Episode 452
by CristaeEpisode 452
“L-Lee Han. Wouldn’t it be better to listen to Moradi’s explanation?”
Sensing Giselle’s look, Deorgyu called out to Lee Han, who was swimming ahead.
“Ah, right. There might be something we missed. Sorry, Moradi, I was in a hurry. Explain.”
“…If you approach from the other side, near the lumber mill tower, a lot of debris has floated over… Forget it. Screw you, bastard.”
“?!”
Lee Han was flabbergasted at the sudden cursing.
“What’s with her? Is it because I smacked the White Tiger Tower kids a few times for not studying yesterday?”
“I think you did well with that…”
Deorgyu muttered.
The White Tiger Tower students grumbled, ‘Why does Wardanaz hate us so much?’ but, in Deorgyu’s opinion, this wasn’t Lee Han’s fault.
If you don’t want to be nagged, then don’t act up.
“By the way, Moradi. I’m curious about one thing.”
“Speak. I’m listening.”
“Shouldn’t you tell the other friends too?”
“?”
“?”
Lee Han and Giselle looked at Deorgyu as if he were spouting nonsense.
Then the two exchanged a glance.
“Should we go?”
“Let’s go.”
“Come on, Deorgyu.”
“W-wait… Shouldn’t we tell the others…?”
Lee Han and Giselle started pushing and pulling Deorgyu toward the opposite direction.
- * *
“The students’ stamina is impressive.”
The White Oak Knights on the ship admired the students swimming in from the far horizon.
When people thought of students from Einrogard, they tended to picture sickly mages cooped up in a room pouring over grimoires, but the students, true to their knightly family origins, were robust.
“Seems they haven’t neglected physical training at Einrogard, either.”
“Hmm.”
Professor Ingeldel didn’t bother mentioning the harsh environment of Einrogard, where just surviving meant building physical strength.
“Fire.”
“S-sir Knight. If we keep shooting like this, what if someone drowns…”
“Hey now. Since when do you pity the enemy? Did I teach you that?”
“N-no, sorry. My apologies.”
The young trainee knights of the White Oak Knights usually didn’t get along with the White Tiger Tower students.
Starting with the differences between pure knight order members and mage school students, not to mention the numerous competitions this year—there was bound to be rivalry.
But even these trainees couldn’t bring themselves to attack the White Tiger Tower students too harshly now, out of pity.
‘This is too much…!’
‘Do we really have to go this far?’
The White Tiger Tower students swimming through the stormy, rainy sea looked as precarious as drifting leaves.
“But can the students really get onto the ship without using magic?”
One of the knights asked, suddenly curious.
Scattering and getting close was doable given enough time, but climbing the slippery rain-soaked hull during a storm wasn’t easy.
A knight who had broken through the Aura Wall could use superhuman physical ability and magic to climb, but that was too much to expect from students.
“It will definitely be difficult. But this exam isn’t simply meant to test their physical capabilities,”
Professor Ingeldel gestured around the ship.
Equipment floated among debris like planks and wreckage.
“Aha! You threw in boarding equipment!”
“That’s correct. The students should be able to find them.”
“I was worried you meant for them to climb up freehand! Ha ha!”
“…Did I really seem that way?”
Professor Ingeldel was a little flustered.
Unlike the other Einrogard professors, he thought he was teaching quite reasonably.
Splosh!
“?”
In the middle of the conversation, a sound from behind made the professor and knights turn their heads.
Lee Han’s group, soaking wet, was glaring at them from the ship’s deck.
- * *
“Wait. Can we even get up without magic?”
“…!”
While other friends elsewhere played dodge-the-water-spear, Lee Han’s team had managed to approach the ship.
But the ship’s outer wall was harder than expected. Without using magic, you could barely get a grip.
Deorgyu whispered cautiously.
“I really don’t think the professor just meant for us to freeclimb this. Maybe there’s something else around? Maybe we missed something?”
“Deorgyu. I respect you, but you sound like a first-semester rookie right now.”
“Yeah. Choi. Get it together. Does this look like the knight order dorms to you?”
Lee Han and Giselle sharply scolded Deorgyu.
Deorgyu felt wronged but, thinking they were probably right, kept his mouth shut.
“My guess… using mana manipulation to climb is the answer.”
“Mana manipulation?”
“Yeah. Do you remember the Enghe family sword technique?”
“Wardanaz, you may not know, but Choi and I are from knight families.”
Giselle threw him a look of disbelief.
The Enghe family.
They were renowned among knight families for their swordsmanship, particularly the absorption style.
Lee Han had even learned some of its techniques in duels and put them to good use.
“I’m not skilled enough to use it well in a sword fight, but it should be enough to climb. The professor most likely wanted us to use this to board the ship.”
“But… mana manipulation isn’t that easy.”
Giselle’s eyebrows arched.
It sounded nice to say, but that technique required a peculiar conversion of mana’s properties.
It was not the logical, rational, rule-governed magic researched by wizards, but an intuitive, sensorial knight technique, making it far harder.
“Is that really the point of this exam? You sure?”
“Moradi. Think about it. This is Einrogard.”
“……”
Giselle ruefully accepted.
They had swum all this way; of course the professor would make it tough.
“…Fine. Wardanaz, let’s hear it.”
Lee Han explained the absorption trick as best he could to his friends.
Draw mana from deep in the center of your body and circulate it, then transform it by picturing viscosity, and at the same time, emit mana…
“The principle’s similar to elemental magic. You change its property through visualization, then keep it circulating. While also releasing it.”
“……”
“……”
At the insane level of difficulty, both looked aghast. Deorgyu cautiously asked,
“Any tips?”
“Uh… hmm. If maintaining the circulation is too tough, just focus on the transformation and emission.”
“Really? Wait, wouldn’t that waste a ton of mana?”
“Yeah… it would.”
“……”
“……”
Awkward silence returned. Giselle gave up and said,
“Just climb already. I’ll follow somehow.”
There were several attempts after that.
Thanks to their talent, Giselle and Deorgyu managed to convert mana into an absorption property but couldn’t maintain it long enough to use.
At the very least, they had to keep it up until they boarded the ship.
“This isn’t working. We’ll get caught. Take this.”
Lee Han took off his outer coat and made a rope. Then he tossed it to Giselle.
Giselle stared at Lee Han with guarded eyes.
“What’s your plan?”
“…We’ll tie ourselves together for support.”
“Oh.”
Giselle was embarrassed but didn’t show it and tied the rope around herself. Deorgyu blushed slightly.
‘Good thing I didn’t say anything.’
Actually, Deorgyu thought Lee Han was planning to tie up Moradi and use her as bait.
“Let’s try again. Three, two, one… go!”
Whack!
Lee Han struck his hand onto the ship’s hull like an axe.
Normally, he’d have slid right off, but the mana discharge from his hand held him firmly in place.
‘It’s working!’
It was the most stable attempt yet.
Lee Han carefully climbed the ship’s hull.
Craack—
“……”
A plank fell away—he’d probably released too much mana. Lee Han jumped.
He hadn’t worried about mana depletion, so he hadn’t bothered with circulation, but now he saw the need.
‘Less power.’
Lee Han took deep breaths, circulating his mana within. The flow stabilized and he could control the amount released through his fingertips.
Lee Han was amazed.
‘Did I get better?’
It was a much smoother flow than he’d managed in previous swordsmanship lessons.
Then again, after all those real battles since, it made sense he’d be used to this kind of circulation by now.
Besides, at some point, Lee Han had given up on circulation and relied on brute-force mana output…
“…!”
Climbing up below, Giselle was startled.
Faint mana light glimmered from Wardanaz’s whole body above—a phenomenon only seen when knights regulated their breathing and drew upon their energy before using aura…
If she’d seen this right, Wardanaz was close to breaking through the Aura Wall.
Just a moment’s realization and he could cross it!
Giselle was caught up in complex emotions.
She felt jealous, but as a knight, she couldn’t help but cheer for him, too.
Falling into a state like that was an incredible blessing. Depending on how long you lingered, you could break a wall in record time…
Tap!
“All done! Climb up!”
As soon as he reached the deck, Lee Han released his mana, tossed himself over, and pulled up the rope.
No telling when they’d be spotted, so he had to hurry.
Of course, the mana light from before had long since disappeared.
“Hey…!!! You crazy b*st…!!”
Giselle nearly fainted.
What the hell kind of opportunity had this lunatic mage just thrown away?
“You just…! You…!”
“What’s wrong? Are you crazy?”
“■□○●☆◆!!!”
“Quiet. We’ll be caught! Deorgyu, come up.”
Lee Han quickly pulled Deorgyu up as well.
He crouched low as they crept up. Fortunately, the people on deck must have been too far to notice.
‘Thank you, White Tiger Tower guys.’
Grateful for the distraction, Lee Han tried to advance…
“…Threw in boarding equipment…”
“…If the students can find them…”
“?”
“???”
Lee Han, Giselle, and Deorgyu all fell silent at once.
Deorgyu looked at his friends with a resentful gaze.
Splosh!
Lee Han tossed aside his coat. Since they’d have to fight the trainee knights on deck, he had to lighten himself.
“Huh, why from that side?”
“…Wasn’t coming around this way the right move… Ugh, whatever. Moradi, take the left. Deorgyu, take the right!”
Lee Han thought more talking would just lower morale, so he attacked at once.
Giselle seemed to feel the same and moved in immediately.
‘Wasn’t going around supposed to be the answer?’
‘I thought they set the route so you’d go around…’
Lee Han dashed forward ruefully.
The trainee knights, aiming their ballistae below, were startled and readied themselves.
“How did you get around that way!? And how did you even climb up? You didn’t have any equipment!”
“……”
Lee Han decided to skip any emotional waste and approach as efficiently as possible.
“Cough… Kuhek. Cough, cough! Cough cough!”
He started coughing like a patient with tuberculosis, looking for all the world like someone hypothermic from staying in the sea too long.
“Wardanaz! Are you okay? I said this was dangerous…”
“You idiot! Don’t turn your back on the enemy!”
The trainee knight turned to call for the knight, but then flinched at the scolding and whipped his head around.
Lee Han, who had just been coughing like he was dying, was now charging ferociously.