Episode 631

“It’s not… a joke, right?”

“I don’t joke about anything related to Einrogard.”

“Come to think of it, I heard the principal is rich.”

“He does have a lot of gold. But I wouldn’t recommend robbing him. If you get caught, you’ll go straight to prison.”

“Huh, if you get caught, they send you to an outside prison?!”

“No. The school’s underground prison. There’s a punishment room. If you get caught stealing, you go there, and you’ll go even if your grades aren’t good.”

“……”

Karre had to seriously consider whether this senior was actually teasing him.

But the senior’s expression was extremely serious. Anyone could tell from that face that he wouldn’t lie.

“As I said before, once you start learning magic, your thinking may change. You might come up with better ways to get rich than stealing.”

“An even bigger theft?”

“That could also be a better way. At any rate, the point is you need to endure temporarily to learn magic. To take two steps forward, you need to be able to take one step back.”

Karre fell deep into thought.

Unlike the unrealistic advice from other priests—such as ‘let go of greed and cultivate faith’—this senior’s advice was very realistic and appealing.

He still couldn’t quite guess what kind of place Einrogard was, but if it was just for entering, he could endure for a short while.

“Alright! I’ll hold back. Should I go tell the bishop then?”

“Yeah. Good decision. Actually, I thought about telling you to just don’t get caught even if you steal, but with your skills, I thought that’d be too much.”

“…?!”

Karre was shocked.

Even if this senior had the aura of a noble, that was not something he could just gloss over.

“W… w… what did you say? Did I just hear you wrong? Senior??”

“You heard right. The bishop already knows. That means you were caught. That’s not how you steal.”

“How would you know, senior! I just didn’t bother hiding it?! I could have hidden it anytime…”

Karre, fuming, jumped up and shouted, while Lee Han slowly lifted his fist and opened his palm.

On his palm rested Karre’s silver coin pouch.

He had swiped it earlier when he told Karre to sit.

“Didn’t even notice? This is how you steal.”

“?!?!?!?!”

“I combined the techniques I learned from my friend with magic. With this, you can steal cleanly.”

If you use enhancement magic and foresight magic beforehand and then move, even the same pickpocketing could be done far more cunningly and accurately.

The skills Ratford had taught him were now blooming outside of Einrogard, fused with magic.

Karre was left speechless.

His pride as a thief was completely shattered, leaving him deeply frustrated, but at the same time, he felt a welling sense of awe.

I want to learn!

Feeling that he had properly persuaded his junior, Lee Han returned the coin pouch and said,

“I can see you’re confident, but don’t get overconfident until you’re really at a high level. I trust you understand.”

“I understand perfectly, senior.”

Karre nodded and looked Lee Han straight in the eye. There was a sparkle of determination there.

“I’ve made up my mind. Until I’m skilled enough to steal senior’s pouch, I won’t steal anything outside! You’ll see!”

“Good. For reference, my name is Gainando.”

“Yes! Senior Gainando!”

Lee Han almost told Karre, ‘First years can’t meet seniors,’ but stopped himself.

He didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm after a successful persuasion.

‘He’ll learn a lesson of his own when he realizes one day that it’s a fake name.’

The lesson of not trusting seniors was surprisingly important.

Lee Han felt proud that he had given such an important lesson to his junior.

“But, senior.”

“Hm?”

“Are you by any chance from a thief guild, not a noble family?”

Karre asked cautiously.

At first, he thought Lee Han was a noble because of his chiseled looks, but the more he looked, the more he seemed like someone from his own type.

• * *

“Bishop. I’ve reflected. From now on, I won’t steal and will devote myself to magic!”

“…!”

Bishop Ines was truly surprised. He looked at the skull principal and asked.

“So this is what you meant by getting it done while grumbling?”

“That’s right. What did I say?”

“?”

Hearing the conversation, Lee Han asked in confusion.

“What were you two talking about?”

“I said your hobby is grumbling but getting everything done.”

“……”

Lee Han seriously considered swinging the chair he wanted to use earlier again.

As Karre bowed and left, the bishop offered a heartfelt thanks.

“Thank you so much.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“I meant it for Wardanaz, not you, Lord Gonadaltes.”

“I know that.”

The bishop just decided to ignore the skull principal. Looking back at Lee Han, he said,

“To think you could persuade Karre like that.”

“Um. Bishop. Actually, I didn’t completely reform Karre.”

Lee Han carefully spoke, worried the bishop might misunderstand.

But this old bishop wasn’t really surprised.

“I know. How could a person change at once? What I’m grateful for is that you sparked Karre’s interest in magic.”

The bishop didn’t expect Karre to change his ways overnight.

He just wanted him to not focus solely on stealing and to broaden his experiences and interests.

And if that was in magic, he could truly feel at ease.

The determination he just witnessed from Karre was genuine. He could clearly sense the resolve to quit petty theft and study until entering the magic school.

“Thank you once again. Please take good care of Karre.”

“First years can’t meet second years.”

The bishop and Lee Han both pretended not to hear. They could communicate without words.

After saying their farewells and exiting the temple, the skull principal asked curiously,

“So how did you persuade him? He looked pretty stubborn to me.”

“Hm. I told him, ‘Steal at Einrogard if you want, but you’re not skilled enough to steal outside yet,’ things like that.”

“……”

The skull principal looked at Lee Han as if he was trash.

• * *

…I received your last letter well. Wardanaz. And did you, perhaps, accidentally mention to Yoner that our letters were overlapping? Sorry! It just slipped out. That’s not why you’re not writing back, right? I’m really sorry!

I heard you visited the northern mountains. Thanks for speaking well of me to the patrol hunters. The hunters said you’re close with Moradi. I have no idea how that rumor started. That can’t be true. But you’re not really not writing because of that, right?

The Meikin family’s mansion is really comfortable. I think the tablecloths they use here are higher quality than my original bedding. I still can’t get used to the maids changing my clothes for me… You’re not not writing because of what I said last time, right?

Oh. I met Yoner’s older sister. Just my thought, but I think you should avoid her for a while. Oh, you’ll still write me, right?…

‘…I should write back right away.’

Seeing Nillia’s scribbled letter, Lee Han was struck with guilt.

…I also trust that you’re sweating well. Wardanaz. These days, I am carving and polishing an obelisk with outstanding guild craftsmen. It makes me glad to know the magic I learned at school hasn’t gone to waste.

Someday, I want to build the greatest structure in the Empire. If you played a part in its construction, I would be happy…

‘Salko. To build a great structure, you’ll need to find an investor.’

Hearing his friend’s dream, Lee Han immediately ran the calculations in his head.

Someone had to stay realistic, after all.

…Today, there was a noble event in the capital. This anecdote came to mind. Seventy-seven years ago, Imperial Chancellor Baltante once said…

“?”

Lee Han wondered if he’d read it wrong and checked the sender.

Who sent this?

No way Adenart sent another letter already, and was there any friend who wrote this much…

-The Bloodline of the Empire, Adenart

“……”

It really was another one from Adenart.

‘Is he bored or something?’

…the bouillabaisse I had there was truly excellent. I’d like to serve you some someday, Wardanaz. Your last letter arrived, but I’m a little disappointed not to have a reply yet. I’m sure something must have happened, right? My other friends don’t write letters. Not that I mind. I’m just glad you write, Wardanaz…

‘I need to contact the followers and make them send letters right away.’

He could already guess what the followers were thinking. They probably kept silent, thinking it would be rude to send letters first.

If he left things like this, he’d get bombarded with letters himself!

“Wait here a moment.”

“Yes.”

The carriage stopped and the skull principal hopped out, but Lee Han wasn’t surprised.

This had already happened more than once on this trip.

Alsicle yawned and asked,

“Wardanaz, you’re going to your family’s mansion now, right?”

“Yes. After greeting people, I’ll invite the friends who can come, then take care of my own affairs.”

“Your own affairs—magic research?”

“No. I’ll take on commissions.”

“Adventurer commissions? Why? Do you need reagents for magic?”

“Because it pays?”

“…O-oh, I see.”

Alsicle was startled by the answer, more direct than expected.

‘Ah. Or maybe he’s saving up for magic research?’

Come to think of it, even as a second-year, someone like Wardanaz probably had magic research or experiment goals on a whole different scale.

Naturally, the costs would be on another level as well.

So it made sense to start saving up early.

“…Do your best! I’ll cheer for you!”

“Thank you.”

Before long, the skull principal returned.

He nonchalantly returned with a bundle about the size of a person.

“What’s that? Looks just like a person-shaped bundle.”

“It is a person.”

The skull principal threw the bundle in the corner of the carriage. From inside, a bound and gagged familiar noble tumbled out. Someone Lee Han had met before.

“D… Duke Ikaldoren!”

“What!? Who!?”

Alsicle was so surprised he almost dropped his can of sardines.

The skull principal sometimes kidnapped people, but to think he’d kidnap a duke of the Empire…

Duke Ikaldoren flailed and glared at the skull principal.

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

“Lord Gonadaltes. Is what Wardanaz said true?! No matter what, you can’t just kidnap an imperial duke like this!”

“Don’t worry. That guy has so many weaknesses, he won’t squeal anyway.”

“But…”

“Think about it, Pengerine. Have I ever only kidnapped someone once or twice? Do you really think I’d recklessly bring a duke here with nothing to fall back on?”

‘He’s right!’

Alsicle was strangely convinced.

Indeed, the Honorable Gonadaltes wouldn’t do something like this on a whim.

“Here. Wardanaz. Take this. You worked hard on this trip.”

The skull principal tossed a heavy coin pouch.

It was stuffed with more gold coins than Lee Han had earned and saved in all his hard work this year.

“…!”

“That should be plenty.”

“Principal!”

“What?”

“Is there any chance you’ll bring more dukes onto this carriage?”

At Lee Han’s question, the skull principal glanced at Alsicle.

“…You know, sometimes you give me the creeps, even though you’re my own disciple?”

‘Who do you think taught me, anyway?’

Alsicle muttered inwardly.