a panic.
Drenched in cold sweat and trembling with terror, his pitiful state was almost heartbreaking to witness.
"L-Lord Gonadaltes! Please hear me out! I would never dare to ignore Einrogard's proposal or disrespect your honor by refusing!"
"Of course not. I doubt you'd be so discourteous. I trust you."
The Skeleton Principal approached him kindly.
From the looks of it, this man wasn't so much arrogant as he was utterly terrified.
Such people required a gentler approach.
"But my child is of far too noble and aristocratic a temperament! Their bloodline is far too exalted to mingle with the lowly rabble of magic towers or magic schools!"
"Haha. I see. I see."
"......"
Lee Han couldn't help but think the nobleman was practically dousing himself in oil and leaping into flames.
Saying something like that in front of the Skeleton Principal was no different from pleading, "Please torment my child especially hard, hehe."
"I understand your concerns. You fear that in magic towers or magic schools, your child would have to associate with brutish knights or vulgar commoners, is that it?"
"S-Sob... Yes. And deranged priests too."
The nobleman added tearfully. Lee Han shook his head in disbelief.
It was true that in the world of mages, lineage and noble status held far less sway.
Even excluding extreme cases like Einrogard, it was common for even magic towers to have many noble-born mages working under commoner-born ones.
Among those from traditional noble families, some simply couldn't endure such circumstances. These individuals often learned magic under private tutors hired by their families instead.
"Originally, we considered Baldrogard as well, but..."
"!"
Lee Han noticed the Skeleton Principal's fingertips trembling slightly with rage. A very dangerous sign.
Desperate to steer the conversation away, Lee Han hastily asked:
"Why didn't you choose Baldrogard?"
"Sob... Even low-ranking nobles can get in if they just pay enough."
"I-I see."
The Skeleton Principal patiently waited for the nobleman to finish his tearful rant.
Once the man had vented sufficiently, the Skeleton Principal began his persuasion with a soft, gentle smile.
"You've misunderstood something, my friend. Do you really think Einrogard would mix nobles and commoners together? Hm?"
"Th-That's not the case?"
"Absolutely not! Look at me. A man descended from the purest, most noble bloodline of antiquity. Would I ever mix nobles and commoners?"
'Instead, you just pit them against each other in fights...'
The Skeleton Principal called out to Lee Han, who was privately entertaining such thoughts.
"Tell me, my disciple. About the true life at Einrogard."
"Your disciple, you say??"
"Indeed. I brought him along to enlighten someone like you about Einrogard's truth."
Lee Han nodded in agreement to play along.
"Correct. Students at Einrogard are strictly segregated. Commoner students dare not even glance at the shadows of noble students. Einrogard is where the beautiful old traditions are most rigorously upheld."
"Oh..."
The noble's eyes wavered at those words.
"In these degenerate times, if one were to study outside Einrogard, they might frequently clash with ignorant knights or vulgar commoners."
"I-I see. One might even run into deranged priests."
"In contrast, all Einrogard students strictly adhere to the rules. Those without manners end up in the Punishment Room."
"Indeed...!"
Lee Han exchanged glances with the Skeleton Principal, who nodded approvingly.
After all, it takes two hands to clap.
A young student speaking directly was far more persuasive than the Headmaster's own words.
Though most of it was lies, of course...
"Lord Gonadaltes. Perhaps I was too quick to be fearful."
"That may be so. In these lawless times where noble names grow weaker, how difficult must it be for someone as noble as you to endure? But by now, I trust you've understood my sincerity."
"Yes! I shall send my child to Einrogard."
"Good, good. A wise decision."
The Skeleton Principal soothed the noble and ushered him inside.
As they walked out the main gate, the Headmaster muttered,
"That family's brat shall be assigned to manage the manure in the Black Turtle Tower stables."
"An excellent idea, sir."
"This one possesses exceptional talent in swordsmanship. If dedicated to the blade, they could leave their name in the annals of swordsmanship history—"
"At Einrogard, one can hone their swordsmanship as well. Disciple, show them. This is the level of skill one attains even as a hobby."
"B-by the heavens!"
One from the swordsmanship guild, torn between sending the student to learn magic or devote themselves to the sword.
"If they enter a magic school, their prayer time may decrease, weakening their faith—"
"Thanks to Einrogard's devout environment, I was able to master several divine magics."
"!!"
One from the temple, hesitant about magic for fear it might hinder faith.
The Skeleton Principal's gaze grew uncharacteristically warm as he watched his disciple perform with flawless precision.
"Your skills are truly remarkable! Even Her Highness Jowurin will enroll now!"
"Please don't make such terrifying jokes."
"I do regret saying that a little. Haha. This will wrap up sooner than expected. All thanks to you."
The Headmaster checked the time.
As the capital was the most densely populated area in the empire, it also had the highest number of those refusing enrollment.
Once the admission process here was complete, the remaining regions would be far easier.
"Next are the mercenaries. Judging by the guildhouse's location, they seem like the unlawful sort... Hmm... Yes, definitely unlawful."
The Skeleton Principal lightly used divination magic to confirm their identities.
As the saying goes, 'Mercenaries fall into two categories: criminals and criminals who haven't been caught yet.' Imperial mercenaries were always tempted by illegality.
Countless groups hung the mercenary banner while committing all manner of crimes behind it.
"So for unlawful ones, you'll subdue them by force?"
"No. Ironically, unlawful ones are easier to persuade. They have much to hide, so they're far more fearful."
The Skeleton Principal answered with unwavering confidence.
The capital wasn't just home to upstanding citizens. Shady criminals also lurked in the shadows.
Though these types sometimes refused Einrogard's offers out of fear...
When the Skeleton Principal paid them a visit, they promptly repented and accepted.
"They're all here. Right there."
Lee Han and the Skeleton Principal stood out conspicuously as they arrived at the mercenary guild building beside a dilapidated inn in the capital's slums.
In the gloomy alley where a corpse could go unnoticed, those loitering either flashed sharp glances or gripped their daggers tightly at the sight of the two approaching.
But that was as far as it went.
From deeper in the alley, guild members bearing the same insignia came running, beating up those sitting around and dragging them inside by their hair.
-You insane bastards! Do you even know who that is?!
-Are you trying to get us all killed?! Open your damn eyes!
"I see some still have good memories."
When the Skeleton Principal spoke with evident satisfaction, Lee Han stared at him in shock.
"Where are you from?"
"Are you a member of the Arrowhead Mercenary Group? Tell your leader Gonadaltes has arrived."
"Never heard of him."
The mercenary guarding the door spat through his teeth and glared at Gonadaltes.
His attitude suggested that no matter how lavishly dressed these nobles were, he wouldn't cower before just two unescorted men.
"Right. You wouldn't know him. That's why I said to pass the message."
"No. Not in the mood."
The mercenary arrogantly lifted his chin.
His demeanor implied he expected bribes or flattery.
The Skeleton Principal spoke with feigned regret.
"Then I suppose we'll have to improve your mood."
No sooner had he spoken than the Headmaster's icy sword flew from its sheath, piercing the mercenary's limbs like lightning.
"GAAAH!!"
The moment the blade withdrew, his limbs froze solid. Unable to move, the mercenary screamed as he lay frozen to the ground.
"You said they'd be easily persuaded..."
"There's always a few particularly stupid ones. Since he's in a bad mood, we'll have to improve the mood of those inside too. Go!"
The flying sword shot into the mercenary group's building.
Immediately, terrified screams erupted from within.
Though the Arrowhead Mercenary Group had been in the capital for less than a year, their aggressive business expansion had made them somewhat notorious in the area.
Their leader, Ugda, was particularly skilled—not just in combat but also in smuggling, kidnapping, and trafficking—keeping his mercenaries well-fed and content.
"Sending one of my boys to Einrogard? What kind of nonsense is this?"
"Uh, isn't it like sending him to a Magic Tower or something?"
"What 'boy' are you talking about? Who here is a boy?"
"Come on, Boss. That expensive kid we bought last time, remember?"
"You want me to send HIM?! Do you have any idea how much we could sell him for? How dare you?!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Those crazy wizard bastards. They're the real thieves here!"
"But is it really worth making enemies of mages?"
"I don't care. Tear up that letter! You think those measly wizards would actually come after us over one brat?"
Ugda barked his orders roughly.
He figured these greedy mages had sent the letter based on rumors, and refusing them wouldn't amount to anything.
But Ugda had no idea which mage he was dealing with.
Not all mages were the same.
THUNK!
A sword came flying out of thin air. As the ownerless blade sliced through the air at blinding speed, mercenaries screamed and tumbled.
"An—an ambush!! Ambush!"
"The sword's flying...! A mage... Gahk!"
"Feeling better now, everyone?"
The Skeleton Principal kicked the mercenaries aside and strode forward.
The bewildered mercenaries clutched their limbs, groaning.
"Y-you damn mage...! What grudge do you have against us...!"
Before he could finish, the sword pierced his arm again. The mercenary's eyes rolled back.
"Grudge? Watch your tongue. I'm just improving your mood."
"What the hell kind of—"
Unable to bear it, Lee Han knocked the mercenary unconscious with a Water Orb.
It was an act of mercy, though the mercenaries didn't appreciate it.
"M-monsters...!"
"...Honestly, compared to the Headmaster, I'm being pretty lenient here, aren't I?"
"To ignorant fools, all mages probably look the same."
The Skeleton Principal replied indifferently, putting neat holes in the limbs of fleeing mercenaries.
Those refreshing holes ought to improve their moods!