Episode 753
Episode 753
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
Lee Han felt puzzled when Antagondals gazed at him from behind the silver mask.
Then, he subtly covered his plate with his hand. There was no more food left to share.
"...I'm not stealing. Do I look like someone who'd be interested in such scraps?"
"Ha! Mages always talk like that."
Antagondals realized a new talent in this Wardanaz boy before him.
This boy had a talent for pissing people off.
Whether the magic criminal was seething inside or not, Lee Han focused on his meal.
If he wanted to escape, he needed to fill his stomach properly.
Watching Lee Han take a bite of hot, toasted bread topped with fried eggs and bacon, Antagondals shook his head in disbelief.
A brat who could eat so calmly in front of a Mad Doppelgänger and an imperial magic criminal...
"Living long enough really lets you see the most absurd things..."
"Are you talking about Einrogard?"
"No."
Antagondals wanted to explain just how dangerous it was for Lee Han to serve food to the Mad Doppelgänger—and how astonishing it was that the Mad Doppelgänger ate it without flying into a rage.
But he couldn't. The Mad Doppelgänger was right beside them.
There was no telling what might happen if he said the wrong thing.
Meanwhile, the Mad Doppelgänger, having finished the meal, neatly wiped its mouth and hands before lifting Antagondals and slamming him into the wall.
"Chattering noisily during a meal. Trash. Do you lack even basic manners?"
"...My apologies, Master."
Belatedly realizing he shouldn't have disturbed the meal, Antagondals inwardly regretted it.
He should've slipped outside while the Mad Doppelgänger was eating...
"That was a meal fit for slaves. Disgusting. From now on, prepare something more dignified."
"Ah, yes."
Lee Han bowed politely, but inside, he cursed.
After devouring everything, now it complains? Even Gainando wasn't this bad.
'Master, do you require offerings to satisfy your palate?'
Antagondals, still embedded in the wall, posed the question respectfully.
If the Mad Doppelgänger truly enjoyed fine dining, that would be invaluable information.
For Antagondals, who needed to appease this malevolent entity by any means, a new path had opened.
"Ha! I have no need for filth touched by trash."
At that, Lee Han and Antagondals cursed in unison.
'It's not like you can even tell who prepared it anyway, just order something already.'
'Clearly playing favorites with his disciple, huh.'
Antagondals' cursing differed slightly from Lee Han's.
Since he knew more about the Mad Doppelgänger, his judgment was more objective.
By the customs of the ancient kingdom, disciples could prepare meals and serve, but those beneath that status didn't even have the right to do so.
In other words, the Mad Doppelgänger's response implied that while it recognized the Wardanaz boy as its formal disciple, Antagondals would never be granted such status.
'What's the difference, then?'
Antagondals carefully analyzed just how this young boy had won the Mad Doppelgänger's favor.
Even accounting for talent, the speed was far too abnormal.
But the more he analyzed, the more he felt lost in a labyrinth.
'Should I have kept talking back arrogantly? Or was it about approaching with a younger body?'
"I shall gather songs from the mountain ridges."
After checking the time, the Mad Doppelgänger prepared to leave.
Though it seemed content tormenting only Lee Han and Antagondals within the vast mountain ranges of Einrogard, the Mad Doppelgänger was actually quite busy—maintaining the grand magic spread across its domain and extending its own lifespan.
For a mana-wraith rejected by the world, resisting within another grand mage's territory was no small nuisance.
Antagondals, who had some idea of the effort involved, asked curiously.
-Master. Do you need the songs of the mountain peaks?
"That damned magic requires it. Whatever abomination they vomited out and called magic."
Lee Han was puzzled for a moment before quickly realizing.
The Mad Doppelgänger was talking about Music Magic right now.
'Wasn't it decent, though?'
Out of some semblance of conscience, Lee Han refrained from asking whether his Music Magic wasn't decent enough in front of a Great Mage like the Mad Doppelgänger.
Instead, he waited until the Mad Doppelgänger left before asking Antagondals.
"What does it mean to go up the mountain peaks and gather songs?"
"I don't know exactly either. So many ancient magics have been lost... It's probably something like a Swansong."
Even Antagondals, who had just escaped the wall, looked curious.
Among the materials used in certain spells, there was the most beautiful cry a bird left behind just before death.
Such reagents were capricious yet possessed destructive power, making them fit for ancient magic.
"If it's such a potent reagent, wouldn't it also accelerate the learning of Music Magic?"
"It would—if you survive."
"Excuse me?"
"Brat. Do you truly not know that a Swansong is a deadly poison that can instantly sever a mage's life if mishandled?"
"I didn't."
"......"
Only then did Antagondals remember that his opponent was a second-year.
What was common knowledge to older mages might not be to someone like him.
"...The more beautiful and rare something is, the more vicious and lethal it becomes. It's vicious because it's the last thing a bird leaves behind, and lethal because it's the most beautiful."
"Is the music you're gathering from the peaks now just as dangerous?"
At the obvious question, Antagondals nodded as if to say, Why even ask?
It wasn't just as dangerous—it would be far worse. If it were merely a Swansong, the Mad Doppelgänger wouldn't have needed to go personally.
Lee Han declared firmly.
"I really need to leave now. Please prepare."
"?!"
Lee Han had no intention of testing a reagent far deadlier than a Swansong on himself.
No matter how powerful his mana had been in resisting all poisons so far, he wasn't confident he could endure the Mad Doppelgänger's biological experiments.
Antagondals couldn't comprehend the boy before him.
"Do you not realize how crucial this opportunity is? Aren't you even curious about how precious the magic that monster will prepare using ancient secrets is?"
"Not curious."
'Is this kid even a real mage?'
Antagondals stared at Lee Han with a mix of shock and disdain. Of course, his silver mask hid his expression, so Lee Han paid no mind.
Even if it had been visible, Lee Han would have ignored it.
'If it's that precious, why doesn't he do it himself?'
If Antagondals consumed the songs of the mountain peaks, Lee Han would happily watch from the sidelines with great interest.
"You might grasp even a single syllable—no, a single word—of Word Magic. And you're really going to run away now?"
"Then why don't you do it?"
"If I could, I would have already, you disgrace of a mage!"
The other's words only made Lee Han more suspicious.
Only shady people usually twisted their words like that.
The best-case scenario was comprehending Word Magic, but the worst was death.
And to Lee Han, the odds of the worst outcome seemed far higher.
"Stop trying to trap me and just prepare already."
"......"
Just then, the Whispers of Einrogard called to Lee Han.
-Junior. We're ready. We'll start as soon as you give the word.
-I'm ready too. Start now!
Lee Han nearly jumped for joy at Diret's message.
He hadn't been confident in relying solely on Antagondals' power, but in the end, his senior had come to help.
"They're ready outside."
"Really? You believe that? Think again."
"Are you just saying this because you don't want to do it?"
"Frankly, it's not a task I relish. But that doesn't mean I'm lying. Do you honestly think a fifth-year student can break the Great Magic enveloping this mountain range? Seriously?"
"Ha. You wouldn't say that if you knew my senior. He's not one to spout nonsense."
"Is that so? I gave you fair warning."
Antagondals stopped trying to dissuade him.
It wasn't his business anyway, and watching the Wardanaz boy get caught while trying to escape sounded rather entertaining.
"You wouldn't rat me out if you get caught, would you? You're an Einrogard student who values honor."
"If you keep asking ominous questions like that, I just might."
"......"
As Antagondals finished preparations, Lee Han quickly scribbled a note.
This wasn't a message for Diret—it was a letter to leave for the Mad Doppelgänger.
To Master,
I'm leaving temporarily to study magic.
Your student.
It was an excuse prepared for later.
The message was rather short, but Lee Han had no time to spare.
-Junior. Ready?
-Yes!
-Good. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Kwaaaaaaaaang-!
A collision of mana so powerful that any mage would sense it shook the entire mountain range.
It felt like the impact of two worlds colliding.
Antagondals, who'd been inwardly scoffing, jolted in surprise. 'What?!'
Astonishingly, cracks had formed in the grand spell the Mad Doppelgänger had cast over the mountains.
As the collapse rapidly progressed through those gaps, the Mad Doppelgänger transformed into black mana and shot into the air.
His frantic movements suggested even he hadn't anticipated this situation. 'Now!'
Antagondals moved as promised to the Wardanaz boy.
If he could just get this disciple out, it'd be to his advantage.
With a surge of intense mana, beams of light shot from between the silver mask.
As the light struck the already cracked grand spell, new fissures formed.
One, two, three... 'Coming!'
Antagondals realized the Mad Doppelgänger was flying toward him, suspecting sabotage and trying to capture him.
"Farewell for now, mage. Let us meet again upon the path of evil!"
Pop!
As Antagondals attempted to teleport away with several displacement spells, the Mad Doppelgänger struggled—on one hand trying to seal the magical breaches, on the other desperately trying to catch Antagondals.
Lee Han tore his gaze from the dazzling aerial battle and sprinted out. '...Finally!'
If he missed this chance, he might truly remain trapped in the workshop until the semester ended. He ran with desperate resolve.
"An artifact with this much power...?!"
"Well, it is Saint Iactus... Urgh."
"Student Diret. Whereabouts is Lee Han now?"
"His current location is..."
"Urgh? Urgh urgh?"
"Professor Vible. This isn't the time for jokes! Be quiet!"
Professor Garcia, nerves frayed, scattered killing intent as she threatened.
Professor Verdus shrank back, sensing the mood.
"...Sorry. What's wrong?"
"That griffin flying over there looks like Wardanaz's..."
"Why are you only mentioning that now?!"
"Cough. Cough cough."
Shaking her colleague back and forth, Professor Garcia belatedly recalled Lee Han's griffin.
Come to think of it, there had been a beast capable of quickly finding its master even in this situation.
"See?! I told you a griffin could break through!"
Gainando cheered from atop the griffin.
But the other students wore tense expressions.
No matter how they thought about it, a griffin's power shouldn't be enough to breach such magic.
"How was the spell broken?"
"No idea. Did the Headmaster come?"
"...Everyone shut up. What's the point of worrying about that now? Just focus on finding that Wardanaz kid and getting him out!"
"Mo, Moradi. The sky over there is melting..."
"This is Einrogard—sometimes the sky melts! Shut up and keep searching!"
"Uu... ugh."
The second-years pretended not to see the surreal sight of the melting sky and magic scattering everywhere, bowing their heads deeply to stare fixedly at the mountain range.