Episode 283

Baishada was dumbfounded at Professor Ingeldel’s cluelessness.

No…

“I really didn’t give them any advice…”

“Nonsense. Your teaching was a great lesson for us, Mr. Baishada.”

Baishada’s eyes widened at Lee Han’s words.

He was grateful, but also more than a little flustered.

Above all…

‘You lot had already cut off the giant’s hair before I even started teaching you!’

Of course, it wasn’t that Baishada hadn’t given any advice.

Last time he had hunted together with Lee Han’s group and given them various teachings.

But they were teachings useful for hunting, not really related to cutting off a giant’s hair.

Anyone overhearing would think it was thanks to Baishada’s advice they got the giant’s hair.

“There’s no need to be so modest, Mr. Baishada.”

“He’s right. Truly admirable.”

Not just Professor Ingeldel, but even Guesse looked at him with respect.

Stealing a shoe from a giant was one thing, but cutting off a giant’s hair was another story altogether.

The latter couldn’t be done unless you actually faced and defeated the giant—it was by no means easy.

For freshmen to pull that off was an incredible feat.

So it was natural Ingeldel and Guesse would look at him with admiration.

“……”

Baishada did want to be looked up to by Guesse.

But not like this!

‘This is complicated…’

Baishada had no idea whether to be happy or not.

• * *

Having turned in his assignment and completed the evaluation, Lee Han tightly tied the laces on his boots.

Then he cast his strengthening magic on himself.

“???”

Deorgyu was bewildered by his friend’s sudden spellcasting.

“What is it? Lee Han?”

“Deorgyu. See you later.”

Lee Han bolted like a shot.

He ran off so fast, Deorgyu and Giselle couldn’t process what happened even after he’d left.

“What on earth…”

“Deorgyu! How could you not even tell us!”

‘Oh, crap.’

When other White Tiger Tower students approached with faces full of betrayal, Deorgyu finally realized why Lee Han had dashed off.

Since Lee Han wasn’t in the White Tiger Tower, as long as he left, there was no way they’d run into him.

He had no reason to stick around and face them.

“That bastard…”

“Th-there’s no bad meaning behind it, I’m sure.”

• * *

The final exam week was already halfway over.

‘Pretty soon, no one will be able to tell them apart from undead.’

So thought Lee Han as he looked at his friends.

At this point, if they didn’t have skin, you’d hardly distinguish them from skeletal warriors.

“Lee Han. We’re out of coffee.”

Yoner whispered with the seriousness of someone saying, ‘The Empire has fallen and the great demon of hell has arrived at the gates.’

But saying so while holding an empty coffee can didn’t sound all that dramatic.

“I see.”

“We’re out of sugar too… Actually, a lot of things are running low.”

“Hmm.”

Since Lee Han also helped manage the Blue Dragon Tower’s food storage, he was aware.

Of course, staple food, canned meat, seasonings, and vegetables for meals were still plentiful.

Having wanted to avoid eating school meals, Lee Han had prioritized managing those supplies.

But it was a different story for luxury items like coffee or tea, or snacks.

There was less of them than basic food, and with exam season here, the students were devouring them at an insane pace…

Even after half-cleaning out Daseeg’s Confectionery Shop on a recent outing, the rate of consumption was so fast that they were still running out.

‘Well, they did all eat together, so I guess it’s not that strange it’s gone so fast.’

“Lee Han. At this point, let’s take out the cake we saved for the end of the semester. The living should live. We can’t starve.”

Ignoring Gainando’s dramatic plea, Lee Han spoke to his friends.

“There’s nothing for it but to endure, isn’t there? If we just have breakfast, lunch, and dinner…”

Lee Han didn’t think it was that bad yet, but to the Blue Dragon Tower students, it was a half-panic state.

“Oh my god!!”

“Dear gods! How can this happen!!”

“This is definitely the headmaster’s conspiracy!”

‘These guys ought to learn how students in other towers live.’

“W-Wardanaz. The coffee? There’s no coffee? My exams are ruined if I don’t have coffee, piping hot with plenty of sugar.”

“What about substituting chicory or dandelion root?”

If you roast the roots of other plants, then boil them in water, you get a drink that tastes a bit like coffee.

The Black Turtle Tower students often enjoyed such drinks.

But upon hearing Lee Han’s suggestion, the Blue Dragon Tower students were shocked.

“C-could anyone drink that?”

“You’re joking, right?”

“……”

Gainando asked from the side.

“Then from now on, can we just not share any with students from the other towers?”

“But if they pay (money), we can’t refuse them.”

Gainando looked moved at Lee Han’s response.

He figured it was fine if he was generous to Black Turtle Tower, but why share food with the annoying White Tiger Tower idiots? Still, Lee Han was clearly broad-minded.

To so readily extend a hand even to those jerks.

Gainando wiped under his nose.

‘I should follow his example.’

“You’re right, Lee Han.”

“Oh.”

Lee Han looked at Gainando in surprise.

With Gainando’s personality, he expected him to whine, ‘I don’t care if they pay, don’t give any to those bastards!’

“So what do we do, Lee Han?”

“I already said—just endure it.”

“Huh? Endure what?”

“Just shut up, study, and endure.”

“…Ugh…”

• * *

“Wardanaz. I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Lee Han, fiddling with his shield in preparation for Professor Verdus’s final exam, was surprised by Ratford’s visit.

“Got something you want to ask? Which class are you stuck on?”

“Oh, that’s fine.”

“Have you already finished studying?”

“No. But there are things in life more important than the exam.”

“?”

Lee Han tilted his head.

Was there such a thing?

“Just look at this instead.”

Ratford pulled out a map from his inner pocket. It showed a route to somewhere on the main building’s second floor.

“This is… the kitchen?”

“Yes. The kitchen connected to the food storage.”

Ratford’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.

“Let’s hit this place together, Wardanaz.”

“Ratford…”

Until now Lee Han had just thought, ‘You’ll do anything to avoid studying,’ but this sort of consideration really did move him.

Knowing that Blue Dragon Tower was out of treats and finding a kitchen in the school for them.

“Thanks. You noticed our tower was out of treats and took the trouble to help.”

“Excuse me? You’re out of food?”

Ratford looked at Lee Han in surprise.

So did Lee Han.

“You didn’t know? Wait, then why did you bring this?”

“What? Well… If I knew the location, I should loot it before someone else does, right?”

“……”

Lee Han was impressed, but in a different way.

Just as true mountaineers climb mountains because they’re there, true thieves steal simply because there’s something to steal.

It didn’t matter if it was exam period or not.

When your fingers itched, you just acted!

“If it was the third or fourth floor, I’d hesitate.”

From the third floor up, whenever you tried to visit, all kinds of changes would spring up to mess with naïve students.

But the second floor was relatively free from that.

If you just knew the way, you could slip in at night and raid the place quickly.

“Good. For a change of pace, let’s go tonight?”

“Good thinking. Other people might get to it first.”

“Other people? Who knows about it?”

“Oh. Tutanta and his friends. They’re probably aiming for it too.”

“Really? Did you find it together? How coincidental.”

“No. I stole the info from Tutanta after he found it.”

“…Let’s head out now.”

Lee Han decided not to wait until night and left immediately.

If he ran into Black Turtle Tower students at night, it would only lead to misunderstandings.

• * *

Yoner asked curiously,

“Shouldn’t we bring more people?”

“We don’t need to bring that much anyway…”

The semester was ending, after all, so there wasn’t a need to bring a lot.

“…It’s better if word doesn’t get out.”

“??”

Yoner tilted his head.

“This way?”

“Yes.”

“Wait. Ratford, stay in step. If you go outside, the invisibility’ll break.”

Lee Han was currently amplifying his invisibility magic.

It was a technique he’d figured out fighting the Rock Drake.

If he cast -Gonadaltes’ Cloak of Invisibility- at the same time as using the Spire Keeper’s necklace, the area of invisibility increased.

It wasn’t perfect. Even a little outside the area would break the spell.

Click!

Ratford swiftly picked the lock and opened the door.

The moment he opened it, Lee Han knew he was in the right place. The faint smell of food wafted out from within.

‘Lucky.’

A relatively close second floor, with no significant security or magical protection—what luck.

‘Well. After all that trouble, this much is a fair reward.’

“Eyes, pierce the darkness.”

Lee Han cast a dark vision spell and stepped into the kitchen.

In a corner, there was a door connecting to the adjacent food storage. Lee Han quietly opened it and started raiding the place.

Starting with cans of coffee grounds, then sugar, condensed milk, honey, tea leaves—everything he needed quickly piled up in the backpack.

Feeling the heavy weight in his pack, Lee Han felt like he could finally understand Ratford.

‘Stealing it at night is way more fun than paying for it.’

And knowing the goods belonged to the skeleton headmaster made it twice as sweet.

“All done.”

“I’m finished too.”

“So am I.”

“Let’s go!”

If there’s one thing you learn at magic school, it’s: when your goal’s met, don’t loiter.

Lee Han wasted no time in turning to leave.

“!!”

Just as he was slipping out of the kitchen and into the corridor, familiar faces appeared from the other direction.

Catching sight of Salko’s group, Lee Han felt just a little sorry.

‘Still, there’s plenty left over, so it should be fine.’

Thanks to their relatively conscientious raiding, there was more than enough left for Salko’s gang.

Plus, Lee Han and Yoner, following Ratford’s lead, swept things up like pros.

Arriving late, Salko probably wouldn’t even notice someone had already come.

Swish—

Thanks to the invisibility magic, Salko’s group didn’t notice Lee Han’s crew and went right into the kitchen.

At that moment, a strong flow of magic was felt from within.

Clunk!

“!!”

“?!”

The kitchen door slammed with a heavy sound, and the group inside quickly realized something was wrong and tried to open it.

But it only made a racket—the door wouldn’t budge.

‘So there was a trap!’

A chill ran down Lee Han’s spine.

He’d relaxed because there seemed to be no wards or magical security on the second floor, but there was a trap after all.

You really can never let your guard down at Einrogard.

“Why did it activate?”

“Looks like a trap that triggers if too many intruders enter.”

A truly malicious trap.

Fine when two or three people enter, but you get locked in as soon as you call more friends!

Lee Han stopped his invisibility magic for a moment and approached the door. Ratford asked carefully.

“Are you going to help?”

“No. Just checking.”

Sorry, but if he tried to help now, he’d get caught too.

Lee Han just wanted to check how the magic worked before fleeing.

So he’d know how to deal with it if it came up again in the future.

‘Judging by the flow and structure…’

Clunk!

When he brought his hand close, the door opened.

At the same time, Lee Han locked eyes with Salko’s crew, who’d been trying to open it from inside.

“……”

“……”

Lee Han spoke resolutely.

“I’ve come to rescue you.”