Episode 160

Episode 160

“How could I refuse such an enjoyable opportunity?”

I knew he wouldn’t refuse.

The master and disciple spoke with hidden intentions.

After finishing his declaration, the skeleton principal looked around at the gathered students, holding the outing pass.

Revenge against Ogonin, who ruined the festival, was for later; for now, he had to deal with… no, take care of the students in front of him.

Are all the students gathered here?

“Yes!”

Since you found the treasure at the festival with luck and skill, I, Gonadaltes, bless you in my name.

“Thank you…?”

“What’s with him all of a sudden?”

“Did the festival put him in a good mood?”

The students whispered in confusion, but Lee Han, who knew the truth, was different.

Pure terror!

To the Ironheads going on this outing, I grant freedom and indulgence from sunrise on Saturday to sunrise on Sunday. You must gather at the school’s main gate before the sun rises.

“Understood!”

‘It’s starting.’

• * *

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

As the skeleton principal disappeared, the students who were about to scatter paused at Lee Han’s call.

And then they became wary.

“Everyone, be careful!”

“It’s Wardanaz. Remember what Tutanta said? Don’t fall for it.”

“Don’t take out your outing pass! Hide your outing pass!”

“……”

Despite his friends’ cold reactions, Lee Han was not hurt.

Prophets are always persecuted.

“Friends. Listen to me.”

“We’re listening, Wardanaz. Go ahead.”

The students from other towers stepped back to widen the distance and waited for Lee Han to speak.

Lee Han calmly began to explain.

“So…”

Five minutes later.

The students looked at Lee Han with strange expressions.

It was the look of ‘No matter what, this is a bit much.’

“It’s true.”

“…No matter what, this is a bit much…”

“It doesn’t make sense.”

“Would he really go that far… He would.”

“That’s true, but still.”

‘No. They’re listening better than I thought.’

Lee Han was surprised that his friends’ reactions were more positive than he expected.

Thanks to the things Lee Han had done so far…

…or rather, it was because of the evil reputation the skeleton principal had built up.

“But how did you find this out?”

“That’s…”

“It’s Wardanaz. Of course he could find out.”

“True.”

“?”

Lee Han was puzzled by the other tower students asking and answering among themselves.

What do they mean, ‘of course he could find out’?

“Wardanaz. So why did you tell us this story?”

“Are you asking for our outing passes in return?”

“No. Now that it’s come to this, we all have to cooperate to overcome the crisis.”

“……”

The White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students fell into deep thought.

“Ah… Should we accept this?”

“Moradi. What do you think?”

“No matter how I think about it, isn’t it dangerous?”

“But if the principal really set up traps…”

Seeing the students seriously worrying among themselves, Lee Han looked at his Blue Dragon Tower friends and asked,

“…Am I that untrustworthy?”

“Of course not, Wardanaz. It’s just that those guys are stupid, have no discernment, and are overly suspicious.”

“Wardanaz is trying to save them, and they act like that! Of course, Wardanaz did raid the lounge and beat up some White Tiger Tower guys! But that was a kind of lesson, right?”

“You could call it a lesson.”

‘Shouldn’t have asked.’

After a long debate about whether Lee Han or the skeleton principal was scarier, the White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students reached a conclusion.

“Alright. Wardanaz. Let’s do it together.”

“We’ll move together too. But once we leave the main gate, we’ll go separately.”

“Yeah. I don’t plan to stick with you guys outside either.”

“And we absolutely won’t accept being used as arrow fodder.”

“Right.”

“Don’t send us ahead into traps, don’t use us as magic test subjects, don’t…”

“…Alright. Got it.”

Lee Han resolved to clear up some of the misunderstandings the White Tiger Tower students had during this outing.

The misunderstandings built up due to the school’s strict rules hadn’t disappeared and had lasted a long time.

‘The school piles up misunderstandings between us.’

• * *

Lee Han, Gainando, Yoner, Ahsan.

The students going out from Blue Dragon Tower were as follows.

“What are you going to do when you get out, Gainando?”

“First, I want to buy a new card set…”

“…Not cards!”

“Stop playing cards already!”

The friends shouted at Gainando as if they were fed up.

Gainando was the number one card player in Blue Dragon Tower.

Not because of skill.

It was because once he started playing cards, he wouldn’t stop until he won.

“But a new card set came out this month…”

“Buy me some books.”

“I want snacks.”

“Is alcohol possible?”

“You’ll get caught at the main gate with alcohol.”

Watching his friends chat cheerfully, Lee Han felt regretful.

Such complacency.

With that mindset, they’d get hurt badly on the outing.

“I’m going to a cafe first…”

“That’s wrong, Gainando.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t be sure you’ll make it out before you pass through the main gate.”

“Uh… Uh-huh?”

“Be prepared. Think of it as taking the midterm early. Don’t play around, go to bed early. Before sunrise, we’ll gather with the other tower guys and head to the main gate.”

Lee Han gave serious advice and walked away.

He planned to go to bed early today.

Tomorrow, a fierce battle would begin at dawn.

As Lee Han went up to his private room, Gainando tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“What’s up with Lee Han?”

“Wardanaz isn’t the type to make things up. Shouldn’t you go to bed early?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s fine. Want to play a round of cards?”

“Please, let’s do something else…”

• * *

“Ahhh! Aaaahhh!”

Gainando screamed and ducked his head. Lee Han grabbed Gainando by the scruff of his neck.

“Get back! Shield, unfold!”

Lee Han summoned a huge water shield.

A sticky green mass of liquid flying from afar splatted onto the water shield.

“What is that?!”

“Sleepcatcher! Don’t touch the liquid! If you do, you’ll be forced into sleep!”

In fact, when Lee Han had seriously warned the other tower students, there was still some doubt in their hearts.

-Would the principal really do such a thing?

-No matter what, he’s still the principal, really?

-Isn’t Wardanaz trying to trick us?

But those doubts disappeared as soon as they set out for the main gate at dawn.

Strange plant-type monsters suddenly appeared along the way and started shooting green liquid masses.

“Those who can make shields, make shields! Yoner! The thing you prepared!”

“Here!”

Yoner took out potion bottles and handed them to his friends.

“Throw them!”

The White Tiger Tower students crouched and threw the bottles as told. With the sound of glass breaking, flames flared up.

Whoosh!

“Wardanaz…!”

When the sleepcatcher, hit by the fire potion, stopped attacking and flailed, the White Tiger Tower students were truly surprised.

It was surprising enough that he predicted there would be traps, but to predict exactly what kind of trap?

A Black Turtle Tower student asked in disbelief.

“Wardanaz. How did you know that monster would appear?”

“I’ve fought it myself.”

“……”

“……”

The students were appalled.

What!?

‘Did the Wardanaz Family make him do it?’

‘That’s too much…!’

Of course, the Wardanaz Family hadn’t made him do such things.

The reason Lee Han knew so much about the monsters lying in ambush was because he had gone around catching escaped monsters with the Storekeeper.

Since he had to face them again, Lee Han had thoroughly checked the monsters.

And how to deal with them.

He had spent all of Friday preparing to face the monsters.

“The monster is down!”

“Wait! Don’t approach carelessly.”

“I’ll go finish it off…”

A hasty White Tiger Tower student tried to run out.

Lee Han smacked him on the back with his staff.

Whack!

“I told you to wait!”

“S-sorry.”

After a short wait, sure enough, the sleepcatcher suddenly sprang up. It had been playing dead.

“Throw again!”

Once more, round flask bottles flew through the air.

The sleepcatcher would shoot sleep-inducing green liquid from a distance and, if you got close, would swallow you whole—a troublesome creature.

But if you knew that, dealing with it wasn’t hard.

Just keep your defenses strong and aim for its weak spot from behind.

Thud—

“I-it’s down.”

“Good. Move.”

Lee Han didn’t let his guard down and urged the students on.

Even the students who had been wary, thinking ‘Wardanaz might target us’ or ‘Wardanaz might steal our outing passes,’ had completely changed their attitude.

First, let’s overcome the skeleton principal’s traps!

“Moradi. Maybe this time Wardanaz really is trying to help…”

“Foolish.”

Before Giselle could answer the White Tiger Tower student, a Black Turtle Tower student interrupted.

He was one of Salko’s gang.

“Wardanaz is trying to tame you like that. You’re already dancing in the palm of his hand.”

“W-what?”

“Soon, you’ll find yourself following Wardanaz’s orders without realizing it. For you guys, who don’t have a leader like Tutanta…”

“Hey. Get lost.”

“They’re really annoying.”

The White Tiger Tower students pushed the Black Turtle Tower students away in annoyance.

White Tiger Tower didn’t just have a bad relationship with Blue Dragon Tower. They also disliked Black Turtle Tower just as much.

“Moradi. Don’t mind those guys.”

“I’m not. More importantly, Angrago Alpha.”

“Huh?”

Angrago shrank at Giselle’s call.

“Did you have an outing pass? I don’t remember hearing about it.”

“Ah… Well.”

The goat beastkin student hesitated, then spoke.

“It’s actually fake.”

“…What?”

“It’s fake.”

Angrago explained the story behind the fake outing pass.

Wardanaz had made it for him last time, and he’d heard about it by chance when they met yesterday.

-That outing pass. Wouldn’t it be better to use it when a lot of students are going out together? That way, the chances of getting caught are lower.

-I… I see! Wardanaz, I have to admit your cleverness.

-Yeah. I’m saying this all for your sake.

“……”

Giselle looked at Angrago with contempt, as if looking at the dumbest person in the world.

Of all things, to bring a fake outing pass made by Wardanaz?

“You know it’s dangerous, right?”

“I know, Moradi. But if I miss this chance, I might not get to go out until the end of the semester…!”

Giselle clicked her tongue inwardly.

It didn’t look like he’d listen even if she tried to stop him. Giselle nodded.

“Do as you want.”

“Y-yeah! Thanks!”

While they were talking, Lee Han called Angrago.

“Angrago. Come here. I’ll cast a strengthening spell on you.”

“Doesn’t it seem like Wardanaz is being weirdly nice to Angrago?”

“Yeah. Maybe because they fought together on the island last time?”

“……”

• * *

Lee Han summoned fire and light in all directions to create a path.

Then he had Sharkan drive out the hiding shadow monsters.

The shadow monsters ran fiercely along the path made of fire and light. Lee Han immediately blocked the entrance to the path.

-!

“Got it. Let’s go.”

The fight and commotion ended in an instant.

Gainando voiced what the other friends were only thinking.

“But it seems like Lee Han could have come alone…”

“Shh. Be quiet.”