Episode 627
Episode 627
Seeing Wardanaz's genuinely aggrieved expression, Giselle felt something in her head go 'snap.'
"Who do you think got me into this fight with my sister in the first place!"
"Wait. Moradi. Are you fighting too?"
"...Yes."
'Why? Is she planning to stab me in the back while pretending to fight together? Did she prepare some kind of trap in advance? If it's a trap...'
As Lee Han made his pondering expression extremely obvious, Giselle gritted her teeth and spoke.
"I'm fighting with you because I don't want you to die..."
"Tch. Isn't that exaggerating too much?"
"It's not an exaggeration, so get a grip. So why on earth did you have to go and needlessly flatter my sister—"
As Giselle continued her explanation, Lee Han's face grew serious.
Hearing about the northern knights Jiklin had demolished made him realize the problem was bigger than he'd thought.
If he messed up, he might have to spend the rest of winter break walking around on crutches.
"I'm an outside guest though. Surely she'd hold back a little?"
"She might, but I wouldn't count on it. My sister isn't good at holding back."
"What? Someone who casually beheads Great Serpents can't control their strength?"
"Hey, watch your mouth. Everyone has things they're bad at."
Giselle wouldn't tolerate even the slightest criticism when it came to matters involving Jiklin.
Lee Han fell into thought.
'This is too much. Just because I said I wanted to see her swordsmanship, she's trying to kill me.'
This was Lee Han's mistake.
When she'd forced him into that promise just for asking to have a meal together, he should've realized and been more careful!
"Moradi. You said you'd fight with me, right?"
"Yeah. That way my sister might hold back at least a little."
"What if I grab you and take you hostage?"
Alsicle, who'd been listening nearby, stared at Lee Han in disbelief.
Was that even a proper suggestion?
But Giselle answered seriously.
"I actually considered that, but with my sister's personality, it'd backfire. She'd just take me back and then kill you."
"I figured as much."
"......"
Alsicle wondered if she was the only sane person left in this room.
Looking to the side, she saw Eandurde chewing on his dried fish.
"Hey, am I the only one who thinks this is crazy? Doesn't this sound insane to you too?"
"?"
Eandurde looked at the penguin beastman as if wondering what nonsense he was spouting now.
An empty wasteland where nothing existed—not in the sky, nor on the distant horizon.
Seeing this dreamscape again after so long, Lee Han knew who had called him.
"Good to see you."
The black book given by the Skeleton Principal fluttered in the air as it appeared.
It was the same black book that always appeared in his dreams whenever Lee Han faced trials and tribulations to teach him new magic.
If nothing else, it was certain that the Skeleton Principal showed consideration for Lee Han in this regard.
Without this black book, Lee Han might have died once or twice already at Einrogard.
'But come to think of it, if not for the Headmaster, wouldn't my hardships be reduced by about half?'
Flap!
The black book fluttered as if telling him not to have such useless thoughts, drawing Lee Han's attention.
"Black Book. Tomorrow I have to fight a strange knight and need help. Teach me some useful magic."
Flutter flutter!
The black book rustled its pages as if telling him not to worry.
Seeing that, Lee Han suddenly grew concerned.
"It's not another close-combat magic, is it?"
The spells taught by the black book were fundamentally magic created by the Skeleton Principal.
Since the black book itself was essentially an artifact made by the Headmaster, that was only natural.
The problem was that all those spells were biased toward close combat.
<Gonadaltes' Agile Footsteps>, <Gonadaltes' Sharp Hand>, and even <Gonadaltes' Boiling Power>...
The only non-combat spell, <Gonadaltes' Dark Vision>, was quite versatile, but even this felt like it was developed for close combat purposes.
Against a knight like Jiklin, close-combat magic didn't seem like it would be much help.
"Will a single drop of water fill an empty cup?"
Flap!
The newly revealed spell in the black book was <Gonadaltes' Quickening Agility>.
"......"
Completely disregarding Lee Han's expression, the black book fluttered insistently as if urging him to learn it quickly.
Giselle, who had barely slept last night, chewed her bread absentmindedly while lost in thought.
She still hadn't decided how to fight when facing her sister today.
"Moradi. I've got a good idea."
"...?"
When Lee Han suddenly appeared in the dining hall and made that remark, Giselle looked at him in confusion.
"What is it?"
"We can use magic during the spar, right?"
"This time, it doesn't matter."
Since this wasn't a pure swordsmanship duel but rather a demonstration of Jiklin's swordsmanship for the Wardanaz heir, both Wardanaz and Giselle were free to use magic if they wished.
"When does the spar end?"
"In a case like this... it'll end when my sister feels she's shown enough of her swordsmanship."
The victory conditions for knights' duels varied depending on the rules.
Sometimes, they fought to the death in life-or-death battles. Other times, the duel ended at the first wound. And in some cases, it concluded once a specific objective was achieved.
This situation was closest to the last one.
"Right. That makes sense."
Lee Han nodded as if he'd expected as much.
"It's up to Lady Jiklin to decide when to end it. So here's what I thought—Moradi, unlike knights, we can use magic, right?"
"Well... yes?"
Giselle tilted her head, wondering where Lee Han was going with this.
"Let's spam magic until we're completely mana-depleted, then just collapse."
"...!"
If a knight simply dropped their sword and lay down, they'd be met with Jiklin's furious reprimand.
Given Jiklin's rigid personality, she would never accept such an excuse from someone who gave up without even fighting.
But mages were different.
What if they just collapsed after exhausting their mana?
Admittedly, it was a rather shameless tactic, but Giselle found herself intrigued.
"That... might actually work. My sister doesn't understand magic, so she might buy it."
"Right?"
"But that doesn't solve everything. We won't even have time to cast spells."
Skilled knights never gave mages time to cast spells.
A mage given enough time was one of the most dangerous opponents—which was precisely why knights like Jiklin would rush in like a storm the moment the duel began, overwhelming them before they could react.
They were technically free to use magic, but under such intense pressure, swordsmanship would be their only real option.
"True. We'd need to create distance first."
"Don't tell me you're suggesting I act as bait while you run. And that wouldn't even work on my sister."
"Moradi. What kind of person do you take me for?"
Lee Han protested before explaining the strategy he had prepared.
Given Jiklin's skill, trying to clumsily create distance while casting spells—like they usually did—would be suicidal.
Even if she wasn't going all out, they wouldn't be able to create enough space that easily.
Their only option was to focus entirely on running.
"There are two of us. We should use that advantage. I recently learned an agility-enhancing spell, so I'll carry you while running as far as possible. You just spam spells at Lady Jiklin."
"That could... Wait. I don't have any long-range spells that would work for that."
"What?! You haven't even learned long-range combat magic?!"
Lee Han's accusation left Giselle dumbfounded.
Most students in the White Tiger Tower specialized in Enhancement or Enchantment magic, making them relatively weak in long-range combat.
But even students from other towers couldn't just recklessly spam magic like Lee Han was suggesting. Spamming spells was an extremely high-level skill in itself.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to spam spells? One mistake, and you'll genuinely collapse from mana depletion!"
"Ah... You're right. If we actually exhaust ourselves for real, that'd defeat the whole point."
Lee Han nodded his head with a resigned expression.
"Then there's only one way left."
"??"
Standing in the training grounds, Jiklin revealed a faint look of surprise at the unexpected sight before her.
Her younger sister was standing there, holding the boy from the Wardanaz family in both arms.
"Giselle. What is this..."
"...It's part of our strategy."
"I know what kind of strategy it is. Since a mage can't both create distance and concentrate on casting spells at the same time, you're planning to have Wardanaz cast spells while you run away, aren't you?"
"!"
Both of them were startled that Jiklin had immediately deduced their plan upon seeing this bizarre sight rather than being shocked.
"As expected of Lady Jiklin! You saw right through it!"
As Lee Han, cradled in Giselle's arms, shouted, Jiklin nodded as if it were nothing.
"Mages don't always rely on completely unpredictable tactics. If you account for the fact that magic is involved, it's entirely possible to anticipate."
"Indeed."
"Are you seriously thinking of flattering her in this position, you little brat?"
Giselle was dumbfounded by the sight of Wardanaz shamelessly sucking up while being carried horizontally.
But Lee Han remained unbothered.
"Moradi. If you act embarrassed now, it'll just feel even weirder."
"It's already weird enough."
"How's your condition?"
"I think I still have enough mana for spells. Go all out from the very start. We can't give my sister any openings."
Before the match began, Lee Han had cast every enhancement spell he could on Giselle, including Gonadaltes' Agile Footsteps and Gonadaltes' Quickening Agility.
This was the only way to achieve a speed that could surpass Jiklin's expectations.
'This has to work.'
"Then we'll begin."
By the time Jiklin finished saying "begin," she was already right in front of them.
Giselle desperately exploded mana through her legs and began creating distance.
Her body felt lighter than ever before, but she couldn't relax for even a second.
She was going to get caught!
"Fog, spread!"
A mist enveloped Giselle. From the outside, it was an illusionary fog that made it impossible to focus properly.
But Jiklin closed her eyes and adjusted her direction, tracking them through sheer instinct. Both Lee Han and Giselle grimaced at the sight.
"Darkness, sweep forth!"
Lee Han unleashed a wave of darkness, spreading it as if to strike a wide area.
Even if its offensive power was lacking, the nature of the dark element would at least momentarily halt the charging knight's advance.
But Jiklin drew her sword with one hand and clenched her other fist, then threw a punch into the air.
With a sound like tearing wind, the dark wave was neutralized. Just by swinging a mana-infused fist, she had produced that much force.
'Is she an actual monster?!'
Lee Han was stunned, but there was no time to dwell on it. He gritted his teeth and immediately chanted the next spell.
"Gather, rotate!"
Water masses formed in the air and began spinning rapidly.
Water Orbs, carrying as much rotational force as he could muster, flew forward with a heavy sound.
Jiklin swung her still-sheathed sword like a club, intercepting the orbs midair. Despite what must have been an immense impact, her stance didn't waver in the slightest.
'Incredible!'
Lee Han couldn't help but admire Jiklin's swordsmanship.
While Moradi's dual-sword style was unpredictably versatile, Jiklin's swordsmanship was even more dazzling, as if declaring this was the true family style.
Even with just a single sword, its variations were impossible to follow.
"Sharkan, Gonadaltes. Come forth! Rise, warriors of bone..."
Lee Han briefly considered summoning Perkuntra as a last resort.
Summoning Perkuntra during a practice match was absurd, but the knight charging toward them right now had the sheer presence to make him consider it.
If the distance kept closing like this...
Thud!
Finally, Jiklin, having caught up to Giselle, extended her sword—then stopped it right before her sister's forehead.
Then, in a gentle voice, she praised them.
"You both did well. I'm pleased you exceeded my expectations."
"......"
"...???"
Both of them were bewildered.
Giselle was the first to regain her composure and asked,
"Uh... is it over?"
"Yes."
"But we're still perfectly fine! You're just ending it like that?"
"Giselle. What kind of nonsense is that? If an outsider heard, they'd misunderstand."
"......"