Episode 795

“T-the teacher of Yumidihus…”

Barely escaping his shock, Lee Han opened his mouth to ask again, but the burly old woman snapped at him.

“What’s with all this ‘sir’ nonsense!”

“Excuse me?”

“Look here, brat. Who’s the highest ranked person in this room?”

“……”

Lee Han wanted to say, of course, Professor Voladi was—the professor beats the student, and a student would surely beat out a pirate.

After all, under imperial law, there weren’t many ranks a pirate could actually win.

But Lee Han answered shrewdly as the situation called for.

“Isn’t it you, Pirate?”

“Keehee, that’s right! When it comes to ‘sir’ or any fancy title, it should only be attached to me. Got it?”

The pirate clearly had no conscience.

As the old lady walked further inside, Lee Han glanced at the professor and whispered,

“Professor, has Imperial law changed recently?”

He’d need to know if piracy was now officially recognized—so he could later collect taxes from pirates, too.

“No.”

“Then how is that person, a pirate, allowed at Einrogard?”

Lee Han worried even as he asked, afraid Professor Voladi would give the exact answer he was dreading.

-Einrogard is home to magic criminals and even Professor Verdus. Why not a pirate?

“Lady Lagesa is authorized.”

“……”

For a moment, Lee Han’s world almost crumbled, but the truth wasn’t quite as bad as he’d thought.

Pirate Lagesa’s authorization came not as a license for piracy, but as a letter of marque—that is, she was a privateer.

‘Ah.’

With that explanation, Lee Han felt relieved. A privateer was something he could at least wrap his mind around.

A citizen authorized by the empire to seize only enemy ships—a kind of civilian imperial navy.

“Wait, Professor. The empire isn’t at war, is it?”

“No.”

“…Then who are you supposed to seize?”

It was a fair question.

They weren’t at war, so there were no enemy ships for Lagesa to seize; what use was a privateer now?

“That’s precisely the problem, hmph.”

Lagesa interjected from behind, pouring a strong drink into a tin cup and speaking with regret.

“Things were better in the old days. Back then, the sea was full of ships to seize.”

“So now…?”

“Well, can’t starve to death, so I seize pirate ships.”

“…Then you’re not a pirate, you’re a pirate-hunter, aren’t you?”

At Lee Han’s perfectly logical question, the old woman’s eyes flashed. Lagesa growled fiercely.

“How dare you? Are you criticizing the daughter of Torguerd for betraying her family trade?!”

“Please forgive me. I misunderstood.”

“Hmph! Even if you’re Yumidihus’s student, you’d better watch it. No one can criticize the daughter of Torguerd for abandoning the family trade!”

“……”

-Isn’t she nuts??

Lee Han agreed with the baby basilisk’s whispered complaint.

But what could he do?

Powerful imperial madfolk had the right to make their own rules. Just like the Skull Principal, if someone wanted to be called a pirate, you simply had to play along.

“Of course. My apologies, Miss Lagesa. Anyone would agree you’re a true pirate. If you rounded up a hundred Einrogard students and asked, all hundred would say you’re a pirate.”

At his apology, the old pirate cackled happily.

“Keeheehee. Exactly. That’s as it should be.”

“So, what’s your connection with the dueling club, Miss Lagesa?”

“None! The nerve of it. Calling in an old pirate to teach a lesson to a bunch of kids playing ‘clubbing’ at dueling…!”

“……”

Now Lee Han finally understood the situation.

Professor Kirmin Ku asked Voladi to invite a top dueling magician -> Voladi asked Lagesa -> the pirate came to Einrogard…

‘Are she and Professor Baegrek really friends? How could you ask Baegrek for that?’

It’d be like asking Professor Voladi for help because you couldn’t decide a midterm topic.

You can understand being desperate, but anyone who’s seen Voladi dragging a dragon around would know—call in “just anyone” and you’re asking for trouble.

“I see. Well, the dueling club members must be thrilled.”

At least it wasn’t Lee Han’s problem.

He felt a bit sorry for the club kids, but he…

‘Heh. I didn’t join.’

Splash!

Lagesa flung some liquor from her bottle at Lee Han and tried to trip him.

Startled, Lee Han set up a wall with telekinesis and leaped back.

“E-ha!”

The pirate granny didn’t stop, reciting a strange incantation. Lee Han could tell just from the spell structure that it wasn’t imperial magic.

‘Primal magic?!’

Suddenly, the chair next to him transformed into a flock of fierce parrots, which swooped down to attack.

The baby basilisk burst out of Lee Han’s sleeve in a rage and roared. Lee Han made a mental note to give it a treat later, even as he chanted himself.

“Rise, you made of bone…!”

Skeleton warriors, some strengthened with shadow element, others with blood element, quickly formed ranks to block the assault.

Upon seeing it, Lagesa asked, amazed.

“And you say you’re Yumidihus’s disciple? Why are you using necromancy?”

“I study a variety of schools.”

“What else do you study?”

“All of them.”

“Who’s ‘all of them’?”

As Lagesa asked pointless questions, Lee Han set his skeleton warriors charging and dashed for the back door.

Class was over, and nothing good could come of sticking around.

“Ai-ya!”

But the pirate granny cast another spell. The back door writhed and morphed into a wall.

Lee Han responded quickly.

Bang!

Unleashing telekinesis and firing a water prison orb, he blew a hole in the wall. Lagesa’s jaw dropped.

“T-that!”

“I’ll see you next time, Professor. It was an honor to meet you, Miss Lagesa!”

“Hold it right there!”

“Excuse me—what was that?”

Lee Han feigned ignorance and bolted out.

“……”

-……

Out in the hall were pirates swathed in chains with sullen faces—clearly Lagesa’s crew.

Lee Han sighed.

From inside, he heard Lagesa yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Bring me that brat!”

-Let’s go.

“I’ll walk on my own.”

Pushing aside would-be captors, Lee Han re-entered through the hole.

He explained,

“I just wanted a breath of fresh air in the hall.”

Lagesa, delighted at his shameless excuse, burst out laughing.

“Better than Yumidihus! That one’s so stiff, he wouldn’t even crack a joke. You seem to get it, kid.”

“I’m not really one for jokes either, ma’am.”

“Still, you’re much more promising than those dueling club brats. Right, Voladi?”

At the pirate’s words, Professor Voladi answered with a faint but dignified pride,

“You flatter me.”

“Flatter, nothing. The very idea of ‘dueling’ in a club is wrong from the start! Don’t mind thieving or pirating clubs, but dueling clubs? Ridiculous.”

Lee Han decided he should never, ever say which club he belonged to.

Who knew—this strange pirate might think highly of the Teleportation Club or something.

“I’m off to see the kids—come along.”

“…Yes, ma’am…”

“What about you, Baegrek?”

“I need to prepare lectures.”

Professor Voladi planned to get ready based on his earlier conversation with Lee Han.

His disciple had spoken with such passion, it wouldn’t do for the professor to slack off.

‘Damn.’

Lee Han clenched his eyes shut.

All that work coming right back at him!

“Fine. If you get bored, drop by. Is Gonadaltes around?”

“He’s busy.”

“Eh. Brought a gift for him. Ah well. Come, brat! Got any questions about magic combat?”

• * *

Walking along with Lagesa—powerful with the reek of strong liquor—Lee Han learned several things.

Her family had been pirates around the archipelago since before the empire.

Yumidihus himself had once come to her pirate ship in his youth to study magic.

And she could tell, with just the right breeze, the value of treasure aboard other ships…

“Wait, you can really do that?!”

“Keehee, yes! Amazing, eh? But it’s true! This illusion magic is a house secret. Imperial illusion mages would kneel for it, begging me to teach them.”

Lagesa’s clan had their own ancient secret magics, not just primal spells.

Some of the water element magics had been valuable enough for Yumidihus himself to come and learn them.

“No other illusion mage can match this one.”

“But the empire has many nameless yet outstanding illusionists. Baldororn, for example…”

“No ‘sir,’ remember?”

“Yes. Just, Baldororn, for example…”

“Who? Up-and-coming magician? Bah. You spend all your time at sea and time flies.”

She pouted and clapped a hand to her back, but for someone so robust, it had no real effect.

“So what do you want to learn?”

“…Sorry?”

“Don’t play dumb. Which of my spells do you want to learn? That was always the reason magicians came to see me.”

Secret magic passed down since before the empire was highly prized among modern imperial magicians.

Even the weaker ones were coveted for their novelty; if they worked well, even more so.

Lagesa guessed that Professor Voladi’s purpose in introducing Lee Han was to seek out an opportunity for her own disciple.

It was a shrewd move—but Lagesa didn’t mind. That was only distasteful if the disciple was a dummy, but a clever one suited her.

“…Which of the spells you teach is the easiest?”

“The easiest, eh! What a sly one. Full of tricks!”

“???”

Lee Han had no idea what she was talking about.

It wasn’t as if she’d let him refuse—everything looked hard, so he was just asking what was easiest…

“Wait a sec.”

Lagesa abruptly stopped, held up a hand to shush Lee Han, and blocked his path.

“??”

There was nothing ahead in the hall, and Lee Han was bewildered by her action.

‘Ethereal monster? But I don’t feel a thing…’

“This smell… It’s Bible’s smell.”

“……”

Lagesa had detected Professor Verdus’s scent from a distance!

Lee Han was impressed.

This was a talent students needed more than pirates.

To sense someone coming from so far off.

‘Can I ask to be taught that spell?’

“It’s nothing! This is only the beginning of impressive stuff.”

“??”

With a flourish, the pirate granny pulled out various artifacts.

She swapped out her belt, donned a heavy iron mask, picked up a short staff, and then tossed a necklace—radiating defensive power—to Lee Han.

“Put that on. Things could get rough.”

“…?”

“Prepare for battle, everyone! We’re off to rob that Bible!”

‘A righteous pirate after all!’

Lee Han suddenly felt a surge of respect for this pirate magician.