Episode 801
Episode 801
The friends shouted sternly.
"Delete it!"
"Erase everything!"
Unable to bear it this time, Lee Han protested.
"Hey. If I delete everything, how am I supposed to get investments?"
"......"
"...It's already more than enough!!!!"
At his friends' sincere outcry, Lee Han called out to Senior Falkrius who happened to be passing by, looking exasperated.
"Senior Falkrius. When trying to get external support or investments, is there such a thing as 'enough preparation'?"
"Pfft. Of course not. Excessive is always better. Overprepare. It'll still be insufficient anyway!"
"Thank you, Senior."
"What's there to thank me for!"
Falkrius walked away guffawing while carrying a thick cast iron pot, causing Lee Han's friends to miss their chance to retort.
"Wait a minute..."
"Senior! Senior, you should at least hear us out!"
"He must have heard. There's no such thing as enough."
At Lee Han's triumphant words, his friends shot him looks filled with irritation.
No matter how they thought about it, if they included everything Lee Han wanted, the atmosphere would undoubtedly shift to 'Einrogard, is this really okay?'
"Lee Han."
Yoner cautiously raised her hand and spoke.
"What is it, Yoner?"
"When you look at the achievements the Headmaster accomplished in his youth, what comes to mind?"
"...?"
Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.
What comes to mind when looking at the achievements the Skeleton Principal accomplished in his youth?
"That he was a really crazy mage?"
"Probably... when people see what you've written, outsiders will think the same way..."
"......"
Lee Han made a deeply hurt expression.
Feeling guilty, Yoner averted her gaze slightly. His friends whispered among themselves in shock.
"Isn't that too cruel?"
"No matter what, how could you make such a comparison..."
"...Everyone, be quiet. I was just doing what needed to be done!"
In the end, Lee Han had no choice but to complete a significantly scaled-down self-introduction.
The main points were: taking all courses and ranking first, participating in various external mages' projects, interacting with fifth-year seniors, and completing 5th Circle magic.
'Hmm. I'm uneasy. Will this be enough?'
As Lee Han agonized over this, Yukveltire and several students from the Enchantment Magic department emerged from the dormitory corridor of the Blue Dragon Tower connected to the 7th-floor village.
Though not someone he particularly wanted to associate with, she was still a senior, so Lee Han greeted her first.
"Good day, Senior."
"What are you doing there?"
"Preparing a self-introduction for external guests during Club Week..."
"I wasn't actually curious enough to ask. It was a metaphorical way of telling you to spend that time assisting my research instead. Was the metaphor too difficult?"
"......"
Lee Han glanced at the Enchantment Magic seniors behind her.
His look was pleading for them to rein in this insane fifth-year.
But the seniors who joined the Enchantment Magic department despite Professor Verdus were completely different from Diret.
They simply had no interest in whatever nonsense Yukveltire was spouting.
While Lee Han and Yukveltire argued, they were completely absorbed in their own thoughts, staring holes into the papers containing their research.
'What a trash department. Even if I get investments from the Gold Mountains, I won't donate a single penny to the Enchantment Magic department.'
"Senior Diret told me not to go to the workshop."
"You could just come secretly..."
"...Senior, what brings you here?"
"Same reason as you—Club Week. By the way, you don't have many friends, do you?"
"...???"
Lee Han realized that when faced with words too absurd to comprehend, one's speech simply froze.
How dare someone who, aside from Diret, probably didn't have a single friend in Einrogard say such a thing.
"That's not true."
"You're eccentric enough to hang out with Ilendil, and as a Black Magic department member, your social circle must be narrow and strained. Not that it matters. Friendships aren't essential for mages. But there will be times when socializing is necessary. For those occasions, I'm inviting you to my club."
"What the..."
Lee Han learned something.
When spouting nonsense, you shouldn't just do one thing—you need to do dozens simultaneously.
That way, the opponent wouldn't know where to start refuting and would inevitably react a beat too late.
"What... kind of club is this? I had no idea you were involved in club activities, Senior."
"The Einrogard Social Club."
"?????"
Lee Han was even more astonished by the club name that seemed the farthest thing imaginable from Verdus's disciple.
'Wait. Is this "social" as in socializing, or "cult" as in evil religion?'
If it were an evil cult club, Lee Han would be the first to report it without hesitation.
But surprisingly, it was indeed "social".
-Hey, for this research presentation, you need at least five enchantment mages to form a party and participate.
-What? Where am I supposed to find four others?
-...You have plenty of people in your school, you lunatic.
-What does having many people in my school have to do with finding four others?
-......
It was easy to overlook when surrounded by sociable mages like Lee Han, but Einrogard had quite a few unsociable mages as well.
The Enchantment Magic school, in particular, had an unusually high proportion of such individuals, which often left some mages in difficult situations.
-Preliminary ball for participation in this magic project... Must attend with a partner...
-No choice. I'll have to give up the request.
-The sponsor says they don't want to support eccentric mages with no colleagues because they might cause trouble?
-What nonsense. What does having colleagues have to do with magic?
Yukveltire herself had suffered losses in such situations before, which made her realize the need for a solution.
And that solution was none other than the <Einrogard Social Club>.
-Do you engage in any club activities?
-I'm a member of the Einrogard Social Club.
-Do you have any hobbies?
-I'm a member of the Einrogard Social Club.
-Do you have any close mage friends?
-I'm a member of the Einrogard Social Club.
A sturdy shield against the rough and aggressive questions of external social activities.
That was precisely what the <Einrogard Social Club> was.
'...This guy is genuinely insane.'
Lee Han had always thought this senior was crazy, but today, he decided to raise his estimation a bit higher.
About 0.85 Verdus levels...
"So, what activities do you do?"
"Activities?"
"...Don't most clubs have activities?"
Even the Teleportation Club had regular and consistent activities.
"We just list names when we need to fill numbers."
"That's not really an activity... I see. Anything else?"
"Not really. Spending too much time on club activities doesn't help with magic at all."
"Are there any rules?"
"There is one."
"What is it?"
"No small talk."
"......"
For a social club, that was quite an innovative rule.
Lee Han gripped his sanity and spoke.
"I'm already in a lot of clubs, so I'm fine."
"Really? That's surprising."
'Don't ask what's surprising. Don't ask what's surprising...'
Lee Han tried hard not to lose his temper at a crazy person.
Doing so would be like stepping into a swamp.
"Actually, I think we talked about this before..."
Yukveltire tilted her head.
Her attitude suggested she didn't remember anything Lee Han said unless it was something she needed.
"...Never mind. Anyway, Senior, are you here because of the club too? Wait. Didn't you say there are no activities besides filling numbers?"
"Sponsorship funds are an exception."
"!"
Surprisingly, this <Einrogard Social Club> was steadily receiving external sponsorship funds.
The members' impressive magical achievements (most of whom were Enchantment Magic students) and periodic social activities (heavily embellished), among other things.
On paper alone, there were plenty of investors and sponsors who would be quite impressed.
"People actually sponsor this club?!"
"Outstanding members. Flawless mottos. Perfect deliverables. It'd be strange if we didn't get sponsors."
"Do we get to split the sponsorship money?"
Yukveltire nodded in response.
Seeing that, Lee Han immediately replied.
"To be honest, I don't have any friends, Senior. Please help me."
"I knew you'd say that. I'll put your name on the club list too."
Saturday.
With the weekend came outsiders gradually appearing in the 7th-floor village.
Einrogard students from second to fourth year buzzed with excitement at the sight.
"That person...! It's really the master baker from the Capital Bakers' Guild!"
"I can't even imagine how much gold he's amassed with his inflatable magic dough development!"
"Hey, all of you, back off!? He's a guest of the Kitchen Club. Anyone who approaches will be tossed into a cauldron!"
Club members were on high alert, fiercely protective lest their guests be snatched away by outsiders.
But the students not affiliated with any club were no pushovers either.
Any mage who would meekly give up just because they were blocked wouldn't have made it into Einrogard in the first place.
Boom! Fwoosh-boom!
"Oh, what in the world is happening?!"
"A fusion spirit! A fusion spirit has been summoned! This is something that happens maybe once in a hundred years, my friend!"
"Oh. I have to see this!"
The seniors desperately tried to capture attention.
If an outsider guest showed interest and wanted to watch, even the club members wouldn't dare stop them.
"How fascinating. May I take a look?"
"Grr. Those bastards...!"
"Go ahead and try. With such shoddy tricks, you won't get a single gold coin out of them."
"Be careful! You might get kidnapped!"
"Haha. Are you joking?"
"Is this your first time at Einrogard? You really could get kidnapped!"
'This is supposed to be a festival... but it's a rather bloody one.'
Lee Han, waiting with other students in the 7th-floor village, watched the seniors' fierce competition and thought to himself.
As a few curious outsiders gathered, the seniors pulled out every trick in the book to lure them in.
-Do you see this pitiful, withering sprout? With just a little bit of liquid—nothing special—we could bring it back to life, fresh and green!
-What kind of liquid does it need?
-Just... a bit of dragon's blood...
-......
"Shouldn't we make a move too?"
"No. Let's wait a bit. If we rush now, we'll just get pushed aside by the seniors."
"Wardanaz, you're not thinking of kidnapping anyone, are you?"
While the second-years chattered, more outsiders gathered, and more seniors swarmed to target them.
Then, impromptu self-introductions began.
"Esteemed guests, I sincerely thank you for visiting our prestigious Magic Academy today. I am from the Summoning Magic school..."
"Boo! Fifth place, talking big!"
"Fifth in Summoning Magic! Failed one subject last year!"
"You're a disgrace to Einrogard!"
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and his friends squeezed their eyes shut at the seniors' shameless sabotage.
They never thought it could get this dirty!
'I really don't want to end up like that.'
Still, thankfully, despite the interference, the seniors' introductions proceeded relatively smoothly.
Some of their appeals were quite persuasive, and a few outsider guests even seemed genuinely interested.
"Excuse me."
"?"
Lee Han turned his head when an unfamiliar guest addressed him.
The guest was dressed in rather unusual attire.
'Which region's clothing is that?'
"I'm looking for someone."
"Ah, yes. Who might that be?"
"Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family. Do you know him?"
"...I think I might have heard the name..."
Lee Han reflexively responded.
His countless experiences at Einrogard had shaped him.
"But if I may ask, who are you?"
"My name is Intarendals. I've come here under the orders of Gonadaltes."
"...Ah, so you're one of the Headmaster's subordinates?"
"The Headmaster?"
"......"
When the other person reacted as if hearing it for the first time, Lee Han's face instantly paled.