Episode 390

“I see. I’ll forgive you.”

“Phew!”

The White Tiger Tower students let out a sigh of relief.

At least, until Lee Han spoke again.

“Now let’s go.”

“?”

The students looked at each other in confusion.

“Go where?”

“To the storage room. Since you did a sloppy job, you need to do it again.”

“……”

“……”

Realizing what he meant a moment too late, the students stammered.

“We-we have to do this too, though.”

“Right. Then just come back and do it later. You can do it during the day.”

“It’s not just us who cut corners, other guys did too…”

“Perfect. Go get them too.”

“……”

The White Tiger Tower students glanced back and forth between the nearby stream and Lee Han’s staff.

It was getting cold enough that falling into the stream would be unpleasant.

• * *

“To come all this way just to help…!”

The priests were shocked when the White Tiger Tower students came to help.

“There’s really no need for you to go so far.”

“That’s right. It’s our responsibility.”

The priests didn’t notice the gloomy, sorrowful expressions on the White Tiger Tower students’ faces.

Lee Han whispered from behind.

“Hey. Keep your faces in check.”

“……”

“On reflection, it seemed like too much work for the priests to handle… so we came to help…”

“That’s right… If we’d… done a better job last week, the priests wouldn’t have had such a hard time… sob!”

“No wonder the White Tiger Tower is the knights’ tower.”

“I’m truly moved.”

With sincere thanks from the priests, the White Tiger Tower students cried inwardly.

It would almost be easier if the priests just worked them hard; their kindness made it impossible to get mad.

“I told you not to hide the trash. If we got caught it’d be the punishment room.”

“And we didn’t get caught! It’s only because of that Wardanaz guy…”

Scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape—

The White Tiger Tower students started cleaning up the storage room trash with practiced skill, as if to prove they’d done this a week earlier.

A chair with eight legs (two of which definitely belonged to an octopus), a half-burned magic book (the cover read ‘I’ve mastered it! DIE!’), a coat stained with three different colors of blood (not just red, but green and blue as well), and more.

“Impressive, Angrago.”

“What?”

Angrago responded flatly to Lee Han’s praise.

He hadn’t been happy to be summoned in the middle of the night just when he could be resting.

‘What’s this guy trying to start…?’

“I mean, your organizing skills. Pretty clever. Got any tips to share?”

Lee Han’s praise was genuine.

Even though the priests weren’t lazy or inexperienced, the White Tiger Tower students still worked much faster than them.

All thanks to the know-how they’d built up.

“Hmph! Well… nothing I can’t share.”

Angrago, grumbling but not displeased, proceeded to explain.

“What’s the first thing you should move out?”

“Lighter trash, I’d guess?”

With piles like mountains, it was important to reduce the volume as quickly as possible.

Start with the light stuff, then the heavy…

“Wrong. We thought that too, at first.”

“?”

“The first thing is the harmless-looking stuff. That you can just pick up and carry out. As for the dangerous ones, they look obviously hazardous or you don’t even know what they are. The dangerous-looking ones are actually easier. You just attack them first. The really unknown things… those are seriously dangerous…”

Angrago sighed deeply.

Even talking about it sounded exhausting.

“For that, there’s no choice. The person up front carries a shield, and everyone else backs them up from behind.”

“……”

Lee Han was at a loss for words.

‘Of course, there’s no such thing as “easy” in this school.’

If even ordinary magic collisions could create unpredictable results, it was no surprise that a storage full of thousands of magical odds and ends would be hazardous.

Of all the first-year chores assigned this week, this storage room cleanup was considered one of the hardest. But that gave Lee Han no comfort at all.

“No helping it.”

Lee Han waved his staff and threw bone fragments. Sharkal sprang out, and the skeleton warriors rose up.

“At this rate, it’ll be too much. I’ll fuse them.”

As he’d learned at the King of Ghouls’ palace, Lee Han fused and compressed the skeleton warriors together.

Having large numbers alone didn’t help with the current cleanup.

“And… better summon Gonadaltes, too.”

“WHAT?!?!”

“Oh. Don’t freak out. That’s my summons’ name.”

‘Is this guy crazy?’

With an eerie wave of mana, undead appeared in the storage room.

Some priests coughed uncomfortably at the sight.

“Oops. Sorry. We needed extra hands.”

“Not at all. We understand that black mages aren’t out to insult death, but to understand it and comfort the deceased.”

“???”

Lee Han tilted his head.

Weren’t… weren’t they?

‘Doesn’t seem that way.’

Priests at Einrogard, even outside divine magic, learned magic in earnest, so they were less prejudiced than other priests.

Of course, even if they didn’t blindly hate black magic, there were still some misunderstandings.

“Alright, let’s split the work. White Tiger Tower students, over here. I’ll cast strengthening spells for you.”

“Oh…!”

The students’ faces brightened at Lee Han’s words.

Whatever else you said, Lee Han’s magical skills were acknowledged by all.

With strengthening spells, the work would be far easier.

“Thanks, Wardanaz.”

“No need for thanks. We’re working together, we should help each other.”

“…Wait, Wardanaz, why aren’t you casting it on the priests?”

“The priests are going to haul the stuff outside that you guys clear out.”

“…Then what about us??”

“You get to go in there and clear the unidentified junk.”

“……”

“……”

The White Tiger Tower students glared at Lee Han.

“I’m going in too.”

“Like that changes how you treat us.”

“…Should I make something nice after we finish?”

Assuming good food would solve everything, Lee Han’s question made Angrago snap back.

“Is that even a question…?”

“Gasp. What are you going to make?”

“……”

“S-sorry, Angrago.”

“To be honest, the stuff Wardanaz makes is tasty. Eating jerky for two weeks is tough.”

Lee Han asked curiously.

“Why not trade with Black Turtle Tower? What have you all been doing?”

“We got in a fight with them at the market last time…”

“They refused to apologize first, so…”

Lee Han looked at the students in disbelief.

No matter what, isn’t everyone worse off if you just keep fighting for two weeks?

‘Do none of these guys ever try to make up if I’m not around?’

The White Tiger Tower students looked at Lee Han with hopeful eyes.

They were inwardly hoping he’d mediate, since they too were suffering from a lack of supplies.

“Alright. Let’s clean up.”

“Wardanaz…?!”

“Th-that’s it?! Aren’t you going to say something more?!”

“I don’t know what else to say.”

• * *

“What the heck is this for?”

Holding what looked like a hang glider wing, a White Tiger Tower student spoke with puzzlement.

“Probably to use like a bird’s wing. It might have worked pretty well from up high.”

“Why?”

“To escape?”

“Ah…”

The White Tiger Tower student gazed upon their unknown senior’s attempt with awe.

“Could we try to repair and use it?”

“You’d… ride it?”

“Huh? Is it dangerous?”

“Wouldn’t it be?”

Lee Han nearly told them to go ahead and try but stopped, worried they really might do it.

“Right. So it’s okay to try?”

‘Should I hit him?’

Whirr. Whirr. Whirr.

“!?”

Maybe reading Lee Han’s mind, a golem’s hand suddenly shot out of the trash pile. It immediately tried to swat the White Tiger Tower student.

‘Thank goodness I activated spatial foresight!’

Having read the trajectory of the golem’s attack, Lee Han shouted hurriedly.

“Transform to steel, O cloak!”

He worried, since it wasn’t his cloak, but luckily the White Tiger Tower student’s cloak transformed into sturdy steel.

Lee Han quickly tossed the student back. The student tumbled and groaned atop the trash heap.

“Everyone, prep for battle! It’s a golem! How did you deal with one last time?”

“Go… golem? We never had a golem!!!”

“What?”

“There’s never been a golem, you maniac! Why would there be a golem?!”

The White Tiger Tower students yelled in panic.

No matter how much junk was in here, a golem had never come out.

Only then did Lee Han realize his mistake and said sheepishly,

“I see. I thought it was normal for one to show up.”

“If we’d known, we’d never have come in here…!”

Golem ‘DIE, YOU FLYING SKULL’ activated. Carrying out orders.

“……”

“…Definitely made by our seniors.”

Everyone present could only marvel at the golem name crackling with hatred toward someone.

Built of granite, basalt, two kinds of unknown rock, and birchwood, the golem was half-destroyed but still moving slowly.

“Sharkan. I’ll enhance the skeleton warrior. Let’s cooperate.”

Just like before, Lee Han prepared for battle.

Massively enhancing the skeleton warrior, then barraging with elemental magic.

The golem looked especially sturdy, but being half-wrecked, their side held the advantage. If they kept firing, they’d eventually hit the core, the golem’s weak spot.

Cleaning will commence.

But instead of defending against Lee Han’s attacks, the golem calmly picked up trash and started tossing it outside.

Angrago dove to the side, startled by the suddenly flying garbage.

“Attack!!”

“It—it’s cleaning…?”

Lee Han and the White Tiger Tower students stared in surprise at the golem, suddenly doing their job.

Even with one leg destroyed, the golem cleared the trash at impressive speed.

‘But it won’t last long.’

Lee Han read the mana radiating from the golem’s body.

The mana output with each movement was substantial, and the loss from the damaged parts was also considerable.

Restoration or reinforcement would be needed, but the golem’s mana was visibly weakening. It didn’t look like it could keep moving for long.

‘If this thing could keep running, it wouldn’t just be sitting here like this.’

It must have been accidentally reactivated by someone fiddling with something.

“You bastard… you’re really something! Wish we’d met you last week!”

Unable to understand.

“It’s fine if you don’t!”

Carrying out orders. Explosive potion detected. Please step back.

“Th-thanks.”

But contrary to Lee Han’s expectations, the White Tiger Tower students quickly bonded with the golem.

“Can’t we make a new leg for it?”

“Let’s find its missing leg first. It could be somewhere in the junk.”

Just moments ago, they’d been whining about cleaning, but now everyone was scouring the storeroom for the lost leg.

“It’s good you’re working hard, but time’s up. Let’s come back and finish tomorrow.”

“It’s that late already?”

“Won’t the golem finish the rest while we’re gone?”

Lee Han replied as if it was obvious.

“Unlikely.”

“Why?”

“It’ll probably shut down in half a day or so.”

“……”

“……”

The White Tiger Tower students looked at Lee Han with eyes that said ‘how could you say something so cruel?’

“I mean… it’s damaged, and it’s burning a lot of mana. It’s amazing it’s still operating at all. If it was in good shape, would it still be running like this now?”

“Even so, you shouldn’t say that in front of the golem!”

“Wait. Is that what matters now? Wardanaz, you can fix it, right? There’s a way, right? Can’t you fix it?”

The White Tiger Tower students pleaded desperately, but Lee Han couldn’t say he could do the impossible.

How was a fellow first-year supposed to repair a golem?

“Think I can?”

“Whew. He says he can.”

“Great.”

“That’s our Wardanaz.”

“……”