Episode 1130
by Cristae‘Why did you let her do the interrogation?’
Lee Han looked at the knights as if shouting silently.
If they knew Professor Voladi was beside them, they should have known to ask carefully instead of letting the mercenary spill everything about cultist Juzene’s origins and grudges.
Of course, the knights hadn’t expected Ibinta to be this good at digging. At best, they hoped for a rough location of a cultist hideout…
-We… we didn’t think she’d be this skilled!
‘That’s not an excuse.’
Professor Garcia and Professor Kirmin cursed inwardly.
Did these so-called veterans with centuries of experience feel no shame? Just let them try bragging next time!
“Did I say something wrong?”
“Continue.”
It was Professor Voladi who calmed the nervous Ibinta.
-Enough, you fool!
“If you don’t shut up, I’m reporting you to the Headmaster for treason!”
“Eep…”
Faced with fierce threats from Death Knights and Lee Han, Ibinta—her rough appearance belying fear—nearly started to cry.
It was truly terrifying.
Death Knights, beyond being the Headmaster’s minions, were monsters a dungeon explorer expected to die to upon encounter.
Each Death Knight was a terrifying elite undead monster.
Plus, the mage beside them was a Wardanaz scion.
…Just that alone made Lee Han more frightening than the knights to Ibinta.
Her fear spread to her old comrade as well; the cobbler-turned-mercenary from Kangla’s Prospectors quaked as he asked,
“Hey, what’s going on? If I talk, will I really be spare—”
Slick—
He cut off, realizing something was protruding from his chest.
To his shock, it was a blade.
“?!?!!”
Despite being speared by a blade, he felt no pain, no blood, didn’t even notice at first—so chilling he almost screamed.
“Don’t move.”
Professor Voladi gave a polite warning.
The dimensional blade passing through the merc’s body was fixed so precisely that it inflicted no damage, but any sudden movement would slice his body to shreds.
“Continue.”
“What… what do you mean, continue?”
“Continue what you were saying.”
The merc blinked.
The Death Knights by his side tried hard to shake their heads NO, but he couldn’t ignore Voladi.
If he didn’t talk, the undead knights might kill him later; but if he did talk, the mage who stuck a blade through him might scramble his guts on the spot.
“About Juzene, I really don’t know much. That’s almost everything I said earlier. Uh, also…”
“Exactly. Leave out nothing.”
Professor Voladi’s irritation slipped into his voice.
Just a hint, but it was enough to silence the entire area. Not even the knights dared interrupt.
The merc disclosed everything: what he’d seen, the grudge that Juzene and other western noble vampires held against House Baegrek, that despite this, the cult was in no shape to retaliate, but Juzene’s personal rage still boiled over…
“But didn’t he change his mind?”
Professor Voladi pointed to Juzene’s actions.
Cultists were illogical through and through—hard to predict by normal sense.
They’d devote themselves to rebuilding, then, at one emotional hiccup, ignore all orders and act out on their own.
With no solid answer, the merc nodded.
“Yeah… that’s true.”
“More survivors than expected. That may be it.”
With a mutter, Voladi withdrew the blade. Professors Garcia and the knights breathed in relief.
But Lee Han immediately shouted,
“Everyone, restrain Professor Baegrek!!”
“?!?”
Professor Garcia couldn’t understand at first.
Did his ambitious student finally intend to seize a faculty post before the principalship?
There were still loads of open posts for that matter…
-Ah!
The knights recovered first; they understood Lee Han’s concern.
Clack!
A chain of shadow shot through the air toward Professor Voladi. But he was already gone.
With nothing but low-level space magic, he’d slowed the chains just long enough to slip away.
-Accursed battle magicians!
The knights ground their teeth.
A veteran battle mage was even trickier than a high-tier archmage. They could use even petty magic with surgical precision.
“Professor! We must speak! Just a moment!”
Lee Han, telekinesis fully charged in one hand, called loudly after the professor. The hamster was aghast.
‘Is that really a student?’
“We can talk later. Use the rest of the time for self-study.”
When he heard the voice behind, Lee Han spun, trying to lock Voladi down with telekinesis.
“Don’t be fooled, Wardanaz!”
Professor Kirmin screamed.
That was a favorite trick of his own, after all.
Trust that petty friend to pick up his techniques so snappily.
As Lee Han turned, the form of Professor Voladi melted away.
He’d simply combined a phantom proxy, mana broadcast, and sound projection to fool Lee Han’s senses. Lee Han felt a hot flush of shame.
‘To fall for such a trick!’
“Professor Kim, open soul vision! Voladi will use a dimension to slip away!”
Kirmin shouted and finished an illusion labyrinth spanning several dimensions, aiming to sabotage his friend’s escape.
Professor Garcia, busy twisting spatial anchors to block teleportation, quickly opened his soul vision too. Against such a slippery operator, you had to prepare for everything.
Lee Han also focused on his soul vision. At that moment, a familiar angelic voice rang out.
-What in heaven’s—stop!
‘Apazragon!’
The angel’s voice made Lee Han’s heart plummet.
The meticulously rational Voladi had no reason to attack an angel right now.
For what purpose…?
“Voladi has seized the angel’s dimension!!”
-He’s overtaken the Dimensionalum of Holy Light…!
With cries from both Kirmin and the angel, Lee Han got it instantly.
Apazragon’s secret angel-only dimension, Dimensionalum of Holy Light, used for secretly trailing Lee Han.
This elusive, shadowy pocket of reality was ideal for both stealthy observation—and escape.
From the moment the angel presented it publicly, Professor Voladi had calculated how to exploit it.
“Apazragon! After him!”
-That mortal hijacked the Dimensionalum I…
The angel started to whine, but Lee Han had no time for that.
No matter how skilled Garcia or Kirmin were, sometimes the unexpected couldn’t be blocked.
“If you lose him, I’ll call every dimensional being I know to exile you to the most distant, remote corner of existence! After him, now! Fix the mess from your own dimension!”
Until now, Apazragon’s life had always been tranquil and self-absorbed in his native realm; for the first time, he tasted “injustice.”
Apazragon tried to re-enter his usurped dimension. But just as it was hard for the angel to intervene, it was now hard for him to get at Voladi.
Voladi was already vanishing far out—impossible to even track. By the time he returned to the material plane, he’d be kilometers away.
“Professor!! The truth is, I went into that dimension to challenge the Fire Giant King—not to chase Juzene!! Please come back!!”
Even knowing it was over, Lee Han shouted. Voladi, of course, wouldn’t hear it.
And honestly, it didn’t sound convincing. Even if Voladi had heard, he wouldn’t have believed it.
“Ugh…!”
Lee Han could hardly believe all this had happened in an instant.
All this mess from a moment’s lapse—
He wanted to punch everyone, from cultists to that angel.
“Calm down, Lee Han.”
Professor Garcia spoke soothingly. Kirmin joined in.
“It’s not your fault, Wardanaz. Blame Professor Baegrek for going rogue.”
“More importantly, how did you know he’d escape?”
“He said there were more survivors than expected.”
“???”
Garcia didn’t get it, but Kirmin sighed.
“That’s it! That was it!”
“…Uh, could you explain?”
“Ah, sorry, Professor Kim.”
Kirmin turned to the bemused colleague.
Not everyone at Einrogard was a Baegrek expert. Lee Han, maybe, and himself—Garcia, not yet.
“In other words… it means there are more cultist survivors with personal grudges against Professor Voladi than we thought.”
“Right…?”
Garcia still didn’t really get it. Kirmin kindly broke it down.
- Among the cultists, more survived who have a direct grudge against Professor Voladi than expected.
- Although the current cult situation means they don’t seek retribution, with so many survivors, accidents could happen at any time.
- Therefore, it’s rational to go around and quietly eliminate every last survivor.
“…Wait, number 3—why go around personally for that? Even killing, but—why personally?”
“I’m his student, remember. If he moves separately, attention’s focused on him, not on a mere student like me.”
‘Give that lad a Baegrek Studies perfect score.’
Kirmin thought with approval.
Where his own instincts had dulled (as they had earlier with Voladi), his student’s sharp senses had been honed by harsh recent lessons.
Back in his prime, a single cough from Voladi was enough for Kirmin to read every mood…
“Oh, so that’s why you brought up the Fire Giant King?”
“Exactly.”
Kirmin answered, almost sadly.
Voladi probably realized the instant he heard the story of his student chasing an enemy through dimensions that Wardanaz was out to clean up the grudge list.
If anything, learning that drove in the final wedge. Knowing that, with his personality, Voladi would never stand pat.
“Looking back, we should have seized him and stopped his escape immediately…”
“……”
Professor Garcia looked exasperated.
‘Can’t these people just sit and have a calm talk?’
Be it Baegrek, his student, or that friend, all of them read a dozen things from a clue and acted before discussing a plan together. It was exhausting.
Couldn’t they just sit down and talk for once?
But Garcia didn’t voice it.
Both mentor and student were deeply glum at the moment.
“…Both of you, cheer up. I’m sure Professor Baegrek won’t push himself too hard.”
“Will he?”
“Of course, Lee Han.”
“How about having Prince Uman put a bounty on him, just in case…”
“…Doesn’t sound like the best idea.”