Episode 916

Episode 916

Professor Garcia ignored the words just spoken as if he hadn’t heard them, then transformed the patrol members into hamsters.

When a fellow was placed in the cage, the hamsters squeaked fiercely, as if they were delighted to death.

“I’ll ask you to interpret, please.”

-Shut up.

After locking all the patrol members in the cage, Professor Garcia cast another transformation spell.

Then, the appearance of the three of them perfectly changed into patrol members.

“Check the mark… There. Looks good. It’s not awkward, right, Student Lee Han?”

“Your skills are truly perfect, Professor.”

“There’s nothing to this. Right. Lastly, could you ask the patrol members if there’s anything we need to be careful of inside?”

Upon hearing the professor’s words, Lee Han spoke to the hamster.

The hamster squeaked and delivered the message to the patrol members, who made rejecting squeaks in response. So the hamster beat up the patrol members.

After a while, an answer came back.

-They say not to act weak or humble. If someone asks why you went out and couldn’t even catch a slave, answer, ‘Shut up before I sell you as a slave,’ and if it’s a superior, answer, ‘I’ll soon catch a slave and offer it up.’

“……”

‘Do people here care about nothing but new slaves?’

Lee Han thought so to himself but nodded for now.

When entering a different era and region, he had to respect the customs of the counterparts.

• * *

“Excuse me…”

“Shut up before I sell you as a slave!”

“Eek! I’m sorry!”

“Shut up before I sell you as a slave!”

As they approached Isran City, people began to speak to them, recognizing the patrol member attire.

Each time, Lee Han forced people away with lines he had diligently prepared.

“Whew. This isn’t easy. I wasn’t awkward at all, was I?”

“N-not at all, Student Lee Han. You did great.”

Professor Garcia praised his pupil while thinking to himself.

‘Aren’t you doing this a bit too well?’

The student’s performance in driving off people as if he were born for it left Professor Garcia a bit bewildered.

Looking to the side, Professor Voladi gave a faint nod. He seemed satisfied with his student’s achievement.

‘…Is, is it me that’s strange?’

“Then let’s keep moving. We’ll look for a wizard inside the city.”

The reason the group came inside this dangerous city was simple.

Information was easiest to find inside such a city.

In remote, small villages far from the city, it was hard to get answers even if you asked questions.

Now, the group’s target was the factions most likely to have information from outside even within the city: the city’s wizards.

‘I am worried, though.’

As he warded off people who tried to approach or attempt covert dealings, Lee Han fell into thought.

This era of the Ancient Three Kingdoms was truly an age of the law of the jungle, the survival of the strong.

A time when society was strictly divided by class, and the nobles suppressed their inferiors with fear and violence.

And even here, the wizards were nobles.

Sometimes there were slaves who used magic, but that was strictly an exception, and if you weren’t born of the right blood, you couldn’t even learn magic.

A noble was a wizard, and a wizard was a noble.

‘Their personalities must be disgustingly nasty…’

Even the patrolman over there growled that he’d make an outsider a slave and sell him the moment he found out, so Lee Han couldn’t even imagine how vile the wizard-nobles must be here.

It was obvious they couldn’t even be compared to the friends of the Blue Dragon Tower.

‘Maybe I should have dressed up and impersonated a noble instead? No. It wouldn’t have made any real difference.’

He regretted that his shabby and ragged Einrogard uniform probably immediately got him suspected as a slave, but he would have been found out quickly even if he had disguised himself as a noble since he knew nothing about the city.

In the end, there was only one way.

‘When I meet the wizard, I’ll have to use Professor Baegrek’s persuasion method…’

After coming to the past dimension to solve a problem, it seemed like he kept resorting to violent means, but he had no choice.

Wasn’t this era barbaric!

“I’ll soon catch a slave and offer it up!”

Thinking hard, Lee Han bowed and greeted a passing knight. The knight was pleased, thinking, ‘That patrol member knows his manners.’

The hamster squeaked as if exasperated.

-You’re a perfect patrol member.

“Oh. Thank you.”

-If you took that as a compliment, your ears must have rotted away.

‘Even though I put his companion in, why is he still so mean?’

Thinking that, Lee Han searched for the road.

According to the information from the patrol members and what they had further gathered in the city, there were three types of wizards in Isran City worth visiting.

First, the wizards who ran –Hall of the Waves–, located at the port.

These wizards were descendants of a wicked captain who led the kingdom’s magical fleet, using the destructive magic borrowed from the sea to sweep the enemy’s coastlines.

Next were the wizards who researched magic at the –Metamorphosis Burrow–, located near the castle gate.

These wizards were traitors from another kingdom who had come over decades ago, and they once stunned the kingdom’s nobles by presenting a chimera made from uniting twelve tribes.

Lastly, there was the –Gallery of Statues–, located towards the inner castle.

Compared to the previous groups, these wizards were somewhat less destructive and less cruel, but they had the peculiarity of regularly capturing slaves and turning them into statues.

Professor Voladi recommended the last group of wizards.

“Let’s go that way.”

“Because they’re the most cunningly wicked?”

“The structure looks vulnerable to surprise attacks.”

“……”

Professor Garcia nodded, regretting his question.

Indeed, the –Gallery of Statues– looked easy for an ambush.

Simply, there were fewer passersby in the area and hardly any guards.

Save for the peculiarly human-like statues stationed everywhere.

“Professor Garcia. Please.”

“Yes.”

Professor Garcia waved his staff as if there was no need for further explanation.

The rules, formulas, and structures differed from the current imperial magic, but any excellent wizard could make out what was what.

And Professor Garcia was exceptionally excellent even among wizards.

The spells cast here were easily handled.

Lee Han admired the professor’s magic.

‘As expected. Spells cast on the statues, just in case of intruders.’

“Student Lee Han. Come here and take a look. I’ll explain it to you.”

“Ah. Should I dispel it, too?”

“Pardon? No. I’m going to do the dispelling.”

“??”

Lee Han almost asked, ‘Then why bother explaining to me?’ but listened for now.

When a professor teaches, a student shouldn’t question ‘why’.

“…This is that kind of magic. Got it? If you’re curious later, ask me again and practice.”

“…Professor, are you explaining this to me because you expect me to secretly practice it later??”

“W-what are you talking about. Student Lee Han. Not at all. I’m just purely teaching as a professor?”

Professor Garcia stammered and rambled a bit. With that alone, Lee Han could guess the truth.

‘That’s a ridiculous accusation.’

Even so, the ancient magic was so alien and unfamiliar that it was fascinating. Lee Han committed what he learned to memory.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes.”

After finishing up outside, the three entered the gallery.

Then, they locked eyes with a wizard who looked familiar.

“……”

“……”

The wizard had the appearance of an ancient statue, and blood dripped from both hands below.

Corpses were strewn about. Judging by their clothes, anyone could tell they were wizards belonging to the gallery.

“I can’t help it. Sorry about this.”

The young skeleton headmaster, caught in the act, apologized as if sorry and began to make a move.

Sensing the destructive power implied, Lee Han shouted urgently.

“Wait! We’re not enemies!”

It didn’t seem they’d be convinced by words alone. Lee Han hurriedly released the disguise spell, too.

Seeing clothes that were not those of a patrol member, but rather ragged beggar wear, the young skeleton headmaster finally paused.

“You’re not from this city?”

“Yes. W-we’re… visitors from another dimension! Please listen to us!”

“Hmm.”

The young skeleton headmaster hesitated for a moment, then lowered his hands for now. Then he spoke to Professor Voladi.

“Stop hiding over there and come out.”

Professor Voladi obediently dispelled his concealment and appeared. The young skeleton headmaster tilted his head.

“The spell just now seems similar to a spell from my family…”

“That’s right. I learned it from you.”

“??”

“I’ll explain. After cleaning up these bodies first.”

At Professor Voladi’s words, the young skeleton headmaster blushed.

“This wasn’t out of greed for killing…”

“I know. These punks must have been acting arrogantly, right?”

Lee Han said as if he could guess.

The young skeleton headmaster was royalty, but only of a minor country.

Naturally, wizards of such a powerful kingdom would be rude to such royalty.

The young skeleton headmaster must have exploded from the insult received when visiting quietly for magical business.

“That’s not it.”

“Pardon? It’s not?”

“I came to rescue the innocent people imprisoned here.”

The young skeleton headmaster replied as if wondering what on earth they were talking about.

Killing people because they acted arrogantly? What sense did that make?

“…Who are you… mmph!”

Professor Garcia hurriedly blocked Lee Han’s mouth, who was about to shout in horror.

“Haha. Please forget what you just heard!”

“???”

• * *

After tidying up the corpses and settling inside the gallery, Lee Han’s group began explaining to the young skeleton headmaster.

-So, in our dimension, you become a great magician who goes down in history, you run a magic school as that great magician, and we’re all your former students…

“A-amazing!”

The young skeleton headmaster blushed with joy and trembled.

“I can’t believe such a future of possibilities existed even for a magician as lacking as myself!”

A wizard who deeply understood the concept of divination magic would not find the idea of his parallel or future selves difficult.

The young skeleton headmaster was deeply moved by the fact that a version of himself in another dimension would someday raise students.

All he was doing now was attacking and killing evil wizards.

Yet, even someone as lacking as himself would eventually raise proper students!

“What sort of place is that magic school? Is it warm and full of love?”

“……”

“Ah, well…”

As the two professors fell silent, Lee Han, as a student, had to lie.

“It is very warm and full of love. There’s even a song. ‘Einrogard, Einrogard, it’s so great—A place with hot food and a soft bed. Einrogard.'”

“That is truly a great comfort to hear.”

The young skeleton headmaster replied with immense happiness.

Now, he was only capable of assaulting evil wizards, but perhaps someday he could raise other wizards with unconditional benevolence.

Just that thought alone refreshed his spirits. He felt like he could keep assaulting evil wizards from now on.

“…Aren’t we in the wrong place?”

“Get a grip, Student Lee Han. We’re in the right place.”

Professor Garcia was also dizzy but barely endured with his sense of responsibility as a professor.

This was definitely the young skeleton headmaster.

It was just truly hard to accept…