Episode 658
Episode 658
* * *
"Didn't the Baldrogard students come?"
Just then, Alsycl entered the reception building while chewing on a sardine.
"They left."
"Already?"
Alsycl looked puzzled.
It was quite strange for them to leave without meeting him, especially knowing that Alsycl of the Pengerin Family was here.
"Exactly. They even left behind a reagent pouch."
"I should return it to them."
Unbeknownst to him, Alsycl had just saved the lives of those two Baldrogard students.
In the future, this act of kindness would lead two anonymous noble families to provide him with massive research funding.
"You guys didn't bully them, did you?"
"They offered to show us some magic, so we watched a little, and in return, we showed them ours."
"Oh no..."
Alsycl realized his mistake upon hearing the Einrogard students' words.
"No wonder they got discouraged."
"Huh? What kind of magic did you show them to make them lose heart?"
Lee Han found it absurd, but his friends slightly agreed.
After all, wasn't there a certain Wardanaz family member among them who had spent last year shattering the self-esteem of freshmen who thought, 'Maybe I'm talented?' right from the start of the semester?
"The Baldrogard kids aren't particularly skilled in magic. Probably because most of them treat it as a hobby."
"But isn't Baldrogard one of the Empire's top two magic schools alongside Einrogard?"
Siana tilted her head in confusion.
Alsycl's words didn't make sense to her.
The visitors earlier had said the same thing, and she'd even heard rumors like, 'Baldrogard stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Einrogard as the twin pillars of the Empire's magic schools!'
"That's a rumor spread by Baldrogard students themselves."
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and his friends were stunned.
The Empire's rumors truly couldn't be trusted.
"Honestly, every other magic school claims to be Einrogard's equal. It's just that Baldrogard has more high-ranking nobles among its students, so their rumors spread better."
"Those despicable bastards!"
Gainando was fuming.
Instead of honing their magic, they resort to such underhanded tactics to spread their reputation!
"Is that even allowed?"
"It shouldn't be. It's insulting to all of you. Lord Gonadaltes hates it too."
"I can definitely see the Headmaster disliking that."
"Yeah. Last time, a drunk Kallarogard graduate bragged about being Einrogard's equal in front of Lord Gonadaltes and got buried alive under a tombstone. You guys better watch your words around him too."
"......"
The story was far more extreme than expected, so the students pretended not to hear.
Curious about Baldrogard, Lee Han asked:
"But Alsycl, sir. Even so, it's still a magic school—how can they pass exams if they treat magic as a hobby?"
"Exams?"
Alsycl flapped his wings in confusion.
He couldn't understand what Lee Han was talking about.
"What exams?"
"The internal exams at Baldrogard."
"Oh. Baldrogard doesn't have exams."
The shocking statement silenced the surroundings, and the air turned icy.
Unaware, Alsycl didn't realize that all the students were staring wide-eyed in horror.
"Their school rule states that it's improper to evaluate dignified nobles arbitrarily."
"Th-Those crazy bastards!"
"Lady Siana..."
"S-Sorry."
"How is this possible? How?!"
"Let's send a petition to His Majesty the Emperor! Those sons of bitches!"
"Let's just go burn the place down!"
"...Is this really worth getting so angry over?"
Alsycl was taken aback by the unexpectedly fierce reaction.
What did Baldrogard not having exams have to do with Einrogard?
But the students' rage didn't subside. Gainando stomped his feet and even threw a magic tome into the air before getting smacked by Lee Han.
Lee Han tried to calm his friends down and asked again.
"But I heard there's a student there who claims to be among the top in skill. If there are no exams, do they just judge among themselves?"
"Uh... Baldrogard professors would probably tell any student who asks that they're among the top in skill."
"......"
"D-did I almost go to Baldrogard?"
Gainando muttered without realizing it.
Friends who'd discovered a traitor began berating him with furious voices.
"Lee Han! Gainando says he wants to go to Baldrogard!"
"You traitor! No wonder he seemed suspicious ever since we invited him!"
"N-no! It's a joke! Just a joke!"
Alsichil, feeling they'd been too harsh on Baldrogard, cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I won't deny that Baldrogard's teaching methods are... somewhat lax."
"Somewhat?"
"Perhaps you're unaware of what 'somewhat' means...?"
Faced with the students' angry reactions, Alsichil pretended not to hear, closing his ears.
"But exceptional mages do emerge from Baldrogard too. Younger students may not realize their own shortcomings, but as time passes, some gradually come to recognize their deficiencies."
Baldrogard students who advanced in years and realized their magical skills weren't that impressive generally split into two types.
One type would declare, 'Magic isn't what matters—noble bloodlines are,' finding solace in this delusion while devoting themselves to social activities.
The other type would belatedly dedicate themselves to the study of magic.
And usually, the latter group was far fewer in number. 'I shouldn't mention this part.' Alsichil conscientiously kept quiet about the fact that the latter group was much smaller.
He felt he'd already said too many negative things about Baldrogard.
"They do emerge, right?"
"Like one per grade or so?"
"......"
Noticing the sharp looks from the Einrogard students, Alsichil quickly changed the subject.
"What kind of magic did you show them? By any chance, Wardanaz, was it you who demonstrated magic?"
"I didn't show them anything. Other friends did."
"Phew. What a relief."
Alsichil let out a sigh of relief.
Had Lee Han personally prepared and demonstrated magic, the shock to the Baldrogard students would have been beyond imagination.
"Then they should be fine."
"They will be. We had quite extensive discussions about magic, so I hope they'll develop an interest in it even after returning."
The friends exchanged complicated glances.
They almost wished Lee Han had been the one to demonstrate instead...
After the Baldrogard students' visit ended (strangely enough, they never visited again), a few days passed before Lee Han received a summons from Lady Kraha.
"I was curious how you've been doing, so I called you here."
"Thanks to your consideration, I've been doing well, Lady Kraha."
Lady Kraha hesitated briefly before folding her fan and cautiously asking.
"But were those students who visited the estate truly all Gainando's friends?"
"...Yes."
Lee Han was slightly taken aback. Sensing this, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
"I was just a little curious."
"I-I see."
"I was wondering what your plans are today. If you haven't decided on where to go out, I'd like to make a recommendation."
"Ah. I do have plans today. I'm going to the market district with a junior."
Lee Han intended to take Eandurde around the market district with his friends.
Since Eandurde had so few belongings, he wanted to help gather various necessities.
Given how bustling the commercial city was, they could probably find many items unavailable elsewhere.
"A junior? As far as I know, Einrogard juniors shouldn't be available to meet right now..."
Lady Kraha gave him a puzzled look through her veil as she spoke.
Lee Han briefly explained what had happened during this winter break.
"...So I've been looking after them briefly before they enter the academy."
"!!!"
Lady Kraha stared at Lee Han with startled eyes.
A boy from the Wardanaz family taking such good care of someone else?!
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't believe it.
"By any chance, do you have a hobby of looking after people who seem pitiable, Wardanaz?!"
"Huh? No, not really."
"First Gainando, and now..."
"......"
Lee Han was left speechless by the other person's words, utterly dumbfounded.
"And that junior of yours—they probably don't have any money, do they? How do you plan to pay for their things?"
"Well, I was planning to cover it myself."
Though the empire's wealthy might laugh at this, by Lee Han's standards, he had managed to accumulate a decent amount of wealth.
It was thanks to working hard all last year. Not just anyone could save over a hundred Imperial Gold Coins.
So he could afford to spend this much on his junior.
And then...
"That won't do."
"Huh?"
"The Kraha Family will cover the expenses. We can't possibly let a guest in our mansion go without such things."
"Oh, really, it's fine. I was planning to submit the bill to the Headmaster once we return to school."
"......"
Madam Kraha was startled once again.
A boy about to enter his second year was planning to hand a bill to the Skeleton Principal?
It took guts, sure, but it was also something impossible unless they had a close relationship.
"...So you really don't have a habit of taking care of people who look pitiable?"
"No, why would you even think that?"
"Never mind... Then let's do this. I'll gift you the gold coins, Lee Han. You can use them for your junior. Since it's your own money, you can still submit the bill to the Headmaster later."
"By the heavens! What a brilliant idea! I'll do just that!"
"......"
Madam Kraha, who had been prepared to insist if Lee Han politely refused, was slightly taken aback by his immediate acceptance.
...Was he not on good terms with the Headmaster?
"But are you really sure about this? I'm worried you might be wasting too many gold coins..."
"It's fine. There are places I can cut back."
"Mother cut off my allowance!"
Gainando trudged through the group of friends with a sulky expression.
"What kind of trouble did you get into this time?"
"Seriously, you should've stopped oversleeping already."
"Gainando. Even if you're not from a knightly family, waking up early is..."
"Ah, it's not that! It's all because of you guys!"
"???"
The sudden accusation left the friends bewildered.
What did we even do??
Nilia hesitated before speaking.
"U-um, did she get mad because you ate too many cookies?"
"She said I should learn from all of you since most of you earn your own money during breaks instead of relying on allowances!"
"......"
Lee Han quietly slipped the pouch he had received from Madam Kraha deeper into his robes.
If Gainando saw the family crest embroidered on it, he might figure out the truth.
"Gainando. I'll buy you some cotton candy, so cheer up."
"L-Lee Han...!"
Gainando was about to be moved by Lee Han's words but then hesitated.
"If I eat that, does it mean I have to study that much harder?"
"No. I'm just buying it for you."
"Lee Han...!"
Gainando's sulky expression melted away.
At least he had one true friend.
"What does Eandurde need?"
"First, maybe some more clothes? The outfits we got from the mansion are all too stiff and formal... She probably needs something more comfortable."
At the mention of clothes, Eandurde flailed in protest, hating dresses. Lee Han soothed his junior.
"No, no. We're not going to buy clothes. We're going to buy weapons."
"...Weapons are good..."
Lee Han gave a meaningful glance. It was a signal to drag the junior to the clothing store before she realized.
"She might also need a small alchemy cauldron or a mortar and pestle."
"Why those?"
"During breaks, she could earn money through alchemy."
'What if she doesn't even take alchemy...?'
Yoner thought to himself but nodded anyway.
Truthfully, Yoner also found it quite enjoyable to pick out alchemy tools for the junior.
"I have something to recommend too—lockpicking tools..."
"Hmm. I'd like to suggest some useful armor."
"Wizard Cards! She needs Wizard Cards too!"
Everyone except Eandurde was enjoying the shopping spree. Lee Han nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Let's go one by one—"
Just as Lee Han was about to walk forward, a familiar figure appeared at the end of the path.
It was Professor Voladi.
"...Should we head back to the mansion today and come back tomorrow?"
"???"
