Episode 692
Episode 692
As a senior, I should be happy to see an outstanding junior enter the tower, but even considering that, this junior before me was just too... He didn't seem like a first-year at all.
'What kind of guy is this?'
"Which family did you say you were from again?"
"Don't forget. If you want something to eat, you'll have to provide advice or information about smuggling."
Instead of answering, Lee Han deftly changed the subject.
Elde didn't notice and was led right along.
"Are you asking me to betray my peers? Me, Elde of the Markang Family?"
"Weren't you just about to use your family name to run away?"
"Shh. Senior Priest Siana. He's still your senior."
The whispers of other juniors could be heard from behind, but Elde remained unfazed.
If he lost his composure over such whispers, he wouldn't deserve to be a student of Einrogard.
"Go on, say it! Do you really think I, Elde of the Markang Family, would betray my peers?!"
"...Are you doing this to negotiate better terms?"
Lee Han asked, just in case.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like Elde was subtly hinting, 'If the terms are good enough, I might betray them.'
"What do you take me for?! More importantly, my peers would know if I betrayed them! Unless... you have a way to prevent that?"
"After kidnapping you, we checked the surroundings thoroughly. No one followed you. If you're released later, just tell them you were kidnapped by the Headmaster's death knights. The Headmaster always makes for a good excuse. Your peers would never suspect you were kidnapped by juniors."
"Hey, that's actually a great idea!"
Elde couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
The first-year junior before him had such charisma that it made him forget he'd just been outplayed.
No wonder he was leading this kidnapping group—there was a reason for it.
'This kid might go far!'
"......"
"......"
Noticing the juniors' gazes belatedly, Elde cleared his throat awkwardly.
"It's not betrayal. I was just impressed."
"Right..."
"Lee Han. Hurry up and name your terms. I think he'll accept if you do."
"Hey! What kind of insult is this?!"
Elde pretended to be angry but glanced at Lee Han.
It was a silent prompt to make his offer quickly.
Yoner thought to herself,
'Are all seniors like this...?'
Even after adapting to Einrogard, he hadn't expected this level.
Lee Han calmly met his senior's gaze.
He could have offered gold coins or various artifacts, but he had no intention of wasting the fortune he'd painstakingly gathered over the break.
"Senior. I only have one condition to propose."
"What is it?"
"If you help us, we'll include your goods in our smuggling operations."
"...Hahahaha!"
Elde, who had been listening quietly, burst into laughter.
He laughed so hard he was left breathless, staring at Lee Han as if he couldn't believe it.
"Are you serious? You were really planning to smuggle on your own?"
"Why else would we go through the trouble of kidnapping you?"
"You're even crazier than I thought."
Elde sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
He hadn't wanted to say it, but these first-years were nothing like when he was one.
To be this reckless and fearless!
"Fine. As a fellow resident of the Blue Dragon Tower, and in honor of meeting a junior like you, I'll give you advice for free. Give up on smuggling by yourselves. Find a trustworthy senior to partner with. Though I doubt you can."
"I think I can manage."
Lee Han replied calmly.
It wasn't bravado or empty boasting—he genuinely believed it was possible.
But Elde, who had no idea what Lee Han had been up to during his first year, shook his head dismissively.
"Let me tell you what's going to happen. When the new semester starts, you'll gather at the main gate. There'll be a speech from the Headmaster. Then the inspections will begin—what do you think will happen then?"
"Wouldn't we just get caught immediately?"
At Gainando's question, Elde clicked his tongue.
"No. The veteran seniors will immediately target the easiest prey the moment they see you. Someone has to be sacrificed to reduce the surveillance and pressure. First-years attempting smuggling? If I were them, I'd expose you right away to divert attention. Every single one of them would think the same way."
Students attempting smuggling were willing to risk their lives just to create a brief opening or distraction.
There was no way they'd go easy on first-year juniors just because they were younger. If they showed weakness, they'd be torn apart even more relentlessly.
Elde crossed his arms and stared at Lee Han.
No matter how bold this kid was, hearing this should at least shake his confid...
"Thank you for the advice, Senior. Let me know if you change your mind."
"...?!!"
Elde was stunned.
Did this kid have a heart made of steel?
How could he remain so composed even after hearing all that...?
"Wait!"
As Lee Han and the juniors were about to leave the annex, Elde urgently called out.
But now that he'd stopped them, he couldn't think of what to say.
Elde blustered loudly.
If things ended like this, he'd lose too much face in front of the juniors.
"It's not my place to say this, but do you really think you can keep me locked up here? What if I escape at any moment?"
"Ah. That's why I'll be placing some Summons around."
"You can't keep watching me with Summons forever. The Mana would..."
Lee Han simply shrugged and left with his friends.
The panther-like Summon, Sharkan, yawned and crouched in front of Elde.
As Elde stared blankly at Sharkan, Lee Han poked his head back through the door and added:
"Senior. If you try attacking Sharkan, I'll assign a Basilisk to watch you instead."
"Got it, got it!"
If nothing else, Elde could tell this junior wasn't the type to joke around.
A Basilisk? What kind of ridiculous joke was that?
'What are they up to?'
Over the next few days, Elde sat in the upper-floor study of the annex, watching the front yard, garden, and warehouse.
During his stay here, he'd noticed a few things.
First, this group of first-year kidnappers didn't seem like they'd just worked together once or twice. Their coordination was unusually smooth.
The way they divided tasks, went in and out of the mansion, and assigned roles—it was the kind of teamwork impossible without deep mutual trust.
They were supposed to be juniors from different Towers—how were they so perfectly in sync?
Going out and coming back, then going out again...
Each time, their leader would bring something back and say to his friends, "I've figured out their method."
Surely they couldn't have deciphered the smuggling methods of other seniors, but Elde was genuinely curious what they meant.
Another thing he noticed was the changes to the carriages near the warehouse.
The decorative elements disappeared, the interior space expanded, and the floors and axles were reinforced.
It almost looked like they were preparing freight wagons.
But they didn't stop there—the first-years started painting symbols on the carriages. Symbols that looked strangely familiar.
'Where have I seen... huh?'
Now that he thought about it, he seemed to recall a merchant group in Granden City with similar symbols.
'...'
Why are they making merchant freight wagons?'
Elde pondered for a long time, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn't figure it out.
Why on earth would they be making merchant freight wagons?
"Hey."
Unable to hold back any longer, Elde finally called out to a junior.
"You called, Senior?"
"...What exactly are you all doing right now?"
"If you want to know, cooperate with us."
"...Forget it! Just forget it!"
Elde turned away angrily.
But Lee Han wasn't someone who could be shaken so easily.
When the junior showed no reaction, Elde reluctantly spoke first.
"What exactly do you want from me? Let me make one thing clear—smuggling isn't that simple. Even if I helped you, it wouldn't be a quick fix."
"I'm aware. And I've already prepared the smuggling method, so you don't need to worry about that."
"...???"
What on earth—how?
"What method?!"
"First, I'd like to know the methods other seniors attempting smuggling use."
"Hmm."
Elde nodded as if he'd expected this question.
He'd somewhat anticipated this ever since being asked to betray his peers.
Understanding other students' smuggling methods beforehand was more crucial than one might think.
You could either replicate their approach, or report it for personal gain—but even if you did neither, at the very least, you could prepare accordingly. Because smuggling was significantly affected by others' mistakes too.
"First, there's the Dhumcha faction. Those guys—"
"Ah. I know about them. They use <Lesser Box Transmutation>, right?"
"...How did you know that?!"
"Are there any others?"
Lee Han spoke with an attitude that implied Elde shouldn't bother asking about trivial matters.
Elde was dumbfounded. 'How did he figure that out...?' "There's the Ivanna faction..."
"I know about them too. They combine Physical Enhancement Magic and Racial Transformation Magic to move goods, though honestly, it seems risky. Transforming into a large species and enduring inspections doesn't sound easy."
"Hey! If you already know everything, why are you asking?!"
Elde shouted in exasperation.
He couldn't begin to guess what this first-year was thinking.
"What do you mean, Senior? I'm asking because there's still a lot I don't know."
"Who the hell knows as much as you...! First, tell me how you found out!"
As if refusing to move forward without an explanation, Elde crossed his arms and fixed Lee Han with a firm stare.
Lee Han responded with a look that said, 'Why is this senior bothering me with obvious questions?'
"I contacted the seniors and asked them."
"...What kind of nonsense is that? They wouldn't just tell you."
"I approached them saying I wanted to smuggle together, then got the information out of them."
"......"
Elde dropped the cup he was holding.
So right now, this kid had approached each faction, deceived all their senior members, and extracted every single method they were preparing? 'That... is that even possible?!' "Anyway, Senior. Any others?"
"There's my faction... and maybe one or two more teams, but even I don't know much about what seniors above me are planning. It's not like they'd share anything that could get them exposed."
"Understood."
Lee Han nodded and picked up his quill to start organizing notes.
Even partial information would be a huge help on the day.
"So... what method are you planning to use for smuggling? Let's hear it."
"I was just about to explain. Since you're the only one among us with inspection experience, I figured we'd need your cooperation."
Elde was startled to realize he was unconsciously feeling anticipation.
Was he really getting his hopes up over some first-year's half-baked smuggling plan?! 'No, no. That's ridiculous.' But the junior before him carried an air of credibility that made even this absurd situation seem plausible.
Could it be...?!
"We'll lead a merchant caravan through an underground passage, leave the smuggled goods there, and exit."
"...Wha... what...?"
Utterly unprepared for this plan, Elde floundered, unsure where to even begin criticizing.
"What nonsense is this? Do you even know where the underground passage is? Even if you found one, there'd be guards, and you can't just waltz in with any merchant caravan..."
"I've already located the underground passage. There will be guards, but the warehouse keepers will be aboveground, so it should be relatively manageable. Only specific merchant caravans are authorized for deliveries. The insignia painted on our carriage matches one of those."
"......"
Elde closed his eyes and began muttering to himself.
Lee Han tilted his head curiously.
"What are you doing?"
"I must... be under an illusion spell. This is... an impossible dream. I need to wake up."
"This is reality."