Episode 819

The thoroughly cowed Duke Ikaldoren hurriedly grabbed a quill and began signing, “I will sponsor Yukveltire’s artificial dimension research.”

None of the confidence of the master manipulator of imperial backrooms remained.

He was like a bankrupt tycoon at the end of his days, hands shaking as he wrote his will.

Lee Han and Yukveltire watched with satisfaction. Fortunately, Direte, still rational, grabbed both their shoulders and whispered.

“Hey. Hang on.”

“?”

“??”

The two looked at Direte, wondering what was wrong.

“…Didn’t I say we should at least be polite?”

‘Isn’t it settled? We just need to keep him locked up until the end of the week.’

“Don’t worry, senior. I’ll make sure he gets regular meals, too.”

Her friend nagged her, and her junior obliviously kept going, but Direte gritted her teeth and endured.

“Emrgrrmblgrrr…”

“Direte. Speak clearly. Don’t act undignified.”

“I think she means, ‘No matter what, this is too much…’”

As he spoke, Lee Han took a step back. Yukveltire looked curiously at his junior, not sure why he stepped away.

Thwack!

Direte rapped her friend on the head with the tip of her staff.

Yukveltire blinked in disbelief at the betrayal, looking as though the very heavens had fallen.

“W-why?”

“That’s what you ask?! Are you only going to do magic for one more year? The duke will eventually be released and go back, and you’ll make the imperial nobles blacklist you!”

“But…”

Yukveltire tried to argue.

There are plenty of high nobles in the Empire, and even if Duke Ikaldoren spread bad rumors out of spite, if you had outstanding magical skill, you could always find nobles who’d take an interest and sponsor you…

Thwack!

“And you’re having your junior get blood on his hands just for your research funding! And call yourself human!”

“But…”

He tried to reply again.

He wasn’t the one who’d actually issued the threat to the duke. But Yukveltire didn’t say another word.

He felt like if he spoke now, a curse would follow the staff this time.

Not setting up anti-curse wards when standing close to Direte had been a mistake. Yukveltire reflected on his naïveté.

“Senior, please calm down.”

Lee Han, hiding behind Yukveltire, tried to explain.

“To be honest, this duke was impossible to persuade. You know that, too, senior.”

“…He was scared almost incoherent, but still, if you’d tried… Hold on. It feels like you two have met before—something happen?”

“Just got invited a couple times, that’s all.”

“Really? Seems too intense for that.”

“At the end, I went with the principal to arrest him…”

Direte stared at her junior.

Shouldn’t you have led with that?

“No wonder he was going on and on about ‘the Headmaster’s disciple’… Sigh. If you want a long career as a wizard, making enemies isn’t helpful.”

“Even if Duke Ikaldoren spreads rumors for revenge, if you’re strong enough, you can always overcome—”

“Shut up.”

Direte silenced her friend, who for some reason only made things worse.

She didn’t care if Yukveltire made enemies by the dozen, but it worried her that Lee Han had gotten on the wrong side of an imperial duke so soon.

Having lots of enemies never helped a wizard’s career.

The Skull Principal would know that, and yet dragged Lee Han along to arrest him anyway.

Clearly it was meant to become a rumor—mean-spirited in the extreme.

Direte sighed so deeply that Lee Han grew concerned.

“Is the rumor about being the Headmaster’s disciple really that bad…?”

“No… You’ll get some respect.”

“But also plenty of hate.”

“Senior, please control yourself!”

Lee Han hastily grabbed Direte’s wrist. There was a green flash in her eyes—a sign that at least a poison curse was being prepped.

Yukveltire, not understanding, asked,

“I explained it, so why is she acting like this?”

“I get it… I guess a rumor like ‘Headmaster’s disciple’ really is a double-edged sword.”

Direte nearly said, “It’s more like a blade that only points at its owner,” but pitied her junior and held back.

With both her friend and junior down in the dumps, Yukveltire decided he should give some practical advice.

“Direte. If you’re that worried about him, there is a solution.”

“…What?”

“We just need to threaten Duke Ikaldoren more thoroughly. Make sure that even after he’s released, he won’t dare go against us.”

Having crossed the line beyond courtesy and reconciliation, it was better to scare him enough to prevent any trouble down the road.

Lee Han was tempted.

“Could you explain in detail—”

“Hey. Outside. Now.”

‘But I wanted to hear more…’

At Direte’s icy voice, Lee Han regretted not getting to listen.

If he had the chance, he resolved to ask Yukveltire for details later.

On this sort of thing, a disciple of Professor Verdus felt especially reliable.

• * *

After mediating the seniors’ dispute and guiding the duke to a warm bed in the Black Hall’s underground (warmed quite nicely by a corpse-burning stove next door), Lee Han returned to the dorm as if nothing had happened.

From the 7th floor, students and seniors who’d had their eyes on sponsors also trickled back, finishing their own business.

“Thanks for your hard work, Senior Perse.”

“It wasn’t too hard. The polo club’s sponsors are mostly good people, and we get support from the imperial polo association… Oh, right, junior. I heard you got a personal sponsor as well? Truly the master of basilisk and griffin.”

Perse looked at the junior who’d made such great achievements with a respectful gaze.

It never even occurred to her that an ancient being had awakened and come bearing hidden treasure.

Lee Han gave a polite, superficial smile.

“I was lucky.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it. By the way, have you heard the rumor about the duke?”

Perse asked all the juniors gathered, not just Lee Han.

The 2nd-years of Blue Dragon Tower nodded.

“Of course.”

“If you catch the duke, do you really get his weight in gold?”

‘How fast does word get around?!’

Lee Han was a little flustered.

He hadn’t expected it to spread so much that even his friends knew.

Perse’s face tightened with concern.

“Just in case, don’t go getting greedy over the Duke Ancalden.”

“It’s Ikaldoren, senior.”

“Ah, yes, Ikaldoren. That’s right, Ikaldoren. Don’t get greedy about him.”

Mid-explanation, Perse paused.

How did her junior know the name so precisely?

‘Well, he listens to every school’s classes, so he must hear rumors fast.’

“If the principal locked him up, you can bet he’ll cough up a big ransom, but the competition will be fierce. There are even rumors that 5th-year seniors are after him.”

“That’s too much! Shouldn’t 5th years just get ready for graduation?!”

“Enough! That’s too harsh. Show respect to upperclassmen in 5th year. Don’t you have any compassion?”

‘That’s harsher than anything Perse-senior said…’

Lee Han muttered to himself.

“Don’t worry, senior. We’re not after the duke.”

“Yeah. I heard even the 6th floor hallway got wrecked because 5th years were fighting over the duke.”

“……”

Feeling his own actions blending into rumors, Lee Han shivered.

So this is how rumors are made!

Thanks to this, the 2nd-year students seemed much less interested in the duke.

Hearing that upperclassmen were fiercely competing, their own ambitions cooled.

Some friends, claiming not to care, whispered to Lee Han.

“Wardanaz, you really don’t care?”

“Truly, truly don’t care?”

“I said I don’t.”

“Phew, good. Then I don’t care either.”

“Me too!”

“……”

Their loyal friendship—ready to join Lee Han if he tried to kidnap the duke—left him speechless.

“I’m glad you don’t care. I wasn’t going to bring it up, but in White Tiger Tower there’s a 5th-year senior—Catten of House Jahan, a master swordsman who wields aura freely.”

“He must be great at magic too?”

“Uh, yes, I suppose so. Anyway, he joined the duke struggle and his arm got wrecked. That just shows how tough the competition is. Be careful, okay? If you get caught trying to snatch the duke, you might end up in the infirmary instead of detention.”

“We’ll be careful!”

“How about you, junior?”

When Lee Han didn’t answer, Perse asked with a stern voice.

A student like him, who took every school’s classes, might get involved in anything. She had to make sure.

“I’ll be careful too!”

“Good. That’s all I wanted.”

“But, senior, isn’t that rumor about Catten of House Jahan getting his arm broken just a hoax? I can’t believe someone like him got hurt.”

Lee Han quickly tried to spin public opinion.

But Perse shook her head.

“No, it’s true. I heard it directly.”

“…From whom?”

Lee Han braced to label whoever it was a liar.

“From Catten himself. He kept emphasizing what a formidable opponent it was.”

“……”

Lee Han secretly clenched his fist.

• * *

Even during Club Week, classes weren’t canceled.

Students went to lectures between kidnapping and persuading sponsors.

This was especially true for someone like Lee Han.

‘It’s a good thing I got most work done over the weekend.’

If he’d had to deal with the ancient retainer sent by the Mad Clone and kidnap Duke Ikaldoren all during the week, he’d have been exhausted.

Thinking this, Lee Han walked on. It wasn’t for lectures or sponsors—just chores that needed doing.

Caring for his pets (Fongrif would sulk unless he saw the unicorn first, and the unicorn would sulk if Lee Han brought the basilisk, so he had to plan carefully), harvesting his vegetable plot, collecting extra food from the club kitchen zone given by seniors…

As dawn’s darkness approached, Lee Han moved quietly and caught sight of a familiar old pirate woman.

“Lagesa!”

“Which brat… Oh, you. Why’re you skulking around with an invisibility spell this late at night?”

“You’re supposed to be in the dorm at this hour. What about you, Lagesa? Shouldn’t you be at the guest quarters for sponsors?”

“I was just wandering because I was bored. The students seem so pitiable.”

“True, the upperclassmen do get pitiful.”

Lee Han genuinely sympathized.

Lagesa stomped a foot in anger.

“What’s so pitiful about those brats! They’re arrogant, disrespectful punks!”

“The upperclassmen, you mean?”

“Yes! Those damned brats.”

‘What the heck did the seniors do?’

For Lagesa to be genuinely upset in that brief time, Lee Han was truly surprised.

“I invest a little gold with Bible and Torgard’s daughter, and these punks act like I’m a fool! Damned brats! You’re not like them, are you?”

“I, uh, am Professor Verdus’s disciple. Professor Verdus’s research is well worth the investment.”

“That’s not it.”

“……”

“Anyway, when I said ‘pitiful,’ I meant the new students. Look there.”

Pointing ahead, Lagesa directed Lee Han’s gaze, which he enhanced with magic.

Ahead lay a basket of food tossed there by Lagesa.

‘What…?’

A moment later.

Skeletal first-year students came scrambling to grab the food basket and ate ravenously.

Lagesa shook her head.

“To starve them like that, it’s a shame.”

“N-no, they usually don’t starve like that…”

“Oh? That’s just normal, I thought. Has it changed since?”