Episode 617
Episode 617
"Shouldn't we be running away faster?"
Lee Han spoke while feeling the knights' gazes pouring onto his back from behind.
Though he didn't turn around, he could easily guess that the knights' stares would be as sharp as blades.
Yet, the Skeleton Principal remained leisurely.
"No need for that."
"Ah, do you have more freshmen to persuade?"
"No. We must meet the knights around here. Since we've come all this way, it'd be disappointing to just leave, don't you think?"
Like the wealthy nobles of the capital, the knight families of the north were also steadfast supporters of Einrogard.
Of course, their relationship was slightly different from that with the capital nobles.
While the capital nobles, lacking nothing, were always in a position to request favors from the Skeleton Principal, the northern knight families maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with him.
The barren and harsh terrain of the north always required mages, and the Skeleton Principal, who led Einrogard, was their most reliable ally.
"But didn't you just trick them?"
"Trick? Someone might misunderstand if they hear that. It was a fair match."
"A fair match!"
The junior nodded approvingly, as if he had learned something good. Lee Han covered the junior's ears.
Alsicle cautiously asked,
"Still, won't what just happened affect the meeting?"
"Don't worry. The north is vast—what are the odds we'll run into those same knights again? Just think of it as resting comfortably before we arrive."
At the Skeleton Principal's words, Lee Han and Alsicle felt reassured.
Listening to him, it seemed like all they had to do was eat and drink pleasantly to maintain the knight families' dignity.
"Indeed. Where will the banquet be held?"
"At the Moradi family's fortress. There's no place in the north quite like it."
"Oh. That's perfect. I'm actually close with Moradi."
"?"
The Skeleton Principal looked puzzled.
Was that so?
* * *
The territory of the Moradi family, a typical northern knight family, was entirely different from that of the Empire's great noble houses.
The great noble families of the Empire had a custom of building mansions like works of art amidst beautiful landscapes, far enough from bustling cities and towns to forget worldly troubles.
However, as the term "fortress" instead of "mansion" suggested, the northern knight families placed great importance on practicality and combat strength in their territories.
The Moradi family's fortress, built along one of the few large rivers in the north and perched atop a towering mountain, was densely packed with walls and family facilities—truly embodying the essence of a northern knight family.
'Oh.'
Looking at the massive fortress, which clearly hadn't been built overnight, Lee Han understood why Moradi held such strong influence within the White Tiger Tower.
Its scale was incomparable to the other knight family fortresses they had seen on their way here.
And the size of a territory usually reflected the family's wealth.
'Is Moradi richer than I thought?'
Whenever he talked with the White Tiger Tower guys, they'd grumble, "We knights sacrifice for the Empire and protect the citizens, so we have no money, boo-hoo," making him think they were genuinely broke. But seeing this, it seemed he'd been fooled...
"His Excellency Gonadaltes has arrived!"
The fortress gates opened with a heavy sound.
Knights emerged and spoke respectfully.
"Your Excellency. Thank you for using the main gate this year!"
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and Alsicle were baffled, but the Skeleton Principal paid no heed.
"You should be grateful. Is the family head present?"
"Yes. He is waiting."
"Lead the way. You two, rest until the banquet."
At the Skeleton Principal's words, Lee Han's group nodded.
As the Emperor's Imperial Magic Officer and guardian of the Empire's magical defenses, the Skeleton Principal undoubtedly had matters to discuss with the Moradi family head.
Starting from the state of the Great Mountain Range to recent trends in the north and the amount of support funds...
"This is my first time visiting the Moradi family's territory—it's quite fascinating."
Alsicle remarked as they walked up the narrow stone passageway.
A territory so specialized in combat was rare even within the empire. It was a place where one could truly feel the history of the Moradi family.
"Your friend is from this family?"
"Yes."
"That's odd. Usually, students from the Blue Dragon Tower don't get along with those from the White Tiger Tower."
"We became friends during swordsmanship classes."
"...Do Blue Dragon Tower students normally take swordsmanship classes?"
As Alsicle tilted his head in confusion, a group of knights approached from the opposite direction.
"Honored guests, you should be heading this way, not that... Oh."
"......"
Lee Han and Alsicle froze when they spotted the knight who had earlier come to fetch Ulgan among the group.
"Are you a knight of the Moradi family?"
"...Yes..."
Ingkan, a knight of the Moradi family who had stepped out briefly during his rest period to assist the knight order before returning, looked thoroughly embarrassed upon encountering the mages.
Seeming equally awkward, Alsicle apologized.
"Uh, my apologies."
"Ah, no. Ulgan wanted to become a mage, but that's hardly your fault."
Eandurde nodded vigorously in agreement. Lee Han grabbed his junior by the chin.
"Please call upon us anytime if needed. The Moradi family always respects its guests."
As Ingkan withdrew with the other knights, Lee Han's group finally let out a sigh of relief.
The guest tower was spacious and comfortable, but after what had just happened, they hardly noticed.
"Aren't there fewer knights than expected? I wonder if we'll meet more from the knight order at the banquet."
"Eh. It'll be fine. Knights drink themselves silly at banquets. They won't even recognize us."
"......"
Lee Han gave Alsicle a skeptical look. 'This guy doesn't seem like he's been particularly close with knights.' Still, it was true that knights enjoyed drinking. Hadn't Lee Han himself seen them drinking merrily at gatherings he'd attended?
Unlike noble gatherings, where etiquette and decorum were emphasized, knightly gatherings tended to be livelier.
Knock knock
"Honored mage. Are you inside? Some knights wish to meet you..."
"?"
Lee Han was puzzled by the unexpected proposal.
The banquet hadn't even started—why would other knights want to meet them now?
"Could this be a trap?"
"...No! What kind of thought is that?!"
Alsicle denied in shock.
It was common for notable figures in the empire to attract those eager to meet them wherever they went.
People wanted to hear about their fame and achievements, to later boast, "I spoke with such-and-such a person..."
Such conversations were both enjoyable and beneficial, so it was only natural many would seek them out.
Though Alsicle and Lee Han weren't quite empire-wide celebrities, they were both from high noble families, and one was an Einrogard student.
Among the northern knights, there were bound to be quite a few eager to build connections with such promising mages.
"Let's step out and chat for a bit. Making connections now could help you later."
"Wait a moment. I have some canned sardines—"
"Hey. We don't need canned food."
The Moradi family's territory wasn't exclusively inhabited by their own knights. In fact, knights from other families often outnumbered them.
Even excluding guests and invitees, their numbers were considerable—sending one's knights to another family for rigorous training was a common practice among knightly houses.
For an influential knightly family like the Moradi, their popularity was only natural.
It provided young knights an opportunity to train and build connections among themselves.
The knights who had summoned Alsicle and Lee Han this time were from various noble families of the north.
"You said they're mages from Einrogard? What year are they in?"
"I didn't catch it exactly, but from what I know, probably third years. I heard it from a friend serving in the Beech Knights."
"Huh, only third-years with such achievements!"
"That's the Wardanaz family for you."
"Lord Alsicle is from the Pengerin family, right?"
"That's correct."
"Then... would it be alright to ask him to eat some sardines?"
"Well... it'd be a bit embarrassing to ask outright, so let's just set them out as snacks."
The knights waited for the mages' arrival while scheming with mischievous intent.
Before long, the group of mages arrived.
"Welcome, honored mages!"
"This must be Lee Han of the Wardanaz family, and this Lord Alsicle of the Pengerin family! And this one...?"
"My junior. Eandurde."
"Eandurde!"
At Lee Han's explanation, the knights nodded as if understanding.
"So this one is a second-year, then?"
"...He hasn't even enrolled yet?"
"Ah. I see. Since Lord Wardanaz is a third-year, I just assumed—"
"...I'm not a third-year!"
Lee Han blurted out in shock.
What kind of absurd rumor was this? Could it be one of the Skeleton Principal's traps?
"Eh, you're not a third-year? A fourth-year, then?"
"I'm just moving up to second year."
"......"
"......"
As the knights froze in unison as if struck by a petrification curse, Lee Han wondered if he'd made some mistake.
'Is being a first-year that much of a problem?'
"Ah... I... I see."
"Th-That's... quite surprising. My apologies. We heard you defeated the Ghoul King, so we assumed you'd be at least a third-year..."
"Ghk."
Lee Han was stunned that the rumors had spread even to the north.
Who the hell had spread them?
"My friend serves in the Beech Knights, and he said Lord Wardanaz wiped out the Anti-Magic Zealots..."
"That wasn't just me!"
Having found the culprit, Lee Han coughed and hurried to clarify.
While he appreciated the knights' goodwill, if the rumors kept getting exaggerated, he'd be the one left dealing with the fallout.
"There were other helpers, and luck—"
"Even so humble!"
"...Ah. Lord Alsicle, here are the sardines."
Lee Han swiftly changed the subject.
But Alsicle replied coolly.
"I already ate. I'm full."
"Ah..." "Oh no..." "Tch..."
Small sighs of disappointment echoed around.
The knights looked as pitiful as baby birds caught in the rain.
"...Maybe I could eat just one."
"!"
Feeling guilty, Alsicle picked up and ate one sardine, making the knights chuckle brightly.
'Subject successfully diverted.'
"But Lord Wardanaz, we'd love to hear more about your fight against the Anti-Magic Zealots."
'Not diverted at all.'
Lee Han regretted underestimating the knights' persistence.
Thinking about it, they had probably called him here specifically to hear this story.
Every single one of them was prepared and waiting eagerly for details.
"Well, you see..."
"Wait! Start from the beginning of the gathering. What were you wearing that day?"
"...Is that important? Uh... probably my uniform with a coat over it..."
The knights interrogated him relentlessly, squeezing out his memories like wringing a towel.
Lee Han struggled to endure and answer.
"...It was luck. The knights' cooperation helped us hold out."
"Listening to this, Lord Wardanaz, you seem to get along very well with knights. That's rare among mages."
"Haha."
"Come to think of it, we heard Lady Giselle of the Moradi family fought alongside you. Are you close? Being fellow Einrogard alumni, it's only natural..."
"Haha. Yeah, we're close."
"Wait! Then let's invite Lady Moradi too!"
"Great idea!"
"......"