Episode 479

“Don’t worry.”

Lee Han soothed the basilisk egg.

Bolstered by his master’s mana and words, the basilisk egg stopped vibrating.

“Objectively, you’re still weaker than a wyvern. If they’re interested, they’ll care about the wyvern more than you.”

-……

The egg made a wary sound again.

“Wardanaz. Take these flags.”

Professor Thunderstep placed two flags atop the wyvern.

One was a banner with Einrogard’s crest, and the other was a banner with a sword drawn over the imperial crest.

Lee Han asked curiously, “The Einrogard flag’s to show we’re from Einrogard… What’s this one?”

“It means we’re carrying out official business in the name of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“I see. Why is there a sword drawn on it, though?”

“It means if someone blocks your way, dispose of them immediately.”

“…Are you joking?”

“I’m not joking.”

Professor Thunderstep replied as if wondering what he was talking about.

It was easy to forget inside the school, but mages were always high-value personnel, and Einrogard’s mages were among the most important.

Since you never knew what dangers you’d face outside, displaying a warning with a flag made sense.

-If you approach recklessly, we’ll attack immediately!

Professor Voladi nodded in agreement.

“If an enemy approaches, attack at once.”

“…Even me?”

“Yes.”

“Professor. I’m a student too…”

Lee Han tried to convey, “You’re assigned as bodyguard, I’m just a student on a school trip,” but this didn’t reach Professor Voladi.

“You’re a student, right?”

The professor’s tone made it clear: “So what’s your point?”

Lee Han gave up and sat beside Professor Voladi.

Sitting up at the wyvern’s narrow, shaky neck instead of its wide, stable back, Lee Han and Professor Voladi drew whispers from his friends.

“Is that really that professor?”

“I didn’t know there were any students left under him. Didn’t they all leave?”

“Wardanaz’s goal is to take every class, right?”

“Oh. So that’s why he’s doing it?”

‘No. Idiots.’

Lee Han cursed his friends’ rumors inwardly.

“Look ahead.”

“Yes…”

Professor Voladi immediately began a real-world lesson: “How does a wyvern rider fight in the air?”

“…So the rider’s most vulnerable angles are diagonally behind and below. As a mage, you can supplement with magic. Always secure your field of view first. Aerial combat starts with vision.”

“Uh, Professor Baegrek…”

As Thunderstep saw Lee Han being tormented in passing, he asked,

“Did you really need Wardanaz sitting beside you?”

After all, when they arrived, students would be doing chores, and the amount assigned to high-mana Wardanaz could easily be several times more than average.

With that in mind, there was no need to start bothering Wardanaz early.

And anyway, escorting was Professor Voladi’s job, not a student’s.

Lee Han felt slightly moved.

‘Professor Thunderstep really is Einrogard average!’

Even this much was noteworthy.

Professor Voladi answered Thunderstep’s question expressionlessly and calmly.

“He wants to learn.”

“Oh, does he?”

“……”

Lee Han was speechless with shock.

What a barefaced, ridiculous lie without a trace of hesitation.

Even the basilisk egg seemed incredulous.

‘If I deny it, will Professor Baegrek push me off?’

“If so, then there’s no helping it. Wardanaz, do your best.”

Professor Thunderstep, as if to prove he was truly Einrogard’s average, stopped involving himself and left with only encouragement.

Lee Han insulted Professor Thunderstep inwardly.

• * *

ScreeeEEEch—!

Once ready, the wyverns burst through the air like lightning.

Students screamed with excitement.

“It’s my first time riding a wyvern, Professor!”

“They’re rare creatures! Training them is tougher than you’d think. You can’t imagine what it took to obtain these eggs!”

Professor Lightningstep, putting on flying goggles, shouted cheerfully, sending students’ imaginations soaring.

Far from the empire, among towering peaks and canyons reaching the sky—

There was Lightningstep, scouting alone and sneaking out with a wyvern egg.

“Right! And imagine how angry the count was!”

“He’s crazy! Buying them on the black market and then getting angry. I saved his life! If it had hatched there, the wyvern would have trashed his mansion!”

Professor Lightningstep recounted how he’d stolen a wyvern egg from the count’s estate.

The students glanced at each other, astonished by his story.

“Lee Han. Lee Han. What do you think? Is that really okay?”

Lee Han couldn’t answer his friend’s question. Professor Voladi continued tormenting him.

“That monster that just flew by below—what was it?”

“A ghost… ghost eagle, wasn’t it?”

“Wrong. It’s an eagle ghost. Remember the difference. Eagle ghosts…”

“……”

Ahsan stepped back, looking worn out.

The students who had been reading books and playing cards on the wyvern’s back were getting bored, while Lee Han, always on guard and constantly having to name each monster he saw, was exhausted and ready to collapse when Professor Lightningstep gave the signal.

“That’s it for today! Let’s let the wyverns rest. Landing! ■■! ■■■!”

At his command, the wyverns began to descend.

In the growing dusk, a few villages with scattered lights appeared below.

‘Is that the destination? We’ll arrive before lunch tomorrow.’

In the distance, he saw a port city gleaming with brilliant lights at the edge of the sea.

It was Isran, one of the most beautiful cities among the empire’s southern coastal towns.

Normally a holiday destination, the students whispered with anticipation.

“We’ll have a little time to look around, right?”

“Can’t we sneak off? If we get sent to the punishment room, so what? Wardanaz, what do you think? You know the punishment room best.”

“Don’t ask stupid questions…”

Already exhausted by Professor Voladi, Lee Han answered in a tired voice.

As the wyverns landed on grassy hills near the village, villagers ran out with torches.

Upon seeing the Einrogard and imperial flags, they exclaimed in surprise.

“Wizards! The wizards have come!”

“That’s right. Everyone.”

Professor Thunderstep greeted the village head politely.

Inside Einrogard, you could curse at a ducal prince and have the skull principal cover for you, but out here you had to be as gentlemanly as possible.

“We had urgent official business and came in haste by wyvern. These wyverns are fully trained and will pose no threat, I swear on the honor of Einrogard and the mages.”

Lee Han observed as Professor Lightningstep punched the wyvern’s snout that had been snorting at him, quickly shifting to hide it.

“O-of course. We trust you, wizards. Of course we do!”

The village head, simultaneously awed and afraid, spoke with a tense voice, using exaggerated gestures to hide his fear as much as possible.

“Come into the village! We’ve prepared a place to rest! Y-you may bring the wyverns too!”

The students immediately prepared to go.

Sometimes when Einrogard students went out, people mistakenly thought “Do Einrogard students like sleeping outside in the cold dew?” but of course not.

Staying in a warm inn, on a comfy, clean bed was much more—

“No. We’ll camp outside.”

Professor Thunderstep refused firmly.

“We’ve already made preparations. We don’t want to trouble the villagers.”

“N-no, it’s no trouble! More than anything…”

“No. If all of us, plus the wyverns, enter, it would only cause a fuss.”

There were a few reasons Professor Thunderstep insisted on this.

No matter how respected Einrogard mages were in the empire, unfamiliar villagers could be frightened.

Wyverns all the more so. If they rampaged by mistake, Professor Thunderstep would be responsible.

Finally…

-Don’t bother people along the way needlessly. Don’t call on villagers and say, ‘We’re from Einrogard, could you give us some warm bread and drinks…’ and so on.

-Don’t worry. This isn’t my first time.

The skull principal was also not fond of unnecessary contact between imperial commoners and Einrogard folk along the road.

“Sigh.”

“I thought we’d get to stay in the village.”

The students, disappointed, prepared for camp.

When they had just entered school they might have said, “How can anyone sleep outside?” but now, even Blue Dragon Tower students weren’t particularly surprised at the notion.

“Lay out some more blankets here.”

“Wait. Clear away the bugs.”

“Spray this potion. It helps keep pests away.”

“Priest Siana…! Thank you. Whoa, this is amazing! It killed all the grass at once, too!”

“Wait. I gave you the wrong one. Use this instead.”

“……”

Lee Han dumped the travel rations his friends had brought into a pot and began to cook.

He added hard bread, cheese, salty jerky, and still-fresh carrots, onions, potatoes, and so forth.

“Thanks.”

“You’ll have to pay me back for what you eat, Professor.”

“……”

Professor Thunderstep was dumbfounded, but nodded.

Sure enough, this kind of food was precious for an Einrogard student.

‘But the garden got flooded. Where did they get these vegetables?’

As he tossed the hearty soup into his mouth, Professor Thunderstep wondered.

Given their freshness, they didn’t seem to be brought from outside…

Lee Han set aside a pot with only vegetables for Professor Voladi and asked Professor Thunderstep,

“Professor. We came at the invitation of the Meikin family, didn’t we?”

“That’s right.”

“Couldn’t we have just traveled with the Meikin family party?”

“That would take too long. We have to get back to lectures, too.”

The students were disappointed.

If they’d traveled with the Meikin family, they might have gotten one or two weeks’ leisure!

Lee Han cocked his head and asked again,

“Still, shouldn’t the Meikin family at least provide some travel supplies?”

“Ah, a family like Meikin’s wouldn’t bother with that. They’ll factor it into the payment later.”

“I see. And will we get paid right after?”

“Yes. But don’t expect too much.”

“Is the pay low?”

“No. Some commissions are, but the Meikin family is generous. Still, don’t think you’ll live in luxury. Even if you save up, you’ll run out paying for next year’s research and experiments.”

No matter how much gold the emperor poured in, and no matter how much they twisted the imperial treasurer’s arm, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the greed of mages.

Even if you delivered all the empire’s gold to Einrogard, its mages would only ask for more to experiment.

To have the freedom to practice and research their magic, mages had to attract backers, wring out sponsorships, and hoard gold themselves.

‘Horrible.’

The fact that the pay from this job would be wasted in meaningless experiments pained Lee Han.

Such waste!

• * *

Morning.

As soon as they arrived in the port city by wyvern, the Meikin family’s people were there to greet them.

“We’re sorry if we called you too suddenly. Students, did you sleep well last night?”

“No need to worry!”

“Camping is no problem…”

The students bluffed in front of outsiders.

That was something all Einrogard students did.

“…You camped?”

“Pardon? Yes.”

“……”

The Meikin family people exchanged deeply confused looks.

Then spoke,

“We, um, because you said you were coming by wyvern, we made a special request to all the villages in the area to let you land. Didn’t anyone tell you?”

“We paid them all and told them to treat the students well if you stopped by for anything…”

“……”

“……”

All the students turned at once to glare at Professor Thunderstep.