Episode 164

Episode 164

It was Amur, who had grown up in the Empire’s roughest lands. He quickly recovered and stood up.

“I showed such an embarrassing side… To be startled by a horse’s name.”

Amur spoke as he brushed off the dust and straw from his clothes.

Come to think of it, even if it was Einrogard, there was no way they had obtained a griffon.

It was probably just that the horse’s name was Griffin.

It was quite common to name horses after fearsome monsters…

“No. It’s a real griffon, though.”

“……”

Amur, who had been getting up, staggered again.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah… no. Where did you get that? No, more importantly, what are the wizards doing?”

Amur spoke in a rarely angry voice.

It was surprising enough that a student had caught a griffon, but what was even more surprising was that the wizards had stood by while the student caught the griffon.

What were they doing as teachers, not protecting their students!

No matter how eccentric the wizards of Einrogard were, this was a bit…

“Um… that is…”

“The professor brought it.”

Unable to watch any longer, Yoner spoke up instead. Amur just opened and closed his mouth blankly.

“…Really?”

“Actually, there’s a reason for this. If you hear it, you’ll understand.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to understand…”

Amur decided to wait for Lee Han’s explanation for now.

Lee Han explained that the griffon wasn’t a real griffon, but a griffon that had been cursed and transformed into a horse.

The professor had done this to get the students used to monsters…

“It’s not as strange as you’d think, right?”

Lee Han asked after finishing his explanation. Amur answered firmly.

“It’s strange.”

“!”

Th… That so?

While Lee Han was a little flustered, Amur continued.

“I’ve heard a lot of rumors that the wizards of Einrogard are eccentric, but I didn’t think it was to this extent…”

“No. Actually, this is pretty mild.”

“Lee Han… I think it’s better if you just stop talking…”

Yoner tried to stop Lee Han.

If he kept talking, Amur would only get the wrong idea.

And the most important thing here was that this wasn’t even a misunderstanding.

After suffering for a while from the eccentricities the wizards of Einrogard had shown, Amur finally pulled himself together.

“Still, it’s good that you found a mount that can fly.”

“Yes. I haven’t found the way to the spire stables yet, but I’ll find it soon.”

“Take your time. If you rush, you’re more likely to mess things up. Escaping without being caught is more important than just getting out.”

‘This conversation seems weird.’

Yoner thought to himself as he listened to the two talk.

“What does a griffon like?”

“Hmm. It likes fresh horse meat.”

“…Is there anything else?”

“It also likes less fresh horse meat…”

Leaving out the horse meat, Lee Han packed snacks that the griffon might like.

Canned meats and sugars were stacked neatly in his backpack.

“By the way. Did you meet Igor, who came to the village?”

“Who is Igor?”

When Lee Han looked puzzled, Amur realized his mistake.

It was so natural he hadn’t noticed, but Lee Han wasn’t a villager or adventurer here. He was a student at that magic school.

“My cousin. He often sells rare animals to adventurers here in the village.”

Just as wizards raised summoned beasts, well-trained animals were always good friends to adventurers.

As such, rare and powerful animals were so popular that their price was whatever you could call.

“He’s usually not around, so you must have missed him.”

“Thank you. But aren’t those kinds of animals too expensive for me to buy?”

Lee Han had been scraping together, no, gathering money through legitimate effort from the students, but he was far from being rich.

He could afford to buy various groceries and books in the village, but not expensive animals.

“There aren’t only expensive ones, so take a look. I’ll tell him, so he’ll show you well. Bring your other friends too.”

‘Is that necessary?’

Lee Han wondered if he really had to bring the Black Turtle Tower or White Tiger Tower guys, but he stayed quiet.

He wanted to look like a good and diligent student in front of Amur.

• * *

“You’re the student who tamed that griffon?!”

“……”

Igor whispered urgently as soon as he met Lee Han.

His voice was so low that the other students couldn’t hear.

“I didn’t really tame it…”

“No?”

“Well, I did, but…”

“So you did!”

The fellow adventurers who had been helping Igor in the shop rushed over and surrounded Lee Han.

“Did you really tame a griffon?”

“How on earth?”

“Shh. Lower your voice. We agreed to keep it a secret.”

“Al, alright. So how did you tame the griffon?”

Igor looked similar to Amur and was dressed similarly, but there was one difference.

He was extremely curious about how the griffon had been tamed.

Actually, Amur wasn’t without curiosity either. He just didn’t torment Lee Han because he felt sorry for him as an Einrogard student…

“It was really just luck. I once saved its life…”

“You saved its life? I see!”

“Then it makes sense!”

The bearded, dusty adventurers seemed convinced, and Lee Han was relieved.

But that was a mistake.

“But even so, a griffon doesn’t easily acknowledge someone as its master…”

“No matter how I think about it, you must be born with it.”

“When we go to catch a gorgon next time, can you come with us? If we could get your help…”

A skilled adventurer was a valuable person wherever you went.

But even more valuable was someone with the affinity to be loved by monsters.

The adventurers wondered if there was any way they could bring Lee Han along.

“Calm down, everyone. This student is from Einrogard.”

“Oh…”

“If he’s from Einrogard, it can’t be helped.”

Igor’s friends quickly gave up.

If he was from Einrogard, there was nothing they could do. The wizards might chase after them and turn them into beasts.

“But we can wait a few years. If you think of it after you graduate, be sure to contact us here.”

“Our work is full of danger, pain, and romance. It’ll be enough to do together.”

“…?”

Lee Han was a little flustered by the proud words of the adventurers.

Was that a serious offer?

‘They say there are a lot of crazy people among adventurers, and it’s true!’

To think they’d say that as a serious offer now…

“Come. Follow me. Sorry for taking your time.”

Igor apologized and led them into the shop.

Since most of his time was spent traveling the Empire looking for and catching rare animals, the shop was a mess.

But that didn’t matter at all. The newly brought-in animals were that eye-catching.

Fwoosh!

A bird locked in a cage suddenly burst into flames and then froze. Igor explained.

“Spirit bird. A rare bird that only eats gems imbued with the power of spirits.”

‘That’s a crazy animal.’

Lee Han was appalled.

Even keeping it for a week would bankrupt you, and keeping it for a month would turn you into a debtor.

“Sorry, but that one’s already spoken for. I’m selling it to a nearby noble.”

“That’s fine.”

Lee Han didn’t want it even if it was free.

“If you’re a magic school student… a pigeon or a rat might be useful.”

A trained pigeon could fly around and secretly deliver letters, and a trained rat could go where people couldn’t and disarm traps.

Lee Han nodded.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to have one of each.’

“How much?”

“It’s free. Since you told me about the griffon, I have to pay you back.”

“Oh, no. Thank you.”

Lee Han decided to accept it gratefully without refusing too much.

…Should he have brought out a griffon feather or something?

-How much is this deer?

-Ugh. Impossible. I could never buy that.

-Shouldn’t we borrow more money from Wardanaz to buy it?

-No matter how generous Wardanaz is, if you ask to borrow money to buy that, he’ll probably kill you…

-Forget it. You’re going to learn summoning magic later anyway.

‘These guys have no tact.’

Lee Han frowned.

You shouldn’t go into someone’s shop and say things like, ‘You can just do it with magic.’

That’s why wizards get a bad reputation for being tactless.

But Igor, who was listening to the students’ conversation, didn’t seem to care.

Rather, he nodded with an interested expression.

“Actually, wizards do have a way to contract and summon directly. That’s difficult too, but above all, it doesn’t cost anything… What about you?”

“Lee Han has already contracted with a spirit.”

At Yoner’s words, Igor was impressed.

“I see… Well, if you have enough affinity to win a griffon’s loyalty, it’s only natural to be loved by spirits.”

“…No.”

Lee Han was flustered by the absurd misunderstanding.

Far from being loved by spirits, he was only feared…

But Igor took Lee Han’s words as humility.

It was only natural.

Even seasoned, experienced adventurers who risked their lives might not be lucky enough to win a griffon’s loyalty.

Just receiving such loyalty was impossible without natural affinity.

“By the way, may I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“The summoned beast at your waist, is that by any chance, Sharkan?”

Igor looked at the bone-shaped ornament hanging from Lee Han’s belt and wondered.

It was the sleeping Sharkan.

“Yes. It’s Sharkan.”

“I knew it! I thought so, but…”

Thinking the other person might misunderstand, Lee Han quickly explained.

“It’s undead.”

“I can see that. Even more impressive.”

“…I didn’t make it. Another necromancer made it and gave it to me as a gift.”

“Of course I know. There’s no way a student could make that, no matter what. An undead monster, and Sharkan at that, must have a really nasty temper… To carry it around sleeping like that. Your affinity is truly amazing.”

“……”

Lee Han just nodded with a resigned expression.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“May I ask what you use to make its body when you summon it?”

“I make its body out of water.”

“You must need quite a lot, right? If there’s no river or pond nearby, does it not respond to your summons?”

“I summon it with magic.”

“……”

Igor was astonished.

To fill all the muscles and flesh of a monster like Sharkan with summoned water.

Was this really a student of Einrogard!

‘Amazing!’

He knew it was impressive, but for even a freshman to be at this level…

Igor looked anew at the students browsing his shop.

The Empire’s best wizards are here!

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Did we talk too much without buying anything?”

“I’m going to buy a carrier pigeon…”

Not hearing the students’ whispers and feeling proud by himself, Igor took out a small green glass bottle and placed it in Lee Han’s hand.

“Take this.”

“What is it?”

“Green beryl solution. A liquid made by melting the essence. If you mix this in water, Sharkan will love it.”

“Something like this… Is it okay to just accept it?”

Lee Han hesitated.

A reasonable freebie had no strings attached, but too big a freebie might have some.

But Igor patted Lee Han’s shoulder as if to say it was fine.

“For someone loved by monsters or spirits, it’s important for an adventurer like me, who needs to be loved by monsters, to show kindness. It brings luck.”

“…It’s really a misunderstanding.”

Lee Han was genuinely worried about Igor.

• * *

Lee Han clicked his tongue as he looked at the green beryl solution he’d received as a gift.

No matter how much Lee Han refused, Igor absolutely wouldn’t take it back.

“Can’t we stay in the village for a night?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Then you stay behind.”

“…Ah, no. I was just asking!”

Originally, they could have left at dawn and returned to school.

But Lee Han had no intention of doing that.

‘I have to get ahead of the skeleton principal’s expectations no matter what.’

By now, the skeleton principal, full of venom, might have set up some crazy… no, some trap.

“Are all the priests here? Let’s go.”

“But Sir Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family. What about the other tower students…”

At the priest’s question, Lee Han pretended not to hear.

He didn’t want to waste time persuading the other tower students.

“Come on. Let’s go!”

“Did he not hear?”

Shhhhhhh—

As they walked along the dark road, Lee Han felt a sense of discomfort.

No matter how late it was, they were walking with magically summoned light.

So why was it getting darker ahead?

They were students of the magic school.

With the sound of armor clanking, a heavily armed knight appeared.

It was an undead knight, exuding an aura of death from his whole body.

A name popped into Lee Han’s mind.

‘…Death Knight!’

I am guarding this road by my master’s command. Magic school students, if you offer one person, you may pass.

Ahsan unconsciously looked at Gainando. Gainando tried to poke Ahsan’s eyes with his fingers.