Episode 655

“How could they say something so horrible upon a first meeting?”

Priest Siana muttered in shock.

Among Einrogard students, calling someone a 5th year was a greater insult than an affront to one’s family.

No matter how much of an enemy, how could anyone tell them to keep staying at Einrogard?

“P-please calm down, Priest. Maybe in Baldrogard they mean something else by it.”

“No magic school would mean spending five years there as a compliment!”

Ingsen was embarrassed by the snake beastkin in a Fleming Order priest’s robe.

The priest’s language was a little too rough.

‘Maybe she’s not really a priest…?’

“What does being a 5th year mean?”

At last, Lee Han, who had maintained a silent calm, spoke up.

He showed no visible change in expression, but Yoner sensed the faint hostility hidden behind Lee Han’s sculpted face.

Even for someone as imperturbable as Lee Han, being told to stay until 5th year was hard to bear.

“Well… umm… you’re Mr. Lee Han of the Wardanaz family, right? Einrogard’s 5th year…”

“?”

“?????”

Lee Han and his friends were baffled.

What grade?

“5th year?”

“Yes. 5th year… oh, are you a 4th year then?”

“……”

At that, the friends finally realized the Baldrogard students were mistaken about Lee Han’s year and began whispering.

“Why do those guys think Wardanaz is a 5th year?”

“Isn’t it because of the things he did in Granden City?”

“What did I do?”

“You fought the Ghoul King, fought the Basilisk, fought the Sea Serpent, fought the Anti-Mages, fought the magic criminals, didn’t you?”

“…Th-there’s stuff on that list I didn’t even do in Granden City.”

Lee Han had no effective rebuttal, so he caught at straws.

Of course, it didn’t work. His friends ignored him.

“Well, rumors travel fast. If I’d heard stuff like that, I’d have thought he was a senior too.”

“They’re calling him a 5th year over there?”

“But that’s still so weird. It’s not like news from Granden City and Einrogard would have spread so far.”

Lee Han tried again, but his friends ignored him.

“Hey, can you even hear me?”

“Um…”

The two Baldrogard students grew flustered as the atmosphere got strange.

“You’re not a 5th year?”

“I’m more curious why you thought I was a 5th year.”

At this, Bashiu quietly whispered to Ingsen so only he could hear.

“Oh… I guess he’s a 4th year.”

“……”

As Lee Han stared at Bashiu in disbelief, Ingsen spoke up to explain.

“Last year, our seniors visited Einrogard. At that time…”

“Ah, that’s what happened.”

Upon hearing that, Lee Han realized what had happened.

“What is it?”

“Remember the assignment Professor Knighten gave us at the festival?”

“What was it? Imperial rainfall, road damage calculations, and repair costs?”

“Number of mages needed to maintain the empire’s fortress network?”

‘Researches in Einrogard possible with Lee Han’s magic?’

Since the professor gave so many assignments, their answers were all over the place.

Some of the things they listed weren’t even assigned.

“All wrong. And that last one was never assigned.”

“Ah. Lee Han, that last one was said when you weren’t there. The professor mentioned it while you were doing that external commission at Pocketknife Fortress.”

“……”

Lee Han was appalled.

His friends had tried to sell him out while he was away!

“…That’s not what I meant. Remember the light and illusion statue Professor Knighten made at the festival.”

“Oh.”

His friends finally understood what Lee Han was talking about.

During last year’s festival, many outsiders had visited, and as first-years, they’d worked hard to prepare for them.

One thing was Professor Alpen’s magic circle, which produced light and illusions…

“That wasn’t homework, Wardanaz. That was something you did even though the professor never asked for it…”

“Shh, Nillia. Lee Han will get upset.”

Yoner stopped Nillia.

No matter how innocent the question, it was something that could hurt Lee Han.

“…Let’s just say it was an assignment. Anyway, the Baldrogard students broke the magic circle when they came.”

“Yeah, they did.”

“Baldrogard bastards, anyway… mmph.”

Lee Han clamped Gainando’s mouth shut and continued explaining.

“I managed to fix it by luck with a spell I’d learned.”

The Baldrogard students, visiting as guests for the festival, had accidentally broken Professor Alpen’s magic circle.

Of course, the Einrogard students scolded them, and—since the atmosphere felt like a fight would break out, and (since Lee Han had already battered the Baldrogard students with water orbs before) he was worried they’d all get scolded—he tried to calm things down with -Azirmo Imbuement-.

“So what?”

“At that time, the Baldrogard students called me their senior…”

“……”

“……”

The friends were speechless with disbelief.

How strong of an impression did he leave for students from another school to call him senior?

“I told their professor and thought it was cleared up, but I guess not.”

“Well, that’s a relief!”

Siana sighed in relief.

“I was about to get angry thinking those lunatics told Mr. Wardanaz to stay until 5th year.”

“Yeah, I was shocked too.”

‘Isn’t Priest Siana’s language getting rougher?’

‘Honestly, all Phoenix Tower priests have really changed overall.’

As Nillia and Yoner whispered, Lee Han turned to face Ingsen and Bashiu.

“I think I know where the misunderstanding came from. When the Baldrogard students visited, this happened…”

Lee Han explained what had happened around Professor Alpen’s magic circle, making it sound like a heartwarming story.

Being mistaken for a senior over such a strange spell was actually kind of amusing.

“Ha ha. It’s quite a coincidence. You can’t trust rumors, right?”

“…Wait, that was you, Mr. Lee Han of the Wardanaz family?!”

“…?”

Lee Han was again taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

Huh?

‘Wasn’t it because of that?’

“T-the one who fixed the broken magic circle… uh…”

“That’s odd… Split personalities…?”

But Lee Han’s confusion was nothing compared to Ingsen and Bashiu’s shock.

It was as if their world was falling apart.

The upperclassman who viciously attacked the Baldrogard students with water orbs, and the upperclassman who kindly helped repair the illusion magic circle the Baldrogard students had broken, were the same person.

“Wait. Then, why did you think I was a 5th year in the first place?”

“B-because you smashed our seniors with water orbs, right? W-wait, was that a false rumor too?”

“…No. That part is actually true.”

“……”

An awkward silence filled the reception room.

• * *

It took about two hours for Ingsen and Bashiu to come to terms with the fact that Lee Han was their age and the one who both smashed their seniors with water orbs and helped them repair the magic circle afterward.

Gainando watched them with pity.

If it had been Gainando, he’d have understood in five minutes.

‘How dumb can you get!’

“So the water orbs…”

“That’s a bit of a misunderstanding. It wasn’t a formal duel or magic contest, but a festival game, more like entertainment.”

Lee Han shamelessly lied.

Anyone who had been there would never have accepted it.

They called it festival play and entertainment, but those who participated dodged the water orbs with their lives on the line.

If that wasn’t a duel, what was?

“If it was just a festival game, and they say I humiliated the Baldrogard seniors… That’s a total misunderstanding. You shouldn’t believe such rumors.”

“B-but our seniors said you were a 5th year, and they said they suffered terribly…”

“That was a joke.”

“A-a joke?”

With Yoner’s support, Lee Han sent a grateful glance and continued.

“A mischievous joke. Even Einrogard seniors sometimes play pranks. Like putting poison in the basement hallways…”

“????”

“…Pranking new students as they enter. Are you sure it wasn’t such a joke? Really?”

Lee Han pressed the two hard.

His glare said, ‘Do you really believe the rumors that I crushed your seniors with magic?’ And Ingsen and Bashiu wavered greatly.

“C-could it be…just a joke…?”

“B-but they seemed deadly serious. They were trembling as they told the story…”

Lee Han said firmly,

“Acting.”

“A-acting?!”

“Seniors always mean it when pranking juniors. Acting is only natural.”

“…!”

Ingsen and Bashiu were deeply shocked.

Until now, they always believed the Baldrogard seniors were paragons of honor who never lied, but that was not the case!

“No way… But our seniors are nobles!”

“Ha ha. Nobles can lie too. Isn’t this the sort of white lie they use to become closer to juniors?”

Lee Han ruthlessly made the Baldrogard seniors out to be liars and wrapped up the situation.

“That might be it…”

“Maybe we trusted the seniors too much. We should have trusted our own eyes and ears.”

“Yeah. Not being able to dodge a water orb doesn’t prove magic skill. Maybe they knew that and teased us.”

It was laughable, but Lee Han didn’t bother correcting them.

He really didn’t want a nickname like ‘Baldrogard’s Skull Collector.’

It would have been honorable if he’d won in a fair duel, but crushing Baldrogard students’ noses with water orbs at a festival was more infamy than renown.

‘Well, I’ve at least salvaged this. Just you wait, Baldrogard.’

Lee Han felt slighted.

He went out of his way to help repair the magic circle, only for the story of the water orb nose-breaking to spread everywhere.

Next time they met, he’d definitely issue a proper duel!

“What nonsense!”

“?!”

Gainando wouldn’t let it go.

“If you can’t dodge a water orb, you can’t call yourself a mage! How can you make excuses for failing to dodge?!”

“What are you talking about? That’s unrelated!”

Ingsen, without realizing it, dropped his formal tone and retorted against Gainando’s outburst.

Bashiu agreed and called out,

“It’s not about how fast you can cast, but how great a spell you can cast that makes a true mage…”

“Can’t hear you, losers!”

“Are you listening? Dodging water orbs doesn’t prove magical skill! Even the great mage Bakwantala…”

“Can’t hear you, dirt-wreckers!”

“Magic isn’t about brawling in the muddy street, it’s elevated and noble…!”

“Ooo! Losers! Dirt-wreckers! Defeated dirt-wreckers!”

“Eurgh!”

Goated beyond endurance by Gainando’s mockery and taunts, their faces turned red.

“How can a prince behave so rudely…! Bashiu was right, you have no dignity as a royal!”

“Losers! Losers! Losers! Losers!”

The friends were impressed.

‘Don’t they have this level of quarrelling in Baldrogard?’

‘Why can’t they endure such basic taunting?’

Even Lee Han was secretly worried.

‘If this ends in a magic duel, it could be dangerous.’

Even if they were slower and clumsier than Gainando at casting, that didn’t mean their overall magic skill was lacking.

The Einrogard curriculum was unusual, but there were many imperial mages who were slow to cast or awkward.

Most situations didn’t call for madly fast casting, so it wasn’t even a big flaw.

It could be risky if Gainando had to compete outside his area of strength.

“Acting all arrogant just because you believe in your magic… You think being good at magic is everything? Whether or not you have honor and character is what matters! Even if you are top of your year!”

“???”

But instead of challenging Gainando, Ingsen and Bashiu backed down and criticized him.

Siana tilted her head and asked,

“Who are they talking about now? Are they insulting Mr. Wardanaz?”

“I think they mean Gainando…”