Episode 670

-Help! Save us!

As the poachers screamed, Lee Han opened the stable door to check.

“Did you eat one? Hm. No, you didn’t.”

Fongrif scratched the wall in protest.

As if Lee Han saw him as some wyvern unable to control its appetite!

“There, there. I trust you. They were just screaming so much, I had to check. You all, quiet down.”

“S-save us! Please!”

“I already saved you. One more outburst, and I’ll let the basilisk loose.”

The remaining poachers glanced at each other.

…What’s a basilisk?

Bang!

Lee Han closed the door and walked out.

Outside, Frostwalker was looking at a wanted poster.

Feeling some kinship, Lee Han struck up a conversation.

“Looking at Professor Vendosol’s wanted poster? I have one, too.”

“Oh. No, it’s a poacher wanted poster. I knew I recognized that face—this Julban is quite notorious. There’s a bounty on him.”

“Really?”

Lee Han eyed him with a look that said, ‘A guy who just bungled his way into a lightning bolt has a bounty on him?’

“Hahaha. He got careless, but he’s quite infamous.”

“I see. Poachers must get careless often.”

It wasn’t really something Lee Han could say, being the person who just zapped without a single detection spell, but he said it brazenly.

‘It’d be nice if more of them let their guard down like that.’

If more wanted poachers like this Julban showed up, Lee Han could make a tidy sum before break ended.

“Think there’ll be more poachers?”

“Hmm. Hard to say. Could be, but I don’t think so.”

Frostwalker drew out a long brass telescope artifact and scanned the area.

Sure enough, where there’d been traces of people out and about before, now it was totally deserted.

“Poachers aren’t zealots, just sly thieves. After all the magic and Julban’s gang getting wrecked, they’ll have realized what they’re up against.”

Julban’s gang had only prodded because they thought there was a weak point.

Now that the gang was smashed, the rest figured out these mages were the real deal.

“Did they run out of the mountains, then?”

Lee Han asked, disappointed. Frostwalker didn’t notice the undertone.

“No. Poachers are persistent. They probably rushed further in to find the unicorn before us.”

At that, Gainando’s eyes popped.

“Shouldn’t WE hurry, then?”

“Don’t worry. You can’t just catch a unicorn by rushing in.”

Gainando sidled up to Lee Han and whispered,

“Uh, Lee Han, should we really trust him? Seems pretty wrong about a lot of stuff…”

“…Don’t be so hard just because he didn’t spot the poachers earlier.”

• * *

Poacher Akka was a loner, much more like a Shadow Patrol type (though they’d never admit it).

The Empire had people who found joy and fulfillment in taking down difficult, dangerous prey.

Hunters called these folk blessed by the hunter god, Jarmis.

They gave up ordinary happiness for the thrill and challenge of this life.

Akka was one of them.

‘I’ll catch the unicorn myself.’

From his coat he drew a censer compass.

Inside was a single hair from a unicorn’s mane; any unicorn hunter would pay dearly for such an item.

The smoke led the way toward the unicorn.

While the others fussed at the mountain’s edge, Akka crept alone toward his quarry.

“!”

He blinked at the beautiful, snowy figure in the distance.

He’d never been so mesmerized by prey—until now.

‘Found it!’

He carefully and slowly raised his crossbow.

A unicorn was a monster of great magic. If he failed in one shot, Akka could be killed.

But he didn’t care. He had to end it instantly.

The crossbow bolt reeked of evil; it was cursed to kill unicorns. The air shimmered as he loaded it.

‘Jarmis, let one of us die—’

The unicorn shifted. Akka’s pupils shook.

…Can unicorns shapeshift?

-■■■■■■!

The unicorn suddenly screamed in a human voice. A wave of soul-shattering shock struck Akka. His magical defenses shattered all at once.

And Akka understood in an instant. The seasoned hunter’s instincts screamed it:

This was NOT a unicorn.

“You… you…!”

“You wretched poacher, where do you get off going after unicorns? Your life isn’t worth a hundred unicorns!”

The last thing Akka saw before blacking out was a short, grumpy human mage stomping toward him.

Thump!

Professor Vendosol spat on the fallen poacher, then grabbed the censer compass.

He pulled out the mane hair and dispelled his magic. The “unicorn’s” beautiful hair changed back into Professor Vendosol’s real hair.

“These poachers are less competent than I thought. Thought they’d all come here, but they’re dawdling at the entrance?”

He growled in disappointment.

The trick of scattering fake unicorn hair had been inspired by the skeleton principal.

Thinking the compass would bring poachers to him, he was surprised they were still dithering by the entrance.

“This won’t do. I’ll take care of it myself.”

-■■■■…

“Don’t worry,” he assured the real unicorn. “I’ll protect you until you recover.”

Vendosol strode off.

His aura so fierce, even the fearsome monsters of Bitong Mountains parted before him.

• * *

“This area’s cleared.”

Three days later, Professor Lightningstep and the hunters returned.

Lee Han rushed over, bringing butter-rich hot coffee and freshly baked toast. Professor Lightningstep beamed admiringly.

“Why someone like you studies under Thunderstep, I’ll never know.”

‘That’s high praise.’

Professor and hunters wolfed down their coffee and toast. Search missions made even veteran hunters and patrols dog-tired.

“Any unicorn signs?”

“No. Found something else, though.”

“Poachers? We bagged a few, too.”

“!”

Patrolman Mrangsae jolted in shock. Lightningstep shot him a look.

—Told you so.

“Really caught them?”

“Our barn’s holding a few.”

Mrangsae glanced at the barn, nodding. Seemed quiet—probably only a couple caught.

“We found plenty of poacher traces. Wasn’t hard when they made no effort to hide. But there’s a problem…”

“?

“Someone’s hunting the poachers.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is. But I don’t know who it is, and that’s the problem.”

Lightningstep knocked back his coffee from a tin mug.

It was nice having the poachers handled, but an unexpected third party in the mountains was not.

Unicorns were already tough to deal with, and extra wild cards were never good.

“Isn’t it just other poachers fighting?”

“If it were, it wouldn’t look so professional. And poachers don’t usually fight before nabbing their prey.”

“What if another monster’s come down?”

“No poacher’s dumb enough to get hunted by the prey.”

Lee Han, listening in, asked with curiosity,

“Could Professor Vendosol be taking out the poachers? He was reported missing here.”

“……”

Lightningstep flinched, dropping his tin mug.

“Right, Vendosol!”

Students gaped at Lightningstep as if to say, you forgot him!?

“You said he went missing here…”

“Ah, ah, right. Forgot all about him. Come to think of it, if it’s Vendosol…”

He finally got it.

“So that’s the crazy bastard who’s been ambushing poachers like a beast—Vendosol. Makes sense he’s alive…”

“……”

The students, contemplating a new professor for next term, looked even more dejected, but Lightningstep didn’t notice.

Trying to look on the bright side, Lee Han suggested,

“If the professor’s here, won’t things go more smoothly?”

“Hmm.”

Lightningstep thought deeply, then downed another mug.

“No. In fact, it just makes things more complicated.”

The students’ faces fell further.

“If Vendosol’s around, it’s just more trouble for us. He’ll attack us, too.”

“…No, he wouldn’t.”

Gainando refused to believe it.

There’s no way a professor would attack students—well, okay, maybe there was.

“But surely he wouldn’t attack students he’s never seen before, unlike Professor Baegrek!”

“……”

Lee Han gave Gainando a sad look.

“You’ve only not met Vendosol, that’s why you can say that. He’s always a pain, but when he has rare animals, he’s worse. He probably won’t believe us, either. You’d best be careful. Just figure a crazy mage has been added to the mountain’s monsters.”

‘Isn’t there a single trustworthy professor in Einrogard?’

Lee Han was incredulous.

Finally found a professor in the mountains, and he had to be treated as a dangerous wild beast.

“Aaah!”

“!”

Everyone froze at a scream.

Lightningstep pulled out a vial of Hell’s Breath, ready to use. Only such prep would work on Vendosol.

“S-sorry, I just got spooked by all of Julban’s gang in there.”

Mrangsae apologized sheepishly.

He’d opened the barn door and been startled by the crowd of prisoners.

“Please save us!!”

Realizing there were new people about, the poachers screamed out.

Lightningstep said irritably,

“Shut the door, ruins my appetite.”

“No!”

Thud!

As the barn door slammed, the nameless hunters whispered, glancing at Lee Han.

To use a griffon as a jailer!

He was evidently born to be a beastmaster—no one had ever seen someone command a griffon like that.

Even a basilisk, too.

Half resigned, Lee Han just sat quietly.

‘Should have used cheaper coffee beans.’

“Lee Han, people say you’re beloved by monsters.”

It wasn’t an insult, surprisingly.

Lee Han actually felt a little good about it. His first impression seemed to have improved.

“Only the king of monsters gets that kind of love…”

‘Cheaper beans next time.’

Then suddenly the area went quiet.

The nameless hunters gestured to Professor Lightningstep. He took out a vial of Hell’s Breath and spoke.

“Vendosol’s really here. Wardanaz.”

“Yes?”

“Unleash your strongest spell outside.”

“……”