Episode 599

Leaving the student trying to suppress his laughter alone, the skeleton headmaster approached Professor Voladi.

Still, unlike Verdus, since Professor Begrek was someone who actually worked hard, the headmaster couldn’t just leave him alone.

Don’t be too discouraged, Professor Begrek.

“……”

But Professor Voladi seemed more shocked than expected and remained silent without answering.

The skeleton headmaster felt awkward.

Not being used to this kind of consolation from the start, he didn’t know what to say.

If it were another professor, just promising to increase the school’s funding would cheer them right up, but with Professor Begrek—who had zero…no, just one student—the funding wouldn’t mean much anyway.

Look, it may not have gone as you prepared, but it was still a meaningful test.

With these words, the skeleton headmaster shot a glance at the Death Knights.

The Death Knights applauded and spoke up.

-That’s right, Professor Begrek! Now THIS is a real exam!

-There’s nothing as authentic as practical experience. You could see this as a true final exam!

Even the giant plugging his nosebleed with a tree stump agreed.

-True. This was a good test.

Sensing the mood, Lee Han chimed in as well.

“I really learned a lot.”

As everyone present combined their efforts to console him, Professor Voladi finally had little choice but to relent.

“I’ll have to save what I prepared for next year.”

That’s the spirit, Professor Begrek. Ha ha.

“What do you mean, ‘that’s the spirit’?”

Lee Han responded seriously, staring at the skeleton headmaster.

Each year should have its own exam, so why push this year’s test off to next year?

-Mage. Mage. My nose won’t stop bleeding.

“Just a moment. I’ll heal you.”

Since Professor Voladi’s test had blown away, Lee Han checked the giant’s wounds with gratitude.

Professor Alcassis, passing by and seeing this, nodded and roughly scribbled “Full marks” on his paper.

• * *

“Gasp!”

Waking up, Gainando was surprised to find it was dark around him.

Looking around, he saw a large campfire flickering in front of him, and under a tent nearby, all the tower students were gathered and chatting.

Among them, Angrago from the Alpha family was cutting a sticky chocolate éclair and putting it in his mouth. Just from the end of the éclair, Gainando could tell which brand it was.

-Magic Chocolate Éclair of the Meikin Family-—one of Gainando’s favorite cake products.

“Eating by yourself…!”

“Eek!”

Angrago was startled by Gainando suddenly shouting from the sleeping bag behind him.

He’d thought a ghost had appeared.

“If you’re awake, can’t you talk quietly? Do you know how much trouble we had saving you?”

“Saved me? …Ah!”

Only then did Gainando remember that he’d been kidnapped by the vampire monster.

The White Tiger Tower students cheered up and shouted.

“Yeah. We fought so hard to save you we even gave up our dance.”

“…That doesn’t make sense? You guys tried to save me? Not Lee Han?”

Despite being dazed and hungry, Gainando made a sharp point.

The White Tiger Tower students were startled.

How did this guy know?

“So I was right, huh?”

“…Anyway, we fought too. You little prince.”

“That’s right. Be grateful—hey! Why are you eating that!”

As Gainando stealthily approached and started shoveling food off the table, the White Tiger Tower students panicked.

“Hey. At least share. Nom nom.”

“Go back to your own tower and eat!”

“What’s going on?”

Lee Han, who was frying various cheeses in oil and serving them, looked curiously at Gainando and the White Tiger Tower students.

“Wardanaz! The little prince’s gone mad! He’s eating our stuff!”

“Just let him have some. Final exams are over anyway.”

“You call that an explanation…”

The White Tiger Tower students looked over at where Lee Han had just been.

He’d been busy at the oven with the Phoenix Tower priests, prepping ingredients, frying, and carving.

They figured that whatever their pride, if they argued anymore, they’d get hit or kicked out.

“…Fine, whatever…”

‘Wait. Are these guys finally growing up?’

Lee Han was a bit surprised by the White Tiger Tower students’ reaction.

Not a single complaint about the food?

In fact, with the semester ending, he was cooking up some of the older ingredients in a big way.

Frying all kinds of cheese, grilling old bread and ham with butter then topping them with cheese and eggs to make canapés…

For the old rice, he made risotto with fresh fish from the stream and plenty of spices.

Honestly, he’d thought someone would complain since old ingredients, though not spoiled, don’t taste as good—but everyone was eating happily with not a word of complaint.

‘Spending almost a year at Einrogard must have optimized their taste buds.’

Lee Han looked at the White Tiger Tower students with genuine pity.

Unaware of the truth, the White Tiger Tower friends were scarfing down with gusto, thinking it was all delicious.

“Lee Han. Lee Han.”

“?”

Having downed a bowl of fish soup, two plates of imperial-style pork cutlets, five skewers of grilled chicken and sparrow, and three of Professor Thunderstep’s special cabin sausages, Gainando finally caught his breath and called out to Lee Han.

Now he finally had the presence of mind to ask questions.

“What happened?”

“What? Oh, are you talking about Professor Begrek just letting the final pass?”

Lee Han started with the most impressive thing that had happened that day.

Of course, Gainando didn’t care about that.

“That stuff happens all the time!”

“No, you don’t know how big a deal—”

“The monster! The monster!”

“Oh. Right. That too.”

“……”

Gainando was dumbfounded, but his friend explained with a stone-cold expression.

So apparently the vampire monster tried to take Gainando away and disappear, but thanks to the brave giants and Death Knights who all came and fought together…

“…Wait! My coat, what about my coat!?”

“Sorry. The vampire monster destroyed it.”

In truth it was the giants, but Lee Han shifted the blame to the exterminated vampire monster.

After all, a villain like that could stand a few more sins.

“Unbelievable! Damn that cursed monster!! How!? How could it destroy my coat! It was a real masterpiece!”

“Come on. It wasn’t THAT great.”

“It was just passable, really.”

“No matter how nice you say it, it was average at best.”

The others shamelessly replied, forgetting their own moments of infatuation.

Not only Black Turtle and White Tiger Tower students, but even Ahsan from Blue Dragon Tower.

“I don’t know why we were all so jealous in the first place.”

“Yeah, totally.”

“You… you jerks… You all envied it so much, but now that it’s gone, you’re so cold!”

Gainando trembled with resentment.

When he had the coat, they couldn’t take their eyes off it, but now that it was gone, they were unsentimental.

“You! You answer! You were really interested in the coat, weren’t you!”

Gainando called to Adenart. Eating with his followers, Adenart raised his eyebrows slightly at being called.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“…Hey! C’mon! You wanted it too!”

“It was certainly interesting, that coat.”

“There, see?!”

Gainando lit up when someone finally sided with him.

But sitting in the chair was a handsome man he’d never seen before.

He looked like a male beauty out of an ancient book or royal statue.

“Huh. Since when did White Tiger Tower have such a good-looking guy?”

“…What’s that supposed to mean, Prince?”

The White Tiger Tower students bristled.

Sure, compared to Blue Dragon Tower, they lacked a bit of noble dignity, but they didn’t see that as a flaw.

They thought it was just the difference that came from choosing knightly martial spirit and boldness.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not easy for the young these days to match the beauty of my era.”

With those words, the handsome man naturally took a piece of food from Gainando’s plate and ate it. Gainando was shocked that he hadn’t even reacted.

“Hey, what the—!!”

“Headmaster, what are you doing?”

“…Want some more?”

Gainando froze and held out his plate.

The skeleton headmaster, now in human form, took the plate and cleared it of food.

“That coat, I had wanted to see it at least once. The materials and all, it was probably a fine curse.”

“You can’t just randomly mix things together and expect magic to turn out, can you?”

“Once in a while. Sometimes magic arises by coincidence.”

While the skeleton headmaster and Lee Han chatted, the White Tiger Tower students quickly got up and fled to another tower’s table.

Normally they’d have kicked and cursed out students from another tower, but now they let them join, faces equally stricken with fear.

“H-headmaster. Did you come to take away the ones who failed…?”

Gainando asked as he hid behind Lee Han.

Every semester, when exams were over, the skeleton headmaster enjoyed locking failures in the punishment room.

“No. This time, no one has failed. More importantly, why are you spreading nonsense about there being a sand-octopus in the undead world?”

“I thought… it might be discovered someday…”

The headmaster started explaining “What is inductive reasoning?” with a look of contempt.

Gainando cursed his own honesty.

After bringing down Gainando with nothing but conversation, the skeleton headmaster turned to Lee Han.

“What are your plans for the winter break?”

“I’m thinking of saving up a hundred gold coins.”

“…No, not that kind of plan…”

The headmaster had to suppress a sigh.

“I mean your travel plans. Usually you wouldn’t stay in Granden City for winter break, would you?”

“Oh. Right. I’m planning to go back to the Wardanaz home and see the patriarch. Not sure if I’ll actually get to see him, but…”

“Actually, there’s something you need to do first.”

The headmaster spoke seriously.

At this, Gainando, standing nearby, was startled.

How did the headmaster know what was on Gainando’s mind?

“You mean inviting Lee Han to my family’s mansion, right?”

“……”

With a wave of the headmaster’s hand, Gainando was immediately teleported to the table on the opposite side.

“His Majesty the Emperor wants to see you personally.”

“…!”

Lee Han was shocked.

So shocked, in fact, that he didn’t have any other questions at first.

“Wait. Is there any reason Gainando shouldn’t know about my private audience with the Emperor?”

“He can know. He was just noisy, so I chased him off.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“I’ve already sent word to your patriarch.”

“Did he reply?”

“No.”

“I thought not. He’s always busy…”

“Must be. Anyway, sorry, but your winter break plans have changed.”

The headmaster began to sketch out a simple itinerary on the tablecloth.

First, meet His Majesty the Emperor, then meet some people in the capital, next secure the new first-year students whose admissions will be complicated, and finally drop Lee Han off at the Wardanaz house.

After all that, Lee Han could enjoy a happy winter break.

Or work all winter…

“Um. Headmaster. Meeting the Emperor is one thing, but after that, a lot of this sounds suspicious.”

‘Quick-witted kid.’