Episode 475
by CristaeLee Han did not want to escalate things.
This was the punishment room managed directly by Skull Principal, and nothing good would come of sticking around too long.
He really just wanted to quietly, inconspicuously rescue Professor Verdus and leave…
But Perkuntra was raging, vowing to wipe out the spirit responsible lurking somewhere in these underground halls.
“Lord Perkuntra, you need to calm down. Clearly, this is the enemy’s main stronghold.”
The current was overwhelmingly strong, and the fact that it struck back even more fiercely when Perkuntra blocked it indicated that the headquarters of these flood-stirring spirits was certainly nearby.
When a spirit from another dimension remains long-term, reality itself adapts to accommodate that presence.
And for Perkuntra, fighting here with only the limited strength of a clone was an especially disadvantageous environment.
“Let’s not fight—let’s just find the professor and get out of here.”
Lend me your strength!
“No…”
Just this once! If you do me this favor now, next time I will do you a favor!
“…Aren’t you going a bit too far, just because your opponent pretended not to hear you once?”
Lee Han realized it was impossible to calm Perkuntra down.
In any case, since he would be lending his excess mana and get help in return later, it was not a bad deal from Lee Han’s perspective…
‘But seriously, why is he this angry?’
Unfamiliar with spirit codes of honor, pride, or dignity, Lee Han could only see Perkuntra as suffering from mood swings.
“Fine. Still, please don’t overdo it…”
I open the seventy-two golden chests and promise rewards—let more attendants arrive!
“……”
I will open the storehouse’s secret gate as well! Warriors, assemble!
“……”
Not even satisfied with the attendants he’d summoned earlier, Perkuntra emptied his coffers and summoned an army of spirits, and Lee Han sensed things were spiraling out of control.
Strike! Let the thunder be your bugle! Go forth! Let retribution be upon those who insulted me—may the thunder-gold be with all avengers!
The spirit army formed a formation and charged with fierce momentum.
Moments ago, the current blocking the passage evaporated and scattered, retreating rapidly.
“……”
With a sour expression, Lee Han trailed after Perkuntra’s clone.
Since he was in this deep anyway, he couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing.
“H-hiiik!”
“He’s a crazy magician…! He’s a crazy magician!”
The imperial felons collected by Skull Principal and locked up in the punishment room freaked out when they saw Lee Han, burying their heads between their knees and trembling.
Outside, they’d committed all manner of wicked acts without a flicker of fear, but since coming to the punishment room, they’d long ago realized how puny they were compared to the greatness of magic.
And now, here was a crazy magician, leading a spirit army and waging a battle down the corridors fit for a continent-ending disaster—how could they not be terrified?
‘Is he a new crazy magician sent to judge us?’
“Hey, could I ask you—”
As Lee Han spoke up, one criminal strangled himself and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
“……”
The other criminals acted similarly.
With a deep sigh, Lee Han hurried after the spirit army.
- * *
Professor Verdus busily wrote out a letter and slid it into a glass bottle.
He enchanted it and tossed it through the bars.
Normally, there would have been no way to get messages out, but today things were different.
The spirit flood that descended on Einrogard.
Skull Principal, who encouraged the suffering of prisoners in deep punishment, rather than stopping the flood.
The combination of these factors made it possible for a mere glass bottle to ride the torrent of water and carry a letter outside.
Professor Verdus eagerly readied the next piece of paper to write on.
“Ah, enough already, Professor. As if anyone is coming.”
Kettel of the Doduk family, a graduate locked in a cell across the hallway, spoke irritably.
“Which of your disciples would ever come rescue you?”
With most professors, no matter how prideful they were, a graduate’s provocation like that might have gotten a reaction.
But Professor Verdus had a truly exceptional mental state.
Kettel’s sarcasm was useless.
“Why wouldn’t they come?”
“…I mean, professor, for heaven’s—ah, enough. Just stop already. No one’s going to come. If one does, I’ll live as a goat for a week.”
“No, someone will.”
“God, how did I end up in the cell across from you… Wait. Didn’t the principal assign this on purpose? This is too much. After all the talking I did in his class.”
Kettel beat his chest in frustration.
He’d tried so hard to atone by speaking up in morality classes.
And after all that effort, they locked him up across from Professor Verdus.
“Professor, stop that nonsense and make a reflection artifact instead. If you’ve sinned, pay your debt with labor.”
“I have no sin.”
“Ah, yeah. I’m sure.”
Kettel smirked.
He could believe any other claim, but not Professor Verdus’s “I have no sin.”
“I never stole livestock from a village and transformed it. I never scammed a guild with investment money, either. It’s all a misunderstanding, and here I am, locked up by rotten luck!”
“Oh? Then go tell Gonadaltes quick.”
“…Guard! Guard! Please, please, move my cell!!”
Kettel banged on the bars, but no one came.
With the water rising to the top of their heads due to the spirit flood, of course no help would arrive.
“Gurgle… glub. Magician. Magician. Please help me…”
A voice whimpered from the next cell, a prisoner close to drowning.
Kettel and Verdus could block the water with magic, but regular criminals couldn’t.
Kettel muttered indifferently,
“You won’t die anyway.”
“Gah… glub glub… These crazy magician bastards…”
“Yeah, yeah. Got any original insults?”
The voice from the next cell went silent. Apparently, that cell was now entirely submerged.
Kettel ignored it and called out to Professor Verdus again.
“Professor. Stop pestering disciples who’ll never come—let’s think of another way. Is there any way to break out of here?”
Professor Verdus might have been a deranged beaver beastkin magician, but no one doubted his skill.
As an Einrogard graduate, Kettel remembered the Skull Principal’s adage that “every spell has a flaw.”
If anyone could find a flaw, it would be Professor Verdus.
“Impossible.”
“At least, can you try? What if you make a crack in the wall with enchanting magic?”
“Gonadaltes cast -Bacquantalana’s Sorrow- on these walls.”
Bacquantalana.
Any enchanting magician knew the name of the great enchanter of centuries past.
And Bacquantalana was most renowned for making magician-prison labyrinths.
One of the spells that adorned that maze was -Bacquantalana’s Sorrow-.
It was a wall of magic, utterly impervious, that nullified all magical attempts against it.
“That much? If they had that kind of gold, couldn’t they have used it for our research fund instead!”
Kettel raged.
How could they waste such an expensive spell as -Bacquantalana’s Sorrow- on a prison cell?
Students at Einrogard fight tooth and nail to get funding for research like, “Which material socks best endure cold magic?”…
“But you could break through it, right?”
“With enough time, maybe. But the next wall is entirely -Paldar Reji’s Gold-.”
“…Are you kidding me!!”
Paldar Reji.
Just as every enchanter knows Bacquantalana, every transmutation mage knows Paldar of the Reji family.
The magician who developed -Paldar Reji’s Gold-, renowned as “nothing can ever be more perfect than this substance.”
…And they wasted that in a prison cell!
“I went to imperial auctions for just a scrap of that and begged for sponsorship—and you never let on!”
“You could have stolen it?”
“You have to know it exists to steal!”
Kettel fumed.
Even after graduation, something about Einrogard continued to infuriate students.
“This -Paldar Reji’s Gold- can be broken, but after that…”
With an expressionless face, Professor Verdus recited the line-up of magic protecting the cell.
Kettel was completely overwhelmed by the dazzling array of grand magics.
‘These maniacs…’
Just as much as every spell has a flaw, Skull Principal knew perfectly how to compensate for those flaws.
The more intricately spells were interwoven, the smaller the likely loophole.
Once again, Kettel felt the greatness of Skull Principal as a grand mage.
…He just didn’t get why it had to be shown in the punishment room…
Bang!!!
“???”
A tremendous roar came from outside.
Kettel listened, wondering what was going on.
The average imperial wouldn’t be able to hear it, but as a skilled magician, Kettel could sense the voiceless wails of spirits amid the noise.
■■■■■■! ■■■■-■■■!
■■■■■■■!
‘What?! Are spirits fighting?’
He’d known about the spirit flood outside, but for spirits to start fighting among themselves?
It made no sense.
Spirits almost never split like this in such a massive current.
“I understand.”
Professor Verdus nodded, then spoke. Kettel turned to look, unwittingly.
He was a professor, after all—he must know what’s going on…
“What is it?”
“Someone’s come to rescue me.”
“…You’ve got to be kidding…”
“Professor Verdus! Professor Verdus, are you there!!”
“?!?!?!?!!!!”
Kettel thought he must have lost his mind being locked up in the punishment room.
From afar, a student’s voice really was calling for Professor Verdus!!
‘Is Einrogard doomed????’
Kettel seriously believed it was more likely Einrogard itself would collapse before any disciple came to rescue Professor Verdus.
“Professor Verdus!”
“I’m here! I’m here!”
“Professor!”
“Yes! Hurry and open the door!”
The student even sounded genuinely concerned for Professor Verdus.
Kettel blinked, trying to process the situation.
“Please wait a moment! I’ll confirm the location and open the cell after the battle finishes!”
“Why?”
Lee Han didn’t need to answer.
Before he could even finish, the hallways expanded at a wild angle, and spirits on both sides began an all-out brawl.
Perkuntra’s spirits unleashed thunder, lightning, and storm as their weapons.
The spirits defending the flood responded by firing gales and rain as arrows, blocking the way.
The reinforced cells groaned under the ferocity of the battle.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM!
“Watch out!! I’m just next door!”
Don’t worry! Do you think I’d be careless enough to hurt my contractor!?
‘Yes…’
Come out, boss of these thieving scum! I want to see the one who insulted and ignored my offer!
Once again, Perkuntra drew mana from Lee Han.
Usually, drawing on one’s contractor’s mana was reserved for only the most dire contracts, but just as with humans, even spirits get brazen when they repeat things a few times.
Lee Han stared at Perkuntra in disbelief.
‘Even if I have extra mana, is it really okay for him to take this much?’
Lee Han resolved to lodge a complaint after the battle was over.
“Y-you-you…?!”
“Oh, Senpai!”
Kettel wheezed like a prisoner going through asphyxiation in the next cell.
Oblivious to Kettel’s state, Lee Han shouted urgently.
“I’ll bring you food after the battle!”
“What… what on earth…? Gah. Can’t breathe, can’t…!”