Episode 704
Episode 704
"Ah, right. This was it... Wait, so the storage room you said you received from a graduated senior was here?!"
Diret was surprised again, considering he'd previously responded with 'Don't talk nonsense' when Lee Han had mentioned it through the artifact.
Lee Han looked puzzled, as if wondering why Diret was making a big deal out of it now.
"I already told you earlier, didn't I?"
"Right... Right."
Seeing his junior act as if this were completely normal made Diret feel slightly calmer.
For this junior, receiving a secret base as a gift from a graduate in the Punishment Room was just another part of daily life.
So Diret also tried to stay composed...
'...No. He's the weird one.'
Struggling to suppress his unsettled feelings rather than calming down, Diret checked the artifact.
The senior who had installed this notebook-shaped artifact here must have arranged it this way to secure the necessary mana for operation.
Artifacts embedded with magic were convenient tools that assisted mages, but they weren't devices that could use magic without any cost.
The most crucial factor was mana supply. The stronger the magic an artifact attempted to use, the more mana it required—exponentially so.
This notebook-shaped communication artifact operated on a simple text-exchange system.
Yet even that required a considerable amount of mana. Since the artifact itself lacked sufficient mana-gathering or generating functions, the demand was even greater.
Even Diret had to periodically recharge the artifact with mana and store it in reagents to keep it operational...
'Ah, they connected it to the mana flow within the secret base.'
Diret, who had been observing the methods of other seniors with interest, realized this belatedly.
"Wait, you don't actually need to keep this fixed here, do you? Even if you carried it around, it would recharge automatically."
"Huh?"
"This artifact. It was anchored here to draw mana from the room."
"Oh. That's possible? I just left it since it was fixed in place..."
"If it's alright with you, I'll detach it."
Once Lee Han gave permission, Diret took out his wand and a paper knife, carved a simple inscription, and began the work.
Separating an artifact connected to a space's mana flow was trickier than expected.
It required expertise in Enchantment Magic and precise understanding of the space's mana currents. Otherwise, the artifact could burn out, or the mana might scatter unpredictably, causing unforeseen phenomena.
Lee Han watched Diret work with keen interest and admiration.
"You're amazing. Did you study Enchantment Magic too?"
"Not formally, just a bit out of necessity. When you study Black Magic, you encounter a lot of cursed artifacts, so you need to know a little Enchantment Magic too."
"......"
Unaware that his words were dampening the appeal of Black Magic, Diret remained focused on the task.
Fwoosh
With a burning sound, the book detached. After meticulously checking the spot where the notebook had been connected, Diret handed the artifact back to his junior.
"Here. It's still quite a useful artifact, so keep it safe so others don't steal it."
"What if I disguise it as another Magic Tome?"
"Not a bad idea."
Lee Han picked up a quill and wrote on the notebook: On the Great Life and Achievements of Gonadaltes.
Seeing this, Diret patiently advised him.
"People won't take it, but if they catch you carrying that, they'll think you're insane."
"Fair point."
Lee Han erased the title and wrote instead: The Diary of Vible Verdus.
Without a word, Diret snatched the notebook, erased the title, and wrote: Whispers of Einrogard.
"This should do. No one will pay attention to this."
"Thank you, Senior."
"If anything comes up or you need help, just contact me. I might not reply immediately, but I'll respond as soon as I see it."
Lee Han's eyes sparkled with emotion as he nodded.
What senior from any school would look out for a junior like this?
One senior like Diret was worth a hundred seniors like Yukveltire.
"Wait. This mirror... Ah, is it the other communication artifact you mentioned before?"
"Yes. The person was completely insane."
Lee Han grumbled as he badmouthed the person on the other side of the mirror.
This individual had treated Lee Han as an eccentric just because he was slightly acquainted with Ilendil and was taking Black Magic courses, assuming his social circle was narrow and his relationships strained.
Hearing this, Diret was furious.
"What kind of bastard is this?"
"An utterly rude person. They even thought I was weird just because I'm from the Wardanaz family!"
"Anything else?"
"...Senior, why aren't you getting angry about this too?"
Diret, who had been about to let it slide without much thought, realized his mistake.
"That's truly disrespectful!"
"Thank you. Other than that... They tried to recruit me into their research after hearing rumors about me."
"Unbelievable. I barely managed to keep Yukveltire at bay, and now they're popping up everywhere..."
Diret sighed.
He was starting to think Einrogard's first-year protection rules should be extended to second-years as well.
To Diret right now, the junior before him seemed like a defenseless, fragile lamb.
Outside the fence, countless senior wolves were surely drooling in wait.
"Don't worry, Senior. I can refuse."
"...Right. You're not exactly helpless either."
"?"
"Be careful when talking to other students. Don't let your guard down easily. Are you still in contact with this person?"
"We spoke occasionally last year. Their information was quite useful..."
Diret nodded in understanding.
Cooperating with peers or seniors at Einrogard wasn't always about finding someone with great character or compatibility.
To survive and continue research, one often had no choice but to join hands with others—more often than one might think.
Even if the other person was trash, maintaining contact for the sake of information was sometimes necessary.
"You haven't been found out, have you?"
"Don't worry. I acted perfectly—they wouldn't even dream of it. A rough, rude third-year... no, fourth-year by now. That's my cover identity."
"They probably think you're from White Tiger Tower?"
"...Yes!"
In truth, the other person seemed to think it was Black Turtle Tower, but Lee Han was considerate of Diret.
After all, Diret was from Black Turtle Tower, not White Tiger Tower.
"Hmm. That might be a decent cover."
"Right?"
"Then I'll transfer this artifact for you too."
Diret began extracting the core spell inscribed on the mirror.
This task was even more challenging than the notebook earlier, so Lee Han assisted Diret from the side.
"Can you arrange the reagents here and stabilize them?"
"Yes."
"Can you apply the Mana Emission Enchantment here...? Never mind. That's still too much for you."
"I've learned it. While assisting Professor Vible."
Lee Han immediately cast <Vible's Mana Emission Enchantment>.
Diret wasn't sure whether to praise or lament the near-perfect execution.
But regardless, the junior beside him was an almost flawless assistant.
No matter what reagent he asked for, Lee Han fetched it without needing clarification. He could use any basic spell flawlessly, and above all, he never needed breaks.
"This is... fascinating."
"?"
"It doesn't seem like a very old artifact? The spells inside are modern."
Einrogard had no shortage of artifacts over a century old.
Even the notebook Diret and Lee Han were using to communicate had been dug up from some antique warehouse.
With such artifacts, one could sense traces of age when examining the magic within.
Magic had trends and evolved over time—those with keen eyes could distinguish the era.
But this mirror's magic felt recent.
This mirror artifact contained relatively recent magic, and one could tell the mage's craftsmanship was extremely refined and outstanding.
Flicker!
Lee Han's notebook emitted a light before absorbing the new spell. Diret did a quick calculation of the mana required and clicked his tongue.
"This will require significantly more mana than expected. You'll be fine, right?"
"......"
Even though Lee Han knew he'd be fine, he felt slightly disappointed that Diret wasn't worrying about him more. 'What if I'm not okay?' If it unexpectedly consumed an enormous amount of mana...
"By the way, are there any more artifacts in this storage room to move? Since we're here, let's handle them all together."
"Hmm. I do have a paper artifact with me..."
Lee Han pulled out the fragmented paper artifact he had received after climbing the Tower of Rewards as last year's top student.
It was the communication artifact shared among Giselle, Adenart, Angraoth and Salko, Shyles and Dijiling, and Nigisor.
Diret was astonished by the artifact, which allowed not just one-on-one communication but conversations among all eight of them.
"It should get harder with each additional person added."
"Actually, I've never used this even once."
At Lee Han's words, Diret nodded as if that made sense.
Artifacts like these inevitably required mana charging, and Lee Han's friends were all first-year students.
For students like them, supplying the necessary mana could be more difficult than one might think.
"Right. So then..."
"Wouldn't it be better to just sell it?"
"...I was about to teach you a few methods to recharge—... Huh?"
Diret and Lee Han stared at each other as if questioning what the other had just said.
"Huh? Wouldn't selling it be better? I've barely used it."
"...No matter how urgently you need silver coins, you shouldn't sell something like this. Being able to contact your friends is incredibly useful."
"I don't think it was particularly useful for me..."
Lee Han recalled the messages he had received last year.
Most of the paper birds his friends sent were annoying and bothersome requests for help.
"Enough, don't sell it. I'll teach you how to recharge it, so pass it on to your friends."
Diret stuffed the bundle of paper artifact into the notebook and began explaining.
"First, gather the rotten blood of an underground fallen..."
"Senior. I don't think my friends can easily hunt underground fallen."
"...Right. That was my mistake. Let me suggest an easier method."
Diret proceeded to explain a simpler method.
On the night when the moon's energy is strongest, take out a silver cup and fill it with clear water. After exposing it to the moonlight for two hours, the mana will thickly condense... 'Hmm. Maybe I should just hunt an underground fallen and sell their blood instead.' Lee Han inwardly sighed at the unexpectedly troublesome method.
If there were an award for <Einrogard's Most Outstanding Senior>, Diret would undoubtedly be invited to the ceremony, as he helped with the remaining minor tasks without a single complaint.
After finishing organizing the secret base and moving supplies to the outer cabin... 'How on earth did he get a Ghost Chicken?' Diret wondered to himself.
No matter how he looked at it, it wasn't a creature a first-year should be able to obtain.
"Who built this cabin? It's surprisingly neat."
"Professor Bagrak." 'I shouldn't have asked.' Diret regretted his question but decided to ask more while he was at it.
"For what purpose? It's not for secretly attacking people, is it?"
"Haha. There's no one coming to the underground lecture hall anyway, so there's no need to build it for that reason. This cabin was made to raise a basilisk. After it hatched, I carried it around, but once it grows bigger, it'll have to stay here."
Lee Han spoke as if it were the most natural thing.
Right now, it was light enough to cling to Lee Han's wrist, but basilisks were originally classified as large monsters.
-?!
Of course, for the baby basilisk, Lee Han's words were as shocking as the sky collapsing.
As the basilisk's tail, poking out from Lee Han's sleeve, trembled violently in apparent shock, Diret flusteredly spoke up.
"Uh... Junior. I think the basilisk is shocked."
"Huh? It must just be hungry."
"No... I think this is a bit different...?"