Episode 624

“Thank you very much.”

“Yes. But things probably won’t go as you’re imagining right now.”

The skeletal principal offered nonchalant advice.

He could see right through the patriarch’s thoughts as if looking into his own palm.

He was probably having the same thoughts as some of the Empire’s other ambitious people.

-I’ll take the lead in the Empire’s power structure by allying with the Wardanaz family, the Empire’s most powerful magical household!

There was nothing surprising about these thoughts; any ambitious family in the Empire thought the same way.

Every family in the Empire wanted their own house to grow stronger, wealthier, and more renowned.

For them, a family like Wardanaz was an appealing partner.

A high noble family with a long history, great power, and vast influence.

…The problem was that the Wardanaz family wasn’t just any family that wanted to become stronger, wealthier, and more famous.

Just as the skeletal principal had not founded his own family aiming at the Empire’s highest noble status, so too with the Wardanaz patriarch. Mages who had reached a certain level transcended worldly trends and couldn’t help but remain aloof from the world.

When a distant, glittering truth lay ahead, how could they care about the sticky, tiresome power struggles within the Empire?

Yet the patriarch standing before him didn’t care.

“That boy’s goal could be different.”

“Well, he might be even harder to deal with…”

“…?”

• * *

“Prahgal is the god of life.”

“?”

Returned now, Lee Han couldn’t believe his ears at Zeclen’s explanation.

“He’s not the god of tentacles or chimeras?”

“Well, even evil gods make their arguments sound convincing.”

Giselle replied blandly as she searched for records of battles with the Prahgal cult in her family archives.

The claims of evil god cults were always plausible.

If their doctrines were absurd right from the start, why would they ever have fanatics?

Roughly, the cult of Prahgal preached: “Lord Prahgal is the god of life, and the people of the Empire as they are now are incomplete beings. Let us accept Lord Prahgal’s essence to become greater and stronger beings.”

“That great and strong being—is that the chimera?”

“If you’re precise, it’s not really a chimera, is it…? It’s more like using transformation magic through holy magic.”

As Lee Han and Giselle chatted, Zeclen felt a little left out.

He knew they were mages, but being left out of the conversation nonetheless made him feel isolated.

“The appearance of such an evil god worshiper means there’s a high chance there are other associates nearby.”

“Right. Knights on patrol are checking the perimeter now. They’ve probably already run, though.”

“What about asking the Shadow Patrol for help?”

“Ha, ha, ha. Are you out of your mind?”

“…You don’t have to put it like that.”

Lee Han was a little dejected when his relatively serious suggestion was shot down.

Giselle was rather taken aback by his reaction.

“…I thought you were joking.”

“Isn’t it fine?”

“Imagine the White Tiger Tower asking the Black Turtle Tower for help with its own assignment.”

“!”

Lee Han instantly understood.

‘But didn’t you guys work together when necessary?’

They’d worked together sneakily whenever it suited them, even following each other’s orders!

“Ahem.”

Seeing his younger sister and her friend having fun without him, Zeclen cleared his throat.

Only then did the two look up at him.

“What is it, sir?”

“??”

“Uh… So, right now we’re interrogating the captured mercenaries. Would you like to join?”

“Ah, yes. I’d be glad to join.”

“Probably won’t learn much.”

“Shh. Be quiet. He’s gone out of his way to be considerate.”

“Is she your sister?”

• * *

Although the captured mercenaries woke late, they tried to remain composed.

“Damn it. So he was an evil god worshiper? No wonder he was so generous…”

“Shut up. Hold your tongue.”

Experienced mercenaries knew how to handle themselves in this kind of situation.

Stay silent, keep your answers brief, and insist you know nothing.

In this case they really did know nothing, which worked to their advantage.

The most dangerous thing was getting scared and blabbing, then slipping up and saying something strange.

If they were suspected of being close to the evil god worshipers, or of having a connection to them, they’d rot in a dungeon for over a decade.

“You folks know that, right?”

“Worry about yourself. You think we’re new to this?”

Just in case, the mercenaries reminded each other not to slip up.

If someone, pressured by the knights, made up stories and falsely accused another, things would get messy.

“Come with us.”

The knights separated the mercenaries for individual interrogation.

“Where did you meet the evil god worshiper?”

“We met in Shantema City, sir knight. Truly, I knew nothing. I just heard there was money…”

“What was the destination?”

“The Ice Harbor. I was simply told to get him as far as the Ice Harbor… I really didn’t know! Please forgive me!”

“You weren’t suspicious, getting paid so handsomely?”

“How can a mercenary turn down a generous client?”

“Fine. Then tell me everything you know about the evil god worshiper. Even the slightest suspicious thing, anything.”

“W-well…”

“Any mercenary who talked with the evil god worshiper a lot?”

“I’m not sure about that, either…”

The mercenaries simply said what they had to and replied, “I don’t know,” to all else as soon as they got the question.

All that thinking would just make things more annoying.

Besides, getting a reputation as a mercenary who blabbed about a client would do them no good.

The knights seemed to sense that, glaring at the mercenaries.

“They’re tough as nails. Even in the short time we questioned them, they’re acting the same.”

“They know talking won’t help, so they just clam up. Mercenaries, I swear.”

“What do you think? There might be someone in league with them.”

“Doesn’t seem likely. Those kinds of evil god worshipers wouldn’t entice mercenaries into their cult. These are men who can’t be relied on at all.”

“True…”

“Still, keep interrogating. We need to get even a small clue.”

“Should we consider torture or bribery?”

“Neither seems right for now… Oh, Sir Zeclen!”

The knights stopped talking when Zeclen, Giselle, and Lee Han entered and greeted them.

“We were just discussing pausing their interrogation and making a plan.”

“Hmm.”

Zeclen nodded.

“I’ll take over from here.”

“Yes, sir!”

Since he had brought his younger sister and her friend along, Zeclen intended to display his competence as a knight.

“The conversations recorded so far are as follows—”

Crunch!

As Zeclen went to take the papers, he accidentally brushed against the wall and shattered the solid rock.

The knights looked on in awe, while the mercenaries shrank in terror.

They had expected some torture, but…

‘Isn’t that just execution??’

“Sorry, I was distracted by other thoughts.”

“That can happen, sir!”

The mercenaries wondered what kinds of thoughts could shatter a rock wall like that.

“Hm. So right now—”

“U-uwaaaah!”

One mercenary, in the solitary cell closest to the entrance, screamed.

He was trembling as he pointed at Lee Han.

“Y-you, you…!”

“?”

“You, that wizard…!”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Han feigned ignorance with a poker face.

He had nothing to gain by revealing to the other knights what he’d done.

Even Lee Han admitted putting a sleep potion in the pot as a trick was a little underhanded.

“W-what are you saying! You’re that wizard! You came to us… Hang on, when we passed out, was that you?! Since when! When did you do it? Tell me!”

The mercenary was in a panic.

He could hardly believe it himself.

Did all of them really get outwitted and knocked out by a kid that young?

He’d rather believe the evil god worshiper did something to them.

“Quiet. If you keep talking, you’ll be punished.”

“K-knight, just look at that wizard! That wizard did something to us… what did he do to us!”

“How dare you speak so rudely to our family’s guest, you mercenary wretch!”

Angered by the insult to their guest despite their leniency, the knights exploded.

The cell door opened, and the knights taught the talkative mercenary a lesson.

“Ugh, argh! I-I’m sorry! That was thoughtless of me…! Spare me!”

As the interrogation wasn’t over, the knights stopped at an appropriate point.

Soundly beaten, the mercenary shrank and looked around.

‘Was I dreaming…? No, no!’

The mercenary noticed a familiar knight next to that handsome wizard.

Both really were from the Moradi family!

‘Since when was I being watched by the Moradi family? Was everything under their surveillance? Is this interrogation part of it too…?’

A chill ran up the mercenary’s spine.

If they’d been watched from the moment they set foot in the north, maybe this interrogation was just probing even though they already knew everything.

If so, keeping his mouth shut now was the worst thing he could do.

If he acted that way before knights who already knew the truth, he’d be held in outrageous contempt…

“I- I remember. The evil god worshiper once said he came from the west.”

“What? Tell us more.”

“And… and also… Ah! Two days ago, one of the other mercenaries spoke with the evil god worshiper for a few minutes. Try interrogating him.”

“Oh ho.”

The knights were very intrigued by the mercenary’s sudden cooperation.

Why was this grizzled mercenary suddenly so helpful?

“Are mercenaries usually this cooperative?”

“No. This is remarkable.”

The knights were just as bewildered as Lee Han by this development.

Zeclen, who’d been tightening his gauntlets, looked disappointed.

He’d wanted to show off his skills as a knight in front of his sister and her friend…

• * *

After both the hunt and the interrogation, Lee Han was relaxing back at the quarters, teaching his junior.

“Right. Eandurde, this is an edible herb. This one’s a poisonous plant you mustn’t eat. This’ll help when you go to school.”

“Herb you can eat!”

“And if you follow the river, you’ll sometimes find huts. If there’s no one home, break down the door and check under the shelves. Professors usually put the basement entrance there.”

“…?”

Alsicle, who sat next to them, was perplexed by the grim conversation.

What kind of dialogue was this?

“Wardanaz, sir. Are you inside?”

“Another visitor?”

“This is all your fault, Alsicle!”

Grumbled Lee Han.

With Alsicle feeding the knights all sorts of stories, visitors kept coming.

“S-sorry. But I didn’t make up anything, did I…?”

“Does that matter now?”

“Sniff.”

Alsicle watched Lee Han’s mood.

The sting from last time hadn’t healed, not even after eating sardines.

“Someone wishes to see you, Wardanaz.”

“Yes. Come in.”

Lee Han replied as he hurriedly cleared his desk.

He assumed it was just another group of knights.

But when the door opened, only one person came in—a knightly elf with a cold impression.

Lee Han, recognizing features reminiscent of Giselle or Zeclen, wondered if it could be.

“Could you be…”

“I am Zederf of the Moradi family. Welcome, guests from afar.”

“Hic.”

Alsicle hiccuped in shock upon seeing the patriarch of the Moradi family.

‘What on earth did you do?’

‘I didn’t do anything!’

‘…Didn’t you say you captured an evil god worshiper yesterday?’

‘…Except for that, I didn’t do anything!’

Alsicle resolved never again to believe the Wardanaz boy if he ever claimed he “didn’t do anything.”