Episode 907

Lee Han, who had become oddly polite, was looked at curiously by Intarendals as he began his explanation.

“Everyone has yang and yin. There are good parts and evil parts, you see.”

“That tends to be the case.”

Lee Han agreed for now, although he still couldn’t guess what the other was getting at.

Humans were complex beings by nature, with both good and evil sides coexisting.

Just look at Gainando—he’d steal his friend’s meals but sometimes give up his meal for a friend.

“Th-that example isn’t quite right… Anyway, it seems you understand. This is a fate that even great archmages like Lord Gonadaltes cannot escape.”

For ordinary living things, even if good and evil sides coexisted, balance was found in that complexity.

But for a thought-form that had changed into a kind of law or rule, such balance was impossible.

Either good or evil.

One had to choose only one.

“Now, Lord Gonadaltes’ evil side has awoken.”

“…Wait, so until now he was a benevolent archmage?”

“Are you asking an obvious question?”

“……”

When the chamberlain looked at him as if to say “why ask something so obvious?”, Lee Han was speechless.

Did he think the Mad Clone had sent Lee Han a polite invitation to become his disciple?

“Lord Gonadaltes inherited the true line of secret magics and sought to end the world’s suffering. Is that not a noble goal?”

In keeping with his desire for honor, the Mad Clone’s aim was exceedingly ambitious.

He wished to pass on the secret magics he’d mastered to his disciple and eventually achieve his great aspiration.

By ancient mage standards, it wasn’t such a strange idea. Even if the mage himself died, so long as the magic he created was passed on, he was as good as immortal.

Of course, the ambition itself was nearly impossible, and even by ancient standards, appearing as a thought-form to teach his secrets was rather unusual.

But the Mad Clone’s purpose now, after this reversal, was to conquer the continent himself and rule strictly.

‘Yeah. The first is definitely more virtuous, by comparison.’

Lee Han was frustrated, but he couldn’t refute it.

He may have attacked his disciples and the magic criminal, but at least he’d been trying to pass on his magic and resolve things peacefully.

In contrast, the Mad Clone now was openly trying to conquer the continent.

‘Come to think of it, isn’t this all the Skull Headmaster’s fault?’

A sudden fury at the absent Headmaster of Einrogard rose in Lee Han.

After all, this desire for honor split off from the Skull Headmaster, meaning his goal was the same as the Skull Headmaster’s in his youth…

…Which meant the Skull Headmaster, when young, actually thought things like “Maybe I’ll just conquer the continent myself?”

Judging by what he saw now, he hadn’t actually gone through with it, but just harboring that kind of plan was absurd.

Why would anyone even think of such a thing?

But blaming someone not here was meaningless. What mattered now was stopping the Mad Clone.

‘I always thought he was a Mad Clone, but to think he could go even crazier.’

“Mr. Intarendals, we must stop him! My master normally has a gentle nature and does not enjoy fighting. For someone who sought the highest peaks of magic to fall into such mania!”

-……

The hamster, reflecting silently, looked at Lee Han in disbelief.

That tyrant, gentle by nature? What kind of madness was that?

‘No. But the brat is right. He must be stopped.’

Even from the magic criminal hamster’s point of view, this was a bad situation.

Of course, things weren’t great before this either, but if it escalated here, it could get even worse.

Even if by some chance the Mad Clone succeeded, there’s no way he’d let the hamster go; and if he failed, pleading “I’m just an innocent magic criminal, I have nothing to do with this” wouldn’t work on an imperial punitive force.

“I agree as well, Lee Han of the Wardanaz family. That form is nothing like the Lord Gonadaltes I have served. One might say he’s lost his reason.”

At least with the chamberlain agreeing, Lee Han relaxed.

If Intarendals had started preaching loyalty and declared a continent conquest, it really would have been hopeless.

“Thank you for agreeing. Then how do we stop him?”

“I’m not sure…”

“……”

-……

When the person who could be called the top expert on the Mad Clone hesitated, both mage and hamster were appalled.

“W-wait. If you don’t know, who the heck does?”

“My role has just been to serve Lord Gonadaltes loyally. I have never thought about how to change him as he wishes.”

“True loyalty is being able to correct someone when they go astray…”

Halfway through, Lee Han stopped, feeling it was pointless.

There was no use pointing out the chamberlain’s usual attitude; no new solutions would appear.

They needed to urgently think up other possibilities.

“…Ah! How about this? Master has a sense of obligation from learning magic from the dragon. What if Prince Joulin convinced him?”

“It won’t work. At least, not with Lord Gonadaltes the way he is now.”

The chamberlain, ever loyal, was precise in anticipating his master’s reasoning.

-To him, ruling the continent is for all life’s benefit, so he’d think even the dragon would be convinced after seeing how he governs.

‘What kind of utter nonsense…’

Lee Han cursed inwardly.

It was beyond far-fetched. “Rule first, apologize later”?

If he was thinking like that, even appealing to imperial bloodlines would do no good.

No matter how much of a dragon, if the Mad Clone decided that kindhearted rule was insufficient and ruled strictly instead…

And the scariest part was, the Emperor might even agree.

‘…Surely he wouldn’t. No way… No way…’

Lee Han wasn’t close enough to the Emperor to be sure.

Would the Emperor firmly reject the Mad Clone if he demanded the throne?

When the evil noble families of the empire had the Emperor shackled with tricky contracts and were using him for forced labor?

‘…Dragons are generally wise and kind… Damn. I really can’t be sure.’

Wooooong—

Outside the workshop, a powerful surge of magic was felt. The chamberlain cried out urgently.

“Lord Gonadaltes is about to summon the demigod legion!”

“……”

Lee Han felt chills down his spine for the first time in a while.

He instinctively knew that unless they did something immediately, the situation would spiral beyond repair.

‘A demigod legion—could it be like that Black Dark Hall magic I saw before? He can really summon it at a legion scale? How?’

Many thoughts flashed through Lee Han’s mind, but he kept his composure and checked his resources.

Calling his seniors or professors would probably be too late, and he couldn’t predict how the Mad Clone would react.

‘Someone who can talk tough to the Mad Clone…’

Suddenly, Lee Han looked at the seal of Perkuntra.

A spirit king–level being could surely deliver a sharp rebuke, even to the Mad Clone.

‘No!’

Just as he was about to summon Perkuntra, Lee Han thought of something even better.

He remembered the one he’d met when dragged to the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas last time.

Lee Han took out the Yaksha King’s horn fragment. Perkuntra was no unworthy aide, but in this situation the Yaksha King seemed more fitting.

Gripping the horn tightly and pouring in mana, the incantation flowed naturally from his lips.

“Please help me, king of the golden eyes. A mortal begs for your wisdom!”

Even as he recited, Lee Han was worried.

He’d thought at the time he received the horn, too: the Yaksha King dwelled in a far, distant dimension.

He hadn’t made a contract with Lee Han, nor did he have much connection to the continent. Could he appear just from a horn fragment?

Hmm. You called sooner than expected.

“!!!”

But astonishingly, the Yaksha King appeared instantly, right out of thin air.

There was no omen, no great magic; that made it even more shocking for Lee Han.

Even the hamster, so surprised, only squeaked instead of struggling to form words.

For a being from another dimension to so easily cross the gap and descend?

‘What is this guy…?’

Disciple of Osu. I foresaw this turn of events.

The Yaksha King’s voice carried a mysterious presence only a being capable of seeing the future could possess.

That aura overwhelmed Lee Han completely.

He even forgot the grudge toward the star guide from last time, and asked a question with unconscious respect.

“You predicted this situation?”

Indeed! It wasn’t all that hard, either. That the demon assassins would target you, disciple of Osu, was obvious in a way.

“……”

-……

The hamster was suddenly ashamed.

He felt embarrassed for being cowed by some madman from another dimension.

And Lee Han felt something similar right now.

“No.”

Hm?

“It’s not a demon assassin attack.”

Lee Han suppressed his anger and explained as quickly as possible. There was no time to get angry.

Luckily, the Yaksha King understood at once.

Hmm. My prediction was off. It seems your existence, disciple of Osu, worked as a variable.

“…Enough with the excuses. Just help! You said you were friends with the Headmaster in his youth. Was he ever this crazy back then?”

Disciple of Osu. I can only think you’re misunderstanding your master…

The Yaksha King felt a bit concerned, thinking Lee Han saw his master as just some madman.

The Skull Headmaster was not such a lunatic.

Of course, the present Mad Clone definitely did need to be stopped.

Hmm. First, we have to solve this immediate problem. Disciple of Osu, you must assist.

“What should I do?”

Rather than wasting time nitpicking, Lee Han asked immediately.

Call for your master. Not Osu, but Osu’s clone. Hmm. Rather than just calling, say you found a new possibility in the secret arts of Dynamo and want to try the Fall again. Say, as Osu’s disciple, you’ll try casting Despotis.

“…????”

Names of old magics he didn’t know made Lee Han freeze up for a moment.

They sounded like magics at least on the level of Small World or higher.

‘Can I really lie about magics I’ve never even heard of?’

But the huge power surging outside made Lee Han push aside any hesitation.

He immediately took out the -Echo Stone- and called the Mad Clone.

I am busy now. Hurry and lead the vanguard.

“Master. I have seen a new possibility in the secrets of Dynamo. I want to attempt the Fall again. I will even try to cast Despoti—”

Before he finished, the -Echo Stone- cut off. Then, the workshop door burst open like a thunderclap.

The Mad Clone roared, eyes blazing.

“Is that true?!”

Yiyap!

The Yaksha King, having hurried over, ambushed the unprepared Mad Clone at once.

The giant yaksha, clad in shield-red armor and helmet, pinned the archmage with both arms. The archmage cried out in shock.

“Who are you?!”

It’s been a while, Osu.

“King of the Yaksha…! Even if you owe me, how dare you defy royalty?!”

The Mad Clone’s eyes burned with contempt and rage at the unthinkable insolence.

And then his gaze immediately turned to his disciple.

“Disciple, are you betraying your master?!”

“…Your Highness. You can handle this, right? Please tell me you can.”