Episode 1177
by CristaeHowever, none of the Heirs of Ahrak could say, “I am the right person for this job!”
It was because they all knew they were weak in the art of persuasion.
This is the problem when a group doesn’t get any new members.
Since only the same tiresome people are left to rot together, when matters like this arise, there’s no one suitable to send.
“I’ll go and try persuading them.”
“Don’t say crazy things. Ninth.”
“Don’t even go outside. Just stay here in the catacombs.”
“If you go out, I’ll kill you.”
The ninth Heir of Ahrak was flabbergasted by responses as sharp as colleagues’ blades.
“…Why, why! I’m the only one here who can at least persuade a youngster!”
“If what you do is ‘persuasion,’ then my grave-robbing is post-paid purchasing.”
“Even if we were granted privileges from the Emperor, I think you should restrain yourself, Ninth. If you don’t want to lose those privileges.”
“Understood.”
A brief silence fell.
Then the other heirs spoke.
“Did that guy just go outside?”
“He definitely went out.”
“…Contact the second and third and tell them to stop him. Just stop him from causing trouble.”
“Cough, cough.”
Professor Mortum kept coughing as the cold wind blew. The students of the Black Magic School gave him suspicious looks.
“Isn’t he pretending to be sick again?”
“Very possible. He definitely did last time too…”
“What…! Cough, these wicked disciples.”
As he faced his students’ suspicion, Professor Mortum acted wronged.
Of course, Professor Mortum did pull all sorts of tricks to dump troublesome jobs.
–Cough, suddenly my old wound from Ahrak’s red poison…
–Oh dear. We’ll handle the corpse cleanup, Professor!
–Cough, this time it’s the curse I caught during the mold plague…
–…I see. Then we’ll check the expiration dates on the poisons in the storage.
–Cough, cough.
–Sigh. We’ll do it. What is it this time? Grading?
–This time I just happened to cough!
But after spending a year or two in the Black Magic School, such tricks stopped working.
Unless you were someone like Direte, no matter how much you respected your teacher, everyone would look at him with cold eyes.
Ogoldos was like that too.
“Professor. Let me say, for the good of the school. Please do not fake illness so much…”
“Cough, I said I’m not! Stop suspecting me. Last time, I handled things myself, didn’t I?”
“That was because His Majesty forced you, wasn’t it.”
“No, I meant to take care of it. Cough. Ah, a letter has arrived.”
As the students’ stares grew fiercer and seemed to move toward venting their piled-up grievances, Professor Mortum quickly changed the subject.
No wonder he was a professor.
“Did you prepare the letter in advance?”
“It’s from Professor Garcia!”
Professor Mortum shouted in a loud voice so everyone could hear, then quickly unfolded the letter.
He felt he had to read it out loud quickly to avoid more misunderstanding from his wicked students.
To Professor Mortum
Right now, black magicians from the ‘Heirs of Ahrak’, ‘Legion of Oondorgu’, and ‘Obsidian Tower’ are at the Moradi family’s fortress trying to recruit Student Lee Han. I thought you should know.
Garcia Kim
“!??”
Professor Mortum nearly collapsed, his legs giving way. The students chided him again.
“Professor. If you’re like this, please just go in and rest.”
“Really, what is wrong?”
“Y-you fools…”
As Professor Mortum staggered, another letter floated in.
To Professor Mortum
I forgot one thing, so I’m sending an extra note. I think it’d be better if Student Direte comes instead of you, Professor. The black magicians seem to have a lot of resentment against you.
Garcia Kim
“???”
Professor Mortum was again taken aback by the letter’s content.
He was shocked by the betrayal of those evil, despicable black magicians, and now he was now simply at a complete loss.
In the meantime, his curious students came over and read the letter.
“Wardanaz got scouted!?”
“Honestly, it’d be strange not to. If only the professor had pretended to be sick a little less…”
“…Cough, that’s not what’s important. What matters is that these black magicians hold a grudge. That’s what’s important.”
Professor Mortum couldn’t understand.
Why exactly did those old black magicians hold a grudge against him?
“Professor. Maybe…”
“Cough. If you bring up feigning illness, I’ll make you into a ghoul.”
“…Nevermind. Haha.”
The Black Magic School student who almost mentioned feigning illness backed off sheepishly.
Ogoldos asked in puzzlement.
“Is it because we’ve gotten a little more affluent recently?”
“……”
“……”
“…Ogoldos. I don’t think that’s it.”
The students were appalled by his ridiculous comment.
Of course, the economic situation of the Einrogard Black Magic School had improved a bit, but not enough to inspire envy.
If anything, they’d get sympathy…
“Did we do too well with our black magic presentations? But the Heirs of Ahrak were good presenters too…”
“Are they envious we don’t live in tombs?”
“That’s not it. They actually prefer to stay in tombs. It’s hard to understand.”
Professor Mortum pondered briefly, then shrugged his shoulders.
Black magicians were all eccentric by nature.
And since these particular black magicians usually secluded themselves with their own kind, their eccentricities were even more extreme.
“Cough, there must be some misunderstanding. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“That seems likely.”
This time, even the students supported Professor Mortum.
Though the Einrogard Black Magic School’s professor often faked illness and tricked his students, he never actually went out of his way to pick fights or be rude.
At most, he’d cough to elicit sympathy!
“You should hurry and go stop them.”
“Cough. There’s no need to be in such a rush. Would Wardanaz really move to another black magic guild?”
“You should hurry and go stop them.”
“……”
Professor Mortum felt a bit hurt by the students’ cold response.
At least at a time like this, they could have paid him lip service: ‘No, Wardanaz respects you, Professor, he wouldn’t go elsewhere.’
“Fine, I get it. I have to go call Direte.”
“I’ll go call him. He’ll be at the dorm tower…”
“Cough. No. He’s at the library.”
“Huh? Why?”
“…He discovered a new piece of black magic and is comparing its structure to existing spells.”
“Did Senior Direte pick up a new research topic?!”
The students were startled.
No matter how mad Senior Direte was for choosing fifth-year, to pick up yet another research topic!
Professor Mortum had to stifle his embarrassment as he replied.
“Cough. No, that’s a piece of black magic I discovered.”
“……”
“……”
The students present thought briefly.
Maybe Wardanaz really would go to another black magic faction!
What are you all doing?
The Most Cantankerous Hag asked, bewildered.
Nasty, corpse-scented black magicians (several were actual corpses) had crowded into Lee Han’s quarters, huddled around a table and obsessed with magic.
“Ah. I’m sorry. We’re in the middle of talking magic.”
Lee Han apologized politely.
When -Eye of Ahrak- was forcibly taken, the Heirs of Ahrak were greatly upset.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly “taken”; they had just given it away on their own, but for cantankerous black magicians, the truth didn’t matter.
-You, bring out your magic too!
-Kruruk (Why should we)?
-Ha. Are you scared? Afraid it’ll be learned faster than the Eye of Ahrak? I suppose your magic is pretty simple, after all.
-Krk (How dare you say that)?!
The other black magicians took the bait immediately. They began picking the hardest and most complicated spells from their masterpieces.
-I’m not interested in that spell…
-Kruruk (Learn it)!
-Even better that you’re not interested! Go on, try to learn it quickly!
-No, I said I’m not interested…
The black magicians, seeing red, ignored Lee Han and just yelled at him to hurry up and learn new magic.
Eventually, Lee Han gave up and began practicing “Living Wall,” the black magic developed by the Legion of Oondorgu.
And he succeeded in learning it.
-…Hahaha! Hahahaha! Look! He learned it faster than the Eye of Ahrak!
-Krk (It’s because this spell’s structure is simple, and the one he learned from Gonadaltes is…)
-Shut up! Anyway, since he learned it faster than the Eye of Ahrak, that means your spell is simplistic! Next, your turn!
-What are you talking about? I agreed to pay my own money, but I won’t use Obsidian Tower’s spells for this kind of bet.
-Krk (Are you scared)?
-Hmph. Even if you say so, I won’t do it.
-Enough. That won’t work on a guy like him. Listen well, boy. If you don’t participate properly, our side and the Legion of Oondorgu will team up to tell every magician that Obsidian Tower’s spells are garbage. We’ll have to report it to His Majesty the Emperor, too. How can we give people like this any rights to a tower?
-…Don’t lie.
The Obsidian Tower’s magician ignored the threat from his opponent.
Whatever else, there’s no way they’d really go around the entire Empire spreading “Obsidian Tower magic is trash” just over something like this.
Even before the emperor and officials?
-Look into my eyes. Do I look like I’m bluffing?
-Kruruk (No matter what, I’ll do it).
-…You filthy old men!
In the end, the Obsidian Tower magician was roped into the bet.
The Most Cantankerous Hag, hearing the explanation, looked on with a gaze full of contempt.
‘I thought they were idiots, but not this much.’
“By the way. I suppose this person goes around on all fours…”
It’s probably just a bet. I don’t care.
The Most Cantankerous Hag answered coldly.
Magicians did sometimes crawl on all fours.
It was either because their backs had degenerated from years of magical research, or because they lost a bet—neither particularly interesting to her.
“So, how did your negotiation go?”
Right, I meant to talk about that. Good job! Congratulations, boy. You’re lucky.
The Most Cantankerous Hag giggled as she congratulated Lee Han.
It truly seemed the magician before her was riding a powerful wave of fortune.
You could call it heavenly luck, or fate—something akin to that.
Otherwise, there’s no way that evil god worshiper would lose his power and be so thoroughly manipulated just for being around.
“It worked out?”
Yes. If you can spot the Sanguiros Cultists, you can make the two clash. Isn’t it wonderful to imagine them fighting and tearing into each other?
“It’s not that much, really.”
What a boring one you are. Getting what you want, and already you’re cold to this old lady.
“No, shall I make some tea for you?”
…A novel suggestion? More importantly, go call those black magicians. These brats, so arrogant for their age.
The Most Cantankerous Hag was a stickler for manners.
She could never tolerate black magicians ignoring her presence.
“I’m sorry. They’re not usually like this, but right now they’re preoccupied with trying to win a bet, searching for the most difficult spells they can… In fact, they all respect you greatly, Most Cantankerous Hag.”
What can’t you say with your mouth?
“I’m not just saying it! They’re here because they really have questions for you. They’re looking for that tablet—”
!
At those words, the Most Cantankerous Hag put on a mischievous expression.
An absolutely wicked revenge had come to mind.
No need to call them, then. Tell them after this old woman leaves.