Episode 728
Episode 728
Professor Bendozol's shout naturally had no effect.
From the beginning, the relationship between the Polo Club members and Professor Bendozol wasn't particularly close. If anything, it was closer to a hostile symbiotic relationship.
The Polo Club had to rescue and tame various rare creatures of the Empire and take care of them.
While they definitely needed the help of Professor Bendozol, Einrogard's foremost expert on the matter...
Professor Bendozol was someone who, while helping with the animals, kept trying to steal the Polo Club's creatures.
Coming from someone like that, any criticism about a promising junior member sounded like nothing but nonsense.
Hormasi suddenly grew curious and asked,
"But Professor, why don't you attack him yourself?"
Of course, even in Einrogard where imperial laws didn't apply, it was rare for a professor to attack a student arbitrarily.
But wasn't Professor Bendozol one of the especially crazy ones even among professors?
"There are two reasons. First, if I attack him directly, I might incur the unicorn's hatred."
'Doesn't it already hate you?'
Hormasi thought that but didn't want to provoke the crazy professor, so he kept it to himself.
"I see... And what's the other reason?"
"I promised the Headmaster and the unicorn that I wouldn't attack that bastard. Damn it!"
"?"
Hormasi, who had been listening absentmindedly, perked up his long ears in confusion.
'What kind of nonsense is that?'
The Skeleton Principal was the last person who would ever tell someone not to attack someone else—if anything, he'd be more likely to instigate attacks.
Maybe students attending multiple schools had some special protection policy Hormasi didn't know about?
"How did that promise come about...?"
"It wasn't anything grand. We just happened to meet during winter break."
The dark elf senior, who had been about to ask the professor again, paused.
The junior had started explaining how he became friends with the unicorn.
It was several times more interesting than Professor Bendozol's story.
"So, that's how—"
"Wait. Let's hear the rest later."
"......"
Hormasi cut off Professor Bendozol and pricked up his ears.
"You met during winter break? How on earth did that happen?"
"During winter break, I went to find the unicorn to help Professor Lightning Step with his work."
"What? Why would you do that?"
The club seniors buzzed with murmurs.
There were many bad choices one could make during break, but helping a professor with their work was the absolute worst.
"...Isn't it possible to help?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Anyway, go on. Did you meet the unicorn while searching? How did you become friends?"
Lee Han briefly explained what had happened in the mountain range during winter break.
He had gone in with hunters to protect the unicorn, then encountered Professor Bendozol...
"Oh no!"
"Of all people!"
The seniors let out sighs of despair.
How could someone's luck be that terrible?
Helping a professor during break was already misfortune enough, but to run into another professor while doing so...
"...And then the Headmaster arrived and wrapped things up neatly."
"Ah, I see... Wait, what?"
The Polo Club members erupted into murmurs.
The story had been incredibly thrilling—unicorns in the mountains, evil monsters targeting them, Do Cheol and Bendozol, mages and hunters arriving to save the unicorn—but then the Headmaster suddenly showed up and brought it to an abrupt conclusion.
"Did Professor Lightning Step call him?"
"No way. Professor Lightning Step has common sense—he wouldn't call the Headmaster."
"...I was the one who called him."
"You called him?"
"Yes."
Sensing the seniors' odd atmosphere, Lee Han hurriedly defended himself.
"Professor Lightning Step and Professor Bendozol were fighting, so I had no choice. The Do Cheol was about to attack..."
"Hmm! You do have a point. That situation was truly unavoidable."
"Thank you for understanding."
The seniors nodded with smiles.
Then they all bolted away in unison.
"......"
"It was an unavoidable circumstance."
The only senior who didn't flee, Hormasi, approached him.
Lee Han responded with a slightly curt attitude.
"What exactly was unavoidable?"
"Regardless of the reason, the mere fact that you summoned the Headmaster sounds dangerous."
Though the dark elf senior spoke hesitantly, his point was undeniably correct.
The severity of the situation didn't matter.
What mattered was that a junior had enough rapport with the Skeleton Principal to summon him.
"......I just happened to receive a summoning artifact by pure coincidence."
"I see. I believe you!"
Saying this, Hormasi took a step back.
If this junior had received a summoning artifact from the Skeleton Principal, it wouldn't be strange if he suddenly transformed into some interdimensional monster.
"Anyway, don't mind the other members' reactions. They might fear you now, but..."
"Time will clear up the misunderstanding, right?"
"Yeah. I was going to say 'who cares, just play polo,' but is there even a misunderstanding to clear? It's all true."
"......"
Whether Lee Han glared at him or not, Hormasi continued saying what he wanted.
"More importantly, junior! Let's talk about polo! To be honest, I've been waiting for a junior like you. I don't care even if you're the Headmaster's prized disciple."
"Who's been spreading that nonsense again? Who was it?"
"Again?"
'Oh no.'
From the senior's expression, Lee Han realized he'd overreacted.
Hormasi eyed him warily.
"Do people often call you the Headmaster's prized disciple?"
"No? This is the first I'm hearing of it."
"......Right. Let's get back to what we were discussing."
Though he said that, Hormasi took two more steps back.
"Right now, the Einrogard Polo Club is lacking an outstanding attacker. Senior Kimbeldan graduated, and Senior Bordrogo failed graduation and went insane."
"Excuse me?"
Lee Han wanted to ask more about Senior Bordrogo, but Hormasi didn't seem interested in those who'd left the club.
"But you have the talent of a great attacker. You might be the one to fill that void."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I haven't played much polo."
This was true.
Unlike his friends, who enjoyed mounted polo, bare-handed polo, table polo, assignment polo (where crumpled homework was used as the ball), and Wardanaz polo (where White Tiger Tower students acted as the ball while dodging an angry Wardanaz's staff), Lee Han hadn't played much polo in general.
"Doesn't matter. Talent is separate from experience."
Listening to this, Lee Han suddenly grew curious.
What exactly had this senior seen in him to rate him so highly?
"Do I really have such talent for polo? Why?"
"You're close with the unicorn. That's enough."
"......No. That's just animal-handling talent."
"Animal-handling talent makes up 90% of polo. Horsemanship is 50%."
'Must be a White Tiger Tower senior—bad with numbers.'
Hormasi watched the unicorn playfully nudging Lee Han and spoke in a deeply satisfied voice.
"For it to like you that much... You and the unicorn will make a great pair."
"But Senior, I have no intention of playing polo while riding the unicorn."
"!?!?"
-!?!?
Not just Hormasi, but even the unicorn stared at Lee Han in shock.
"Why not?!"
-■!
"Well... I've already promised to ride someone else. The unicorn would get upset if I rode it instead."
"You need to convince it properly! What kind of nonsense is this?!"
The dark elf senior shrieked in a shrill voice, clearly deeply shocked.
Not riding out with a unicorn was nothing short of blasphemy against polo, unicorns, and the Empire itself.
"Of course, not riding your familiar might feel like betrayal. But forcing consideration when there's a more suitable partner is the crueler act."
"It's... not a horse."
"Not a horse?" Hormasi tilted his head, having naturally assumed any second-year's familiar would be a horse.
"Then what? A mountain goat? Wild boar? Ostrich?"
"Senior. Promise you won't think it's strange if I tell you."
"Are you underestimating me? I won't be shocked no matter what you've tamed."
Ever since this junior had summoned the Skeleton Principal, nothing could surprise Hormasi.
Even if he'd tamed a griffin... 'Hmm. That might actually be surprising.'
"Alright. It's actually a griffin."
"...What kind of monster are you??"
After consoling his wounded junior (who in turn was comforting the offended unicorn), Hormasi spoke gravely.
"Let's go see this griffin of yours."
The unicorn attempted to attack Hormasi with an angry whinny, but he swiftly created distance, blocking its approach.
"Stay back, you horned nag! With a griffin-riding junior, I've no business with you!"
"Th-that's too harsh, don't you think?"
"Why should I care? It's not my mount."
Hormasi shrugged indifferently. A rider's affection was reserved solely for their own steed, not some unrelated creature.
"Wait. Before seeing the griffin, you should see my mount first. Follow me."
The revelation of a griffin-riding junior had Hormasi buzzing with excitement. 'Charging shoulder-to-shoulder...!'
For that, they needed to understand each other's mounts. Hormasi intended to explain his own steed first.
"Hormasi! Don't forget to collect the subsidy from your junior!"
"Ah. Right."
At Perse's distant shout, Lee Han asked curiously,
"What subsidy?"
"The Polo Club periodically distributes gold coins from its treasury to members raising animals. To assist and encourage their care."
The club's prize money was split—some rewarded to outstanding members, the rest saved in the treasury as subsidies. The rarer and more powerful the creature, the greater the support, as they benefited the club.
"One griffin, one unicorn. Wow."
Hormasi whistled, calculating. This might set a club record.
"Any others? Even minor ones count—speak up if you have more."
"I'm also raising a baby basilisk."
"A baby basilisk... ...Basilisk?"
A tail poked out from Lee Han's sleeve and wiggled.
Hormasi stared, then slowly shook his head before calling out,
"Senior Perse! Come help process the subsidy application!"
"Handle that yourself! Are you calling me over because you're lazy?!"
"If I submit it, everyone will just come verify anyway, so you might as well check now!"
Hormasi wisely predicted the future. Submitting this would only make club members rage, "Hormasi, stop joking with your junior's application!"
Better to show them upfront.
"What nonsense are you—"
Grumbling, Perse approached. She'd been busy enough explaining to new second-years where to find Einrogard's rare creatures and how to tame them.
Professor Bendozol wasn't helping either, just interfering with comments like, "You're unworthy of taming them!"
"Just come see for yourself."
"If this is a waste of time, you're handling the junior's training— Hormasi, stop joking with your junior's application!"
Hormasi shot Lee Han a look—'See? Told you'—and winked.