Episode 720
by Cristae“Guys. My arms hurt.”
“That’s because you keep trying to get up!”
“Wardanaz, you should just sit down.”
Even Nigisor from Phoenix Tower chimed in, telling him to stay seated.
In the end, Lee Han gave up and sat down.
“Fine, fine. But don’t fight, you two. Last time I sat between you, my ears ached for days.”
“If the Tutanta brat would stop with the nonsense, there’d be nothing to fight about.”
Giselle shot back, and Salko retorted, not backing down.
“If your crass rabble hadn’t stolen our prey, we’d have nothing to say.”
“Hah! Of course you’d twist it—we found that deer first.”
“Finding it doesn’t mean it’s yours. Don’t you knights know imperial law? That deer tripped our snare.”
“After it caught our arrow! Talk about spin! What are you, a guild lawyer?”
Lee Han kept his eyes shut, pretending not to hear the noise from both sides.
Meanwhile, their squabble spread—now students from both towers joined in.
“He tripped the snare first! Are you blind?!”
“Guess you drank some weird potions over break. Deer have eyes, unlike you. No way it would stumble into your trap unless shot by our arrow first!”
As they bickered, a Black Turtle Tower student called out to Lee Han.
“Wardanaz! What do you think? Those deer up on Northern Frost Oaks Path—remember how often they get caught? You and I set traps there, right? Remember?!”
Trying to drag Lee Han into it with nostalgia, Angrago ground his teeth. Calling on nostalgia before him—how low!
“Wardanaz! Don’t listen to them! You… You got invited to Moradi estate this winter, right?”
Angrago tried to use nostalgia—that didn’t really exist.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Silence fell between the Black Turtle and White Tiger students.
Giselle put her face in her hands, agonized.
‘Should I just kill him…?’
She’d explained it wasn’t like that, she was only there helping the principal, and still—this?
Belatedly realizing his blunder, Angrago babbled,
“I mean, it wasn’t really the Moradi house’s invitation. We were just there helping the principal…”
“What in the hell are you on about?”
A Black Turtle student whispered. If you’re going to lie, at least try.
Tijilling tilted his head.
“Isn’t it good to be invited to each other’s estates?”
“Priest Tijilling, you don’t understand. The delicate hostility between Black Turtle and White Tiger is kept neutral by Wardanaz’s tact. If he ever takes the White Tigers’ side…”
Bang!
“!?”
“Fine, just take the damn deer, you bastards.”
Giselle put a murderous edge in her voice—bring this up again and she’d kill them.
Even Salko, who snapped at the skeleton principal, just nodded.
No one wanted to risk Lee Han getting pulled to the White Tiger side.
“Right, let’s let it drop.”
“But Salko—it IS true that he only visited because he was helping the principal.”
“Wardanaz. The more you take Moradi’s side, the more Nigisor’s prediction seems true.”
“………”
It took Lee Han half an hour to explain what had happened over break.
Tijilling raised a hand.
“Priest Tijilling, what’s up?”
“Should we report the principal to the Emperor?”
“Fair point. But surprisingly, this journey was with Imperial permission.”
“………”
Lee Han thought he heard someone muttering, “Is the empire cursed?” but chose to ignore it.
“Well, it is true—if not for the principal’s threats, he’d never have visited Moradi’s lands.”
“Exactly. He only came because the principal harassed him.”
“No, it wasn’t that bad. The estate was nice, Moradi. Tell us about it.”
“Don’t call on me…”
Giselle slumped, closing her eyes, sick of it all.
If she chimed in, people would think they were close. If not, it’d seem she was ashamed of her lands.
‘Whose fault is all this? Alpha? Or maybe the principal. Or… maybe Wardanaz…’
As Giselle tried to escape reality, students from each tower started swapping stories about the past few days.
“Anyone taken the ‘How to Live in Comfort with Spirits’ class? Can’t find it anywhere.”
“I don’t think it exists. Searched everywhere, never found the room.”
“Wardanaz. Which suits me better: -Elemental Forms—Fire Element- or -Control Enhancement—Fire Element-?”
“No idea why you’re asking me, but -Control Enhancement- is probably better. Last time you lost control with the Burning Hand spell.”
“Knew it! I’ll try Control Enhancement.”
“Wardanaz! I’m debating which club to join—”
The room grew lively.
With so much to catch up on, the questions didn’t end. Especially for Lee Han, who had students lining up.
“Everyone queue up. Line forms here. If you give me snacks, you can move to the front.”
“Wardanaz! The prince is running a racket!”
“That’s NOT TRUE! I was joking!”
Only after fielding 13 class consultations and 9 club debates did Lee Han get some respite.
Salko finally got serious.
“Wardanaz, sorry to pile on—but we need to talk. This is important.”
Giselle roused herself, suspecting what it would be about.
“What’s up?”
“I thought going into second year we’d be able to trade with seniors. After all the struggle of first year, it should have been easier. Instead…”
“The seniors are all insane.”
“I was so shocked I nearly set something on fire.”
Giselle and even Nigisor were shocked by Einrogard’s prices.
There was a black market in district seven, but nothing a brand-new second year could afford.
Salko took a copper nail from his pocket.
“Is it magical?”
“No, this is all I could buy. Wardanaz, the seniors don’t do credit. At all.”
“……”
“If this keeps up, we’ll be worse off than last year. Especially since you’ve joined the kitchen club, Wardanaz—means less food for everyone.”
“?”
Lee Han cocked his head.
What sense did that make?
“If I’m in the kitchen club, how does that mean—?”
“Wardanaz… you wouldn’t… You haven’t been by the club, have you?”
Giselle looked at him incredulously. Lee Han met her gaze, perplexed.
“Not yet.”
“What? Why? You joined, didn’t you?”
“Technically they made me join. I’ve just been too busy.”
“……”
A tense silence fell.
Tijilling carefully suggested,
“Should we seriously write to the Emperor—”
“No, I don’t think joining all the clubs is the problem. It’s all the disciplines you’re doing.”
Tijilling nearly said, “Well, why DO you take so many?” but held off.
“Salko, what exactly do the kitchen club and food shortfall have to do with each other?”
“Wardanaz. Every kitchen club member swears an oath.”
“To make good, safe food?”
“No. Not to sell food cheaper than other club members. Not even as pity.”
“……”
Lee Han thought Salko was kidding.
But his friends’ faces were deadly earnest.
“Why such a rule?”
“It’s not so strange. Look at the other clubs. Even for a glass of water, they’ll charge you fifty gold. The kitchen club can’t be the only one not making money.”
Giselle sneered, but she had a point. If only the kitchen club sold things cheaply, they’d just lose out.
“So even the food I scrounge up, I have to sell at full price?”
“That’s right. Think back to last year.”
Sharp as ever with management, Giselle analyzed:
If Wardanaz did his own thing, the kitchen club would take a loss.
He brought in far more food than any individual could.
“So even MY food I have to sell for gold?…”
“Wardanaz. Are you… happy?”
Salko couldn’t tell if Lee Han was struck or thrilled.
“Shocked. The club rules are brutal. But don’t worry. I’ll sell to you guys at last year’s price.”
Recovering from shock and elation, Lee Han reassured his friends.
He’d gouge the seniors for every coin, but be easy on his friends.
“Did I just hear what I thought I heard? There’ll be a magical ban, Wardanaz.”
Giselle was exasperated.
No way a wizard guild rule would be so easily dodged.
“And stop feeding them. Time for them to provide for themselves.”
“They probably won’t ban it.”
Already burned by the principal’s bans, Lee Han didn’t worry too much about the club’s.
“And unlike last year, there’ll be fewer opportunities to feed you all. What with club rules, and seniors watching… Hang on, what if we just kept meeting here in secret, regularly? The core group helps each other, as usual.”
With that, Lee Han pulled out the paper artifact they’d all received.
“Never used this, but now we have a reason. I’ll teach you to charge it. It eats up a lot of mana, so don’t let it run dry.”
“Wardanaz, we used this during Saint Iactus Festival!”
Salko shot him a look, half-accusing.
Lee Han replied evenly,
“You probably forgot, Salko. Remember how I was too busy healing your injuries from the festival to pay attention?”
Angrago grumbled at the back.
“Tutanta! Why bring up what Wardanaz forgot?”