Episode 798

“You just said I boarded, didn’t you?”

“When you drift at sea, you board and disembark, that’s all. No matter how rushed you are, you never set out before the ship’s been repaired.”

‘That metaphor feels forced.’

Lee Han had admired her figure of speech before, but now it just felt made up.

He spoke with a hint of complaint.

“I finally learned it, so I wish I could find a safe way to use it, rather than putting it off because it’s hard…”

-Who… who smashed this place up?

A startled voice came from below. Apparently some upperclassmen on the lower floor had discovered the scene of destruction while walking down the hall.

“Oh dear.”

Lagesa seemed taken aback herself, as if she hadn’t anticipated this.

“How do we fix this?”

“What?”

“This. The part that’s all broken.”

Einrogard’s main building was almost alive—burn or destroy something and it would be restored with time, but that didn’t mean you could just walk away after wrecking it.

While it was repairing, what about those who had to pass by and suffered the consequences?

The old pirate cackled.

“What’s my profession?”

“Pardon? You’re a pirate.”

“That’s right. Not a carpenter, mason, or blacksmith, am I?”

“No.”

“Then let’s run!”

Lagesa spun and started bolting away with her chain-bearing pirates.

Lee Han, who had been briefly dazed, realized and hurried after them.

‘…Once this is over, I really shouldn’t hang out with pirates anymore.’

No matter how he thought about it, pirates just weren’t safe company.

• * *

Lapardel, who joined Einrogard’s dueling club this year, always had one lingering question.

‘Why do we have that?’

No Admittance to Professor Baegrek (report to Professor Ku if discovered on premises)

A newly added phrase next to the club rules engraved on old bronze.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out why that clause was there.

Had Professor Voladi done something?

-Senior?

-Oh, Gral. Ask me anything.

-Professor Baegrek…

-Sh-shut up! You insolent and rude brat. How dare you even ask something like that?

-???

Even a senior who was normally kind because they were from the same tower would react with almost a nervous fit when you asked about Professor Voladi.

So Lapardel—and all the other second-years—had no choice but to leap to wild speculation.

“Did he borrow money from Professor Baegrek and not pay it back?”

“Professor Baegrek doesn’t seem the type. He just seems blunt and boring in lectures.”

“Didn’t Wardanaz once say something different…”

Unfortunately, no one actually knew the truth about Professor Voladi.

There was one person who did, but he wasn’t there.

“What did Wardanaz say, again?”

“Something about having a hard time because of the professor, maybe?”

“…Isn’t that just normal? Pretty standard.”

“He said the professor gives too much homework.”

“That’s normal too?”

The second-year students could only imagine Professor Voladi “like a blind man describing an elephant.”

Just then, another senior, Palga from the Ukim family, arrived. Lapardel bowed, happy to see a fellow White Tiger Tower member.

“Senior.”

“Oh, Gral. Good to see you. Out here practicing?”

“Yes.”

“Just as well. Next week is club week, right? I hear we’ve even got a guest visiting our club.”

“!”

The second-year students’ eyes sparkled.

At Einrogard, just hearing that an outsider was coming got students excited.

By the time they became upperclassmen, even an unsanctioned intruder sparked anticipation.

Once you’d been at Einrogard long enough, outsiders just seemed like walking treasure chests—bringing news and goodies from beyond the walls.

Even apart from that, anyone visiting to offer club lessons was always welcome.

“That’s great!”

“Who is it?”

“But Professor Ku has been really busy lately, hasn’t he? How did he even send an invitation?”

Palga answered each junior’s question in turn.

“It’s good news. I don’t know who it is yet, but I hear they’re an expert dueling mage. As for that last question, hmm… Good point.”

Palga seemed unsure about that last part.

He was sure Professor Kirmin Ku had been too busy to breathe lately.

-Professor, about inviting a guest for club week…

-Sorry, sorry! Ukim. I’ve just been so swamped lately, what with the principal’s assignments. Don’t worry, though—I’ll make sure an external guest is invited.

-If you’re too busy, it’s fine…

-No, as a professor I couldn’t let this pass. I’ll invite one for sure, all right?

Club week looked like a fun festival, but beneath the surface, it was built on the sweat and tears of Einrogard’s wizards.

Some “flashy” clubs would draw outside interest without even trying, but others had to send out invitations and prepare just to save face.

Just like the schools of magic.

Some schools had professors who were beaver beastkin and still had disciples lining up; others had the nicest fifth-years in Einrogard, but could barely attract freshmen.

So it made sense that even Professor Kirmin Ku would promise invitations to the dueling club.

The dueling club wasn’t one that drew floods of outsiders on its own.

“Still, Professor Ku knows a lot of people. Maybe he sent out invitations whenever he had a spare moment.”

“I see… Professor Ku is amazing. Just sending invitations at all is a lot of work even if you have time!”

The new members of the dueling club looked up with true respect.

Having a professor interested in your club was real luck at Einrogard.

“…Palga, honestly, I was worried about Professor Baegrek.”

One classmate, returning after talking with juniors, whispered.

“What a dark thing to say.”

Palga looked stern.

Some things, however joking, crossed a line. Why bring up Professor Baegrek here?

“Think about it. Professor Ku has been so busy. Sending out invitations takes time, and Professor Ku has done—well, you know.”

Professor Kirmin Ku was one of the rare popular professors at Einrogard, and even the dueling club kids admitted it.

But even she had a dark, horrible chapter in her past: she had once invited Professor Voladi to the dueling club.

The members had to endure three days in a sealed room with Professor Voladi for the sole “offense” of saying they wanted to get stronger.

“……”

Thinking of those painful days left Palga short of breath and pale.

He’d almost had his trauma triggered during winter break just running into her…

“It’s fine. I checked on Professor Baegrek—he’s in the underground classroom, definitely not our guest. And she said it’s definitely an outside guest.”

“Really? Phew. Guess I’m just being paranoid.”

His friend apologized.

After all, Professor Voladi wasn’t going to turn up as an “outside guest.”

“No, I get you. Someday we’ll have to tell the juniors the truth, too.”

“I… I’m scared. What if they learn what Professor Ku did, what will they think?”

“You can’t keep the truth hidden forever…”

Bang!

Before he finished speaking, the club door burst open and an old woman strode in.

Her pirates, draped in chains, followed. The old woman rolled her eyes as she checked out the students.

“This the dueling club?”

“Uh, yes. That’s right.”

“Good. I’m Lagesa, daughter of Torgard. Pirate, captain, and admiral.”

“?”

Palga tilted his head.

Wasn’t there something odd about that: captain, admiral, and… pirate?

“Did you just say pirate…?”

“I was invited. So here I am. I hear you lot are the fools pretending at dueling, aren’t you?”

“No! What do you mean, pretending!”

Palga and some other students were indignant.

The Einrogard Dueling Club formally represented as champions, even fighting for pay.

They battled for others’ gold and were braver and fiercer than ordinary duelists.

And she called it “pretending”?

“If I say it’s pretend, it’s pretend! Facing each other and waiting for a signal to fight—ha! How can that boring, drawn-out fighting be real?”

Swoosh!

Lagesa pulled out a wad of paperwork from her coat.

“Here’s a stack of duel contracts from ‘idiots’ who like that kind of thing. Heard you’d like these, so here’s a gift.”

“…!”

The dueling club members were shocked.

A big source of income was paid dueling on behalf of others.

Those fees required a steady stream of duel requests.

Who would have imagined she’d arrive with a fat stack like that?

“How did you get so many?”

“I have my ways!”

Lagesa laughed wickedly.

Once a pirate threatens someone, even non-duelists are eager to hire a stand-in duelist.

“Anyway. I’d like to give these to you… but not for free.”

“We expected as much. What do we need to do?”

A few students stepped forward, as if they’d seen it coming.

No wild mage would ever hand out a gift without a catch.

“We’ve got a novice pirate right here. Try beating this pirate.”

“????”

Lee Han, caught up while watching, was startled as he was suddenly thrust forward.

But his surprise was nothing compared to the junior dueling club members.

“Wardanaz, why are you there??”

“Professor asked me to guide her around the school.”

“Professor Ku?”

“No, P—”

“Enough chatter! Don’t talk so much before a fight! Save it for taunting each other!”

Lagesa cut them off, annoyed by the chitchat.

“Miss Lagesa, I don’t wish to fight the dueling club members…”

“That’s fair. Pirates don’t fight for free. For every person you beat, I’ll pay you this much gold.”

She spread her fingers wide. But Lee Han was doubtful.

“There are third-years here…”

Lagesa spread the other hand. Lee Han spoke firmly.

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Keeheehee. You know how to negotiate. Good! Give these fools a lesson. Got it?”

While Lee Han and Lagesa talked, the third-years shared glances behind them.

No matter how much of a genius, this guy was still a junior.

For the honor of the Dueling Club, there was no way they’d back down in fear from a lowerclassman.

“If he does all schools, we’ll have to go at him with our specialties.”

“I’ll go first. …Palga, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just… that guy’s Professor Baegrek’s disciple.”

“……”

“……”

While the seniors chatted, Lapardel asked Lee Han,

“Wardanaz, did Professor Ku ask you to handle this?”

“No, Professor Baegrek charged me with it. Ku asked Baegrek.”

“I see. By the way, can I ask—why is Professor Baegrek banned—”

Lapardel turned to inquire, only to find the seniors had already disappeared out the door.

“……”

“……”

“Well, we did learn something!”

Lagesa nodded in satisfaction.

Knowing when to run instead of standing your ground was vital wisdom for a mage.