Episode 1140
by CristaeUnaware that the church people had observed from afar and left, Lee Han was conversing with the knights.
“First, let’s start by gathering information.”
-Heir. Right now, information isn’t the issue! The inspector covering up a crime for a mage means tonight the sun might set in the wrong direction, and tomorrow morning the continent could sink beneath the sea!
“…I don’t think it’s quite that bad.”
“Right. Wardanaz is friends with the officials, after all.”
Siana and the other priests took Lee Han’s side.
Given the achievements he had racked up during school breaks, it wasn’t strange at all for officials to support Lee Han.
No wonder the Skull Headmaster had Lee Han handle negotiations.
-Tsk tsk tsk.
But the knights clicked their tongues and shook their heads disapprovingly.
They were stubborn, hidebound from long years lived. Such radical views were hard for them to accept.
-That only proves you know nothing about officials. Listen up. Imperial bureaucrats are disgusting beings who’ll seize any chance to drag a mage down into the swamp. Demons or monsters are more trustworthy by far.
“……”
“……”
-Especially if you’re an Einrogard mage, you have to be even more wary. Heir, even if officials speak to you kindly, never trust them…
“I’ll just go greet them. Please handle the questioning for me.”
Lee Han let their words go in one ear and out the other, moving away with his friends.
Whatever the reason, giving thanks couldn’t hurt.
And if by chance there really was some ugly conspiracy, he’d only know by checking for himself.
-No, you can’t! What if that official’s laying some devilish trap…!
Of course, there was no such trap.
When Lee Han met the inspector, he just offered a mild warning.
“It’s best to be cautious. The wicked never show concern when doing wrong, but once harmed themselves, they’ll spread rumors and appeal to the law.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be careful.”
“Good. The examiners have been quite worried about you. No trouble at Einrogard of late? Has Duke Gonadaltes been making any unreasonable demands…”
The inspector was much more interested in other accusations.
He didn’t care at all about a few criminals getting whacked by the Wardanaz boy, but if the Skull Headmaster was harassing him, that was a different story.
Even other capital officials felt the same.
“Mmmh. Mmm-mmmph!”
Siana wrung her hands in frustration—if only she could expose the Skull Headmaster’s bullying of her friend!
“What’s wrong?”
“Haha. Nothing, I’m fine.”
For now, having run wild with the knights, Lee Han wasn’t about to call down the Skull Headmaster’s wrath.
If he tattled to the capital, he’d do it only when absolutely necessary.
Lee Han gestured to Siana to calm down.
“Anyway, again, thank you. Thank you for ruling rightly and not believing the wicked’s slander…”
“No need to thank me for what’s right. The treasurers are quite worried about you—there really isn’t any trouble at Einrogard?”
‘…Am I being worried about by too many officials?’
Siana thought this. At first, she’d assumed only a few officials cared, and her friends could accept that.
But now it sounded like more than just a couple.
What on earth…?
“Yes, I’m really fine.”
“By the way, the bishop dropped by earlier.”
“!”
Lee Han and the priests’ expressions stiffened at that.
Had they been found out?
Going out at night with friends to rough up criminals wasn’t really priestly business.
Naturally, the Einrogard spirit took precedence over imperial law or church rules among Einrogard students, but would the bishop understand?
“The bishop said not to be deceived by the wicked’s slander.”
“Phew!”
The priests exhaled in relief. Nigisor said, pleased,
“Feels like all that work getting our story straight paid off.”
‘Is that something to take pride in…?’
“Sniff. I’m just grateful for His Excellency’s compassion.”
“The gratitude here should be for you, shouldn’t it? Be sure to greet His Excellency. Not that you’d forget, but still.”
“Yes, sir!”
Lee Han and his friends left the inspector’s office without incident.
As he discussed what gift to bring the bishop with Tijilling, Siana found herself wondering,
“But Wardanaz, does that mean you won’t be cleaning up criminals tonight?”
With so many outsiders now watching, and all the criminals turning themselves in, surely tonight…
“No, of course I will.”
Lee Han replied as if she’d said something absurd.
What if, at this very moment, some evil god worshipper was lying low, waiting, knowing the others would all turn themselves in?
“I… I don’t think the other criminals would let such a person be…”
Never overlooking even a slim possibility.
That was the lesson Lee Han had learned in fighting evil god worshippers.
And Lee Han practiced what he preached.
Until the moment he left, he scoured the city, rattling every suspicious corner every night without fail.
For the criminals of Bephaim, it was a disaster even greater than the heatwave. More than a few abandoned their whole base and fled to another city.
And those who remained in Bephaim City were left with a deep psychological scar.
Even after Lee Han’s group left, they referred to that period as — the Night of Death —.
The tavern keeper who was the first to get raided even posted a new inscription on the wall:
- Evil god worshippers prohibited
- Magicians prohibited
Tezareku, one of the last remaining executives and devout fanatics of the Singuiros Order, frowned at the latest reports.
Currently, the western empire was in chaos due to sudden natural disasters.
Such chaos was always the best time for evil god worshippers to expand and seek opportunity.
‘How could they keep failing like this? Useless trash!’
Tezareku thought the god he served was the fairest and most righteous of all gods.
Unlike others, who never responded to devotees’ prayers, the Just Regent always rewarded offerings properly.
Granted, some sacrifices required blood, but as a vampire of an old western house, Tezareku had no issue with that.
There was always someone around to offer in his place.
He closed his eyes and thought back to the past. When the Just Regent was at full power, those were glorious days.
The god rewarded offerings with miraculous power, drawing followers like clouds.
The order’s membership had also been of a different caliber.
Back then, noble vampires from families like Juzene and Tezareku himself drove the cult’s strategies. Mixing only with those of matching class, even their parties were a joy.
But now…
Many of the order’s key figures had been killed, its power shattered, and time was needed even to try rebuilding.
Even if it managed some recovery, its members now fell far short of the old standard.
If it were like before, failure after failure would never have happened.
It wasn’t so hard—just set up hideouts in some western cities as ordered.
“The mercenaries are acting hostile toward any suspicious outsiders. Not just the mercenaries, but thieves, smugglers, fences, everyone…”
Criminals often cooperated with evil god worshippers in the empire’s underworld.
Even aside from old sayings about the enemy of my enemy, their goals were clear.
Criminals wanted money, worshippers wanted people. It was a simple trade.
Even without a deal, such people would never normally report a worshipper to the empire. You never knew when you’d need each other—why make an enemy?
But for some reason, now they were driving out any outsider who even seemed suspicious.
For evil god worshippers trying to infiltrate, it was disaster.
“Still no word from Juzene?”
“No.”
“Even fighting fire giants shouldn’t take this long. Fine. Gather the rest and send them to Bephaim City. With disaster like this, it should be an easy target.”
Tezareku decided to focus on claiming one city as his sphere of influence.
Bephaim looked like a fine choice.
But the vampire didn’t realize that, due to the weakening of the order’s information network, his reports were out of date.
He had no idea Bephaim had already recovered from the shock,
And that a horde of criminals, driven to hell by evil god worshippers and boiling with revenge, awaited him.
The Skull Headmaster called Uman’s smile ‘creepy,’ but the students praised Inspector Uman’s recent burst of vigor.
He was still a bit suffocating about rules, but much improved (the Skull Headmaster had never shown any such growth, making the contrast sharper), and the way the dragon went around fixing problems on campus himself was well received.
If he left the students alone and just dealt with problems on his own land, who could object?
Joulin, however, felt differently.
‘I miss the old miserable Uman.’
Elder sister, please smash and pulverize the forest’s trees! I, Uman, will neutralize the toxins!
As Uman, now a huge black dragon, roared from the skies, Joulin muttered quietly once more,
“It would be better for the forest if Joulin left it alone…”
Uman’s newfound enthusiasm did have one side effect.
It meant Joulin got dragged out too, forcibly recruited into land improvement efforts.
Of course, Uman didn’t use pure force. It was against his nature to give such impious orders to a sister he revered as the sky itself.
Rather, Uman acted out of innocent faith that noble Joulin would naturally enjoy such work.
Unable to beg off due to the family’s dignity, Joulin relented. All he could think was that he should’ve tagged along for Lee Han’s outing after all.
“I think Gonadaltes said a little poison is good for preparing students to cope…”
Pardon? What did you say?
“…Nothing at all.”
Joulin, now glum in place of her brother, prepared to transform into Gold Dragon form.
At that moment, she heard carriages rolling through the Einrogard main gate. With her superlative hearing, Joulin noticed instantly.
“Oh! My contractor is here! Joulin takes her leave!”
Sister! It isn’t good to get in the way of a contractor’s work…
Joulin feigned ignorance and whisked away.
Uman quietly admired her. It seemed his revered sister’s physical prowess was still increasing.
Swish!
A golden streak fell from the sky, and the priests jumped back in surprise.
But Lee Han greeted calmly.
“Hello, Your Highness.”
‘Wait, faster than before?’
Even the knights flinched at the golden meteor’s arrival.
It was definitely much swifter than last time.
Knowing that, if Joulin rampaged or started rolling, they’d be the ones to subdue her, the gold dragon’s growth made the knights tense.
“Lee Han!! Joulin wishes to hear what happened outside!!!”
“Haha. Nothing much happened.”
Lee Han answered with a contractor’s honest smile. Joulin cocked her head, then eyed the prisoners shuffling out from the last carriage.
“And those?”
“Criminals I picked up along the way.”
“……”
Joulin shot her contractor a suspicious look.