Episode 645
Episode 645
"The people of the Wardanaz family's territory must always have smiles blooming on their faces. Right, Wardanaz? I heard you spent this vacation traveling around with the headmaster?"
"Yeah. I persuaded some reluctant juniors who didn't want to come."
"Why on earth?!"
Gainando, who had been listening nearby, was shocked.
Why on earth would he commit such an atrocity?
Ignoring his friend, Lee Han continued.
"Speaking of which, were there any memorable juniors?"
"Hmm. There was one with knightly talent who was even born with psychic abilities..."
"Oh?"
"...but he hated fighting."
"??"
His friends tilted their heads in confusion.
Even if a knight hating combat was understandable, was it really okay to dislike fighting at Einrogard?
"But I persuaded him well in the end."
"Were there any Blue Dragon Tower students?"
"There was a junior from Pengerin's family. Quite skilled."
At Lee Han's words, Yoner and Gainando showed great interest.
If it was a junior from the Pengerin family, they'd surely enter the Blue Dragon Tower.
Of course, due to the freshman protection rules, they wouldn't meet until second year, but it was still pleasant news to have an outstanding junior joining their tower.
"What about their personality?! What's their personality like?!"
"Skilled, so overflowing with confidence."
"Oh no!"
Gainando let out a sigh.
The most important thing in a junior wasn't magical ability or wisdom—it was personality.
They needed juniors who were courteous and knew how to respect their seniors!
"What about Wizard Cards or cooking?"
"Why are you asking that...?"
Nilia stared at Gainando as if he'd lost his mind.
"Are you trying to find a new Wo—, a new caretaker among the juniors?"
"Were you just about to say 'Wardanaz'?"
"N-no, I wasn't."
Ratford, who had been listening, asked curiously.
"Were there any juniors like me?"
"There was. That's great, Ratford. You two would get along well if you met."
Feeling it was good timing, Lee Han brought up Priest Karre of the Vildotskal Order.
At first, Ratford listened with keen interest, but as the story progressed, his expression twisted.
"What an utterly foolish junior!"
"R-really?"
"Too greedy to even join a guild? What does he think a guild is?! A junior like that would probably act alone even if he joined the dormitory."
Ratford was uncharacteristically angry.
Though they shared a thief's background, their ways of thinking were polar opposites.
'Hmm. At least they won't meet for a year—that's a relief.' Lee Han thought to himself.
Ratford looked at Lee Han and asked.
"Lord Wardanaz, you gave that foolish junior a stern lecture, right?"
"O-of course. I told him that approach was wrong."
"Very well done! What else did you say?"
"Uh, well... that he should take care of his friends..."
As Lee Han faltered under Ratford's intensity, Eandurde beside him stared pointedly at him.
Realizing he'd left someone out, Lee Han hastily added.
"Oh! There's also a reliable junior from the Black Turtle Tower!"
At Lee Han's praise, Eandurde nodded proudly. Nilia and Ratford praised the commendable junior.
"It's a relief to have a dependable junior like you coming."
"Indeed. I'm quite looking forward to it."
"What's there to look forward to...?"
Gainando grumbled under his breath where Eandurde couldn't hear.
He still felt the sting in his wrist from where a junior had bitten him.
"By the way, Lord Wardanaz, aren't any others coming?"
"Only Durgyu and Priest Siana sent letters saying they're coming, but I'm not sure when they'll arrive. Probably soon?"
"I'm here."
With the sound of the door opening, the penguin beastman entered with a tired expression.
The students, who had expected other friends, stood up to greet Alsicle upon seeing him.
"Hello, Lord Pengerin."
"Good to see you all."
Alsicle smoothed his ruffled feathers and set down a basket of herbs.
Noticing this, Yoner asked curiously.
"Are you planning to brew some potions?"
"No. The Wardanaz asked me to."
"......"
"......"
Yoner stared at Lee Han in shock.
Did he just make Alsicle of the prestigious Pengerin Family run herb-gathering errands for him?
He was quite a famous mage among the Empire's rising young magicians... 'How on earth did he ask him?' Yoner briefly suspected his friend might have used Mental Magic.
He wondered if he'd lured him with food, but that would only work on someone like Gainando...
"Here's some fried anchovies. I fried them while you were away."
"Wow! Thanks."
Alsicle nonchalantly took the plate and tossed the anchovies into his beak with a flick before sitting down. 'He DID lure him with food!?' Truthfully, Alsicle agreed to Lee Han's request because he owed him plenty.
During their last experiment, Lee Han had poured out mana without reservation—how could he refuse such a small errand?
Besides, who knew when he might need another favor... 'He really loves anchovies, huh.' "So Archmage Arsil has left?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing this from Lee Han, Alsicle clacked his beak in apparent amazement.
This was completely unlike how nobles usually departed.
Normally, there would be lavish banquets, musical performances, and various ceremonies, but Arsil, true to the Wardanaz name, had simply up and left without fanfare.
"Wardanaz. I just got curious—the family head and the others don't seem interested in social circles at all... How did you attend social events when you were younger?"
Of course, the estate had loyal knights, golems, and demons sworn to them, but their presence didn't grant access to social gatherings.
Without the family members attending in proper formal attire, they couldn't participate in such events.
"Ah. Relatives helped out. We usually just went there and did it."
"Ah, I see."
Nodding as he chewed on the fried anchovies, Alsicle tilted his head inwardly. 'Huh? Did the Wardanaz have a branch family?' If they did, they should've been way more famous—why didn't he remember hearing about them?
"By the way, Mage Pengerin. There's something I'm curious about."
Lee Han pulled out the musical score he'd obtained from the tomb.
He'd originally planned to decipher it slowly, but Arsil's words had piqued his curiosity too much.
"It's a musical score I found in an ancient tomb behind our territory. I was wondering if you could read the script."
"Are ancient tombs behind your territory really that common...?"
Flustered, Alsicle took the score anyway.
Since Lee Han was asking, he intended to give it his best shot.
Truthfully, opportunities to prove his skills in front of this Wardanaz boy were rare otherwise. 'Call it paranoia, but sometimes I feel like people see me as just a pretty-faced mage.' Alsicle stared holes into the score. Yet, he couldn't immediately place which era the script belonged to.
"Uuuhhhh. Uuuuuuuuhhhh..."
A long, drawn-out groan.
Unable to bear it any longer, Lee Han cautiously spoke up.
"It's fine if you don't—"
"N-no! I know this script! Just a little! Just a little more time!"
"Ah, yes."
Alsicle stared at the parchment with laser focus.
Ratford, who'd been peering at it alongside him, casually remarked.
"Isn't this script from the Fake Kingdom era?"
"F-Fake Kingdom! Right, the Fake Kingdom era! Ugh, ugh! Just one—no, thirty more seconds, and I would've remembered too! Seriously!"
At Alsicle's desperate excuse, Ratford floundered.
"O-of course, I assumed you would've."
"I'm not making excuses, damn it!"
"Mage Pengerin. Calm down. This isn't a guessing game."
"Grrruuuuh...!"
Realizing his outburst, Alsicle flushed red and sat back down.
The Fake Kingdom era—literally meaning the era of false kingdoms—was a nightmare for imperial historians.
A chaotic age with no true king, only countless pretenders to the throne.
While the continent's history had more periods of division than unity, the Fake Kingdom era stood out as particularly fragmented.
Alsicle pulled out a Fake Kingdom-era music scorebook to regain his composure and began haltingly reading the notes.
"Praising the king's sacrifice... Before the fortress walls, the king blocked misfortune... It's roughly a hymn and funeral dirge combined, but the notes and lyrics below the title won't read. They probably belong to you."
"!"
Just as a spirit's name can only be read and called by its contracted partner, there existed certain magics that could only be read and recited by specific individuals.
When the musical notes and lyrics refused to register no matter how much he read, Alsicle—being an experienced mage—recognized the magic placed upon this score.
"Brother said this song would help me, but why? There's no reason for me to go around singing hymns or funeral dirges."
"It's probably not about the lyrics but the magic woven into the song."
Having heard detailed accounts of what happened inside the tomb from Lee Han, Alsicle sharply deduced Arsil's intentions.
The reason Arsil had recommended this nameless ancient kingdom's song to the Wardanaz wasn't because of its lyrics or melody.
It was because of the power the song possessed.
"You said this song dominated the surrounding area? That's more impressive than you think."
"!"
Mages invested far more effort than one might expect to dominate their own domains.
Just look at how many spells were engraved in a mage's workshop or Magic Tower alone.
Conversely, that meant controlling a domain was equally challenging.
To control a vast space where all manner of energies flowed chaotically with nothing but personal willpower...
Yet the mages of this ancient kingdom had succeeded in demonstrating something similar through songs engraved in tombs.
Though the magic's pulse had long since faded, it was undoubtedly a remarkable feat.
"I never thought of it that way."
"Neither did I. Music Magic never seemed worth researching in the first place."
"The Headmaster told me to learn Word Magic instead—what do you think about that?"
"...Word Magic isn't some levitation spell you can just pick up easily."
Alsicle stared at Lee Han as if he'd lost his mind.
He knew the Skeleton Principal had no conscience, but this was beyond shameless.
Telling someone not to learn Music Magic was one thing, but to suggest Word Magic instead... 'Was that what he meant?' Lee Han fell into thought.
After hearing Alsicle's explanation, he began to understand why Arsil had insisted on keeping this score safe.
Arsil clearly wanted Lee Han to learn how to control a domain as a mage.
The other known methods for domain control were far more complex or difficult.
Compared to the difficulty of Word Magic, no matter how challenging this score might be, it paled in comparison.
In contrast, this forgotten kingdom's Music Magic was offering Lee Han a clever shortcut that other magics couldn't provide.
"But Lord Pengerin, aren't you interested in this magic? From what I've heard, it seems quite impressive..."
Alsicle answered indifferently.
"I am interested, but it obviously consumes too much mana at a glance."
"Ah."
"The kingdom's people probably only allowed it to be performed in tombs. It suits you, but not me."
Eandurde tilted his head and asked.
"Is it because you lack skill?"
"No!"
"No. Eandurde. Don't say such rude things."
Lee Han covered his junior's mouth.
Though there were many magics he needed to learn, even considering that, this one was definitely worth attempting.
What flashed through Lee Han's mind was the Unique World the Skeleton Principal had once shown him.
The pinnacle of magic—not just dominating a domain, but rewriting its very rules.
Of course, mastering this Music Magic perfectly wouldn't grant him the ability to use a Unique World, but it might be the first step on that distant path.
"Thank you, Lord Pengerin. I'll practice hard. I even received a violin as a gift."
"Good. Are you going to practice now?"
Alsicle looked at Lee Han with expectant eyes.
Even if it wasn't a magic he could learn himself, a mage was always curious about unfamiliar spells.
"No. I need to gather some herbs first. I don't have enough to complete the request."
"...I'll gather the herbs. You practice Music Magic."
Unable to hold back, Alsicle turned serious.