Episode 555

Episode 555

‘Shouldn’t all the guys spreading ridiculous rumors be sent to the punishment room?’

Lee Han, frustrated, scribbled his response.

-I have no idea where you keep picking up such strange information. Same as last time, but I think you need to really think about your sources. Where are you picking up these kinds of absurd rumors…

‘What a nasty personality.’

The person on the other side of the mirror raised their eyebrows as they watched the quickly appearing letters.

This Black Turtle Tower student’s abilities were certainly outstanding, but he had a weakness for acting emotionally.

If not for that weakness, he could’ve rated him a little higher.

‘But it’s certain he’s useful. He must be in contact with the first-years.’

Even those troublemaking students who often raided the principal’s storeroom tended to avoid contact with first-years as much as possible.

If you got caught by the skeleton principal, you could really rot in the punishment room.

Contacting first-years was considered a more serious offense than getting caught raiding the principal’s storeroom, so there weren’t many students who would bother to contact the first-years with so little gain.

But there are always exceptions.

If it was a student from the White Tiger Tower or the Black Turtle Tower, there was a high possibility for such exceptions.

‘They’re emotional and meddle unnecessarily.’

If they had an acquaintance or family relative among the freshmen, they would be more than willing to help.

For the person on the other side of the mirror, this was incomprehensible.

If you came here to learn magic, shouldn’t you just focus on your own magic? Why bother with others’ magic?

However, just this once, such unnecessary behavior turned out to be useful.

After all, knowing things through rumors was less reliable than someone actually in direct contact with first-years.

Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.

-Why are you so interested in the first-year? Like I told you before, that guy listens to a bunch of different schools. He’s not suitable to take along for a separate project.

Normally, Lee Han would try to maintain his good reputation in front of his seniors, but this time was different.

Even if some bad rumors spread about him, he planned to persuade the other person.

To make them think, ‘Ah, this junior isn’t really good for putting to work!’

Otherwise, the moment he became a second-year, he might get dragged off by random seniors and given extra work.

Short-sighted.

-What?

I’ll give you a piece of advice in return for what you told me, about how to deal with juniors. How do you feel when a junior says he’s busy with something else?

-…Isn’t he just busy?

That’s wrong. That junior is wasting his time on other things. My suggestion would be the most helpful to him.

‘Definitely a lunatic.’

Lee Han almost asked if the other person was Professor Verdus but held back.

-How can you be so sure?

What do you mean? Obviously, my magic is the most outstanding, so it would be most helpful.

“……”

Lee Han realized he had made a mistake.

You shouldn’t argue with a madman!

-Got it. I hope your skills are as great as your confidence. But that junior probably won’t agree with you. He’s already taking several different schools.

That can happen. But there’s a way to persuade him.

-Can I ask what it is?

Since you gave me information, I’ll tell you the rest. He’s weird enough to get along with Illendil…

-I said I’m not close with him!

Right. He’s weird enough to hang around with Illendil, and has close ties with black magic school students, so this Wardanaz House first-year probably has a narrow and not-so-friendly social circle.

“……”

Faced with this outrageous accusation, Lee Han was momentarily speechless.

-Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?

Nope. He’s from the Wardanaz House, so it’s almost certain.

‘This bastard, seriously.’

Lee Han nearly asked to meet face-to-face, forgetting the other person was a senior.

So if I invite him to my club and offer an appropriate social relationship, he’ll be very satisfied.

‘If someone is the first to invite me to a club, I should automatically be suspicious.’

That’s what Lee Han thought as he replied.

-Yeah. Now that you mention it, that’s plausible. Good luck with it.

Thanks. Like last time, your information is the most accurate. Did you check on Hydra?

The mirror’s other party raised their rating a bit higher now that Lee Han agreed with their opinion.

This person knew when to admit things, instead of stubbornly sticking to his emotions.

That was a quality worth appreciating.

-Cool.

Let me give you one more thing in return for the information. That hydra won’t be affected much by sleep. The principal made some improvements.

-Wow. Thanks a lot.

Sure. Take care.

The person on the other side of the mirror ended the conversation with satisfaction.

Though there had been many people he had spoken to through the communication artifact, this seemed like one relationship that would last longer.

Aside from his wild and impatient temperament, he was very capable.

Besides, he also seemed very appreciative of the information being provided…

‘Should I just block him soon?’

Lee Han cursed the opponent for giving him such utterly useless information.

• * *

“Lee Han. Lee Han.”

As Gainando crawled in through the doghole into the secret base and called for Lee Han, Lee Han responded irritably.

“Gainando, I already made you dinner. Find your own snacks. Didn’t you already finish the snack I gave you last time?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Want to play mage cards? We did that yesterday. You lost all five games, so not today.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“You have to do the black magic homework yourself, Gainando. As I said, the state of the bone as a reagent is more important than you think in bone-element magic. Check again and consider if it’ll make a proper starting point for the magic.”

“No, that’s not it!!!”

Having been nagged enough, Gainando finally exploded.

He flopped to the ground, rolled from side to side, and shouted.

“Tomorrow! We have to!! Go outside!!! The others!!!! Are waiting for us!!!!!”

“Oh.”

Lee Han finally remembered that he had promised to attempt the escape with his friends this weekend.

Because next week was right before finals, if they didn’t go out this weekend, it would be a huge problem.

“Sorry, Gainando. I forgot.”

“How do you forget that? I’ve been thinking about it every night this whole week.”

Gainando, as he spoke, looked at the pile of books and papers in front of Lee Han and nodded.

“Yeah, I see how.”

“No. I shouldn’t have forgotten. Thanks for coming.”

“Then, can you give me a few more snacks?”

“No. Do your homework.”

Lee Han took the dejected Gainando and headed to the place where his friends were waiting.

If you entered through the hidden passage on the second floor of the main building, there was a storeroom where the dimensional gate artifact, worked on for generations by seniors, lay dormant.

Originally, due to a lack of mana, this artifact was impossible to activate, but thanks to Lee Han’s discovery, it was revived.

A dimensional gate that could let them escape the school!

…Although its destination being the skeleton principal’s villa was very suspicious, for the students bursting with the desire to get outside, this wasn’t a big deal.

“I said anyone who wants to join could come, so how many do we have?”

“Oh. Well.”

Gainando hesitated, and Lee Han looked puzzled.

“Nobody else showed up?”

“No.”

“Did too many come then?”

“Sort of… Uh…”

“How many are we talking?”

“All of them?”

“……”

Lee Han doubted his ears.

“All of them???”

“Far as I know, everyone signed up…”

Gainando, finding this odd even for himself, fidgeted.

If he turned out to be wrong, he’d get all the blame.

“Okay, the other towers I can understand, but even the Phoenix Tower priests?”

“I heard they wanted to go along to help since you were going, Lee Han…”

“……”

Lee Han briefly wondered if he had corrupted the kind priests of the Phoenix Tower.

‘No, this isn’t my fault. It’s on the other students.’

It was thanks to punks like Salko and Moradi, not Lee Han’s.

Lee Han decided to firmly believe that.

Creak—

As they entered the storeroom, a few students, representatives from each tower, were waiting nervously.

“You’re here, Wardanaz?”

“Are we really all going out?”

“That’s what I heard when I checked.”

Priest Siana and Priest Tijilling also nodded.

“They all said they’d go together.”

“We did warn them they might end up in the punishment room, but they said they were curious…”

“……”

Lee Han felt a slight prick of conscience, but shook his head slightly to endure.

“If everyone gathers at once, we could get caught, so we decided to gather like this.”

“Good call. Salko, the plan…”

Giselle threw a thick wad of paper she was holding.

Since all the students from the different towers had passed it around and revised it all week, it was worn out.

-Black Turtle Tower prepares clothes in advance (change immediately after going out. Be careful not to get caught as a student!!!)

-Blue Dragon Tower students head to their house’s manor to secure funds (get as much as possible)

-White Tiger Tower students/Phoenix Tower students ask the knights and priests for companions (pick people who can keep secrets)

-Scatter and don’t get caught…

After reading, Lee Han nodded. He had gone over this a few times already, so it wasn’t surprising.

“There are a few more things to add.”

“What?”

“We’ll use outing passes as well.”

If all these people went outside and brought back the necessary items, there was no way not to draw suspicion.

So, to avoid that suspicion, Lee Han planned to send out as many as possible to scatter attention.

“Wardanaz, are you going to go out yourself?”

“No. I need to open the dimensional gate, and if I use an outing pass, the principal will definitely get suspicious. He’s already gotten wary lately.”

Because he had snuck out several times, the skeleton principal’s guard was up high.

If he so much as used an outing pass, he might get tailed, suspecting “Is this guy looking for another escape route?”

“We should ask the most trustworthy priests among us. They’ll draw the least suspicion.”

Lee Han boldly decided to use the outing passes to send the priests out.

Given the situation, they would be the least likely to be suspected going out.

Priest Siana responded with a serious look.

“I’ll do my best.”

“?”

Lee Han paused, wondering what she meant, then hastily added,

“Ah. Priest Siana. I’d like you to go out through the dimensional gate. We need someone trustworthy here as well. It’s not that you’re not trustworthy. Understand?”

“Oh. If that’s the case, I can’t help it.”

‘Easy.’

Priest Tijilling looked at Lee Han as if he was ridiculous, but Lee Han just ignored him.

“The priests with outing passes just buy stuff like normal outside, and the rest go out in turn. Got it?”

“Got it.”

The students’ eyes burned with renewed determination.

Perhaps learning magic this year had all been for a moment like this.

To give that detestable, wicked Archmage a good one!

• * *

Crackle, crackle-crackle-crackle!!

Having received several times more mana than last time, the dimensional gate artifact ripped open the space and created a passage again.

Adenart, who was there, had a grave expression.

It was several times the magic power of last time, and the artifact didn’t look all that durable.

Adenart asked cautiously.

“Are you sure this is…?”

“If we want to keep it active until we get back, it can’t be helped. I ran the calculations, it’ll be fine.”

“Really? Whew. That’s a relief.”

“…Probably.”

“?!”

Adenart quickly looked back at Lee Han in shock, but the students were already starting to enter.

Lee Han gestured to the princess’s followers.

As she was dragged away by her followers, the princess stared intently at Lee Han, but he ignored her.

He felt like his talent for ignoring looks had grown lately.

‘Theoretically, round trip should be possible.’

As long as the seniors didn’t make a mistake building the artifact or fit something wrong, it should be possible.

Lee Han believed in the seniors.

That crazy skeleton would never imagine what their target was. Haha. Once we finish, the city’s villa will be ours!

Lee Han closed and pushed aside the journal next to him.