Episode 186

Episode 186

‘Oops. The opponent wasn’t Gainando.’

Lee Han realized it belatedly and regretted it.

No matter how much the princess couldn’t eat desserts, she wasn’t like Gainando to the point of eating a poisoned cake.

But his hand had already moved. Lee Han knew the best thing to do in situations like this.

“As expected. It was an artifact with poison detection and detoxification functions.”

The silver spoon that touched the poisoned cake produced smoke, just like when the detection magic was cast earlier.

At the same time, the color of the smoke slowly changed. It was evidence that detoxification was proceeding little by little.

The princess blinked a few times, shook off her confusion, and then, with her eyelids trembling, tried to open her mouth.

Whatever she was about to say, it wouldn’t be anything good.

“We need to get out quickly. Let’s go!”

Before the princess’s anger could explode coldly, Lee Han turned and moved without giving her a chance.

The princess’s reaction was a beat late at Lee Han leading the conversation away before clearing up the misunderstanding.

“Right now, wha…”

“Hurry!”

Lee Han pretended not to hear and quickly ran out.

The princess glared at his back as if she couldn’t believe it.

• * *

When they came out of the tower, the friends who had gone in first were sitting in a mess.

Angrago was covered in dust and dirt, and his clothes were almost in tatters as if someone had beaten him.

Salko was soaked from head to toe as if he had been swimming.

Most of the other friends were in a similarly messy state.

Among such friends, Lee Han and the princess, who were the only ones unscathed, definitely stood out.

…I chose the wrong challenge.

The skeleton principal muttered as if very disappointed.

Come to think of it, that kind of poison wouldn’t have had much effect on that boy from the Wardanaz Family.

How lucky to have picked something like that!

“Wardanaz. What kind of challenge did you do to come out so unscathed?”

Angrago asked in a voice mixed with envy and jealousy. Lee Han replied calmly.

“It only looks unscathed on the outside. The challenge I entered was quite dangerous too. It was a challenge where I had to eat poison.”

“!”

“…!”

At those words, the friends’ expressions changed.

A challenge where you had to eat poison.

Hearing that, the challenges they had entered suddenly felt better.

“That’s… I’m sorry, Wardanaz. I said something rude.”

Angrago said in a very apologetic voice. Lee Han nodded as if it was fine.

“It’s understandable. I get it.”

“……”

……

The princess and the skeleton principal looked at Lee Han as if they were dumbfounded.

Such shameless…!

How about challenging one more floor? You might actually be able to do it.

“No, principal. I’m just honored that you would evaluate me so highly.”

‘What a cheeky guy.’

‘I’m never going.’

• * *

A golden weekend afternoon.

The students of the Blue Dragon Tower were sprawled all over the lounge, enjoying the rare peace.

Even the princess was chatting with her followers.

However, Lee Han packed rice balls, rice cakes, and yugwa neatly into a basket, added a few bottles of drinks, and stood up.

“Where are you going? The library?”

Yoner asked curiously.

If he was even packing food, it seemed like he was either going out to explore or to the library.

Of course, going to the library on a day like today was strange enough, but for Lee Han, it was possible.

“To deliver food.”

“……”

Yoner was at a loss for words.

To go that far…!?

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“That’s how you can charge more.”

“Lee Han… you’re too kind.”

“Did you not hear what I just said?”

“Even so, you’re kind.”

Lee Han was puzzled by Yoner’s words.

Why is this considered kind?

Clatter!

The punishment room had a chilly air from the entrance. Even though it was still spring, it was as cold as if it were a different season here.

‘This is really a place I don’t want to come to.’

It wasn’t just because it was the punishment room; there was definitely some magical reason that made it feel so repulsive.

Otherwise, there was no way it would feel this ominous.

‘Well, with the skeleton principal’s personality, there’s no way he’d just let students escape…’

Even if you escaped from the punishment room, you were acquitted, but that rule wasn’t for the students.

It was a rule for the skeleton principal’s amusement.

Having wandered around trying to escape to the surface from deep inside the punishment room last time, Lee Han had realized just how large the punishment room was.

Knock knock—

“Is anyone there?”

Silence.

Knock knock—

“Is anyone there?”

“…Krrrk. Krrrrrk. Krrrrrrrrk.”

“Sorry to bother you.”

Lee Han immediately moved to the next room.

After knocking on several doors looking for trapped students, Lee Han soon realized it wouldn’t be easy.

‘Damn. Looks like they’re pretty deep inside.’

He knew the punishment room was big, but he thought failed freshmen would be closer to the entrance.

But apparently not.

‘There’s too little information about the punishment room. Comparing it to what I recorded last time when I escaped… that’s impossible. I already called Perkuntra last time, so I can’t call again for a while.’

As Lee Han went down the stairs at the end of the corridor, he thought he’d have to consider another method if he couldn’t find them this time.

Knock knock—

“Is anyone there?”

“Who is it?”

“!”

Surprisingly, a human voice came from inside. It was definitely another student.

“Are you a student?”

“Hey. I don’t know what year you are, but if you don’t want to get cursed when we meet later, don’t mess around and get lo… Wait a minute.”

Direte paused.

The voice from outside sounded very familiar.

At that moment, a flash of realization hit Direte’s mind.

“!”

The freshman who entered the next room in the punishment room last time and said unbelievable things.

And the freshman who came to Professor Mortum’s Black Darkness Hall to learn black magic.

Lastly, the freshman who, during midterms, was deceived by the professors’ sweet talk and added lectures without knowing his own ruin.

These three freshmen merged into one.

“…You! It’s you!? It’s you?!?”

‘Is this person crazy?’

Lee Han flinched.

As before, you couldn’t always assume that someone locked in the punishment room was a normal student.

It could even be a monster pretending to be a student…

“You’re the freshman from the Wardanaz Family, right? Before midterms, you already chose and took exams in elemental magic, black magic, summoning magic, and illusion magic, and in the first week, you escaped through the underground passage and got caught!”

“!”

This time, it was Lee Han’s turn to be surprised.

The wizards at the magic school were truly amazing.

‘Do upperclassmen develop the ability to see through people even from inside the punishment room?’

“How did you know?”

“What do you mean how? I was in the next room last time, and I joined to help Professor Mortum during the midterms, so I know.”

“Ah…! Was it that person?”

Lee Han recalled the senior in the next room of the punishment room whose face he still didn’t know.

He was a kind person in many ways.

He told him about the existence of the tower stables (though he took snacks as a bribe), advised him to take a reasonable number of lectures (though Lee Han didn’t listen), and told him to feel comfortable…

To think that person was that person.

“Wait. Don’t tell me you’ve been locked up since then until now?”

“Are you crazy? Of course I went out and came back in.”

An awkward silence fell.

Lee Han suddenly thought, ‘What does this senior do that he’s always in the punishment room?’

And Direte saw right through that thought.

“Junior. Are you thinking right now, ‘What does this senior do that he’s always in the punishment room?’”

“Of course not, senior.”

“Why are you suddenly being so polite?”

“I actually value manners.”

‘Doesn’t seem like it.’

Thinking back to the way this junior brought food into the punishment room last time, Direte thought he was very likely from the Black Turtle Tower.

‘…Huh? Wait. He’s from the Wardanaz Family but Black Turtle Tower?’

Direte tilted his head.

Something felt off.

“Fine. If you’re learning black magic, it’s okay to be polite to me as your senior. And you owe me, junior.”

“Thank you for the stables.”

“Not that! During the midterms!”

“?”

Direte felt wronged when Lee Han didn’t realize the senior’s sacrifice.

Of course, the one at fault was the skeleton principal, but people’s feelings weren’t that simple.

“Wait a minute. Come to think of it, junior, didn’t I warn you when you were in the punishment room last time?!”

As Direte’s memory returned, he felt several times more wronged than before.

-With your abilities, many professors will want you, so you should be careful in advance.

Didn’t he warn him in advance in the punishment room like this?

If this junior had listened to that warning, Direte wouldn’t have been dragged into the punishment room like this.

“Ah… That warning. Of course I took it to heart.”

“A junior who takes it to heart does something like that?!”

Direte was even more dumbfounded.

If that was taking it to heart, what was ignoring it? Taking all the lectures?

“No, senior. Thank you for worrying, but I’m listening to lectures rationally with my own calculations.”

“…Tell me about those rational calculations. Let’s hear it.”

Lee Han calmly explained his chosen fields to his senior.

First, he chose black magic because it suited his aptitude, summoning magic because it was useful in many ways, illusion magic because he needed it, and he hesitated about imbuement magic but decided to learn it because it suited him and Professor Garcia recommended it…

“Wait. Junior. Imbuement magic?? Don’t you usually take imbuement magic after the midterms???”

“Ah. I happened to meet the professor by chance.”

“Oh… By chance, aren’t you worried about dying from overwork?”

“You don’t have to worry. I’m controlling everything in my own way.”

Despite Direte’s sarcasm, Lee Han answered confidently.

But to Direte, Lee Han seemed to be walking Professor Garcia’s path no matter how he looked at it.

The path of Asura, taking all fields of magic from freshman year!

Normally, a freshman with a normal mindset, even if something suits their aptitude or is useful, would think, ‘Can I really learn this well? Hmm. No, it’d be too hard,’ and put on the brakes.

But the junior in front of him was thinking, ‘Can I really learn this well? Hmm. But since it suits me and is useful, maybe just this one more?’…

“Junior. Seriously, be careful. Really, really be careful. Really, really, really. Got it?”

“Thank you for your concern, senior.”

‘I feel like this guy won’t listen to me.’

Direte somehow had that premonition.

“Senior. I brought some food. Would you like some?”

“What? Food? …Are you really from the Wardanaz Family??”

Direte couldn’t help but be surprised at the skill of a first-year freshman visiting the punishment room with food.

And even more surprising was the quality of the food he brought.

It wasn’t the hard black bread or cold, hardened rice balls that freshmen usually ate.

Freshly made rice balls, soft red bean rice cakes, and crispy yugwa.

What on earth…?

‘Oops. I gave away even the food meant for Gainando.’

Lee Han decided to make an excuse that the skeleton principal took it on the way.

“…If nothing else, the third-years will really like you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen many juniors, but never one like you.”

After taking a bite of the rice cake, Direte hesitated and then spoke.

He had eaten so heartily and deliciously that he couldn’t just let him go.

His punishment room time might be extended, but he couldn’t not tell him.

“Junior. The midterms are over.”

“Yes.”

“Be careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

“…Excellent. That’s a great attitude. But what I mean is, be a little more careful. After the midterms, the school usually goes crazy.”

‘Can it get any crazier than this?’

• * *

The next day.

After getting up from bed, Lee Han opened the window of his private room.

‘Why is it so cold?’

Snow piled up pure white, filling up to half of the first floor of the tower.

Lee Han nodded calmly.

“Hmm. It could get crazier.”