Episode 944
Episode 944
'Perhaps this might be my fault.'
Sebius deeply reflected as he looked at the devastated state of the palace.
To think he'd sent only the junior with the capability to half-destroy the palace ahead as an infiltrator.
He should have at least disguised one or two other seniors as servants and sent them together.
That way, they could have prevented the accident before it happened...!
"Sebius! Snap out of it!"
"I'm listening."
"There's only one thing we need to do right now!"
"Right. We need to quickly find our junior and..."
"Destroy all evidence linking us to this before running away!"
"......"
Even in this situation, the Teleportation Club students hadn't lost their Einrogard spirit.
If they just erased the evidence, wouldn't they be innocent?
If they just destroyed all evidence connecting them to the Theater Club and ran away...!
Sebius let out a deep sigh before speaking.
"That's pointless. Think about it. How many Einrogard students are currently in Granden City?"
"W-well, we could just say it was those Theater Club bastards."
"Those Theater Club guys wouldn't keep it a secret. It's too late now. Let's just find our junior."
"Ugh...! I can't afford to go to the Punishment Room this month! I need to graduate!"
Sebius's friends whined as they followed him.
Unlike his friends, Sebius had been preparing for graduation in advance and calmly surveyed their surroundings. 'What's this? Mages from elsewhere?' Upon checking, he spotted a group of mages near the bridge. Judging by the artifacts and staff designs they carried, they seemed to be from an illusion magic school. 'Then they might be mages participating in this play.' Thinking this was fortunate, Sebius cautiously approached.
The half-destroyed palace seemed to have shocked even these mages, as they were murmuring with serious expressions.
-"So you're saying that illusion was prepared by Stedal of the Nago Family and Alsicle of the Pengerin Family?"
-"That seems to be the case."
-"My. And now both have disappeared... The theater enthusiasts and critics who watched the play were eager to meet the mages who prepared this illusion magic..."
"Excuse me, may I ask you a question?"
Sebius politely addressed a mage whose robe was pulled deeply over his head.
"Y-yes?!"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Valdororn jerked his head up in surprise.
His fingertips still trembled from the aftermath of the Transcendents' battle.
"Just what exactly happened here?"
"Y-you didn't hear? Evil God Worshippers summoned monsters here."
"!?!"
The students were horrified.
One of them muttered quietly:
"N-no way... Even our junior wouldn't go that far... right...?"
Sebius calmly asked:
"Have the identities of those Evil God Worshippers been confirmed?"
"Ah, yes. I heard they're all dead."
A sigh of relief burst out from behind.
So it really wasn't their junior's doing!!
Misunderstanding the meaning of that sigh, Valdororn nodded.
"I too am relieved those wicked ones didn't escape."
"That's not why we're relieved... Never mind. So the Death Knights handled the monsters?"
"The Death Knights, along with Lord Alsicle of the Pengerin Family and Lord Stedal of the Nago Family, dealt with them."
"...W-wait, Stedal of the Nago Family?"
As the students froze, Valdororn kindly explained.
He was an extremely powerful combat mage, and his visit to the palace was likely precautionary, coming together with Alsicle.
They defeated the summoned Profaner alongside a mighty Spirit King—it was truly a mythical spectacle...
"Wow. There's a mage like that?"
"The Empire truly has many remarkable figures."
The students grew intrigued by Valdororn's explanation.
The Empire was vast, and it wasn't uncommon for mages who had trained for centuries in unnamed, uncharted lands to suddenly emerge.
"Right? Ah, they say this person was also the vigilante who recently appeared in Granden City."
"......"
"......"
The students' faces simultaneously turned pale.
"Ugh! We did something heroic, so why do we have to run away?!"
"Can you even call that a question?"
Lee Han looked at Alsicle with an expression of utter disbelief.
Alsicle, who had been casting spells intensely and then running, was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
"Wait. Let's...let's just rest for a moment!"
Flailing like a struggling penguin, Alsicle made it clear he had no intention of moving. In the end, Lee Han had no choice but to relent.
"Huff, huff... We could've stayed a bit longer, you know."
"And if the knights changed their minds and dragged me away, would you take responsibility for that?"
"...Well, that's true, but..."
Lee Han had hurriedly left the palace for a simple reason.
There was a chance the Death Knights might change their minds and send him to the Punishment Room.
Even though the knights had pretended not to notice at the time, there was no way they hadn't recognized him after he'd even summoned Perkuntra.
"...But they let you go, didn't they? Like I've been saying, the Death Knights secretly respect you."
"Ha. Sir Alsicle. That's exactly the trap."
Lee Han gave Alsicle a look that said, 'This is why non-Einrogard graduates are like this.' Alsicle bristled slightly.
'Wait. Now that I think about it, I didn't even need to move.'
Even if the Death Knights had changed their minds and taken Lee Han to the Punishment Room, it wouldn't have mattered to Alsicle.
"No matter how kindly the Headmaster's underlings treat you, you should never trust them. The moment you let your guard down completely—that's the exact moment the enemy strikes."
"...That... does make sense."
Knowing the Skeleton Principal's temperament, Alsicle couldn't outright deny it.
From Alsicle's perspective, the Death Knights seemed to already regard Lee Han almost as a successor and treated him with respect—but that, too, could be a trap.
"Young Master! Over here!"
Beyond the open carriage door, Arian and Amur waved their arms.
They had agreed to help with the covert escape after defeating the enemy. The two hurriedly climbed inside.
"What in the world did you do?! Rumors are spreading from the eastern city gates all the way to the western canals!"
Arian exclaimed in utter disbelief. Lee Han looked at Alsicle. Alsicle looked back at Lee Han.
"...Ah. You're talking to me, aren't you?"
'Who else would it be, me?'
Alsicle was flabbergasted. Lee Han scratched his cheek awkwardly and explained.
"Things took an unexpected turn. There was nothing we could do."
"Of course it was unexpected..."
If they had planned yesterday's events in advance, Arian would've genuinely collapsed on the spot.
Amur, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.
"Well, at least the students got away safely. That's what matters."
"That's... that's true, but..."
Arian wondered if it was really acceptable to wrap up a life-or-death struggle against Evil God Worshippers with a casual 'Well, at least the students escaped, haha.'
"If I'd known it was this dangerous, I would've never taken you there! What would the Wardanaz Family have thought of me if something had happened to you?!"
"They'd probably think of you as a kind soul who helped me out..."
"Don't joke about this!"
'I'm not joking.'
Lee Han then had to endure a thirty-minute lecture from Arian.
Students should retreat when things get dangerous, they should call for other mages, and...
As he listened, Lee Han thought to himself:
'Hmm. If Arian is reacting like this, I'd better avoid Professor Garcia for a while.'
If Arian's reaction was this strong, Professor Garcia's would be several times fiercer.
Lee Han resolved to steer clear of the Inn of Ten Thousand Schemes for some time. Fortunately, he had more or less wrapped up all the requests from the Teleportation Club.
"Whew. I shouldn't be lecturing you two at length after such an ordeal. My apologies. So, what are your plans now?"
"First, we'll find our scattered friends, then look into Sir Alsicle's sponsors."
"You...!"
Alsicle was deeply moved.
Even amidst all that chaos, he hadn't forgotten their promise.
"...Wait, Lord Alsicle. You're not... crying, are you?"
"Penguin beastmen's eyes naturally sparkle like lanterns, that's all!"
Alsicle snapped angrily. With the way he looked ready to peck with his beak if questioned further, Lee Han decided to let it go.
"Do you have enough time?"
"Ah, yes. Since I joined so many clubs, I have plenty of outings left."
While the others would each have to return, Lee Han still had ample time remaining.
Even after helping the friends who'd scattered across the city and handling Alsicle's business, there would still be time to spare.
"We should find a place to stay first."
"Then I'll arrange accommodations."
"Ah, no. That might be..."
Lee Han hesitated at Arian's offer.
It was already generous enough that he'd helped them this far—providing lodging for Lee Han and his friends would be pushing it.
"No. You should accept."
But Alsicle seriously advised otherwise.
"Why do you say that?"
"The Death Knights might check the city's inns."
"...!"
Now that he thought about it, the Theater Club students who'd fled their designated locations might be tracked down.
After a moment of deliberation, Lee Han made a counteroffer.
"Does the guild have any spare warehouses, by chance?"
"We have plenty of warehouses, but is there really a need to stay in such a place...?"
"No, actually. Considering the risk of pursuit, a warehouse might be better."
Arian thought to himself.
Einrogard students truly were eccentric!
"Very well. Then let's proceed that way."
Lee Han took out the [Whispers of Einrogard] to contact his fellow students. It wasn't the [Watchers of Einrogard] club's network but another one that included friends like Adenart and Angrago.
-Guys, gather at the Kaako Merchant Guild warehouse near the dwarf bridge by the north gate. Got permission to use it.
-What's this all of a sudden?
Giselle, baffled by the sudden message on the crumpled paper, asked for clarification.
Not being part of the Theater Club, she was less aware of the situation.
Angrago quickly replied.
-Got it! I'll head there!
-What do you mean, 'got it'?
-I mean... Wait. What if you're snitching on us?- ...
Alpha, have you lost your mind?
-I-I'm not Alpha??'Your handwriting's identical...'Lee Han sighed at Angrago's flustered denial and stepped in to explain.
-The Theater Club escaped during the chaos. We're planning to wander until the time limit and then return.
-What? So you were going to join the Theater Club. How'd you slip past the blockade? Did you set something on fire?
-Uh...
-Well...
-It's...- ...
What is it?
-It's a long story. I'll explain later.
-You're not just avoiding the topic, are you?
-No. It's genuinely long.
-Hah!
Giselle smirked coldly.
If it turned out not to be a long story, she'd make these liars pay dearly.
-Wardanaz.
There are multiple warehouses by the dwarf bridge at the north gate. Which one should we go to? Is there any way to find out??- ...
I'll come meet you. Wait a moment.
After writing that, Lee Han turned to Arian. Those without the crumpled paper would need to be picked up separately.
"Can we make a few stops before heading to the warehouse?"
"Of course. Where did you have in mind?"
"First, the alchemy workshop run by Yoanen of the Maykin Family, then the administrative office where Daihal of the Dalkard Family is stationed. My friends are probably waiting there."
Alsicle, listening nearby, was impressed by his thoroughness.
"Wow. You even pinpointed their locations amid all that chaos?"
"Huh? No, I didn't."
"Then how?"
"I just predicted it."
When the carriage finally stopped at their destination, the hidden friends emerged one by right on cue. Lee Han opened the door casually as if it were nothing and welcomed them.
Watching this, Alsicle shuddered.'Th-this guy... If he ever becomes a professor, students won't even stand a chance at escaping...!'