Episode 666

“Ah. I should pick up some snake feed.”

Eandurde tilted her head in confusion.

The snakes in her hair didn’t really need feeding.

“I’m alright?”

“Oh. Not you—this guy.”

Lee Han rolled up his sleeve and showed the tail of a baby basilisk wrapped around his arm.

The basilisk hissed in annoyance at Eandurde, flicking its tail menacingly.

‘Why does he keep something like that?’ Eandurde didn’t get it.

Maybe it was because Lee Han didn’t have an evil eye, so he carried one around?

Surely he didn’t just collect rare creatures for fun…

“Wait here, I’ll just run in and grab it.”

“I want to look around, too.”

“Just don’t try to eat anything.”

Eandurde patted her chest as if to reassure him. Lee Han and Deorgyu exchanged covert glances.

‘We better be ready to intervene if needed.’

‘Got it, Lee Han.’

The -Mangwijeomjeom Stable- in Flaher City used expansion magic to create stable grounds as large as a ranch inside the building.

Naturally, with such scale, they didn’t just handle horses. They had all sorts of imperial rare animals and monsters.

Lee Han looked around the inside, which seemed to be roughly cobbled together from wood.

-Those that fly.

-Those that walk.

-Those that crawl.

…

Just reading the sloppily scrawled signs over each pen gave a sense of the owner’s personality.

‘Hmm. The owner here must be as far from polite as the professors at Einrogard.’

“I’d like to buy a horse…”

“Go over there and see for yourself.”

“Right. I did. But which is sturdier, the brown or the black one?”

“They’re both sturdy.”

“No, but surely one is sturdier than the other—”

“Stop calling them ‘brutes.'”

“Sorry?”

“Stop calling them ‘brutes.’ They hear you.”

“What do you mean, hear me? The horses? The horses, what, are crazy?”

Nearby customers grinned, drifting quietly away.

Lee Han felt a premonition and steered Eandurde aside.

Bang!

An unlucky customer was ejected from the stable. The owner spat and came back.

Deorgyu muttered in shock.

“You don’t see people run businesses like this even in the north!”

“Seriously.”

“Lee Han, there are some regulars here. Why would they…?”

“They must be really good at their job?”

“But to put up with this?”

‘True, that’s a fair point.’

He’s got a sign listing types as “brute” himself, then goes off when a customer says “brute”… just like the professors at Einrogard.

“Maybe people deal with it for the quality, not because they’re friends. Who would be friends with someone like that…”

C-R-E-A-K—

“Lightningstep, sir! Welcome!”

The owner, who just moments before was fuming, now greeted Professor Lightningstep with a grin.

Clad in a leather jacket and riding goggles, Professor Lightningstep waved.

“How have you been, Skullbreaker?”

“Lightningstep, sir! Don’t embarrass me with that old nickname.”

“Ah. Sorry.”

They seemed to be close. Seeing the professor shake hands with the owner, the Einrogard students quietly averted their eyes.

But Lightningstep’s keen eyes caught them.

“Wardanaz. Choi. What are you doing here?”

“Just picking up some pet feed.”

“Go on up, then.”

The owner—Skullbreaker—yawned and pointed them to the back stairs.

The pet feeds were organized up there.

But Lightningstep stopped them to ask.

If it was Lee Han’s pet, it wouldn’t be normal.

“What kind of pet?”

“Um, sir, is it alright to say here?”

The owner yawned again and replied.

“This is where all sorts of rare animals come and go. No one will be surprised. Go ahead.”

“Basilisk.”

CRASHBANG!

Before Lee Han even finished, the other customers scrambled to flee the stable.

Professor Lightningstep gave the owner a look.

“You really shouldn’t underestimate Einrogard students.”

“No, sir! I’ve sold animals to Einrogard kids before, but never has anyone had a basilisk!”

The owner was genuinely aggrieved.

No matter how many rare creatures students brought… who brought a basilisk!?

• * *

With all the customers gone, the owner hung up a “Closed” sign and gave them a tour.

“This here is lower imp meat.”

“What effect does it have?”

“Tasty! Basilisks love it.”

“……”

“This here is kelpie meat.”

“And what effect—?”

“Tasty! Basilisks love it.”

Lee Han shook his head.

He saw Eandurde licking her lips and grabbed an extra chunk.

‘Going to have to grill that later.’

Feeding the basilisk tiny chunks of meat, Lee Han glanced at Professor Lightningstep, who was touring the ranch pens.

“Is it possible to bring these animals back to Einrogard?”

“Officially, no. The principal hates it.”

The skeleton principal really disliked when students tried to game the system with outside resources.

If she confiscated artifacts, she certainly wouldn’t allow animals.

“What about unofficially…?”

“It’s possible.”

Professor Lightningstep grinned.

Lots of upperclassmen already smuggled in animals for different purposes: polo, research, or just because they were cute…

Professor Lightningstep didn’t care, as long as it wasn’t a giant monster like an Immortal.

“But you already have Fongrif, don’t you? If you get another mount, he’ll get jealous.”

“It’s not for me—just asking because other friends were wondering. By the way, what brings you to Flaher, Professor? Touring duel clubs?”

“I’m not Baegrek. Why would I hit up duel clubs?”

“……”

Lee Han closed his eyes, already knowing his master’s reputation among the faculty.

‘Better not tell him I got banned too.’

“I came to Flaher because… hm.”

Lightningstep looked Lee Han up and down, then asked,

“You want a job for break? The pay’s decent, but if you don’t want to, you can refuse.”

“Is there really anyone who refuses a good-paying job?”

The professor stared at him like he was mad.

“Most students actually want to relax and have fun on break…”

“That’s a stereotype. My friends and I love working.”

“……”

Deorgyu gave Lee Han an unhappy look.

-That’s not true!

“So what’s the job? Nothing too dangerous, I hope?”

“Not dangerous. Just a bit of a hassle. You’ll be hiking mountains, camping out. We need to find a unicorn.”

Lightningstep produced a battered commission slip.

Looking for Someone!

Professor Vendosol of Einrogard

Went missing in the Bitong Mountains while searching for unicorns!

Reward paid regardless of life or death

– Osu Gonadaltes

“……”

“……”

“Do professors go missing too?”

At the junior’s innocent question, Lightningstep answered kindly.

“Actually, more often than students. They’re less cautious and take more risks.”

“I see. You’re going searching, then.”

Lee Han nodded.

He remembered that the original instructor for -Basic Mount Training- was Professor Vendosol.

But he disappeared looking for unicorns, so Lightningstep was drafted as a substitute.

He hadn’t searched before because teaching kept him busy, but now he had free time over break.

“Professor? What do you mean?”

“Sorry? Isn’t that a wanted poster for a professor?”

“Ah!”

Lightningstep laughed.

“Guess I didn’t explain enough! Like I said, there was a unicorn sighting in the mountains two weeks ago. I’m here to see it for myself.”

“Then why give me the wanted poster?”

“The map’s good.”

“……”

Lee Han checked the battered paper again.

The skeleton principal must have made it—this map of the Bitong Mountains was very detailed.

Maps in the Empire weren’t free, and for wild places like Bitong, you had to buy explorers’ maps, which always had errors.

But the skeleton principal’s maps could be trusted.

“Are you not looking for him?”

“Vendosol isn’t a child—he can take care of himself. If I went looking, he’d just get annoyed.”

Lee Han gave a skeptical look. Lightningstep protested.

“Really! You just don’t know him yet.”

“Professor Verdus would probably say something similar about a missing colleague…”

“Different! And why compare him to Verdus of all people?”

Grumbling, Professor Lightningstep stuck a pipe in his mouth.

“So will you go or not?”

“I’ll do it. Just need to find the unicorn, right?”

“Find the unicorn, and also round up anyone else hunting for it…”

“Work together?”

“Work together—?! No, chase them out of the mountains!”

“……”

Lee Han sent him the same skeptical look as before.

Lightningstep explained again.

“They’re poachers. They want to kill the unicorn for its corpse!”

Imperial law strictly forbade unicorn hunting.

Lightningstep was going not just to find the unicorn, but to stop poachers, too.

“I see. As expected of you, professor.”

“You know Thunderstep’s always complaining about you, right?”

• * *

When they heard about seeing a unicorn, all the friends were eager.

They prepared quickly and gathered outside town to await Professor Lightningstep.

“When’s the professor coming?”

“Soon, probably—”

Suddenly, a thunderous noise—the clattering approach of a wyvern herd.

People scattered in shock.

“Attack! Wyvern attack!”

“No, look—there’s someone riding!”

“It’s a raid! Wyvern bandit raid!”

As people screamed and fled, a group of hunters and rangers atop the wyverns shouted,

“Please don’t misunderstand, citizens! We’re not bandits!”

“I’m with the Wasteland Star-Catchers, and this guy’s an explorer…”

“We’re here with Mr. Lightningstep to protect the Empire’s unicorns! We only borrowed these wyverns for the mission!”

But before they could finish, merchants started angrily hurling tomatoes and eggs.

The hunters and rangers dove behind their wyverns’ wings for cover.

“Idiots! Who brings a whole herd of wyverns into town!”

“Look, there’s a flag!”

“Just because there’s a flag, you think you can parade giant monsters in here? Are you crazy! You there—aren’t you with the Shadow Patrol?!”

“Wasteland Star-Catchers…!”

Lee Han and his friends quietly turned away, pretending they saw nothing.