Episode 677

Episode 677

“Ah, no. The professor took care of them so diligently…”

When Lee Han spoke in an embarrassed voice, the skeleton principal replied nonchalantly.

“That’s one thing and this is another. Don’t expect the same kind of loyalty from a magical creature as you would from a person.”

Although Professor Bendozol took great care, the unicorn had a duty to choose the best environment to raise its offspring.

When the unicorn’s foal got scared seeing Professor Bendozol earlier, it simply had no choice but to reconsider.

No matter how excellent the magic or how much effort had been put in, the unicorn first had to win the foal’s favor.

“The professor will be sad if he finds out.”

“No. Professor Bendozol will actually be happy because the unicorn is smart.”

“……”

At the skeleton principal’s words, Lee Han had no choice but to accept it.

Professor Bendozol was someone who would be pleased no matter what the unicorn did, pampering it for everything!

The unicorn, after contemplating, let out a low whine. The skeleton principal let out a “hmm” and placed his hand on his chin.

“Why is that?”

“Nothing. It made a request. I’ll grant it. It’s not a difficult request.”

‘What kind of request is that?’

Lee Han asked curiously, and the skeleton principal kindly explained.

“It wants you, a reliable fellow, to take care of the foal. I agreed.”

“……”

Lee Han was so dumbfounded that he was momentarily at a loss for words, then quickly composed himself and spoke.

“Why me?!”

“You’ll end up doing it anyway.”

“What?”

“Why are you pretending not to know? Once the next semester starts, you’ll be learning under Professor Bendozol, and under him, you’ll be taking care of all the vicious monsters he raises. Naturally, you’ll be caring for the unicorn as well, won’t you?”

“The professor could take care of the unicorn himself. Besides, the professor doesn’t seem to like me much.”

Lee Han resisted desperately.

But the skeleton principal answered coolly.

“Even if the professor tries to take care of the unicorn himself, the foal will dislike it, so he’ll call you. Regardless of whether Bendozol likes you or not, you have a knack for being loved by certain monsters.”

Gainando, who was hanging upside down, asked with a face red from blood rushing to it.

“Which monsters?”

“Rather than being scared and running away because of a lot of magical power, you’re especially attractive to monsters who are drawn in and approach you.”

“……”

Lee Han did not feel even a little pleased.

It was rather annoying that the nameless hunters beside him nodded in agreement.

The skeleton principal asked as if it was strange.

“Hasn’t Professor Bendozol complimented you?”

“He always complains, saying he doesn’t know why someone like me is getting all this affection.”

“There’s no better compliment than that!”

As the skeleton principal spoke, he lifted the entire environment where the unicorn was kept and sent it away on a pillar of black power.

Before leaving, the unicorn foal hesitated and cried at the skeleton principal.

The two unicorns traveled up the pillar to Einrogard.

“Professor Lightningstep. It seems things are settled―shall we go to Einrogard together?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“What about these hunters here?”

“If possible, please send them back to their own mountains as well…”

“It’s troublesome, but I suppose there’s no helping it.”

The skeleton principal prepared to send Professor Lightningstep’s group back using the pillar of black power.

Before leaving, one of the nameless hunters who had assisted Lee Han this time approached.

“Thank you for your help.”

“I’m grateful as well. Please, take this.”

“?”

What the hunter handed over was an old arrow.

“It’s the token of the Nameless Hunters. Wherever there are Nameless Hunters in any mountain range, you can ask for help.”

“Thank you!”

“As we’ve hunted together, you’re a hunter as well. No need for thanks. And, if you’re interested in the Oath, try listening to the words of the token.”

“What does that mean…”

Perhaps the hunter didn’t intend to explain further, as he left with his companions up the black pillar.

Pop!

The skeleton principal yawned lightly and asked.

“And you all?”

“Please send us back to Flaher City.”

“Understood. See you next semester.”

After sending off all their friends, the skeleton principal finally looked at Lee Han.

“So, how do you feel?”

“Pardon?”

At the sudden question, Lee Han tilted his head.

He couldn’t guess what was being asked.

“Hmm, I guess I feel even more satisfied, now that I can turn you in and collect the bounty, Professor.”

“…Not that feeling…”

The skeleton principal considered giving Lee Han a smack, then held back and spoke.

“I heard you fought against Dochul?”

“Ah. Professor Bendozol was the only one who actually fought. I only held back the clones. It’s a peculiar monster.”

“It’s a troublesome creature with many annoying methods of attack. As you travel around Einrogard, you’ll see more monsters like it.”

“……”

Lee Han wasn’t sure why traveling in Einrogard would lead to seeing more monsters like that, but he just kept quiet and listened.

“Perhaps Dochul wasn’t able to use his powers because your attributes are a bad match for him, huh? At best, he’d use curses or dark elements, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But if its powers were a bit more physical or direct, you wouldn’t have been able to handle it so easily.”

Lee Han agreed with the skeleton principal.

Dochul was a threatening and persistent monster, but most of its means of attack, by chance, didn’t work on Lee Han.

Curses bounced off, and even attempts to deactivate magic power with dark elements didn’t work…

From Dochul’s perspective, it must have been thinking, ‘What is up with this guy?’

“I believe so.”

“What do you think you’d need to do to take it down more easily?”

“Uhmm.”

Faced with a question that was both easy and difficult, Lee Han pondered.

“I should probably learn more high-circle spells based on the magic I’ve already studied, shouldn’t I? A spell that could damage monsters like Dochul more, or bind its feet…”

“That’s half-right. Not wrong. You’ll probably learn more high-circle magic this year.”

“Yes. I’ll work on more third-circle spells…”

“Don’t talk about third-circle—learn at least ten fifth-circle spells.”

“?”

Lee Han couldn’t believe his ears.

Regardless, the skeleton principal kept talking.

“With that much, you’d be able to enter the realm of the Personal World. Once you can use that, dealing with creatures like Dochul will be much easier.”

“That sounds difficult…”

“It’s fine. I’ll talk to Professor Baegrek about it.”

“I’ll do my best!”

Lee Han replied urgently.

He didn’t know what this ‘Personal World’ was, but surviving came first.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded.

‘Is it even possible to learn ten fifth-circle spells?’

Fifth-circle spells were usually only learned by outstanding third or fourth-year students.

Being told to learn ten of them left Lee Han baffled, and he inevitably started thinking of loopholes.

‘If I just master the easiest ones, then somehow pretend like I’ve learned them all…’

“Ah. Principal.”

“?”

As the skeleton principal was about to send Lee Han via the pillar of black power, Lee Han turned his gaze.

“The disciple or ‘clone’ you mentioned earlier—what is that?”

“As anyone lives a long life, it’s only a matter of time before they gain an ungrateful disciple or an offshoot emotion that becomes a clone. In any case, be careful. And don’t go using your ring recklessly, either.”

“What do you even mean by tha—”

Perhaps the skeleton principal didn’t intend to answer any further, as he sent Lee Han off to the city.

The image of the skeleton principal waving goodbye was the last sight Lee Han saw in the Bitong Mountains.

• * *

“Huff… huff.”

“The motion sickness… ugh.”

Having been dropped on a field near Flaher City, the students staggered and suffered.

The greater the distance covered by dimensional gate magic, the more exponentially its difficulty and cost increased.

That Lee Han and his friends could be sent here from the Bitong Mountains was itself an absurd feat, but the skeleton principal did it as if it were nothing.

In return, the students suffered side effects: intense magic sickness.

For wizards who could sensitively sense their internal magical power, the sensation of their magic wildly fluctuating and moving about was unbearable.

“Li… Lee Han… save me.”

Hanging upside down, Gainando called for Lee Han. Lee Han found the skeleton principal’s transparent telekinetic spell and broke it with a counterspell.

“Lee Han, are you alright?”

“I think I’m okay. And Gainando, that’s not me, it’s a tree.”

As Gainando started talking to a tree, Lee Han rotated his body for him.

Fortunately, thanks to his resistance, it seemed he had avoided the motion sickness.

“Let’s all head back to the estate and rest. After all that trouble in the mountains…”

Even with those words, his friends were sprawled out and couldn’t get up.

Lee Han thought it best not to drag them by force, but to borrow a ride somehow.

“Could we catch a ride in your wagon, please? I’ll pay for it.”

“…Are you seriously asking?”

The driver who was driving a cargo wagon on the road looked at Lee Han with an incredulous expression.

A boy who by all accounts looked like he was from a noble family was asking to borrow a shabby cargo wagon.

“Yes.”

“And who are the people riding with you…?”

“My friends here.”

The driver glanced cautiously.

Just from their appearance, he could tell several were from noble families.

Especially the dark elf girl, who despite staggering, didn’t lose her dignified manner, making him wonder if she wasn’t from a great noble house.

After checking, the driver replied firmly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Sorry? Why not?”

“Are you serious? This is… a cargo wagon.”

The driver explained, trying to curb his bewilderment.

He had a wagon filled with rough straw, of all things, and now someone wanted to put noble scions aboard it.

Who knew what accusations he’d face later?

“You must not know how rough and dirty this wagon is.”

“Ah, no. We can ride it. We’re from Einrogard.”

“What does being from Einrogard have to do with riding a cargo wagon? Absolutely not! I’ll be in so much trouble!”

The cargo driver wouldn’t be swayed.

If he accepted the money and let them on, he feared the noble children might later accuse him of making them ride in ‘such a filthy place’.

“We can sleep on the streets and camp in the mountains, too…”

“Even if you lie like that, some things just aren’t possible. Sorry!”

The driver replied and hurried off.

It was clear he was scared of getting in trouble if he got caught.

Lee Han sighed and approached other wagons, but most of them rejected his request just as quickly.

“Sorry, Lee Han. For being born noble…”

“Are you laughing right now?”

“N-no, I’m not.”

Gainando tried to suppress a grin but flinched as Lee Han glared at him.

“I suppose we’ll have to find another type of carriage, not a cargo wagon, but who knows if that’ll work.”

Two- or three-person lightweight coaches weren’t big enough for all his friends. Lee Han waited for a larger carriage to show up and looked around.

Finally, a carriage of suitable size appeared. Lee Han quickly called out to the coachman.

“Excuse me, could you give us a ride? I’ll compensate you when we arrive at Flaher City.”

“Do you even know who is inside this carriage?!”

The coachman said in a trembling voice.

Afraid of how the occupant would react if they overheard, he looked anxious.

“Who is it?”

“A wizard!”

“We’re wizards, too.”

-What is going on out there?

A haughty voice came from inside. The coachman responded hurriedly.

“N-no, it’s nothing! Just someone asking for a ride!”

-I am a wizard. Do you still intend to ride with me?

“We’re wizards, too.”

At this unexpected answer, the wizard inside the carriage paused in silence.

Then spoke again.

-Which tower or guild are you from?

“We’re from Einrogard.”

Thud! Crash!

Amid the sound of people falling and things breaking inside the carriage, a reply came after a brief moment.

-Come… come in!