Episode 633
Episode 633
"Hey. Wardanaz. You should've told us in advance if demons like that were roaming around."
"No, they don't normally roam around."
Lee Han felt there was a misunderstanding and tried to explain.
"No matter how you look at our family, we're not Einrogard—we're not the type to casually command demons like that."
"Then is that thing in front of us not a demon but a slime?"
At Lee Han's words, Alsicle checked again the massive demon standing outside.
Beside him, Eandurde was growling with his hair standing stiffly on end.
"Normally, golems patrol the area. Demons rarely roam around."
'That's already terrifying enough.'
In the Empire, golems were usually only seen when the Buyeo or summoning factions, or black magic practitioners, had rolled up their sleeves in earnest.
Each one was that powerful and difficult to create.
And if they were highly advanced golems capable of patrolling an estate this vast on their own?
He couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult they must be to make. From the difficulty level to the production costs, it would be beyond imagination.
Yet they were just using them for patrol duty. In many ways, it was frightening.
"They're guests."
Lee Han stuck his head out of the carriage and explained.
The demon nodded upon seeing Lee Han's face.
It couldn't understand why a descendant of the Wardanaz family would refer to himself as a guest, but it wasn't particularly curious.
Since it wasn't here by choice anyway, it only intended to do what it was told.
-Follow me.
"Eeek..."
The coachman regretted his past self for driving a carriage to the Wardanaz family for money.
How could he have made such a mistake!
"But didn't golems originally guide the way? Why is a demon doing it?"
-The golems are undergoing maintenance and repairs today. I came out because I rolled the lowest dice.
"......"
"......"
Despite having no facial expressions, the amorphous demon somehow managed to convey the sentiment, 'Life is truly suffering.'
Feeling oddly guilty, the three fell silent and asked no further questions.
Alsicle whispered inside the carriage.
"How did they capture that demon? Did they summon it from some ancient secret technique?"
"I'm not sure. They might have... but usually, they just picked it up somewhere."
"Picked up a demon? From where?"
"Another dimension, maybe?"
"......"
Alsicle closed his mouth and quietly admired the scenery.
He could roughly guess why that demon was in such a foul mood.
* * *
Following the forest path, the massive Wardanaz family mansion came into view in the distance.
Normally, one would see workers in the nearby forests and fields, but the absence of even a single person gave the estate an eerie, ghostly atmosphere.
'Even I'd be creeped out.'
Alsicle made a disgusted face as he stared at Lee Han.
The Wardanaz boy didn't seem to notice anything strange—probably because it was his family's estate.
"Are there even any people inside?"
"There are a few. The knights, the head butler who manages the mansion, and some servants..."
Alsicle waited for him to continue.
An estate of this scale would normally have at least a hundred people.
From field workers to forest keepers, lumberjacks to supply timber, hunters to provide game, traveling performers and minstrels for periodic entertainment, and priests to assist with worship at the estate's shrine...
But Lee Han said nothing more.
"...That's it?"
"Huh? That's all."
"Wh-what about the rest?"
"Usually, the golems handle it. Sometimes demons do, but that's really rare. Don't get the wrong idea."
Eager to dispel any misunderstanding that his family commanded demons, Lee Han explained fervently.
Of course, it had little effect. Alsicle was already feeling dizzy.
Clip-clop, clip-clop!
"Kn-knights!"
Alsicle's voice choked up as he spotted knights charging toward them from afar.
"I never thought I'd be this happy to see people after just a few hours."
Lee Han, standing beside him, asked curiously:
"Do you like knights?"
Alsicle pretended not to hear and waved his hand dismissively.
"Over here! Here!"
"You must be Alsicle of the Pengerin Family. It's an honor to meet you."
"The honor is mine to meet the renowned Sir Alarong of the Empire!"
Alsicle fluttered his wings enthusiastically to greet Alarong.
Of course, the knight was famous throughout the empire, but a significant part of this enthusiastic reaction stemmed from the loneliness of not having seen another person until now.
Alarong looked at the demon and said:
"From here, I'll take over as your guide."
-How delightful.
"Can't you maintain proper decorum in front of guests? Remember, I can always report to the family head to extend your punishment."
-I... I was wrong... Sir Knight. Please forgive me.
Alarong glared sternly at the demon. The amorphous demon, thoroughly cowed, shuffled away in defeat.
With the guest escort concluded, it was now time to pick grapes in the orchard.
"Ah, Lady Alsicle of the Pengerin Family. Please don't misunderstand—the Wardanaz Family doesn't normally employ demons. It's just that today happens to be golem maintenance day..."
"O-of course. Naturally, I wouldn't misunderstand. I won't breathe a word of this to anyone."
Unaware that Alsicle was sweating bullets down her back, Alarong stroked his mustache contentedly.
Having served the Wardanaz Family for so long, Alarong too had grown somewhat desensitized to certain things.
"Lord Lee Han. How wonderful to have you back. And your companion here is..."
"My junior."
"To have such an impressive warrior as your junior—what a pleasure. How do you do?"
"Grrrl."
Eandurde met Alarong's gaze briefly before slinking behind Lee Han like a shadow.
He sensed an overwhelming power from the knight—something entirely different from someone like Alsicle.
"And the family head?"
"He's in the Outer Realms. You should probably contact him immediately."
Lee Han nodded in agreement.
Alsicle, standing nearby, asked with eyes full of curiosity:
"Contact him how?"
"Well. You know the family head is conducting Outer Realm explorations, right?"
"Yeah."
Alsicle nodded vigorously.
Only a select few in the empire knew what the Wardanaz family head actually did.
Exploring the Outer Realms—that is, other dimensions connected to the continent—was the current occupation of the Wardanaz family head.
To the uninformed, it might seem strange why anyone would keep sticking their head into dimensions teeming with dangerous entities, but it was actually unavoidable.
Even if they remained passive here, beings from other dimensions would take interest in the continent.
Rather than waiting passively, true mages preferred to actively traverse dimensions—and the Wardanaz family head was the mage-iest mage of them all.
And truth be told, even without the threat of invasion, mages would have meddled anyway. Any mage who lacked curiosity about the mysteries and knowledge of other dimensions wasn't worthy of the title.
"He takes this so seriously that he spends nearly all his time in the Outer Realms. My eldest brother assists him too."
"By 'most of his time,' you mean... how many hours a day? Four? Five?"
"More like all year except for one or two days."
"!!!"
Alsicle was stunned.
Entering other dimensions was dangerous and draining—most mages tried to exit and return to the continent as quickly as possible.
Just look at how cautiously mages prepared when visiting the Spirit World to meet spirits.
They erected all sorts of magic circles and defensive barriers before entering.
And that was for dealing with spirits—among the more peaceful and safer denizens of other dimensions. But to casually wander the Outer Realms and treat them as home? Unthinkable.
"How is that even possible?"
"He created a Dimensional Gate Artifact and went inside."
"Ah, no. I don't mean how he got in... Anyway, that's astonishing."
Alsicle nodded while trying to calm his pounding heart.
Just hearing this much made him feel his visit to the Wardanaz estate was worthwhile.
To think something like that was possible...
It felt like catching a glimpse of magic's distant horizons.
"But you said communication. Can you send messages inside too?"
"Yes. It's some kind of magic artifact, though I don't know the exact structure."
"An artifact that can send messages across dimensions...!"
Alsicle shuddered.
Of course, he too could send telepathic messages—with layers of restrictions—to someone briefly visiting a safe dimension.
That was about as difficult as shouting to a friend who'd just waded into shallow water.
But for a mage freely exploring other dimensions? That changed everything completely.
How do you send messages to a mage who's dived into the abyss without even a safety line?
If that's possible, then truly... 'I must meet him!'
"Though there is a drawback."
"A drawback? What is it?"
"Perhaps because the other dimension is so distant, replies take about 30 minutes."
"...W-well, that makes sense."
Faced with such a practical limitation, Alsicle could only nod.
Well...!
Lee Han picked up his quill and began writing.
-Family Head. Greetings. Having completed a year at Einrogard...
Mid-letter, Lee Han paused, frowning.
Alsicle cautiously asked,
"What's wrong?"
"Hmm. I instinctively wrote too much. It needs to be shorter."
"How much shorter?"
"Like this."
Lee Han crumpled the paper and rewrote:
-Lee Han arrived home. Alsicle too.
"Hmm. Might need to trim it further."
"...Hey, this—this is going too far, isn't it?"
"Ah! My apologies. Should I write 'Pengerin' instead?"
"That's not the point...!"
For nobles, dignity and authority outweighed blood ties.
Even between parent and child, formal titles were used in official settings—letters were no exception.
And no matter how close they were, Alsicle was still a guest! This was far too curt!
"J-just a little more, please."
"No. Even four words is pushing it. The Family Head might scold me for being wordy."
"No way. Then just one word! Call me 'Alsicle of House Pengerin.'"
"That's two words."
After much back-and-forth, they finally settled on the letter's final version:
-Lee Han, Pengerin Alsicle.
"I'll send it like this."
Lee Han stood before the massive hall on the first floor—the so-called Room of Exploration—and tossed the letter through the door's maw.
The sheer intensity and complexity of the mana currents swirling inside marked this as the front line of interdimensional exploration.
'Remarkable. Just one year at Einrogard, and I perceive things so differently now.'
Lee Han marveled at the discernible patterns in the mana vortex—where before, it had felt like an undifferentiated mass.
Beside him, Alsicle alternated between awe at the mana and heavy sighs.
"Are you alright? Hungry?"
"No! The letter just seems so... discourteous..."
"This is sufficient. Let's wait for the reply. Ah—I'll ask the kitchen to prepare some sardines."
"N-no, it's fine. I didn't come here to eat."
Regardless, Lee Han went to the kitchen and requested sardine dishes.
From the kitchen's depths emerged a hulking, amorphous demon with dozens of hooves, trudging away gloomily.
"...Where's that demon going?"
"Probably to fetch sardines. Now, junior. Let's get back to studying while we wait."
Eandurde pretended not to hear, mimicking Alsicle's wide-eyed wonder at the estate. Lee Han mercilessly dragged his junior back to the desk.