Episode 936
Episode 936
Alsicle was also curious, but he held it in.
The person in question was a great mage, but at the same time, he was also known for his eccentric temper.
Alsicle still remembered the anecdote about Valdororn giving Lee Han a pocket watch as a gift.
"So you bought this artifact in town? And from a secondhand shop that sells things cheaply, no less?"
"Yes. I think Lord Valdororn might have known and recommended it... Should I send a letter to ask what he meant by it?"
"No. If he went out of his way to teach a junior, it would be disrespectful to ask for the answer instead of figuring it out yourself."
Mages who did things like this usually had a temper as eccentric as the Skeleton Principal's.
Of course, that pocket watch had ended up in Lee Han's hands purely by coincidence after Professor Garcia disposed of it—it wasn't as if Valdororn had recommended it to Lee Han for some profound lesson or to torment him.
But the two young mages had no way of knowing that truth.
They had absolutely no intention of speaking to Valdororn about it!
'No need to provoke a powerful mage who's quietly minding his own business.'
Alsicle bowed his head slightly as a sign of respect. Valdororn, puzzled, glanced around, wondering if the penguin had just greeted him.
"Now then, Wardanaz."
"You should call me Stedal."
"...Stedal. Have you thought of anything?"
"Hmm. I haven't settled on anything concrete yet..."
First, the dangers Lee Han and the Theater Club students had to overcome were as follows:
The main streets, alleys, and shops outside the palace, all blockaded under the pretext of protecting the mages of Einrogard.
With Death Knights patrolling both inside and out, simply escaping the palace wouldn't guarantee a successful breakout. They would still need time to slip through the empty streets and break through the encirclement.
How could they first evade detection inside the palace, then escape pursuit and patrols?
"I'm thinking of causing a major disturbance."
As expected, a major disturbance was the answer.
A disturbance so massive that even the guests and Death Knights inside the palace would be completely distracted.
"At first, I considered summoning the Skeleton Principal's Crazy Doppelganger to impersonate him, but I realized the Death Knights probably aren't that stupid."
"...Regardless of whether it would work, the fact that you even thought of that is terrifying!"
Alsicle shuddered.
Who would dare impersonate the Skeleton Principal?
And of all people, it was the Skeleton Principal's own disciple.
"I thought it was a fairly viable plan. Of course, I gave up on it because the Death Knights would probably have a way to see through it..."
"What if you just revealed your identity as Wardanaz and asked the Death Knights for help?"
Alsicle made the suggestion in all seriousness.
It might have sounded reckless, but to Alsicle, it seemed quite plausible.
For one, while the Death Knights were loyal to the Skeleton Principal, they were also inclined to be loyal to his successor.
And while they were strict with the former, they tended to be a bit more lenient with the latter.
If Wardanaz asked, wouldn't they just turn a blind eye?
"That's the most absurd and pathetic suggestion I've heard all day. No matter how annoyed you are, how could you propose something like that?"
Lee Han looked at Alsicle with disdain. Alsicle protested indignantly.
"I was serious!"
"Hmph. Don't lie. There's no way you could have made that suggestion seriously."
Even if Alsicle was serious, it was a suggestion Lee Han could never accept.
If he tried talking to the Death Knights and they responded with "Understood! Come with us—to the Punishment Room!", his entire plan would be ruined.
"...Fine, fine. I get it. It's a bit risky. So? What kind of disturbance are we talking about?"
Truthfully, mages were fundamentally a breed specialized in causing disturbances.
Even a mage of modest skill could cause quite a commotion if they put their mind to it.
Alsicle alone could think of multiple methods—summoning creatures, elemental outbursts, deafening noise, emotional confusion, and more.
But if he just recklessly acted on those ideas, he'd be the perfect candidate to become a Magic Criminal.
The bigger the accident, the harder it is to deal with the aftermath.
That's precisely why Lee Han had joined the illusion mages preparing for the play.
Even if they caused a disturbance, as long as it was one that wouldn't make the gathered crowd feel suspicious and wouldn't lead to later repercussions, these mages were the perfect accomplices.
"We'll summon illusions that match the play's content, but make them far more intense and violent than what the audience expects."
"I see."
Alsicle understood Lee Han's plan.
The audience gathered here were connoisseurs of imperial theater. They wouldn't be particularly surprised by magical illusions appearing during a play.
But what if an illusion far more intense and violent than they anticipated appeared?
If the magic reached a level where people could momentarily mistake it for reality, the hall would descend into chaos—and that commotion would surely prompt the Death Knights to move.
"Impressive. You even prepared such magic in advance."
Alsicle praised Lee Han.
To have prepared magic that both fit the play's narrative and could plunge people into confusion...
Truly worthy of being the Skeleton Principal's direct disciple.
"Huh? I don't have any such magic prepared."
"Then?"
"I thought you'd come up with something, Alsicle."
"......"
Alsicle clacked his beak sharply as he glared at Lee Han.
"Wait... I'm just a second-year. How could I possibly come up with and prepare something like that?"
"Only now you're a second-year?! Ugh. I'm not even a specialist in illusion magic."
Alsicle fell into deep thought.
He did know a few illusion magic spells from certain schools. 'Charming Giant Penguin... That would be inappropriate for startling people and wouldn't match the play's content at all. Enraged Giant Penguin... If I make people angry, it might arouse suspicion later, and it still wouldn't fit the narrative.' "Don't you have any illusion magic besides penguins?"
"I told you I'm not an illusion specialist!"
Alsicle began rummaging through an illusion magic book he normally never read, pulling it from his pocket.
Who would have thought he'd be digging up forgotten illusion spells he'd dismissed as useless in the past?
"If we need an illusion suitable for feuding noble families... How about an orca illusion?"
"...That really doesn't match the play's content."
Two noble families in the middle of a city summoning an orca to fight was a bit...
Then Lee Han seemed to have an epiphany and exclaimed:
"I've got a great idea!"
"Oh? What is it?"
"Master?"
Now what?
"......"
Watching Lee Han treat the Skeleton Principal's Mad Clone like some magical assistant, Alsicle thought that someday Wardanaz might get abducted by a deranged archmage.
"Thank you, Master!"
For wasting just the right amount of time on nonsense.
Surprisingly, the Mad Clone taught them quite diligently. To Alsicle, it seemed even more earnest than the Skeleton Principal himself.
-Wrong. Upon closer inspection, this appears to be based on an incident between the Alkarmahta and Ilhon families. In that case, summon the illusion of a dragon.
-A dragon?! Isn't that too extreme? And it doesn't match the play's...
-No. Due to their ancestor's achievements, the Alkarmahta family was granted a covenant allowing them to summon a dragon in battle—once. Their feud with the Ilhon family ran so deep they used it. The bottomless black swamp in their territory is proof of the covenant. That's where the dragon's nest lies.
-W-wait...! I thought that black swamp was just some gloomy background element! You mean that place is...?!
-Seems the records were lost. The Ilhon family wasn't to be underestimated either. Knowing their opponents might summon a dragon, they summoned a demon.
-A demon too?!
-Therefore, have both dragon and demon appear in Act 2. The magic goes like this...
After the Mad Clone left, Alsicle spoke in an excited voice:
"I never imagined such secrets were hidden in that clichéd play I knew! A dragon and a demon! Such mysteries in that ordinary setting!!"
"Alsicle, do you... actually like theater?"
"Oh, no! That's ridiculous... This is just something any imperial citizen would naturally be surprised about!"
Alsicle was genuinely indignant at the sudden, absurd misunderstanding.
Compared to the empire's nobles who sincerely loved theater, Alsicle would be too embarrassed to even admit he liked plays anywhere.
His exclamation just now had purely stemmed from innocent curiosity.
But in Lee Han's eyes, Alsicle was already a sufficient theater enthusiast. 'Pretending not to like it when he clearly does.'
The Crazy Doppelganger had taught them two illusion spells: <Illusion of Rampaging Azirmo> and <Advent of the Duke of Wrath's Illusion>.
Both were 4th-circle spells, but their high complexity and numerous adjustments made them quite challenging. Alsicle was worried whether they could prepare before the play began.
"Can you master at least one of these?"
"I think I can cast <Illusion of Rampaging Azirmo>."
"......"
Noticing Alsicle's shocked expression, Lee Han quickly explained.
"I've learned a similar spell before."
It was the <Azirmo Summoning Enchantment>, which relied on magic circles and various reagents, but it was also a high-difficulty 4th-circle spell.
Having mastered it, Lee Han had gained a deep understanding of Azirmo's form, making it much easier to learn this similar illusion spell.
"I-I see. That's fortunate. Which professor taught you that spell? I should thank them later."
"Professor Verdus."
"Forget the thanks. That trash doesn't deserve it."
Alsicle waved his hand dismissively, retracting his words.
No doubt Professor Verdus had taught it to his student just to exploit it for his own magic.
What a scoundrel!
"Then I'll prepare the <Advent of the Duke of Wrath's Illusion>..."
Alsicle's voice was drowned out by a loud cheer from outside.
-"Step aside! Step aside! The mages of Einrogard have arrived!"
-"Oh! The pillars of Einrogard!"
-"Is such thorough security really necessary? Who here in this palace could possibly be suspicious?"
-"Let's be understanding. How many wicked souls would target the empire's greatest mages?"
"...They're here! Go and make contact quickly. I'll finish preparing!"
"Yes!"
"Wait!"
Alsicle called out again as Lee Han was about to run off.
"??"
"Don't forget to talk to any useful patrons you see!!"
"..."
Understood!"
* * *
Yoner was deep in a serious discussion with her friends.
"The Alkarmahta family's Black Swamp symbolizes the kingdom's gloomy state at the time. Otherwise, why would there be a swamp so out of place in their territory?"
"I see it differently. The Black Swamp represents the tragic fate of the two lovers."
"Could there be a Black Dragon in it or something?"
"Nilia! We're being serious here!"
"I-I was being serious too..."
Nilia was slightly flustered by her friends' reactions.
She had merely offered her own interpretation, just like they had—why the backlash?
"Esteemed mages of Einrogard. Welcome to the palace."
"Thank you!"
As the gathered nobles greeted them lightly, the Einrogard students returned the courtesy with dignity.
Their attire might have been more ragged than beggars', but their hearts upheld propriety.
When it came to behaving with refinement despite wearing tatters, Einrogard students excelled beyond all others.
Hearing the students' voices, the nobles who had been chatting elsewhere turned their attention.
Among them, a figure at the center of one noble group approached the students.
"Who is that?"
"Ah. That is Lord Stedal of the Nago family. A truly remarkable individual!"
A nearby noble eagerly explained Stedal's background—how he had been captured by southern pirates and miraculously rescued...
"That's unbelievable!"
"How could that be?!"
The students were astonished by the rich and complex backstory.
"Greetings."
Meanwhile, Stedal bowed his head and greeted them in a rough voice. Ashan's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he prepared to ask questions.
"Don't be alarmed, everyone. It's me, Wardanaz."
"......"
"......"