Episode 677
Episode 677
"Ah, no. The professor took such good care of them..."
When Lee Han spoke in a flustered voice, the Skeleton Principal responded indifferently.
"That's one thing, and this is another. Don't expect loyalty like a human's from magical creatures like unicorns."
Though Professor Bendozol had cared for them diligently, the unicorn had an obligation to choose the best possible environment to raise its foal.
Having seen the foal grow frightened of Professor Bendozol earlier, it had no choice but to reconsider.
No matter how outstanding the magic or how great the devotion, the foal had to take a liking to its caretaker first.
"The professor will be sad if he finds out."
"Unlikely. Professor Bendozol will be pleased that the unicorn is intelligent."
"......"
Lee Han had no choice but to accept the Skeleton Principal's words.
After all, Professor Bendozol was the type to adore a unicorn no matter what it did, cooing over it endlessly!
The troubled unicorn let out a quiet whimper. The Skeleton Principal made a thoughtful "Hmm" and rested his chin on his hand.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. It made a request. I'll grant it. It's not a difficult one."
'What kind of request?'
When Lee Han asked in puzzlement, the Skeleton Principal kindly explained.
"It asked for you—a reliable one—to take care of it. I said I'd allow it."
"......"
Lee Han was so dumbfounded he was momentarily speechless before hastily regaining his composure.
"Why would I have to do that?!"
"You'll end up doing it anyway."
"Huh?"
"Don't play dumb. Once the next semester starts, you'll study under Professor Bendozol, and if you study under him, you'll inevitably end up tending to all the terrifying monsters he raises. So why wouldn't you take care of the unicorn too?"
"The professor could take care of the unicorn himself. And he doesn't even like me that much."
Lee Han resisted desperately.
But the Skeleton Principal replied coldly.
"Even if the professor tries to care for the unicorn himself, the foal will dislike it and call for you instead. Regardless of Bendozol's preferences, you have a talent for being loved by certain monsters."
Gainando, hanging upside down, asked with a face flushed from blood rushing to his head.
"Which monsters?"
"The ones that, rather than fleeing in fear of your abundant mana, are drawn to you out of greed. You're especially appealing to those."
"......"
He wasn't the least bit happy about it.
It was especially irritating to see the nameless hunters nearby nodding in agreement.
The Skeleton Principal asked curiously.
"Didn't Professor Bendozol praise you?"
"He kept cursing, saying he didn't understand why a guy like me was so loved."
"There's no higher praise than that!"
With those words, the Skeleton Principal tore out the unicorn's entire living environment and sent it off with a pillar of dark energy.
Before leaving, the unicorn foal hesitated and let out a whimper toward the Skeleton Principal.
The two unicorns rode the pillar and were transported to Einrogard.
"Professor Lightning Steps. It seems the work here is done. Shall we return to Einrogard together?"
"I'd appreciate that."
"What about the hunters here?"
"If possible, they'd like to return to their mountain range..."
"Annoying, but what can you do?"
The Skeleton Principal prepared to send Professor Lightning Steps and his group back using the pillar of dark energy.
Before departing, one of the nameless hunters—the one who had coordinated with Lee Han this time—approached him.
"Thank you for your help."
"I'm grateful as well. Take this."
"?"
What the hunter handed over was an old arrow.
"A token of the nameless hunters. Wherever you are, if there's a nameless hunter nearby, you can ask for their aid."
"Thank you!"
"Since we hunted together, you're a hunter too. No need for thanks. And if you're curious about the oath, listen closely to what the token has to say."
"What does that—"
The hunter, seemingly unwilling to explain further, left with his comrades via the dark pillar.
Pop!
The Skeleton Principal yawned lightly and asked,
"Where to for you all?"
"Please send us back to Plaha City."
"Very well. See you next semester."
After sending all his friends away, the Skeleton Principal finally turned his gaze to Lee Han.
"So, how do you feel?"
"Pardon?"
Lee Han tilted his head at the abrupt question, completely unable to guess what he was being asked.
"Well... I suppose I feel more satisfied now that I've captured the professor and will receive a bounty?"
"...Not that feeling..."
The Skeleton Principal seemed to consider hitting him for a moment before restraining himself and continuing.
"You faced a Dochul, didn't you?"
"Ah. Professor Bendozol handled most of the fighting—I just blocked some clones. It was quite an unusual monster."
"An annoying creature with multiple troublesome attack methods. As you continue at Einrogard, you'll encounter more monsters like that."
"......"
Lee Han had no idea why attending Einrogard would mean seeing more such monsters, but he simply kept quiet and listened.
"Given your attributes, the Dochul likely couldn't utilize much of its power against you. At best, it could only rely on curses or dark elements."
"That's correct."
"But if its abilities had been more physical or direct, you wouldn't have had such an easy time against it."
Lee Han agreed with the Skeleton Principal's assessment.
The Dochul had been a threatening and vicious monster, but coincidentally, most of its attack methods had been ineffective against Lee Han.
Curses bounced off him, attempts to deactivate his mana with dark elements failed...
From the Dochul's perspective, it must have been utterly baffled by this brat.
"That seems accurate."
"How do you think you could have subdued it more easily?"
"Hmm..."
Lee Han pondered the question—simple yet difficult.
"Based on the magic I've learned so far... wouldn't I need to master higher-circle spells? Something that could deal greater damage to monsters like the Dochul or immobilize them..."
"Half right. Not incorrect. You'll likely learn more high-circle magic this year."
"Yes. I'll work more on 3rd Circle spells—"
"Don't even mention 3rd Circle. Master at least ten 5th Circle spells."
"?"
Lee Han doubted his ears.
Unfazed, the Skeleton Principal continued.
"That should be enough to begin approaching the realm of a Small World. Once you can wield that, dealing with creatures like the Dochul will become trivial."
"It... seems rather difficult..."
"Don't worry. I'll have a word with Professor Bagrak."
"I'll do my best!"
Lee Han hastily replied.
He had no idea what a Small World was, but survival came first.
Yet the absurdity lingered. 'Ten 5th Circle spells? Is that even possible?' 5th Circle magic was typically only mastered by exceptional 3rd or 4th-year students—and even then, only a limited number.
Being told to learn ten of them left Lee Han no choice but to consider loopholes. 'Maybe if I pick the easiest ones and somehow scrape by...'
"Ah, Headmaster."
"?"
The Skeleton Principal, who had been about to transport Lee Han via a pillar of dark energy, turned his gaze back.
"What did you mean earlier about disciples or clones?"
"Anyone who lives long enough accumulates ungrateful disciples or clones born from severed emotions. Just be cautious. But don't overuse the ring either."
"What does that even mea—"
The Skeleton Principal, evidently done explaining, teleported Lee Han away.
The last thing Lee Han saw in the Sorrow Mountains was the Skeleton Principal waving goodbye.
"Ugh... huff... huff..."
"I feel... urp..."
The students collapsed onto a field near Plaha City, staggering and groaning in discomfort.
Dimensional Gate magic increased exponentially in difficulty and cost with distance.
Transporting them all the way from the Sorrow Mountains should have been impossibly difficult, yet the Skeleton Principal had done it effortlessly on the spot.
The side effects, however, landed squarely on the students—intense magical motion sickness.
For a mage who keenly senses the mana within their own body, the feeling of that mana swaying and moving uncontrollably is unbearable.
"Lee... Lee Han... save me."
Gainando called out to Lee Han while hanging upside down. Lee Han somehow managed to locate the Skeleton Principal's invisible telekinetic magic and then cast Reverse Magic to dispel it.
"Lee Han, are you okay?"
"I think I'm fine. And Gainando, that's not me—it's a tree."
When Gainando started talking to the tree, Lee Han turned his torso to face him.
Fortunately, thanks to his resistance, it seemed he had avoided the nausea from the teleportation.
"Let's all head back to the mansion and rest first. We've been through a lot in the mountain range."
Even as he said this, his friends remained sprawled out, unable to get up.
Lee Han thought he shouldn't force them to walk and decided to ask for a ride instead.
"Excuse me, could you give us a ride in your carriage? We'll pay the fare."
"...Are you being serious right now?"
The cart driver, who had been driving his cargo wagon down the road, stared at Lee Han with a bewildered expression.
A boy who clearly looked like he came from a noble family was asking to borrow a shabby cargo wagon.
"Yes."
"And who exactly would be riding...?"
"My friends here in the back."
The driver cautiously glanced behind him.
Just from looking at a few of them, he could tell they were from noble families.
Especially the dark elf girl, who, even while staggering, maintained an air of grace that made him suspect she was from a high-ranking noble house.
After confirming, the driver firmly replied.
"Absolutely not."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Are you serious right now? This... is a cargo wagon."
The driver suppressed his bewilderment and explained.
The idea of loading noble-born youths onto a cargo wagon currently filled with rough piles of hay—it was the kind of thing that would earn him curses later.
"You must not realize how rough and dirty this ride would be for you."
"Oh, no. We can handle it. We're from Einrogard."
"What does being from Einrogard have to do with riding a cargo wagon? No! I'd get in huge trouble!"
The cargo wagon driver wouldn't budge.
He was worried that if he accepted payment and gave them a ride, the nobles might later complain, "How dare you make us ride in such a filthy place!"
"We've slept on the streets and camped in the mountains before..."
"Even if you lie like that, the answer is still no. I'm sorry!"
The driver answered and then quickly fled.
It was clear he was afraid of getting caught up in something unpleasant.
Lee Han sighed and approached other wagons, but most cargo drivers flat-out refused his request.
"Sorry, Lee Han. Being born noble and all..."
"Are you laughing right now?"
"N-no?"
Gainando tried to suppress a grin but flinched when he noticed Lee Han glaring at him.
"We'll have to borrow a different kind of carriage, though I'm not sure if it'll work."
A small, lightweight carriage for two or three people wouldn't be enough for all his friends. Lee Han waited, scanning the area for a slightly larger carriage.
Finally, a suitably sized carriage came into view. Lee Han quickly called out to the driver.
"Excuse me for a moment. Could you give us a ride? We'll compensate you once we reach Plaha City."
"Do you even know who is inside this carriage before making such a request?!"
The driver spoke in a hushed, frightened voice.
He seemed terrified of how the person inside might react if they overheard.
"Who is it?"
"A mage!"
"We're mages too."
-What's going on?
A haughty voice came from inside. The driver hastily replied.
"N-nothing! Someone just asked for a ride!"
-I am a mage. Do you still wish to ride with me?
"I'm a mage as well."
The unexpected response left the mage inside momentarily silent.
Then, they spoke again.
-Which Magic Tower or guild are you from?
"Einrogard."
Crash! Thud!
Sounds of someone falling over and objects breaking came from inside the carriage.
A moment later, the reply came.
-P-Please... come in!