Episode 630

Episode 630

At that sight, the bishop was even more surprised.

“Are you on good terms with your disciple?”

“This, you mean?”

Lee Han, originally the embodiment of restraint and discipline, lost his composure at the words ‘you’re on good terms with the skull principal.’

“It’s thanks to my character.”

The skull principal answered instead.

Lee Han almost lost his composure once more and nearly picked up a chair to hit the skull principal.

‘Did he just cast mind magic on me?’

Barely regaining his composure, Lee Han asked a question he had been curious about for a while.

“But what’s the problem with being a thief?”

People who didn’t know Einrogard well easily thought, ‘Ah, since it’s where the Empire’s most talented wizards gather, it must be so elegant and cultured,’ but in reality, Einrogard was closer to a struggle of all against all.

And in this situation, it wasn’t the nobles, but thieves who thrived the most.

Even Lee Han himself found Ratford, whom he had raised well, to be more valuable than ten Gainando.

If not for Ratford’s skills, he would have ended up in the punishment room several more times.

‘If it’s a thief, isn’t that actually a must-have talent? I’d like to send an invitation myself.’

Lee Han thought that more such talents needed to come to Einrogard.

Maybe cut down on the royals and nobles a bit…

“I’m moved, Wardanaz. To think you believe that, even for thieves, the opportunity to learn should be given equally.”

“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant… Anyway, at Einrogard, being a thief doesn’t matter. Rather, it’s a goo—”

“Be quiet. Quiet.”

The skull principal shut Lee Han’s mouth, seemingly exasperated.

Other student brats had restrictions placed on them, but this Wardanaz brat was not, so the truth sometimes slipped out.

“Of course, thieves can also enter Einrogard. That’s a good thing as well. But if it’s a priest serving Bildockal who’s a thief, that’s a slightly different story.”

If it was just a thief, stealing was no issue.

But what if a priest serving Bildockal couldn’t control themselves and committed theft?

That would be a problem as a priest.

A priest should be able to embrace, tolerate, and reform thieves. They shouldn’t be stealing themselves.

‘Ah. That makes sense.’

Lee Han felt a bit embarrassed.

Seemed he’d been too influenced by Einrogard.

To think the thought ‘Isn’t it good if it’s a thief?’ even surfaced.

“I guess it’d be a little problematic stealing among priests. Turtle Tower folks could control that, but Phoenix Tower priests are a bit…”

The skull principal nodded as if he understood.

Basically, among the four towers, the priests at Phoenix Tower were the most peaceful and gentle.

You couldn’t just let a wolf loose among the sheep.

“Come on. The Phoenix Tower priests aren’t that soft. If you get caught stealing, they’ll just beat you up right away.”

“……”

“……”

At Lee Han’s words, both the skull principal and the bishop fell silent.

While the bishop was astonished, the skull principal sighed and spoke.

“The priests in your year are unusual.”

“Is that so?”

‘It’s your fault, you know…’

The skull principal looked at Lee Han in disbelief.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no other cause for the change except this Wardanaz brat.

Of course, the skull principal also liked the changes in the new batch of priests who entered this year.

Even priests couldn’t achieve magical success if they were passive and timid.

…But hadn’t they changed too much?

Last time, the Death Knights had reported, ‘Phoenix Tower freshmen raided the kitchen!’, if he recalled…

“Alright. I’ll have a talk.”

At the skull principal’s words, Lee Han was intrigued.

“How do you plan to persuade them? Principal, you’re not a priest of Bildockal, nor do you serve any other god.”

How could he persuade this unruly freshman with no commonality at all?

‘Could it be you’ll threaten him?’

“Ah. There’s a misunderstanding. You’re the one who’ll be talking. Not me.”

“……”

“Now. Go persuade them.”

“No, seriously, this doesn’t make sense. How am I supposed to persuade a priest I’ve never met? There’s nothing in common at all!”

Grumbling, Lee Han walked out of the bishop’s office.

Seeing this, the bishop asked in surprise.

“Will that be alright?”

“No need to worry. That brat complaining like that and still doing it is his hobby.”

“…???”

• * *

“Priest Karre? Priest Karre?”

Lee Han wandered around the regular priest’s section of the temple, searching for the new student coming in this time.

Among older priests, there was one squirrel beastkin priest about Lee Han’s age.

“Priest Karre?”

“No, I’m Ines.”

“?”

Lee Han felt some sense of familiarity from the other.

Specifically, it was the same kind of familiarity he felt when he used to say, ‘I’m not Wardanaz, I’m Moradi.’

“Come back to me, emotion.”

Lee Han cast the -Ogonin’s Emotion Perception- magic and spoke again.

“Are you really not Priest Karre?”

“Why… Why are you doing this? What did I do wrong? Sob. I’m Ines.”

“Ines is the bishop’s name.”

“It’s a common name.”

“Priest Karre. I actually came here knowing everything.”

“Che.”

The squirrel beastkin priest grumbled and admitted it.

“Yes, I’m Priest Karre. Isn’t the bishop being too much? How could they so easily tell an outsider who I am? What if I were a bad person?”

“They actually didn’t tell me.”

“……”

Karre was appalled.

He thought the neat noble in front of him had never lied before, but he got played instead.

“A… A con artist!”

“Mm. You can’t help but get used to it in Einrogard. I didn’t like lying, originally.”

“!”

Realizing where the other was from, Karre’s eyes sparkled.

“So you’re a senior!?”

Lee Han nodded and gestured for him to sit.

Karre, with a face full of curiosity, quickly sat down.

“I got an invitation from Einrogard. I heard it’s like a dream come true!”

“Uh…”

Lee Han was flustered.

He’d come to persuade him about a priest’s mindset, but it seemed he’d have to clear up some other misconceptions first.

“Actually, Einrogard is…”

“Please speak freely, senior!”

“Mm. Okay. Actually, Einrogard is a crappy place.”

“Isn’t that a bit too candid?”

Karre looked at Lee Han in surprise.

He hadn’t expected him to be that frank.

“By the way, Priest Karre, what have you heard about Einrogard?”

“There are luxurious parties every day, chestnut cream and chestnut macarons on chestnut roll cakes at night, and excited nobles becoming a bit looser with their purses?”

“Everything you said is wrong.”

“?!”

Priest Karre was disappointed.

He thought he could eat until he burst and line his pockets a bit!

“Einrogard is closer to being cold, hungry, and miserable. If you don’t want to learn magic, there’s really no reason to enter.”

“But there was a song on the invitation.”

“What song?”

Karre hummed, singing a tune.

“Einrogard, Einrogard, it’s so great. A place with warm meals and fluffy beds. Einrogard. Juniors will soon come in and enjoy this paradise. Einrogard.”

“……”

Lee Han shuddered at the skull principal’s villainy.

He actually put that in the invitation!?

“…That’s a fake song. I don’t know what kind of despicable and dirty person sang that fake tune.”

“Wow, really!? Can a senior say that!?”

“There aren’t many reliable seniors at Einrogard. Don’t trust me too much either.”

Karre slumped in disappointment.

He had been hoping to make it big at Einrogard.

“Don’t you have any interest in magic?”

“I do, though.”

“Invisibility magic, lock-opening magic, short-distance teleportation magic, cloak of darkness magic, dark vision magic—these are the kinds that appeal, right?”

“How did you know?!?!”

Karre recoiled in shock.

Could a statue-like noble-born senior read minds too?

“I have a friend who was an outstanding thief.”

“Hah. I bet I’m better.”

“You two can work that out yourselves… Anyway, if you have that kind of interest in magic and are prepared to live a tough life, I recommend entering Einrogard. Junior. It’s a decent place to learn magic.”

“Oh, I thought you’d tell me not to be interested in magic for impure reasons.”

“I’m learning magic to make money, too.”

Karre burst out laughing at Lee Han’s joke.

He didn’t expect someone with that face to say something like that. He laughed so hard he was nearly out of breath.

“?”

“Hah, ha… Suddenly saying something like that is against the rules. So can I really go in?”

“If you’re prepared for a tough life.”

“Senior. I was a thief not affiliated with any guild. A tough life is just my daily routine.”

“True. My friend I mentioned earlier adapted just fine too.”

“Thieves are naturally exceptional, after all.”

Karre was smug.

Lee Han asked cautiously.

“But regardless of your own will, the bishop seemed worried about you.”

“Ah.”

Karre drooped again.

“Did the bishop tell you not to go?”

“That’s not it… They just seemed worried that, as a priest, you can’t control yourself.”

“I mean, I’m basically a thief, not a priest.”

“But you’re wearing priestly robes?”

“The bishop forced me to, out of concern.”

Karre complained.

Bishop Ines was so virtuous that all the local thieves and mercenaries respected them.

Not every priest from every order was kind to criminals.

For instance, at the Afha Order, if a criminal stole, holy fire would rain down immediately…

And Bishop Ines’s number one concern was Karre.

He wasn’t affiliated with a guild for protection, and kept working alone, so it was never strange for trouble to erupt at any moment.

That’s why the bishop forcibly brought him to the order and put priest’s robes on him. If he wore those, at least in this area, he wouldn’t be attacked.

Of course, Karre didn’t stop stealing after that.

“Do you have any faith in Bildockal?”

“I do? I believe in my own way. That’s why I let them force me into these robes.”

“Then why steal?”

To Lee Han’s question, Karre replied as if it was the dumbest thing in the world.

“To get rich?”

‘Can’t argue with that!’

Lee Han deeply sympathized with the honest answer.

Well, Ratford believed in Bildockal too.

“I can’t help but admit it.”

“Uh… I didn’t expect you to agree.”

“Wealth is important. Whether you get rich by stealing or another way, magic will help. Maybe magic will broaden your horizons as well.”

“Then I’ll enter!”

“No. I mean you still have to persuade the bishop to be allowed in.”

“Oh.”

Karre wilted and hesitated before asking.

“Senior, do you have a way?”

“I do have an idea.”

At Lee Han’s words, Karre’s eyes widened.

“What is it?!”

“The bishop is worried you’ll get hurt because you can’t control yourself.”

“That’s true…”

“Then you just have to show a changed side in front of the bishop. Show that you can quit stealing and control yourself.”

Karre looked horrified at that.

“Who doesn’t know that? You can’t do that for life. If I could, I’d have done it already.”

“I’m not saying do it for life.”

“??”

“Just hold back until you get into Einrogard. Once there, steal as much as you want. Even if you don’t want to, you’ll end up doing it anyway.”

“……”

For the first time, Karre started to be afraid of Einrogard.