Episode 315

After hearing the explanation, Lee Han understood the situation and nodded.

“The negative magical energy acted as a repulsive force and absorbed the vitality from your hands… Why did you swing so recklessly?”

“We were frenzied with the need to break it, so we had no choice.”

At Deorgyu’s words, the other two friends could only nod in agreement.

There was a lot to say, but this wasn’t the time for it.

“Still, it’s fortunate the injuries aren’t serious. Let’s heal what can be healed.”

Lee Han cast -Minor Wound Healing- magic on Angrago’s hand.

Then he paused.

‘Ah.’

Thinking about it, there was no benefit to Lee Han using magic however he pleased when no reliable professor was nearby.

If a healing spell failed, it could result in something far worse than if he hadn’t tried at all.

“Thank you, Wardanaz.”

Unaware of Lee Han’s misgivings, Angrago expressed his gratitude as his torn wound healed. Lee Han averted his gaze slightly.

“Raphadael, you… hmm… do you absolutely need healing magic?”

“……”

Raphadael didn’t say it out loud because of his pride, but he wore the expression of Gainando after losing at cards.

A face freshly filled with resentment and sorrow!

Lee Han sighed inwardly.

“Don’t regret it.”

“????”

When the magic ended, Raphadael looked at his now perfectly healed hand with a puzzled tilt of the head.

What’s he saying don’t regret?

“Deorgyu.”

“I’m fine, Lee Han. You must be exhausted, so stop using magic.”

“No, it’s not that… about the magic…”

He whispered quietly so only Deorgyu could hear.

“…It’s unfinished.”

“What?”

“The spell is incomplete. I was so distracted that I only realized it late.”

“……”

Deorgyu looked at Lee Han in shock, then at his friends’ hands.

If they’d had bad luck, their hands could have fused to the bandages.

“So you should wait a bit and use a potion to heal.”

“…Wait… but my friends already…”

“They got lucky, so don’t worry. Just heal safely with a potion.”

“What are you two talking about?”

Raphadael asked curiously.

He wondered if there was anything evil lingering in the cave.

“It’s nothing. By the way, Raphadael, you just reminded me of something I forgot.”

“What is it?”

Thunk!

“Who said you could just run off on your own?”

“Kuh… that’s… ngh…”

• * *

At the spot where the fire had swept through, Gubon, who had been waiting, breathed a sigh of relief as Lee Han returned with his friends.

It seemed everything had ended well.

“Thank you for your hard work! What a relief.”

“We all worked hard together.”

Gubon and Vizidek were moved by Lee Han’s words.

To receive respect from a mage who had displayed such great magic—what adventurer’s heart wouldn’t race at that?

Even the mercenaries must have felt the excitement, because they came over to thank him.

“Mage sir, thank you!”

“You saved our lives!! If we’d followed that Buldahak guy, we’d have been dead!”

“I honestly thought I was going to die…”

An onslaught by flesh-mass ghouls and a ghoul horde, the King of Ghouls’ arrival, flames raging as if to burn down the entire cave…

In any other quest, any one of these would have been deadly, and here they encountered them all at once.

Surviving could only feel like a miracle.

“Thank you, mage sir!”

“Thank you truly. Please accept our gratitude!”

Gubon and Vizidek were newly shocked by the real sincerity from mercenaries they’d only just met.

Of course, it was understandable. Even Gubon and Vizidek now felt a degree of loyalty to this young mage.

But for greedy, basically criminal mercenaries to actually be moved to this extent…

Perhaps this was true magic.

“Yes. Thank you. I shall accept it with respect as well. Would you give me your hand for a moment?”

At Lee Han’s request, the nearest mercenary quickly offered his hand.

Whatever errand Lee Han might give, he’d carry it out without complaint.

Clank!

“…???”

When the bone shackle snapped around his wrist like handcuffs, the mercenary blinked. Without hesitation, Lee Han summoned more for his ankles, and again summoned the bone hand around his neck.

He had dispelled all the restraints during combat, but now that things were over, it was time to fasten them back on.

“Next.”

“Uh… no… mage sir…”

“Quiet. Next.”

Lee Han bound the mercenaries tightly and formed them into a column just as before.

Gubon asked cautiously.

“Um, mage sir, did the mercenaries do something bad?”

“Excuse me?”

“If not, why are you… suddenly?”

“Oh. I need to take them in for the bounty.”

“……”

Gubon was speechless.

He could understand it for someone like Buldahak, but the other mercenaries were basically small fry.

He’d probably only get a few coins—was Lee Han really that thorough for so little?

Just what…!

‘Is this what a real adventurer is? Have I been doing my job too lazily all this time?’

Seeing the near-maniacal thoroughness of a rookie adventurer, Gubon suddenly felt self-reflection.

“Outside!!”

Though bound and dragged out, the mercenaries breathed deep, savoring the open air.

No matter how much light there was, the damp, sinister air inside the cave wore people out.

Lee Han stretched and said to Gubon,

“Could you watch over these mercenaries for a moment?”

“Huh? That’s not hard… but is something the matter…?”

Gubon worried about Lee Han.

After such fierce battle, no matter how amazing a mage he was, he couldn’t be unscathed.

Just his coat alone was a mess.

Was he perhaps heading somewhere quiet due to a malignant magic side effect?

“Oh. I’m going to try to catch a Lapella Field Rat.”

“…Oh… I see.”

Lee Han headed to the forest with Sharkan.

As Gubon gazed blankly at his back, Vizidek spoke in a startled voice.

“Wait. Didn’t I tell you? That mage is from the Wardanaz Family! The famous magic house!”

“What did you—wait, wait, what???”

He hadn’t registered it clearly before, but Vizidek’s words just now surprised him more than even the King of Ghouls appearing did.

Who was who??

• * *

Blancet, the elf clerk of the Granden City Adventurers’ Guild, was first shocked at the sight of mercenaries entering in a line.

Then twice as shocked at the sight of exhausted Einrogard students giving their report.

“W-what did you say?”

“There was a malevolent being from another dimension in the Fireburn Hill cave. It called itself the King of Ghouls. It seemed like a being sealed a long time ago.”

As Blancet quickly wrote it down, he immediately opened a drawer and took out an urgent paper bird.

The paper birds zipped out through the guild windows, heading for the relevant imperial officials in Granden City, who would come running.

“I’m terribly sorry. An extermination squad will be assembled and sent immediately.”

Blancet spoke with real sincerity.

To have sent first-time-in-the-field Einrogard students there without knowing there was such a dangerous entity!

Even if it wasn’t intentional, he couldn’t be free from responsibility.

If something had happened, there would have been a huge… no, an intense protest from Einrogard.

How fortunate they managed to escape unharmed.

‘Maybe it was lucky they were Einrogard students.’

If they’d not detected the evil being’s presence, an entire party could have been wiped out due to a rookie error.

“An extermination squad?”

“Yes. No matter how weak an entity from another plane seems, we can never let them run loose.”

“Oh… um. We already exterminated it ourselves.”

“Pardon?”

“We exterminated it ourselves. It was urgent, so…”

“What do you mean…”

Bang!

Daihal, the firstborn from the Dalkard Family, whom they’d seen before, burst through the door.

Trying to restrain his excitement and concern, he forced himself to speak calmly.

“Daihal, special imperial administrator from the Dalkard Family. I came running after hearing the report of an other-dimensional being. Please explain again—wait, what are you doing here?”

Daihal was startled to see Lee Han.

A friend of his younger sibling from the Wardanaz Family, sitting with adventurers.

“I found it.”

“Is that so? Having a professional discover it is fortunate amidst misfortune.”

Daihal sat before Lee Han and calmly produced a quill.

“What did it call itself?”

“It called itself the King of Ghouls.”

“King of Ghouls… There are about three such beings I can think of, but I haven’t heard of any being active at the moment.”

“That may be. The one I met seemed quite ancient. It wouldn’t be odd if the Empire lacked information.”

“I see.”

Conversing with Lee Han, Daihal regained his composure.

Unlike the rambling adventurers, his brother’s friend from the Wardanaz Family was really easy to talk to.

A precise, chronological report following the five Ws and one H—amazing.

‘Ahsan really met a good friend at Einrogard.’

Daihal resolved to advise Ahsan to learn from this friend when he returned home.

Ahsan would surely be grateful for such a meaningful suggestion.

“So it tried to possess someone? My goodness…”

“Yes. And it kept summoning ghouls.”

“We must dispatch an extermination squad at once—”

“Um, Administrator?”

Clerk Blancet tried to interject.

He sensed Administrator Daihal was missing something.

“Please wait. This is urgent—let me finish gathering information and report back as fast as I can.”

“But…”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, but…”

“So what other powers did the being calling itself King of Ghouls display?”

“Flesh dispersal, emission of dark energy, and possibly interdimensional connection, though I’m not certain.”

“That’s sufficient. We’ll send specialists immediately—”

Bang!

“We already exterminated it!!!”

Unable to take it, Blancet kicked his chair and shouted.

Daihal stammered in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I said we already exterminated it! We did! Exterminated!”

“What on earth…?”

“We did exterminate him.”

Lee Han pulled out the smashed crystal skull.

Blancet and Daihal instinctively sensed the sinister aura from the broken artifact and knew some terrible being had been there.

“It was an ancient sealed being, but I believe it got out when the seal was breached.”

“So… you truly did exterminate it?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Daihal was left speechless.

His quill, flowing smoothly just moments before, stopped.

Bang!

The guild door swung open again as a knight from Granden City’s knighthood stormed in.

“Sir Daihal! After your message, I gathered all available knights. We’ve contacted the temple; priests are on their way. We’ll set out at once and take reports as we go.”

“Ah, er… it’s already been dealt with.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s been dealt with…?”

The knight had never seen Special Administrator Daihal at a loss before.

It was a truly shocking sight.

And that shock was not over.

“Wait. You guys…”

The knight recognized some familiar faces among the adventurers sitting in front of Daihal.

They were young students from other knightly families.

“…Why are you wearing those signs around your necks?”

They wore plaques that read: -We will never disobey orders again-.