Episode 625
Episode 625
"Please speak comfortably, Family Head."
Alsicle politely yielded the seat of honor.
As a guest visiting another family's territory who had been shown respect, it was now time for them to say there was no need for such formalities.
"I shall do so. Pengerin."
"Please speak comfortably with me as well."
"Thank you, Wardanaz."
After exchanging light greetings, they took their seats.
Just then, a knight staying in the territory knocked on the door.
"Lord Pengerin. You mentioned you'd assist with reinforcing the ice walls today... Huhk! My apologies!"
"No matter. It seems you had a prior engagement."
The Family Head gestured without any change in expression, signaling for the knight to continue.
"W-well, today, Lord Pengerin said he would reinforce the weakened ice walls of the Orambawi Cape fortress with magic. I came to fetch him as it was time..."
"Ah. That's right."
Alsicle inwardly winced.
He had promised the knights to assist with patrols by reinforcing the walls.
"My apologies, Family Head."
"Not at all. A prior engagement takes precedence. If anything, the Moradi family should be grateful. Escort Lord Pengerin and return safely."
"Yes!"
Rather than reprimanding the knight, Alsicle bowed his head in gratitude toward the Family Head, who had gracefully preserved everyone's dignity.
Then his eyes met Lee Han's.
'Huhk!'
Lee Han was staring at Alsicle with the eyes of someone who had just been betrayed.
"T-this isn't what it looks like!"
"What isn't?"
"This is genuinely a coincidence, unlike last time!"
"Ah. Yes. Of course."
The look in Lee Han's eyes had already downgraded to the same level as when he glared at the Skeleton Principal.
Feeling that shift, Alsicle's heart ached.
'Ugh...'
"I'll be back. We'll talk later."
"Yeah. Whatever."
"I swear it wasn't intentional..."
Alsicle shuffled out, still making excuses until the very end.
'Hmm.'
Left alone with the Moradi Family Head (though technically his junior was still present, they weren't much help), Lee Han felt an inexplicable tension creeping in.
Even Jiklin was intimidating enough one-on-one—how much more so the Family Head?
'He looks like a cold person.'
The elf had an icy demeanor that made it seem like not even a drop of blood would spill if you pricked him with a needle.
Lee Han recalled what he had heard about the family.
One of the most prominent knightly families of the north—iron-blooded, cold-blooded, never forgetting a grudge...
They embodied the typical Moradi traits.
And as the head of such a family, he would undoubtedly uphold its virtues more faithfully than anyone.
"I heard about the evil god worshippers, Wardanaz. On behalf of my family, I express my gratitude."
"I didn't act alone."
"Even so, it doesn't diminish the feat. I also heard you're close with Giselle. I'm curious how you became friends despite being in different towers. Would you mind telling me?"
"Cough."
Lee Han nearly spat out his coffee. His junior, who had been reading nearby, glanced at him as if asking if he was okay.
He couldn't very well say in front of the Family Head, 'The Moradis kept picking fights with me...'
"W-well... We grew close overcoming Einrogard's hardships together."
The Family Head fell silent for a moment after hearing Lee Han's words.
Then, as if still not understanding, he asked again.
"All of Einrogard's graduates overcame hardships together, yet it's rare for those from different towers to be close. What made the difference?"
"It's because the hardships the seniors overcame were fake hardships, while ours were real."
Lee Han answered with shameless audacity.
If he was going to bluff, he might as well do it boldly.
It wasn't like the Family Head could verify Einrogard's internal affairs anyway...
'?'
The Family Head paused briefly, unable to comprehend Lee Han's words.
For a moment, he wondered if his lack of firsthand experience with Einrogard was the reason he couldn't understand.
'What's the difference between fake hardships and real hardships?'
But he quickly snapped out of it.
This wasn't what mattered right now.
Though it was surprising that Giselle had made friends, that was ultimately her own affair—what the family head needed to do now was sound out the intentions of the Wardanaz family.
"I see. Young Wardanaz, how has your family head been faring lately?"
"He remains in seclusion as always. He's deeply engrossed in exploring the outer realms."
"How admirable. I've held the Wardanaz family head in high esteem since my youth."
Hearing such words delivered with a cold expression left Lee Han slightly flustered. 'Does he not know how to act?' To someone like Lee Han, the Empire's finest actor, this straightforward elven family head was an unfamiliar sight.
"Then what are your aspirations, young Wardanaz?"
"I'm considering becoming an Imperial Bureaucrat."
"Hmm. Is that so?" 'As expected, he won't speak plainly.' The family head showed neither surprise nor impatience at the boy's answer.
The head of the Moradi family was more accustomed to the conversations of nobles than those of knights.
It was rare for nobles to bare their true feelings upon a first meeting.
Outwardly feigning indifference, only later—when they deemed the other party worth aligning with—would they reveal fragments of their true thoughts. Such was the way of noble discourse.
What could a boy of the Wardanaz family possibly lack that he would dream of becoming an Imperial Bureaucrat?
That was clearly just a humble deflection. 'Lord Gonadaltes held this Wardanaz boy in high regard. There's a strong possibility he sees him as a potential successor. In that case, the mention of bureaucracy isn't entirely off the mark. An extraordinary answer indeed.' The family head was quietly impressed by the boy's response, which carried both humility and subtle metaphor.
This was a far cry from the other Wardanaz bloodlines he had met in the past.
"A splendid ambition."
"Do you truly think so?"
Lee Han brightened visibly.
He hadn't expected encouragement from another family's head.
"Of course!"
"Thank you."
"As a bureaucrat, you'll be traveling across the Empire's territories. I'd like to personally introduce you to our family's lands."
The family head proposed a tour of their domain under a plausible pretext.
If the boy had ambition, witnessing the Moradi family's power would surely elicit some reaction.
"Oh... I gratefully accept."
Lee Han agreed without much thought.
Compared to someone like Knight Jiklin dragging him off to hunt, a leisurely tour of the territory seemed like a perfectly mild and comfortable break.
And it would be good for flattery too. 'The harsh northern temperament runs strong in them... Hmm. Too clichéd. The essence of the frigid northern seas...' 'His eyes have changed.' Seeing the Wardanaz boy lost in thought, the family head grew even more expectant.
"This is our underground pasture."
The Moradi family, situated atop massive bedrock, had spent generations meticulously constructing various facilities.
Among them were rare establishments seldom found in other northern families.
One such was this underground pasture, carved deep into the caverns.
"Magnificent!"
"Thank you."
"To bore through rock and create space for a pasture—no other family could match this!"
"You flatter me."
The family head responded politely to Lee Han's praise but showed no particular interest.
The other's compliments held no real value.
What mattered were the actual agreements made. 'Fascinating.' After tossing out some perfunctory flattery, Lee Han surveyed his surroundings.
One would typically imagine pastures as open plains, but here was an underground version, nestled deep within caverns.
Among the animals raised here were not only common livestock but rare breeds as well. Truly a facility worth boasting about.
"Magic is heavily employed here too."
"If you thought a knightly family wouldn't use magic, you'd be mistaken, young Wardanaz. In truth, the Moradi family has quite a few mages. Though of course, they pale in comparison to the Wardanaz family..."
"You flatter me. There are even fewer of us, and we're not nearly as boisterous to begin with."
While the family head analyzed the meaning behind those words, Lee Han took the opportunity to examine the underground ranch's animals and the surrounding magical installations.
Indeed, the intensive training he'd undergone this past year seemed to be paying off—he could now identify the purposes of the installed magic spells.
This was all thanks to the brutal training imposed by the Skeleton Principal and Professor Verdus.
For a moment, Lee Han felt a surge of gratitude toward them...
'No. Actually, I don't feel grateful at all.'
...or at least, he tried to, but it didn't quite work out.
'Heating, wind... Ah, this must be for air circulation. And this one draws water? This seems like a purification spell—must be for animals that dislike filth.'
As Lee Han observed the spells with interest, the family head couldn't have missed his actions.
It seemed the blood of the Wardanaz family truly ran strong in him when it came to magic.
"Curious about something?"
"Ah, I was just wondering if it could be arranged more efficiently."
The family head looked intrigued at Lee Han's words.
It was unclear whether that confidence was justified or simply arrogant presumption.
Even if he was an Einrogard student, it was hard to believe a mage just entering his second year could improve upon it...
But this was a scion of the Wardanaz family. There was always the possibility he might demonstrate something extraordinary.
'Whatever the outcome, it doesn't matter.'
The most important thing was that, whether he succeeded or failed, the family head would still feel favorably inclined toward the kindness he had shown.
"Then by all means, give it a try, Wardanaz."
"Eh? No, if something goes wrong—"
"The family's other mages aren't far. Even if a problem arises, it can be resolved immediately. I believe giving a young mage experience is more important."
The family head spoke without changing his expression. His cold demeanor would have intimidated most people.
But Lee Han had grown far too bold to be frightened by something like that.
'I think I can handle this much.'
"Mm. Then I'll give it a quick try."
By cutting out the unnecessarily tangled parts of the magic circle meant for mana maintenance and amplification and overloading the remaining sections with mana, he could simplify the structure significantly.
It was a method only Lee Han could pull off—reducing the number of magic stones while covering the difference with his own mana.
"...!"
As the adjustments took effect and the flow of mana began to shift, the family head's expression—unchanged all day—finally wavered for the first time.
He stared at Lee Han in astonishment. As an exceptional knight himself, he could instinctively sense what the boy was doing.
'To streamline mana like that!'
"Seems done. Did I make any mistakes?"
"No. Impressive, Wardanaz. I'm impressed."
"Haha. Thank you. All that practice at Einrogard paid off."
The family head quickly calculated the number of magic stones saved by the adjustments.
"Would you mind looking at a few others? I'd like to hear your thoughts."
"Though what I just did was more like a patch—it might not work on more complex magic circles."
"That's fine. Just take a casual look, and I'd be grateful."
For the first time that day, the family head smiled.
The idea of cooperation with the Wardanaz family, which had been in the back of his mind, quickly faded.
His thoughts were now entirely occupied by how much of his territory this boy's genius could improve.
"I'm here?"
Arriving at the training grounds, Giselle turned her head this way and that, searching for her sister.
Deep inside, Jiklin sat with a troubled expression.
"Giselle."
"Yes?"
"Mm. No."
"...Why? You can just tell me!"
Giselle pressed, wondering what her sister was agonizing over.
Most of Jiklin's worries were trivial, but sometimes they veered into the dangerously absurd—like, 'I want to spar with a giant swordsman.'
"I'm your sister. You can trust me."
"Mm."
After a long pause, Jiklin finally spoke.
Giselle leaned in, curious about what the issue could be.
"Father is keeping Wardanaz with him, so I can't demonstrate my swordsmanship."
"......"
Giselle instantly regretted asking.