Episode 691
Episode 691
The Death Knight stared blankly at Lee Han and his friends before letting out a sigh.
-Very well. I'll pretend I didn't see anything.
"Huh, really?"
Gainando was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't expected them to actually let it slide.
-It's my fault as a senior for getting caught by juniors.
"......"
"......"
The friends were left speechless by the Death Knight's cold logic.
Well, it's fortunate...!
-Now that we've finished talking, shall we get going? Are you all ready?
Eandurde nodded. The Death Knight looked at the students and said:
-How about saying your final goodbyes? You won't be seeing each other for about a year.
"Hmph. Lee Han will probably ignore that and come visit anyway. He's already got the interference potions... Gack."
Lee Han elbowed Gainando in the solar plexus before responding.
"Thank you. We'll say our goodbyes."
The gathered students all turned to look at Eandurde.
Their eyes were filled with every possible emotion one could direct at a newly enrolled student—sympathy, pity, compassion, regret, and sorrow.
"Eandurde... I don't even know what to say to you."
"I'll be fine!"
Eandurde responded energetically to Yoner's words.
"You're not just excited because you don't have to study anymore, are you?"
"...N-no, of course not..."
Eandurde averted his gaze, having been caught.
After Lee Han, Yoner had been the one who made him study the hardest at the estate.
Ahem. Eandurde... well... ugh. I don't know what to say! Just remember what I taught you—the edible plants and the easy traps. With just those, you can manage to get some food."
"You should practice lockpicking more. You're still not good enough for Einrogard."
"Oh right. You need to memorize more potion recipes. They'll come in handy often."
"I know you have raw strength and special racial abilities, but don't rely on them too much. You'll need skills to survive in Einrogard."
Eandurde listened intently to the seniors' advice, tilting his head in confusion.
"Isn't it a magic school...?"
From how they were talking, it sounded like he was being sent to the worst underground fighting pit.
"...Well, you'll understand once you get there!"
"Right. Don't be too scared. Einrogard is a place where people live... well... maybe not exactly, but you'll adapt eventually. ...Probably. Gainando, say something too. You're the only one who hasn't."
"Huh?"
Gainando stood there blankly before hurriedly thinking when his friends urged him.
"Uh... uh..."
"Hurry up!"
"F-find a friend like Lee Han and stick with them! It'll make things easier!"
"......"
"...We shouldn't have asked."
"You told me to!!"
Gainando flailed indignantly, but the others ignored him and called the Death Knight.
-Is everything ready?
"Yes. You can depart now."
Lee Han whispered one last thing to Eandurde before he left.
"If you ever run too low on food, leave a mark in front of the Blue Dragon Tower dormitory. I'll sneak you some."
But Eandurde shook his head firmly.
"I'll be fine."
"...This kid...!"
"I'll just steal from other students!"
"...This kid..."
Lee Han felt a slight regret that he should have given him more moral education.
* * *
Elde of the Markang Family was a student of Einrogard's Blue Dragon Tower, advancing from second to third year.
His grades were mid-tier within the tower, his family was famous in the southern empire for floriculture, and he personally had a strong interest in Illusion Magic, ice-element spells, and Numerology.
The only unusual thing about him was that while searching for juniors to help with Einrogard's new semester smuggling operation, he ended up getting caught by said juniors.
'Ugh. How humiliating.'
He had followed a junior from another family's villa out of curiosity after their conversation, only to get ambushed by a whole group of juniors bursting out at him.
Even if they were just juniors, gaining the upper hand against multiple opponents was difficult. And on top of that, he'd been ambushed...
Unless one had received proper magical combat training, casting spells quickly in an ambush situation was nearly impossible.
"Senior. You promised to behave quietly, didn't you?"
"Would you stay quiet in my place? More importantly, how did you find out about the smuggling? Who told you? Was it the White Tiger Tower or the Black Turtle Tower?"
Alde was certain that someone from his own year must have revealed the truth to the juniors.
Otherwise, there was no way they could know this much about the smuggling operation.
Probably someone had sabotaged him to keep Alde, a member of the Blue Dragon Tower, in check.
"We already told you. We figured it out ourselves. Every senior we met tried to use us as bait."
"That's a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding! I never intended to use you as bait."
Alde lied through his teeth without batting an eyelid.
Of course, it had no effect on the juniors. They stared back at their senior with skeptical eyes.
"So you're saying you really wanted to include us in the smuggling operation out of concern for us?"
"Exactly! I did it because I felt sorry for you. Just let me go now. If you join our operation, you'll get enough food supplies to last you the whole year! Just think about it. Freshly baked multigrain bread and butter milk inside Einrogard. Maple sap desserts with a hint of honey. Banquets with meatloaf containing over a third actual meat!"
"...Not really tempting..."
"?!"
Alde had made his proposal with confidence, but unfortunately, his imagination had its limits.
Compared to Lee Han's meals, the banquet menu he described was rather modest, and the students' reactions were lukewarm.
"Wh-what? If you're freshmen, you must have spent your entire first year dreaming about those foods!"
"We ate pretty well, actually."
"Don't lie! What do you mean you ate well? You must've boiled leather boots or pots to survive!"
"......"
The students shuddered at the unexpectedly miserable diet their seniors must have endured during their first year.
And they reflected anew.
'I should stop complaining about what I want to eat from now on...'
'Now that I think about it, we really did eat well, didn't we?'
'I should ask for chocolate cake when the semester starts.'
As the students from all towers fell silent, filled with guilt and gratitude toward Lee Han, Alde misinterpreted their reaction and spoke up.
"You probably don't realize how amazing this is because you've never experienced it! But it's really possible! If we succeed in smuggling at the start of the year, we can live like royalty all semester long!"
Screeeech—
Lee Han, who had just returned from seeing off the Death Knight, opened the door and stepped inside.
Then, holding up the potion he had taken from Alde, he asked,
"But Senior. You told us to drink this if the inspection starts, didn't you?"
"That's a potion to help with smuggling."
"This is a mix of Berserker Potion and Blade Bear Transformation Potion, isn't it? Senior. If we drink this, we'll turn into Blade Bears and go on a rampage like madmen."
"...Wh-who betrayed me?!"
Caught in his evil scheme to turn juniors into rampaging monsters, Alde visibly panicked.
The juniors glared at him with contempt-filled eyes.
"...Someone had to draw attention, that's all."
"Sure, sure."
Realizing he was cornered, Alde sighed and pleaded with Lee Han.
"Fine. Just untie my wrists for a moment."
"Senior, you tried to escape just now. No way."
"This time is different. I swear on my family's name. I won't run even if you untie me."
For a noble, swearing on their family's name was a promise not easily broken.
Even during territorial wars when he was taken prisoner, if he made such a promise, he wouldn't have escaped even if given the chance.
Seeing Elde go that far, the students' tension eased somewhat. They finally judged that the senior would stop trying to escape and stay put.
"Understood. I'll untie you."
"Haha, you fools! Senses, be lost in the maze!"
The moment his wrists and ankles were freed, Elde swiftly pulled a spare wand from his sleeve and cast the spell he'd been preparing all along.
A chilling air enveloped the opponents, disorienting their sense of direction while blending reality with illusion.
It was more than enough magic to escape this predicament.
"Let this be your lesson today! A true Einrogard mage values their family name and honor more than an extra slice of bread...!"
Thud!
Lee Han struck Elde as he tried to flee the annex, then dragged him back and sat him down.
And tied him up again.
He'd already noticed the mana flow around Elde and realized he was preparing to cast a spell.
He'd only humored him because he seemed like he'd keep being a nuisance otherwise.
Lee Han swung his wand to dispel the remaining illusion magic and brought his friends back to their senses.
Only then did Elde react belatedly.
"Huh... wha... how?!"
"Senior. You swore on your family name just now."
"......"
Even Elde seemed slightly embarrassed by this, averting his gaze.
Then he muttered:
"Hmph. This is normal at Einrogard."
"We don't do that..."
"You brats too! Give it another year and you'll be selling your ancestors' names! And you—what tower are you from? How dare you lecture me about noble honor?!"
"I'm from the Blue Dragon Tower..."
Suddenly put on the spot, Gainando answered awkwardly.
Elde was startled by that response.
Come to think of it, this was the noble families' villa district. There was no way a Blue Dragon Tower student wouldn't be here.
But...
"Wait, what about him?!"
Elde pointed at Durgyu and asked.
No matter how you looked at him, he wasn't from the Blue Dragon Tower.
"White Tiger Tower."
"I'm from the Black Turtle Tower."
"Phoenix Tower here."
"...Wait, wait, hold on."
Elde grew even more flustered.
He was more shocked now than when he'd been ambushed by his juniors.
No wonder there were so many of them with no uniformity...
"How are you all together?"
"Because we're friends?"
"Blue Dragon Tower can't be friends with White Tiger Tower!"
Elde declared firmly.
Gainando almost nodded in agreement without realizing it.
"Honestly, those guys are such a pain—"
"Don't you see Choi right there?"
"Oh, no. Except for Durgyu!"
After pondering deeply, Elde looked at Lee Han and asked:
"Are you the one controlling these guys? If that's the case..."
Occasionally, charismatic seniors in magic schools received respect regardless of their tower affiliation.
Perhaps this White Tiger Tower student before him was such a case.
"Of all people, someone like you in White Tiger Tower..."
"I'm from the Blue Dragon Tower."
"?!!!!"
"Anyway, Senior. I tried my best to respect your honor, but you kept deceiving us. I'll be confiscating your wand and all reagents."
Lee Han searched Elde's person and seized all remaining items.
"No! Think carefully. I'm your senior! Won't you see my face around the tower?"
Regardless, Lee Han said his piece:
"I'll release you when the semester starts. We'll accompany you to the main gate, but until then, you'll have to stay in the annex. Let us know if you'd like anything to eat."
"Thick pancakes with premium salted butter, southern honey, and coffee with plenty of milk."
"Ah. I didn't mean I'd give them freely—only if you provide advice or information about smuggling."
"...Are you really a first-year??"
Elde stared at Lee Han with wide, shaken eyes.
Who would've thought someone like this would enter the Blue Dragon Tower!