Episode 163

There was one thing in common between the students of the White Tiger Tower and the Black Turtle Tower.

Whether they disliked or were wary of Lee Han, they all acknowledged at least Lee Han’s magical skills.

Giselle thought to herself.

‘If Wardanaz spoke like that, he must really be an amazing wizard.’

“It is an honor to meet you like this.”

The students of the White Tiger Tower greeted quite knightly.

Of course, Baldororn, who felt like he was sitting on a bed of thorns, did not feel any better just because he received such greetings.

On the contrary, he felt even more suffocated.

‘They’re knights!?’

It was even more burdensome to have freshmen who obviously seemed to be from knightly families greet him so politely.

If they found out the truth later, they might swing their swords…

“Shall we go together?”

At Lee Han’s suggestion, the other tower students hesitated.

The Black Turtle Tower students thought for a moment and nodded, but the White Tiger Tower students could not do so.

Because they had no money!

“Ah. You don’t have money.”

Lee Han spoke as if he understood. While the White Tiger Tower students bristled a little, Lee Han continued.

“I’ll lend it to you.”

“What?”

“I said I’ll lend it to you. Of course, with a small interest…”

“Wardanaz…”

Angrago looked at Lee Han as if he couldn’t believe it.

Considering how Bandur from the Black Turtle Tower had shown off with a few silver coins earlier, it was an incredibly generous offer.

Why on earth?

Lee Han felt very burdened by Angrago’s sparkling gaze.

“Did I say I’d give it for free? I said I’d lend it with interest, didn’t I?”

“I heard you. Wardanaz. …Thank you.”

‘Is this guy crazy or what?’

From Lee Han’s perspective, who didn’t know what conversation had taken place between the White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students before they arrived, Angrago’s reaction could only feel strange.

Why be moved when I’m lending money with interest?

“Uh, yeah. I’m glad you’re happy.”

Angrago reached out his hand for a handshake. Lee Han stepped back, widening the distance. Angrago awkwardly lowered his hand.

“Wardanaz… Seeing you makes me feel ashamed for showing off with a few silver coins.”

‘What’s with this guy now?’

When a Black Turtle Tower student spoke to him with a look of self-acceptance, Lee Han became even more bewildered.

What happened before they came?

“I didn’t know what the honor spoken of by the great noble families was, but this must be it.”

“What did you talk about before coming?”

“I didn’t believe in such things, but to see it with my own eyes like this…”

“What did you talk about before com…”

“I can’t help but acknowledge…”

“Will you say it after getting hit, or will you just say it?”

“W-why are you like this? Wardanaz?”

A little later.

‘No. I should have charged more interest.’

After hearing the detailed explanation and understanding the situation, Lee Han suddenly felt regretful.

So that’s what happened!

Even if he charged more interest, the White Tiger Tower guys would have accepted it.

“Here it is.”

The store with the sign <The Will-o-wisp’s Tangled Treasure Pile> had a rather suspicious and gloomy exterior.

If it had just been the students, they wouldn’t have gone in, thinking, ‘Why go into a place like this?’

But the gathered students had no doubts.

“Because it’s the place Baldororn was going to.”

“Because it’s the place introduced by the wizard Wardanaz said was so amazing.”

“Of course it must be trustworthy.”

“Let’s go in!”

‘…I just go often because it’s cheap…’

• * *

The owner of <The Will-o-wisp’s Tangled Treasure Pile> had never seen so many freshmen come out of the magic school for an outing in his life.

…No, in the first place, it was unthinkable for magic school students to even visit <The Will-o-wisp’s Tangled Treasure Pile>.

‘Why here??’

Items with semi-permanent magic imbued, artifacts, were quite expensive even in the Empire.

Because of that, people didn’t just buy artifacts anywhere.

They would buy after checking at the workshop of a widely known wizard.

But not everyone sought only those safe and guaranteed artifacts.

Artifacts that were damaged or half-broken, artifacts taken out during experiments or research, artifacts that failed to achieve their original purpose, and so on.

You might wonder why people would seek such artifacts, but the reason was simple.

Because they were cheap!

There were more people than you’d think who needed artifacts but had no money. And the place those people visited was <The Will-o-wisp’s Tangled Treasure Pile>.

A place specializing in buying and selling used, damaged, and incomplete artifacts.

Why would magic school students visit here, when only adventurers usually did?

“Wow. There’s all sorts of stuff here?”

“What kind of cloak is this? It seems to be enchanted.”

“Maybe because it’s a place Baldororn frequents, it’s not ordinary.”

Baldororn’s face turned bright red.

“Everyone… Please, lower your voices…”

While the students chatted, Lee Han strode through the store and approached the counter.

The owner tensed up as a boy who was obviously from a great noble family approached.

‘He’s not going to make some ridiculous complaint, is he?’

The adventurers who visited here knew well what kind of place this was, so they didn’t cause any trouble.

But the students of the magic school were different.

Being from the Empire’s leading great families, they would be ignorant of the ways of the world, and as students learning at Einrogard, if they set their minds to it, they could overturn this place.

The owner was very nervous.

‘Please don’t cause trouble. Please…’

“Hello.”

“Hel… lo.”

Lee Han bowed his head and lowered his voice. The owner’s posture naturally lowered as well.

“By any chance…”

“?”

“Looking here, it seems you also buy incomplete artifacts. If you were to buy this, how much would you give?”

“……”

The owner unconsciously raised his head to check Lee Han’s face at the student’s words.

‘Is he really from a great noble family…?’

• * *

Lee Han sold ambiguous artifacts like the Cloak of Protection (since it only blocked blades half the time, Lee Han decided to just block with magic) and the Minor Boots of Stealth for cash.

He couldn’t help but admire Baldororn again.

‘To know a place that pays this well. Truly an outstanding wizard.’

With his purse full, Lee Han’s heart also became generous.

Just like the other students who were already looking around, Lee Han also set out to find a useful artifact.

“You seem to know well, may I ask you a few things?”

“…Go ahead.”

‘What?!’

Baldororn was surprised inside.

The owner of <The Will-o-wisp’s Tangled Treasure Pile> was famous for being prickly and curt.

When Baldororn asked something, the owner would scold, ‘If you keep asking, go somewhere else,’ but to Lee Han’s questions, he answered properly.

‘Is he discriminating against people!?’

Of course, it wasn’t incomprehensible. If Baldororn were the owner, he would have answered Lee Han’s questions too.

The aura he gave off was different from the other students.

…And he also brought in some pretty decent artifacts.

“To avoid the principal… no, the archmage’s eyes, or to know their movements in advance, is there any way?”

“There’s no way such an artifact would be here.”

“True… Then what about an artifact that detects intruders in advance? Or one that subdues intruders…”

The owner was starting to get confused about whether Lee Han was a student from a great noble family or a street thug.

Was he planning to rob a mansion or something?

“What kind of magic is on this pocket watch?”

As he looked over the artifacts, Lee Han was puzzled by a silver pocket watch with a slight crack in the glass.

He couldn’t feel any magic at all.

Was it perhaps magic of such a high level that Lee Han couldn’t detect it?

“There’s no magic on it. It’s just a pocket watch.”

“Oh.”

Lee Han felt a little embarrassed.

Still, even just a pocket watch was a valuable item. The very fact that it could measure time accurately was almost like an artifact.

Baldororn spoke cautiously.

“Thanks to selling the artifacts earlier, you seem to have some silver coins… How about buying it? A pocket watch in such good condition is hard to find once you miss it.”

“Indeed. If Baldororn says so…”

“No, no. I didn’t mean it that deeply!”

Baldororn hurriedly changed his words, but Lee Han had already interpreted it as he pleased.

‘Certainly… I’ll have to measure time accurately more often from now on.’

Not only in alchemy, but as his level in magic increased, the difficulty of what he learned would rise.

The magic school wouldn’t give him a pocket watch, so it wouldn’t be bad to prepare in advance.

“Thank you. Baldororn, your advice was helpful.”

“Now that I think about it, maybe it’s not that necessary…”

Despite the pitiful voice, Lee Han bought the pocket watch.

At that, the owner tilted his head.

‘Why does he listen to Baldororn’s words so attentively?’

The students of the magic school should be more skilled than Baldororn…

Lee Han, who put the pocket watch into his coat, looked around at other artifacts. A blunt dagger hanging on the wall caught his eye, emanating a strange energy.

“Don’t go near that!”

“What’s the reason?”

“It’s a monster that absorbs magic. If you touch it wrong, it’ll absorb your magic and you might collapse or become a cripple…”

“Aha.”

“?!?”

Despite the warning, Lee Han just picked up the dagger, making the owner freak out.

Even if he was a magic school student, it was too much.

‘What the…?!’

But what was even more surprising happened after Lee Han picked up the dagger.

…Even though it had already knocked out and made several adventurers bleed, the magic school student was fine after picking it up.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to worry.”

‘My goodness!’

The owner was shocked once again.

He had heard many times that Einrogard was the best among the Empire’s magic schools, but seeing it like this was a new shock.

Even so, for a freshman to be at this level…

It was definitely a school that only gathered monsters.

“How much is this?”

“For cursed items, I always take just one silver coin. Otherwise, no one will buy them.”

“No way. Are there any more cursed items?”

Watching, Baldororn suddenly felt something was off.

‘Shouldn’t he ask about the effects first?’

Surely he wasn’t just buying because it was cheap?

• * *

“I received a lot of help.”

“It was all thanks to you, Baldororn.”

All the freshmen of the four towers surrounded Baldororn and thanked him.

Baldororn quickly nodded, hiding his tired expression.

“It’s nothing, everyone. It was truly a pleasure to meet you all. Please never say anywhere that you learned from me…”

“Yes.”

“Of course!”

“Next outing, we’ll definitely visit you…”

Without looking back, Baldororn hurriedly ran away.

The students admired the cool, unhesitating look of the wizard.

That’s a wizard!

“Lee Han. What did you buy?”

“A watch and a dagger. The other cursed items had curses that were a bit lacking.”

“…Aren’t curses always lacking??”

While Gainando was puzzled, Lee Han prepared to head to Amur’s Stable.

Yoner asked worriedly.

“Is it really okay to tell the truth as it is?”

“It’s fine. That person is reasonable.”

“Really?”

Yoner followed, still puzzled.

No matter how reasonable, if they said they had obtained a griffon, wouldn’t he be surprised…

• * *

“Nice to see you! Did you get a mount?”

“Yes!”

“Well done! What did you get?”

“A griffon.”

“……”

Thud!

Amur literally fell backward. Lee Han shouted in surprise.

“Are you all right?!”