Episode 1089

And anyway, the Watchman Club members were all so suspicious that even if you impersonated someone, there wasn’t much to gain.

Lee Han himself would instantly block any message like ‘Hey, it’s Baquantalana, can you lend me a hundred coins?’

“Impersonating is fine; just tell me what artifacts they’re using.”

Even if it wasn’t useful right now, it could be a clue later on to track down other members.

Lee Han made sure to jot down every bit of information the young prince relayed.

‘Baquantalana comes in with a mirror artifact. Bulgasari… uses a room? The whole room as an artifact? Is there a place like that in Einrogard?’

He found this curious.

Baquantalana using a mirror artifact wasn’t surprising. Lee Han himself had used a similar artifact when first joining the Watchman Club.

Mirrors, due to their symbolic and ritual nature, were ideal magical tools for focusing mana. For an artifact like the Watchman Club’s, which needed continuous mana, that was a logical choice.

But using the entire room as an artifact, like Bulgasari did, was truly interesting.

Magically, drawing from and circulating the mana in a whole room wasn’t that hard, but realistically, it was tough to do in Einrogard.

To enter the Watchman Club, you needed always-on, reliable access. Where in Einrogard could you secure a whole room just for that?

‘Did they modify a private room? No, living in a place like that would be so inconvenient. Maybe there’s a spot I don’t know about.’

As Lee Han was pondering, a new message came in—a private one from Baquantalana.

Baquantalana: There’s some lunatic invader currently wrecking the Watchman Club.

“……”

Lee Han paused.

They’d lost control of the club’s shared space, but private messaging was still working.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: What the hell is going on?!

Bulgasari: Is this the Headmaster breaking in or something?!

Not just Baquantalana, but the other members he was friendly with started messaging Lee Han one on one.

Lee Han decided to reply to the senior who knew his identity.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Hey, can you ask Baquantalana when and how this is getting fixed? I need to find someone with smuggling plans before the semester starts.

Gonadaltes: Why not ask them yourself?

The young prince stared at Lee Han, eyes shining.

What a touching pseudonym!

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: We ended up blocking each other after arguing last time.

Gonadaltes: …I’ll pass it on.

Lee Han relayed the message. Baquantalana replied:

Baquantalana: We’re rushing, but it’ll probably take about a week. Tell Beaver-Penguin-Fox to be careful. The invader might do something crazy.

Gonadaltes: Just say it yourself.

Baquantalana: We’re blocked, remember. Any guesses about the intruder’s identity?

Gonadaltes: No idea. Could be a Baldrogard spy.

Baquantalana: Makes sense. A recent member was from outside, after all.

‘Whew.’

Lee Han breathed a sigh.

It was harder than you’d think to keep your identity hidden in the Watchman Club.

-So, Disciple. Shall we get going?

“Understood. By the way, where’s the cloak stored?”

-It’s in a basement under some forgotten ruins, safe and sound. Since I traveled all over the continent, I’ve got hideouts like that here and there.

Constant preparation was as important as force or magic in the endless battle against evil across the continent.

-Like I said, it’s not something you can easily take, so feel free to get your hopes up.

The young prince’s confident promise put Lee Han in a good mood.

Getting an ancient relic for free.

Maybe this was what a real vacation was. All that hardship following the headmaster and professors was the fake vacation…

“Haha. Thank you, Master.”

• * *

“……”

Standing in front of an unfamiliar noble mansion in the western capital, Lee Han was speechless.

Huh?

Oops.

The young prince, too, was startled.

He’d set his hideout in a basement beneath a swampy ruin no one cared about—but now, the swamp was gone and a luxurious noble mansion stood in its place.

“…Hmm. Come to think of it, the capital must have expanded, so the swamp was probably reclaimed. Now, who took…”

The hideout is untouched, Disciple.

“!”

Lee Han’s eyes went wide at the prince’s words.

No one had touched it?

‘Then it’s still under this mansion? I guess no one would dig all the way through the basement just to build a house…’

As long as they secured the basement space, people rarely dug down further for construction.

So it made sense that the prince’s hideout might still be intact.

Disciple, there’s only one way.

“I see. Understood.”

Lee Han nodded.

He didn’t care for the kind of socializing where you flaunted your great house just to network, but in this situation, there was no helping it.

As a Wardanaz, he’d have to visit another noble’s home for diplomacy…

I was going to say we could find an empty house and tunnel in from its basement, but your way works too!

“…We’d get arrested…”

He was reminded of the idiots who’d tried to tunnel into the Dwarven Bank and were caught.

He did not want his name splashed all over the Empire’s papers for that.

“Greetings.”

“…Yes, may I help you?”

The gatekeeper sounded annoyed, but upon seeing Lee Han’s face, quickly straightened.

He thought it was just a peddler, but it was obviously someone of serious status. With those robes, surely a wizard too.

“I am Lee Han of the Wardanaz family. I have always respected your house, and if it’s not too much trouble, may I come in for a brief conversation…”

“P-please wait a moment!”

The gatekeeper hurriedly called for someone.

A direct descendant of the Wardanaz family was out of his league. At least the head butler needed to come out.

‘But why is he here in person?’

As he ran, the gatekeeper wondered.

The normal etiquette went like this:

A footman would deliver a letter; after some correspondence back and forth, you’d meet at a club or hunt; and then, perhaps, you’d be invited to or suggest a house visit.

Some steps could be skipped, like meeting at a club or hunt.

But for a noble to just show up alone, with no attendant—it was really odd.

‘Must be a Wardanaz thing.’

The gatekeeper rationalized it. Magic families were eccentric, and Wardanaz most famous among them.

While waiting, Lee Han looked around to identify the house’s family.

It wasn’t like an Einrogard black market, so there was no sign with the family name at the gate. But a practiced eye could catch the clues.

The best was to check for the family crest or flag on the house or in the garden.

“…?”

Lee Han cocked his head.

That family crest looked awfully familiar.

‘Oh, what is it? Isn’t that the Kraha house…’

“It’s an honor!”

The head butler rushed out.

No way, a Wardanaz family wizard visiting?

There could only be one reason.

“To think a Wardanaz magician would come to see Lady Irendi. What an honor.”

‘Who’s Irendi?’

Lee Han’s mind raced.

Seemed not to be an Einrogard student, and definitely not a famous magician from the Empire.

If they were, they wouldn’t be so honored to have him visit.

‘Then maybe a young magician? Someone my age? From another magic school?’

That thought gave Lee Han chills.

If it wasn’t Einrogard, yet they were rich enough for a mansion in the capital—what school could it be?

Ipheldrem: Please help!!!!

‘Whoa.’

Lee Han was startled by a direct message from the new Watchman Club member.

He hadn’t expected a message in this situation.

Gonadaltes: Sorry, I’m busy. Ask someone else.

Ipheldrem: Everyone else said they’re busy because of the intrusion. Please, I’m begging you!

It seemed the other members were too on edge about the mysterious intruder to deal with a Baldrogard student’s little complaint.

Gonadaltes: Jus—

Ipheldrem: An Einrogard student just came to my house!

Gonadaltes: Pretend you’re not home and tell them to go away. They’re probably just here to scam you.

Ipheldrem: H-how could you… You’re so rude! How can you slander an Einrogard student you’ve never even met?

‘Heh.’

Lee Han wore a dull face.

Someone who’d never even been to Einrogard…

Gonadaltes: I’m saying this for your sake. Most Einrogard students are wicked.

Ipheldrem: Even if I conceded a hundred or ten thousand times, the student who visited today isn’t like that. They’re an upperclassman.

Gonadaltes: Upperclassman or not, doesn’t make a difference.

Lee Han debated warning about a senior from the Enchanter School whose name started with ‘Yu’ and ended with ‘Re.’

A naïve Baldrogard student could wind up cleaned out if she ran into the wrong sort.

Ipheldrem: The visitor’s from the Wardanaz family. How can I treat them well without being rude? How do you entertain guests from Einrogard?

“Cough.”

Lee Han choked. The young prince asked if he was okay out of concern.

‘…Damn…!’

Now Lee Han realized why he’d felt so uneasy before.

It was the Baldrogard student’s house!

And right then, the family crest’s memory surfaced—Kraha!

Meaning the host was a distant cousin of Gainando and a current Baldrogard student.

Lee Han genuinely wanted to flee.

‘Damn. I should’ve said I was Gainando, not Wardanaz. No, then I’d have been caught immediately.’

Even as a distant cousin, if she was Kraha, she’d at least know what the prince looked like.

If some dark-haired guy showed up running a scam, she might call the knights at once…

Ipheldrem: Hello? Are you mad? I’m sorry if I offended you… but Gonadaltes, your attitude—

The young prince gave advice.

Disciple, this is a good opportunity.

“Any wise advice, Master?”

Even in his confusion, Lee Han was encouraged by the prince’s message.

If anyone could handle this tangled situation, it was him.

If she wants instruction, tell her to donate her mansion. Given her thirst for magic, it should work.

“…Anything a little less extreme?”