Episode 364

“Grraaack.”

The White Tiger Tower student, who had been thoroughly ambushed, collapsed on the spot.

Another student next to him shouted in shock.

“Wardanaz!!!”

“Yes.”

“Wh… what are you doing?! Why are you attacking us?! Are you crazy!!”

“You were the ones who threw a turkey at me first.”

“W-we were just playing! It was a joke!”

“So it was a joke.”

“Yes!”

“Alright.”

Lee Han swung his staff and chanted a spell.

Then, the alcohol in the barrel bubbled up and sprang forth, taking shape as a sphere.

Upon seeing this, the White Tiger Tower student’s face turned pale. Even though he was totally drunk, he felt as though the drunkenness was wiped away in an instant.

Anyone from White Tiger Tower knew the infamy of Wardanaz’s water element magic!

“Everyone, dodg… ugh!”

“Why bother dodging, you maniacs.”

“Wardanaz is here! Wardanaz is here, I said! Hey! Hey!! Stop guzzling booze! I’m telling you, Wardanaz is here!”

The White Tiger Tower students sitting by the banquet hall corridor, realizing something had changed, started screaming, but the banquet hall was so noisy that no one heard them.

Only belatedly did the White Tiger Tower students, who had been hurling food at each other in the vast banquet hall, notice Lee Han.

“Wh… oof!”

“Ugh… kaack!”

“Why the h… kuh!”

“Help Wardanaz!”

Finally coming to their senses, Salko shouted fiercely.

The Black Turtle Tower students burst in and attacked the White Tiger Tower students.

Even though the White Tiger Tower students excelled at close combat, in their drunken state, they couldn’t coordinate at all.

“Y-you… you cowards…! Taking advantage while we’re drunk and off guard… hic!”

“……”

Giselle stood up and moved closer to the Duke.

She didn’t want to get caught up in that pathetic mess.

• * *

“My apologies, Your Grace. Looks like the jokes went a bit too far.”

Pushing aside the White Tiger Tower students, Lee Han offered an apology.

In fact, he’d only realized the Duke was seated at the head table a bit after the fight had started.

The White Tiger Tower brats were having such a wild time that he hadn’t even thought the Duke would be in the banquet hall.

‘Are they truly insane?’

Throwing glasses and food around with the Duke right in front of them.

It took courage surpassing even Gainando’s.

Anyway, with the Duke present, it was only polite to apologize for brawling before him. Lee Han bowed his head.

“No need. It was enjoyable to feel the burning vigor of the young talents.”

Duke Ikaldoren’s face truly looked pleased.

Seeing that, Lee Han thought to himself.

‘What a peculiar taste he has.’

To think the Duke would like the White Tiger Tower students tossing pies and cakes into a ruckus.

If he ever visited a pigsty, he’d probably give a standing ovation.

‘I really feel relieved.’

Duke Ikaldoren gazed at Lee Han appreciatively.

He’d already been eyeing this talent, and today’s display was most impressive.

How wonderful it was, watching someone firmly subdue the squealing brats in the banquet hall…

“We’re all cleaned up.”

The banquet hall, once so chaotic, was instantly spotless. Lee Han and his friends entered together and took their seats.

“……”

“Should we not wake them?”

The White Tiger Tower students were snoring, sprawled out in the hall’s corner.

Both Lee Han and the Duke just ignored that side, pretending not to see.

“To have so many Einrogard students visit… I am truly delighted.”

“If you wish, I will bring even more next time.”

“!”

At Lee Han’s words, Duke Ikaldoren’s eyes flashed sharply.

That boy from the Wardanaz family had, after catching the venomous contaminate last time, blatantly hinted at his worth to the Duke—a true ambitious one.

There was no way someone ambitious like that would act without intent.

So why had he brought so many Einrogard students with him?

‘Is it connections…!?’

Even among Einrogard graduates, there weren’t actually that many with a wide network of acquaintances.

The Duke knew that Einrogard was divided by towers and that students rarely mingled.

Yet here was Wardanaz, from the Blue Dragon Tower, bringing students from other towers too (though he seemed to get along terribly with White Tiger Tower).

This was remarkable skill at winning people over, not something just anyone could display.

Only someone possessing the natural majesty of a great noble could show such a thing!

‘Just a first year… how fearful his future must be.’

In the last meeting, the Duke had already elevated Lee Han in his mind from just a talented freshman to a young, ambitious man eligible to sit as his equal across the table.

But in today’s meeting, he even sensed a faint wariness.

He genuinely feared what this young man might become one day.

“Shall I bring some drinks?”

To the servant’s question, Lee Han replied firmly.

“Please prepare some food.”

“…Yes.”

The servant, wary thanks to the earlier chaos, had asked if he should just serve drinks.

He was nervous, but there was nothing else to be done.

The servant withdrew to contact the kitchen.

‘Refusing drinks and asking for food? Is he trying to stall before conversation? Why?’

Duke Ikaldoren fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Deorgyu asked Giselle in a tense voice.

“Is he angry?”

“Do you plan on continuing to ask about things everyone can see with their own eyes just because you’ve got them? If so, pay me a silver coin per question.”

Lee Han whispered to Salko.

“Eat as much as you can, Salko. This is free.”

“Wardanaz. You really should have come to Black Turtle Tower.”

• * *

It was a relief for the servants.

The meals of the three towers’ students were much calmer and quieter.

The priests carefully carved their steak with knives and politely thanked the Duke for each bite.

Duke Ikaldoren was usually unmoved by such formalities, but after witnessing the White Tiger Tower students’ commotion earlier, he couldn’t help feeling pleased. The Duke resolved to send donations to the various temples after the banquet.

The Black Turtle Tower students’ meal was noisier than the priests’, but just in a warm, friendly way. Considering they were students, their freshness was pleasantly appealing.

“How do you eat this?”

“Give it here. I’ll cut it for you. Don’t use force—you cut the joint here, then peel the skin.”

“Nillia…!”

“Nillia really is different, somehow.”

“Her manners have style. No wonder she fits in with the nobles.”

“……”

As Gainando started to bury his nose in his plate, someone pulled his hair back to stop him, while Lee Han took a dish and set it down in front of the princess.

Adenart had been longing for the venison terrine but, since it was far, had only been eyeing it. She now gave Lee Han a slight nod of thanks.

Rowena, seeing this, asked in surprise,

“How did you know what she wanted?”

“She kept glancing at it.”

“Is that so? I thought you were deep in thought over the riddle today…”

‘I doubt anyone stares at dishes pondering a riddle.’

Considering this, Rowena asked,

“If you take care of her like this, aren’t you already friends?”

“Is that what you call a friend?”

“Sounds more like a servant.”

“A nanny.”

“Butler would be better.”

At these cool comments from the other Blue Dragon Tower students, Rowena grew sullen.

Having finished looking out for everyone who ought to be, Lee Han turned his attention to the Duke.

The Duke waited with a smiling, impassive face.

He was a good person apart from being so stingy toward everyone except royalty.

“Your Grace. I have a question about the riddle.”

“Ask me anything.”

When Lee Han addressed him, the Duke lit up as if receiving food after skipping a meal.

“I thought the riddle Your Grace gave us was a metaphor for something else. For example, the moon…”

“That’s absolutely correct!”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han’s face froze for an instant.

Yoner’s face next to him froze as well. The two quickly exchanged glances.

‘…It really was a metaphorical riddle?’

‘I felt something was off…!’

Unaware of their stiff expressions, the Duke continued.

Originally, if a riddle designed to be answered went unsolved or returned with unsuitable answers, the questioner would feel awkward.

The Duke himself had worried about whether to make the riddles simpler, since the princess’s followers kept bringing in force-fit answers.

Though a small risk, the Duke had worried about rumors like, ‘Duke Ikaldoren counted a wrong answer as correct just to pander,’ possibly spreading…

But for the answer to be correct like this.

“That’s right. That’s the answer.”

“I-I see.”

Lee Han looked subconsciously toward the princess and her followers.

Apparently, they were too busy eating and hadn’t listened to his conversation with the Duke.

“Rowena?”

“Yes?”

“Put the staff you brought down and don’t pick it up. Ever.”

“Yes? May I ask why?”

“…Just don’t.”

Lee Han’s serious tone startled Rowena into a nod. Lee Han thought he’d have to apologize later.

• * *

When the meal was over, the Duke asked the students questions.

Mostly, they related to Einrogard.

“How are things at Einrogard?”

“Very… …I’m getting by satisfactorily.”

“Qu… …I’m okay, I suppose.”

Students who at first tried to speak the truth gave up and went with safe answers as their tongues halted at the oath.

‘What does protecting mystery and knowledge have to do with telling about meals?!’

‘Damn that oath!’

“I’ve heard that the teaching of wizards is very harsh.”

“Tha… …That’s just rumors from the past, I think.”

“Yes… Those kinds of rumors definitely stick out more…”

“…?”

The Duke was very confused.

He’d definitely gotten information that life inside was tough, but whether last time or now, nothing ever matched up.

The more he learned, the more labyrinthine it became.

“But thanks to Wardanaz here… it’s been reasonably bearable.”

“That’s right. If it wasn’t for Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family, it might have been a little tougher…”

Hearing Lee Han mentioned, the Duke listened with great interest.

He already knew Lee Han was held in high esteem among the students, but hearing it now he gained information from a different angle.

“He’s saved my life a few times. Some maniacs came at me…”

“I just got lucky.”

At Salko’s words, Lee Han replied as if it was nothing.

But at that moment, the Duke felt a lightning bolt strike him.

He instinctively realized.

‘No way!’

The ones he’d allowed into the school.

Those “maniacs” this Black Turtle Tower student spoke of could only be them.

At a place like Einrogard, who else would attack students?

‘…Does that even make sense!?’

Duke Ikaldoren, not easily shaken, found this had crossed the line.

It hadn’t been run-of-the-mill thugs, but those expensive Snake of the Maple Tree mercenaries.

Not novices, but men well-experienced in anti-mage work.

Even if it was inside a magic school with professors present, how did they fail to subdue even a single freshman??

No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense.

At last, the Duke lost his patience and blurted out a question.

“By any chance, did that attack…?”

“It was the pro… no, nothing.”

“The pr… it was nothing.”

The other students ended the topic with bitter expressions. The Duke could only be left more confused.

And what confused him most…

‘It’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it! That the one who blocked the attack is now approaching this Duke Ikaldoren…’

The Duke suddenly felt suffocated.

He felt as if he were a puppet dancing in someone’s palm.

It was an oppressive pressure he hadn’t felt except when facing the Emperor.