Episode 819
Episode 819
A thoroughly cowed Duke Icaldoren hastily grabbed his quill and began signing, 'I shall sponsor Yukveltire's Artificial Dimension Research.'
Not a trace remained of the confidence he usually displayed while manipulating the shadowy dealings in the Empire's darkest corners.
He looked utterly pitiful, like a bankrupt tycoon in his final years trembling as he wrote his will.
Lee Han and Yukveltire watched the scene with deep satisfaction. Fortunately, the still-sane Diret grabbed their shoulders and whispered,
"Hey. Hold on."
"?"
"??"
The two looked at Diret as if asking why he was interrupting.
"...I told you to at least maintain some decorum."
"'It's resolved, isn't it? We just need to keep him locked up until the end of the week.'"
"'Don't worry, Senior. I'll make sure he's properly fed too.'"
While his friend was grating on his nerves and his junior was obliviously saying something entirely different, Diret gritted his teeth and maintained his patience.
"Grmblgrblgrbl..."
"Diret. Speak properly. Don't mumble like some uncouth—"
"I believe what he meant was, 'No matter what, this is going too far...'"
Lee Han took a step back as he spoke. Yukveltire blinked in confusion, wondering why her junior was retreating.
Thwack!
Diret smacked his friend's head with the tip of his staff.
Yukveltire's eyes widened in shock, as if the sky had fallen upon witnessing her trusted friend's betrayal.
"Wh-why?!"
"Can you call that a proper solution?! Do you plan to practice magic for just one more year?! That Duke will eventually be released and return home—do you want to end up on the Empire's noble blacklist?!"
"But—"
Yukveltire tried to argue.
The Empire had many high-ranking nobles, and even if Duke Icaldoren held a grudge and spread malicious rumors, as long as she had outstanding magical abilities, she could easily find nobles willing to sponsor—
Thwack!
"And you're staining our junior's hands with blood just to secure research funding?! Are you even human?!"
"That's—"
Yukveltire attempted to protest again.
After all, Lee Han's threats weren't something she had explicitly ordered, right?
But Yukveltire shut her mouth without saying another word.
Somehow, she had a feeling that if she spoke now, a curse would come flying instead of another staff strike.
Not preparing anti-curse measures at close range despite trusting Diret had been a mistake. Yukveltire reflected on her own naivety.
"Senior. Please calm down."
Lee Han, hiding behind Yukveltire, tried to explain.
"Honestly, that Duke was beyond persuasion. You know that too, Senior."
"...He was a bit frightened and rambling, but... persuasion could have... Wait. Have you two met before? What happened?"
"Just a few invitations here and there, nothing major."
"Really? His reaction seemed way too extreme for that."
"Well... the last time, I did help the Headmaster arrest him..."
Diret glared at his junior.
That was something he should have mentioned first.
"No wonder he was muttering about the Magic Tower's disciple... Ugh. If you want a long career in magic, making enemies won't do you any good."
"Even if Duke Icaldoren holds a grudge and spreads bad rumors, as long as my magic skills are outstanding, I can easily overcome—"
"You. Shut up."
Diret silenced his friend, who was grating on his nerves even further, and let out a deep sigh.
Whether Yukveltire made enemies by the legion was none of his concern, but the fact that their junior had already built a grudge with an Imperial Duke was worrying.
A mage's path is never helped by having too many enemies.
The Skeleton Principal must have known that, yet he took Lee Han along for the arrest.
To anyone watching, it was clearly meant to spread rumors—a truly malicious move.
As Diret sighed heavily, Lee Han grew slightly concerned.
"Is the rumor of being the Magic Tower's disciple really that dangerous...?"
"No... I suppose it would earn some respect."
"But you'd receive just as much hatred."
"Senior! Please restrain yourself!"
Lee Han hurriedly grabbed Diret's arm to stop him. Seeing the green glint flashing in his eyes, it was clear that at the very least, a curse laced with poison was being prepared.
Yukveltire asked with a puzzled expression.
"I already explained. Why are you acting like this?"
"I think I understand... In any case, it seems the rumor of being the Magic Tower's disciple is a double-edged sword."
Diret nearly retorted, 'More like a blade sharpened only toward its wielder,' but held back out of pity for his junior.
Seeing both his friend and junior looking so gloomy, Yukveltire felt the need to offer some practical advice.
"Diret. If you're that worried about your junior, there's a way."
"...What is it?"
"Threatening Duke Icaldoren even more thoroughly. So that even if he's released, he wouldn't dare defy us."
Given that courtesy and reconciliation were already out of the question, the idea was to instill such fear in him that there would be no further trouble.
Lee Han found the suggestion intriguing.
"Could you elaborate a bit more—"
"Hey. Step outside."
'No. I wanted to hear more.' Lee Han inwardly lamented at Diret's icy tone.
If the opportunity arose, he decided he would ask Yukveltire for more details later.
Regardless of anything else, being a disciple of Professor Verdus meant she was likely exceptionally skilled in such matters, which made her advice seem reliable.
After mediating the seniors' duel and escorting the Duke to the warm bed in the Black Rock Hall's basement (a rather cozy spot, thanks to the furnace burning corpses nearby), Lee Han returned to the dormitory as if nothing had happened.
From the 7th floor, he could see his friends and seniors who had been eyeing potential sponsors with the Beast's gaze gradually returning after finishing their tasks.
"You've worked hard, Senior Perse."
"Not particularly. Most of the Polo Club's sponsors are decent people. And we receive support from the Empire's Polo Association too... Oh, right. Junior, I heard you secured a separate sponsorship? As expected of the owner of a Basilisk and a Griffin."
Perse gave Lee Han a look of respect for his outstanding achievement.
She didn't even dare imagine that an ancient being had awakened and brought hidden treasures to him.
Lee Han smiled modestly.
"I was just lucky."
"Luck had nothing to do with it. By the way, have you all heard the rumors about the Duke?"
Perse asked, looking not just at Lee Han but also at the other students behind him.
The second-year students of the Blue Dragon Tower nodded in response.
"Of course we've heard."
"Is it true that if you capture the Duke, you get his weight in gold coins?"
'How did the rumors spread so fast?' Lee Han was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't expected the news to reach even his friends, let alone the seniors.
Perse's angular face grew stern with concern as she spoke.
"Just in case, don't get greedy over Duke Ancalden."
"It's Duke Icaldoren."
"Ah, right. Duke Icaldoren. That's correct. Don't get greedy over Duke Icaldoren."
Perse paused mid-explanation.
How does this junior already know his name? 'Well, he's the type to attend lectures, so he must hear rumors faster.'
"The Headmaster wouldn't detain someone without money only to release them later, so he'd definitely pay an enormous sum in gold coins. But the competition will be fierce. There are even rumors that fifth-year seniors are after him."
"That's too much! If you're a fifth-year, shouldn't you be focusing on graduating?!"
"Enough! That's too harsh. Show some respect to a senior who's made it to fifth year. Have you no sympathy?"
'Senior Perse's words sound even crueler...' Lee Han muttered inwardly.
"Don't worry, Senior. We don't have much interest in the Duke."
"Right. I heard the fifth-years even fought over him and wrecked the sixth-floor hallway."
"......"
Lee Han shuddered as his own actions subtly blended into the rumors.
So this is how rumors are born!
In any case, thanks to this, the second-year students seemed to have lost much of their interest in the Duke.
"With the higher-year students fighting so fiercely among themselves, the desire to get involved has definitely diminished."
Some friends whispered to Lee Han while claiming they weren't interested.
"Wardanaz. You really aren't interested?"
"Seriously, seriously not interested?"
"I said I'm not."
"Phew. I see. Then I'm not interested either."
"Me too!"
"......"
Lee Han was at a loss for words at his friends' unwavering camaraderie—ready to join him if he ever decided to kidnap the Duke.
"It's a relief you're not interested in the Duke. I didn't want to bring this up, but there's a fifth-year senior in the White Tiger Tower. Senior Catten of the Jahan family—a remarkable swordsman who can wield aura freely."
"Then he must be good at magic too?"
"Uh... well. I suppose so. Anyway, I heard he joined the Duke's capture battle and got his arm shattered. That just shows how many strong students are participating. Be careful, all right? If you're mistaken for trying to snatch the Duke, you might end up in the infirmary instead of the Punishment Room."
"We'll keep that in mind!"
"Junior. What about you?"
Perse pressed sternly when Lee Han didn't answer.
This former student of the Lightning-Step class was fearless and unpredictable—she needed to emphasize the danger more.
"I'll keep it in mind too!"
"Good. That's enough."
"But Senior Perse, isn't the rumor about Senior Catten's shattered arm just a lie? It's hard to believe someone like him got injured."
Lee Han, regaining his composure, tried to manipulate the narrative.
But Perse shook her head.
"That's not a lie. I heard it directly."
"...From whom?"
Lee Han asked again, already planning to label whoever said it as a liar.
"From Senior Catten of the Jahan family himself. He kept emphasizing what a formidable opponent it was."
"......"
Lee Han clenched his fist in secret.
Even during Club Week, classes weren't entirely canceled.
Students had to attend lectures while also kidnapping and persuading sponsors.
For someone like Lee Han, it was even busier.
'Thankfully, I handled most of it over the weekend.' If he'd had to deal with the ancient attendant sent by the Crazy Doppelganger and Duke Icaldoren during the week, the workload would've been several times more exhausting.
With that thought, Lee Han moved on. It wasn't for lectures or sponsors—there were routine chores to take care of.
Tending to his creatures (Ponlig would throw a fit if he met the unicorn first, and the unicorn would get angry if he brought the basilisk, so timing was crucial), gathering extra ingredients from the garden and the Kitchen Club's designated area...
Sneaking through the darkness of the approaching dawn, Lee Han froze when he spotted a familiar pirate grandmother in the distance.
"Lady Lagesa!"
"What brat is— Oh, it's you. Why are you skulking around like a rat under Invisibility Magic at this hour?"
"Students are supposed to be in the dorms at this time. What are you doing here, Lady Lagesa? The sponsors' lodgings aren't this way."
"Just killing time, watching the show. Felt a bit sorry for the students."
"The seniors are indeed a bit pitiful."
Lee Han nodded deeply in agreement.
Lagesa suddenly flared up in anger.
"Pitiful? Those arrogant, disrespectful brats?!"
"Huh? You mean the seniors?"
"Yes! Those damn brats."
'What on earth did the seniors do to make her this angry in such a short time?' Lee Han was genuinely shocked at Lagesa's fury.
"They think Torgerd's daughter is a complete fool just because I invested some gold in Bible! Those damn brats! Don't tell me you think the same?!"
"Lady Lagesa. I'm Professor Verdus'... student. Professor Verdus' research is more than worthy of investment."
"No, it's not."
"......"
"Never mind. The ones I pitied were the freshmen here. Look over there."
Lagesa pointed ahead, and Lee Han enhanced his vision to see.
A basket of food Lagesa had left was lying ahead. 'What?'
A moment later, a group of emaciated first-years rushed over, grabbed the basket, and began devouring the food ravenously.
Lagesa shook her head disapprovingly.
"No matter what, starving them like this is too much."
"Ah, no—they're not usually this starved..."
"Really? From what I know, this is the norm. Has something changed?"