Episode 951
Episode 951
"Wardanaz!"
"That crazy senior finally showed his true colors!"
The friends who had been eavesdropping outside immediately kicked the door open and rushed in the moment they heard the scream.
Though they had purely intended to help Lee Han with his task, the situation changed slightly when it involved that insane senior.
One should never let their guard down, no matter when or where. 'I knew this would happen!' The friends who barged in froze upon seeing Ilendil collapsed on the floor. Angrago quietly sheathed his sword. Nilia also hid her crossbow inside her cloak.
"What? So it wasn't Wardanaz who screamed."
"If the opponent's already unconscious, it's fine. Haha." 'Is it really fine?' Adenart tilted her head inwardly.
Even if he's a senior, this doesn't seem right...
"The senior collapsed."
"Why? Was he trying to summon another Dark Spirit?" 'There's a hint of venom in my friends' words.' Lee Han was slightly taken aback by their cold reactions.
After dealing with so many insane seniors, someone like Ilendil seemed almost average by comparison.
"Yoner, can you give me a potion?"
"Here. But Lee Han, waking up a senior you knocked out might not be the best choice."
"...I didn't knock him out."
Did he?
Lee Han felt a slight pang of guilt.
Ilendil collapsing was probably due to his usual aversion to dealing with people and his lack of physical training, but there was also a slim chance he had been shocked upon discovering Lee Han's true identity.
At the very least, Lee Han had always been quite polite in front of Ilendil.
Perhaps he was stunned by the stark contrast between Lee Han's usual demeanor and his true nature in the Watcher Club... 'But wearing a mask is necessary to hide one's true self.' Wasn't Ilendil originally someone who disliked dealing with people, preferring to slowly tend to plants and spirits in the depths of the forest?
Even someone like him had shown a sharp and aggressive side inside the Watcher Club.
Especially toward Lee Han, whom he had constantly harassed over a single nickname.
"Senior, are you alright?"
"I... I think I had some absurd... dream..."
"Did you dream about the Headmaster being replaced?"
"...No. It wasn't a dream."
Ilendil stared at Lee Han with an expression full of shock, horror, confusion, and disgust.
How could such a kind junior be Gonadaltes?!
"How on earth... It's completely different...?"
"It's a disguise."
"R-really?"
At his junior's words, Ilendil perked up slightly.
Now that he thought about it, the disguise explanation made some sense.
The kind junior who loved spirits had acted like a madman to conceal his true identity.
Since even Ilendil himself had never suspected a thing, it must have been an excellent disguise.
"I'll be counting on your support from now on, Senior."
"Uh, uh-huh."
Ilendil nodded slowly.
"Don't forget to agree with me when I speak in the Watcher Club."
"Uh-huh..."
As he acquiesced, Ilendil felt as though he was stepping into some kind of trap.
A creeping sense of unease rose within him, like misstepping into a swamp.
Huh...?
"So, how do we retrieve that artifact?"
"Ah."
Distracted by his wicked junior, Ilendil barely managed to regain his composure.
"I've already informed the knights and mages in Granden City."
Ilendil slowly counted on his fingers as he explained what he had done before coming here.
First, he had contacted the knights and mages in Granden City and, just in case, relayed the news to the Death Knights as well.
At the same time, he had informed the more sociable and well-connected students at Einrogard about the current situation to prepare for any unforeseen incidents during their outings.
"Wait. How did you do all that so quickly?"
"Huh? I asked the spirits."
"......"
Lee Han suppressed his irritation and swallowed it deep down.
The same absurd sense of deprivation he'd felt when talking to Arsil came rushing back.
"But for a spirit employed by mercenaries to secretly reveal the truth... Are spirits even capable of betrayal like that?"
Lee Han asked just in case.
If the spirit he'd contracted with someday took Ilendil's side too, it would leave an extremely bitter taste in his mouth.
"Ah, no. Spirits don't betray." 'Then what exactly did you inform the Senior about?' Noticing his junior's suspicious gaze, Ilendil hurriedly explained.
Though of course, what counted as 'hurried' for him was still spoken in that same sluggish tone.
"W-well... It's because the mercenaries didn't formally contract the spirits... They forcibly imprisoned them. Spirits don't betray those they've contracted with..."
"...By any chance, what exactly constitutes 'forcibly'?"
"??"
"Never mind. Let's continue with the artifact discussion."
The precise name of the ancient artifact currently in the mercenaries' possession was <Echo of the Demigod>.
Surprisingly, it was originally an artifact created to communicate with divine beings.
"Such a thing is possible!?"
"Indeed?"
Ilendil shrugged his shoulders with visible pride when his junior expressed astonishment.
While many mages denied the omniscience and omnipotence of divine beings, none denied their very existence.
There might have been disagreements about how their power worked, but the power itself was undeniably real.
And where there's power, mages will seek to exploit it—naturally, some mages attempted to harness the power of divine beings too. 'Come to think of it, they even artificially created and summoned demigods in the past.' Take the Black Emperor's Crown Magic for example—it was a form of magic that involved summoning a demigod, imprisoning it, and then exploiting its power.
In comparison, the <Echo of the Demigod> seemed like an artifact designed to draw out the power of an already existing divine being.
"The Evil God Worshippers... they've corrupted it to use for their purposes."
Though the Empire's suppression made spreading the evil god's faith difficult, this artifact changed everything.
Even those unreliable mercenaries were now devoutly following the god's will in an instant.
"Even so, this seems like an incredibly useful artifact. It's surprising they boldly handed it over to mercenaries."
"The thought processes of Evil God Worshippers are... quite twisted."
It wasn't easy to predict their motives using conventional logic.
Fundamentally warped and filled with madness, they were even more unpredictable than usual.
Ilendil speculated they might have overestimated their god's commands.
Those who act upon divine orders would never lose such an artifact!
"And the mercenaries are all seasoned too..."
"The one we captured seemed rather inept, though."
"Couldn't they have been corrupted by the evil god?"
"Indeed."
Lee Han found his senior's explanation somewhat convincing.
It was true that corruption by an evil god could degrade a person's intelligence and judgment.
"So what's your plan now?"
"Your friends... are all helping together?"
"Yes. Does that bother you?"
Ilendil shook his head.
They weren't crammed into a tight space, and he had no complaints about moving around for the task.
What Ilendil was more curious about was something else.
"How will you divide the artifact's rights?"
Between the two of them, they could split the artifact's ownership, but with so many people involved now, it would get complicated.
What about compensation? Wouldn't it cause problems later?
"Ah. They're just helping out as favors."
"......"
Ilendil was astonished by his junior's formidable network.
Who would have thought the junior who called himself Gonadaltes in the Watcher Club had so many friends?
He suddenly felt a strange distance between them.
"Mm... Well, that's good then..."
"Did I do something wrong? Why the sudden change?"
"It's nothing."
* * *
Granden City was vast, with countless places to hide.
Finding seasoned mercenaries here would be difficult even for the most skilled trackers.
"Hehe. But we have someone from the Shadow Patrol with us."
Angrago spoke with a voice full of pride.
Hearing that, Nilia looked at her friend in shock.
No matter what, how could they possibly find mercenaries here?
'This... this White Tiger Tower bastard!'
"There's no need for that. We have a spirit," Ilendil said slowly.
The spirit that had first delivered information to Ilendil was still lingering near the mercenaries.
Though the mercenaries weren't foolish enough to act conspicuously, their general direction could still be tracked.
"More importantly... we'll need more guards."
"Guards like adventurers? Or knights?"
Ilendil shook his head again. Then he pulled a glass bottle from his pocket and threw it to the ground.
With the sound of shattering glass, the liquid inside bubbled and boiled before taking on a humanoid form.
"!"
"This is...!"
Everyone was startled, but the students studying alchemy were especially shocked.
Though they knew there were solutions that could retain shapes or specific commands, to craft something so intricately humanoid was astonishing.
"Is it a spirit?"
"It's a spirit bound by contract, with its core essence housed inside, while the exterior is composed of several alchemical reagents to form a physical body."
"Is that even possible? How do you carry it around?"
The students poked and prodded the alchemical soldier in fascination.
Amused by his juniors' adorable behavior, Ilendil cracked a joke with a smile.
"I dissolved an adventurer in a shape-shifting solution... and made it remember its form."
"......"
"......"
The expressions of the awestruck second-years froze before turning icy.
Ilendil, who had thought he'd made a masterful joke, panicked and looked at Lee Han.
"What, what? It was a joke! Not funny...?"
"I laughed. But Senior, I think it might be best if you avoid jokes from now on."
Trailing behind Ilendil—whose expression had grown even more sullen (while his friends kept an even greater distance)—the group moved forward in silence.
"Ah."
"What's wrong?"
"The spirit says they're hiding here, but..."
Seeing Ilendil hesitate, Lee Han realized why.
The Second Barracks of the Granden City Guard.
It wasn't exactly a place outsiders could just waltz into.
"Let's quietly get permission to enter. Should we call some knights or mages?"
"No. If the people of Granden City get involved, ownership of the artifact could get complicated. Same goes for the Death Knights. The Headmaster might just take it for himself."
Ilendil spoke faster and more precisely than he had all day.
Truly, he was a mage of Einrogard—never one to surrender in the face of desire.
"Then what?"
"There's no choice."
Ilendil nodded with a resolute expression. Wondering if the fourth-year senior had a good plan, Lee Han asked,
"Do you have a good method?"
"Set the training grounds on fire to drive everyone out... then force our way in..."
"......"
"I'll just handle the negotiations."
A horrified Lee Han stopped him.
After mingling with Diret and meeting Yukveltire, Lee Han had thought, Wow, so seniors like this exist. But now, facing Ilendil, he had reached the realm of Wait, do seniors like this ACTUALLY exist?
Even Yukveltire probably wouldn't resort to arson and forced entry in a situation like this.
"B-but there must be another way?"
"There are probably hundreds. Ah. Daihal of the Dalkard Family works here as a special administrative officer—I'll ask him for help."
At Lee Han's words, Ilendil nodded in realization.
"The Dalkard Family is here?"
Ashan raised his hand. Only then did Ilendil nod as if it all made sense.
"I see. That explains it. If it's someone from the same family, persuasion should be..."
"Ah. Not me—Wardanaz will go. My brother likes Wardanaz more than me anyway."
Ashan said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Ashan, it's not that Daihal doesn't think of you. I heard he praised you at the last chess gathering."
"What?! There was a chess gathering?!"
"......"
"Anyway, I'll be back."
Lee Han left to ask Ashan's brother for help.
Watching his retreating figure blankly, Ilendil quietly asked,
"Am I the only one who thinks this is weird...?"