Episode 818

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Lee Han felt like Direte’s eyes were saying, ‘A 5th year getting healing from a junior? Just let him die.’

It seemed like Yukveltire was also saying something with his eyes, but Lee Han didn’t care to interpret that.

“Your arm is really… shattered.”

“It’s because your magic was so powerful, junior.”

Even with his arm twisted like one of Gainando’s favorite candies, Catten smiled contentedly.

Lee Han almost punched him, but held back. If he hit him, the other two seniors might take it as a signal and attack Catten as well.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It hurts. But I’m used to pain. I trained in the punishment room.”

‘Did he go to a different punishment room than me…?’

Lee Han wondered to himself at Catten’s words.

Maybe if you failed enough times or got strong enough, you got sent to a harder punishment room.

Otherwise, it made no sense for someone to take training so intense they could withstand this kind of injury.

“Can I ask about that magic?”

“Please, be quiet. I need to concentrate.”

Lee Han focused, trying to figure out how to heal this battered arm with his healing magic and alchemy skills.

Oblivious, Catten cheerfully chattered about the magic he’d seen earlier.

“Junior, was that magic you used earlier a condensed-chant spell?”

“…It was cast wordlessly. Hey. Jahan. Shut your mouth. The junior is concentrating.”

Unable to stand it, Direte shut Catten up.

Of course, anyone who just shuts up because you told them wouldn’t make it to Einrogard 5th year, so Catten simply redirected his attention.

“Then, Direte, you can tell me.”

“…It’s a 5th circle telekinesis spell. Okay? He specializes in instant and silent casting.”

“Ooh…!”

Hearing about a spell not rote-learned but completed through holistic understanding and personal flair, Catten’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Would you please stop moving?!”

Lee Han lost his patience as Catten attempted to take notes, full of enthusiasm.

Direte, exasperated, sighed and advised,

“It’d be better to call a healing school mage. This is past even compound fracture level.”

“I’d feel bad making senior healers deal with this…”

“That’s what their school is for.”

At Yukveltire’s words, Lee Han nodded and carried on as if he hadn’t heard.

“It just feels wrong to make them struggle through this.”

“That’s what their school is for, though.”

“Yes, yes. I just wanted to try doing it myself, but this isn’t easy.”

“…How about using this?”

Yukveltire took out the glass mirror artifact he’d used in combat.

Lee Han recoiled in surprise.

“You want to burn off the mangled arm?!”

“That’s a bit much…”

Catten shook his head awkwardly. As brutal as things were, losing an arm was a bit much.

“Yukveltire’s glass mirror wasn’t made for combat. You can use it in battle, but it’s meant for searching and investigation.”

Direte stepped in to explain for her friend, sensing things might soon get dangerous for him.

“It can show you structures inside objects or artifacts, and even be used on the human body. You can give it commands, too. It’ll help you fix the arm.”

On Direte’s command, the mirror artifact began to outline Catten’s shattered arm with beams of light.

“…Stick together!”

Following each step, Lee Han was amazed.

He’d had doubts at first, but the glass mirror really did seem to know how to fix Catten’s arm.

A wreck so bad he didn’t even know where to begin was mended bit by bit with each healing spell cast.

‘Did she even include foresight magic? With the calendarium too… impressive.’

Impressed, Lee Han spoke to Direte.

“This and the bronze golem before, really amazing.”

“Right?”

Direte basked in vicarious pride at her friend’s compliment.

Catten, too, surreptitiously rubbed his nose with satisfaction.

“Indeed. Yukveltire is excellen—”

“Why are you so happy about it?”

“We’re the same year, aren’t we?”

Yukveltire, who’d been quietly listening, spoke up.

“The artificial dimension spell is several times more advanced than this—”

“I’m not interested in that.”

Watching his friend’s trembling fingertips, Catten whispered to Direte,

“He seems mad.”

“He is mad.”

• * *

After about an hour of work, Catten’s arm was mostly restored.

“For the rest, take healing potions steadily for a week.”

“Hey. The junior really worked hard. If you have any conscience, you should appreciate it.”

Direte scolded Catten.

If he were a top healing mage like Professor Alcassis, he could have conjured a perfect healing solution in his head and healed it all at once. But their junior was just a 2nd year.

He had to borrow the mirror’s power and heal, spell by spell, stitch by stitch. If he hadn’t had an overflow of mana, he’d have collapsed already.

“I know. Junior, call on Catten of House Jahan for any job you need in the future and I’ll truly help.”

“Senior…!”

Thumping his chest and saying this, Catten moved Lee Han a little.

With a companion like this feline beastkin senior, there didn’t seem to be anything to fear.

“That’s a laugh. You’re always in the punishment room. When are you going to help?”

“Statistically, I think the chances you actually help Wardanaz’s junior are lower than the chances you don’t.”

But unlike Lee Han, Direte and Yukveltire weren’t fooled.

They knew well that once the semester started, Catten would be spending even more time in the punishment room.

At this sharp criticism, Catten floundered.

“This semester, I’ll try not to go in…”

“If you were that kind of guy, you wouldn’t have gone in to begin with.”

“I remember you said that last year, and the year before that. What guarantees this year will be any different?”

Direte and Yukveltire mercilessly bashed Catten. The feline’s ears drooped in shame.

Lee Han stepped in as he couldn’t stand to watch.

“This year could be different.”

“Yes… Yes, with junior from House Wardanaz helping my magic this time…”

“And you’re bragging about that? You shameless jerk.”

“Are you okay with wasting the junior’s time like that?”

“……”

Direte, who’d joined in the bashing, glanced at her friend.

…Aren’t you the last one who should say something like that?

Sensing her stare, Yukveltire cocked his head in confusion.

“It’s nothing. Look forward.”

“Well… I might be wasting the junior’s time… but I’m teaching swordsmanship… and now that he’s awakened aura, I’ll be even more help…”

“Yes. It will be helpful.”

“Junior, do you agree?”

Direte glared disapprovingly at the White Tiger Tower senior hiding behind Lee Han.

Even after Catten disappeared, promising to teach him swordsmanship next time, Direte kept glowering.

“Senior, he’s gone.”

“I was glaring in case he came back to spout more nonsense. Junior, having awakened aura… I’m not the one to talk, but be careful—not all talent makes things easier.”

“I know.”

“You do, huh. Still feels strange to say. For now, let’s move the duke-barrel.”

“The barrel?”

“Yeah? Oh—the barrel. His grace the duke—whatever, let’s move him! Hurry!”

Luckily, there were no new ambushes. The three quickly carried the barrel to the underground workshop of the Black Hall.

Clearing her throat, Direte waved her staff. The toad demon spat the barrel out.

“All right. Now, when we restore his grace the duke—who’s going to speak?”

One was sociable but just a second-year, one was a 5th-year but Yukveltire.

Direte gave up quickly and decided.

“I’ll talk. Even if we got permission, we did abduct him, so let’s show at least a little courtesy, all right?”

“……”

Lee Han looked around the underground workshop of the Black Hall. It was filled with iron bars for imprisoning undead, bloodstained manacles and chains, restraints for demons…

‘This is way past the point of courtesy…’

But it was true that it was safe from other students plotting to kidnap the duke anew.

Even if it was a little too scary for allies.

“Yukveltire, Senior. Still, isn’t it kind of wrong to keep the duke in a place like this?”

Lee Han, not wanting to increase Direte’s worries, addressed the other senior.

Yukveltire answered promptly.

“There’s nothing dangerous here, so why not?”

“Haha. True.”

‘Shouldn’t have asked.’

With just one answer, Lee Han realized he’d asked the wrong person.

Pop!

With a spell, the barrel transformed back into Duke Ikaldoren.

Duke Ikaldoren still shivered at the lingering memory of the pitch-black, sticky inside of the toad demon.

“Your grace…”

“You mad mages! All mages like you should be wiped out! Now I see why anti-magic zealots exist!”

Direte was embarrassed.

It was honestly hard to dispute him.

“We apologize for the rudeness of our students. But we really had no choice, your grace.”

“No imperial magic school could be as rude and evil as you!”

“Your grace. About the sponsorship…”

“Sponsorship?! You dare speak of sponsorship—”

“Senior, shall we just call the death knights?”

Unable to take it anymore, Lee Han cut in.

It wasn’t even Direte’s idea to turn him into a barrel, but she was taking the brunt of the anger.

No matter how noble the duke, this was too much.

“What did senior do wrong for you to act like this?”

“W-well, I was the one who stuffed you in a demon’s belly…”

“We had permission for all this. If you keep this up, it seems right to call the death knights.”

“……”

The duke stared at Lee Han, trembling with a mix of shock, fear, horror, and despair.

The threat of summoning the death knights stabbed at his heart sharper than anything else.

“You… you… you, you’re the boy from House Wardanaz.”

“…Right.”

“I-I knew it… Were you hiding your intentions while doubting me…”

“That wasn’t it.”

Lee Han tried to protest.

The incidents where he met the duke outside school were just coincidences.

And they’d actually gotten along, hadn’t they?

Sure, the duke was a bit eccentric, but both sides got what they wanted.

“You expect me to believe the Headmaster’s disciple came to me with no ulterior motive? Even now you’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

“No…”

Duke Ikaldoren seemed to resolve something and clamped his mouth shut.

He was determined not to say another word, convinced that Lee Han was just toying with him.

Since he’d stopped listening, Lee Han thought for a moment, then made a decision.

“Your grace.”

“…?”

“Just hand over the gold.”
“Yes… yes, I will..!”