Episode 892
Episode 892
Just as herbivores instinctively sense the approach of a predator, Lee Han instinctively sensed the professor's scheme.
At first glance, it might seem considerate that an Einrogard professor had many concerns because of Lee Han, but in reality, such situations rarely ended well.
"What kind of concerns, Professor? Perhaps you're thinking of creative ways to defeat me?"
"Oh. How did you know, junior?"
"......"
Lee Han let out a sigh mixed with despair when Catten readily agreed instead of denying his half-joking remark.
Jowurin asked sympathetically.
Lee Han. Jowurin submitted a petition to the imperial nobles...
"It's fine. No—actually, Professor Ingoldel is really showing his true colors now! I thought he was one of the few kind professors at Einrogard!"
Professor Voladi showed pity at the student's outburst.
Given that there were indeed few kind professors at Einrogard (Professor Voladi naturally counted himself among them), it was only natural for the student to say such things.
"Junior."
"Yes?"
"I heard that to solve a simple assignment given during class, you took your friends into the domain of a Spirit King..."
"That's a misunderstanding."
Lee Han answered without changing his expression.
His visit to the Broad-Eyed King' domain had merely been a series of coincidences—it wasn't something he had deliberately planned.
Jowurin stared at Lee Han with a strange look.
'Lately, I keep feeling like Lee Han is bringing trouble upon himself... Huh! Maybe Einrogard's magic is confusing me!'
Jowurin shook her head vigorously. It seemed as though Einrogard's powerful magic was clouding her judgment.
"Hmm. Anyway, Professor Ingoldel is troubled because of that. I wonder if I'm just getting in the way..."
"Not at all. Professor Ingoldel would never think of you as a nuisance. Let's go ask him directly!"
With full intent to interfere, Lee Han declared.
Whatever scheme Professor Ingoldel was plotting, Lee Han intended to figure it out first and, if possible, sabotage it.
* * *
"This is truly a difficult matter."
The elf professor, wearing prosthetic limbs, confided his troubles to the visiting knights.
Contrary to Lee Han's misunderstanding, Professor Ingoldel wasn't thinking something like, 'How dare they pass my assignment so easily? Just wait until the exam.'
Rather, he was struggling to devise a test that could also accommodate the boy from the Wardanaz family.
A typical insane Einrogard professor might have simply thought, 'Why not just give the Wardanaz boy a different exam?'—but Professor Ingoldel hadn't fallen that far yet.
If he set the difficulty to an average level, it would be too easy for Lee Han. But if he raised it, it wouldn't suit the other students...
"Who knew teaching would be this difficult?"
"You have our respect, Professor Ingoldel."
"We support you, Professor."
Knights and swordsmen from organizations friendly with Professor Ingoldel—such as the White Poplar Knights, the Fire Watchers, and the Cross Brothers Swordsmen—came to encourage him.
They offered all sorts of creative suggestions to help the professor.
"What if you held a free-for-all duel and had the gathered knights specifically target that student? He'd be too confused to notice."
"We could slip a potion into his drinking water before the exam. His limbs would grow heavy—it'd be good training."
Had Lee Han heard these ingenious proposals, he would have immediately sent Jowurin to file a complaint with the Emperor.
Professor Ingoldel listened seriously, jotting down the suggestions as he pondered.
How could he create a fair exam for all his students?
"Professor!"
"What's the matter, everyone?"
Professor Ingoldel looked puzzled when Balpatan of the Moradi family and Palga of the Ukim family urgently knocked on his door.
It was rare for senior students from the White Tiger Tower to come rushing in such a hurry.
"Is this about the exam? But the two of you are in different years..."
"No, it's not that. Could you possibly help us? We're tracking an intruder from outside, and these guys aren't usually this fast."
"!"
The Empire's elite inside raised their eyebrows.
The fact that there was an external intruder was surprising enough, but the students personally chasing them was even more astonishing.
A knight from the Fire Watchers, unfamiliar with Einrogard, exclaimed in disbelief.
"An intruder in Einrogard? But it's so quiet here?"
"Huh? Uh, well..."
Balpatan was actually flustered by that outburst.
Einrogard was a place where external intruders periodically came and went.
"...But who are these people?"
"They're from the Fire Watchers."
"I see. ...Wait, what?! The Fire Watchers?!"
Hearing the name of the Empire's famous knight order, Balpatan was even more startled.
Under normal circumstances, he might not have reacted this way, but there was a reason for his surprise now. Wasn't it almost exam season?
Einrogard students were the type to see falling leaves and think, 'Ah, the falling leaves are prophesying my grades!' So it was only natural they'd react sensitively to visits from outsiders like these.
"I'm from the Cross Brothers Swordsmen."
"And I'm from the White Poplar Knights..."
"P-professor! Did we do something wrong? Why are these people here?"
Balpatan couldn't understand why Professor Ingoldel was doing this.
Wasn't the exam supposed to be about petrification curses, spatial teleportation, and hunting a large chimera with freezing venom?
Could there have been another exam Balpatan didn't know about?
"Ah. Don't worry, Moradi. They're not here for the fourth-year exams."
At that, Palga, a third-year, clutched his chest. His face turned pale as if he might collapse any second.
"...It's not the third-year exam either. I was just worrying about the second-year exam, so they all came to help."
"......"
"......"
The seniors seriously pondered what the second-years could have possibly done wrong to warrant such a gathering of powerful figures.
Even attempting to assassinate the headmaster wouldn't have earned them this level of punishment...
"More importantly, students. Let's finish discussing the intruder. It doesn't seem like the right time to be talking about exams when there's an intruder around," the swordsman from the Cross Brothers Swordsmen said with a grave expression.
With an external intruder in a place full of fragile mages, they should have declared an emergency across the entire territory and heightened security.
Students should only gather and move around during the day, and stay indoors at night...
"Well. Einrogard doesn't handle things that way."
Professor Ingoldel cleared his throat slightly and spoke to his friend.
"What do you mean, 'doesn't handle things that way'?"
"Well... um... Einrogard has a lot of intruders... and the students are all strong..."
Even as he spoke, he felt a bit awkward, but Professor Ingoldel did his best to explain Einrogard's rules.
Given how consistently intruders visit, they don't make a fuss over one or two showing up!
"What! You're treating the Empire's finest mages so carelessly?"
"Hmm. Ingoldel has a point. Isn't it a testament to Einrogard's confidence in its exceptional magic and mages? The pride these mages have in handling things themselves is truly admirable."
"......"
"......"
The two students muttered under their breaths, 'No, it's just because the Skeleton Principal forced these rules on us.'
"Is that so? I'm still worried Einrogard's rules are too lax. What if the mages get attacked? I can't believe someone as wise as Lord Gonadaltes would establish such rules."
"Urgh... blergh..."
"Look at these admirable students. Didn't they step forward first for their juniors? I don't think you need to worry so much."
The two, who had been mumbling due to the taboo, paused and exchanged glances.
"Y-yes. The seniors at Einrogard all take the lead in setting examples for their juniors."
"Indeed. Even if the rules seem lax and strange, there must have been a reason... Still, Professor Ingoldel. As a member of the Swordsmen's Association, I can't just sit idle knowing intruders have entered. I'd like to help the students."
"Good timing—the students actually came to ask for our help. Let's join them. Everyone, did they say the intruders are fast?"
"Uh, yes... But..."
As Professor Ingoldel and the Empire's elite warriors all stood up in unison, Balpatan and Palga hesitated slightly.
Truthfully, the two hadn't sought out Professor Ingoldel out of some noble sense of responsibility to protect their juniors from intruders.
Greed!
'That bastard stole the Headmaster's treasure. No way we're letting anyone else take it...!'
'We have to catch him first...!'
Surprisingly, there weren't as many students at Einrogard who coveted the Skeleton Principal's treasures as one might think.
Any student with half a brain knew just how difficult and dangerous it was.
But if another student dared to challenge the Skeleton Principal's treasures?
The students of Einrogard would cheer them on and support them without hesitation.
After all, the treasure had to be out in the open first before they could steal or snatch it back, right?
This intruder incident was no different.
The intruder was unforgivable, but since they'd already stolen the Skeleton Principal's treasure, the students might as well put it to good use themselves!
Given that plenty of students thought this way, it was only natural that the White Tiger Tower students had come looking for the professor.
To win in such a fierce competition, ordinary methods wouldn't cut it.
"Why the hesitation, you two?"
"...Ah, well. We stepped forward for our juniors, but is it really right to rely on outside help...?"
"Hahaha! Truly admirable seniors. The students of Einrogard must be fortunate to have role models like you!"
Professor Ingoldel's friends laughed heartily as they opened the door and stepped outside.
Palga hesitated before whispering to Balpatan.
"Senior... Aren't we being a bit too much like the Blue Dragon Tower...?"
"Shh. Keep it down."
"Temporarily away to search for intruders."
—Professor Ingoldel
"!"
Lee Han was startled upon reading the note on the door.
If these were intruders (assuming no more had snuck in since then), they were undoubtedly adventurers trying to rescue Antagondals.
"But why would the professor get involved?"
"Junior. My guess is that the professor plans to capture the intruders and use them for exams."
"That doesn't make any—"
Lee Han trailed off as he glanced at Professor Voladi.
After all, there was someone right in front of him who had done something similar last year.
"...Actually, now that I think about it, that makes sense."
Huh?
Jowurin tilted her head, baffled by Lee Han's sudden acceptance.
No matter how she looked at it, it still sounded ridiculous...
"Well, in that case, there's nothing we can do. Junior, I'll take my leave—"
"No. Let's follow Professor Ingoldel. We'll catch up and... interfere—no, ask him about the exams."
"Is that really necessary?"
Though Catten wasn't convinced, he couldn't dissuade his junior's iron will.
Lee Han spun a grand tale about magic, insisting that they had to find Professor Ingoldel immediately so that Catten's magic could grow.
"F-fine. If you insist, Junior..."
"Trust me. Though, what I don't get is—why would Professor Ingoldel personally go after intruders? Even if other seniors might, why him?"
The professors at Einrogard were never idle, especially not during exam season.
With Death Knights already stretched thin, why would he personally intervene?
"Hmm. I have one guess."
"What is it?"
"I heard the intruder stole the Headmaster's treasure. Maybe that's why. If it's something important, it wouldn't be strange for a professor to step in..."
"......"
As his own fabricated rumor circled back to him, Lee Han reflected deeply on his actions.