Episode 933
Episode 933
'Is This Really Okay for an Einrogard Wizard?'
Arian was deep in thought.
At least his identity hadn't been exposed.
With both invisibility magic and disguise magic cast, it would be impossible for the other party to guess who he was...
It was just that his methods had been too extreme!
He'd heard plenty of stories about Einrogard wizards discreetly retrieving items without anyone noticing, leaving their victims fuming in frustration—but beating people up before taking things was a first.
"Surely the young master of the Wardanaz family must have carefully considered his actions, right?"
In the end, that was all Arian could say.
No matter how experienced a merchant Arian was, he was still an outsider when it came to Einrogard's affairs.
After seeing a student act like that, all he could think was, 'So this is acceptable here?'
'Is this really okay?' Amur watched with interest.
Though Amur himself came from the wild lands where harsh rules dominated, cities operated by slightly different customs.
The actions of the Wardanaz family's young master were certainly satisfying.
Too satisfying, in fact...
"It'll be fine. And he won't do it again in the future, right?"
"Of course. You can trust me."
Lee Han firmly promised the two who had come to help him.
Truthfully, Lee Han wasn't particularly fond of violent methods.
Why attack someone when you could just quietly take what you needed?
—Master. This is sealed with ancient script—could you help me with it?
—...Just this once. Recite this: αρχαίος...
—Who's there?! Show yourself! How dare you— Gahk!
—Damn it!
An abandoned underground prison near the city.
It was a magically secured vault that could only be accessed through deciphering ancient script—a very expensive security measure—but unfortunately for the intruder, an ancient being was accompanying them.
And even more unfortunately, the owner had just happened to come by to check on things and ran into the intruder.
—Sigh. This time, let's really resolve things quietly, without any fights. ...
Basilisk? Hey, Basil. You there?
—Yep!
—Then I'll need you to...
—A B-Basilisk is inside! There's a Basilisk in here!—
—Damn it!!
A secret alchemy workshop beneath a fabric store.
The reagent vault, accessible only through a Basilisk's whisper, opened easily for an intruder who happened to be carrying a baby Basilisk.
And the owner of that vault, startled by the Basilisk's hissing, cried out in alarm—only to be subdued by the intruder.
—...This was just bad luck. Next time will be different. Got it?
—Can't we just overpower them and take what we need?
—No! That would be dishonorable for a thief—no, for a relocation specialist.
The baby Basilisk thought to itself.
Humans really did some incomprehensible things.
After that, Lee Han continued moving to retrieve the remaining items from the request—and succeeded each time.
In terms of time taken, it was astonishingly fast. The seniors from other clubs would have applauded him...
The problem was that he had knocked out every single owner involved.
"......"
"......"
"......"
The three of them silently stared at the ground.
Finally unable to bear it, Arian cleared his throat and spoke.
"Well... since things have turned out this way, what do you plan to do? Still, gathering everything this quickly is quite impressive!"
"...I think I may not have been qualified to take on this request."
"Now, now, don't say that. This is more than enough."
"We were supposed to handle it quietly..."
"Haha. No, no. What's so wrong about beating some sense into people who needed it?"
By this point, Amur actually seemed a little excited.
When they first discussed this, the world of wizards had seemed incomprehensible and hard to grasp, but the more he saw, the simpler it seemed.
"Just find the bastard, punch him in the face, then retrieve the evil artifact—that's all there is to it!"
Looking at it this way, the mages of Einrogard felt a bit more relatable.
"And don't worry. The ones who got beaten won't dare say a word out of shame."
-Did you hear? Some mages are roaming around Granden City? They're attacking those who possess evil artifacts and hanging them upside down. I heard Uap got absolutely wrecked.
-Ah, I heard that too. After tormenting people like that, he finally got what he deserved. Rumor has it they stuffed him headfirst into the canal.
-I heard they branded his face with the Mark of the Wicked...
"......"
"......"
"......"
Lee Han bowed his head even lower.
"That damn bastard!"
The hamster beastman, Sebius, let out a furious shout.
Beside him, Sebius's external colleague and fellow thieves' guild member, the guinea pig beastman, asked in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"That bastard Verdus! He skimped on the intel again because he was too lazy!"
While preparing to resolve the request, Sebius had stumbled upon shocking information.
Uap, who had stolen <Asen's Polarizer>—originally purchased by Professor Verdus—had also bought <Asen's Soul Scream> to protect the artifact.
If such a vile defensive spell was set up in the workshop, the situation would be entirely different.
'And I thought it'd be relatively easy, so I handed it off to my junior!'
"Who is this Verdus guy?"
"A professor!"
"...Is he insane? He's a professor—how can he give students such half-assed intel?"
The guinea pig beastman was baffled.
Wasn't a professor supposed to teach and support Einrogard students?
Yet he skimped on information just because he couldn't be bothered?
This was nothing like the mentors the guinea pig beastman knew.
"That's why he's a damn bastard. We need to find my junior. Follow me."
"Just slowing us down because of some lunatic. Later, make sure he drinks this potion. One sip, and he'll be bedridden for a week."
"......"
Sebius hesitated for a moment internally before shaking his head.
"That mage is more cautious than you'd think. Poison won't work on him."
"Good grief. Mages, I swear. Einrogard is the Empire's top magic academy—why do they keep lunatics like that as professors?"
Sebius didn't elaborate on Einrogard's circumstances.
Most of it couldn't be spoken about anyway due to restrictions.
-Someone hung Uap upside down!
-What?! Really?
"...Wait."
Sebius, who had been running, halted at the words of passersby.
"Did they just say Uap?"
"I didn't catch it. What did they say?"
"That someone hung Uap upside down..."
"That's ridiculous. Didn't he buy extra defensive spells? Who could've hung a guy like that upside down?"
"Well... true. Unless it was the Headmaster..."
"Why bring the Headmaster into this?"
"...Never mind."
Sebius shook his head.
In his impatience and urgency, he must've misheard.
"Let's keep go—"
-Hey! Someone stuffed Uap headfirst into the canal?!
-Why are you only telling me now?! Let's go see!
"!!!"
This time, he hadn't misheard.
Sebius, horrified, followed the crowd. A group had already gathered by the canal.
"There's Uap!"
"That crazy dwarf bastard—after tormenting workers like that, he's finally getting divine retribution!"
-Get lost, you lot!
"Uap, you bastard! Keep acting like this, and divine punishment will come for you again!"
-...
Eek!
He'd heard the dwarf was greedy and wicked, but the sight before him was nothing like he'd imagined.
The way he flinched at every sound—it was clear he'd been thoroughly traumatized.
"Sebius... was this your junior's doing?"
The guinea pig beastman made a logical deduction.
Einrogard mages are strong.
Uap messed with an Einrogard mage's belongings.
And now Uap is terrified.
"...No. My junior is cautious and careful by nature. Flaunting power and intimidating people like that is more the Headmaster's style."
"Well. He did say he bought additional magic. Maybe Professor Verdus came out to help his student?"
"Absolutely not."
"...Right, right."
"Let's move. First, we should check Uap's workshop and find my junior."
-Everyone! Everyone! The Bardan estate has been robbed!
-What?! The Bardan estate?!
-What on earth is happening today?
The news that the estate of Bardan, a branch noble connected to the Greenbell family, had been robbed sent shockwaves through the crowd gathered by the Granden City canals.
No matter how greedily Bardan had exploited and threatened people to extort treasures, who would have imagined he'd actually get raided?
-Look! A rampaging spirit is destroying the mansion!-...
Now's our chance, everyone! Let's settle the scores with Bardan for all he's taken from us!
"......"
Sebius, who had followed to the estate before even checking the workshop, gaped at the half-destroyed mansion.
A berserk water spirit—summoned by who knows whom—was wrecking the estate, while enraged citizens took advantage of the chaos to loot the treasures inside.
"This isn't your junior's doing either, is it?"
The guinea pig beastman asked cautiously.
"N...no way. Probably... No matter how angry my junior might be, he wouldn't summon a spirit to go on a rampage..."'I don't recall him saying "probably" earlier.' The guinea pig beastman thought to himself.
After that, rumors rapidly spread about other villains in Granden City being targeted.
Sebius finally gathered the club members.
"Did any of you participate in what's happening right now?"
"Huh? Wasn't it your junior? I was just admiring the show."
"I thought you were behind it, Sebius."
"What nonsense!"
Sebius flared up in anger.
Who in their right mind would recommend such dangerous methods to a mere second-year student?
The reason stealth and quiet movement were emphasized was precisely because they were the safest approach. If you could just beat people up and take what you wanted, there'd be no need to steal in the first place.
"I thought they were intimidating people to make future thefts easier..."
"That's what I thought too. Figured they were making use of their talented junior while they had the chance."
"...No!"
Professor Garcia, who had been reading <Monthly Magic Education> upstairs in the inn, came down and sighed quietly.'This is the Headmaster's fault.' If nothing else, the method of dunking someone in the canal and wrecking their mansion was clearly learned from the Skeleton Principal.
Where else would such a kind-hearted student like Lee Han have picked that up?
* * *
"..."
What's done is done."
"Very wise thinking!"
As Lee Han gave up and resigned himself, the two rogues applauded his "wise" decision.
What could he do now that things had come to this?
"Young master. Look at it positively—you finished the job quickly. That's quite an achievement."
"Rumors are spreading that you dunked a kind citizen in the canal, though..."
"Not kind at all. Anyway, you said you wanted to attend a play?"
"Yes."
"With Einrogard students?"
"Correct."
Half-resigned, Lee Han decided to take comfort in the fact that his name and identity remained unknown.
Now it was time to plan his next move: escaping the Theater Club.
Since all other thief-related relocation requests were complete...
"It won't be difficult. You can just go with some acquaintances of mine. Ah. Though there is one small issue... No, actually, thinking about it, this might work out fine."
"What is it?"
"Really nothing major. You see, these theater outings are also social gatherings, so there's bound to be a lot of conversation. If you don't know much about imperial theater, you might stand out awkwardly. But since you're from the Wardanaz family, it shouldn't..."
"......"
Lee Han's face paled as knowledge he'd firmly believed he'd never need in life came back to haunt him.