Episode 815
Episode 815
"815"
"No. It's fine. Since we decided to help, we should go together."
"..."
"I see it's fine then."
"..."
"You shut up."
Already feeling complicated, Diret's voice naturally turned sharp as his so-called friend kept needling him.
However, he couldn't deny what Yukveltire had said - that they desperately needed a combat mage like Lee Han at full strength.
Neither Diret nor Yukveltire were combat mages who had professionally trained in magical combat.
Of course, not being trained combat mages didn't mean they were weak. That much was obvious just by looking at Einrogard students.
Fundamentally, given enough time and space, most mages could unleash sufficiently powerful attacks, and Diret and Yukveltire were no exception.
Diret with Black Magic.
Yukveltire with Enchantment Magic.
As outstanding mages in their respective fields, applying their mastered magic in combat came quite easily to them.
Yet that didn't mean they had no weaknesses. The biggest difference between combat mages and regular mages lay in their ability to handle unexpected emergencies.
Could they maintain calm composure and cast necessary spells even when attacks came from all directions amidst overwhelming noise and threats prioritizing the mages?
While Einrogard students fought far better than average mages thanks to their harsh training environment, there were clear limits.
Not many students would abandon their research goals to prioritize training combat spells.
Of course, there were rare, unfortunate students who mastered both...
"If I had to categorize, my combat style is long-range summoning type. Diret's similar. We need mages who can handle mid-range and close-range. Summons have their limits."
"Especially since Einrogard kids are good at exploiting such weaknesses."
Whether it was inorganic summons directly programmed by mages or summons called from other dimensions, they all had inherent patterns.
While magic laymen might not notice, Einrogard students who constantly rubbed shoulders with each other were adept at targeting such vulnerabilities.
Ultimately, the most stable solution was having mages who could flexibly respond to all situations.
"I understand. I'm not sure how well I'll do against other seniors, but I'll give it a try."
"Wardanaz junior. You're Professor Bagrak's prized student. You've defeated the Ghoul King, the Basilisk, the Sea Serpent, the King of Frost Giants, magic criminals and such. Of course you should do well."
Yukveltire encouraged her junior with proper senior attitude.
Touched by this encouragement, Lee Han retorted sarcastically:
"Senior, you're Professor Verdus's prized student, yet you still haven't completed your artificial dimension?"
"..."
"That's a completely illogical and nonsensical comparison."
Yukveltire coldly ignored him as usual with her unshakable demeanor.
Yet Diret could see his friend's fingertips trembling slightly.
Though Yukveltire normally dismissed others' words like Professor Verdus's ramblings, she couldn't completely ignore remarks from a junior she somewhat valued.
"Yukveltire. If you want respect from juniors, treat them better."
"What more am I supposed to do here?"
"..."
"Forget it. Keep living like that!"
Diret immediately gave up.
He'd thought his friend might improve if she felt wronged and resentful enough.
Though she might never change at all...
Duke Icaldoren believed he knew Einrogard quite well.
Ancient documents, texts, testimonies from visitors and graduates, investigations of other magic academies.
Having prepared this thoroughly, he judged stealing one treasure from Einrogard should be entirely possible.
Moreover, the Duke possessed the characteristic arrogance and pride of someone who had never tasted defeat for a long time.
As a scion of one of the Empire's great noble families, hadn't he schemed countless plots since his youth to topple his political rivals?
Yet Einrogard was so utterly different from the Duke's expectations.
In this ancient magic academy, Duke Icaldoren was experiencing defeat for the first time in his life.
'I was wrong. What do you want? I'll pay any ransom you demand.'
'Please be quiet.'
-...
Wasn't Duke Icaldoren admitting his mistake?
'Understood. Then please be quiet.'
'At least provide accommodations befitting a Duke's dignity.'
'If you keep making noise, we'll throw you in the underground dungeon.'
'Do you think this treatment is appropriate for an Imperial Duke!'
'We have permission for this. Shouldn't someone like you know better than to steal from Einrogard?'
'Of course, I won't deny that I ordered my subordinates. But all of this stems from the Magic Tower's arrogant selfishness, hoarding ancient secrets alone and refusing to share them with honorable Imperial nobl— splat! G-gah! D-dare you splash sewage water on an Imperial Duke?!'
'You seem to like sewage. Let's give you more.'
'W-wait! Stop. I'll stop.'
'One more word and we'll spray you with magically toxic waste.'
'Could you at least provide meals worthy of my stat— STOP! I'll stop! I'll truly keep my mouth shut!'
The Death Knights serving the Imperial Magic Officer were savagely barbaric and violent.
Subjected to such unprecedented rudeness and abysmal conditions for the first time in his life, Duke Icaldoren had no choice but to submit, his spirit thoroughly broken.
Thus, with only a hard bed, rough blankets, tasteless meals, and boring books (The Chronicles of the Great Mage Os Gonadaltes Vol. 1, 2, 3) for company, Duke Icaldoren endured his confinement—until news finally arrived.
'Your Grace. You mentioned paying a ransom before, correct? Are you still considering it?'
-...
At last! Could he finally pay the ransom and be freed?
Under normal circumstances, the Duke would have roared, 'How dare you kidnap an Imperial Duke and demand ransom? I will never allow this!' But his time with the Death Knights had profoundly reformed him.
'Yes. You can pay now. To be precise, it's slightly different from paying, but... well, it's roughly the same!'
The Death Knights began explaining. During Einrogard's Club Week, external guests traditionally visited, and the event doubled as an opportunity for sponsorship and investment.
Duke Icaldoren could pay his ransom by sponsoring a student of his choice.
'This is far better than I expected!'
He had braced himself for something worse, given it was the Death Knights speaking, but the terms were surprisingly reasonable. The Duke sighed in relief.
Wasn't this the same kind of sponsorship he had engaged in even before being imprisoned in Einrogard?
'Ah, one thing. Don't say anything unnecessary to outsiders. If you blabber needlessly, you might end up as a boneless invertebrate for 300 years.'
'U-understood.'
Duke Icaldoren flinched, his spirit crushed. Any thought of calling for help vanished instantly.
'Can I leave now?'
'Yes. Feel free to go out and look around.'
'Very well—'
'Oh! Your Grace, Duke Icaldoren?!'
The moment he stepped into the hallway, a group of students greeted him enthusiastically.
Hearing his title spoken aloud, the Duke felt an inexplicable warmth in his eyes as he replied.
'Yes. I am—'
'Found him! It's the Duke! Kidnap him!'
Elde of the Markang Family, a third-year student of the Blue Dragon Tower, and his friends burst into triumphant, wicked laughter as they brandished their staffs.
Stripped of all protective artifacts upon entering Einrogard, the Duke was helplessly subdued.
'Wh-what are you doing?! What is the meaning of this?!'
'Your Grace, we apologize! But we must secure your sponsorship!'
'You could have just asked!'
'Others might steal you away if we do that! Your Grace must stay with us until Club Week ends!'
The students of Einrogard were well aware of the difference between a genuine guest and one imprisoned by the Skeleton Principal.
The former was someone students shouldn't attack (except for Baldrogard students), while the latter meant they could use force to take what they wanted.
Of course, as the Duke had said, they could have just talked it out.
But then they'd have to share with the others, wouldn't they?
If they kidnapped him, they could monopolize him—there was no need to hold back.
-"The illusion magic worked well, right? Doesn't His Grace look like someone else now?"
-"Yeah! He looks like Senior Perse!"
-"Such insolence... You can't possibly get away with this!"
-"Your Grace, please stay quiet!"
-"Urk!"
The Duke still didn't truly understand Einrogard.
Anyone who thought they knew Einrogard well was someone who had completely failed to grasp it.
-"Hey. Stop right there."
-"Ivanna...! What's going on here?"
-"The Senior Perse you're holding right now. Something's off."
-"What do you mean 'off'? Senior Perse just drank the wrong potion and is thrashing around like this!"
-"Sorry, but I saw Senior Perse at the polo club field half an hour ago. And you didn't even pay attention to the shoes, did you? There's no way Senior Perse would be wearing such tattered rags!"
-"Damn it, we've been caught! Get them!"
-"That's our line! Time to pay you back for the smuggling incident!"
The White Tiger Tower third-years, Ivanna and her gang, charged forward fiercely.
They were already bitter about their failed smuggling attempt at the start of the semester, so this was perfect.
As the White Tiger Tower students, strengthened by enhancement magic, formed ranks and advanced like a fortress, the Blue Dragon Tower students hurled insults.
-"Ignorant brats!"
-"You came to a magic academy just to fight? Why even bother learning magic?"
Ivanna didn't respond—because the words themselves were a trap. When dealing with illusion magic practitioners, extra caution was necessary.
But one of her friends, unable to hold back, snapped back.
-"You little—your grades aren't even better than mine... Gah!"
-"Got you!"
Illusion magic became extremely vulnerable the moment a mage's defenses wavered.
Whether from emotional turmoil or one of the five senses being compromised.
And right now, it was both.
'Don't look. Don't look while moving...'
Ivanna kept her head firmly lowered to avoid seeing the dizzying scenery and her enemies.
A few spells flew her way, and she felt dull pain, but she endured it with enhancement magic. It didn't matter if it was real or illusion.
-"Got him! We're pulling out!"
-"Ughhh!"
-"Transform him! Before the others notice! A barrel! Turn him into a barrel!"
Duke Icaldoren, who had been disguised by illusion magic to look like someone else, desperately shook his head as he was turned into a wooden barrel.
But the ruthless White Tiger Tower students dragged him away and transformed him into a barrel anyway.
-"Fall back! Fall back! Leave the fallen behind!"
-"You White Tiger Tower bastards, just you wait! This isn't over!"
"There they are."
Lee Han tilted his head at the two seniors' words. Below the large spiral staircase on the sixth floor, he could see seniors walking while carrying a wooden barrel.
"What's there?"
"Duke Icaldoren."
"..."
"You put him inside a barrel?!"
"No. They probably transformed him."
Diret handed Lee Han a pair of glasses with purple lenses. Peering through them, Lee Han saw—
To his shock, the barrel looked exactly like Duke Icaldoren.
"......"
Lee Han was at a loss for words. No matter how good the Duke's patronage was, was kidnapping him like this really acceptable?
"Wouldn't it be uncomfortable to be forcibly transformed like that?"
Yukveltire tilted her head in a manner befitting Professor Verdus' disciple, completely failing to understand Lee Han's question.
Lee Han realized he had asked the wrong person.
"Senior Diret. Even if they transform him like that..."
"Hm?"
Diret, in the middle of summoning a demon that looked like a giant toad, turned his head at Lee Han's question.
"...What is this?"
"We need a place to keep the Duke, don't we?"
"Ah. I see. Let's get started!"