Episode 653

After Gainando was dragged off to the punishment room, the friends were introduced not to the rooms they’d be staying in…

“Mr. Wardanaz, you’ll be in this Cheonggak Hall; Ms. Meikin, you’ll be in this Hongryeong Hall; Ms. Nillia, in this Uyeong Hall…”

…but to entire mansions they would each be staying in.

Surprisingly, the large building they thought was the Kraha family’s mansion turned out to be nothing more than the reception mansion placed at the front gate.

Lee Han, with an expression as if he’d fallen in love with the Kraha family, spoke.

“Should I go and rescue Gainando right now?”

“Hold it, Lee Han! Madam Kraha will be more thankful for you treating her as you usually do, rather than pampering her!”

Yoner and friends quickly grabbed Lee Han by both arms.

By the look in his eyes, it wouldn’t be surprising if he went to rescue Gainando right away.

“Haha. Just kidding, just kidding.”

“Didn’t sound like a joke at all.”

Nillia muttered in a frightened voice.

It was the first time she’d seen Wardanaz look so happy.

A despairing Wardanaz was scary, but a happy Wardanaz was something even more bizarre.

“The wealth of the Kraha family is truly amazing. Lee Han, there’s no family like this up north…”

“The Moradi family isn’t bad either, though?”

“Haha. Lee Han, the Moradi family’s territory might be large, but compared to this it’s nothing but a prison! There’s nothing there at all!”

“……”

Lee Han, who had tried to encourage Deorgyu, was slightly at a loss from Deorgyu’s unyielding response.

It turned out the people who judged the harsh, cold northern lands most critically were the northerners themselves.

Nillia was appalled at the size of the private mansion she would be staying in.

To spend time alone with only servants in such a large mansion—she was already haunted by the nightmare from her first visit to the Meikin family.

The difference this time was that Yoner would also be in another mansion!

“Nillia. Will you be alright?”

“Wh-what do you mean? I’ll be totally fine! The Meikin family was way more difficult! This is a piece of cake compared to that!”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han, who’d asked, as well as Yoner, looked at Nillia in bewilderment.

Nillia flushed and hurriedly clarified.

“I didn’t mean that the Meikin family is a difficult place!”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Calm down, Nillia.”

Lee Han signaled Yoner with his eyes to visit often.

Yoner nodded, then paused.

“Lee Han, what are you going to do? You’re not planning to rescue Gainando, are you?”

“…Uh, no. I just want to meet him and come back.”

• * *

It was only after two days that Gainando, finally released, sat grumbling among his friends.

Because the family estate was so large and the mansions they stayed in were so far apart, the friends mostly gathered in the garden near the reception mansion.

“Only one of you came to see me?!”

“What are you talking about, Gainando? Everyone went to see you. But they said not to come all at once, so we came back.”

“Oh, really?”

Yoner nodded solemnly. The friends wondered.

‘Did we all go visit him?’

It seemed only Lee Han went…

“What were you guys doing while I was gone? Mage card games? Magazine discussions?”

“We strolled a bit, met some of the guests staying at the mansion…”

“Ms. Nillia was really amazing.”

Priest Siana looked at Nillia with an admiring expression. The other friends agreed.

She spoke so well that rumors spread among the guests about ‘When is Miss Nillia coming out?’ and ‘I’d like to meet her too.’

“Never want to meet them again…”

But Nillia drooped her ears.

When she went for a walk around the mansion, a noble she’d never seen popped up every fifty meters to talk to her.

Her mind went blank and she couldn’t remember what she even said.

“Did you not run into anyone on your way here today? There must’ve been people walking the path just to meet you.”

“I drank an invisibility potion and crawled through the bushes. Why?”

“…Uh, sorry for asking.”

“Ugh. I should’ve been there.”

Gainando looked at Nillia, who’d stolen the mansion’s social popularity, with jealous eyes.

Nillia was dumbfounded.

This jerk can’t see that she had to crawl through the bushes?

“And besides that?”

“We all taught Eandurde various things.”

Watching Lee Han teach the junior, the other friends wanted to teach him something too.

Yoner taught the basics of herbalism, Nillia gave tips for roaming the mountains, Deorgyu taught simple combat techniques…

Eandurde sat sullenly in the corner. Gainando clapped as if understanding the situation.

“You finally realized the greatness of us seniors!”

“No. He’s sulking because his new clothes are uncomfortable. Eandurde, you have to learn to endure clothes like that too.”

“Rrrrr.”

“Answer properly with words.”

“Understood…”

While the friends were chatting, Alsicle appeared. The penguin beastkin mage’s face looked even wearier than when he’d arrived.

“What happened?”

“People here kept inviting me over… I have no idea how much sardine I’ve eaten.”

“Oh dear. Why not refuse?”

“I can’t. You need a lot of gold coins to research. You never know when or how you’ll get support, so you can’t act rudely.”

Alsicle flopped down.

The junior mages looked somewhat touched by the exhausted senior mage’s appearance.

A mage’s greatness showed not only when researching obscure magic, but in the patience required to do that research.

“By the way, I told them Baldrogard students would be visiting.”

“…Ms. Pengerine!!!”

“You can’t do that!”

“I was just starting to respect you! Traitor!”

Alsicle replied to the junior mages’ protest in a voice loaded with fatigue.

“I’m a guest, too. How could I refuse visitors?”

“If Baldrogard students visit, you should have threatened to bring a snowstorm to the mansion!”

‘It’s your family’s mansion…’

Looking at Gainando’s exasperated antics, Alsicle was dumbfounded.

It was the first time anyone had told him to bring a snowstorm to his own family mansion.

At least Lee Han regained his composure and asked first.

“Why are the Baldrogard students visiting?”

“They probably heard rumors about you. Rumors that Einrogard students are staying at the Kraha family mansion.”

“I see. Then the Baldrogard students’ purpose must be to obtain a petty victory over other magic school students and claim that trivial honor.”

“…Uh, no. That’s not it.”

Alsicle was flustered that Lee Han was like this too.

“They’re probably just coming to greet you since you’re from another magic school. Mages networking isn’t a bad thing. I doubt they have any such intentions.”

Even so, the students didn’t seem convinced.

“What if the Baldrogard students bring some suspicious plot?”

“Judging by their level, they’ll just brag about themselves…”

Baldrogard students were, fundamentally, mages who grew like hothouse flowers and weren’t obsessed with magic.

Even if they came and bragged, it likely wouldn’t be anything impressive.

“So, they’ll brag anyway.”

“Well, Baldrogard students are magic school mages too, so of course they’ll show off their magic…”

“Unforgivable!”

At Priest Siana’s words, the other friends nodded as well.

If they dared to come to the mansion and brag about their magic, they would not stand by!

Eandurde tilted his head and asked Lee Han.

“What’s Baldrogard?”

“Haha. It’s the name of the enemy.”

“Enemy!”

‘Should I really have stopped them…?’

Alsicle started to regret not bringing a snowstorm to the mansion.

• * *

“Look over there! Baldrogard students!”

“Honorable Baldrogard mages—amazing!”

At the sound from the roadside, Ingsen and Bashiu wore satisfied smiles.

They could feel that the name of Baldrogard had spread not only in the West, but throughout the Empire.

“It’s true Einrogard students are staying at the mansion, right?”

“Yeah!”

“I’m curious about their magic skills. Einrogard is supposed to be an imperial magic school on par with Baldrogard.”

“Right. The empire’s twin leaders of magic!”

The two students were nonchalantly spewing nonsense that would make the skeleton principal transform them into bugs on the spot if he heard.

But it was unavoidable.

How much could students who had only spent a little over a year at Baldrogard know about the imperial magic world?

Baldrogard second and third-years gradually began to realize there was quite a difference in the evaluation of the two schools among real mages, but didn’t tell their juniors.

It was to maintain Baldrogard’s dignity and honor.

Besides, to ordinary people in the Empire who weren’t mages, the two schools weren’t seen as all that different, so it wasn’t completely wrong either.

“Bashiu. Keep this to yourself. I’m planning a small revenge for our seniors.”

“Revenge! What do you mean?”

“Remember the seniors who visited Einrogard last time?”

Thanks to Ingsen’s words, Bashiu recalled.

Indeed, last year, seniors from Baldrogard had visited the Einrogard festival.

“Oh, right. That happened.”

“At that time, the Einrogard mages shamelessly sent out an upperclassman to embarrass our seniors.”

“Yeah! How could they do something so shameless…!”

The two were indignant.

The Baldrogard students who had visited Einrogard last year were only second or third-years.

To humiliate such guests, Einrogard despicably sent out a fourth-year.

Moreover, that fourth-year was (according to their seniors’ stories) cold-blooded and cunning, lulling Baldrogard students into letting their guard down, then using water element magic to ambush them with villainy.

“I’ve never heard about the ambush?”

“No, they said it was an ambush. Said some trickery was used.”

“Right, I thought it was odd to be caught so easily when they’d prepared so thoroughly!”

Thinking about it, it did seem there must have been a trick.

Otherwise, no matter how senior, would they lose so one-sidedly?

“And apparently, it was a fifth-year.”

“What? Really? I heard it was a fourth-year.”

“No, the seniors double-checked, they said it was a fifth-year.”

“Fifth-year?! Even more shameless!”

Ingsen fumed as if the honor of nobles had been sullied.

Not just a fourth-year, but a fifth-year.

Truly despicable Einrogard students.

“In my opinion, it’s because Einrogard accepts not just nobles, but all sorts—knights, even slaves!”

“Bashiu. Don’t say such undignified things. The professors always warn us that great mages deserve respect regardless of lineage.”

“That’s true, but look at them now. Our Baldrogard has honor, but Einrogard is corrupt. What’s the difference?”

Ingsen could not refute Bashiu’s point.

Baldrogard students would never send out a fifth-year just to embarrass their guests.

“But Ingsen, how will you get revenge? Something vulgar wouldn’t suit your honor.”

“Simple. As mages, we’ll take revenge with magic!”

Ingsen declared while gripping his staff.

Although they didn’t know the skill of Einrogard students yet, Bashiu didn’t worry at all. Ingsen was among the top first-years at Baldrogard.

“I’ve prepared a few spells just for a day like this. Not the kinds known throughout the Empire—Einrogard students wouldn’t know these. I wonder how they’ll react when asked to unravel these spells?”

“Ingsen, your magic is as great as your honor!”

The two exchanged solemn smiles.

Now, it was time to reclaim the seniors’ besmirched honor from the Einrogard students.