Episode 639
Episode 639
While everyone was deeply moved, Arsil opened her mouth. Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
"Huh? You want to give presents to my friends? Really... no, Brother. Please don't feel hurt. There are some dangerous ones, you know. You'll really give me something safe this time? Last time you said that to me too... and you actually knew it was dangerous but still gave it to me because you wanted to give me something nice? Wait, what are you doing now?"
Lee Han felt a lump form in his throat.
He specifically asked for something safe, so why does his brother keep adding affection he never asked for!
"Lee Han. I'm curious about what it means that you can use Spirit Language..."
Yoner wondered just what kind of person Lee Han's older brother was.
And mixed into that curiosity was a slightly wicked expectation.
Just as Yoner had been embarrassed because of her crazy sister, she wanted to see Lee Han embarrassed by his crazy sibling!
"What present?"
"Wait. Gainando too. Spirit Language..."
"Is Spirit Language important? He just said 'present'! He definitely said 'present,' right?"
The oblivious relative rushed at Lee Han to ask.
Naturally, when someone who already seemed mysterious offered a present, it was impossible not to be intrigued.
"He said 'present,' but we should be careful. Gainando. Most of the presents Brother gave were pretty weird."
Arsil made a slightly sullen excuse. Of course, the ungrateful younger sibling didn't even pretend to listen.
"Brother asked if Gainando likes the Wizard Card game? Well, he does like it... no. Brother. Please don't give him anything related to Wizard Cards. He already spends all day playing that."
"What? You're giving Wizard Cards?!"
Despite not understanding Spirit Language, Gainando miraculously caught the gist of the conversation.
"Me! Me! I want it! If you give it to me, I'll treasure it forever!"
Arsil smiled warmly and handed over a sturdy leather pencil case. Gainando took it, puzzled.
"Uh, is this to make me study?"
"No. It's not a pencil case but a case for Wizard Cards, apparently?"
"A leather case!"
Gainando beamed as he placed his cards inside. Then Arsil explained.
"Apparently it's not an ordinary case? It'll give you advice when playing Wizard Cards."
"...!"
Gainando was stunned.
Among artifacts, those possessing self-awareness or intelligence were extremely rare.
And if it was specifically for Wizard Cards, that was even more extraordinary.
Who would spend a fortune creating an artifact that gives Wizard Card advice?
"R-really?!"
"But isn't it just a luck-based game? Does advice even matter?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Lee Han! Skill matters so much in Wizard Cards!"
At Gainando's outburst, Nilia looked puzzled.
"Doesn't he lose to Wardanaz every time?"
"Leave him be. I guarantee he still won't win even with advice."
Despite his friends' snide remarks, Gainando paid no attention.
He believed that while bad luck contributed to his low win rate, the occasional misjudgment played a significant role too.
If advice could eliminate those mistakes, he could definitely win!
"Heheh. Now no one can stop m—"
"Brother suggests playing a quick match. How about it?"
"Great!"
Gainando's face lit up as he pulled cards from the case.
Arsil also smiled and drew her cards. Seeing cards like <Wandering Book Peddler> and <Whirling Wind Spirit>, Gainando smirked confidently.
They weren't particularly rare or expensive cards.
And ten minutes later.
"......"
Gainando blinked in shock at his five straight losses.
He hadn't just lost—he'd been crushed far more thoroughly than usual.
"L-Lee Han, is this advice wrong or something?!"
Lee Han answered nonchalantly.
"Big Brother can hear the voices of the spirits."
"Why does that matter?"
"The spirits are telling me all about your cards. It's gonna be tough for you to win."
"!?"
Gainando looked at the spirits in shock.
How dare they interfere with this sacred card game!
"Huh, how can the spirits do this...! How!"
The spirits, completely unfazed, giggled and chatted with Arsil. Arsil laughed along and responded to them.
"B-Big Brother, are you mocking me?!"
"He's just saying the sunlight is nice today."
Staggered by his defeat, Gainando quickly changed targets.
"Lee Han. Just one more game!"
"Alright. Fine. Fine."
Normally, Lee Han would have smacked him on the back of the head and told him to study, but since they had guests who had traveled a long way today, his resolve softened slightly.
Besides, the coachman had disappeared too... 'If I lose on purpose, he'll be happy.' Lee Han decided to let Gainando win—just this once.
Truthfully, if Lee Han won, they'd end up playing several more rounds, so this was the obvious choice.
Fortunately, the leather case Arsil had given him seemed like a perfectly ordinary artifact with no side effects (though by Arsil's standards, it was boring and uninteresting).
"So, you're saying I should play the <Palm Tree Knights> here?"
Gainando muttered as he conversed with the leather case.
"But Lee Han has already placed three <Swift Skeleton Warriors> on the plains. If I don't play a card to protect myself now, won't I die next turn? Are you sure? You say they can't kill me? ...Alright then. I'll trust you and play the <Palm Tree Knights>!"
Confidently, Gainando placed the knight order card. A dazzling light shimmered as the knights moved within the card.
And then, Lee Han commanded his <Swift Skeleton Warriors> to finish off Gainando's remaining life points.
"...Wha—NO!!! You said it was fine!!!"
Gainando screamed at the leather case.
"What do you mean 'just bad luck'?! What kind of advice is this?! I was right all along!"
"...We played one game, right? I'm done."
While Gainando argued with the leather case, Lee Han and the others quickly turned away.
If they got caught here, they'd be stuck playing several more rounds.
Arsil gifted Nilia a comb made of jade.
"Th-Thank you! ...But what kind of artifact is this?"
"It makes you untraceable by enemies for a short while when you comb your hair... Wait, Big Brother. This was that kind of thing?! You could've just told me...!"
Arsil waved his hand dismissively, as if it were a boring item. Then, he gifted Yoner an inkwell containing ink that constantly changed colors.
"This ink lets you write words that your enemies can't see. ...Big Brother. Please, can you not give me gifts like this in the future?"
Yoner dipped a quill into the ink and wrote "Gainando is an idiot" on a piece of paper.
"Gainando?"
"What?"
Still fuming from his argument with the leather case, Gainando turned his head.
"Look at this."
"Huh? It's just paper."
Yoner nodded in satisfaction.
"Thank you."
Arsil gave a light, indifferent nod in response.
* * *
After exchanging farewells, the friends—as guests typically do—toured the mansion and chatted with Lee Han's new junior (Gainando had washed his hands of it).
Then, they all gathered in the study and began studying magic. Not because they particularly liked it, but because there wasn't much else to do in the mansion.
After about three days, Gainando wore an expression that made it hard to tell whether they were still in Einrogard or somewhere else entirely, and he pleaded desperately.
"P-Please, at least let me tour the estate. Lee Han... If I stay here any longer, I might die."
"Shut up. Just study quietly."
Yoner scolded his cousin while twirling his quill.
Einrogard didn't assign homework during breaks, but given the sheer volume of material, it might as well have been mandatory. If they didn't prepare for the gaps in their first-year studies now, they'd have to make up for it physically once they returned for their second year.
'Hmm. Nilia seems like she wants a break too.'
Lee Han glanced at Nilia, who was frozen in an awkward posture, hesitating to speak.
Clearly, Neilria had been about to agree with Gainando's words but hesitated upon seeing Yoner's reaction.
"...Sightseeing wouldn't be so bad. Any particular place you're curious about?"
Even if the estates of major noble families were located far from cities, they were never lacking in entertainment.
After all, with a constant stream of guests visiting and staying, there were always new balls, banquets, plays, or performances being held.
New guests could easily spend entire days just attending these invitations.
However, the Wardanaz family's estate was the most peculiar and alien among all major noble families' domains.
With even the mansion's own residents rarely visible, let alone guests, there was little to do here.
The only feasible option was patrolling the estate.
A pleasant pastime any family could enjoy—strolling around the estate grounds, getting some fresh air while sightseeing...
"Lord Lee Han. The western garden is currently off-limits. The golems have rebelled, and it will take some time to suppress them."
Alarong spoke politely before walking down the hallway. Lee Han shrugged helplessly.
"Ah. The western garden is a no-go."
"......"
Gainando immediately regretted speaking up, but he couldn't back down now.
Even a garden with a golem rebellion sounded better than continuing to study here.
"Then the north! Let's go north!"
"The northern area has the Lake Labyrinth... Ahem! Is it safe to enter the Lake Labyrinth right now?"
"I wouldn't recommend it, Lord Lee Han. The lake's currents are particularly turbulent at this time—it would be dangerous to enter carelessly."
"That's a no, then."
The three wanted to ask, 'What the hell is the Lake Labyrinth, and why is it even on your estate?!' but they clenched their mouths shut, afraid Lee Han might actually take them there if they asked for an explanation.
Fortunately, Lee Han wasn't the only one in the mansion. Arsil, who happened to be passing by, overheard and kindly offered:
"Big Brother said he'd show you a good place?"
"The Lake Labyrinth?!"
When Gainando exclaimed in shock, Lee Han gave him a look as if to say, 'What nonsense are you spouting?'
"I told you the Lake Labyrinth is dangerous, Gainando. Even if you want to go, hold back."
"N-no... It's not that I want to go to the Lake Labyrinth..."
Arsil gestured for them to follow him alone.
He wanted his brother's friends to have a pleasant experience during their visit.
"Hmm. I'm not sure if this is a good idea."
When Lee Han expressed concern, his friends asked in confusion:
"Why?"
"Big Brother's usual recommendations tend to be... a bit strange and dangerous."
"It'll be fine."
"Right, Lee Han. We survived Einrogard, didn't we?"
Seeing his friends' confidence, Lee Han felt reassured.
Still, he could feel how much tougher they'd all become after attending Einrogard together.
"Yeah. You're right."
As Arsil walked ahead, spirits began appearing one by two around him, clearing stones from the dirt path and pushing aside bushes.
The spirits were tidying up on their own, worried Arsil might get hurt.
Back then, Lee Han hadn't understood, but now that he knew more about spirits, he realized just how incredible this was.
'...I shouldn't envy him.'
Lee Han repeated this to himself, trying not to look.
Honestly, it made sense that Arsil didn't study magic.
If spirits loved you that much, what need was there for magic?
Only those like Lee Han, who weren't loved by spirits, needed magic...
'Ah—what am I thinking?'
Arsil's pace gradually quickened. Lee Han's group sped up as well to keep up.
The spirits were pushing them from behind.
"Here we are?"
Lee Han was puzzled when Arsil stopped. There was nothing particularly noteworthy around them.
Rumble—
The earth spirits let out a deep, resonant sound as they formed an entrance.
An ancient tomb, so old its age was unfathomable, revealed itself before their eyes.
Seeing this, Gainando muttered without realizing:
"Th-this is way stranger and more dangerous than I imagined, isn't it?"