Episode 936
by CristaeEpisode 936
He was curious about Alsicle as well, but he held it in.
His opponent was a great magician, but at the same time, he also had a quirky temper.
Alsicle still remembered the story of Baldororn giving a watch as a gift to Lee Han.
- More than that, you said you bought this kind of artifact in the village? And at a shop that sells secondhand goods cheaply, at that?
- Yes. I think Baldororn might have recommended it knowingly… Should I send a letter and ask what it meant?
- No. After going out of his way to give a lesson to a Junior, it would be rather presumptuous to ask immediately instead of solving it yourself.
Magicians who did this kind of work were usually as quirky as the Skull Headmaster.
Of course, that pocket watch happened to end up in Lee Han’s hands simply because Professor Garcia put it away, not because Baldororn recommended it for any enlightenment or to torment him.
But these two young magicians had no way of knowing the truth.
They had no intention of talking to Baldororn at all!
‘There’s no need to bother a powerful magician who’s quietly minding his own business.’
Alsicle lightly nodded his head as a sign of respect. Baldororn looked around, puzzled, wondering if he had really just been greeted.
“Now then, Wardanaz.”
“You have to call me Stedal.”
“…Stedal. Have you thought of something?”
“Hmm. I haven’t decided specifically yet, but…”
The dangers that Lee Han and the Drama Club students had to overcome were as follows.
The avenues and alleys, shops, and stores outside the palace, which had been sealed off under the pretext of protecting the Einrogard magicians.
With the Death Knights standing guard inside and out, it wasn’t as if they could simply escape by leaving the palace. They’d need more time to break through the cordon after getting through the empty streets.
What if they escaped the palace while avoiding eyes for the first stage, and again avoided pursuit and patrols in the second stage?
“I’m thinking of stirring up a big commotion.”
Of course, a big commotion was the answer.
A huge scene so big that not only the guests inside the palace but even the Death Knights would be distracted.
“At first, I thought about summoning the Headmaster’s Mad Clone and having it impersonate him, but I didn’t think the Death Knights would be that stupid after all.”
“…Regardless of the possibility, it’s frightening that you even thought of that!”
Alsicle shuddered.
He never thought anyone would try to impersonate the Skull Headmaster.
And that person was even the Skull Headmaster’s disciple.
“I thought it was a fairly doable idea actually. Of course, I gave up because I figured the Death Knights would have a way to verify the identity…”
“How about just revealing your identity as Wardanaz to the Death Knights and asking for a favor?”
Alsicle suggested quite seriously.
It might have sounded reckless, but to Alsicle, it seemed pretty plausible.
After all, the Death Knights were loyal to the Skull Headmaster, but they were also loyal to the Skull Headmaster’s successor.
And while they were strict with the former, they were a bit more lenient with the latter.
If Wardanaz asked, maybe they’d turn a blind eye?
“That was the most ridiculous, irresponsible suggestion I heard all day. No matter how annoying things get, I can’t believe you’d suggest something like that?”
Lee Han looked at Alsicle with eyes full of contempt. Alsicle protested in a wronged voice.
“I was serious!”
“Hmph. Don’t lie. There’s no way you’d seriously suggest such a thing.”
Even if Alsicle was serious, it was a suggestion Lee Han could never accept.
If he tried telling the Death Knights and they went, ‘Understood! Please follow us to the punishment room!’, then Lee Han’s plan would have just gone up in smoke.
“…Alright. Fine. It’s a bit risky. So? The commotion—what kind?”
After all, magicians, by their very nature, were a group specialized in stirring up commotions.
Even a magician who wasn’t that skilled could cause quite a commotion if he set his mind to it.
Alsicle himself immediately thought of all sorts of methods—summoning familiars, making the elements go rampant, deafening confusion, emotional disturbance, and so on.
But just because they occurred to him didn’t mean he should recklessly carry them out; that was a surefire way to be branded as a magical criminal.
The bigger the incident, the harder it was to take responsibility afterward.
That was why Lee Han had joined the illusionist magicians who were preparing the play.
If he was to cause a commotion the others here wouldn’t find strange, and so that there would be no pursuit afterward, then the magicians here were perfect for that.
“We’ll summon illusions matching the play, but much more intense and powerful than the audience expects.”
“Indeed.”
Alsicle understood Lee Han’s words.
The audience here were all familiar with Empire plays. They weren’t easily startled by magic illusions during a play.
But what if the illusions were much stronger and more intense than they expected?
If the magic was so realistic the crowd mistook it for the real thing, the hall would plunge into confusion, and the Death Knights would surely react.
“Amazing. You came prepared with even those kinds of spells.”
Alsicle praised Lee Han.
Preparing illusions that fit the play but could throw the crowd into confusion.
He truly lived up to being the Skull Headmaster’s prized disciple.
“Excuse me? I don’t have those kinds of spells.”
“Then?”
“I thought you’d come up with them, Sir Alsicle.”
“……”
Alsicle pecked his beak in frustration and glared at Lee Han.
“Hey… I’m a second year. How am I supposed to come up with and prepare things like that?”
“Only when it’s convenient are you a second year! Ugh. I’m not an expert in illusions either.”
Alsicle sank into thought.
He did know a few schools of illusion magic.
‘Bewitching Giant Penguin… This one isn’t suitable for startling people, and it doesn’t fit the play at all. Enraged Giant Penguin… If I use this, people might become suspicious later, and it still doesn’t fit the play.’
“Is there another illusion spell besides penguins?”
“I told you, I’m not an expert in illusion magic!”
Alsicle even pulled out an illusion magic book from his pocket that he usually didn’t read and started rummaging through it.
He never thought he’d end up searching for illusion magic he had once forgotten as useless.
“If it’s an illusion that works when families are fighting… Would an orca illusion work?”
“…That’s way too unfitting for the play’s content.”
The idea of two families fighting in the middle of the city and summoning an orca was just…
As Lee Han was mulling it over, he suddenly shouted as if he’d gotten an idea.
“I have a good method!”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Master?”
What now?
“……”
Watching Lee Han treat the Skull Headmaster’s Mad Clone like a magical assistant, Alsicle thought that someday, Wardanaz might end up being snatched away by a crazy archmage.
“Thank you, Master!”
Make sure to waste just enough time on pointless tasks.
Surprisingly, the Mad Clone taught sincerely. Alsicle thought it seemed more sincere than the Skull Headmaster himself.
- Wrong. From what I see, this is based on an anecdote between the Alkarmaata family and the Ilhone family. In that case, summon the illusion of a dragon.
- A dragon!? Isn’t that too much? It doesn’t fit the play at all…
- No. The Alkarmaata family received a pact allowing them to summon a dragon in a fight at any time, thanks to the achievements of their ancestor. Only once, though, but they used it in a feud with the Ilhone family. The bottomless black swamp in the family’s domain is proof of the pact. The dragon’s nest is in there.
- You, you can’t mean…! I thought that black swamp was just an ominous backdrop, but that place?!
- The records must have been lost. The Ilhone family wasn’t easy, either. Knowing their opponents would summon a dragon, they summoned a demon.
- Even a demon!?
- So summon a dragon and a demon in Act 2. The spells are as follows…
After the Mad Clone left, Alsicle spoke in an excited voice.
“I never imagined that such a cliché play could be hiding this kind of secret! A dragon and a demon! Such a secret in that ordinary backdrop!!”
“Sir Alsicle, don’t you actually like plays?”
“N-no! That’s ridiculous… That’s just something that would surprise anyone from the Empire!”
Alsicle felt truly wronged to be misunderstood so suddenly.
Compared to the Empire’s nobles, who truly loved theater, Alsicle would be embarrassed to say he liked plays at all.
What he just showed was genuine curiosity and admiration.
But as far as Lee Han was concerned, Alsicle was already enough of a play enthusiast.
‘Why does he keep pretending not to like it when he actually does.’
The Mad Clone had taught two illusion spells.
-Rampaging Azirmo Illusion- and -Raging Duke’s Phantom Descent-.
Both were 4th circle, but the level of the magic was high, and they required a lot of adjustment, so the difficulty was considerable. Alsicle worried about whether he could prepare them before the play started.
“Can you learn at least one of these?”
“I think I can cast -Rampaging Azirmo Illusion-.”
“……”
Lee Han, noticing Alsicle’s appalled expression, quickly explained.
“I once learned a similar spell.”
It was a spell called -Azirmo Summon Enchantment-, a technically demanding 4th circle spell that relied on magic circles and several reagents.
Since he had mastered that, and gained a high level of understanding about Azirmo’s form, this similar kind of illusion magic was much easier to grasp.
“O-oh, I see. Lucky for you. Which professor taught you? I’ll have to thank them later.”
“Professor Verdus.”
“Forget about thanking them. What a trashy guy.”
Alsicle waved his arms, revoking what he just said.
No doubt Professor Verdus had taught his student just so he could use the magic for himself.
What a scoundrel!
“Then I’ll prepare -Raging Duke’s Phantom Descent- myself…”
A loud cheer drowned out Alsicle’s voice from outside.
- Make way! Make way! The magicians of Einrogard have arrived!
- Oh! Einrogard’s pillars!
- Is such strict security really necessary? Who among the people gathered in this palace could be suspicious?
- Let’s understand them. How many evil people must be after the Empire’s best magicians?
“…They’re here! Go and make contact quickly. I’ll keep preparing!”
“Yes!”
“Wait!”
Alsicle called out to Lee Han as he was about to run off.
“??”
“Don’t forget to strike up a conversation if you see a worthwhile patron!!”
“…Alright!”
Yoner was seriously discussing with his friends.
“The Alkarmaata family’s black swamp implies the kingdom at the time was in a gloomy state. Otherwise, there’s no reason for a random swamp to be in the family’s domain.”
“I see it differently. The black swamp symbolizes the tragic fate of the two lovers.”
“What if there’s a black dragon in it or something?”
“Nillia! We’re being serious here!”
“I-I was being serious too…”
Nillia felt slightly taken aback by her friends’ reactions.
She was just presenting her own interpretation like everyone else, but why…?
“Einrogard magicians, welcome to the palace.”
“Thank you!”
The nobles who had arrived earlier gave a brief greeting, and the Einrogard students returned the greeting with equal dignity.
Of course, their outfits looked worse than beggars’, but at least their hearts were dignified.
The Einrogard students were better than anyone else at behaving with refinement even when wearing rags.
Upon hearing the students’ voices, other nobles who were chatting nearby also turned their attention.
Someone who was standing in the midst of the noble group approached the students.
“Who is that?”
“Oh, that is Stedal of the Nago family. He’s a truly amazing person!”
The noble at the side explained excitedly about Stedal.
Held captive by pirates in the southern Empire, only to be rescued by chance…
“No way!”
“How is that possible!”
The students were astonished at the complex and rich backstory.
“Greetings.”
As this was happening, Stedal greeted in a rough voice and bowed. Ahsan was ready to ask questions with excited eyes.
“Don’t be surprised, everyone. I’m Wardanaz.”
“……”
“……”