Episode 1022

30 minutes later.

Alsicle, after much persuasion, convinced Erindarvel to hand over the three-story wizard villa in the capital as a gift.

Erindarvel still clung uncomfortably.

“But Pengherin. Isn’t it too irresponsible to give such a materialistic, insincere gift to those who will bear the future of the Empire…”

“Wardanaz! Let’s go!”

Alsicle pushed the junior wizard’s back and quickly left his seat.

If they stayed any longer, they might have had to hear that archmage’s remorseful speech until tomorrow.

“Alsicle. I respect you.”

“Why so suddenly?”

Alsicle looked puzzled as Lee Han spoke with eyes full of respect.

“Thank you so much for getting us the capital villa.”

“…I appreciate the respect, but can’t you respect me for something else?”

As they hurriedly walked away, they spotted students in familiar attire in the distance.

At first glance, one might think them beggars in rags, but after seeing the staves and crests, one would belatedly think, ‘Ah!’

They were Einrogard students.

“What are you all doing here?”

Lee Han asked in surprise.

Based on the date, it was indeed the end of the semester for Einrogard, too, but he hadn’t expected all his friends to be in the capital.

Was there some big event in the capital Lee Han didn’t know about?

‘Maybe an anonymous sponsor put up a fortune for a major wizard tournament…’

“We came to save you.”

“We came because they said the Headmaster took you away.”

“…Ah.”

At his friends’ replies, Lee Han immediately snapped out of his fantasy.

“Thanks, everyone. But it’s all done now. It didn’t take very long.”

“How did you finish so quickly?”

Giselle asked, unable to understand.

Barring exceptions like Gainando’s mother, persuading the Empire’s furious sponsors was not that easy.

Especially since so many had completely sworn off supporting Einrogard.

“Could it be…”

“!”

As Giselle trailed off, Lee Han was surprised.

‘Don’t tell me she noticed?’

The Headmaster’s underhanded trick?

“Did you make a deal with Professor Verdus?”

“Gasp. Smart! What a method.”

“As expected, Wardanaz!”

“…No.”

Lee Han said flatly.

Honestly, it was a good method, but he hadn’t used it this time.

That was a method to be saved for when he was truly desperate.

“Let’s talk more about how you did it later. Since you’re here, why don’t you all visit the villa?”

At the friend’s suggestion, the students nodded cheerfully.

Rather than each finding their own lodgings, it was easier to stay at House Wardanaz’s villa.

‘Wait? Did House Wardanaz even have a villa in the capital?’

Yoner tilted his head.

Unlike other great noble houses of the Empire, who kept mansions in every region they visited, House Wardanaz did almost no outside activities and barely kept any permanent villas.

But here was a villa.

Was it just an exception for the capital?

“Lee Han. Did House Wardanaz always have a villa in the capital?”

“Haha. Good question.”

Lee Han smiled with confidence at Yoner’s question.

It was the kind of satisfied smile where if someone hadn’t asked, he would have brought it up himself.

“I actually got it as a reward for this commission.”

“…Could you explain that a little more?”

• * *

Alsicle looked over the exterior of the villa and gave a soft whistle.

“Oh. Not bad at all.”

“……”

“……”

But the other students didn’t seem to agree at all.

Right from the connection between the main gate and the main building, jungle-like overgrown plants blocked the path.

Ordinary mansions would have gardens or greenhouses in the front or back yards for leisure and walks, but this villa was a bit more aggressive.

There was no boundary between the path and the greenhouse at all.

The main building nestled behind wasn’t in great shape, either.

From a chimney towering above the third floor, black smoke and pale ghosts intermittently drifted out, while the second-floor windows, surrounded by balconies, were so shattered there were barely any traces left.

If one listened closely, faint, horrifying screams of unknown origin seemed to come from somewhere in the mansion.

“…Are you sure this is a villa?”

“I-it might be because it’s House Wardanaz.”

Even the tough-nosed Blue Dragon Tower and Black Turtle Tower students looked horrified.

At this point, calling it a haunted ruin rather than a villa would not be an exaggeration.

“What’s wrong with all of you? This place is seriously decent.”

Only Alsicle looked at the Einrogard students as if he couldn’t understand them.

“I haven’t traveled the whole Empire, but I don’t think this kind of villa is trendy anywhere…”

“Huh? Of course not for normal villas. But this was a wizard’s villa.”

If it were a villa for ordinary nobles or aristocrats, aesthetics and comfort would be most important.

But a wizard’s villa was just used as a substitute for their workshop.

For a wizard’s former workshop, this place was not bad at all.

“The structure is intact, and nothing from the main gate on is mutated into a monster. That means it’ll be easy to tidy up. Give it a few days of work, and it’ll make a great magic workshop.”

The confidence of the penguin-beast wizard spread to the students as well.

After listening, it even seemed plausible.

Is that so?

“Actually, if you imagine this building is in the Einrogard domain, it’s a pretty good building.”

“That’s true. Let’s not say anything too harsh so Wardanaz doesn’t feel bad.”

Friends decided, right in front of Lee Han, not to badmouth the family’s villa.

Even the toughest friend wouldn’t want their family’s choice mocked.

“Wardanaz, this villa has a very… unique beauty.”

Adenart carefully chose her words to minimize any hurt.

As Lee Han was feeling satisfied looking at the villa, Adenart’s sudden remark puzzled him.

‘Could Adenart want this too?’

Now that he thought about it, there was a chance.

Adenart was smart enough to recognize the incredible potential of a villa in the capital.

No matter how ruined it looked, the important thing was its location.

“Sorry, Princess. But I didn’t force anyone—Archmage personally made me take it.”

“…?”

Adenart tilted her head, not understanding Lee Han.

“You mean the Headmaster, the archmage?”

“No? Erindarvel.”

“…My mother gave you this villa?!?!?”

Adenart was so shocked she literally jumped. Not something you’d expect from the usually stoic girl.

Lee Han felt a little sorry at that. She must have wanted it far more than he’d thought.

“This wasn’t a careless gift from Erindarvel; there’s a complicated story involving dozens of lives…”

“Why would my mother give such a worthless gift? This makes no sense.”

“…Isn’t that going a bit far?”

Lee Han, perhaps more shocked than he realized, slipped naturally into informal speech.

Worthless?

But the princess didn’t back down.

“But my mother always gives much more meaningful and thoughtful gifts to junior wizards. Something must be wrong. I’ll go talk to her myself. For Wardanaz to get a gift like this…”

“No no no. It’s fine! It’s meaningful! There’s meaning in all of it!”

Afraid that Alsicle’s efforts would be undermined, Lee Han hurriedly blocked Adenart’s path.

Adenart widened her eyes and asked,

“Meaningful? How so—”

Bang!

“Uwaaaaah!”

Gainando, who had gone down to check the basement pantry, shot up with a shriek.

Gainando tumbled across the floor after springing out.

“What? What happened?”

“T-there’s a wizard ghost in the basement…”

“!”

Adenart was greatly surprised.

Was this the meaning behind her mother’s gift?

‘What could it possibly mean?’

• * *

“So when you opened the door to the basement pantry, a wizard ghost appeared and chased you out?”

“Yeah.”

“Undead? A curse?”

“It might be another spell that just appears ghostly. Enchantment magic can imitate that effect, too.”

“Maybe the prince just mistook it. Some wizards disguise themselves as ghosts.”

“Why? Why pretend to be a ghost?”

Alsicle, who was quietly listening to the student’s theories, answered for them.

“It happens. You need gold, so you sell the villa, then sneak into the basement to keep up your research.”

“…Wha—? Is there really anyone who’d do that?”

“Uh, um, well…”

Alsicle hesitated, unable to answer properly this time.

After glancing about nervously, he said,

“In some wizard school graduates… there are a few…”

“……”

“……”

The Einrogard students immediately regretted asking.

Lee Han shrugged.

“Let’s just get on with the task at hand.”

“Yeah. Wardanaz. I and the others will take the front, so you—wait, aren’t we going to check downstairs?”

Salko paused.

At first, he thought Lee Han meant everyone should break through the basement together, but now the plan seemed odd.

Instead of heading to the basement, he was heading for the first floor kitchen.

“Huh? The basement isn’t urgent. We need to clean out the kitchen first if we’re going to eat anything.”

“As expected, Lee Han.”

Gainando nodded admirably at his side.

Now that he thought about it, this was not Einrogard, so there was no need to bring food from the basement pantry. If they just bought groceries outside, they could cook in the kitchen.

It was this cool-headedness that made friends trust Lee Han.

“Uh, don’t you care at all?!”

“If it was truly evil, it wouldn’t stay in the basement, it’d come up. Don’t worry and let’s just clean the urgent stuff first. Could you guys handle the parlor?”

“……”

The friends had much to say, but stayed silent and moved as Lee Han instructed.

Salko mumbled,

“Wardanaz seems even stranger than before…”

Giselle nodded absently.

He was always bold, but as he’d gotten into more and more incidents at Einrogard, he was getting impossible to follow by ordinary logic.

By third year, if a dimensional crack opened up before him, he’d probably observe it while sipping coffee.

Unaware that his friends were watching him suspiciously, Lee Han looked around the kitchen.

Apparently, the previous owner wasn’t interested in cooking. There was nothing but dust and cobwebs in the kitchen.

‘Better start with the fireplace.’

Lee Han swung his staff and neatly cleared out the area around the fireplace. With telekinesis and water elemental magic in quick succession, no dust could withstand for long.

Suddenly, from inside the fireplace, a pale wizard ghost poked out his face.

-Release the magic I left b—

Wham!

The ghost was shattered to pieces by a spinning Water Orb Projectile.

Lee Han realized his mistake. He’d reacted so quickly he hadn’t heard a word the other was going to say.

‘Oops. What was he trying to say?’