Episode 490

Episode 490

“Yes…?”

The mercenaries felt the greatest bewilderment they had felt all day.

There was no problem with participating in the subjugation itself.

Not only the city guards and adventurers, but nearby guilds also participated as vigilantes, so the harbor would be crowded.

Adding a few suspicious folks wouldn’t stand out at all.

However…

‘Is he trying to approach the Einrogard mages again?’

‘If we poke the beehive for no reason…’

There was no way a mage like Ianop would participate in the subjugation out of pure goodwill for the city.

It was obvious that the intention was to approach the Einrogard mages.

Sizzle!

With a chilling sound like burning flesh, a strange string in a peculiar pattern appeared on the mercenaries’ necks.

Feeling suddenly strangled, the mercenaries gasped.

“Ma… Mage, sir…”

“Mage, sir, please spare us! We have given our loyalty!”

“As you should. Of course, I trust you all.”

Ianop waved his staff and put a rope around the mercenaries’ necks.

Since, at this point, there was no telling where the mercenaries might run off to, proper caution was necessary.

“Urgh… We’re sorry for not recognizing your great black magic… Please spare us!”

“……”

Ianop got briefly annoyed at the mercenaries mistaking this beautiful endowment spell for black magic, but he held it in.

Now was the time to focus solely on the gem from Einrogard.

• * *

“Don’t you think this quill pen looks nice, Wardanaz?”

“Hmm… But it seems a bit expensive.”

“St-Still, it’s pretty. Aren’t you tired of making quill pens from goose feathers in Einrogard?”

“I’ll have to ask for a discount.”

“…Really? Really?”

Ahsan whispered with a shocked face. But Lee Han was serious.

“Hello. I checked, but at the shop next door…”

“……”

Ahsan felt greater respect now for Lee Han than when he defeated the Frost Giant King or showed his abilities in front of the Dalkard siblings.

However, the students’ pleasant market sightseeing ended there.

The Shadow Patrol hunters had come again.

Lee Han sighed deeply at the sight.

There was only one reason why these people would return right now.

“The sea serpent is definitely approaching.”

“Understood.”

Lee Han really didn’t want to, but he got ready to go tell Professor Voladi.

Since it had come to this, they had to prepare on a city-wide scale.

“…Sorry.”

Nillia apologized with a very sorry look.

It was an expression rarely seen from her.

“It’s not your fault, it’s just the sea serpent’s fault… Guys! Gather up! Stop playing around, it’s time to head back to the mansion! If you want to buy anything, do it quickly!”

Lee Han shouted and then slyly asked the quill pen shopkeeper.

“If we catch the sea serpent approaching the harbor, do you offer a discount?”

“……”

“……”

Nillia quietly wondered if she should just leave first.

Meanwhile, the friends gathered, each with their own package tucked under their arms.

Yoner brought a new small bronze kettle (much thicker than those used in Einrogard, so it could hold strong ingredients), Ratford was pleased having bought slightly blood-stained lockpick tools cheaply, Bartrek grumbled not knowing whether the bone-fracture healing ointment he’d bought was useful…

Adenart looked a bit flustered.

Everyone had bought something.

Lee Han, noticing this, kindly told her.

“You don’t have to buy anything, Your Highness. Nillia here didn’t buy anything either.”

“…!”

Nillia glanced around, then stuffed the book she’d wanted to read earlier, -Wasteland Star-Catchers, They Are the Empire’s Guardians!-, deep into her coat.

“Ri-Right. Trying to buy something all the way here is actually more awkward. Isn’t it?”

“It’s not awkward… If everyone’s here, let’s go.”

Just as they returned to the mansion, Professor Voladi was seen approaching from the other side.

Lee Han greeted him and asked.

“Professor, where have you been?”

“To find something useful.”

Professor Voladi answered indifferently.

He answered briefly, but Lee Han had to let his imagination run wild.

‘Useful for what? Did he go looking for my new opponent for next semester? Maybe he kidnapped some criminal from an alley?’

All were possible for Professor Voladi, which was why it was scarier.

For some reason, it looked like there was some blood on Professor Voladi’s coat…

“By the way, Professor. There’s something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Um… the sea serpent is coming.”

Lee Han explained in detail the information he’d received from the Shadow Patrol hunters.

He wanted to avoid Voladi misunderstanding that Lee Han was withholding information on purpose.

“The sea serpent?”

“Yes, sir.”

The muscles in Professor Voladi’s face, which had been set like granite, loosened ever so slightly.

Lee Han realized that Professor Voladi was pleased right now.

“…Uh, no. Professor. I’m not telling you this to ask to hunt the sea serpent together; this is just a procedural…”

When a large monster approached the harbor, the procedure was to inform the people at the harbor first, and also those in the city who could participate.

Of course, telling Professor Voladi was also part of the procedure.

But if he took it as, ‘You came to ask to hunt the sea serpent together, what a good student,’ Lee Han would be very troubled.

“Of course.”

‘I don’t think he understood.’

“The sea serpent is really approaching?”

Hearing the news, Professor Thunderstep came out frowning.

“We’ll have quite a night.”

“Professor. Here’s your wallet.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

Professor Thunderstep took his wallet from Lee Han absentmindedly.

The wallet was empty.

“……”

What a frugal kid!

“The work is done, but the monster had no sense of timing.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

The people from the Meikin family clicked their tongues.

If only it had come out before the negotiations were finished, they could have used the occasion for something, but since negotiations ended neatly, hunting the sea serpent was just an annoying chore.

“Let’s look on the bright side. Sea serpents always drop useful things… Professors, you all will have to do some work.”

At Professor Thunderstep’s words, the professors nodded.

With a huge monster like the sea serpent appearing, it was only right for the professors to step to the frontlines.

“You students stand by in the rear. There shouldn’t be any danger, but don’t relax. We may need your help at any time.”

The students were first-years only inside Einrogard; outside, they were mages representing the imperial line.

Given the spotty and precarious skills often found among mages outside, students of Einrogard deserved to be highly regarded.

“Yes, sir!”

The students stood up with determined faces.

They’d been through all sorts of trials in Einrogard, but facing events outside felt different.

Lee Han planned to move with his friends.

Then Professor Thunderstep looked at Lee Han as if asking what he was doing.

“Where are you going?”

“Yes? You told us to stand by in the rear…”

“Ah!”

Professor Thunderstep burst out laughing as if he’d forgotten.

“Of course you’re not!”

Professor Lightningstep also broke into hearty laughter.

“Why would you go to the rear!”

“……”

The dwarf professors’ laughter left the Meikin family baffled and confused.

Lee Han wasn’t amused either.

‘Dwarves are annoying.’

• * *

“O Light!”

Lee Han swung his staff.

A blazing sphere of light appeared.

The professors had laughed heartily, but it wasn’t entirely without reason.

In a situation where they had to hastily prepare for such a large monster, there was no way they’d exclude an almost infinite source of magical power like Lee Han.

The first thing Lee Han set about was preparing sources of light.

The sun was already dropping below the horizon, and darkness was spreading across the harbor.

If a melee broke out in these dark conditions, it would favor the monster, so of course light was needed.

The townsfolk, seeing the mages arrive, were hoping, ‘Wouldn’t this be solved by magic somehow?’…

But this was…

“…What is this?”

“Did I misjudge the time?”

The city watch soldiers, who rushed over, were awestruck by the dazzling harbor.

They wanted light, but this was just too bright.

Was this… Was this okay??

“Is this really possible with magic?”

“Because they’re Einrogard mages…”

But even the city soldier who muttered, ‘Maybe this is only possible because they’re Einrogard mages?’ didn’t sound confident.

Frankly, they were still flustered.

“Light, light, light, light, light…”

Lee Han walked around the harbor non-stop, conjuring spheres of light everywhere.

The adventurers waiting with bows were dumbstruck and whispered.

“Isn’t he… isn’t he a student?”

“Do even students from Einrogard use magic like that? The last mage at the party complained a ton making a lantern-sized flame…”

Unaware that he left a striking impression on the townspeople, Lee Han kept going around and around.

Though he had plenty of magical power, the harbor was so large that installing all the spheres of light was tough.

‘If you lack brains, your body suffers.’

Lee Han sighed inwardly.

He felt he understood why the skeletal headmaster pushed people so hard to learn magic.

If only he could use higher-level magic, he could’ve just snapped his fingers and filled the area with light!

“All done.”

“Good work.”

“Then I’ll enchant the equipment.”

“…Ah, right.”

Professor Thunderstep almost told him to take a break, but hesitated, startled.

Lee Han didn’t pick up on the hint and immediately set off for the next task.

Though the Shadow Patrol hunters had already received their enchantments, there were a great many people at the harbor with unenchanted bows and crossbows.

And considering the mounted ballista and such…

“Uh, shouldn’t you rest a bit?”

Someone from the Meikin family asked hesitantly.

Usually, one didn’t interrupt educational policy in the presence of an Einrogard professor, but this time, it was hard not to speak up.

Professor Thunderstep glanced at the outsiders, then excused himself.

“For Wardanaz, this is just like taking a walk.”

“…Excuse me?”

The Meikin family looked incredulously at the spheres of light all over the harbor.

What is that nonsense…

But Professor Thunderstep was bold and shameless. Having said it once, he intended to keep up the lie.

“On the contrary, telling him to rest would only hurt Wardanaz’s pride. Please don’t ever mention it.”

“Aha…”

“Indeed.”

Had Lee Han heard this, he would have drop-kicked Professor Thunderstep into the sea, but Lee Han was too busy enchanting the city watch’s equipment.

The Meikin family was once again impressed by what they’d just heard.

No wonder he was from the Wardanaz family.

‘Well, with that personality, it’s no wonder Master Yoanen liked him.’

The Meikin family respected the highly capable Yoanen, but that didn’t mean they didn’t notice her flaws.

Viewed objectively, Yoanen was an insane workaholic.

To hear, ‘I genuinely liked you, and when you graduate I want to invite you to the workshop,’ from such a person, ability aside, was a bit dangerous psychologically.

There was a chance the other party was also crazy about work…