Episode 631
Episode 631
631: "You're... not joking, are you?"
"I don't joke about Einrogard."
"Come to think of it, I heard the headmaster is rich."
"He does have a lot of gold. But I wouldn't recommend stealing from him. If you get caught, you'll go straight to prison."
"Eh, if caught, they send you to an outside prison?!"
"No. The underground prison inside the school. There's a punishment chamber. You go there if you're caught stealing, or if your grades are bad."
"......"
Karre had to seriously consider whether this senior was genuinely teasing him or not.
But the senior's expression was utterly serious. Anyone who saw that face would never think it was a lie.
"Like I said earlier, once you learn magic, your perspective might change. You might come up with better ways to get rich than stealing."
"Bigger thefts?"
"That could be a better method too. Anyway, the point is—you need to be patient for a while to learn magic. To take two steps forward, you have to be able to take one step back."
Karre fell deep into thought.
Unlike the unrealistic advice from other priests—urging him to abandon greed and nurture faith—this senior's advice was refreshingly practical.
He still couldn't quite grasp what Einrogard was truly like, but if it meant getting in, he could endure for a while.
"Alright! I'll try to endure. Should I go talk to the bishop about it?"
"Yeah. Good thinking. Honestly, I was considering advising you to just not get caught if you steal, but that seems too much for your current skills."
"...?!"
Karre was stunned.
No matter how much this senior exuded noble aura, this was not something he could just let slide.
"Wh-what... what did you say? I must have misheard, right? Senior??"
"You heard right. The bishop knows, doesn't he? Then you got caught. That's not how you do theft."
"What do you know, Senior?! I just didn't hide it! I could've hidden it if I—"
As Karre stomped around in frustration, Lee Han slowly raised his fist and then opened his palm.
Resting on it was Karre's pouch of silver coins.
He had swiped it when he told Karre to sit earlier.
"Didn't notice, did you? This is how you steal."
"?!?!?!?!"
"I combined a technique my friend taught me with magic. This is how you steal cleanly."
By applying Enhancement Magic and Divination Magic beforehand, even the same pickpocketing technique could be executed far more cunningly and precisely.
The skills Ratford had taught him were now blossoming outside Einrogard, fused with magic.
Karre was completely speechless.
His pride as a thief was utterly shattered, filling him with frustration—but at the same time, awe surged within him.
He wanted to learn this!
Satisfied that he had properly persuaded his junior, Lee Han handed the pouch back and said,
"I get that you're confident, but don't get overconfident until you reach true mastery. I trust you understand."
"I understand perfectly, Senior."
Karre nodded firmly, then looked straight at Lee Han. His eyes sparkled with determination.
"I've decided! Until I'm skilled enough to steal your pouch, I won't steal anything outside! Just you wait!"
"Good. By the way, my name is Gainando."
"Yes! Senior Gainando!"
Lee Han almost told Karre that "first-years don't get to meet seniors" but stopped himself.
He didn't want to dampen the enthusiasm after successfully persuading him.
'When he eventually finds out it's a fake name, he'll learn a lesson too.'
The lesson—not to blindly trust seniors—was far more important than he realized.
Lee Han felt proud that he had imparted such a crucial lesson to his junior.
"But, Senior."
"Hmm?"
"By any chance, are you not from a noble family but from a thieves' guild?"
Karre asked cautiously.
At first, he had assumed the senior was from a noble family because of his statue-like appearance, but no matter how he looked, he smelled like someone from the same ilk as himself.
"Bishop. I've reflected on my actions. From now on, I won't steal and will devote myself to magic!"
"...!?"
Bishop Ines was genuinely surprised. He turned to the Skeleton Principal and asked,
"Was this what you meant when you said he'd grumble but get it done?"
"Indeed. What did I tell you?"
"?"
Lee Han, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, asked curiously,
"What kind of conversation did you two have?"
"I said grumbling while getting things done is your hobby."
"......"
Lee Han contemplated whether he should pick up the chair he had been about to swing earlier and swing it now.
After Karre bowed and left, the bishop expressed his sincere gratitude.
"Thank you so much."
"For what? It's nothing."
"Though I was addressing Lord Wonadnaz, not Lord Gonadaltes."
"I know."
The bishop decided to simply ignore the Skeleton Principal. Turning back to Lee Han, he said,
"I never thought you'd be able to persuade Karre like that."
"Well... Bishop, to be honest, I didn't completely reform Karre."
Lee Han spoke carefully, worried the bishop might misunderstand.
But the old bishop wasn't particularly surprised.
"I know. How could a person change overnight? What I'm grateful for is that you sparked his interest in magic."
The bishop hadn't expected Karre to reform in an instant.
He simply hoped Karre would broaden his horizons, experiencing many things rather than obsessing over theft.
And if that thing was magic, then he could truly rest easy.
The determination Karre had just shown was real. It was clear he intended to stop petty theft and focus on studying until he could enter the magic school.
"Let me thank you once again. Please take good care of Karre."
"First-years don't get to meet second-years."
The bishop and Lee Han collectively pretended not to hear that. The two understood each other without needing to say more.
As they bid farewell and stepped outside the temple, the Skeleton Principal asked curiously,
"So how did you persuade him? He seemed pretty stubborn to me."
"Well... I convinced him by saying, 'If you want to steal, steal at Einrogard. You're not skilled enough to steal outside yet.' Something like that."
"......"
The Skeleton Principal looked at Lee Han as if he were trash.
...
I got your last letter, Wardanaz. And, uh, I might've accidentally mentioned overlapping details while talking to Yoner. Sorry! It really just slipped out. You're not going to stop sending letters because of this, right? I'm really sorry!
I heard you visited the northern mountain range. Thanks for putting in a good word for me with the patrol hunters. The hunters said you're close with Moradi. I don't know how these baseless rumors spread. There's no way that's true. But you're not really going to stop sending letters, right?
The Maykin family's mansion is really comfortable. The tablecloths here are probably higher quality than the blankets in my old dorm. I still can't get used to the maids changing my clothes, though... You're not going to stop sending letters because of what I mentioned last time, right?
Oh, I met Yoner's older sister. Just my opinion, but you might want to avoid her for a while. Oh, and you'll send a letter, right?...
'I should write back right away.'
Seeing Nilia's messy handwriting, Lee Han felt oddly guilty.
...
I trust you are also shedding worthy drops of sweat, Wardanaz. Lately, I've been carving and refining an obelisk alongside the guild's finest artisans. It brings me joy to see that the magic I learned at school wasn't in vain.
One day, I wish to erect the greatest architectural marvel in the Empire. If you could play a part in that, it would bring me great happiness...
'Salko. To build a great architectural marvel, you'll need investors.'
The moment he heard his friend's dream, Lee Han's mind immediately began running calculations.
Someone has to be the practical one, after all...
Today there was an event for nobles in the capital, which reminded me of this anecdote—seventy-seven years ago, Imperial Chancellor Baldante once said...
"?"
Lee Han wondered if he'd misread and checked the sender of the letter.
Who sent this?
Surely Adenart hadn't sent another one already? He didn't have any other friends who were this talkative in letters...
-The Imperial bloodline, Adenart, had "......"
Turns out Adenart had sent another one.
'Is he bored or something?...'
The bouillabaisse I had there was truly exquisite. I'd love to treat Wardanaz to it someday. Your last letter arrived, but I haven't received a reply yet, which is slightly concerning. I assume something must have come up?
My other friends don't write letters. It's not that I'm disappointed—I'm just glad Wardanaz writes to me...
'I should order my followers to send letters immediately.'
His followers' thoughts were predictable. They probably believed it would be impolite to send letters first, so they were staying quiet.
If he left them like this, he'd be bombarded with letters soon enough!
"Wait here for a moment."
"Yes."
The carriage stopped, and the Skeleton Principal stepped outside in a flash, but Lee Han wasn't particularly surprised.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened during the trip.
Alsichil yawned and asked,
"Wardanaz, are you heading to your family's estate now?"
"Yes. After paying my respects, I'll invite any friends who can come before focusing on my own work."
"Your work... magic research?"
"No. Taking commissions."
"Adventurer commissions? Why? Do you need reagents for magic?"
"Because it pays?"
"...O-Oh. Right."
Alsichil was taken aback. The reason was far more direct than he'd expected.
'Wait, no? Is he saving up for magic research expenses?'
Come to think of it, someone like Wardanaz would naturally have magic research or experiments on a completely different scale, even as a second-year.
Of course, the costs involved would be in a whole different league.
It made sense that he'd start saving up now.
"...Do your best! I'll be cheering you on!"
"Thank you."
Before long, the Skeleton Principal returned.
Calm as ever, he was carrying a bundle roughly the size of a person.
"What's that? It looks like a person-shaped bundle."
"It is a person."
The Skeleton Principal tossed the bundle into the corner of the carriage. Then, a familiar nobleman, tightly bound, tumbled out. Lee Han had met him before.
"D-Duke Icaldoren!"
"What!? Who!?"
Alsichil was so shocked he nearly dropped the can of sardines he was holding.
The Skeleton Principal had kidnapped people before, but he never expected him to abduct an Imperial Duke.
Duke Icaldoren writhed, glaring at the Skeleton Principal.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Lord Gonadaltes! Is Wardanaz telling the truth?! Even so, you can't just kidnap an Imperial Duke like this!"
"Don't worry. That bastard has too many weaknesses to make a fuss."
"But..."
"Think about it, Pengerin. Have I kidnapped people just once or twice? Would someone like me recklessly bring a Duke here without solid leverage?"
'He's got a point!'
Alsichil found himself strangely convinced.
It was true—His Excellency Gonadaltes wasn't the type to act without reason.
"Here, Wardanaz. Take this. You've worked hard during this trip."
The Skeleton Principal tossed him a hefty pouch of gold coins.
It contained more gold than Lee Han had earned and saved through blood and sweat all year.
"...!"
"I made sure it's plenty."
"Headmaster!"
"What?"
"Are there any more Dukes in the carriage?"
At Lee Han's question, the Skeleton Principal glanced at Alsichil and said,
"...Even as his teacher, sometimes he gives me the chills."
'And who taught him that?'
Alsichil muttered under his breath.