Episode 189

“How did you know th—huh? It really is a spirit? How did you know?”

“If it runs away when it sees me, it’s usually a spirit.”

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence lingered for a moment.

Nillia hesitated and spoke.

“…You don’t have to have spirits around to be a good wizard! And Wardanaz, you have lots of other friends!”

‘She’s not very good at comforting.’

Lee Han thought so, but nodded anyway.

He couldn’t complain when a friend was sincerely trying to comfort him.

“Wardanaz. Come here and go ahead a bit, will you?”

“Why?”

“There’s something over there, but I want to check if it’s a spirit or not.”

“……”

Lee Han looked at Nillia with a disappointed gaze.

Regardless, Nillia didn’t notice and gestured.

“Hurry! We need to check!”

‘This is why hunters…’

Lee Han grumbled inwardly as he moved forward.

• * *

Basically, a blizzard was not good weather for hunting.

But skilled hunters could track prey even in such conditions.

“Amazing.”

Lee Han was surprised as Nillia caught another rabbit.

“When it snows suddenly, animals get startled and confused.”

“I see… When you ran across the snow just now, it looked like you used a unique technique. Can you show me again?”

Nillia was quite proud of being from the Shadow Patrol.

So, when talking with friends, she liked to talk about the Shadow Patrol and hunters.

-This bread is really disgustingly bad.

-Oh. But I think it’s better than the bread I ate when I was stranded alone in the mountains once. That bread was the worst. It was bread left behind by a hunter who came to the cave, and it had mold and bugs…

-Ugh. Nillia…!

…Of course, these attempts weren’t very successful.

So Wardanaz’s display of respect and interest made Nillia happy, but…

“Wardanaz.”

“What is it?”

“I really like talking about the Shadow Patrol… and I’ll definitely answer what you asked… but let’s talk about it later!”

Swish!

Nillia took down a fleeing deer with perfect accuracy.

The question Wardanaz had just asked was the seventeenth.

‘How do you choose or shoot a bow?’ ‘How do you track prey when it snows?’ ‘How do you hide your presence?’ etc.

At first, Nillia was excited to explain.

If a friend is curious, why not explain?

Lee Han also diligently took notes and learned one by one.

But Nillia had forgotten one thing.

The friend next to her was a madman trying to take every lecture at the magic school!

‘There’s a limit to everything!’

By the seventeenth question, even Nillia’s mouth was getting dry and her throat sore.

“Can’t you just answer this one?”

“No!”

Nillia, who usually couldn’t refuse a friend’s request, was developing her ability to say no thanks to Lee Han.

Splash!

“I think that’s enough.”

“Right?”

After butchering the last prey, Nillia washed her hands in the piled snow.

Lee Han melted some nearby snow with fire, boiled it, and put it in a canteen.

‘It’s good to get used to fire magic, even a little.’

Nillia watched and then borrowed some water with an embarrassed look.

Magic really is convenient!

Freshmen coming all the way here in this weather? It’s dangerous. Go back.

“!”

Lee Han and Nillia turned their heads in surprise.

Surprisingly, there was nothing to be seen nearby.

But the voice continued. It was soft and kind.

Where I am isn’t important. It’s dangerous. Go back.

‘Whoever this is, they must be in the top 5% of personalities at Einrogard.’

A being that tells a student to go back because it’s dangerous is basically likely to be friendly.

“We don’t know who you are, but we need food.”

I don’t know why Einrogard keeps starving young students… but it’s still dangerous. Go back. This weather was artificially created, so it won’t calm down easily.

Lee Han became a bit more proactive at the other’s kind attitude.

Such beings were rare at the magic school. You had to accept help when you could.

“Could you show yourself? I’d like to meet and talk.”

It wouldn’t be good for you to see me.

The voice warned politely.

“Why not?”

My scent is too intoxicating for freshmen, it’ll make you drunk.

‘What kind of race is this?’

From the warning, Lee Han guessed the being’s race was quite unique.

A race that could intoxicate people just with its scent…?

“But I’ll be fine.”

“Wardanaz. Isn’t that too reckless?”

Nillia whispered.

She was worried by the other’s serious warning.

It didn’t seem like a weak opponent…

“It’s fine, Nillia.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But you might be in danger, so you should stay back.”

“……”

Nillia looked at Lee Han with very worried eyes.

Is he really going to be okay?

• * *

The Gandharva, who had the wings and legs of a bird, was easily confused with the bird beastkin, but was a completely different race.

The difference was that the Gandharva’s body emitted a scent that could intoxicate people.

Gandharvas were closer to the spirit side than to beastkin.

The Gandharva who spoke to Lee Han had settled in the Rockweed Underground Cave long ago, acting as a sort of guardian to prevent accidents.

So he was bound to be tired of wizards approaching like this.

‘Wizards, honestly!’

The Gandharva brushed off the heavy snow piled on the entrance to the underground cave and revealed himself.

A powerful scent enveloped Lee Han.

No matter how strong you were with alcohol, a wizard with little experience could never withstand…

“Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Han.”

Lee Han greeted politely. The Gandharva was flustered.

Without giving him time to recover, Lee Han continued.

“May I ask your name?”

…You can call me the master of the Rockweed Cave.

“!”

This time, Lee Han was surprised.

Rockweed Cave…

-Rockweed Underground Cave (Beware the cave master)

Wasn’t this one of the ways out of Einrogard that Professor Lightningstep had mentioned?

‘He looks perfectly normal, though?’

Honestly, the Gandharva in front of him felt kinder than the professors.

“Are you the master of Rockweed Cave?”

You know about Rockweed Cave?

For a moment, the Gandharva’s face twisted and he released a powerful aura.

Lee Han answered calmly without a hint of panic.

“I saw the name in the library once.”

You’re not trying to go through the cave, are you?

“Me? What’s outside the cave?”

Lee Han feigned ignorance.

Even Nillia, listening from behind, was completely fooled by his expression.

If not, that’s fine. Don’t even think about the Rockweed Cave.

“May I say one thing?”

What is it?

“Wizards are basically curious people, so if you just tell them not to be interested, they’ll be even more interested. If you explain why they shouldn’t be interested, wizards will understand and not pay attention.”

The Gandharva thought for a moment at Lee Han’s words.

The freshman’s words were more reasonable than expected.

That could… be true.

“Yes.”

The Rockweed Cave is very dangerous.

“How exactly is it dangerous?”

“……”

Nillia looked at Lee Han in disbelief from behind.

He’s not trying to go in, is he?

Because great magics collided, other realms overlapped and it became an unstable path.

Nillia had heard it too, but she didn’t understand at all.

‘What is he talking about?’

“I see… Then it can’t be touched lightly. The mana must be tangled, and other dimensions are overlapping…”

Exactly.

“……”

Nillia gave him a betrayed look.

‘It’s an area with a major magical accident.’

Wizards were basically people who caused big accidents.

Even the blizzard right now was because of a magical accident.

The underground Rockweed Cave was surely such a place.

Because great magics collided, the flow of mana became a mess and other dimensions like the spirit realm overlapped…

Lee Han finished taking notes.

The cave’s guardian told him not to enter, but other professors came and went as they pleased.

There must be a way to pass through.

“Thank you for telling me. I won’t go near the Rockweed Cave.”

Thank you! You really are different from other wizards. You’ll definitely succeed greatly.

The Gandharva was delighted at Lee Han’s understanding.

He had been bothered by students constantly poking around here, so he was truly relieved.

Is there anything I can help you with? You said you were short on food earlier?

“Yes. And…”

?

“We also lack clothes. The cold came so suddenly. Everyone is shivering in rags.”

“?”

Nillia was puzzled too.

Aren’t you rich in fabric…?

That’s true as well.

“We’re also short on potions. We can’t get ingredients because of the cold…”

The Gandharva was genuinely pained by Lee Han’s words.

I’ll take care of you!

• * *

“…Weren’t you out hunting??”

The friends were shocked at the cart Lee Han brought back.

No matter how much of a hunting master you were, you couldn’t hunt well-packaged food, potions, or coats.

Yoner, realizing something, whispered quietly.

“Did you hunt the professor’s workshop?”

“…That’s a creative idea, but no.”

Lee Han organized the supplies he brought with his friends.

With this, they could probably get through this week somehow.

He was worried about what would happen if it lasted longer…

‘I’ll think about that then.’

Lee Han was seriously considering going back to the cave to ask for help again.

The other party was kinder than he expected.

‘I should visit regularly.’

“Ready?”

“Let’s go! Everyone, stay sharp and follow!”

Bundled up in coats and tied together with ropes, the Blue Dragon Tower students began trudging through the snow under Lee Han’s command.

They looked determined, but their destination was the main building of the magic school.

It was time for Monday morning lectures.

“Huff… huff.”

“Stay focused! Don’t collapse!”

The Blue Dragon Tower students barely managed to pull each other into the main building’s front entrance.

It was still cold inside the main building, but just being free from the blizzard and wind made it much more bearable.

“Everyone…”

Professor Garcia looked at the students sitting in the lecture hall with a very pitiful expression.

How did they end up at a school like this…

‘Not even half of them came?’

Lee Han was surprised at the number of students in the lecture hall.

No matter what, how could they skip class…

“Professor Verdus, could you make today’s imbuement magic lecture about cold resistance?”

Professor Garcia asked the beaver beastkin professor standing next to him.

Normally, it would be time to explain what imbuement magic was…

But seeing the students half-frozen, cold resistance seemed much more important.

“Why? Why should I?”

“Please.”

“Freshmen are too dumb to do it even if you teach them?”

“Still, if you show them the method, one or two might keep trying and succeed.”

“No, they’re too dumb.”

“Just do it.”

Professor Garcia crushed the corner of the lectern with his grip.

Professor Verdus immediately agreed.

“I’ll do it! I have to!”

‘I really need to watch my behavior around Professor Garcia.’