Episode 457
by CristaeEpisode 457
Of course, challenging the waterlogged dungeon wasn’t possible. Professor Voladi did not permit his cherished disciple to recklessly tackle an incomplete dungeon.
-Of course, as a professor you’d teach better than me. But since this is a matter involving giants, this is something I can’t easily yield.
Ikurusha thought that if Lee Han would be tested by the giants, he needed to familiarize himself in advance.
If they clashed in an unprepared state, unexpected accidents could happen.
If a young magician like Lee Han developed resentment towards giants because of such a mistake, how dangerous would that be?
If someday an archmage with a title like -Giant Slayer- appeared…
‘I think I’ll end up resenting them already.’
Lee Han felt like just from Ikurusha telling the professors about him, resentment would start to swell.
“I’ll respect that.”
Professor Voladi yielded, sounding very generous. He was utterly shameless.
-Then let’s go meet the other giants. Are you ready?
Ikurusha winked to lessen Lee Han’s tension.
Of course, being a giant, it wasn’t very effective.
Boom!!!!!!!!
-Hmm. Better wait a little longer before going out.
It seemed another goat had escaped outside.
- * *
Only after all the goats were caught could Lee Han go outside.
As Ikurusha trudged ahead, Professor Voladi advised Lee Han.
“Don’t lower your staff in front of giants.”
“……”
‘I really want to hit him just once.’
Is this supposed to be advice…
“Any other advice?”
“Giants are generally hard to predict.”
Wise, intelligent giants like Ikurusha were rare, and most giants were difficult to read or understand.
It wasn’t for nothing that explorers traveling the Empire’s remote regions feared when a giant approached for a conversation.
If you got involved, you’d be forced to join in some absurd bet…
“?”
Lee Han tilted his head.
That was where Professor Voladi’s advice ended.
“Is there any more?”
“I just said so.”
“…Ah.”
So “Giants are generally hard to predict” was the advice.
Lee Han closed his eyes.
‘Giants might actually be better.’
Not knowing what someone was thinking was better than having this professor next to him.
Bubble bubble—
Upon reaching a sloped pasture on the hillside where the giants were resting, a massive cauldron first caught his eye.
The giants, looking exhausted, were cutting huge chunks off what looked like rocks and tossing them into the cauldron.
“?”
Looking closer, he realized they weren’t rocks but cheese. Lee Han had never seen such massive blocks of cheese before.
-It’s cheese from the mountain goats. Interested?
“Pardon? Yes.”
Lee Han nodded for now.
Living at Einrogard, he couldn’t help being interested in ingredients.
Ikurusha approached a giant and gestured for cheese.
-Give it here.
-Why…?
-We need to serve our guest.
-But why…??
-Just give it!
Whack!
Ikurusha, angry, snatched the cheese from the giant. Then he cut off a piece for Lee Han.
The giant behind glared at Lee Han with eyes filled with sadness, anger, and resentment.
“…Ah, no. You didn’t need to steal it for me…”
-Don’t mind it. They sulk easily. They’ll get over it soon enough.
Ikurusha said that, but the giant’s eyes glaring at Lee Han were filled with deep feelings.
Lee Han received the cheese with a reluctant feeling.
Kang!
“?”
The cheese, looking like a rock, was hard as a rock.
…Then isn’t it just a rock?
“Isn’t this a rock?”
-Hmm? Hold on.
Ikurusha checked the cheese.
It wasn’t a rock, nor was it old and hardened cheese; it really was freshly made cheese.
-It’s cheese.
‘Can’t use it as an ingredient.’
Lee Han gave up and handed the cheese back to the giant. The giant snorted so strongly it nearly blew Lee Han away and took the cheese back.
“Mr. Ikurusha. Um, isn’t it a bit risky if things start like this when I need to build rapport with the giants?”
-It’s fine. It’s fine.
‘It doesn’t seem fine.’
Lee Han quickly assessed the situation.
Ikurusha was wise, but being a giant, he wasn’t overly concerned about making friends with the other giants.
He believed that even if the giants got angry or sulked, they’d soon get over it.
But in Lee Han’s view, that was too optimistic a thought.
‘I’ll have to make as much effort as I can.’
“Hello.”
-……
-……
The giants sitting around the cauldron openly frowned and hid their large brass bowls as Lee Han approached.
Their faces said they didn’t want to give Lee Han any food.
‘They’re just like Gainando…’
“I didn’t come for food. I just wanted to greet you all…”
-Just give him some!
Ikurusha rushed in again and scolded them.
Lee Han covered his face with his hands in despair.
-These… humans can’t eat this.
-They can’t even eat it well.
The giants protested, but Ikurusha sternly scolded the greedy young giants.
Then he scooped up a large portion of porridge from the cauldron and served it to Lee Han.
“Th-thank you.”
-Can’t eat it anyway.
-It’s a waste of food.
The giants grumbled and complained. Lee Han felt even more uncomfortable.
‘I have to eat it deliciously no matter what.’
With the atmosphere as it was, he had no choice but to eat it deliciously.
Lee Han looked down at the bowl.
“……”
‘Isn’t this lava?’
The bright red liquid bubbled fiercely, making it hard to tell if it was porridge or lava.
“…Thank you for the meal.”
Cursing Einrogard’s professors, Lee Han brought the porridge to his mouth.
‘Gack.’
It was a taste that made him want to scream after a long time.
Spicy, salty, bitter, sour—every kind of flavor condensed into one explosive taste.
Lee Han focused all his mind on maintaining a smile. Then he cleaned out the bowl.
“It’s really delicious.”
-Amazing. A human actually ate that.
-Unbelievable.
The giants murmured in astonishment.
Other races couldn’t eat giants’ food well.
Even battle-hardened adventurers would rather cut off their own arm than eat giants’ food…
The giants’ eyes began to look a bit friendlier. Lee Han breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I managed to take the first step.’
He’d barely managed to regain lost goodwill.
Really, if Ikurusha hadn’t stolen the cheese, none of this would have happened…
Rattle—
“Do you want some?”
As the basilisk egg rattled, Lee Han scooped a spoonful of the remaining porridge onto the egg.
The basilisk egg convulsed wildly.
Rattlerattlerattlerattle!!!
“…You said you wanted to eat…”
He said he wanted to eat but hated it this much.
One of the giants who finished eating pulled up a lush tree, wiped his mouth, and called Lee Han.
-You. Come with me. I’ll guide you.
“Ah. Yes. Thank you.”
The giant walked with slow steps. Lee Han tried to memorize landmarks and geography as he looked around.
After the flood ended and the water receded, he’d have to avoid this area as much as possible.
‘I should write -Giant Warning- on my map.’
From afar, Professor Voladi sitting with Ikurusha pointed at something with his finger.
It was the staff.
“……”
Cursing the professor, Lee Han picked up his staff again.
If things were going to be like this, he’d rather just be with the giant…
-This is the ranch. We raise them. Sheep.
“There’s no fence?”
-We break them.
The giant shook his head. Lee Han soon understood what he meant.
‘Yeah, if it’s like that noise, a fence would be easily broken.’
No matter what kind of fence was made, with giant-size strength, it could be easily destroyed.
“Where are the sheep now?”
-……
The giant looked at Lee Han with a sour expression.
A different magician might have been flustered by the giant’s unpredictable behavior, but not Lee Han.
He’d seen that kind of look often somewhere.
Like when he asked Gainando, ‘Where did you put the cake I gave you last time?’
“I don’t eat sheep. I have absolutely no intention of eating them.”
The giant looked at Lee Han with a pleased expression and smiled.
-They’re over there. Inside the cave. We trap them.
At the cave entrance was a massive rock.
It was way too big just to trap one goat, but after hearing the noise earlier, Lee Han thought the rock looked like a sheet of paper.
“Can’t they get out that way?”
-They do. Sometimes. So we have to catch them.
The giant grumbled.
He seemed upset the sheep wouldn’t listen to him.
‘Things I can do…’
Lee Han followed after the giant, confirmed the surroundings, and watched what the giants did.
- Take care of the sheep.
- If sheep escape, catch them.
- Prepare meals, and so on.
If he helped with these duties, he’d be able to befriend the giants, so they were important…
‘No, but can I even help?’
No matter how he thought about it, these weren’t things Lee Han could actually help with.
More than that, Lee Han was more concerned with having to deal with these giants at the final exam.
He might have to fight sheep—or giants, or even a giant riding a sheep.
-I caught them last time, too. But I caught them this time as well.
“Oh dear.”
Lee Han replied absent-mindedly to comfort the grumbling giant.
“I’ll ask Ikurusha if he can give you some snacks.”
He didn’t know if the giants had snacks, or if Ikurusha would allow it, but Lee Han said it anyway.
It was a habit from pacifying Gainando when he whined.
-Really?!
But the giant’s reaction was much more intense than he expected.
-Really?!
“…Uh, no. Uh, just wait a moment, please.”
- * *
-Really? Take some.
Ikurusha agreed without any difficulty when Lee Han asked.
Since Lee Han was working hard to befriend the giants, this was easy enough to help with.
Thud-
When Ikurusha handed him a dark club-like object, Lee Han was flustered.
“What’s this?”
-Dried jerky. Made with our special blend of spices, everyone loves it.
“…Thank you.”
Lee Han also asked Ikurusha for the recipe.
Since the giants liked it, he might need to learn how to make it.
‘But not all giants are like Gainando. I wonder how far snack diplomacy will go with them.’
One hour later.
-Human, your legs must hurt. I’ll carry you.
-Out of the way! I’ll carry him!
The giants grabbed each other by the collar, fighting over who would give Lee Han a piggyback.
Seeing this, Lee Han thought to himself.
Maybe it wasn’t as hard to befriend giants as he thought!
- * *
“Sage, water parsley, clove, turmeric, geranium… five spoonfuls each… boil thoroughly… grind the meat… hmm… what exactly does this taste like…”
As Lee Han sat at the table murmuring over ingredients and reagents, deep in thought, the other alchemy students glanced his way.
Since he was the top student in alchemy, they couldn’t help being interested in the potion recipe he was studying.
“What’s that? What kind of formula is that?”
“Priest Siana, do you know?”
“…It’s too dangerous a potion to explain the use of… ahem, ahem.”
When a question was directed at her, Priest Siana quickly dodged it.
Which made the other students even more surprised.
“Is it a toxic potion?”
“Some kind of black magic?”
“Why is Wardanaz preparing that? Is it related to this exam? Princess, do you know?”
“……”
Adenart just blinked in confusion.
Her friends translated for her.
“Must be a dangerous potion, then.”
“She must be saying that so other students won’t carelessly try and endanger themselves.”
“But why is Wardanaz researching it?”
At that moment, Lee Han closed his book and stood up.
His friends cautiously asked.
“Wardanaz. What’s that for?”
“Hmm? I’m giving it to the giants.”
“…!!”
“!!!!”