Episode 1009

While the skeleton headmaster and his knights were locked in serious consideration,

the reason for the mages’ overwhelming reaction became clear.

“I heard you completed Gawon’s magic! Please, come to Daylily Tower and let your jewel-like talent shine!”

“Pardon?”

Lee Han suddenly recalled last year’s symposium.

And responded.

“It was more an improvement than completion, technically…”

“It was completion.”

“Honestly, it was finished—no two ways about it.”

Just a breath ago these mages had been tripping over themselves to win Lee Han’s favor, but on matters of magic, they brooked no compromise.

They immediately insisted it was completion, not just improvement.

“……”

Lee Han was slightly overwhelmed.

There was a true intensity emanating from them—typical of real mages.

Meanwhile, the skeleton headmaster and knights wasted time with an inane conversation.

“Then what if we only mention fourth-circle?”

-What about third-circle?

-But third-circle might be weird, given what’s already public knowledge…

Just then, a new carriage appeared in the rear.

Recognizing the familiar family crest, Lee Han paused.

‘The Meikin family?’

“What’s going on?”

Yoanen, in the coach, wondered at the commotion by the tower and opened the window.

The Daylily Tower mages were moaning bizarrely, as if they’d drunk spoiled potions, crowding and howling around the first carriage.

-Ah, our apologies, Lady Meikin.

“You all…”

Yoanen immediately identified the Death Knights and the skeleton headmaster in human guise.

Even without the undead forms, their group left quite an impression—hard not to recognize.

“Lady Meikin. My apologies.”

Lee Han apologized as well.

He wanted to step down and apologize directly, but with the mages shambling zombie-like around the carriage, he couldn’t.

“What actually happened is…”

“No need to explain. I think I know the situation.”

Yoanen’s eyes behind her amethyst spectacles sparkled with intelligence.

“Hearing of Wardanaz’s magical talent, they gathered here hoping to recruit him into the tower, didn’t they?”

“How did you know?!”

Lee Han was shocked.

It made sense Yoanen, as an accomplished mage, would be insightful—but to deduce all this from just watching?

How did she guess?

“Well, Lord Gonadaltes pulled the same trick last time with Professor Kim…”

“Shh. Quiet, please.”

The skeleton headmaster shot Yoanen a warning look, as if to say: don’t expose the magician’s tricks, even if the Daylily Tower wizards’ wits were at an all-time low—there was no need to refresh their pain from the past.

Yoanen nodded.

Among mages, it was etiquette not to sabotage each other.

After all, someday she herself might need to tank others’ intelligence and seize her own goals.

“I get it. But Lord Gonadaltes, isn’t it fine? If you can lure a mage who’s contracted a Spirit King into the tower, they’d forgive even Verdus.”

Her point was spot on.

If you had a mere second-year mage already contracted to a Spirit King, the tower members would bear any humiliation or pay any price just to recruit them.

Even if it meant forgiving Professor Verdus.

“Oh.”

-Ah.

“?”

Noticing the reaction from the headmaster and Death Knights, Yoanen tilted her head.

What was with that?

“I’d never heard the story of a Spirit KING contract?”

When her eyes flashed, even the ancient, battle-tested knights flinched.

-Well… I was going to say that later.

“Later? Planning to visit another tower and cut us out?”

-N-no, nothing of the sort. We just planned to explain everything once inside.

“…Wait! Now I recall—back then, you subdued a demon duke with the Spirit King’s power!”

Gawon belatedly yelled out.

Other mages shot him killing glares.

“Are you an idiot?! Why keep that secret?!”

“Gawon was clearly hiding it for himself! Take away his recruitment privileges!”

“Ah… no! I didn’t know! I thought it was another Einrogard student who used a special method to summon!”

“……”

Seeing things devolve, Yoanen realized her blunder.

She’d spoken carelessly and unguardedly as a mage.

Who’d have thought they hadn’t known about the Spirit King contract?

“I’m really sorry, Wardanaz. I didn’t realize the Spirit King part hadn’t come up yet. So… did you mention Small World magic at least?”

“……”

-……

“…I’m REALLY sorry!”

As Yoanen apologized loudly, the skeleton headmaster and Death Knights promptly climbed back into the carriage.

When mages clung to the wheels and doors, the headmaster gave a cold order.

“Move.”

-Yes, sir!

The knights batted away mages stuck to the carriage and hurried toward the tower’s interior. The desperate wails of the mages echoed eerily behind them.

The skeleton headmaster muttered,

“Mm. That was… a stronger reaction than I expected.”

Inside the carriage, the knights all nodded as one.

Seeing just how much fiercer this was than with Professor Garcia, it was clear they couldn’t simply drop an ‘Professor Kim has been appointed at Einrogard, goodbye!’ letter and go silent like last time.

If they did, there might literally be a mage tower riot…

• * *

“We’re here today to request a slight delay in payment to the mages conscripted for the great spell to seal the remnant spirit…”

“Please do.”

“……”

-……

As Eurangdam and the tower mages immediately agreed, the skeleton headmaster and Death Knights actually felt uneasy.

It was the first time solving a problem so easily felt this unsatisfying.

But everyone knew the reason.

Normally, the mages would grumble and protest, but now their eyes just sparkled with crazed intensity as they nodded silently.

Barking dogs don’t bite.

But then again, if the dog’s not barking… that’s when you should worry. The skeleton headmaster was starting to wonder if he’d miscalculated.

He’d only been hoping to get an easy extension as with Professor Garcia—not to drive all the tower mages mad.

‘This could be bad.’

Looking at those crazed eyes, it wouldn’t even be surprising if a letter showed up at the start of next semester: ‘The student you left with us has now joined the tower; don’t look for them.’

Finally, the skeleton headmaster did something he’d never normally do: he tried being nice.

“…How’s research lately? If any of you want, I can offer personal instruction. Not the ambiguous stuff you usually get, but direct, useful takeaways this time.”

‘So he DOES know his usual lessons are cryptic…’

‘Shh. Don’t even think recklessly around the headmaster.’

Many had sought his wisdom, but only a handful ever got a truly helpful answer.

Whether it was skewed temperament or secrecy about lore, the headmaster usually taught in the vaguest, most mysterious way.

But now he was offering “simple and quick, straight to the core” lessons.

Every mage would be sorely tempted.

But…

“We’re fine.”

“Yes, we’re fine. We couldn’t possibly waste your time, Your Excellency.”

“……”

In perfect unity, all the tower mages refused.

Their attitude radiated an absolute resolve not to be indebted to the headmaster, but only to give.

-So if you have any conscience, send your disciple to our tower!

“…Who just used telepathy?”

“Pardon?”

“No, nothing.”

The headmaster shuddered at the intensity of the collective will the mages unconsciously radiated.

It was strong enough for him to read the intended meaning outright.

“Your Excellency, you were interested in the relics we bought last time, weren’t you?”

“Was I? I don’t really remem—”

“We’d like to offer them to you as a commemorative gift.”

“…That I’ll pass on. The sentiment is enough.”

“Then how about a donation?”

“I think Einrogard’s finances are plenty healthy, so there’s no need.”

With that, the skeleton headmaster delivered the Empire’s most absurd lie.

“By the way, you all realize there’s no guarantee my disciple will join your tower after all this?”

“Of course.”

“You’ll explain it well, won’t you, Excellency? Bring in the relics. We should present them to him!”

“That’s enough! Honestly!”

The skeleton headmaster rose at once.

He’d be refusing gifts from Daylily Tower for quite some time—accepting them randomly could well result in them being used later as a price for his disciple.

Fleeing with Lee Han, the headmaster ran into Yoanen in the hallway.

“Why’d you have to say all that out loud!”

“I’m, I’m sorry!”

Yoanen apologized earnestly.

If you hang around an insane archmage, your sense of fear diminishes over time.

Likewise, being around that crazy friend of her younger sibling made Lee Han seem less strange—so she’d let her guard slip.

“But what were you going to say, then?”

“Fifth circle?”

Yoanen was mystified.

If neither the Spirit King nor Small World was mentioned, why did the tower go so crazy?

“…Apparently, he completed the spell a Daylily Tower mage presented at last year’s symposium.”

“I improved it.”

“It was completion.”

At her disciple’s words, the skeleton headmaster scolded Lee Han and explained. Hearing it, Yoanen nodded.

“Completion, for sure.”

“……”

“See? Stop being so stubborn.”

While Lee Han grumbled, Yoanen thought privately,

‘But if that’s what it was, wouldn’t the outcome have been the same even if I hadn’t said anything?’

“You’re not thinking it would’ve been the same if you hadn’t said anything, right?”

“…Of course not. Never.”

Yoanen waved a gloved hand innocently.

“What brings you here, anyway?”

“I got a production request for the workshop, so I wanted to inspect and get an estimate in person.”

The project Yoanen had been asked for involved mass production of a sublimating compound reactive to certain magic types.

Since she was in the capital, she thought she might as well check in herself.

“Lucky you. No need to deal with mad mages.”

“I envy you. Getting those requests already.”

“……”

-……

The skeleton headmaster and knights stared at Lee Han as if dumbfounded.

Was this really something to envy?

But Yoanen stayed unfazed, smiling.

“Wardanaz, you and Yoner will be getting these kinds of requests soon enough. You handled the Nago family’s reagents just fine before, didn’t you?”

“Haha, thank you. I just got lucky.”

The skeleton headmaster, standing by, wondered inwardly.

Nago… family? Since when?
‘I’ve never even heard of them before?’