Episode 918
Episode 918
'Ah, so this is what they meant when they said ancient times were an era of madness.'
I had read in books a few times that unrefined madness overflowed everywhere in ancient times, but I never imagined it would mean this.
Otherwise, the current spectacle would be impossible to explain.
The sirens and mermaids serving the Young Skeleton Principal and offering their tears was truly...
'Clearly, sirens and mermaids were much kinder in ancient times.'
—■■■!
One of the mermaids swimming beneath the surface suddenly noticed Lee Han and immediately bared her teeth, attempting to attack.
At that, the Young Skeleton Principal stretched out both arms and intervened.
"Stop, mermaids! This is my disciple. I will not tolerate any harm coming to my student. If you must attack someone, attack me instead!"
The mermaid who had tried to strike quickly apologized for the misunderstanding and retreated.
The Young Skeleton Principal checked Lee Han for injuries and said,
"Mermaids are not lenient toward intruders. You should be more careful. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine...Though my heart might be a little wounded..."
"???"
After that, no more enemies appeared to obstruct the Young Skeleton Principal's voyage.
From the depths of the sea to the skies above, it seemed every visible race was paying their respects to him.
"By any chance, did you use a Small World or Unique World before I arrived? The sirens and mermaids must be in a state of confusion."
"Lee Han. Don't deny reality!"
Professor Garcia cried out in frustration, trying desperately to bring her student back to his senses.
Of course, even Professor Garcia was deeply shocked by what she had witnessed today.
For such violent races to show that level of reverence to the Young Skeleton Principal...
But as a mage, no matter how shocking reality might be, she had to accept it and formulate new theories—not deny and escape from it.
"The confusion theory does sound somewhat plausible..."
"It doesn't."
"Then it must truly be because of the Headmaster's... k-kind... k-kind... kindness that these races are acting this way."
Lee Han struggled so much to say the word "kindness" that he stuttered several times.
Professor Garcia also nodded slowly, as if the motion itself pained her. Her mind understood, but her body refused to accept it.
"Then why is the Headmaster acting like this now?"
"...Time changes many things, Lee Han. Now, let's hurry and assist the Headmaster."
'She's deflecting.'
Lee Han noticed Professor Garcia avoiding the question but chose not to point it out.
Honestly, if he were in her place, he would've done the same.
Even if it was Professor Garcia, what could she possibly say about the Skeleton Principal's drastic change?
'Just how much did those kingdom bastards provoke him? No... Even if they did provoke him, how could someone like that change so much? It's hard to believe...'
"Ah."
The Young Skeleton Principal, who had just returned to the harbor, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong?"
"The well beneath the city has been destroyed. Without it, the people here will have no way to get water..."
With frequent invasions from outside, it was difficult to keep the city's facilities intact.
Essential infrastructure was often damaged, and unless nearby nobles or mages stepped in, repairs took far too long.
"I'll help fix it."
"Repairs won't mean much. Look."
The Young Skeleton Principal flicked his sleeve and pointed ahead.
Merchants from elsewhere were already loudly advertising clean water for sale.
"They must have seen the well was broken and gotten permission to sell water in this area."
Even these merchants had to pay hefty bribes to obtain such permits.
And those who had paid those bribes wouldn't just sit back and allow the well to be repaired. The moment no one was watching, they'd smash it to pieces again.
"Indeed. Then..."
Lee Han was gradually expecting the young skeleton headmaster's specialty to come into play.
It was certain that he would thoroughly beat up those water-selling merchants, and the key question was whether he would throw them into the sea afterward.
However, the young skeleton headmaster didn't choose any of the options Lee Han had anticipated.
He took out a jewel-encrusted ornament from his pocket, dismantled it, and distributed the gems to the merchants.
"????"
Before Lee Han's surprise could even settle, the young skeleton headmaster cast a spell.
The nearby statue's form wavered, its composition transforming into water. What had been an ordinary decorative statue moments ago had now become a fountain.
Professor Garcia's eyes widened.
Turning a statue into water was a type of transmutation magic, something Professor Garcia could also do. But casting a spell to maintain that form semi-permanently wasn't something a human could achieve.
And in such an incredibly short time—barely enough to take a single breath! 'This is absurd...!'
"What on earth?!" "What on earth?!"
Professor Garcia turned her gaze when she realized her student had shouted the same thing. Seeing the boy from the Wardanaz family, it seemed he harbored similar doubts.
"Lee Han, you have the same question as me, don't you? You're curious about how he cast that spell, right?"
"Huh? I was asking why he gave away the gems."
"......"
The young skeleton headmaster chuckled as he calmed his students.
"Relax, everyone. There's no need to rush—I'll explain everything. First, the reason I turned the statue into water is because the statue belongs to the nobility."
Repairing the well would only result in others secretly destroying it and filling it with dirt, but a sculptural structure erected by nobles, like the statue, was a different matter.
Even the people here couldn't recklessly vandalize it.
Knowing this, the young skeleton headmaster chose not to repair the well but instead transformed the statue into a permanently gushing fountain.
Now, the surrounding people could draw water from it if they wished.
"But we were asking how you cast the spell, not about the water..."
"I was asking why you gave away the gems."
The young skeleton headmaster was slightly taken aback by his students' reactions.
Had he misjudged what they were curious about?
"The reason I gave away the gems is because those merchants also suffered losses. Even if they bribed to get permits, they'd go bankrupt if they couldn't earn any income."
"!"
Lee Han was startled by the unexpected reasoning.
He never imagined the headmaster would even consider the circumstances of the merchants selling water here.
"As for how I cast the spell, it's not that difficult. It's quite simple, really. First, you start with Small World Magic, Dynamis—"
"Ah... I see!"
Professor Garcia diligently took notes.
Upon hearing it, the method didn't seem all that difficult after all.
Wasn't it said that brilliance lies in simplicity?
If she followed the young skeleton headmaster's explanation, Professor Garcia felt she could probably manage it too. 'What part of that is simple?!'
Of course, from Lee Han's perspective, he had no idea what the two were talking about. Grumbling, he turned to Professor Voladi.
"Calling that simple? That's completely ridiculous, isn't it?"
"......"
Professor Voladi recalled how Lee Han often scolded his friends with phrases like, "Like this! How can you not get something so simple?!" but quietly swallowed his words.
This student already had plenty to learn here. Right now, he just needed quiet encouragement.
Having fully completed the water statue project, the young skeleton headmaster immediately moved on to the city gate repairs without resting.
The prepared Blue Jade and Mermaid's Tears were already half-synthesized in precise proportions. He had prepared them during the short voyage back.
"The city gate work is slightly different from the water statue project."
"Different how...?"
"It means there are more eyes watching."
The young skeleton headmaster smiled bitterly.
Though he was working for the sake of the city's people, he himself couldn't stay here long or draw too much attention.
As soon as they did, the city's mages and knights would notice something amiss and give chase.
"We must leave immediately after completing it. Otherwise, we'll end up fighting an unwanted battle near the city gates."
"I understand."
Lee Han no longer asked questions like 'Why must you go to such lengths?' or 'Is it worth it?'
Such questions only held meaning when directed at someone who might waver or reconsider upon hearing them.
The Young Skeleton Principal was not someone who could be swayed no matter what Lee Han said or how he tried to persuade him. The most Lee Han could do was assist. 'I need to finish this quickly and learn Withering.' Lee Han resolved to help the Young Skeleton Principal complete his task as swiftly as possible.
Come to think of it, he had grown somewhat accustomed to the Young Skeleton Principal by now. No matter what the other said, he could respond calmly.
"Then I'll leave the perimeter to you—"
BOOM!
Before the words could even finish, a distant explosion erupted.
Unlike Lee Han's group, the Young Skeleton Principal immediately discerned what had happened just from the sound.
"Esadojikwa! The Duke of Wrath's subordinate is attacking again!"
"An assault by demons?"
"It seems so. We must intercept them!"
The Young Skeleton Principal halted his work on the city gates and swiftly prepared to move.
Lee Han's group hurriedly followed. Given the scale of the demonic forces they'd seen upon first arriving here, it was hard to fathom how much devastation would be wrought upon the surroundings.
"Follow me!"
With an incantation, the Young Skeleton Principal swiftly soared into the sky. Lee Han's group, borrowing the power of magic, automatically pursued him.
Thanks to this, Lee Han gained a moment of respite to survey the surroundings. In an instant, the distance closed, and the demonic forces came into view. 'That's...?' Lee Han's eyes widened at the sight before him—something different from what he had expected.
Among the demonic forces, he saw enemies surrounded, but they didn't look like ordinary citizens at all.
Expensive combat golems and escort knights.
And mages whose opulent appearances made Lee Han's tattered cloak look utterly shabby in comparison!
The mages' robes, adorned with silk, gold thread, and jewels, were so extravagant that anyone could tell they were the city's nobility.
"Captured at last, you mages! By me, Esadojikwa, the Duke of Wrath's chief lieutenant and foremost herald!"
The archdemon laughed uproariously, clearly in high spirits.
"The Hall of Waves, you say? Compared to my master's Authority, you're nothing more than children splashing in puddles!"
'<The Hall of Waves>! You chimera-makers. Your toys are but trivial amusements compared to the supreme demonkind!'
'<The Den of Metamorphosis> as well?!'
Lee Han realized that all the Magic Nobles he'd learned about from the patrol members were now surrounded here.
There had been a few more, but the Young Skeleton Principal had already dealt with them last time...
"Everyone, stay back."
The Young Skeleton Principal pushed Lee Han's group, floating in midair, behind him and then obscured their presence with multiple layers of barriers.
Lee Han cautiously advised,
"Lord Gonadaltes. Wouldn't it be better to leave them be and wait for them to fight each other? If they notice you, I doubt they'll stay idle."
From what he'd heard so far, the city's Magic Nobles weren't the type to be grateful if rescued.
In fact, there was a high chance they'd turn around and say, "Hoho, you helped us? Then we'll make you our slaves!" and attack.
The Young Skeleton Principal agreed with Lee Han's words.
"You're right. That's likely what would happen."
"Then we should wait and—"
"But if we do, many of those people will die or be injured. I'm sorry, disciple. When saving lives, I don't judge based on personal likes or dislikes. I understand if you find this frustrating."
No sooner had he spoken than the Young Skeleton Principal descended upon the rear of the demonic forces with dozens of clones.
And a storm of magic struck the army.