Episode 1160
by Cristae“I knew his magical prowess was amazing, but to handle spirits that well, too?”
Muttering to himself, Lee Han made Saratan bristle.
‘This brat?’
There isn’t a single spirit who likes being forced to work under a mortal’s command.
Especially not when the process is humiliating.
Saratan was infamous as a violent troublemaker among spirits, and he took a certain pride in this reputation.
For such a spirit to be forced by a mortal mage and made to work was the kind of secret one would rather take to the grave when all dimensions come to ruin.
-You must never speak of this! If you ever do… if you ever do…!
“Alright, alright. Who would I even tell?”
Unlike Nillia, who was beloved by spirits and shared all kinds of trivial chat, Lee Han wasn’t that close to spirits.
For one thing, he hardly knew any spirits, and those he did know were mostly strange or cantankerous…
‘I can’t have any normal conversation with them…’
If he were to call Perkuntra to talk about today’s happenings, that lightning spirit would summon the skeletal headmaster on the spot.
“Your disciple has finally gone mad!” he’d shout.
“So, how exactly were you captured? Could you tell me, maybe?”
Lee Han asked with a note of hope in his voice. That sly tone made Saratan shiver.
‘W… what if…!’
-I absolutely don’t remember. Not even a bit!
Saratan had never felt kinship with other spirits before, but this time he felt a sense of duty.
He had to protect the spirits.
From that terrifying mage!
“Really? Too bad.”
Lee Han was disappointed as he quietly downgraded his assessment of Saratan another notch.
If he couldn’t even remember that, he really was an incompetent spirit overall.
‘Probably the most useless spirit I know.’
Judging by his mistake with General Hwacheon’s warning, this spirit was really only good for fighting.
If he’d been so skillful and resourceful, no matter how much of a criminal he was, the talking oaks wouldn’t have handed him over to an outsider mage like Lee Han.
-What are you thinking about?
As Lee Han fell silent, Saratan grew uneasy and asked.
Was he planning how to imprison spirits?
“Oh. If it really is Baquantalana’s ruin, I was just thinking what sort of magic might be inside.”
Lee Han answered smoothly without changing his expression. Saratan bought it without resistance.
-Baquantalana created many ruins for the sake of magical research. In the process, if needed, he wouldn’t hesitate to seize and forcibly put to work even kindly spirits.
‘That’s so cool.’
Lee Han’s eyes sparkled for a moment.
Why is it that when the skeletal headmaster does the same thing, he seems so evil, but when it’s an unfamiliar mage, it seems impressive?
“It’s not odd to build new ruins; developing high-level magic costs a ton of time and money for each spell.”
He didn’t just mean potion ingredients, but also the facilities and labor involved.
To research high-level magic, pure magical environments were almost essential.
If you couldn’t obtain it naturally, you’d have to build the facility artificially…
…Such complexes often ended up discovered later as ruins.
-Any magician might do that, but Baquantalana was a perfectionist above all.
“There are some mages like me. Not all mages are perfectionists.”
-Sh… so he destroyed any ruins of failed magic completely.
Saratan nearly swore as he got caught in Lee Han’s trap, but managed to stop himself just in time.
‘That was close.’
“Were you about to swear just now?”
-Absolutely not.
“Hm… fine. In any case, if the ruin still exists, there’s a high chance some completed magic is inside?”
If Lee Han found some as yet undiscovered magic Baquantalana had researched?
He shivered in anticipation.
How much could be achieved with that power?
Saratan, watching from within the staff, grew curious and asked:
-If you get such things, what would you do first?
For all his own brutality among spirits, this mage was a monster in his own right.
Honestly, he was curious how Lee Han intended to shake the empire with powerful magic.
“First, I’ll make Professor Verdus crawl on all fours—wait, he does that already. So, I’ll have him roll side to side. I’ll have to threaten that if he doesn’t obey, I won’t show him a single shard of the magic. I’ll make him do my chores every day…”
-……
Saratan silently cursed.
He was embarrassed now, having just considered Lee Han his peer. What a petty ambition.
“Whoops, almost forgot about Senior Yukveltire. I’ll have her do chores for Senior Direte daily. She’ll have to shine Direte’s shoes and prepare Direte’s breakfast…”
-Enough, please, I beg you…
Garko of House Arjo was a transmutation mage worthy of his house’s long-standing reputation.
Some enthusiasts claimed that if Garko were not an elf, but a penguin beastkin, he’d be regarded even more highly than Alsicle of House Pengerine.
Penguin beastkin, beloved by nearly every race in the empire, contrasted with elves—who were more divisive.
Garko in fact got angry when he heard such remarks.
-Alsicle of House Pengerine is a genius destined to lead the empire’s magical academia! Comparing me to such a mage is an insult!
-B-but Garko, Pengerine hasn’t replied to a single one of your letters.
-I’m sure it’s only because she’s busy. Dedicating herself so to her magic is proof of genius, don’t you think?
Most transmutation mages were sociable and cheerful, but even among them, Garko was exceptional.
Just the fact he persistently sent letters to Alsicle, who never replied and secluded herself in her tower, showed that.
Thus, the adventurers who accompanied him respected him a great deal.
“To be honest, I was worried about this request, Magician. I’ve had bad experiences with mages before.”
“Oh dear. On behalf of all mages, I apologize. Mages often get so absorbed in their studies that they make mistakes in social etiquette.”
Garko sounded sincerely regretful.
Alsi—no, many mages indeed made such errors when dealing with outsiders.
So focused on magic, they couldn’t tell if their behavior was rude.
To avoid this, regular social attendance and contact was required, but unfortunately, many did not.
“No, don’t mind my companion’s words. The real reason for our concern wasn’t the mage, but troubling local rumors. Things are turbulent in the north.”
The empire’s north had always been rough, but lately it had gotten even worse.
Monsters ran rampant, rumors of evil god worshippers were crawling, and for some reason, criminals from the west were pouring in…
Normally, northern criminals left for the west just to survive, but rarely the reverse. Even if a disaster had struck the west, this was odd.
Some old adventurers wondered if this was all part of some larger conspiracy.
“You’re right. It really is worrisome.”
“Oh? I thought nothing fazed you, mage. You hired us and boldly came to explore the ruins.”
“What is death to a man with magic waiting for him?”
“Haha, such a jok… wait, that’s not a joke, is it?”
“Oh, I’m just too witty! That wasn’t a joke.”
“……”
The atmosphere among the adventurers chilled a bit.
Hearing that their employer wasn’t afraid of death was never good news.
If the one who knew the most about these ruins was fearless and reckless…
“Of course, I’m not saying I want to die! Don’t get me wrong. To explain, if I die for magic, I’ll be satisfied. I can embrace death with pride.”
Despite the mage’s earnest explanation, chills ran down the adventurers’ spines.
Suddenly, an old proverb warning not to get too close to mages flashed through their minds.
His friendliness had made them forget, but now…
“Ahem, well… so what’s in these ruins anyway?”
One adventurer quickly changed the subject. The others, curiosity piqued, nodded.
They had escorted the mage down to a cave ruin on the mountainside.
By fortune, they’d yet to face any major dangers. There were no traps, and all the passages were well-built stone corridors.
Other wanderers had gone only so far, grabbed what they could, and left, but this remarkable mage had located and opened a secret passage that led down below.
Thanks to that, they had come this far as well.
“Oh dear. If I told you the truth about the magic here, I’d have to capture and imprison you all, and wipe your memories.”
“…That’s not a joke either, is it?”
“Hmm? That’s correct. This isn’t something I joke about. You don’t think I’m a frivolous person, do you?”
“Not at all.”
The adventurers suddenly found themselves missing that 2nd circle mage they’d met before.
He’d swaggered about just because he could cast magic, but at least their conversations hadn’t given them chills.
His life goals had even felt relatable.
Wanting to earn money and retire—what a down-to-earth aspiration.
Wa… ter… me… lo…
“D-did you just hear that?”
It definitely wasn’t the voice of a mortal. It was something unworldly, foreboding. The adventurers tensed.
But Garko didn’t hesitate and gave the order at once.
“Finally! Looks like the ruin’s guardian. Let’s advance.”
“How should we deal with it?”
Despite their anxiety, the adventurers followed orders like pros.
They intended to handle the guardian per the mage’s instructions.
“We’ll know more once we see it.”
“Underst… wait, you DO know something about it, right?”
One adventurer spoke up, just in case.
No way he’d come this far with no clue whatsoever.
‘Surely not.’
This mage had a reputation vouched for by many magic towers, and he’d expertly found and opened the secret passage.
Surely he had information and was acting confidently for a reason.
“I don’t. But I promise to do my best.”
“……”
“It’s coming! Block the passage!”
The adventurers had no time to argue and leapt into action.
“Everyone, even if you get any useful magic, the right to blackmail Professor Verdus belongs to me alone.”
“No one’s jealous of that right, Wardanaz.”
The White Tiger Tower students stared at Lee Han in disbelief.
They just wanted to make their names as part of a great magical find.
That alone was glory enough for a mage.
And honestly, no matter what magic was found, only Wardanaz seemed likely to learn it.
You wouldn’t get mere second- or third-circle spells from a place like this…
-You were smart not to mention which wizard’s magic it was. Even trustworthy allies might betray you.
Saratan whispered so only Lee Han could hear. Lee Han thought to himself:
‘I didn’t say it because I thought you’d turn out to be wrong.’