Episode 950
Episode 950
BeaverPenguinFox and Ilendil were utterly baffled.
Currently, Ilendil wasn't inside Einrogard but outside. To be precise, he was inside the pocket of a student who was leaving the academy.
As soon as he realized dangerous individuals were involved, he'd immediately sprung into action.
'...'
I almost broke the bottle...'
By fourth year, most students had one or two means of escaping Einrogard in emergencies, but that didn't make it easy.
Ilendil's chosen method was borrowing a spirit's power to hide inside a glass potion bottle.
Of course, this meant secretly entering the bottle without the owner student's knowledge—getting caught was not an option.
Suppressing his bewilderment, Ilendil moved the chalk again.
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: There must be some mistake.
Gonadaltes: I checked his identity—it's definitely Akdin.
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: ......
Ilendil, plunged into confusion, grabbed his tangled branch-like hair and pondered deeply.
While Gonadaltes was indeed crazy (especially when it came to naming things), he wasn't the type to boast about something he hadn't actually accomplished.
Had they really caught him?
Among the mercenaries who'd moved this time, there were many notorious figures.
But if choosing the most likely leader among them, Three-Fingered Akdin was the prime candidate.
Cunning and tenacious, he'd orchestrated major incidents like <Garam's Frenzy> and <Flamefall Assault>, always escaping unscathed.
To have caught such a man right off the bat...
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: He's skilled in all sorts of deception and tricks, with plenty of escape experience... Are you absolutely sure it's really Akdin?
Gonadaltes: Ah. Confirmed. I ambushed him, and my attack just happened to land directly on his artifact, smashing it. He seemed careless—his reaction was slow too.
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: That's all?
Ilendil couldn't believe it and asked again.
A mercenary infamous for his cunning and tenacity getting caught off guard like some rookie?
Gonadaltes, seemingly annoyed, began losing patience.
Gonadaltes: Then don't believe me. What do you want me to do? Come verify it yourself?
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: Hmm. First, my apologies. Given who we're dealing with, I had to press you. The mercenaries targeting the Swan Song are quite dangerous, so I'm heading to Granden City myself.
BeaverPenguinFox planned to inform the mages and knights in Granden City directly and help capture the mercenaries.
Originally, he intended to keep uninvolved students out of this, but seeing Gonadaltes' capabilities changed his mind.
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: Gonadaltes. How about working together on this?
"!"
Lee Han was surprised by the unexpected proposal.
A cooperation offer?
'We do need to catch the escapees, but is he really stepping forward himself?'
It wasn't Professor Voladi—this was a senior who seemed like he'd prefer gardening in some forest corner. Seeing him take initiative like this left Lee Han slightly puzzled.
Gonadaltes: If you have information, can't you just leave it to the people in Granden City?
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: Of course, I'll delegate some of it, but we can't rely solely on them. Besides, this is too good an opportunity to pass up.
Gonadaltes: Too good an opportunity?
To Lee Han's confusion, Ilendil explained in detail.
Ilendil had two main reasons for stepping in directly now.
First, as a mage of Einrogard, he couldn't just sit back trusting other mages. Second, it was because of the relics the mercenaries possessed.
If Gonadaltes cooperated, Ilendil intended to fairly account for both the promised reward from last time and these relics.
'Wait. How does he even know about this?'
Gonadaltes: Fine. As a fellow Einrogard student, I can cooperate. But in return, I'd like some help from you in the club later.
Ilendil frowned at the additional condition.
The promised reward and a fair share of the relics were already sufficient terms for this deal. To demand more now was just greedy.
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox: That doesn't add up. Cooperation means the reward and the relics. I don't see why you'd ask for more.
He was right.
Even if they were disguised and hiding their identities, seeing each other use magic up close would inevitably lead to some guesses.
'Why is he saying that?'
Gonadaltes:
"But I already know your identity. Since only my identity is being revealed, isn't that a loss for me?"
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox:
"...Don't spout nonsense."
Ilendil barely managed to regain his composure and replied.
This sly bastard was bluffing to squeeze more out of them.
No matter how he thought about it, Ilendil had never revealed his identity in the Watcher Club. Besides, Gonadaltes had joined relatively late, hadn't he?
Gonadaltes:
"Say what you will, but knowing is knowing."
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox:
"Then say it. If you're right, I'll unconditionally help you with Watcher Club matters from now on."
Ilendil scoffed.
There was no way the other could possibly guess—
Gonadaltes:
"Senior Ilendil."
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox:
"......"
Gonadaltes:
"Right? I'll be counting on you when discussing artifacts later. And help me out when I curse at Iactus."
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox:
"H-How...?"
Gonadaltes:
"We'll talk about that later when we meet. More importantly, Senior, how did you find out about what the mercenaries are plotting?"
Lee Han asked, unable to comprehend.
Even Lee Han, who had been roaming around Granden City, had no idea about this, yet Ilendil had pieced it all together.
He couldn't understand how Ilendil had figured it out.
Beaver
- Penguin
- Fox:
"A spirit contracted to one of the mercenaries came and told me."
"......"
Lee Han's eyes widened in shock.
How the hell was something like that even possible?!
"Hey, gather around."
Lee Han called his friends with a serious expression.
Starting with the mercenary who had collapsed earlier, his friends, sensing that the situation was unusual, quietly gathered around.
"It's surprising, but even the spirits you contract can betray you. Double-check the terms of your contracts."
"...What, what are you talking about?"
"Weren't we talking about those mercenaries?"
"That too, but we'll get to that now."
Lee Han relayed exactly what he had heard from his senior.
Surprisingly, the reason these mercenaries were running wild was because of the Evil God Worshippers.
It was easy to assume the Evil God Worshippers acted alone, but large-scale plans always required many hands.
The mercenaries who had come to Granden City this time were also those who had been paid a hefty sum of gold coins by the Evil God Worshippers to follow their orders.
-From now on, we'll be going our separate ways. Take this artifact and deliver it to our comrades.
'Are they idiots?'
From the mercenaries' perspective, this was utterly baffling.
What kind of fool would just hand over an artifact to mercenaries?
Even keeping watch over them wouldn't be enough, yet they were expected to deliver it obediently?
The mercenaries, planning to split up and immediately sell the artifact on the black market, readily nodded.
-Understood. We'll do that.
-As promised.
-Yeah, we promised.
The mercenaries who received the artifact chuckled to themselves as they prepared to leave the city that very day.
A few odd jobs, and they'd get gold coins and an ancient artifact? There was no more profitable job than this.
But that night, a monster summoned by the Evil God Worshippers descended upon Granden City, and at the same time, a vicious curse manifested upon the mercenaries who had taken the artifact.
Obey... my command...
The symptoms were auditory and visual hallucinations from the Evil God.
If they disobeyed, the curse would instantly spread throughout their bodies, seizing their hearts.
Only then did the mercenaries realize they had been tricked by the Evil God Worshippers. Some action they had taken must have triggered the curse.
With bounties on their heads, they were in a situation where their identities could be exposed at any moment due to the palace monster incident.
They needed to flee as quickly as possible, but the mercenaries couldn't even do that—they had to follow the Evil God's voice and carry out its commands.
Attacking shops and stealing the Swan Song were also part of those orders.
Angrago, who had been listening intently, asked,
"But those mercenaries didn't seem that impressive. Wouldn't the mages or knights of Granden City capture them easily?"
"I thought so too. But the senior seemed really keen on getting that artifact. Must be something valuable."
'These... arrogant little mage bastards...!'
Akdin, having regained his senses, was utterly bewildered.
"To think they'd dare mock us for being low-level—that's truly outrageous!"
If nothing else, the mere mention of Akdin's name would have mercenaries lining up to join his cause!
'Getting nervous?! How could I make such a mistake?!' Akdin gritted his teeth.
That a seasoned veteran like him had underestimated the customers entering the shop—who would have thought it would lead to this?
He never imagined the enemy would track him down right under his nose.
'...No. They have every right to mock me.'
Lulling the enemy into complacency, drawing them out, and then striking at the most crucial artifact to subdue them—it was executed so flawlessly that he had no words.
Akdin never would have guessed that his opponents had prepared spells and scouted the shop without any particular reason.
The artifact being shattered was actually a stroke of luck...
"Sorry we're late!"
As the knights and mages of Granden City rushed in, Lee Han and his friends prepared to leave.
But then, a shop employee hurriedly ran over and stopped them.
"Wait! Which faction do you belong to, and who are you mages? Please let us repay your kindness!"
"Uh..."
"Well..."
The students hesitated.
Sure, they were affiliated with Einrogard, but they were currently disguised.
Moreover, given the gravity of the situation, revealing their Einrogard affiliation might reach the ears of the Death Knights...
"W-We're mages from the Nago Family."
"Ah! Right! We're from the Nago Family too!"
"Oooh...!"
Not just the employees but even the knights looked intrigued.
Were there other mages from the Nago Family, whose rumors had been spreading so much lately?
"Did you know? Last time, when the Death Knights of Einrogard were asked if they knew the family, they said it was an extraordinary one."
"Truly astonishing. The Empire has many remarkable families, but..."
'The Nago Family... a name to be wary of from now on.'
Akdin, his powers completely sealed, committed the name deeply to memory.
A seasoned mercenary like him didn't hold grudges against those who defeated him. Instead, he remembered them and avoided them at all costs.
There was no benefit in picking fights with the strong.
Judging by the strength of these Nago Family mages, it seemed best to steer clear of them in the future.
Ilendil waited anxiously in a nearby garden for Gonadaltes to arrive.
Generally, Ilendil disliked meeting other mages in person—especially those who insisted on calling him "Gonadaltes."
But given the circumstances, he had no choice.
If he wanted to secure that precious artifact, cooperating with an Einrogard student was the right move.
Gonadaltes' skills were undeniable...
'To subdue Akdin that easily—is he a fourth-year? Or even fifth-year? Who is he?'
Still in shock, Ilendil had even missed the fact that the other had called him "Senior."
"Are you here?"
"...N-No!"
Ilendil let out a small scream as a group of mages came bustling in.
The mage at the front recognized Ilendil and asked,
"Senior Ilendil?"
"Why... why are there so many of you?"
"What do you mean?"
"The mages..."
"Isn't it better to have more people cooperating?"
"W-Well, yes, but..."
Ilendil trailed off. Lee Han tilted his head, wondering if there was a problem.
After hesitating, Ilendil slowly replied in a small voice,
"I-I'm just... not comfortable with so many people around..."
"......"
And yet, in the Watcher Club, he was so talkative!
Lee Han was baffled but asked his friends to step outside for a moment.
"Can you wait outside?"
"If that guy attacks you, scream immediately, Wardanaz."
"...He wouldn't dare."
"Isn't that the lunatic who summoned a Dark Spirit in the forest last time? Should we really leave Wardanaz alone with him?"
'Can't deny that.'
Just as Ilendil disliked being in a cramped space with strangers, the second-years weren't too fond of the senior who had unleashed an Artificial Dark Spirit in the forest.
Among the second-years, Ilendil had already been categorized as "that crazy senior."
Creak.
As the door closed, Ilendil let out a sigh of relief. Then he asked,
"I don't recognize your face...?"
"Ah. I was disguised."
Lee Han removed his disguise.
When the kind-hearted junior—who loved spirits and had a warm demeanor—appeared before him, Ilendil let out a scream and fainted backward.