Episode 464

Episode 464

“Wardanaz was from a great noble family, so he was a bit different in these respects.”

Salko spoke bluntly.

Sairen looked surprised at those words and stared at Lee Han.

Did people from noble families of the Empire normally grab Sirens by the nape and drag them up like this?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

At Lee Han’s question, Sairen furtively averted her gaze and then began writing again.

After listening, it was said that this swamp had originally been a lake with clear water flowing through it.

It was one of the places where the sirens wandering through the underground waterways of Einrogard rested, but due to the spirit flood, it had turned into a swamp.

As if that wasn’t unfair enough, the vein that should have been deep inside the library suddenly got angry and crawled out, destroying everything in its way.

Marking territory on the swamp that was originally the sirens’ lake was just a bonus.

“……”

“……”

The Black Turtle Tower students looked at Lee Han with lukewarm eyes.

In their gaze was the meaning, ‘Isn’t it because we destroyed the library furniture, made a fortress, occupied it, and made it angry?’

Lee Han answered firmly.

“It’s definitely angry because of the spirit flood.”

“……”

‘But doesn’t the deep part of the library not get affected by the flood?’

As the students were flustered, Lee Han continued on with what he was going to say.

“It’s not like I helped to get credit, but you won’t forget today’s favor, right? I heard that the honorable descendants of spirits are clear about favors and grudges.”

‘Even I’m embarrassed.’

Salko suddenly felt his face getting hot.

Even Salko, who as a member of the stonemasons’ guild had learned that ‘face can’t be eaten,’ admitted that he still had a long way to go when looking at Lee Han.

Next time he took on a construction request, he planned to use the things he learned from Lee Han.

“Let’s go. Salko. Let’s check how far that thing’s territory goes.”

Now that Skeleton Principal was suspicious, he couldn’t just leave things as they were.

Lee Han intended to chase to the end and find out exactly how far the vein’s territory stretched.

“But Wardanaz… if the vein is angry because of the fortress, the story changes. Besides… doesn’t the vein lack the ability to secretly kidnap a student? Especially in such a rage?”

Though filled with worry, Salko was thinking of something similar to what Giselle had.

The vein was not a being acquainted with quiet and stealthy abductions.

“It can’t be helped. Salko. To tell the truth, I suspect it was acting on someone’s orders.”

“Wh-whose?”

“The Principal, of course. Though it’s not certain…”

“I knew it!”

Salko exclaimed with blazing eyes. Lee Han was slightly taken aback.

“N-no. I’m only saying it’s a possibility—I don’t have any proof, so that’s why I want to chase the vein to the end and check…”

“Wardanaz. Do you know of a dwarf’s intuition?”

‘Aren’t you an elf…?’

“That intuition tells me. The Principal is the culprit. It’s got to be him. If he’s going to take someone, let him take those White Tiger Tower jerks!”

“…Anyway, you agree on chasing to confirm, right?”

“Yeah. Sorry, for taking up your time.”

-♪♩♩♩…

“You’re showing your true colors again!”

Lee Han shouted and spun his body around. Then he aimed his staff.

At that, Sairen, with eyes filled with rage, slapped the ground with her hand.

Tap tap tap!

She had been writing and calling since earlier, but the students were ignoring it as they chatted among themselves.

“Ah. Sorry.”

Sairen glared at Lee Han with a sharpness that made all her gratitude vanish.

Her eyes looked as if she wanted to sing several songs of rage in a row.

• * *

Sairen’s proposal was simple.

She would help track the vein.

The recently transformed swamp had many spots where a misstep could sink you deep, and the roads were complicated, so there was a high chance of losing the trail even if you followed it.

“I see… Wait. You’re not thinking of repaying your debt with this, are you? I’m just asking, just in case.”

“Wardanaz… can’t you just talk about that later…”

“Salko. What are you saying? The important things should be said in advance.”

Sairen shook her head, brought over an old boat, and loaded the students onboard.

Then she began pushing the boat, swimming powerfully. The boat quickly picked up speed and sped through the swamp.

‘I didn’t know sirens had this kind of ability.’

Lee Han was impressed inside.

He only thought they sang well, but it turned out they made reliable mounts for traveling through aquatic regions like this.

Meanwhile, Sharkan skillfully leapt across patches of dry land, taking the lead. Keeping up the speed while tracking the vein’s trail was not something just any summoned creature could do.

Sairen was genuinely amazed and stared at Sharkan.

She couldn’t believe a young student controlled that.

It wouldn’t be odd if mana exhaustion came on any moment…

-Krrrrrk!

As it dashed along, Sharkan suddenly stopped and brandished its claws, looking alert.

“…!”

The students opened their eyes wide.

A small island ahead in the swamp was covered as if by a black curtain, undulating in darkness.

-♪♩♩!!

When Sairen sang a short song, Lee Han immediately looked that way. Sairen hurriedly stopped singing and began writing.

Truly, the handwriting was as terrible as Gainando’s, but Lee Han frowned and deciphered it.

“…Ah. The vein’s power is being activated?”

Sairen nodded frantically.

The vein cherished nightmares as its staple, but sometimes, when really necessary, it would regurgitate the nightmares it had swallowed to threaten others.

The pitch-black curtain spread over the island was a sign of that.

The Vein’s Nightmare Veil!

“That doesn’t make sense. Why would the vein do that?”

-……

-…?

Sairen and Sharkan looked at Lee Han at the same time.

They were from different races, but their eyes both seemed to say, ‘It’s because you chased it…’

Lee Han replied resolutely.

“Isn’t the one who acts like that because a first-year student chased them the weird one? And I didn’t come with bad intentions. I came to find out what was going on.”

Sairen tried her best to write, ‘That’s not important right now, just talk directly to the vein’, but the vein’s reaction was one step quicker.

It began expanding the curtain.

“Light, reveal the truth! Thin mist, spread!”

Lee Han quickly cast -Bestow Light of Truth- and -Ogonin’s Thin Mist-.

The former was to counteract the approaching nightmare.

The latter was to block the approaching nightmare.

But the Vein’s nightmare veil was even stronger than expected. It swept forward like a tide, swallowed the light and mist, and directly struck the students.

“Ugh!”

“Gah…!”

Groans escaped from among the students.

They fell straight into the nightmare released by the vein.

“…Uh.”

Lee Han was a bit flustered.

Not because of the nightmare, but because the nightmare was so ineffective.

He knew their resistance was strong due to magic, but he thought they’d at least see a hallucination for a moment…

Nothing happened—the nightmare curtain just brushed past, and it felt a bit awkward.

‘Now’s not the time for this.’

He needed to subdue the vein as soon as possible.

Although outwardly those affected by this illusion attack didn’t look that harmed, internally it built up quite a lot of damage.

The longer they stayed trapped, the more dangerous it was.

‘To get close, I must wake Sairen. Can I do it? Would a strong shock wake her?’

Wondering what spell he should use, Lee Han looked at Sairen.

But Sairen was staring blankly at Lee Han with clear eyes.

“……”

-……

Now that he thought about it, since Sairen was of strong spirit blood capable of bewitching others with song, it made sense she’d have strong resistance to such nightmares.

Lee Han gently lowered his staff.

Sairen looked at him suspiciously.

“Hurry! Guide me toward the vein! I need to save my friends!”

At Lee Han’s shout, Sairen nodded hurriedly and began pushing the boat again.

When they pushed through the nightmare and came inside, the vein wailed.

■■■■■…

“What did it say?”

Sairen quickly wrote on the boat’s gunwale.

Whyrualwaysbullyingme…

“…Unbelievable that it’s saying that after harassing innocent people first! But as the good side, let’s make a concession. Tell it if it stops the nightmare and the attack right now, the students will leave the library when the flood is over!”

-???

Sairen wanted to ask what he meant by students leaving the library, but there was no time.

For now, Sairen relayed it as is.

-♩♩♩♪…

“How dare you!”

As he heard the singing, Lee Han reflexively responded.

And then he realized all his friends were trapped in nightmares, so it did nothing.

“Ah. Sorry. Keep singing.”

-……

Sairen’s grip on the boat tightened.

■■■■…

Sairen translated enthusiastically.

The vein was asking, ‘Is that really true?’

“I swear on my family’s name.”

At Lee Han’s sincerity, Sairen was greatly surprised.

He even brought out his family name.

Isn’t that too much?

“Instead, tell it I have to check too. Because the Principal may have put it up to this.”

Whatrubbishisthat…

“…Anyway, just tell it to confirm! If we both want to avoid a fight!”

• * *

The students released from the nightmare cautiously approached the vein’s nest.

Surprisingly, there really wasn’t a single trace of the Skeleton Principal.

No Death Knight, nor any other traces of magic. Nothing.

Salko whispered with a grave expression.

“Could this be a disguise?”

The vein looked down at Salko with disdainful eyes.

Lee Han, looking dissatisfied, spoke.

“One of the students has suddenly disappeared and we’re searching. Do you know anything?”

■■■■■.

Sairen hesitated and interpreted.

“…If it’s this season, sometimes professors take students for divination magic tests? That’s an outrageous accusation… Professor Craer isn’t even the Principal—he’d never do such a thing…!”

Lee Han hesitated as he spoke.

Now that he thought about it, there was no rule that said Professor Craer wouldn’t do a thing like that.

‘What do I know about Professor Craer?’

The one rule to keep in mind about professors was: ‘Never underestimate them.’

■■■■■■■…

Apparentlyinthepastprofhelpedwithillusiontestsinperson?

“…I will accept that opinion for now. I’ll check on it.”

Lee Han immediately took out paper and a quill.

“Tell me the details. When and where did you help prepare for an illusion magic test? Did you help this year too? And if it’s because of the divination magic test, where did you lock up the students? Speak.”

The vein hesitated.

The professor hadn’t strictly forbidden this, but it wondered if it should say.

Lee Han pressed strongly.

“Hey! Do you want to see the students living in the library forever?”

Tears welled up in the vein’s eyes.

Finally, the vein gave up and spilled all the information it knew.

■■■…

Sairen, interpreting at the side, began to look more and more conflicted.

The vein had clearly been the bad guy, barging into their territory and causing chaos, but somehow, she was starting to feel like she was the villain.

Objectively, the vein would return to its territory, and the sirens would reclaim theirs—an ideal outcome for everyone, so why…

Through the flickering torchlight, the wizard boy’s chiseled face shone especially wicked.

‘…It must be my imagination!’

the vein

’s pow

erisactivating!