Episode 881
Episode 881
Though bewildered, Lee Han decided to accept the situation for now.
After all, the Crazy Doppelganger would probably know more about giants.
Lee Han's knowledge of giants was limited to what he'd encountered since coming to Einrogard, while the Crazy Doppelganger must have met countless giants during his lifetime...
"Let us depart, Lord Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family."
From inside the workshop emerged Intarendals, an ancestor of the Dalkard Family and a noble from the era of the Three Kingdoms, now fully prepared.
Behind him stood several self-moving carriages waiting in line. They seemed to be the bargaining chips for negotiating with the giants.
Jowurin wants to go too!
"Noble descendant of distinguished lineage. Giants are rough and savage creatures."
Then why is Lee Han going?
"...Shouldn't a disciple be capable of handling at least this much?"
It was truly a rare sight to see the Crazy Doppelganger—who usually maintained an arrogant demeanor without shedding a single drop of sweat even when the Skeleton Principal appeared before him—acting so flustered.
Lee Han was about to follow Intarendals when he paused to watch the spectacle. When would he ever get to see something like this again?
"What are you doing?"
"I was inspecting the items in the carriages."
Lee Han quickly made an excuse. Intarendals looked at him with pleased eyes at that excuse.
As expected of a mage chosen by Gonadaltes as his disciple—his meticulousness was anything but ordinary.
Jowurin wants to go too! Jowurin wants to go too! Jowurin wants to go too!!
"Let us depart."
As Jowurin prepared to roll left and right, the Crazy Doppelganger hastily gave the order to his disciple.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Eandurde quietly asked,
"Can I also come along..."
"What nonsense are you spouting? No. It's dangerous."
"......"
Eandurde was dumbfounded.
Then why was she being sent so obediently?
* * *
"Are giants really that dangerous?"
"Ah. Giants... I suppose you could say so, Lord Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family."
Intarendals let out a sigh, as if recalling old memories.
During the era of the Three Kingdoms, giants were a mercenary race that appeared wherever destruction and plunder were needed.
Yesterday, giants siding with the besiegers would smash city walls, and today, those same giants would switch sides to the defenders and destroy siege engines.
As long as they were paid in gold, giants faithfully carried out any request, and sometimes it almost seemed like they wished for the war to last forever.
"...The mountain giants don't seem to be quite like that, though...?"
Lee Han was taken aback by the unexpectedly brutal history of the giants.
Of course, those giants from back then would have been the ancestors of the current mountain giants' ancestors' ancestors, but it was still shocking.
"Naturally. As time passes, kingdoms decline and heroes grow old—everything changes. It wouldn't be strange if the giants' fury has been somewhat tamed. But you must not forget, Lord Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family. An ember still slumbers within the hearts of giants. The moment that ember flares up violently, the giants will—"
-Have they found us?
"!"
A massive head suddenly popped out from behind the ridge. It was the giants.
Intarendals cleared his throat once and gestured. The cloth covering the carriages behind him fluttered away, revealing the dazzling gold meant for the giants.
Lee Han stared at the gold's radiant glow as if entranced. 'No way. Just how much of the Dalkard Family's inheritance was lost?' There was no way the Crazy Doppelganger could have secured this wealth in the meantime—this had to be the gold Intarendals brought.
The Dalkard Family would surely find this extremely unfair.
Instead of passing down the family's inheritance to his descendants, their ancestor had been investing in some strange ancient archmage...
-What's this?
"?!"
But the giants were unimpressed. After taking a bite of cheese made from Mountain-Destroying Sheep's milk, they spoke.
-Wizards like shiny gold. We're not that stupid.
"No...!"
Intarendals was stunned by the giants' reaction, so different from the past.
Giants who were indifferent to gold?
It was an unreal and hard-to-believe sight, like demons who had become servants by being deceived by humans instead of deceiving them.
"Wardanaz!"
The giants, who had been gruffly trying to shoo away the outsider, widened their eyes upon spotting Lee Han.
"Why did you take so long to visit?!"
"We missed you! We thought those mages had locked you up!"
The giants welcomed Lee Han with laughter, not caring who spoke first.
"We heard Wardanaz got kidnapped. Mages are pathetic."
"We're strong. We don't even let our sheep get kidnapped."
"Have you ever been kidnapped before?"
Intarendals spoke to Lee Han in a disbelieving tone. Lee Han gave him a look as if the question was absurd.
Who else but the master Intarendals served could have kidnapped Lee Han?!
"...Actually, I came because I have a favor to ask."
"Follow us! We'll guide you."
"It's mealtime now."
"I already ate and I'm full."
Lee Han, who knew the giants' food, answered immediately. The giants were delighted.
"As expected of Wardanaz, so polite!"
"The most annoying mages come demanding food! Follow us!"
As the giants stomped ahead, Intarendals finally seemed to recover from his shock and spoke again.
"The giants have truly changed so much... Even if time changes all things, I never expected it to this extent."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Listening to the story, Lee Han suddenly grew curious and asked,
"Were demons more evil in the past?"
"More evil, you say?"
"Well... Many of the demons I know were tricked by contracts and now work as slaves in territories. But history books make them seem far more sinister..."
"Ah, I see what you mean. I was also quite surprised when I visited Einrogard."
Intarendals nodded in understanding.
It wasn't just kingdoms and giants that had changed over time. Demons had transformed significantly too.
During the Three Kingdoms era, demons were literal symbols of terror and calamity.
When a demon appeared, it wasn't over just by defeating it. There were the demon-worshippers who were deceived by the demon, and the underlings recruited by those worshippers.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say entire regions became corrupted.
But now, including in Einrogard, mages across the continent were surprisingly easily exploiting demons for their own use.
Victims from the Three Kingdoms era would've wept tears of emotion if they'd seen this.
"Time brings kingdoms to ruin and heroes to old age, but it seems wisdom accumulates. Seeing how demons are handled now..."
"Could it be the Headmaster spread the techniques?"
Lee Han cautiously voiced his suspicion.
Though it was just a hypothesis, it was quite plausible. Few people had lived as long as the Skeleton Principal, and among them, even fewer would have taken such proactive action. 'And he's the one benefiting the most from exploiting demons, too.' Seeing how demons, who weren't like this in the past, were now enslaved by the dozens or hundreds, the Skeleton Principal seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
Of course, since Intarendals served the Crazy Doppelganger and denied the Skeleton Principal's authority, this question had to be approached carefully. It might sound like praise.
"Hmm... I can't completely deny it. Though the current lord of Einrogard presumptuously claims to be the master, he is still a doppelganger of the master, isn't he? In that case, it truly would be a great achievement..."
"Eh? You mean controlling hundreds of demons?"
"No, Lee Han of the Wardanaz family. Not that. I mean spreading the techniques to deal with demons across the continent."
"Ah."
Lee Han felt slightly embarrassed. 'Well, that... is an achievement, I suppose...' Just like developing and spreading a cure for an incurable disease, systematically organizing and disseminating methods to deceive demons could also be considered a great achievement.
Lee Han cautiously voiced his question.
Though it was just a hypothesis, it was a fairly convincing one. People who had lived since ancient times like the Skeleton Principal were rare to begin with, and among them, those who actively took action like this were even fewer.
'And he's also the one benefiting the most from enslaving demons.'
Considering how he hadn't been like this in the past but was now commanding dozens, even hundreds of demon slaves, the Skeleton Principal seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
Of course, since Intarendals served the Crazy Doppelganger and denied the Skeleton Principal's authority, this question had to be asked carefully. It might come across as praise.
"Hmm... I can't completely deny it. Of course, the current lord of Einrogard is audaciously impersonating Master, but in the end, isn't he still Master's doppelganger? In that case, it truly could be considered a great achievement..."
"Huh? You mean controlling hundreds of demons?"
"No. Lee Han of the Wardanaz family. That's not what I'm referring to. I'm talking about spreading the secret techniques for dealing with demons across the continent."
"Ah."
Lee Han felt slightly embarrassed.
'Well... that is an achievement, I suppose...'
Just like developing and spreading a cure for an incurable disease, compiling and disseminating effective methods to deceive demons could indeed be considered a great feat.
Though in the process, he had ended up commanding hundreds of demons—but still!
'Giants, demons... things really have changed a lot. It's only natural, but...'
Lee Han once again felt the stark difference between the past and present that ancient figures like the Skeleton Principal often spoke of.
And even after living so long, the Skeleton Principal's relentless mischief was truly...
"By the way, Intarendals. May I ask one more thing?"
"Ask me anything."
"Is the star Arna really that dangerous?"
Generally, a mage's contracts started with easily accessible spirits and ended with demons or beings from other dimensions—rarely did they extend all the way to stars.
Even the Divination Magic school handled celestial contracts sparingly due to their high difficulty and danger, so there was no reason to force a contract with a star.
Because of this, Celestial Magic was relatively obscure, and Lee Han hadn't had the chance to study it in advance. He couldn't understand why the mere mention of Arna's name elicited such reactions.
"Arna! It's been a while since I've heard that name. But why do you ask?"
Intarendals, having missed Lee Han's earlier conversation with the Crazy Doppelganger, questioned his motive.
"...I just happened to hear the name."
Lee Han dodged the question, afraid that admitting he had contracted with Arna would trigger a reaction similar to before.
"Hmm. It's not a name one would hear by chance... But first, Guest Star Arna is not a dangerous star. Rather, it's a star of glory."
"Ah. Really?"
Lee Han brightened up.
After the contract, he had only received negative reactions (though the Crazy Doppelganger had shown approval, it wasn't much help), so hearing something positive for the first time was a relief.
"Yes. It is the star of revolutionaries—the star that destroys kingdoms and melts crowns."
"......"
Lee Han's face stiffened.
For a brief moment, the headlines of the Imperial Newspaper flashed through his mind in bold letters...
"Heir of the Wardanaz Family, Shocking Charges of High Treason... Allegedly Dreaming of a New Dynasty..."
"Ambitious Schemer Who Deceived the Imperial Family Reveals His True Colors!"
"How is that not a dangerous star???"
"Huh? Master also contracted with that star. It's not a dangerous star—it's a star of glory."
Intarendals spoke in genuine surprise.
From the perspective of ancient astrology and Celestial Magic, Guest Star Arna was a star that appeared for heroes when the continent was in chaos and despair.
A star that burned with the most intense light to illuminate the hero's path!
The chosen hero, too, would blaze brilliantly like the star, sacrificing themselves for the continent. They would never betray the star's choice.
"......"
Lee Han's face stiffened to the point where it couldn't possibly stiffen any further. Even a petrification spell wouldn't have frozen him this solid.
"...If the continent is stable and peaceful, and someone contracts with a star like that... what does that make them?"
"Hmm. Well, that's a difficult hypothetical. But..."
Intarendals racked his memory, trying his best to theorize.
Star contracts were open to many interpretations, and often, their true meaning only became clear after the results manifested. For someone like Intarendals, who wasn't an expert, this was quite challenging.
But since his master's disciple was asking, he had to squeeze out whatever wisdom he could.
"Right now, two possibilities come to mind."
"Please, enlighten me."
"First, perhaps a great crisis is about to befall the continent, and the contracted one is meant to sacrifice themselves to prevent it."
"...And the second?"
"Even if the continent appears stable and peaceful, it might actually be rotting away slowly... in which case, the contractor could be a usurper aiming to become emperor themselves."
"......"
Lee Han suddenly sprinted to the roadside and began screaming into the deep valley below.
The gathered giants, who had been waiting for him, rushed over in shock. Then they pointed accusingly at Intarendals.
What did you say to Wardanaz?! That kind-hearted Wardanaz is cursing like this?!
And who the hell is the Demon King?!