Episode 805

-Isn’t it strange that he didn’t notice?

One of the death knights spoke up in disbelief.

Thinking back on the situation, it would’ve been stranger NOT to be suspicious.

First, he showed suspicious interest, claimed not to know who Wardanaz was, then ran away every time he visited a club…

Intarendals replied to this question with genuine bewilderment.

“I thought he would be a much more evil and ferocious wizard.”

-Ah!

-That makes sense!

The death knights nodded immediately. Indeed, Intarendals’ logic was convincing.

If the Skeleton Principal told them to find his successor somewhere, they, too, would look first for a wizard with three heads and six arms.

A normal-looking wizard just…

…wouldn’t suit the role!

‘What the hell are they talking about?’

Lee Han cursed at the death knights in his heart.

You’re supposed to scold foolish talk like that, not agree with it.

“Wait. If you’re Lee Han of the Wardanaz family, why did you hide your identity?”

“Because I didn’t really want to learn magic?”

“N-no way! Don’t lie!”

Intarendals showed by far the most shocked expression he had all day, refusing to believe it.

A couple of the death knights looked perplexed, too.

-Does the heir sometimes not want to study magic?

-Hmm. Depending on the person, maybe. Still, surprising; I’d think if you could learn under Bible, you’d jump at the chance no matter who you were.

Fortunately, Lee Han was too busy dealing with Intarendals to overhear the death knights’ conversation. If he had, he might have exploded with rage.

“Why do you say it’s a lie?”

“Because it’s a rare opportunity to learn from my master! Consider it. He was born a prince of an unremarkable country. Now he’s the one who destroyed a kingdom and melted down a crown! Who else but a master of fate could do such things? How great an honor is it to learn from such a man?”

Intarendals’s voice was earnest, full of regret and conviction.

Instead of trying to persuade Intarendals, Lee Han addressed the death knights.

“Did the Principal really destroy kingdoms and melt crowns?”

-Well… we each pledged our swords at different times…

-Isn’t that from when all the kings got stitched together?

-No no, that didn’t destroy any kingdoms or melt any crowns…

‘Shouldn’t have asked.’

Looking back, Lee Han realized it didn’t really matter whether the Skeleton Principal held titles like -Destoyer of Kingdoms-, -Crown Melter-, or -King-Stitcher-.

The important thing was just to refuse.

“No. I don’t care for crowns or kingdoms…”

“How is that any kind of reason?!”

“Your master teaches too harshly.”

“What?! Harsh? What are you even saying! Lee Han of the Wardanaz family! Where on the continent could you find a grand mage as lenient as my master?”

Unable to bear it, one death knight interrupted.

-Hey, Intarendals. While you were dead, the transmission of magic on the continent became much more peaceful.

-If you kill your disciple these days, you get punished.

Though zealous and fanatical, Intarendals was not stupid.

He immediately understood the import of what the death knights said.

“This is absurd… Is this degenerate state of the present interfering with my master’s teachings?”

-Degenerate… huh?

-Hmm. These young knights do seem pretty degenerate.

Though shaken, Intarendals quickly composed himself and spoke up. Regardless of his shock, he had a job to do.

“Very… very well, Lee Han of Wardanaz. Then let us negotiate.”

“Negotiate? I’ll just say this up front, don’t think you can buy me with gold. Even if you pour all your gold into the dark magic school, I won’t be swayed so easily. You understand? I am not someone who’s that easily…”

‘He sure is getting wordy.’

The death knights thought to themselves. Maybe just a bit more gold would break him!

“Lee Han of the Wardanaz family, I went around sponsoring all the clubs so that you would not be hampered materially when learning from my master.”

Intarendals spoke with deep sincerity. He didn’t sponsor with sinister intent, as Lee Han thought.

Of course, it became an evil sponsorship in the end, but the original intent had been to free up Lee Han’s time.

Wizards spent a lot of time working on things they didn’t care for just to secure gold.

If that wasted time meant less to learn from his master, how sad would that be?

“And about the dark magic school, I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Didn’t you sponsor the dark magic school?”

“Yes, but only because it inherits my master’s magic, not because of you personally.”

“…Oh, I see. Thank you. Please keep supporting us in the future.”

“Haha… Well, I’m sure there are better sponsors than me.”

At Intarendals’s words, both Lee Han and the death knights averted their eyes.

They couldn’t quite bring themselves to tell the truth about that.

“In any case, Lee Han, I genuinely thought you’d be thrilled and overjoyed when told my master was looking for you…”

The skilled chamberlain Intarendals’s plan was simple and perfect.

1. Sneak into the school during Club Week.
2. Sponsor Lee Han so he’d have plenty of time.
3. Welcome a joyful, enthusiastic Lee Han.

‘What a crazy story…’

Lee Han cursed inside.

“Has some magic criminal named Antagondals reported back to you by any chance?”

He was sure he’d sent clear notice of refusal to Antagondals, but these naïve expectations? Maybe something happened along the way and the message didn’t get delivered.

“Antagondals? Magic criminal?”

Intarendals frowned in confusion, then answered.

“Sorry, but my master pays no mind to worthless and insignificant people. He also selects whose words are worth listening to.”

“……”

He’d risked his neck going in, but got ignored by the clone in the end.

Lee Han actually felt a little bad for Antagondals. It was clearly not easy being a magic criminal either.

“Lee Han, let’s talk about the negotiation.”

As someone who once managed the Skeleton Principal’s affairs, Intarendals presented his offer right away.

If the world had changed, he had to adapt.

“You said your master’s teaching was too harsh. How about this? For each week of death, you get up to three guaranteed resurrections.”

“……”

-……

“Hmm. So not even that… I see. I’ll raise it a bit…”

Intarendals, reading the room, refined his proposal step by step.

Three resurrections, five, seven, death prohibited…

“To ban attacks is out of the question, Lee Han! How could you learn magic without being attacked?”

-Tsk tsk. That’s old folks for you…

-Always so stuffy and rigid. They never change.

The death knights released their pent-up frustration—after all, they often got teased for being old—by taking it out on an even older guy.

Intarendals groaned in distress.

“But… but banning attacks… Ugh. All right. I’ll pass along your demands. But I doubt my master will accept.”

“If not, oh well. Let’s agree to disagree.”

Lee Han answered indifferently. Honestly, if the mad clone refused after hearing all that, it’d be just fine for Lee Han.

“Any other conditions? As long as we’re at it, just list everything.”

-Hmm. How about teaching in a neutral zone? Like a subdimension where no one can attack.

-Or just teach remotely by communications magic. That’d be even safer. And if it’s in a mirror or something, we’ll feel secure too.

“Remote… artifact… communication… safe distance…”

Intarendals swiftly took notes with his quill.

“Anything else?”

-Lee Han is likely busy with all the other lectures he’s taking…

“But surely those lectures are worthless compared to my master’s…”

-Hey! Old man, if you keep saying things like that you really are hopeless!

“S-sorry. Please go on.”

-And there should be adequate compensation in return.

For the first time, Intarendals looked genuinely troubled at the subtle request from the death knights.

“But neither my master nor I really have anything—he’s so ascetic, no territory, no tax rights… All I have is a heap of imperial gold and gems…”

“……”

-…That should do.

“Ah, really? Such a small price. I’ll confirm that on my own authority.”

Lee Han began to seriously wonder just how much family gold Intarendals had siphoned off.

• * *

“Then, I’ll deliver this letter.”

Still tightly bound and carried by the death knights, Intarendals spoke with the gravity of a seasoned diplomat,
though he cut a pretty odd figure.

-Goodbye, Intarendals. Though our masters are adversaries, meeting an old-timer like you was a pleasure. Safe journey.

“I feel the same. Knights, how often does one get to meet men who refuse eternal rest to pursue honor?”

The death knights saw Intarendals off with warmth.

And as soon as Intarendals flew off toward the mountains—

-Is the seed planted?

-Yes.

“??”

Lee Han didn’t understand and asked,

“What did you plant?”

-Ah. When we stabbed him, we implanted a dark scarab in his body. If he comes near again, we’ll know right away.

The death knights disliked doing the same job inefficiently.

If Intarendals tried to sneak into the main building again, he’d get skewered with dark blades first.

“…Everyone!”

Lee Han was so moved he hugged the death knights. They nodded in satisfaction.

“Please tell me you’re not going to plant anything in me, too?”

-As expected of Fu—no, Lord Wardanaz, such a thought! You’re too high in mana density; if we tried, you’d just die. By the way, we were slightly surprised that you chose to let him go. You could have executed him, or at least imprisoned him for eternity…

“Neither seemed very effective. The mad clone will just send another minion anyway. The best way is to convince him to give up on me altogether.”

The death knights traded subtle glances.

‘You think it’ll work?’

‘I doubt he’s got a replacement lined up.’

‘Honestly, I think so too.’

“In any case, doesn’t that kind of person have ridiculous pride? With these kind of counter-proposals, their pride might be so hurt they’d refuse to teach me at all.”

-Hmm. That really might work.

“Really?”

-My jawbone is so old and rotten, sometimes I slur my words. Haha.

Hearing this, the death knights upgraded their probability estimate of success.

As irreplaceable a talent as Lee Han was, the mad clone’s pride was just as huge.

Would he really persist in teaching a disciple after being countered like that…?

“Knights!”

Barely minutes after leaving, Intarendals returned at high speed. The death knights grabbed their swords in surprise.

‘Was he found out?’

“My master has granted permission!”

-……

-“……”