Episode 432

A leaky pot inside will leak outside as well.

A wizard who stole livestock from the village for transmutation experiments and borrowed city guild funds for alchemy likely amassed various riches during his time at Einrogard, too.

‘I want those legacies.’

While Lee Han’s eyes sparkled with such sinister thoughts, the senior looked around at the juniors and spoke.

“You’re all first-years, right? I bet most of you don’t even know about nighttime walks or outings.”

No… well… never mind. Go on.

The skull principal was about to say, ‘First-years back in your time are very different from this batch,’ but decided not to.

“This is a very good phase for you all. Juniors, once you break the rules once, you’ll do it twice, and then three times… You mustn’t ignore the school rules! Sometimes, rule-breakers might look cool to you, but that’s an illusion.”

The juniors reacted vigorously to this heartfelt lecture.

“What’s he saying? Is that really a senior?”

“A minion bribed by the principal!”

“He ate well after graduation and has forgotten what he was like as a first-year!”

“Boo! Go away! Minion of the principal!”

Telling these rough, hardened first-year juniors to “follow the rules” was pointless after all the tough and bland food they’d eaten.

It only had the opposite effect.

“Juniors! Please calm down! Maybe you don’t believe me now, but in time—”

“Go away! Go away!”

Gainando got excited and crumpled up a wad of paper to throw.

The skull principal looked on pitifully.

‘What a bunch of idiots.’

And it wasn’t even an order from the skull principal. He never forbade students from breaking the rules.

He only got mad when his storage rooms were raided…

Even so, eerie self-discipline like this was the source of true magical improvement.

‘As long as it doesn’t happen off school grounds. Blaming the school for your own lack of restraint, really.’

“Juniors! Juniors! Please listen!”

“Boo! Go away!”

“Please—”

“Go away! Go away!”

Bang!

The senior struck the floor with his staff.

Then Gainando’s coat turned into dozens of birds, which began pecking him madly.

“Ack! Augh! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“……”

The heckling friends immediately went silent at the sight of Gainando.

No matter how weak the senior looked, he was still a monster who had survived the hell that was Einrogard.

• * *

The senior, belatedly coming to his senses, released Gainando, but the mood had already chilled.

“…Principal. Is this really okay?”

Who knows. How should I know.

The skull principal’s cold tone made the senior sweat.

Since he’d been hauled in as punishment for trouble outside, this Einrogard alumnus had to earn his keep.

-Participate in the lecture. Show these ironheads why you can’t make trouble outside.

-Principal! But I’m a graduate wizard of Einrogard…

-Then go rot in the punishment room, if you want.

-…Thank you so much for entrusting me with such a task!

Having been told his sentence would be considered for reduction based on his performance, the senior was desperate.

But the mood among the first-years remained icy.

Out of fear, no one heckled further, but their eyes were filled with distrust.

“…Juniors. I got a bit agitated earlier. But I’m really not a dangerous person.”

“……”

Gainando sniffled, picking out the feathers. The other friends glared at the senior.

“…Are there any questions? Please, ask anything.”

“I have a question, senior.”

As no one else raised a hand, Lee Han alone did so.

The senior beamed at the sight.

“Ask away!”

“It seems you were arrested for a crime. Where were you incarcerated?”

“Er… Einrogard punishment room. You wouldn’t know yet, but Einrogard has a punishment room…”

“Wasn’t it just for students?”

“Good question. There are actually several punishment rooms. At lower grades, you only go to the outer ones, but as you move up, there are hidden inner rooms. That’s where wizards from outside who were caught are also… ”

Hey, you fool. Is that part of the lecture?

At the skull principal’s irritated interruption, the senior snapped his mouth shut.

Lee Han looked at the skull principal with disappointment.

“Principal, I just wanted to ask for the sake of my friends how harsh and terrible the punishment room is. If they know, they’ll be careful not to go there.”

The senior was impressed by this.

There was a model student helping him even among the first-years.

Of course, the skull principal was so dumbfounded he couldn’t even speak.

“Very good. I’m sure your friends appreciate that.”

“While you’re at it, can you also tell us where the punishment room is located? I’m curious how deep and secure it is that students should be so wary.”

You’re banned from asking questions.

The skull principal had had enough and shut Lee Han up.

The senior looked at the skull principal resentfully.

‘I was going out of my way to help the mood…’

Look away, you idiot. You don’t even realize what you’re getting into.

At the sight of the foolish graduate’s indignant gaze, the skull principal clicked his tongue and gave an order.

Quit the nonsense and show some magic. The kind you’re not allowed to use outside. That’ll at least be something.

“Ah, understood.”

The senior cleared his throat, raised his staff, and created space.

The desks in the classroom vanished, and the students gathered in a circle, ready to watch magic.

“Alright. Watch closely.”

He began casting a spell, and turned a chair into a sheep.

The first-year students gasped at such high-level transmutation magic.

Even if it was hard to agree with the senior’s opinions, his magical prowess was undeniable.

“As you can see, this is a transmutation spell that turns inanimate objects into living things. But there’s a very dangerous point about this magic.”

“What is it?”

“It’s that you mustn’t try to sell something you made like this without telling people it was made by magic.”

“……”

“……”

The first-years stared coldly at the senior, but he earnestly explained why you shouldn’t sell counterfeit livestock.

“And another thing. Here, do you see this jewel made with magic?”

“Is it forbidden to sell that, too?”

“Excellent, juniors! Alright, everyone, take notes.”

First-year students cursed quietly as they picked up their quills.

So much for seeing some interesting magic—this was a ridiculous lecture.

‘Hmm. Looks like that senior’s headed right back to the punishment room.’

Lee Han, still with things he wanted to ask, approached the senior while his friends grumbled and took out paper.

“Senior.”

“Aha.”

The senior responded very warmly to Lee Han.

This was the junior who’d tried to help with the lecture earlier—of course he found him endearing.

“I know what you want to ask already.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course. You want to know how to use that magic I showed you, right?”

“……”

“But junior, using this magic as a first-year is too much. If you really want to, master Steel Transmutation first.”

“I already m— No, that’s not what’s important. Senior.”

Lee Han took advantage of the distraction in the room to whisper as fast as possible.

He had to communicate before the skull principal caught on.

“Did you leave anything behind at the school?”

“…!”

Only then did the senior realize Lee Han hadn’t come up with pure intentions.

“Left something?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t have much, but not nothing.”

“Let’s make a deal.”

Lee Han didn’t just ask out of senior-junior affection. The senior was surprised at his business-like tone.

For a first-year to have already grasped the essence of Einrogard.

Even siblings at Einrogard didn’t make deals empty-handed.

“What kind of deal? Junior, I don’t think you have anything to offer me.”

“Senior, you’re headed back to the punishment room, aren’t you?”

“Are you provoking me?”

“Not at all. Just let me know the location, and I’ll bring you snacks.”

“…!”

The senior was impressed for the first time in a while.

For a mere first-year to propose such a smooth deal.

Certainly, someone stuck in the punishment room for a long time would be tempted by this proposal.

But…

“How can I trust you? As a first-year, you probably barely have enough food for yourself. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to get into the punishment room even if you tried.”

“That’s fine, senior. Just tell me when I show up. If I fail, there’s no harm to you.”

“You… are you really a first-year?”

The senior was sincerely surprised.

Just by actions, he seemed fourth-year or above…

“Fine. Take it.”

Apparently thinking there was no loss, the senior handed over a note. In an instant, words were inscribed with magic.

“If you place it in the dark, the writing will show. Find it that way.”

What are you two chattering about?

Sensing suspicion, the skull principal approached, and both the senior and Lee Han stiffened.

They’d drawn suspicion by talking for too long.

“We… I was just asking a question about magic.”

Magic, huh?

‘Damn!’

The senior grit his teeth.

Maybe it was just time out of school, but his lying skills had gotten rusty.

What a terrible lie.

Who would believe that he was teaching transmutation magic to a first-year?

You too? I guess you at least know who to ask… But this isn’t a magic lesson, so don’t go overboard.

“??”

The senior couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

But the most surprising part was yet to come.

You were goofing off during the lecture, so you have to learn at least one spell as punishment. I’ll be checking at the end.

“That’s impossible!”

Impossible, my foot. You can master one. Make sure you do.

“????”

The senior was completely bewildered at what kind of conversation was unfolding.

• * *

“You’re really selling waterproofed fabric at this price? For real?”

“…Then don’t buy it, you bastard.”

“No, no… If it’s cheap, I’m thankful. Thanks, Wardanaz.”

The White Tiger Tower student bowed his head and bought the fabric.

Lee Han sighed at the sight.

‘Damn. I wish I could profiteer like those Black Turtle Tower bastards.’

Friends from Black Turtle Tower, who always had large stockpiles, were gleefully selling as much as they wanted ahead of the flood.

Students from the other towers had to trade away their carefully saved food to get all sorts of lumber, leather, and reagents.

But Lee Han just couldn’t bring himself to raise prices.

Because the priests were standing right next to him.

The sight of the priests looking at him with shining, expectant eyes.

He just couldn’t say something like, “How many times is a flood going to come? Gotta cash in big while I can,” in front of them.

“What did Wardanaz say?”

“He said he won’t raise prices.”

“What? I was sure he’d jack them up… Last exam season, he said free market pricing would advance Einrogard’s economy and doubled the price of coffee grounds.”

“But what’s all that market… price… economy talk mean?”

“I don’t know either. Must be a Wardanaz family secret.”

“The Wardanaz is a high noble. Making money off a crisis like this must go against his dignity.”

“Heh. That much can only be respected…”

“Hey. If you bought everything, get lost.”

Annoyed, Lee Han flicked a water bead to drive off the students from the other towers.