Episode 1202
by CristaeEpisode 1202
-It has been tainted. It has gained an ego. It’s still inexperienced, but you shouldn’t give it too much time.
Hamster squeaked and explained instead.
Since it was such a shocking event, he felt it was better for an experienced mage like himself to explain rather than Wardanaz.
Professor Voladi returned a reply to the courteous explanation.
“I wasn’t asking you.”
-……
Hamster repeated curses to himself about three times.
What a damn bastard!
“It has been tainted. It’s gained an ego. It’s still inexperienced, but we shouldn’t give it too much time.”
“I see.”
-……
Hamster was at a further loss.
Wasn’t that just repeating his explanation?!
“This is serious. The evil god has been tainted.”
Professor Kirmin, having pulled his face out of the corridor wall and stopped his nosebleed, came back with a gloomy expression. Lee Han, worried, asked.
“Did you two, by any chance, fight upstairs?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Wardanaz. Why would I argue with Voladi? When have I ever spoken ill of Voladi?”
“During the pursuit…”
“That’s not important right now!”
As his student seemed about to repeat complaints he had made, Professor Kirmin firmly cut it off.
“The evil god is tainted. What do you think?”
-We must immediately form a subjugation task force.
One of the Death Knights spoke in a grave voice.
Basically, these divine beings were not much of a threat precisely because they lacked a sense of self.
Even evil gods were the same; as long as no one borrowed power from them to cause mayhem, the evil god itself didn’t cause much trouble.
But if an evil god learned to think and desire for itself, the story changed.
Even if its way of thinking wasn’t fully developed, that made it even more dangerous in some ways.
-I will contact the master at once.
“Then we’ll just handle the clean-up and follow. Is that okay, Voladi?”
Professor Kirmin glanced at his friend as he asked.
Now that such havoc had happened in the city, they couldn’t just leave. They had to erase traces of evil magic and make sure nothing dangerous remained.
The problem was his impulsive friend’s reaction.
Surely he wouldn’t act on his own, unable to wait even for a moment, would he?
“Yes.”
“On your honor, truly?”
Professor Voladi nodded. Professor Kirmin put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and showed his trust.
“I believe in you.”
“Thank you.”
“Then you can also swear on your student’s honor, right?”
“……”
-……
Lee Han and the Death Knights stared at Professor Kirmin as if stunned.
-If you’re going to bet, do it among yourselves—why drag in the heir?
“I don’t think that kind of promise means much anyway if you’ve already decided to lie, Professor…”
As the group didn’t assist him, Professor Kirmin spoke with an aggrieved face.
“Just don’t regret it if Voladi runs off again later.”
“Professor, would you really do that again?”
-No. In my opinion, there’s a decent chance…
Professor Voladi quietly watched his student and the mages discuss his potential for running away.
Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, Amrek called to the group.
“Everyone. Is there anything you’d like to instruct me to do?”
-Ah. Yes.
The Death Knight answered immediately, and Amrek’s face brightened.
“Please tell me whatever it is. I am not afraid of evil god worshippers in the slightest.”
-Pretend that you did everything today by yourself. If Einrogard’s name gets out, it may cause the remaining remnants to hide.
“…Pardon?”
Amrek looked back.
The partially destroyed workshop landscape came into view.
No matter how he looked, it was more destruction than any single knight could cause.
“If I say I did all this myself, people probably won’t believe me…”
-Being able to lie convincingly is also part of a knight’s training. I believe in you. From the moment I first saw you, I sensed the makings of a great knight.
“S-such praise…”
Amrek felt, uncertain yet wanting to believe the compliment.
Praise from these famed seniors was almost irresistibly tempting for the young knight!
-Lord. The heir has escaped.
It’s not an escape, it’s a commission.
When the first report came in, the skeletal headmaster replied indifferently.
Currently, the skeletal headmaster was not in his usual office but in a secret hideout on the 9th basement floor of the main building.
This was because the bothersome dragon had kept visiting when he stayed in the office.
Initially, he had thought the dragon would give up and leave after hearing complaints from the students, but a conniving fellow had given advice at his side, and the situation changed.
Thanks to that, the bothersome dragon grew even more bold and persistent.
‘Einrogard must be further reformed!’ ‘Please do not ignore this Uman’s opinion…’ and so on.
Seeing this grandstanding, in the worst case he might hang around till next semester.
-No. It’s definitely an escape, not a commission.
He could have stayed out all semester just from the commissions, so why bother to escape… Ah.
The skeletal headmaster recalled a professor currently in escape status.
Like teacher, like student, after all.
So he’s gone searching for Baegrek. Leave him be. This will be an interesting contest.
Professor Voladi had more experience escaping and was a more powerful battle mage than Wardanaz, but Wardanaz’s tenacity was considerable.
With his various contacts and that mad spirit, he had a decent chance of winning.
On top of that, if you took into account how soft Professor Voladi was on his students…
‘The odds are quite high.’
-Shall I send him to the punishment room if he returns?
The punishment room is only meaningful for those for whom confinement works. If you send Wardanaz, he’ll just rest, so forget it.
The skeletal headmaster was a generous and magnanimous man. He did not, of course, like unnecessary punishments.
Especially for a wizard like Wardanaz, who walked the path of asceticism of his own accord, the punishment room was meaningless.
-Then shall I just leave the knights who followed him alone?
…Those guys, lock them up.
The skeletal headmaster was dumbfounded.
It seemed the numbers were off—had they followed Wardanaz?
‘So many traitors.’
And a few days later.
Professor Garcia stormed in.
“Headmaster! I wish to formally accuse another professor!”
At last, the time has come. Professor Garcia, haven’t I told you countless times to report Bible Verdus? That beast has at least enough conscience to remember your kindness when you help him…
“No. I want to report Professor Kirmin!”
What?!
The skeletal headmaster was startled.
To think you’d accuse Professor Kirmin, leaving all of Professor Verdus’s many misdeeds aside.
Perhaps Professor Garcia was misunderstanding something?
Not Professor Bible? Professor Garcia, in case you forgot, let me remind you. The one who raided your reagent storage was Professor Bible. The one who manipulated the work schedule to shift his duties onto you was also Professor Bible. The one who tricked you into grading tests by saying it was my order—Professor Bible again. Shall I continue?
The skeletal headmaster rattled off Professor Verdus’s misdeeds without pause.
One could talk three days and nights about this man’s transgressions and never finish.
Yet Professor Garcia, despite that, had protected and defended him as a colleague…
“…Honestly, hearing all that does make me a bit angry, but that’s not why I’m here. I want to report Professor Kirmin.”
A-all right. What are the charges?
“I’m charging him with neglectful student guidance and abetting escape!”
……
The skeletal headmaster sized up the situation at once and looked at him with a dumbfounded gaze.
This was simply because he was mad about not being brought along!
Professor Garcia. You and Professor Voladi are the ones among the professors who never file charges against other professors. Voladi is a lawless one anyway, but I always thought you should report more.
“I am doing it now, aren’t I!”
…but are you really going to let the professor you truly resent go free while reporting another for such a trivial reason? Really? Don’t come crying, asking me to cancel it later.
“Hmph! If he really thought of me as a colleague, he wouldn’t have left me behind for chores, especially not now in such a crucial moment!”
Professor Garcia was fuming.
He’d helped with the student all throughout the semester, and now when it mattered, he’d been left behind!
Of course, Professor Kirmin was friends with Professor Voladi. Garcia was also reasonably close in Einrogard, but you couldn’t compare closest friends and juniors.
But even so, to just leave without so much as a word was crossing the line.
It was all the more insufferable coming from someone who always said, ‘Student Wardanaz needs to become independent now,’ ‘Let him be and figure it out himself.’
With Professor Garcia raging, the Death Knights silently backed away.
Usually, they’d banter and jest when professors arrived, so this was unthinkable.
Maybe Wardanaz just didn’t take you.
“Don’t say such ridiculous things. No way Lee Han would do that.”
Professor Garcia looked at the skeletal headmaster incredulously.
‘Hmm. If I intervene once more, he’ll file a complaint against me too.’
Knowing his student’s resolve well enough, the skeletal headmaster didn’t try to persuade him further.
Understood. Professor Kirmin could do with a taste of his own medicine. Then…
Fwoosh!
The flames roared, and a letter popped out from the cauldron set up in the headmaster’s hiding place.
The bronze cauldron, inscribed with complex ancient letters, was a magic device used by Death Knights for urgent messages.
The skeletal headmaster flashed his eyes and opened the letter.
Oh dear.
“D-did something happen?”
Professor Garcia forgot his anger and asked worriedly.
If something happened to Lee Han, or the other professors were hurt…
Good news. They say they caught Professor Voladi.
“!!!”
At such unbelievable news, Professor Garcia was greatly surprised.
They actually caught him!
“How did they catch him?! Did they perhaps set a trap with Lee Han?!”
Such imagination! Well, truth be told, I considered that, too.
He hadn’t said so, but that was one of the possible strategies he’d envisioned Wardanaz’s group might use.
Roughly, if you go to the area where Professor Voladi is, and fake that Wardanaz’s life is at risk, he may turn up, right?
But from what he heard, to his surprise, they didn’t use any such method.
They must have persuaded him.
“…I always believed in Lee Han!”
Professor Garcia exclaimed with a much brighter face.
If they could bring back the runaway Professor Voladi with persuasion rather than force or traps, nothing could be better.
…He was still not sure whether it was really possible!
Instead, they said they’d accompany Professor Voladi and help him get revenge.
“……”
Professor Garcia’s face twisted again with anger. The skeletal headmaster was secretly relieved.
‘Glad Kirmin went with him.’
If it weren’t for Professor Kirmin, that anger would have flared elsewhere.
“To think they’d tag along and help with revenge when they should be coming straight back…!”
Calm yourself, Professor Garcia. You know how stubborn Professor Voladi is. If not for that, they wouldn’t have persuaded him.
“…That may be true.”
Luckily, once his anger subsided, Professor Garcia judged rationally.
He even said he’d postpone the complaint against Professor Kirmin. He declared that as long as Lee Han didn’t return injured, he’d let it go.
Good thinking. Well done.
But the skeletal headmaster made one miscalculation.
That was about Professor Garcia’s persistence.
From the next day, Professor Garcia kept knocking on the door.
“Any news?”
“Any lunchtime updates…?”
“Why are the knights’ reports so slow?”
“Headmaster. I think we really need to change the reporting system…”
‘With Uman gone, that one’s making a fuss.’
The skeletal headmaster struggled not to forget that Professor Garcia did the work of five people.
It would be easy to yell and kick him out or to move the hiding place, but then Einrogard’s administrative efficiency would plummet.
“Really, there’s no news?”
If anything arrives, I’ll send a paper bird right away, so please just go and do your work…
Fwoosh!
With a burst of flame, another letter popped out of the bronze cauldron.
Professor Garcia snatched the letter with a movement faster than the best imperial horseback polo player. Even the knights were surprised.