Episode 735
Episode 735
When Lee Han gave up on escaping, the Death Knight who had been about to leave with the petition subtly read the mood and returned.
The Skeleton Principal openly clicked his tongue and glared.
"Do you really leave just because I told you to go? Hmm?"
"My apologies, Master. As a former knight, I thought just in case..."
"Even so, to trust some rookie mage over an Imperial Magic Officer! Tsk tsk..."
Even if conveniently bringing up imperial titles worked in times like these, the battle-hardened Death Knights weren't fooled.
Frankly, if the Skeleton Principal and his unfortunate disciple were to clash, justice would probably side more with the latter...
The Skeleton Principal turned his deep blue gaze toward Lee Han and began speaking.
"Right. One of my insane clones entered the territory."
"That clone nearly got me killed!"
"What? You met it?"
The Skeleton Principal looked puzzled.
If Lee Han had encountered it, there was no way the Headmaster wouldn't have noticed.
At that reaction, Lee Han grumbled and spilled everything that had happened.
"...If it weren't for Senior Diret, I really would've been in danger."
"By the way, Lord Wardanaz."
One of the Death Knights listening nearby posed a question.
"Yes?"
"Why didn't you use the ring to summon the Master?"
The other Death Knights nodded in agreement upon hearing the question.
Shouldn't you normally call the Skeleton Principal in such a situation?
"Uh... I didn't think of it."
"......"
"Why does everyone do this? That kind of self-reliance is a virtue."
Surprisingly, the Skeleton Principal took Lee Han's side.
Lee Han, who had been sheepish, brightened up and asked,
"Really?"
"Yes. Haha. The guy who called me over a professors' quarrel."
Lee Han cursed inwardly at the Headmaster's petty jab.
'You gave it to me to use, didn't you?'
That clone was probably a test left behind by the Headmaster.
'Did you mislabel it as a trap?'
He couldn't help but suspect that the Skeleton Principal had misunderstood the test's intent.
If that were true, it would also explain Einrogard's absurdly high test difficulty.
It must've been left behind with the same purpose as the illusion.
The Skeleton Principal explained in a calm voice.
Since the clone was once part of him in the distant past, he understood its behavioral principles.
Just as qualified individuals could access the lingering echoes of memories, the mass of mana would attack after those echoes were witnessed—likely set up that way.
"So, if a qualified person accesses it, they see an illusion, and after seeing it, they get attacked as a test?"
"Correct."
"Headmaster, is your clone perhaps not in its right mind?!"
Lee Han was horrified.
To think that wasn't a trap but a test.
"It is an insane clone. But in ancient times, that was a fairly standard test."
"I see..."
Lee Han answered with a blank expression before suddenly tilting his head in confusion.
"But Headmaster, you said it was left for qualified people to see. What's the qualification? I didn't do anything."
"Didn't do anything? Don't make me laugh..."
The Skeleton Principal responded with an unimpressed tone, as if he didn't believe it.
The Death Knights seemed to agree, bursting into laughter.
"As if you didn't do anything!"
"You must've done something!"
'Should I really send that petition...?'
Even if he hadn't done anything, a Grand Archmage at that level would have multiple ways to assess potential. He must've judged it somehow.
"Did you check my mana capacity?"
"Maybe."
"Or was it because I enrolled in all the schools?"
"Could be."
"Or was it because I contracted with a powerful entity from another dimension?"
"Weren't you saying you did nothing?"
"......"
After landing that verbal blow, the Skeleton Principal continued his explanation slowly.
"The reason I leave my clones unattended is that the effort required to capture them outweighs the justification."
The Skeleton Principal's clones were essentially fragments freed from the main body, so they had many limitations.
Like beings from other dimensions, they struggled to maintain their forms in the mortal realm for long and were heavily bound by the desires and emotions they carried with them.
Rather than pointlessly drawing their magic against each other in an attempt to completely eliminate one another, it was most efficient to simply wait for them to naturally dissipate from this plane.
Moreover, there was no reason to provoke such a fight within Einrogard's territory.
"What could their goal be?"
There were a few possibilities that came to mind, but they were still just guesses—nothing certain yet.
"Hmm. But isn't this case a bit different? They even entered alongside a Magic Criminal. What if that Magic Criminal corrupts or exploits the Headmaster's doppelgänger...?"
Well. I doubt they'd have the capability.
The Skeleton Principal sneered at Antagondals with an arrogant and icy demeanor.
Despite being one of the most notorious Magic Criminals in the empire, his attitude was one of sheer contempt for the man's abilities.
Didn't you see in your vision how that wretch groveled? Just to scavenge even a scrap of magic?
"It wasn't quite that extreme..."
Leave it be. Among those who have dared to exploit my doppelgängers, none have met anything less than a tragic end.
Lee Han, too, would have preferred to ignore it, but it wasn't easy to turn a blind eye when a Magic Criminal and an even more dangerous mad doppelgänger were lurking within Einrogard's territory.
"Can't we just deal with the Magic Criminal?"
It'd be easy if they revealed themselves, but they're being cautious too. Didn't I ask earlier if you'd met them?
Ever since sensing that the mad doppelgänger had entered Einrogard's territory with a servant in tow, the Skeleton Principal had woven a surveillance net as intricate as a spider's web.
Naturally, both the mad doppelgänger and the Magic Criminal were well aware of this, so instead of approaching the main building, they kept moving along the territory's most remote outskirts.
If you're interested, try luring them out. Once they're out in the open, we can capture them immediately.
"I don't think that's something I can do..."
Don't underestimate yourself. You're originally a bit... No, never mind.
"......"
The fact that the Skeleton Principal cut himself off was far more terrifying than anything he could have said.
Lee Han couldn't even begin to guess what he had been about to say.
"...Anyway, thank you for explaining, Headmaster. Honestly, I thought you might not tell me anything since I'm still just a student."
Why wouldn't I?
The Skeleton Principal seemed genuinely puzzled.
"Don't professors usually keep these things among themselves? To avoid scaring the students..."
What good does keeping secrets among professors do? And fear is always a good motivator.
"...But you didn't tell the seniors."
They never asked.
"......"
Lee Han was left speechless by the shameless reply.
Judging by the Headmaster's expression, he seemed tempted to tell the seniors, but it wouldn't matter—they had more important things to worry about.
"Ah... Thank you."
Instead of wasting time worrying about some insignificant Magic Criminal, focus on your magic. Your senior Diret is already manifesting a Small World, isn't he?
Lee Han was dumbfounded by the Headmaster comparing him to the top-ranked fifth-year student of the Black Turtle Tower.
'I'll do my best.'
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Ah. I almost forgot.
"?"
Before you leave, make sure to retrieve the petition I entrusted to someone else. Don't forget and accidentally send it to His Majesty.
'Wait. How did he know?'
Elde of the Markang Family was spending his first week at Einrogard in the Punishment Room.
He wasn't lonely—there were several other students locked up alongside him.
They were either caught smuggling or had gotten into trouble on the very first day.
"Hey, I don't remember seeing you during the smuggling bust. How'd you end up here?"
"Palga of the Ukim Family tried to escape, and I happened to be next to him when they caught us. Played dumb during interrogation, and they sent me here."
"What about you in the next cell?"
"I was also next to Palga of the Ukim Family when he tried to escape."
"Ah. So both of you got dragged in by the Ukim kid, huh?"
"No. I just snitched and they sent me here. Damn it."
"...What about you in the far right cell?"
"I'm Palga of the Ukim Family."
A collective sigh echoed through the corridor.
Having finished their introductions, the students in the detention cells quickly began exchanging information.
Even in detention, they still had to attend classes.
"Hey, what do you think about this lecture? Will it proceed?"
"Honestly, I doubt this lecture will be canceled."
"Excuse me, warden sir! Could you contact the professor so we can at least get a head start on our assignments?"
The Death Knight patrolling the corridor coldly walked past without a word.
At this, the students let out another sigh.
While spending a few days in detention wasn't particularly hard—they were used to it—missing lecture content stung quite a bit.
They'd have to make up for it with brutal self-study once they got out...
"I anticipated this, so I brought a book when I got caught."
"Ugh. I envy you."
"My chosen lecture doesn't have classes this week, but I should still prepare in advance..."
Amid the students' noisy chatter, someone from a solitary cell suddenly shouted.
"Does anyone here have books to sell?!"
"!"
"Any spare books?! Do you have Advanced Applications of Fire Elements?"
"I do. Starting from Elemental Application Fundamentals, the new Toberiz series, Monthly Black Magic Trends, and other magazines too."
"...That guy's from the Library Club!!"
"He got himself caught on purpose to sell books! What a ruthless bastard!"
The detained students were horrified by the Library Club member's madness.
Who would willingly get arrested just to sell books?
"Haha. Consider it a service for all of you. Care to make a purchase?"
"Ugh... Give me one copy of Advanced Applications of Fire Elements. How many times the original price?"
Experienced Einrogard students had already braced themselves.
If someone was willing to get thrown into detention just to sell books, the prices were bound to be jacked up.
"What are you talking about? You can have it at the original price."
"Huh? Really?"
"However, you must first purchase and read The Life and Death of Jundaer Dolfram."
"...Well, that's not too bad..."
Unlike other clubs, the fact that the Library Club wasn't profiteering here alone earned them respect.
Buying one extra boring trash book was a small price to pay.
"Here you go."
"Here's your book. Take it."
"Thanks. Now sell me Advanced Applications of Fire Elements too."
"What do you mean? I told you, you have to read The Life and Death of Jundaer Dolfram first."
"...But I already bought it?"
"Yes. You bought it, and now you must read it."
"......"
Only then did the student realize something was off and asked in a flustered voice.
"I bought it, so when I read it is up to me, right? I'll read it later—just sell me the other one now!"
"No. Read it first. I'll check."
'We let our guard down!'
Finally, the students realized they had underestimated the Library Club's madness.
These bastards were forcing them to read books no one usually touched!
"W-wait, do the magazines also have prerequisite books?"
"Yes. There's a book you must read first. A Year in the Frost Giant Dimension."
"P-please, have mercy on that one. I've read it before—it was so boring I almost passed out."
"No exceptions. It's a good book once you finish it."
The students tried negotiating, offering to pay higher prices instead, but the Library Club member remained stubborn.
In the end, the detention students had no choice but to tearfully read books they'd normally never touch.
"Ugh... I want to read something else."
"...Actually, rereading this isn't so bad?"
"Shut up."
After the students had bought their books one by one, Elde cautiously whispered.
"Hey. Hey."
"Yes?"
"I don't have any gold on me right now. But listen, I've got a massive stash of smuggled goods outside."
"No credit."
"I'm serious, it's out there!"
Elde protested in an aggrieved voice, but none of the students believed him.
What kind of smuggled goods could a guy who got caught with them possibly have?
"Is Senior here?"
"???"
"Senior Elde of the Markang Family? Are you in this corridor?"
"Here! Here!! I'm here!!!"