Episode 529

-Aren’t there a few too many challengers…?

The statue seemed a bit flustered at the sight of the charging students.

Plenty of students had challenged it before, but this was the first time a whole group had attacked together like this.

“Wardanaz. Give us buffs!”

“Feet, trample the earth. Hands, split the foe. Cloak, be my shield…”

The White Tiger Tower students, empowered by multiple enhancement spells, charged forward with confidence.

Of all the first-year students, White Tiger Tower students were the most accustomed to enhancement-magic combat.

Combat using enhancement magic was, after all, more similar to knights’ battles than regular magic duels.

With that confidence and even more enhancements than usual on their backs, the White Tiger Tower students charged boldly.

Giselle frowned at the sight.

‘The enemy isn’t easy, and they choose to charge in like that…’

Of course, no matter how tough the enemy, they couldn’t just stay on the run forever.

One of their strengths was numbers, so it was vital to send out scouts and probe for information.

But being forced to take that role was entirely different from rushing ahead just because they had a few spells on them.

“Come at me!”

A White Tiger Tower student shouted while shielding himself.

The sharpened reflexes and a body full of vigor gave him confidence he could react to any attack.

Wham!

Unfortunately, he tumbled aside, his shout proving pointless.

The statue’s attack didn’t come from the front—it came from the side.

The statue did not stop swinging its club wildly at the air.

To an onlooker, it might have looked like it was doing nothing, but to the White Tiger Tower students, it was a dreadful continuous assault from their blind spots.

From the sides, the rear, below, above, attacks teleported from impossible angles, causing the students to roll about.

“Wh-what is this…?”

“This can’t be real…!”

The White Tiger Tower students were stunned, as the basics of swordsmanship they’d learned all their lives were rendered meaningless.

And that wasn’t all. The Black Turtle Tower students in the rear suffered their own shock.

From their perspective, the enhanced White Tiger Tower students’ movements were nigh untouchable.

And yet, the statue subdued them so easily that all their efforts felt pointless.

“Wardanaz! Is there a way to beat this thing?”

“There is.”

“What?!”

“Keep advancing.”

“……”

“……”

The students were stunned by the expressionless command from Wardanaz.

He wasn’t shouting or threatening, but his cold aura suggested he’d brook no argument.

‘Wardanaz… normally…’

‘…is actually an extremely nice guy…!’

Only now did his friends realize how gentle and kind the usual, nagging, staff-whacking Wardanaz actually was.

“Wardanaz, please come back to your old self…! This isn’t you!”

“Quiet. Advance.”

“Sob.”

“Wardanaz, I liked… I mean, I didn’t love your old self, but this is just…”

While the White Tiger and Black Turtle Tower students mournfully made ready to charge again, Lee Han watched the statue.

A weakness of space-type magic, notorious for its difficulty, was always casting speed.

The statue before them borrowed Einrogard’s strength to cast shockingly fast, but the fundamental limitation never went away.

Using numbers to wear down the opponent and split its focus was a sound strategy.

Even as his friends screamed and took flight up front, Lee Han, bound by the fate of the future, did not falter.

“Salko, your turn. Go. Use earth magic to block its line of sight as much as possible.”

“……”

Whether he’d realized that arguing was pointless, Salko simply nodded and gestured.

“Dust, obscure our enemies!”

In an instant, a cloud of earth and dust filled the area.

Wardanaz might be a bit crazy at the moment, but his judgment was still sharp.

He had precisely identified what spells Salko could use and gave the order at just the right time.

“Ratford, cast -Confusion Sand-. Shyles, use -Rock Blast-. Aim thirty degrees to the right.”

As Lee Han spoke, he also swung his staff.

A water orb materialized and streaked at the feet of a White Tiger Tower student trying to retreat in the swirling dust.

“Advance.”

“Wardanaz, please, just go back to your old self!”

• * *

A savage, intense battle raged—but surprisingly, some students were pleased with the situation.

The Blue Dragon Tower students, for example.

“Man… That’s the quality of a high noble. That’s Wardanaz for you.”

“……”

Nillia, drawing her bow, stared at her tower mate in shock.

“What nonsense are you spouting? He’s just lost his mind!”

“What? Nillia, that’s too harsh. He’s our friend!”

The Blue Dragon Tower students looked troubled at Nillia’s reaction.

No matter what, it felt wrong to call a friend crazy.

Did Nillia just not like Wardanaz?

“N-no, maybe that was too harsh… Actually, no, he really is crazy!”

When a Blue Dragon Tower student was forcibly teleported and left hanging upside down from the ceiling, Nillia snapped back to her senses.

This was undeniably crazy.

“That’s not craziness, that’s what you call noble dignity.”

“Right.”

Great noble families, renowned for history and prestige, were always the object of respect.

Those from noble families sometimes admired such unwavering authority so much that they misunderstood it, like now.

“He’s telling injured friends to charge, again and again!”

“Those sacrifices are sometimes necessary for the greater good.”

“Yeah. That’s a trait a leader should have.”

As they spoke, Lee Han nearby said,

“Looks like your injury has healed. Get back in there.”

“Yes, Wardanaz!”

“I’m on my way!”

The Blue Dragon Tower students, done with blood-staunching, eagerly grabbed their staves and charged again.

Leaving Nillia speechless.

No way…

No way…!

“Nillia, your shooting’s stopped.”

“Hey!”

“Hm?”

Lee Han looked her way, puzzled.

As their eyes met, Nillia’s mind went blank.

“I’m shooting now!”

“Good.”

Nillia grumbled to herself as she fired her arrow.

The statue either teleported away ranged attacks or called for another stone statue to use as a shield.

All attacks continued to be blocked, but it still mattered.

With constant attacks, the distance between the students and the statue was closing.

…Though just as many students were getting hit in the process…

Tap—

Nillia glanced over when she heard someone drop their staff.

The princess, apparently making a mistake while casting, had dropped hers.

“Your Highness. Are you alright?”

“If you’re tired, you should take a break…”

The princess’s followers rushed to speak up.

Nillia grumbled to herself at the sight.

‘If I were royalty, I’d have more friends too.’

No matter how you look at it, being royalty from the imperial palace helped one make friends more than being with the Shadow Patrol from the northern mountains.

Nillia didn’t dislike Adenart, but honestly, she couldn’t help feeling jealous when some people seemed to get friends just for existing.

“I’m fine.”

“But…”

“Truly, I’m fine.”

Adenart quickly dismissed her followers, then sneaked a look at Lee Han.

She then put extra effort into waving her staff and chanting spells—her gestures and voice both felt much bigger than before.

“…?”

Seeing this, Nillia felt a strange sense of familiarity.

As if she was looking at herself, worried about catching Wardanaz’s attention…

‘No way, right?’

She tried to dismiss it as her imagination, but then Adenart dropped her staff again, unaccustomed to such exaggerated movements.

“……”

“……”

Nillia and the princess locked eyes.

Adenart, pale, silently begged Nillia to pretend she hadn’t seen.

Nillia found herself nodding unconsciously.

Sighing in relief, the princess gave her a slight bow and started casting again.

‘What just happened…?’

Nillia wondered if she was dreaming.

“Nillia! Move up! We rebuilt the barricade, get behind it!”

“Hey, I think I just became friends with the princess…”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting!? Move up already!”

• * *

‘Now’s the time.’

Once the gap had closed by more than half, Lee Han, who’d only been giving orders, cast every available magic on himself and began to run.

Sharkan pounced first, letting out a chilling cry.

Boom!

The statue, which had only lightly subdued others before, did not hold back against Sharkan.

It could sense how threatening its opponent was.

Crack!

Lee Han cast -Ogonin’s Thin Mist- through the swirling dust, then forged an ice clone and sent it charging.

Just as the statue swung its club and shattered the ice clone, that club froze solid and slowed.

At the same time, skeleton warriors poured out.

The statue had to keep one hand watching for Lee Han, still hidden in the mist, while the other, armed with a club, beat down the skeleton warriors.

At that moment, the skeleton warriors began exploding one after another.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

When the club was teleported away, the nearby explosion did inflict some damage.

The statue cried out in admiration.

-Such excellence…!

But Lee Han wasn’t finished.

So far, only an arm had been broken.

Water bombs formed in the air and hurtled toward the statue. Realizing these blows were heavier than anything it had endured so far, the statue raised its guard.

But Lee Han had already used the water bombs as a feint and was now dashing in a blur on the opposite side.

The statue, wary of this exact approach and remembering how it had subdued Lee Han before, started teleporting boulders into Lee Han’s path from every angle.

But Lee Han, as if predicting this, changed direction and accelerated explosively.

The statue, stunned by the almost unbelievable maneuver, sensed its defeat.

-I’ve lost…!

After a drawn-out battle with relentless attacks from his friends, Lee Han hid his ability to predict space magic until the very last, unleashing it at the decisive moment.

There was no arguing with such a flawless challenge.

-You may pass.

The statue began to crumble into dust.

Having fulfilled its purpose in defeat, it returned to earth.

Clack—

Before it vanished, the statue set a piece of ore into Lee Han’s staff.

A mark that rightfully belonged to the one who triumphed.

Bearing a simple space-magic enchantment, this mark would reveal a new path to the mage who toppled the statue.

-Hoho. The magic… and the friendship… have triumphed.

The students behind were a bit puzzled at the mention of friendship but kept their mouths shut.

They were still plenty scared of Wardanaz.

Lee Han stood still with the trophy in hand.

“?

“…?”

The other students wondered what was going on with Wardanaz.

‘What is it?’

‘Did you mess up?’

‘Ah, did I charge too late just now…?’

Lee Han slowly turned.

And spoke.

“What are you all doing here?”

“……”

“……”

“Wait, is this a trick question?”