Episode 884

After speaking with Einrogard’s top senior, Lee Han returned to the lounge with a small realization.

‘Direte-senior was right. Sometimes, trickery is self-defense.’

He spread a giant blanket (fashioned by tying together student cloaks) over Joulin, who was huddled and dozing heavily by the fireplace.

For Joulin, who usually lived a quiet and peaceful life at home, magic school was a festival of delights and excitement. Even when she got sleepy, she simply refused to return to her tower and stubbornly trailed after Lee Han.

Because of that, she’d end up curling up and instantly falling asleep whenever they came back to the lounge.

In fact, Lee Han didn’t really mind. Looking after Joulin wasn’t that hard, but he did need his own time sometimes.

Lee Han organized his tasks for Friday, for the weekend, and things to watch out for during next week’s midterms, jotting them down on paper.

‘Hmm…’

Gazing out at the darkness outside the window, Lee Han felt the need to clear his head for a moment.

One convenient thing about being a mage: at moments like this, he didn’t even need to fill a kettle and put it on the stove.

Lee Han swung his staff, conjured water in midair, and boiled it.

‘Now this is magic.’

Most mages wouldn’t waste precious mana on chores like this, but Lee Han found moments like this to be when magic was most worthwhile.

He took the hot, strong coffee he’d made and approached the window.

Harsh and brutal as it was, Einrogard was a place of truly beautiful scenery.

If you stuck your head out the window at midnight, the brilliant trails of the stars swept above and the breathing of the forest rose from below…

• Snnnnrk!

“……”

Lee Han’s face fell as he spotted Professor Bendozol sleeping outside under the window, completely exposed to the elements.

So much for his few small joys. He doubted he’d be able to look out the window for a while.

‘Time for a trick—or, rather, self-defense.’

Lee Han pulled out the -Whispers of Einrogard- artifact and opened it. He began scrawling on the Watchman Club page.

Gonadaltes: Have you all heard the rumors?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: What rumors?

Gonadaltes: About the intruder that came in this time. So shocking and unbelievable, my hand still shakes as I write.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Your writing looks fine for that… Anyway, what’s the rumor?

Gonadaltes: The intruder supposedly stole the Headmaster’s treasure! Isn’t that incredible?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: What?! That really is… Wait a second. How do you even know that?

‘Shoot.’

Lee Han realized he’d gotten careless.

He’d been so focused on mobilizing the Watchman Club that he hadn’t considered how he might look.

‘No choice. I’ll have to bluff.’

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: You always act like you know way too much about the Headmaster…

Gonadaltes: Oh please. How long do I have to put up with accusations like this? Even when I bring you rumors, I get slandered. That’s enough. I won’t say any more.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: No, I’m sorry! I apologize.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox remained suspicious internally, but apologized for now.

There was nothing to gain by hounding your club’s information source.

Baquantalana: Makes sense. The one mobilizing to catch the intruder right now is the Wardanaz boy—who’s the Headmaster’s apprentice. If the intruder took the Headmaster’s treasure, it’s logically plausible.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: …Do you know what treasure it is? It’s not the -Light of the Grove-, is it?

‘What’s that?’

He didn’t know what artifact the other referred to, but Lee Han just agreed anyway.

Gonadaltes: I can’t rule it out completely. Though nothing’s certain.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: That settles it. Guess I’ll go kill the intruder. I’ll apologize in advance, everyone—but the treasure will be mine.

‘Sometimes this person is surprisingly reliable.’

Lee Han was nearly sure that Beaver-Penguin-Fox was Ellendil.

That’s why this aggressive attitude in the Watchman Club was so strange.

Senior Ellendil, the dryad half-blood, was normally sluggish and indifferent.

‘No, now that I think about it, she got pretty wild when the forest was threatened…’

Maybe it was just that she only got active if it was something she cared about.

Gonadaltes: Baquantalana, Beaver-Penguin-Fox is saying she’ll take it all. You’re not interested? She might just scoop it up for herself.

Baquantalana: I have my own plans.

Gonadaltes: Did you know one of the Headmaster’s treasures is a dimensional gate connected to the outside? Rumor is, the intruder stole that one…

He tried spurring the other on with random false claims, but Baquantalana must have shut her book, as there was no reply.

Lee Han clucked his tongue in mild disappointment as he waited.

‘Don’t rush. It’s only the beginning.’

Getting even one person involved was a good result, and other club members might open this artifact later and get interested.

Lee Han began pondering the best way to fabricate a plausible-sounding lie next time the topic came up.

‘I don’t really know what Iactus likes. Bulgasari… seems a bit old-fashioned. Sir Clzenberg is just creepy, never mind persuasion.’

Tap—

“?”

After some time, a paper bird came in through the window. Lee Han checked its contents and was startled to see who it was from.

Come to the common lounge as soon as you see this.

-Yukveltire-

‘Ah. Looks like the senior heard the rumors too.’

Lee Han realized what was going on.

The rumor about the intruder stealing a treasure had clearly reached Yukveltire’s ears.

“Senior.”

“Hm.”

Yukveltire, seated on a chair in the common lounge (you had to carry your chair or conjure one on the spot, since if you left one lying around, students in other years would steal it), nodded when he saw his junior.

“What is it? Is it about the intruder?”

“Yes. Your insight is impressive.”

“I feel reassured if you’re helping too, Senior. Thank you.”

Lee Han spoke with a gracious tone.

Of course, if Yukveltire was only helping to get at the Headmaster’s treasure, Lee Han would feel somewhat betrayed, but he was cool-headed about it.

In some situations, trickery was justified as self-defense in Einrogard.

All the more so if your target was an Enchantment Magic senior.

“I’d like to hear what you know about the intruder—and about other students who’ve joined the hunt.”

“I’ll do my best to explain.”

Lee Han began explaining what he knew.

He didn’t know much about the intruder, but he did know the identities of the students currently participating.

Yukveltire took notes, considering how to approach the matter.

‘Approaching from the base of the mountain might not help. Better to sneak further in and set traps…’

“Senior, by the way, which treasure are you after?”

Wanting to use this opportunity to learn about the Headmaster’s treasures, Lee Han asked.

If Yukveltire was after something, it had to be valuable.

“?”

But Yukveltire’s response was unexpected.

He just stared at Lee Han with clear, puzzled eyes, as if he didn’t get what Lee Han was talking about.

“You’re not after the intruder’s treasure?”

“Not really. Even if the intruder did steal the Headmaster’s treasure, it’s likely something trivial.”

Yukveltire was coldly logical.

Even if the intruder had stolen a treasure, he figured it was most likely something unimportant.

If it were truly important, the Death Knights wouldn’t be patrolling so leisurely.

He wasn’t foolish enough to mobilize over such a shaky rumor.

‘Wait, then why is he even involved?’

“If not that… then why…?”

“You’re helping with my research as a Wardanaz junior, so I’m helping you.”

“…!!!”

At the reply he hadn’t expected, Lee Han was genuinely stunned.

‘No way!’

For someone like Yukveltire to join just as a pure favor?

True, Lee Han had promised to help with research over vacation, but it was impressive even with that factored in.

‘If anyone ever calls Senior a “mini-Verdus,” I’ll throttle them on the spot.’

Lee Han was moved and amazed.

People really could change.

If so, could even Professor Verdus someday cast aside her old attitude and offer help out of pure goodwill?

‘…That I absolutely cannot imagine…’

“Thank you, senior. I really didn’t think you’d help me purely out of kindness. What made you decide?”

“Direte told me to.”

“……”

Over half of Lee Han’s amazement evaporated.

So that was it!

“Did Senior Direte also write that line about “I’m helping you as much as you’re helping me”?”

“Yes.”

“…And did Senior Direte say you could tell me this?”

As he listened, Lee Han felt a tingle of doubt.

Knowing Direte’s personality, if he wanted to push a friend to help a junior, he’d keep it secret, not announce it.

Yukveltire frowned ever so slightly, thinking.

Then he said,

“Probably not. I’d appreciate it if you could keep it a secret.”

“Understood… anyway, thank you…”

“Tell Direte properly, too. Wardanaz junior is grateful to me.”

“Yes, yes.”

• * *

After waking from her nap, Joulin crawled into the common lounge when she couldn’t see Lee Han.

Just as Lee Han was saying goodbye to Yukveltire, he was startled to see Joulin.

“You’re up?”

…Joulin wasn’t sleeping!

‘Why do Joulin and the baby basilisk both always insist they weren’t sleeping?’

No one would blame them for napping, so why try so hard to deny it?

Since it wasn’t important, Lee Han quickly explained the situation.

“Senior Yukveltire will also join the other Enchantment Magic seniors to track down the intruder.”

Yukveltire is such a good person!

“Well… yeah, I guess… Yes. He is very good.”

Lee Han just let it go, not wanting to criticize the senior in front of Joulin.

‘I’m sure he once wanted to string up Professor Verdus in front of Your Highness…’

Joulin nodded, then said,

She actually thought Yukveltire came because of an exam.

“Exam?”

Lee Han, you’re taking your exams early! So she came to give you the exam first…

“…That’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness.”

Even after Lee Han explained, Joulin wouldn’t let go of her misunderstanding, so he explained again.

He wasn’t deliberately taking exams early, it was just coincidence. And as for the class Yukveltire was teaching, -Magical Algebra & Arcane Geometry-, it was such a tough course that you really couldn’t take it early…

“I’ll need to study all tonight and through the weekend and it still won’t be enough.”

Joulin thought you could just take it now.

“No way—”

The common lounge door opened, and Yukveltire, who had just left, returned.

He sat lightly in front of Lee Han.

“In talking about the intruder, I almost forgot another matter. There’s something for you, Wardanaz junior.”

“I’m listening.”

Thud!

A stack of thick papers hit the table.

“It’s the -Magical Algebra & Arcane Geometry- exam. We’ll start as soon as you’re ready.”

“……”