Episode 392
by CristaeEpisode 392
“Professor. No matter how I think about it, taking care of the basilisk egg in the dorm is too much. If it accidentally hatches or something…”
“Accidentally?”
“…Either way, if it hatches something could go wrong.”
Lee Han wanted to step on Professor Verdus’s foot, but the distance was a bit too far. He felt regretful.
“But I got advice from an expert that it’s better for you to take charge.”
“What kind of crazy expert…? No, sorry. May I ask who it was?”
Lee Han wondered if the skeleton principal had said such nonsense.
“Professor Lightningstep.”
“……”
Lee Han tried his best to stay calm and listened to Professor Voladi’s detailed explanation.
According to the explanation, Professor Lightningstep had answered all Voladi’s questions as sincerely as possible.
But no matter how much you take notes, raising and nurturing something requires care and sense that goes beyond theory.
Worried, Professor Lightningstep said this.
-It’d be better just to leave it to your student, wouldn’t it?
-Indeed.
Professor Voladi decided to respect the expert’s opinion.
“Indeed… Still, professor. Professor Lightningstep didn’t mean for me to take it to the dorm and raise it.”
“Did he not?”
“Let’s compromise and raise it in a third place. I’ll have to prepare all sorts of things to care for the basilisk anyway…”
Lee Han thought about the best spot.
Professor Thunderstep’s cottage was a pretty decent option.
It was located far from others, easy for extra renovations…
‘Hmm. It’s never good to make an important food source angry.’
But given Professor Thunderstep’s personality, if he said he’d raise a basilisk egg in her precious cottage, she’d probably sulk.
Lee Han gave up and spoke.
“I’ll find a place. You two build it.”
“Huh? Me?”
“…You said you would take some materials.”
“What does that have to do with this?”
Professor Verdus, genuinely not understanding, asked.
Seeing this genius so far removed from the concept of transactions, Lee Han smiled.
And turned to Professor Voladi.
“Professor, please persuade her.”
“Understood.”
One minute later, Professor Verdus was persuaded.
- * *
“Hot during the day, cold at night… Besides a fireplace, I think there also needs to be a space to enhance cold magic.”
“Enhance heat, enhance cold. Neither are fun spells at all.”
Ignoring Professor Verdus’s words, Lee Han moved on.
‘I’ll need plenty of water, so near a stream would be good. Since it’s a basilisk, it needs to be somewhere remote… Professor Verdus will take care of materials and such.’
The advantage of building alongside a mage, especially a skilled imbuement mage, was exactly this.
Heading north from the main building, Lee Han thoroughly searched the woods at the foot of the mountains and made his decision.
“Please build it here.”
“Okay.”
Without complaint, Professor Verdus swung her staff. In an instant, the ground was compacted and hollowed, then logs stacked up, forming the shape of a house.
Though not spacious, a rather cozy log cabin quickly took shape. Professor Verdus placed a fire enhancement spell at the fireplace and a cold enhancement spell at the opposite wall.
‘Should I use this for food storage after the basilisk is grown?’
It seemed a pity to just abandon such a solid, well-built structure.
Lee Han carefully set the basilisk egg down in the center of the log cabin. He could feel the pulse of life stirring inside.
“By the way. Shouldn’t we keep intruders out?”
“Pro, professor…!”
“What?”
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d consider such things.”
Lee Han was honestly surprised.
Naturally, since it was a cabin for raising a basilisk, he had been about to ask for detection-blocking and misdirection spells to be cast.
But Professor Verdus brought it up herself.
Professor Verdus, feeling proud, replied.
“Of course. What if someone else steals the basilisk?”
“…I see.”
Lee Han canceled his surprise. Professor Verdus went ahead and cast her spell.
“If you don’t follow the trees marked in red, you’ll lose your sense of direction and won’t find your way in.”
“Impressive.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Preparing food for the basilisk.”
Lee Han poured the basilisk feed Professor Lightningstep had made into a pot and boiled it with water. A nasty smell filled the log cabin.
A basilisk requires a lot of nutrition to hatch. According to old texts: ‘Catch seven chickens, four sheep, five pigs, two oxen, and sixteen fish to feed the egg every day,’ but if you give properly formulated feed, there’s no need to go that far…
Lee Han was truly thankful to Professor Lightningstep.
If not for her, he would have had to catch all that by himself.
“Smells bad. Do you really have to make this?”
“I suppose you could catch and feed it seven chickens, four sheep, five pigs, two oxen, and sixteen fish.”
“Okay, keep up the good work.”
“…I won’t do that. I’ll just give it this.”
“Why?!”
Ignoring Professor Verdus’s words, Lee Han began feeding the egg.
The basilisk egg absorbed the boiled feed like a sponge soaking up water.
‘Does it like this?’
The egg trembled slightly, emitting a magical wave. While he couldn’t be sure, it seemed satisfied with the meal.
Carefully feeding the egg, Lee Han then called Professor Verdus for the next task.
“Professor. Please feed it for a moment.”
Professor Verdus grumbled about the smell, but grabbed the ladle.
The egg trembled again and released a wave—this time, a rather negative reaction.
“…Professor. I’ll do it myself.”
Half-astonished, Lee Han snatched the ladle away. The egg’s negative reaction decreased.
‘Getting disliked by a not-yet-hatched basilisk…’
It was honestly remarkable.
If that was a talent, it was a talent.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing, professor. Next… magic energy, right.”
Infusing magic energy on a regular basis.
For other mages, it was a bothersome task to give up valuable magic energy every day, but…
For Lee Han, it was the easiest task.
Fwoosh!
He could feel the egg’s joy even more than before. Maybe it was because Professor Verdus was farther away.
‘Might have to keep Professor Verdus at a distance.’
If the basilisk gets too stressed and develops a weird personality, only Lee Han would suffer.
Knock knock knock—
“You’ve arrived?”
Lee Han opened the log cabin door. Professor Voladi stood there, arms full of groceries.
“What did you bring… canned food? There’s still basilisk feed left.”
“This is for you to eat.”
“!”
Professor Voladi entered as Lee Han was touched.
Then, he dragged Professor Verdus off the cozy chair and stacked the groceries there.
There was all sorts of canned meat, fish, pickled fruit, and even coffee and sugar.
“Professor…!”
“You’ll need food if you’re staying here to look after the basilisk.”
“…Professor, I’ll be returning to the dorm in the evening.”
Lee Han replied with a straight face.
- * *
Evening.
As before, Lee Han called upon the White Tiger Tower students to help clean the storage.
The only difference was that the students let out a sigh with every task.
“Sigh…”
“……”
“If only we had the golem…”
“……”
“Oh, right… The golem’s gone now…”
“…Just fix it tomorrow. I was busy today.”
Even at Lee Han’s words, the White Tiger Tower students kept grumbling.
“What were you so busy doing? Wasn’t it just studying?”
“Magic’s important, but you don’t know what really matters. Wardanaz, you don’t get people.”
“…I spent my time preparing the basilisk egg for hatching on the professor’s orders. Satisfied?”
“……”
“……”
Suddenly, the White Tiger Tower students became solemn.
‘I told you the Wardanaz guy had a story too.’
“But, Wardanaz sir.”
“What is it, Priestess Siana?”
When Siana, the snake beastfolk priestess of the Fleming Order, spoke to him, Lee Han turned her way.
“You worked last time, so you don’t have to today, you know.”
“Ah. But since I was late and came from another tower, I figured I’d do more.”
If this were Blue Dragon Tower, he would never have received such kindness, but the Phoenix Tower priests deserved it.
However, Priestess Siana shook her head firmly.
“There’s a problem.”
“What is it?”
“It should be prayer time, but you’re losing it because of this work.”
“Ah… true.”
“It’s my turn anyway… Could it be those White Tiger Tower students made you come work? Were you forced?”
“N-no…!”
“That’s not it!”
The White Tiger Tower students protested the ridiculous misunderstanding.
If anyone dragged anyone out, it was Lee Han—not the other way around.
They felt so unfair they couldn’t form words properly.
“But there aren’t many reasons to keep coming to unnecessary work… And you were pressuring them to repair the golem earlier, right…”
“It was a request, not pressure!”
“Yes… A lot of people call it that.”
Priestess Siana spoke with disbelief.
The White Tiger Tower students couldn’t believe why they were being suspected like this.
If it was Lee Han and the White Tiger Tower students, who would have bossed around whom?
Anyone would bet one hundred out of one hundred that Wardanaz was the culprit.
“You know how strong Wardanaz is!”
“But I heard mages usually get beaten by knights because their casting is slow.”
“…That may be, but that kind of disadvantage doesn’t mean anything to Wardanaz! He’ll ambush you anytime he wants!”
“There’s no way Wardanaz would do that. He’s so well-mannered.”
“……”
“……”
Not just the White Tiger Tower students, but even Lee Han felt awkward.
He didn’t expect all the praise from their past meetings would come back to him like this.
Amazingly, the other priests agreed as well.
“That’s right. There’s no way Wardanaz would ambush someone.”
“No… but I do.”
“Oh, you’re just telling a white lie so the White Tiger Tower students don’t feel bad, aren’t you?”
“That’s not it. I really do…”
Lee Han tried his best to explain kindly.
“I really didn’t threaten them. We’re just working together. The golem was their request.”
“Yes, I see.”
“If you say so…”
Lee Han realized trying to explain more wouldn’t help.
He could hear other priests whispering nearby as they worked.
—Did the White Tiger Tower students force Lord Lee Han of Wardanaz family out to help?
—Well… I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but judging by their attitude…
“…Hey, Wardanaz. Go get some rest.”
“But I’m the one who asked you, so it feels wrong to rest alone.”
“Now’s not the time for that!”
The White Tiger Tower students learned one thing.
Being called someone threatened by Wardanaz was bad—but being called someone who threatened Wardanaz was so much worse!