Episode 461

Einrogard, often described as hell, and the Skull Headmaster also enjoyed that description…

Even hell had rules.

The Skull Headmaster, in all his years, had never seen such scoundrels who sent a junior to beg for the materials they needed.

Were they insane??

Well, this worked out. Verdus was whining, so I should get him some friends. Lead the way!

“They didn’t make me do this.”

What?

“I volunteered to come.”

Ha! Of course. The students at Einrogard all ‘volunteer’ to live this way.

“……”

Lee Han looked at the Skull Headmaster with a “are you serious?” stare.

How could you be the one to say that!

…Hmm. Now that I think about it, something is off.

The Skull Headmaster, clever as ever, sensed the incongruity.

Now that he thought about it, no matter how senior they were, it didn’t seem likely they could threaten this young brat.

You’re not the type to get threatened, are you?

“No… I could be threatened too…”

Lee Han protested, but the Skull Headmaster ignored him.

Then what is it? You’re not here to help your seniors, surely. What are you trying to summon? Are you perhaps trying out that bone you got last time?

“I just came to help my seniors…”

Ambitious idea, but not easy. With your current skills, you can’t draw out that bone’s power. But a challenge is always good… what? Who are you helping?

“I’m here to ask for support to help my seniors.”

……

The Skull Headmaster stared at Lee Han with complex emotions—shock, horror, contempt, disgust—all mixed together.

Why would you do such a thing?

“Just give me some, please.”

Lee Han, tired of this, decided to be straightforward.

It wasn’t as if Lee Han was here to beg anyway. He was here to receive payment for his labor.

The Skull Headmaster was silent for a long while, then clicked his tongue as if realizing he could not persuade Lee Han.

…Follow me.

“Thank you.”

Death Knights pulled up beside the corridor on a bone ferry. They were there to help carry the cargo.

Lead him to the eastern storeroom. The Goldcrest storeroom. You know it, right?

• Which Goldcrest storeroom do you mean? The one on the 4th floor? Or the 7th…

Smack!

The Skull Headmaster struck the Death Knight’s helmet, making a ringing sound.

Watch your mouth, you idiot! After all these years, can’t you speak properly?

-Huh…? How are you supposed to find the storeroom by just hearing that?

That guy is definitely the type to do that. How many times have I warned you not to let your guard down!

Lee Han shook his head innocently, as if it weren’t so.

Of course, internally he was thinking.

‘Goldcrest storerooms on the 4th and 7th floors. Better remember that.’

If he ever got the chance, he planned to loot one of the Skull Headmaster’s honey pots.

Go.

“Yes. Thank you.”

You’ll regret this.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Think your seniors will help you back? You probably won’t even meet them, you know?

“Yes. Thank you.”

If you think you’ll meet them next year, you’re gravely mistaken. All the upperclassmen are busy with their research and won’t have time…

“Yes. Thank you.”

-Master. The more you do this, the more undignified you look…

The Skull Headmaster sent the Death Knight to another dimension for speaking up.

• * *

“Professor. Professor.”

“Oh. Come in.”

Professor Thunderstep was drawing a map on the first floor of the annex when Lee Han entered and motioned him over.

“What are you working on?”

“Ah, the hut got washed away by the flood… Even though I put a defense spell on it, I have to find it and recover it quickly. There are all sorts of monsters in Einrogard, so it’s dangerous.”

Professor Thunderstep was calculating the flow of the flood damage and how far the huts could have been carried off.

Lee Han paused at that.

“…Come to think of it, I think I saw some sirens surrounding a hut and attacking it. The rain was so heavy, I didn’t see clearly.”

Professor Thunderstep gave a deep sigh.

“Oh dear…! That thing was expensive…!!”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to stop it too but, as you know, sirens are…”

“It’s fine. First-years can’t usually handle sirens.”

Professor Thunderstep paused as he spoke.

“But I feel like you could have handled them…”

“By the way, professor, I have a request.”

“Huh? Oh. Go ahead.”

Professor Thunderstep pushed aside the map and took a sip from his teacup.

“There’s a shortage of reagents for the dark magic school. Could you support us?”

“Pfft!”

Professor Thunderstep choked, spewing his tea onto the map.

After a long coughing fit, the professor waved his staff to clean up the tea and steady his breathing before shouting:

“Did your seniors make you do this?!”

“No. I just wanted to help them because I felt bad.”

“Hmm. I understand how you feel, but… this isn’t right.”

Professor Thunderstep tried to convince Lee Han.

If seniors lacked reagents, it was the responsibility of the seniors to gather them, not a junior’s, no matter how outstanding that junior was.

No matter if it was Wardanaz…

Hmm…

Hmm…

“Right. Even for you, Wardanaz, this is not possible.”

“Why did you hesitate just now?”

“You must have imagined it.”

“Professor, honestly, it’s partly my fault as well.”

“Your fault?”

Professor Thunderstep scoffed.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t see how it would be the junior’s fault.

Even if a first-year made a mistake, how bad could it be?

Even if it happened, the senior should take responsibility.

“What, did you spill a reagent jar during an experiment or something? That’s nothing. Seniors are always responsible for small mistakes like that.”

“No. My seniors made an undead wave and I misunderstood and wiped it out.”

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence followed.

Professor Thunderstep thought for a moment, then drained his teacup in one shot and spoke.

“What do you need?”

• * *

“Professor Willow?”

Lee Han knocked on the greenhouse door where Professor Willow, the botany instructor, resided.

It wasn’t a class first-year students generally took, but since they had met by chance before and recognized each other, Lee Han thought he might as well ask for a favor.

‘Given the personality of the professors at Einrogard, she ranks in the upper tier.’

“It’s been a while. Is that troll kid who called me an oak tree not with you?”

“Gainando is not here. I apologize once again.”

“No need. I was just joking, happy to see you after so long.”

Professor Willow set down the watering can and walked slowly over to Lee Han.

“So, what brings you here? Do you need a plant?”

“Ah, there’s a shortage of reagents for the dark magic school. Could you possibly support us…”

“!!!”

When Professor Willow started to exclaim slowly, Lee Han hurriedly blurted out:

“I wasn’t threatened—I’m doing this out of pure intentions to help my seniors. Also, I wiped out the undead wave.”

“!!!!!!”

The explanation was too rushed.

Professor Willow let out a scream understandable only to those of tree-blooded races.

Ten minutes later.

“…And that’s what happened.”

“I see. I was surprised. If that’s the case, I’ll give you as much as you need.”

Professor Willow nodded readily and began packing the necessary reagents into a crate.

Lee Han was moved by how willingly she gave them.

‘They say the more someone has, the more they’ll give; Professor Willow really is different.’

There was a reason Lee Han had gone to the Skull Headmaster, Professor Thunderstep, and Professor Willow first.

The Skull Headmaster was notorious for having hundreds of hidden storerooms scattered around the school, while Professors Thunderstep and Willow, due to the nature of their courses, inevitably had large stocks of reagents.

It made sense for Professor Thunderstep, since Lee Han did a lot of odd jobs for him, but as for Professor Willow…

“Thank you very much.”

“It’s nothing. I can at least do this much for a pupil who’ll be learning from me next year.”

“…?”

Huh?

• * *

Koholti gently brushed aside the dirt pile and raised his head.

Then he looked around.

“Ogonin. You can come out.”

“Senior, look what we’ve come to because of you.”

“You didn’t stop me, so you’re an accomplice.”

The two climbed out of the pit and brushed off the dirt. Koholti spat some dirt from his mouth.

“Think Direte has calmed down a bit?”

“No…”

“Why are you so negative?”

“No matter how positive one might be, I don’t think Direte-senior would be calm in this situation.”

Ogonin said this as he watched Direte in the distance, gathering reagents around the field.

His wings rose and feathers stood straight; no matter how you looked at it, he was in an utter rage.

“Then at least pretend to collect some reagents.”

“I’ll just actually collect some. No pretending necessary.”

“……”

Koholti briefly considered throwing him back into the pit.

But just then, the junior in question returned.

“I’m back.”

“!”

Seeing Lee Han return, Koholti hurriedly tossed down his reagent pouch and ran over.

“Waaahh! You must have had a rough time! I’m sorry! I’m a terrible person!”

“Pardon? What’s this about all of a sudden?”

Lee Han was flustered.

Had Koholti-senior been hit by the -Drunkard’s Curse- while he was away?

“I should have stopped you better! No, I did try to stop you! I should have tried harder! You must have had such a hard time! The other schools are all the bad ones! That’s right!”

Koholti kept glancing back nervously at Direte as he hugged Lee Han.

“Don’t be too sad if you didn’t succeed. The other students from different schools are always like that.”

“No… Senior.”

“Huh?”

Lee Han pushed Koholti aside and said,

“I got them.”

“…Huh?”

A bunch of very familiar Death Knights entered and calmly set down the crates.

-Is this enough?

“Thank you! Please give the Principal my thanks as well!”

-Uh… My master might not like that much.

“Please tell him all the more, then.”

The Death Knight smiled and nodded his head.

Koholti, watching all this, was left speechless.

What on earth was going on?

“…D-did you bring all this?”

“Oh. There’s more.”

Death Knights went back outside and stacked up crate upon crate.

He had assumed that, even if Lee Han got something, it would be just a couple of pouches, but seeing crates piled up like that left Koholti blinking.

This was enough to last the entire year without worry.

“Um… Uh… Junior. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not doubting you, but how did you get all this?”

“I got some from the Principal after asking.”

“Cough, cough.”

Koholti and Ogonin both coughed at the same time.

From the start, this was way beyond their expectations.

“Are you alright?”

“O-oh, it must be some of the dirt from earlier stuck in my mouth.”

“You fell into a pit?! Why!?”

“Diret… No, I just like pits… Sometimes we just go in pits for no reason.”

Ogonin shot his senior a look full of contempt.

If he was going to act weird, he should do it alone—why drag Ogonin in too?

“In a pit? Is that part of dark magic training?”

“Oh… Well… You could say that. But that’s not important, you got them from the Principal?”

“Yes.”

“And he just gave them to you?”

“I persuaded him.”

“……”

“……”

They both suddenly realized just how much Lee Han was favored by the Skull Headmaster.

What other student could get this kind of treatment?

“Amazing. Seriously. What about the rest?”

“These are from Professor Thunderstep.”

“That professor is… isn’t he pretty stingy?”

Among the students, Professor Thunderstep was notorious as a miser.

That he’d just hand things out?

“I persuaded him.”

“……”

“……”

The two started to feel at a loss as to what exactly their junior meant by ‘persuasion.’