Episode 970
Episode 970
"What... what did you mean by what you just said..."
Lee Han, who had been about to ask, was startled when he noticed his surroundings growing blurry.
'Is this the end of our encounter this time? Let's meet again next time, Os's disciple.'
"Wait! Then what about the Small World—?"
The Yaksha King showed respect for the mage who, even until the very end, never let go of his curiosity about magic.
But that wasn't what Lee Han had been trying to ask. Watching the dimensions fade away, Lee Han screamed internally.
'...So the entrance exam had absolutely nothing to do with it?!'
It seems like even if I had just stayed still, I would have been able to come out on my own when the time came...!
"Gasp!"
"What's wrong?"
The juniors, who had been lying on their sleeping bags with their eyes closed for a moment, suddenly sat up with a shout, startling the seniors.
When exploring underground areas like this, even nightmares had to be taken seriously.
It might not have been just an ordinary dream—it could have been a precursor to an evil monster or phenomenon.
"Ah, it's nothing. I was just so absorbed in magic in my dream that..."
"......"
Sigunting and Anpagon were inwardly impressed.
The students of the Enchantment Magic school were well aware that, among all the schools of Einrogard, they were the ones most deeply immersed in magic.
This wasn't baseless pride.
After all, what kind of mage would willingly study magic under Professor Verdus?
Simply enduring Professor Verdus's teachings was proof enough that they were the most dedicated to magic.
But to be so engrossed in magic even in their dreams... 'He really isn't an ordinary guy.' 'Practicing magic even in dreams must put an incredible mental strain on him. Impressive.'
Meanwhile, Yukveltire quietly approached Lee Han from behind. Sensing her concern, Lee Han waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm fine, Senior."
"Good. I was actually researching methods of practicing magic in dreams—could you explain your experience in detail?"
"Please go away, Senior."
Lee Han was quickly adapting to the Enchantment Magic school's ways.
When a senior spoke to him, his first instinct was to respond sharply and bluntly.
-What a waste of effort.
-Yeah, tell me about it.
"!?"
The group was startled by the voices of other students coming from above the cliff.
"Were we followed?"
"No! They don't seem to know we're here. It looks like they found Steel Shoe through another method..."
-"Who goes there?!"
Soon, those above seemed to sense their presence and shouted sharply.
Anpagon, not lowering his guard, responded.
"Enchantment Magic school. And you?"
"Madmen, huh? We're from the Transmutation Magic schoo— Wait! Wardanaz! Why are you there?!"
The startled Transmutation Magic seniors soon realized.
"Ah. Wardanaz also took Enchantment Magic classes."
"Yes... More importantly, Seniors. How did you find this location?"
The Transmutation Magic students above the cliff hesitated for a moment before answering.
If it had just been the Enchantment Magic students, they would have ignored them with a 'Why should I answer you, you little Verduses?' But Lee Han was there.
"Senior Zarun borrowed a lot of our reagents and never returned them, so we secretly placed tracking spells on him."
"......"
Lee Han and the other Enchantment Magic students were inwardly horrified.
They weren't the only ones who had placed spells on him!
"One of us can transform into an Alicanto, so we were able to break through easily. But how did you guys get here so quickly?"
The Transmutation Magic seniors were puzzled.
They had been lucky enough to have a student who could transform into a bird native to this area, allowing them to move fast—but the Enchantment Magic school shouldn't have had that advantage.
"Don't tell me you brute-forced your way down through the Golem Cave up there..."
"......"
Lee Han's face twisted at their explanation.
He had learned yet another lesson today.
Never blindly accept a senior's tempting offer without thinking it through! 'Damn it. If I had just checked with the Transmutation Magic side once, it would have been so much easier.'
Who would have thought there were others besides Yukveltire who had placed tracking spells?
It was Lee Han's mistake for underestimating the seniors of Einrogard.
"We got lucky. But... Senior. Were you looking for Senior Zarun? Why isn't he with you?"
"We did look for him, but it's pointless."
"??"
"If you're curious, come up here. Wait. Wardanaz, you alone come up."
The Transmutation Magic students warned with faces full of wariness.
They might trust Lee Han, but Enchantment Magic students were not reliable allies.
It wouldn't be strange if they suddenly smacked you on the back of the head while standing there blankly.
"Understood. I'll come up alone."
Using Psychokinesis, Lee Han easily ascended toward the cliff edge.
And then, upon seeing the distant sight, he was horrified.
"!!"
Inside a massive green crystal vein, their familiar dwarf senior was trapped. His hardened face was filled with shock and disbelief.
"Did you seniors imprison him?!"
"What? No!"
The Transmutation Magic seniors vehemently denied it.
"But it does feel good. Should we pretend we did?"
"Wardanaz. When we arrived, Senior Zarun was already trapped in there. We checked the surroundings thoroughly—there was no vein."
After discovering the crystal imprisoning Zarun, the Transmutation Magic students combed through every inch of the area.
They had hoped to find traces of an orichalcum vein.
But there were no signs of orichalcum, nor any other mineral veins—no mining or exploration marks either.
After much deliberation, the students reached a conclusion.
—Senior Zarun must have lied about discovering a vein to secure support, even though there wasn't one.
"...Ah, no. Even if it's Senior Zarun, would he really lie about something like that?"
"He's done it a few times before, hasn't he? Different kinds of lies, sure, but..."
"......"
Once again, Lee Han realized he had underestimated the seniors of Einrogard.
These upperclassmen wouldn't hesitate to spin the most outrageous lies if it meant securing the equipment or funds they needed.
Students accustomed to such antics weren't particularly disappointed.
Still, Lee Han made one last attempt to defend him.
"But an orichalcum vein is on a whole different level, isn't it? Even professors are paying attention now. Surely he wouldn't—"
"Wardanaz. Don't measure a madman by your own standards."
'That's fair.'
Lee Han's defense was instantly shot down.
At Einrogard, thinking "Surely they wouldn't do that?" was meaningless.
"An orichalcum vein isn't something you just stumble upon. We'd have been happy with any vein, but there's nothing here."
"Judging by the situation, Senior Steel Shoe must have pre-registered this spot for his own work later. Otherwise, there'd be signs of exploration or mining. We've searched enough—we're heading back. Wardanaz, you coming?"
"Uh... Aren't you taking Senior Zarun with you?"
At Lee Han's question, the Transmutation Magic students stared at him as if he'd said something absurd.
"Wardanaz. Senior Steel Shoe ignored our greetings and never replied to our letters. He just holed up in his workshop digging for gold. We're not exactly social butterflies either, but there's a limit. Even the Enchantment Magic lunatics wouldn't go that far."
'No... They're about the same...' Lee Han thought to himself.
"Besides, we don't feel like hanging around an unknown crystal vein trying to figure out how to free that senior. He won't die anyway—leave him be, and either the Death Knights will collect him or a professor will pick him up."
The Transmutation Magic faction wasn't as cold as Enchantment Magic, but they could be ruthless toward certain individuals.
Especially someone like Zarun. Whether due to his accumulated karma, no one stepped forward to help.
"You coming back with us?"
"...I came with others, so it might be difficult. And there's something bothering me too."
"Fine. Suit yourself. One last piece of advice—don't fixate too much on the orichalcum vein. It's rare for a reason."
"No, I was worried about Senior Zarun."
"Ah. Really? Then you definitely shouldn't obsess over it. Just think of it as a weird-looking ore."
With those final words, the Transmutation Magic students prepared to leave.
One transformed into an alicanto, and the others climbed aboard before swiftly flying away.
"Wardanaz. May I come up?"
"Yes. I think it's fine for you to come up."
As the Enchantment Magic students climbed up one by one, Lee Han explained what had happened.
Upon hearing this, the three seniors spoke coldly.
"Then it's highly likely to be a scam."
"...Is there any possibility of a misunderstanding?"
"There aren't any traces nearby that would suggest otherwise. If they were working, there would have been mining marks. They probably hid their important equipment and funding in their workshop and came down here to escape."
Sigunting supported Anpagon's speculation.
"I can guess why they went inside. They probably entered to prevent pursuers from killing them."
Lee Han was shocked by such a fresh and bold conjecture, but the other seniors nodded in agreement.
Even Yukveltire did the same.
"Judging by their attire, they were indeed fleeing."
"Perhaps they found the orichalcum vein and had no choice but to move for unavoidable reasons."
Yukveltire shook her head.
"No. If they had truly found orichalcum, they wouldn't have left that area even if it meant death."
"That's true."
If they had abandoned the spot and disappeared or had it taken by someone else, the agony would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
A mage like Zarun would have definitely stayed near the vein.
The fact that they were found here without any significant traces was proof that the vein didn't exist.
"...Understood. Then let's pull Senior Zarun out and ask him."
"What?"
"Why would you do that?"
"You've picked up Diret's bad habit of wasting time on unnecessary things."
The three seniors scolded him in order of seniority.
Lee Han responded firmly.
"Since I've come this far, even if it's just to clear my conscience, I have to pull him out and ask."
If there was even the slightest chance he was trapped for another reason, it was worth the effort.
But the seniors thought differently.
"That's a waste of time..."
"If you won't help, I'll fire magic in all directions to summon monsters."
"......"
"...Fine. We'll help."
When a usually diligent junior becomes stubborn, it's terrifying.
Faced with the stubbornness of a junior who had always devoted himself without complaint, the seniors had no choice but to relent...
It definitely wasn't because they were scared of the threat.
Fortunately, Yukveltire seemed to have figured out the nature of the vein that trapped Zarun.
"It's a very unique metal. A naturally formed alloy, not something you see often."
"How do we get him out?"
"It's extremely resilient to external force. If we try to force it open, even Zarun of the Steel Shoe Family will shatter along with it."
"So how?"
"There might be some black magnetite mixed in as well. Seeing how the mana circulates strangely, there's an absorption property somewhere..."
"Senior."
"Hmm?"
"Could you just tell us the main point—how to get him out?"
"Melting it with heat infused with mana would likely be the best approach."
Yukveltire quickly sketched the design of an artifact on the ground.
It was an artifact that would gather surrounding mana, convert it into heat, control that heat to prevent it from leaking or causing collateral damage, and ultimately melt the ore steadily.
Looking at the complex design and the even more complicated list of materials required, Lee Han nodded.
"I'll just melt it with my own mana."
"......"
A faint flicker of emotion crossed Yukveltire's otherwise expressionless face before disappearing.
But Lee Han had no choice either.
When would they ever gather all those materials, bring them down here, and set them up?
They needed an on-the-spot solution.
Fortunately, after hearing the principle, Lee Han thought he could manage it with his own body.
'Convert mana into flame attribute and release it.'
Though it was a far cruder and more wasteful method compared to Yukveltire's artifact, given enough time, the result would be the same.
Yukveltire, who had been watching from behind, spoke up.
"Junior of the Wardanaz Family."
"Don't interrupt me."
"I'm not interrupting..."
"Setting up your artifact would take too long, Senior."
"That's not what I was going to say..."
"Shh. Then please be quiet."
"......"
Yukveltire closed her mouth.
In truth, she hadn't spoken because of the artifact.
From earlier, a faint illusion of a crown had been flickering above Lee Han's head.
'...What kind of magic is that?'