Episode 828
Episode 828
At those words, Yukveltire, uncharacteristically flustered, grabbed Lee Han's wrist.
"What are you doing?"
"I was about to do something else."
"Why? You're not trying to run away, are you?"
In her urgency, Yukveltire tried to provoke Lee Han's pride.
Though she wouldn't admit it, she had indeed found this Black Magnetite Staff quite intriguing.
'...I want to see how the staff turns out when completed.'
But Yukveltire still lacked understanding when it came to her junior.
Her junior had no pride to speak of.
"Yes."
"......"
Yukveltire was left speechless, utterly dumbfounded.
"A mage's pride... dignity... that sort of... And you're Diret's junior, aren't you...? As a junior, you should uphold your honor..."
'Ah. She really can't provoke him.'
Provocation, after all, required some level of understanding and interest in the opponent to be effective.
Yukveltire's attempt at provocation fell flat because she simply didn't understand him well enough.
"Senior Diret would probably applaud me if I ran away."
"...Well, that's true. Diret is needlessly lenient."
"You're pretty lenient with him too, Senior..."
"?"
At Lee Han's words, Yukveltire was baffled.
Diret, lenient with her?
"Diret is anything but polite to me—"
"Yes. Yes. So, Senior."
"......"
Faced with a junior who was just as rude as Diret, Yukveltire's fingertips trembled slightly again.
"Earlier, when you mentioned a 'King'-rank spirit, you meant a Spirit King, right?"
"Yes."
"How am I supposed to get a branch from a Spirit King?"
"Wasn't the lightning spirit you contracted with also a Spirit King?"
"......"
This time, it was Lee Han's turn to be at a loss for words.
That...
That's true, isn't it?
'Come to think of it, Perkuntra did hold the title of Thunder King.'
Among beings from other dimensions, titles like king or noble symbolized their strength.
While kingdoms and royalty on the continent were determined by bloodline, spirits couldn't hold the title of king unless they were strong enough.
"So... um... yes. I understand. But the spirit I contracted with is a lightning spirit. Would it even be able to give me a branch?"
"No. You'll have to find a wood-aligned spirit. Ask your contracted spirit to introduce you to one."
'Should I send a letter to Arsil brother?'
Lee Han wondered if he should swallow his pride and send a letter to his older brother.
He didn't want to admit it, but if it was Arsil, he'd probably introduce him to a high-ranking wood spirit with titles like Forest King or Sacred Tree King.
"Understood. I'll ask the lightning spirit and send a letter to my brother. Though I'm not sure when you'll receive it."
Originally, sending letters outside Einrogard was quite difficult, but for Lee Han now, this much was easy.
He'd already taken dozens of people out—what was one letter?
"Then we'll have to wait until you find a way to get the materials."
"Tell me more about the Echo Stone."
Yukveltire casually suggested.
It wasn't that communication artifacts of this kind didn't exist, but the Echo Stone's design was so peculiar that, as someone from the Enchantment Magic school, her curiosity was piqued.
From what she'd heard, it seemed connected to an ancient being...
"I already told you everything earlier."
"I'm asking about the stone's origins."
"Why do you need that?"
"It's necessary to improve the staff's completion."
"How so?"
"...If you don't want to talk, then don't."
"No..."
Are you angry right now?
"I'm not angry. It's just unpleasant how you keep insisting I'm displaying such irrational emotions."
'This person... I think she really is interested in the Black Magnetite Staff...'
Lee Han felt his earlier suspicion solidify into certainty.
* * *
After the lecture ended (Lee Han did end up telling her about the Echo Stone), as Lee Han was about to stand up, something suddenly occurred to him.
"But Senior."
"What is it?"
"Is there no pop quiz for this lecture?"
"There isn't."
"I see."
If Professor Verdus's flaw was his lack of interest in students, his virtue was also his lack of interest in students.
Hearing there would be no pop quizzes, Lee Han smiled.
"Then what about midterms? Any tests?"
"There aren't any."
"...Huh? No midterms either?"
At this point, Lee Han began to feel slightly worried.
It wasn't that he was glad there were no midterms—rather, he feared the Skeleton Principal might suddenly appear, send Professor Verdus to the Punishment Room, and then abruptly add a midterm exam.
"Anyway, this lecture is about completing your staff. As long as you finish your staff, that's sufficient."
"I see..."
Lee Han nodded at this straightforward evaluation criterion where everything would be judged by the final exam, but then he paused.
"Then what do we do for the rest of the term if we finish this early?"
"Skip lectures and work on whatever research you want."
"...!"
At first, it sounded like nonsense, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
After all, wasn't this a lecture that didn't even take attendance? 'Does this mean if I finish early, I can really do whatever I want with the remaining lecture time?' Lee Han pondered what he could do if this lecture time became free. He could preview the <Poison, Bones, Blood> lecture, prepare for <Terribly Beautiful Creatures> in advance, or even manage his garden a bit more before the <One Potion Instead of Complex Magic> lecture. 'Hmm. Even though I imagined it, I don't feel particularly excited.'
"Anyway, I understand. Thank you, Senior. I'll contact you as soon as there's news about the materials. Please give my regards to Senior Diret, make sure he eats properly, and stop bothering other people..."
"Are you done? Let's go."
Lagesa urged from behind. Lee Han, mid-sentence, bowed his head.
"Then, next time."
"I've never bothered any..."
Regardless, Lagesa and Lee Han had already disappeared far down the hallway.
"What's the next lecture? Please let it be something fun without Bible."
"<Magic Algebra and Arcane Geometry>..."
Lagesa let out a scream like a pirate who'd been stabbed in the chest.
Of all things, math!
Lee Han realized his mistake and hastily corrected himself.
"Ah, my mistake."
"......"
". Professor Ingoldel's lecture."
"Oh!"
Lagesa let out a happy exclamation at the prospect of a combat lecture.
Then she tilted her head in confusion.
"But now that I think about it, why is a brat from the Blue Dragon Tower attending a White Tiger Tower exclusive lecture?"
"...To get an easy grade?"
"Kihihi! Not bad for a joke."
"It's not a joke... Lafadell! Angrago!"
Lee Han waved when he spotted his friends.
The two White Tiger Tower students, who had been having a serious conversation, turned their attention to him at his call.
"Oh, Wardanaz."
"Did I miss anything important when I skipped the last lecture?"
"...Here, take this."
Angrago handed over a note with the pop quiz details.
"Visit the most dangerous place possible, survive for at least two days, and submit a journal entry. (Weekends recommended. Places with different time streams encouraged.) — Professor Ingoldel"
"......"
"Ho. As expected of Professor Ingoldel—he teaches well."
Lagesa nodded in satisfaction at the lecture content.
Truly, Ingoldel lived up to his reputation of forging students like steel.
Lee Han and his friends glared resentfully at the wicked pirate. Unfazed, Lagesa pressed on.
"Where else would you find a test so perfect for honing a swordsman's skills?"
"Can't we just do something normal? I want to enter the Empire's swordsmanship tournament."
"Tch. That's for flowers raised in greenhouses. Maybe if it were an underground illegal fighting tournament, then sure."
"......"
Lee Han silently apologized to his friends with his eyes.
An apology for bringing Lagesa along.
Angrago groaned and spoke.
"Just pick a place for us. I don't know where to choose. It'd be worse than not going at all if we pick wrong and get told we took the easy way out."
In the worst case, they could end up suffering through hardship only to hear the professor say, "Why did you play around in such an easy place?"
"Choosing and finding the location is part of the test, brats."
"...We'll figure it out ourselves!"
Eventually, Lafadell snapped.
At that, Lagesa laughed as if she'd been waiting for this moment and swung her staff. Lafadell tried to resist in panic, but the pirate crone's attack was much faster.
Clink!
Lafadell, tightly bound in iron chains, hung upside down in midair.
"Let me go this instant!"
"If you want to be free, use your own skills to break free! Brat. Here's a lesson for you. This is what happens when you act cocky in front of a stronger mage."
After saying this, Lagesa suggested to Lee Han,
"Oh right. For this kind of test, why not take your White Tiger Tower friends along?"
"Huh? Uh, wouldn't that be a bit dangerous?"
After this lecture ended, Lee Han had planned to go down to the Punishment Room to meet Perkuntra.
Since he needed to make a request about the branch, he had to visit in person.
Now that Professor Ingoldel's lecture had moved on to assignments, he'd have to visit the Punishment Room anyway... 'Isn't it dangerous?' Even though his friends were now second-years, he felt slightly guilty about taking them to the Punishment Room, especially to visit Perkuntra.
"What nonsense is this, Wardanaz?"
Angrago's eyes gleamed as he spoke. Come to think of it, few knew 'the most dangerous places' as well as Wardanaz did.
Moreover, Wardanaz's reluctance only made it more enticing.
Just how good was his choice?
"I'm ready. You don't still think of me as last year's Angrago, do you?"
'What, is this year's Angrago from another dimension or something?' Lafadell thought while hanging upside down.
But following Wardanaz did seem quite appealing.
That guy had an uncanny knack for finding truly dangerous places!
"Well then... Alright. Let's go together."
"Bring the other friends too, kihihi."
Lagesa urged Angrago. Angrago made a troubled face, not wanting to share the dangerous place he'd worked so hard to find.
"There's no need for so many—"
"Don't tell me you're trying to hog this glorious opportunity all to yourself, knight boy?"
"...I'll call them right now!"
Watching Angrago being played like a puppet in Lagesa's palm, Lee Han felt unwarranted worry. 'They won't get angry about being tricked, right?'
"We've been tricked!"
Angrago shouted without thinking.
Giselle and Durgyu beside him stared at Angrago as if he were spouting nonsense.
"What do you mean tricked?"
"Lee Han didn't trick you, Angrago."
"N-no. I just didn't expect... to come this deep into the Punishment Room..."
"Did you expect Wardanaz to take you to some cozy study with a warm fireplace?"
"You were the one who asked first, Angrago."
Under his friends' scolding, Angrago had no retort. 'Grr. This is unfair.'
"The Punishment Room isn't so bad... relatively speaking."
Giselle said to Lee Han.
Truthfully, she'd mentally prepared for places far more terrifying and dangerous than this.
"Hey, Moradi. I need to talk to you alone for a moment."
"...This feels ominous."
When Lee Han called her aside, Giselle suddenly felt a chill.
Good news rarely required private conversations.
"Well, actually. The reason we're going deep underground in the Punishment Room isn't to endure some dungeon, but because I have a request to make."
"To whom? You're making a request to a prisoner?"
"No. A high-ranking spirit. It oversees the regular Punishment Room guards here."
"...Wow. Not surprising at all."
"Really? That's a relief."
"That was sarcasm, you bastard."
"Anyway, I need to ask for something quite valuable. That might make things more difficult. Thought you should know in advance."
"Why on earth did that idiot bring all his friends along to follow you?"
"I clearly tried to stop them."
"......"
Giselle gave him a slightly suspicious look.
With Wardanaz's skills, it seemed possible he could have dissuaded Angrago while also brainwashing him.