Episode 657

“Wardanaz, no matter what, you can’t shoot them.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Han was shocked at Nillia’s extreme line of thought.

“Oh. Was I mistaken?”

Nillia was embarrassed.

Of course Lee Han wouldn’t tell her to shoot arrows at the Baldrogard students—he wasn’t crazy.

“Rise, warriors of bone!”

Lee Han threw bone powder out the window, and skeleton warriors rose up.

He pointed at the skeletons.

“You’re supposed to shoot those.”

“……”

Now Nillia was shocked at Lee Han’s extreme thinking.

Summoning skeleton warriors and shooting them with magic arrows on a noble’s estate?

Of course, that was obviously not okay.

The two Baldrogard students started screaming.

“Aaaaahhhh!”

“S-skeleton! Undead! It’s undead!”

“Why are you so worked up about a skeleton?”

Gainando asked in disbelief.

The madman from Einrogard who knew only magic was of no help to either of them.

Ingsen, who’d barely recovered, teared up and shouted to everyone else.

“Un-undead! It’s undead!”

“Of course it’s the undead—does that look like a living person to you?”

“Why are you all so calm!!”

Ingsen screamed at Gainando in an almost fit.

Gainando’s indifference—as if he was just seeing a dog wandering the yard—drove Ingsen even madder.

Yoner, seeing this, hurried Nillia.

“Hurry up. Take it down!”

“Ah, okay!”

Nillia hurriedly enchanted her bow and summoned her spirit.

With a heavy resonance, powerful energy swirled around the bow. Sensing the urgency, the spirit helped aim at the tip of her arrow.

Thud!

The arrow struck the skeleton warriors dead-on. Friends clapped at the way the skeletons shattered.

“That’s Nillia for you.”

“Hmph. If Lee Han had summoned them stronger, set up bone shields, and cast curses…”

“It’s not time for a dark magic brag, Gainando.”

“Oh, everyone? Look over there.”

“?”

The friends belatedly noticed the two Baldrogard students had collapsed onto the floor.

“Uh… you two. Look out the window! The skeletons are gone! Nothing to worry about!”

“That’s right. Miss Nillia finished them off! Please, get up and see!”

“M-my legs…”

Priest Siana began whacking the Baldrogard students’ backs with her staff at their excuses.

Other friends rushed in, flustered, to stop her.

“Don’t hit them!”

“You said your legs gave out…”

“Wait, does smacking their backs bring back the strength in their legs?”

“No, I was just annoyed and hit them.”

Fortunately, the two were so dazed they didn’t even realize they’d been smacked.

They finally got up and, seeing the shattered skeletons, heaved sighs of relief.

“There… really gone!”

“Strictly speaking, a skeleton isn’t alive to begin with—mmph.”

Ratford clamped Gainando’s mouth shut.

Now was not the time for a dark magic lecture.

“Who brought them down?”

“Nillia here. She combined enchantment and spirit magic.”

“…!”

Ingsen was shocked.

Just doing one was difficult, but using both in combination to bring down skeletons?

Unbelievable magical skill.

“A… amazing!”

“No way. And she’s not even a noble?”

At Bashiu’s mutter, Yoner’s previously friendly tone snapped.

“This brat—really.”

“Sorry?!”

“What?”

“W-what did you just…”

“I didn’t say anything.”

The friends all nodded in unison.

“Yeah, you didn’t say anything.”

“Maybe seeing undead has made you a bit weak-hearted?”

“Th-that’s probably it…”

Ingsen and Bashiu, still shell-shocked, nodded with vacant eyes.

The image of the skeleton warriors outside was seared into their memory.

They’d heard that meeting evil beings could shake a person’s soul—but they hadn’t expected it would make them hear things…

“Miss Nillia, thank you so much for your kindness. That was truly incredible magic. You saved our lives…”

‘Isn’t that a bit much?’

Nillia was startled inside.

Who would die from something like that?

“I didn’t really see it properly anyway.”

Bashiu grumbled beside her, his pride latching onto whatever he could.

But before he could finish, Lee Han shouted from outside.

“Nillia, ready!”

“…What?”

Without them noticing, Lee Han had gone outside and was setting up the next demonstration.

Realizing it, Nillia and the others were shocked.

What exactly had he prepared?

Outside were various defensive magic spells Lee Han had cast. Nillia tilted her head and asked,

“You want me to aim at these targets?”

To her, they didn’t look much different from skeletons.

“Yeah. But hang on.”

Lee Han went over to the Baldrogard students, grabbed their arms, and pulled them behind a shield.

“Okay. Just shoot at us!”

“……”

“…?!!”

Inviting her to shoot arrows at them with a confident look, Lee Han left the two students on the verge of collapse.

Nillia, feeling this was too much, faltered.

“T-this is a bit…”

“I realized this would be the best way for you to appreciate magic. You’ll really feel it this way.”

“…Aren’t they scared?”

Breaking free from Ratford, Gainando quickly yelled,

“He said he couldn’t really see it properly last time—he’s disappointed!”

“Oh, perfect. He’ll get a much better view now.”

Lee Han happily put an arm around each of their shoulders.

At that unexpected strength, the color totally drained from the two’s faces.

Ingsen glared at Bashiu with murderous intent.

“You… never say stupid things like that again…”

“I-I didn’t kno… didn’t mean… sp-please…”

“Ha ha. You won’t die. Don’t worry. Nillia, fire!”

• * *

After that, Lee Han showed off several more of his friends’ spells.

And the more he did, the more the Baldrogard students withered and lost their will to live.

But Lee Han paid no attention to that change.

His mind was just full of wanting to clearly impress outsiders with how great his friends’ magic was.

“Deorgyu. Ratford. Step outside for a bit. Looks like this next one’ll need some prepping.”

“What should we do?”

“How about Demon Illusion Bloody Slash?”

As the three went out, Ingsen rolled his eyes like a cornered rat, then quietly slipped out the door.

“?”

“Where’s he going?”

“Trying to run away?”

At Gainando’s comment, the half-hazed Bashiu snapped awake.

‘N-no way…?’

The other friends rebuked him as if he was being ridiculous.

“There’s still another friend here. He wouldn’t run, would he?”

“That’s exactly why—if they left together, it’d be suspicious. So he left his friend behind and ran for it.”

“As if anyone would actually do that.”

Five minutes later.

Ingsen returned with Lee Han.

Lee Han smiled kindly and patted Ingsen’s back.

“Oh dear. You got lost? These grounds are big.”

“H-How did you find me…?”

“When I saw someone leaving, I tracked your footprints. Good thing I found you quickly! It’d be pretty funny to get lost in the estate, right? Haha.”

“H-ha ha ha…”

Ingsen laughed dryly, looking like he wanted to die.

He thought he’d escaped, but the boy from the Wardanaz family had popped up right behind him.

“Well, rest up then. I’ll just be prepping another spell.”

“Wardanaz, aren’t we showing too many spells at this point?”

“Are we?”

“!”

Nillia’s words moved them for real.

Among the cold-blooded, ruthless mages in this parlor, someone was finally thinking of their well-being.

“Then let’s just do one more spell…”

“!”

“And let’s have you two show us a magic next. It’d feel bad if it was only us showing off, right?”

‘It really is a magic hell!’

Only now did they realize it.

This was magic hell.

Like something out of a storybook.

Mischievous brats dragged off to a wicked sorcerer’s lair.

A place from which one could never escape—a true, eternal magic hell.

No one would come to help.

They would be stuck here, forever trapped between one spell and the next, lost in despair.

Convinced he’d never see his house or seniors again, Ingsen burst into tears.

And, while Lee Han was away, pleaded with the only one he could trust.

“Please!”

“Huh?”

“Please, Miss Nillia. Show us mercy!”

“M-me? What should I…”

“Let us escape!”

“Go ahead and escape then.”

Nillia wondered what was wrong with these guys.

Why were they babbling like people who couldn’t think straight?

If they just said they had urgent business, Lee Han would let them go.

‘…Or would he? Maybe not?’

“If we run, we’ll be caught by the Wardanaz family archmage…”

‘How do they know Lee Han’s nickname?’

Nillia found it strange.

“What about sneaking out?”

“We’ll still get caught! If we leave the parlor, he’ll spot us! I’m telling you, we’ll get caught…!”

Bashiu begged sincerely.

“Miss Nillia, I apologize for being jealous. I was so envious of your great magic that I couldn’t help myself.”

“Eh??”

“But now I understand. You’re the only one who cares about us. Please! Let me offer this apology. Just one more act of mercy…”

The two pleaded to Nillia in tears.

They were so earnest that Nillia couldn’t even call for her friends.

“Uh… I do have some invisibility potion.”

“!!”

“That trick…!”

‘Are these really magic school students?’

Trying invisibility in a dangerous place was the first thing any Einrogard student would do.

Holding back her disbelief, Nillia said,

“But then your footprints will give you away.”

“Ugh…!”

“Actually, there’s a solution for that.”

“Miss Nillia!!”

“If you crawl through those bushes, you can get to the front gate without leaving a trace.”

As she gave these directions, Nillia felt a little embarrassed.

As a Shadow Patrol member herself, even she’d felt ashamed crawling through the undergrowth—would two noble-borns really manage it?

“I doubt you can pull it off though…”

“Thank you, thank you!”

“We’ll never forget this favor! If we have a child, we’ll name them Nillia!”

“…Don’t really do that.”

Nillia refused with a straight face.

• * *

After finishing with Deorgyu and Ratford, Lee Han returned to the parlor only to find two fewer people.

“Where’d they go?”

“N-not sure. I think they went home?”

“And left their reagent pouch?”

“I guess they forgot it…”

“How did I not notice? Hmph.”

“M-maybe you were too focused on the magic?”

Lee Han shrugged at Nillia’s suggestion.

Now that he thought about it, maybe that was it.

“Why are you sweating so much, Nillia?”

“I-it’s hot in here. Y-you know! I’m from the Northern Mountains! Shadow Patrol hunters wear nothing but a thin layer even in the dead of winter!”

“Last time I saw Shadow Patrol, they were all bundled up.”

“……”

Thankfully, Lee Han didn’t ask any more and just sat down.

“Too bad, after all that prep. Maybe they had urgent business?”

“What should we do with their reagent pouches?”

“Hmm… Annoying, but it can’t be helped. I’ll have to send a letter—let them know I’ll deliver them personally.”

“Mr. Wardanaz, you’re so kind.”

“This is nothing, really.”

Nillia had a strong feeling that those two students would suddenly be ‘sick’ starting today.