Episode 394

“????”

At Lee Han’s random question, the two White Tiger Tower students were confused, but answered anyway.

“It probably wouldn’t be taken well. I don’t think so.”

“No matter how generous Professor Ingeldel is, I don’t think it’d be good to get caught, Lee Han.”

“Hmm. I see. There’s a high chance Angrago’s group skipped class and are hanging out in the forest right now.”

“?!”

The two found that hard to believe.

“Lee Han. Even if Angrago doesn’t like studying much, skipping swordsmanship class…”

“To fix the golem.”

“Oh, if that’s it, I get it. Makes sense.”

Deorgyu was immediately convinced.

Angrago and his friends had been whining in the tower a lot about the broken golem.

Even Giselle had lost her patience and started swinging her dual swords over it.

“Guess we should give them a heads-up to avoid him. I wouldn’t want to see an angry professor.”

“…How?”

“Uh… don’t you all have some way to communicate? Like secret markings…”

At Lee Han’s question, the two students stared at him like he was talking nonsense.

Why would they have something like that?

“Are you serious, Lee Han? Does Blue Dragon Tower do that?”

“Yeah. Learned it from the Shadow Patrol. If we go into forests or places like that, we leave marks behind.”

“……”

“……”

The two were stunned by this unexpected madness.

Giselle decided she’d have the White Tiger Tower students start leaving marks like that from now on.

• * *

Angrago slashed through the brush blocking his path with his wooden sword.

Screeee—

“Bladeflies again?!”

“Duck!”

The sparrow-sized insects dove in with shrill cries. Their rapidly vibrating wings were sharp and could injure deeper than blades if you got hit.

But unlike before, the White Tiger Tower students were now finely honed by harsh training.

Not just the requests they’d handled during first semester and break…

“Burn!”

As the burning wooden sword flashed past, the insect dropped.

“Hmph. Compared to Wardanaz’s magic, you’re nothing.”

“Hey, did you have to say that?”

“Sorry. It just slipped out.”

“…No, my bad.”

Angrago and his friends gazed at each other warmly.

The strong bonds formed while facing an evil archmagus couldn’t be broken by minor squabbles.

“The map says it should be here…”

“The Black Turtle Tower guys didn’t trick us, did they? They have no scruples.”

“No way. Not even them… Even if Wardanaz works with them.”

“…Maybe they can’t fool Wardanaz, but they could still mess with us, right?”

“……”

Angrago suddenly found the forest map in his hands suspicious.

Thud!

“!”

The White Tiger Tower students were startled.

A deep thud sounded from within the woods.

“…What was that?”

“Be careful. Let power dwell within me!”

“Sound, echo in my ears.”

The White Tiger Tower students cast enhancement spells, heightening their alertness.

Other tower students often sneered, “If they want to fight with their bodies, why not join the knights instead of Einrogard?” but the White Tiger Tower students had their strengths.

Especially when it came to enhancement magic—requiring keen bodily awareness—they progressed faster than other towers.

The spells just cast weren’t as high-level as -Gonadaltes’ Nimble Step- or similar comprehensive enhancement spells, but this was effective enough.

…And the spells from Wardanaz had too many side effects.

“Can’t see anything…”

The White Tiger Tower students cautiously advanced.

If Lee Han had seen, he would have lamented the scene.

When you hear a strange noise and can’t see the enemy, you should investigate in diverse ways and gather info, not just rush ahead.

That carelessness was soon repaid.

Whip!

A thick branch burst from underground, grabbing the students by the ankles and hoisting them upside down.

“!!!!”

“Ghost Tree!”

An evil spirit that merges with trees and moves in monster form, not as a spectral body.

The “thud” earlier was clearly the tree awakening.

“Burn… ugh!”

The student tried to chant, but their staff dropped.

Sensing the magic, the monster put pressure to subdue him.

Left alone, Angrago hesitated.

‘What can I do right now…’

Suddenly, he thought of Wardanaz.

If Wardanaz were here, what would he say?

—If you can’t handle it alone, at least call for backup. What are you doing?

“Friends! If you wait, I’ll go get help—”

“Angrago! Save us now!”

“What are you doing! Attack!”

“…N-no, I mean, backup—”

“What are you talking about! Are you leaving us behind!?”

“…Damn. Fine, I’m coming!!”

Angrago changed his mind and gripped his weapon.

But he couldn’t help feeling uneasy deep inside.

• * *

“Lee Han, so what do you do when there aren’t any marks like now?”

“Huh?”

Lee Han looked at Deorgyu as if he were spouting nonsense.

Deorgyu was a bit flustered.

‘Did I say something weird?’

“Uh… If you’re right, Lee Han, then Angrago and his friends must have entered the forest first? Shouldn’t we send word to get them out now? The professor might get angry, and more than that, skipping class to search isn’t right.”

Deorgyu was considering options.

For a mage like Lee Han, maybe he could send a paper bird, or have a messenger pigeon…

“I can’t do any of that.”

“No—you can’t? So is there another way?”

“No.”

“…No?”

Lee Han nodded. Deorgyu blinked, speechless.

“Deorgyu, I appreciate you thinking highly of me, but I’m not all-powerful. Doesn’t matter if we have no marks or way to reach them—what’s important is what to do now.”

“What…?”

“Just insist you didn’t know if those idiots get caught. That’s where Blue Dragon Tower has an advantage, but you two better cut them off quickly.”

“……”

Deorgyu was dumbfounded, but Giselle agreed.

“He’s right. No need to get penalized with them.”

“Deorgyu, those who live should survive. No need for pointless deductions.”

“Uh, but…”

“What are you all doing over there?”

While they were talking, Professor Ingeldel, who had gone ahead, called for them. Lee Han and Giselle quickly answered.

“Coming now!”

“Come up quickly. Oh, and by the way, Wardanaz, I got word from the Beechwood Knights and was surprised by all the praise. What did you do?”

“…I think it was just because the Beechwood Knights are nice.”

“They didn’t seem that type to me…”

Professor Ingeldel tilted his head in doubt.

Thud!

“Argh!”

“!”

A student ahead screamed and tumbled.

A person-sized wooden doll with a weapon had suddenly appeared from the side.

“P-professor! There’s something weird here!”

“Ah. That’s for today’s class.”

“…We’re surrounded!!!”

Another student belatedly realized the situation and screamed.

It wasn’t just one—Professor Ingeldel had densely placed them around the woods.

“Don’t brute force it; use your surroundings smartly. Fighting in a forest is different from an open field.”

Professor Ingeldel offered some advice.

A battle in a forest thick with brush and branches and full of slopes and stones was really a fight with oneself.

Preserving stamina, calming excitement, calmly assessing your surroundings, and flexibly using terrain—those are what let swordsmen last in the forest…

“This way! Break through the encirclement!”

“Cut through sideways!”

“Scatter! Scatter!!”

The students, in small groups, all tried to break out and scatter.

Professor Ingeldel was flustered for the first time in a while.

“N-no, if you all fight together…”

He’d set things up for them to fight in the forest as a group, and they were just abandoning their friends and running off?

Professor Ingeldel didn’t know that students who had suffered at the hands of the bone principal had become used to these situations.

When you’re caught in an unknown-size encirclement, the best tactic is not to fight together and get caught, but to split up and maximize survival rates!

‘Sorry, professor.’

Lee Han, of course, understood this logic, so as soon as the wooden dolls appeared, he broke through where things looked weakest.

“Space, be perceived! Deorgyu, over here! Moradi, maybe that side’s weaker!”

“Now’s not the time for your tricks!”

Giselle snapped. Lee Han was up to his usual nonsense.

Was he planning to use someone as bait?

Normally, getting caught would be embarrassing, but Lee Han didn’t even blink.

He called out to another White Tiger Tower student.

“Looks weak over there!”

“Thanks, Wardanaz—urk!”

“Let’s go!”

After sending the other student and shaking up the encirclement, Lee Han quickly ran ahead.

When the wooden dolls attacked, Lee Han drew his wooden sword and chanted.

“Cold, imbue me!”

The good thing about cold magic was that even a glancing hit could still do damage.

Frost swept out and locked up the doll’s feet.

Lee Han decided the open space ahead was good enough.

‘Broke through!’

There were still a lot of wooden dolls left, but they were far off and too many students were scattered.

They’d go for the other students first—they probably wouldn’t chase Lee Han’s group…

“I underestimated you all. I should have made this more like a real battle.”

Professor Ingeldel’s serious voice came from behind.

Suddenly Lee Han felt uneasy.

There were rarely good outcomes when professors got serious.

Rip!

With the sound of a scroll being torn, a strong magical wave spread.

And the number of wooden dolls began to multiply wildly.

“This wasn’t in the plan, but a chase in the woods is good experience too. Do your best to avoid them!”

‘Damn.’

Lee Han resolved that next time students ignored the professor’s curriculum, he’d have to stop them.

“Transform to steel! Cloak!”

Clang!

His cloak turned to steel and blocked the doll’s attack with a dull sound.

Five dolls jumped Lee Han at once. He blocked with his cloak and stomped his feet. The footwork he’d learned from Knight Allarlong saved his life.

‘There’s too many!’

He was reminded just how much of a weapon sheer numbers could be.

And with more and more appearing…

Lee Han bit his lip and glanced at Professor Ingeldel in the distance.

“Wardanaz, you can only fight with imbuement or transformation magic—not anything else!”

“…Tsk.”

How’d he know?

Lee Han, who had been about to secretly use other magic, clicked his tongue.

Giselle took down a wooden doll with her dual swords and shouted,

“Let’s split up too!”

With enemies now several times as many, moving as a group was a luxury.

Lee Han nodded and raised a hand. Giselle did too.

Deorgyu looked at them in confusion.

Why raise their hands…?

“…I win! I win!!”

Giselle shouted, face flushed with excitement. Deorgyu had never seen her so happy.

“Damn.”

“…Were you two choosing who picks their escape direction first…?”

“What, you didn’t know? Oh well. You go first, Deorgyu.”

Lee Han yielded the second pick.

Deorgyu had plenty to say, but there was no time. He dashed off. Lee Han, the last to leave, saw the wooden dolls coming from behind and pulled out his metal ball.

“Move!”

He hadn’t pulled it out for battle.

It was a trick he’d thought of earlier but postponed.

Lee Han dashed to a sheer cliff, grabbed the metal ball, and hung himself in the air.

Clack!

But the wooden dolls were more persistent than expected.

They started jumping after Lee Han, trying to catch him in midair.

‘Which professor made these summons!?’

Cursing to himself, Lee Han swung his staff.

It was an unexpected situation, but not one he hadn’t anticipated.

“Water…”

At his chant, water quickly gathered from below to take shape.

With one hand gripping the metal ball, supporting his weight, and dolls diving toward him—a seemingly desperate spot—but the spell completed without a hitch.

“…Spread out!”

Even Professor Ingeldel was impressed.

Though he preferred to see swordsmanship, how could he scold a student for escaping wisely like this?

Splash!

Landing on water, Lee Han rolled to the side and quickly readied himself.

The dolls crashed down and shattered, but he didn’t let his guard down. They might revive or something.

‘I should get out of here fast and head down…’

“Wardanaz!!”

“…What are you guys doing?!”

Lee Han was genuinely startled to see Angrago and his friends hanging upside down nearby.