Episode 640
Episode 640
The empire's tombs and ruins were no easy places to explore. The older they were, the more dangerous they became.
Tombs and ruins built during the ancient kingdom era were equipped with various powerful measures to deter intruders—measures that could easily tear apart any unfortunate soul who wandered in carelessly.
To break through such tombs, brute strength alone wasn't enough. One needed extensive knowledge, particularly in archaeology, as well as the wisdom and courage to remain calm in unexpected situations.
At the same time, one also needed sharp instincts to flee when things went wrong and a fair bit of luck.
That was why, when such tombs or ruins were discovered, mages didn't enter themselves—they hired adventurers to do it for them.
It wasn't because they acknowledged adventurers as uniquely talented individuals suited for the task. It was simply because, even if they failed, the mages themselves wouldn't get hurt.
Without realizing it, Gainando hid behind Lee Han and asked Arsil,
"U-um... is this place safe?"
"It's safe enough."
Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.
It looked far more intact than he had feared.
"......"
"......"
As Nilia and Gainando stared at Lee Han in shock, Yoner cautiously asked,
"Lee Han... what exactly do you mean by 'safe enough'...?"
"It's not too hot or too cold, right?"
To Lee Han, Arsil was a kind and gentle older brother, but having spent too much time with spirits, his sense of danger had dulled somewhat.
If they had gone somewhere with boiling lava or freezing breath, it might have been dangerous for humans.
In comparison, this ancient tomb was relatively pleasant. Aside from the slightly chilly air, there didn't seem to be any immediate threats.
Gainando muttered with a grimace,
"I should've stayed home..."
"What was that, Gainando?"
"Ah, nothing. It's nothing."
Nilia, still not fully understanding, asked,
"Wardanaz. I have a question."
"Go ahead, Nilia."
"Isn't this your family's territory?"
"It is. It's the outskirts, but still part of our land."
"......"
"Usually, when a tomb is discovered in noble territory, shouldn't more people be called in?"
Originally, even in noble territories, the discovery of tombs or ruins was rare.
After all, the more developed an area was, the sooner such places would be found.
Of course, among nobles with vast and remote territories, there were still those who occasionally discovered tombs or ruins within their lands. But when they did, they usually... 'called in more people,' right? They'd send their household knights or mages, hire adventurers or mercenaries, or even summon the reliable experts from the nearby mountains—the Shadow Patrol.
Nilia herself remembered how, when she was young, a baron's family from the north had come begging for help.
A labyrinth had been discovered in their territory, and monsters kept crawling out, causing their retainers to go missing.
"That's usually how it goes, yeah."
Lee Han nodded casually.
"But our family's territory is so vast and remote that things like this happen more often than you'd think. So we don't bother calling people in every time."
Arsil nodded in agreement with his younger brother.
As any mage knew, places rich in mana tended to attract strange occurrences more frequently.
When mana pooled in one place, it created all sorts of anomalies—tears between dimensions, distortions in reality, and unpredictable phenomena.
For a family like the Wardanaz, who conducted some of the empire's largest-scale magic experiments in real-time, it was impossible not to affect their surroundings.
After hearing the explanation, Yoner finally seemed to understand.
"Ah, so that's why there were so few people around the mansion?"
"Nah. That's just because our parents find having people around annoying."
"......"
Arsil made an excuse, thinking to himself, 'Actually, that's part of the reason too,' but it didn't reach his friends.
"Anyway, these things happen so often on the estate that unless it's something major, we usually just leave it be. If we tried to deal with every single one, the knights would never have a free moment."
"What exactly counts as 'something major'?"
"Like a golem uprising?"
Nilia was left speechless and couldn't ask further.
Seeing her friend answer so matter-of-factly, she felt utterly lost about where to even begin the conversation.
Gainando whispered to Yoner and Nilia:
"Stop them! Please! I don't want to go in there! Why should I, when I'm not even from Einrogard?!"
"Don't necromancers love going into tombs?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?! Then do all alchemists love holing up in workshops processing ingredients?!"
'Actually, I do...' Yoner thought to herself.
But contrary to Gainando's whispers, Lee Han was quite enthusiastic.
Seeing the relatively intact tomb had sparked his greed.
"Brother. How many artifacts are in there? Any old gold or silver coins? There are? Wow. Perfect."
After hearing Arsil's explanation, Lee Han turned around with a brightened face.
"This is perfect, guys. After touring the estate, we can even grab some extra loot."
He'd felt a bit guilty about his visiting friends getting bored, but now they could not only tour the estate but also take home valuable treasures.
As their host, he couldn't help but be delighted.
"L-Lee Han."
Gainando called out in a feeble voice.
The moment they stepped into that ancient underground tomb with its gaping black maw, he feared he wouldn't be able to tell whether this was the Wardanaz estate or Einrogard anymore.
"What?"
"......"
But Gainando couldn't bring himself to say, "I don't want to go in."
He could feel Lee Han's excitement about giving his friends a fun experience.
How could he possibly say "I can't go in there!" to that?!
"Uh... Y-Yoner has something to say!"
"That... that trash does?"
Nilia muttered in shock.
Earlier, when the ink had marked Gainando as Yoner's enemy, she'd thought, 'Isn't that a bit harsh?' But now it seemed perfectly justified.
"Yoner? Why?"
Despite having just betrayed him, Gainando shot his cousin a desperate look.
Please! 'Please stop them!'
Yoner answered with a smile:
"Gainando says he's really looking forward to the tomb. Said this is exactly why he studied necromancy."
"That guy!"
Lee Han patted Gainando's shoulder as if immensely proud.
When Arsil asked why, Lee Han swelled with pride and boasted about his friend:
"This friend here, Gainando, majors in necromancy... Ah. He's outstanding. Ranks within the top five among students taking necromancy."
"Aren't there fewer than five people taking necromancy...?"
"Shh."
Yoner covered Nilia's mouth.
Arsil praised Gainando approvingly.
Though he couldn't quite make out what was being said, Gainando could tell it was praise, so despite his grimace, he nodded along.
"Th... thank you..."
"Gainando, you've finally started taking an interest in magical studies. I'm happy."
Arsil looked puzzled and asked. Lee Han answered solemnly:
"No, brother."
"What did he say?"
"He asked if you're his nephew."
"......"
Despite all the fuss at the entrance, the tomb turned out to be surprisingly safe.
Not only were there no traps near the entrance, but above all, Arsil's abilities were downright cheat-like.
Drrrruk!
With every step Arsil took, new spirits appeared to manage the path.
Rock spirits repaired floors on the verge of collapse and fixed cracked ceilings, while sand and earth spirits filled in any potential fissures.
The light spirits illuminated the path to prevent Arsil from tripping and flew ahead to check for traps. If there was a trap, the spirits would rush to neutralize it.
Watching this from behind, Lee Han and his friends couldn't help but be astonished.
"No... this is impossible!"
Even Nilia, who was among the most outstanding in terms of spirit affinity here, found what Arsil was demonstrating to be beyond imagination.
How could one person receive such blind devotion from so many different types of spirits?
"How is this even possible?!"
"Big Bro has always been like that."
Lee Han grumbled in response.
This wasn't something any theory or magic could explain—it was just an innate affinity.
Stunned, Nilia muttered under her breath.
"But the Wardanaz family was known for spirits avoiding them out of fear..."
"......"
"Oh. No. S-sorry."
"I'm fine. It's the truth, so what?"
"I'm really sorry...! I'm sorry!"
"I said it's fine."
"But it's clearly not fine! Just get angry already!"
"Why should I get angry when I'm really fine?"
Nilia was desperate, fearing she might end up on the blacklist for letters again.
"Is she really that amazing?"
"You wouldn't know because you only mess around with undead while practicing Black Magic. This is seriously incredible."
"Th-that has nothing to do with Black Magic!"
Gainando, who had asked needlessly and gotten scolded, flared up in irritation.
It certainly felt unfair.
If only the undead were half as courteous, being a Black Magic practitioner might have felt worthwhile.
"Lee Han. Lee Han. Is something like this possible with undead?"
"...Gainando. Are you insane?"
"N-no... I just thought maybe you could do it, Lee Han, so I asked."
Of course, Gainando knew such a thing was impossible with undead.
Fundamentally, undead were fierce and violent beings, making such meticulous care impossible.
If you ordered undead, 'I'm trying to break through the tomb, so check the floor, the ceiling, and the traps ahead,' they'd likely trigger the traps on purpose instead.
But if it were Lee Han...
"Not everything is possible just because it's me, Gainando."
"But Lee Han, the undead are afraid of you. That's why I thought it might work."
"......"
Lee Han kicked Gainando, who was walking ahead.
"Why?!"
"You tripped on a rock."
Tap, tap-tap-tap, tap-tap
Arsil stopped and knocked on the tomb wall. Yoner asked curiously,
"How did you know there was a passage here?"
"The spirits told me."
'This is seriously cheating...!'
She tried not to feel envious, but as a Magic School student, she couldn't help but covet Arsil's abilities.
With that power, all she'd need for Alchemy was to summon a seasoned and exceptional spirit and listen to it.
When reading ancient texts, she could just summon a spirit that understood the language...
"This area was where the knights guarding the tomb resided. Inside, there are silver burial artifacts and a few books... Ah. Big Bro already took the books? What kind were they?"
Arsil, excited by her younger sibling's interest, eagerly explained what the books were about.
So, long, long ago, the knights wrote to the noble ladies of the court...
"They were just useless novels. Let's go in."
"......"
Arsil sulked but didn't show it as she stepped inside.
Inside the room sat a massive rock Hecatoncheires. The sight of this monstrous being, strong enough to overpower even a giant with sheer strength, left Lee Han's group stunned.
"...Big Bro. Isn't that a Hecatoncheires? You didn't tell me because you thought I wouldn't be interested?"
Sure, I prefer treasures over monsters, but shouldn't you at least tell me what's inside before we enter?"
While Lee Han gritted his teeth, Arsil shrugged apologetically and spoke to the Hecatoncheires.
The Hecatoncheires, which had been glaring fiercely at Lee Han's group, suddenly turned its head upon hearing Arsil's request. Lee Han turned to his friends.
"He says not to be too loud and to play quietly before leaving."
"......"