Episode 831
by CristaeEpisode 831
Only after a few regrettable instances of physical conflict (Giselle had swung her fists to shake off her friends, and Deorgyu got hit because Lee Han quickly dodged) was Giselle able to calm down.
“…Everyone, apologize. I let myself get provoked.”
“Anyone has their own reverse scale.”
Lee Han spoke as if he understood.
It was a relief that Lagesa glared at Giselle; if he had glared at Lee Han and said, ‘Hoohoo, you really are as cautious as a disciple of the Skull Principal,’ Lee Han might have charged into the domain himself.
Everyone had their own vulnerable weaknesses.
“Don’t be fooled by Lagesa’s words. Moradi. Sir Ziklin isn’t some kind of berserker who would rush into a new domain just because she saw one, looking for trials.”
“……”
Giselle felt complicated inside.
Because her older sister was definitely someone who would absolutely do just that.
‘She totally would.’
Just as a magician entered dangerous ancient ruins, knights willingly challenged trials for glory.
And in that glory were included all kinds of rewards obtained from those trials. The braver the knight who put their life on the line, the faster they became stronger.
Though they also tended to die quickly.
“Think about it, everyone. When will you ever visit the domain of the Spirit King? Hm? Even you youngsters will eventually leave this school, work in the knights’ order, or serve all over the Empire. When the other knights
ask, ‘What did the magician learn at Einrogard?’ what will you answer? That you hid behind your friend and merely broke through the punishment rooms?”
“Lagesa. Please stop using those wicked whispers. Kids, pay them no mind. It’s nonsense to visit domains over words like that. What’s wrong with hiding behind someone and breaking through the punishment corridors
of the punishment room? It’s an excellent strategy.”
“……”
“……”
Giselle and Deorgyu made sour faces.
While Wardanaz could turn lies into truth under most circumstances, some things were impossible.
That was embellishing the act of sneaking behind friends to rush through the punishment room corridor into a heroic deed.
Any magician with a functioning brain and conscience simply could not accept that.
“Let’s take on the challenge. Wardanaz.”
“In the first place, we came here to take on a challenge.”
“Why are you suddenly like this, when you were good at hiding during the punishment room breakthrough?”
Lee Han grumbled.
- * *
FLASH!
As they passed through the rift, along with strong protection, a new dimension appeared before the students’ eyes.
Just as expected, a dense natural forest so thick that no rays of light escaped stretched out horizontally to the edge of vision.
…And upside down in the sky.
“…The ground, the ground is a cloud. Are we really supposed to step on it?”
“Hey. Wardanaz is glaring at you. Act bold.”
“Wardanaz. Don’t worry. This time, we’ll protect you!”
Perhaps feeling guilty for dragging along the initially skeptical Lee Han, the students from the White Tiger Tower loudly insisted that he trust them.
Of course, it wasn’t particularly convincing.
‘…Well. It’ll probably be fine.’
If he had really thought it was dangerous, no matter how much his friends rolled around on the ground begging, he wouldn’t have entered.
After all, he had the protection guarantee from the domain’s owner, and if it seemed dangerous he could return, plus with the White Tiger Tower students acting as the vanguard, Lee Han could focus more on magic.
Although still only a second-year, a knight group capable of casting magic was indeed a powerful force.
‘But I’m already starting to regret it.’
Lee Han thought as he stepped on the cloud instead of earth.
Seeing a lush forest growing upside down in the sky and clouds acting as the floor, he already wanted to turn back.
He had heard that other dimensions could be bizarre, but he hadn’t expected such a thing from the entrance itself.
“Wardanaz. It’s a butterfly.”
“!”
As the butterfly, which had previously come as an emissary of the King of Broadcloth, flew by, Lee Han greeted it cautiously.
The butterfly, with its small transparent wings, fluttered around and spun in the air as if beckoning them to follow.
“Seems like it wants us to come.”
“Any chance it’s a trap?”
To Giselle’s question, Lee Han considered for a moment before replying decisively.
“No. It swore to protect us upon inviting us.”
“I asked a foolish question. My apologies.”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
Lee Han and his friends followed the butterfly, stepping along the clouds. Periodically, instead of rain, leaves floated down from the sky above.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wander or tour the domain for long—their destination was visible in the distance.
A structure using floating seawater as a ceiling and upside-down mangrove trees as pillars and walls.
When the butterfly entered the Floating Residence Forest, the owner came out to greet them.
A demon—Duke of Pride, Garisaima—wearing all kinds of mismatched, flamboyant attire: hats and helmets, shirts and dresses, pants and skirts.
“…It’s a trap!!!! Trap!!! Retreat!!!”
“Wha, wha?! Wha!!”
The White Tiger Tower students, startled by Lee Han’s shout, drew their weapons.
Garisaima blinked lightly as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’
A trap? —Human—magician—how rude—!
“Isn’t that a demon duke?!”
Lagesa, unusually flustered, gestured.
He had followed to see what sort of troubles the students would get into in another dimension, but hadn’t expected to encounter a demon duke.
“Lagesa. You have to help us with this!”
“This doesn’t make sense?? Isn’t this supposed to be the King of Broadcloth’s domain?”
That—magician’s—words—are—correct. To call this a trap is—outlandishly—rude!
Garisaima admonished the rude guests.
He himself was a guest staying at the King of Broadcloth’s domain, and these magician guests were saying ridiculous things about traps.
It was not only an insult to the magicians’ own dignity, but also to both the Duke of Pride and the King of Broadcloth.
It meant the Duke of Pride was so despicable as to set traps in a friend’s domain, and that the King of Broadcloth allowed traps to be set for invited guests.
Trying to listen as calmly and collected as possible, Lee Han asked with a wary look in his eye.
“So you are really a guest here?”
Indeed!
“…Are demons usually invited as guests to spirits’ domains?”
Giselle asked sharply, as if she just couldn’t believe it.
Her hand hovered near her waist, ready to draw her sword at any moment.
Who could understand all the infinite dimensions’ order and relations, but still, there were some rules.
One of them was that, in general, spirits and demons didn’t get along.
The mutual aversion was nearly instinctual.
The King of Broadcloth—knows—how—to—respect—demons. We—are—good—friends—
“Isn’t that a crazy spirit??”
“Wardanaz. It seems like a crazy spirit.”
‘I told you it was the King of Broadcloth, damn it, you idiots.’
Lee Han cursed inwardly at his friends’ muttering.
He said it was a crazy spirit—why did they ignore him back then?!
“I see. Your Highness Duke of Pride. By chance, did you know I would be invited as well?”
Of course—this—Garisaima—introduced—the—human—magician—himself—!
With pride, Duke of Pride Garisaima explained his own kindness.
When a letter had arrived for Perkuntra, one of those who confidently said, ‘Ah, I know that magician,’ and explained things nearby was Garisaima himself.
“……”
Lee Han resolved never again to step easily into a supposedly safe domain.
‘I must never let my guard down!’
Who could have guessed that, when a spirit invited him, Garisaima would be right there?
Hurry—inside. I—wanted—to—talk—to—you—anyway—
‘I really don’t want to go in.’
Perhaps thinking the same thing, Giselle responded with a straight face laced with caution.
“If it was just the owner, that would be one thing, but with a demon duke here as well, we must be a little wary.”
Human—magicians—are—truly—rude. Besides—me—there—are—other—guests—inside.
Duke of Pride Garisaima shook his head in exasperation, having tried to placate the magicians to this extent and still being met with suspicion.
Lee Han asked with a sour expression.
“Is there another demon duke as well?”
No—it’s—another—human—like—you.
The White Tiger Tower students reacted as if utterly unconvinced by the demon duke’s words.
“What kind of crazy person visits a place like this?”
“Weren’t they talking about kidnapping?”
“Lagesa, what do you think?”
“Well. To my ears, it all sounds rather nonsensical, too.”
Before he’d even finished, Arsil walked out from inside the mansion.
Arsil, wondering why her younger brother hadn’t shown up yet, saw him and his friends arriving en masse and flashed a radiant smile.
“……”
“……”
- * *
The King of Broadcloth was a spirit whose appearance looked as if vines and tree roots were tangled together into a human shape.
The Duke of Pride admonished gently.
Hey—when—human—magicians—visit, you—need—to—match—their—form. Look—at—me—am—I—not—beautiful?
Wearing an avant-garde fashion ensemble of pants and skirts, with outfits from the Three Kingdoms era patched over those from the Seven Kingdoms era, none of the magicians said anything.
Arsil agreed and passed along the words. Upon this, the King of Broadcloth nodded and transformed into the familiar beaver beastman magician.
“Will this do?”
“Uwaaaah!”
The students screamed the loudest they had all day.
The King of Broadcloth sent a puzzled look—the fact that the face was Professor Verdus’s made it even scarier.
“I heard that among the Empire’s races, beaver beastmen and penguin beastmen are most popular? Of those, I picked the teacher magician you all are most familiar with!”
“Kyaaaaaaaa!”
Seems—they—are—screaming—because—they—like—it—!
“Please, return to your original appearance.”
At Lee Han’s earnest request, the King of Broadcloth reverted to his original form of vines and roots.
—I am originally so mad that neither my underlings nor outsiders call me that. If it weren’t for the requests of these two close friends, I would not have invited a young human magician either.
“…Brother. What exactly did you tell him?”
I told him how outstanding you, Lee Han, are as a younger brother.
At Arsil’s kind answer, Lee Han’s face filled with agony and anguish.
This was the problem with being on good terms with spirits.
One never knew what kind of spirit domain one might accidentally end up meeting!
“So why is the demon duke here as a guest?”
Because the King of Broadcloth himself is half-demon, half-spirit.
“I see. Such a secret… Wait. Is it really okay to tell me this?”
I am so mad no one cares anyway, so do not worry about it.
‘That makes it even scarier.’
Now. Quickly. You must make your request.
Human—magician—hurry! You—must—receive—the—branch—before—the—King—of—Broadcloth—changes—his—mind—!
“……”
With two great beings cheering him on beside him, Lee Han felt as if stifled.
To think, one could be so tormented just by pure support, with no malice or threat!
Lagesa also told Lee Han:
“You’d better get to the point quickly.”
“Are you saying this to see me suffer?”
“You brat. Does this look like the time? As you heard, they called him a mad spirit. We don’t know when he’ll lose it—finish up and get what you came for, as fast as possible!”
Normally, he would have enjoyed watching the students struggle, but now Lagesa was serious.
Because they had to seize this kind of opportunity before it slipped away.
“Understood. Uh, King of Broadcloth, Your Majesty.”
-What is it, Marengwan.
“……”
With those words, Lee Han at once realized the other party had already lost his mind.