Episode 892
by CristaeEpisode 892
Just as a herbivore instinctively senses the approach of a predator, Lee Han instinctively sensed the professor’s wicked plot.
That an Einrogard professor had many worries because of Lee Han might superficially seem caring, but in reality, it rarely turned out well.
“What kind of worries? Is he perhaps thinking about how to creatively defeat me?”
“Oh. How did you know, Junior?”
“……”
When Catten readily agreed to what Lee Han had thrown out, hoping for denial, Lee Han let out a sigh laced with despair.
Joulin asked, as if feeling sorry.
Lee Han. Should Joulin petition the Empire’s nobles…
“It’s fine. No, more than that, Professor Ingeldel is really showing his true colors. I thought he was one of the few kind professors in Einrogard!”
At his student’s outcry, Professor Voladi showed sympathy.
Since there were so few kind professors in Einrogard (with Professor Voladi, of course, including himself) it was only to be expected for the student to say such things.
“Junior.”
“Yes?”
“I heard that you took your friends to the Spirit King’s domain just to complete a simple assignment during class…”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
Lee Han responded without a twitch of his expression.
The visit to the Mad Tree King’s domain only happened by pure coincidence; it wasn’t something Lee Han had deliberately orchestrated.
Joulin looked at Lee Han with a peculiar gaze.
‘Strangely, I’m starting to think Lee Han brings it on himself… Gasp! Perhaps Einrogard’s magic is confusing me!’
Joulin shook his head. It felt as if Einrogard’s powerful magic was clouding his judgment.
“Hmm. Anyway, that’s why Professor Ingeldel has so many worries. I’m concerned we might just be bothering him…”
“No. Professor Ingeldel would never consider it a bother. Let’s go and ask him!”
With his mind set fully on bothering, Lee Han shouted.
No matter what plans Professor Ingeldel was plotting, Lee Han intended to figure them out first and interfere if possible.
“It really is a difficult matter.”
The elf professor, equipped with a prosthetic leg and arm, confided his troubles to the visiting knights.
Contrary to Lee Han’s paranoid suspicions, Professor Ingeldel was not thinking, ‘How dare he clear my assignment so easily? Just you wait till the exam.’
Instead, he was contemplating an exam that could fairly include even the boy from the Wardanaz family.
An Einrogard professor brimming with madness might simply go, ‘Just have the boy from the Wardanaz family take a different test!’ but Professor Ingeldel had not come to that point yet.
If he set the difficulty normally, it would be too easy for Lee Han; but if he raised the bar, it wouldn’t fit the other students.
“Who would have thought teaching could be so difficult?”
“I hold you in great respect, Professor Ingeldel.”
“We support you, Professor.”
Knights and swordsmen from groups close to Professor Ingeldel—such as the -White Poplar Knights-, -Order of the Watchers of Flame-, -Cross Brothers Swordsmen Guild-—visited to cheer him on.
They suggested all sorts of creative ideas to help.
“How about after a team battle, the gathered knights target only that student? He won’t notice amidst the chaos.”
“I’ll slip a potion into his water before the test. His limbs will grow heavy, making it good training.”
If Lee Han had heard, he would have had Joulin submit a complaint to the Emperor right away; such ingenious suggestions flew around nonstop.
Professor Ingeldel earnestly wrote down the suggestions and considered them.
How could he write an exam fair for all students?
“Professor!”
“What brings you all here?”
Valpatan of the Moradi family and Palga of the Ukim family rushed in, and Professor Ingeldel looked at them, puzzled.
It was unusual for senior White Tiger Tower students to come running like this.
“Is it because of the exam? But the two of you are in different years…”
“That’s not it. Could you help us? We’re tracking some outside intruders, but these guys are unusually fast.”
“!”
The empire’s strongmen inside raised their eyebrows.
The fact that there was an outsider intruder was shocking—and the fact that students were chasing after them personally, even more so.
A knight from the -Order of the Watchers of Flame-, unfamiliar with Einrogard, cried out in disbelief.
“There are intruders in Einrogard? And it’s this quiet?”
“Uh, well, that’s…”
At the outcry, Valpatan was the one flustered instead.
Einrogard was a place where outside intruders came and went regularly.
“…By the way, who is this?”
“He’s from the -Order of the Watchers of Flame-.”
“I see. …What?? The -Order of the Watchers of Flame-?!”
Hearing the name of a famous imperial order, Valpatan was even more stunned.
On another day, he might have felt differently, but today there was reason to be shocked. Exam period was coming.
In Einrogard, students read omens for their grades even in falling leaves; the visit of such outsiders was understandably concerning.
“I’m from the -Cross Brothers Swordsmen Guild-.”
“I’m from the -White Poplar Knights-…”
“P-Professor. Did we do something wrong? Why are such people here?”
Valpatan couldn’t understand why Professor Ingeldel was doing this.
Wasn’t the exam supposed to be hunting a giant chimera with a petrification curse, teleportation, and freezing venom?
Was there some other test Valpatan didn’t know about?
“Oh. Don’t worry, Moradi. They aren’t here for the fourth-year test.”
Now the third-year Palga clutched his chest, going pale as if about to collapse.
“…Not for the third-year either. They’re just here to help because I’m troubled with the second-year exam.”
“……”
“……”
The upperclassmen seriously wondered what the second-years were guilty of this year to have such powerful people visiting en masse.
Even a headmaster assassination attempt wouldn’t merit this sort of punishment…
“Anyway, student. Tell us more about this intruder. Should we really be talking about the exam when there are intruders?”
A swordsman from the -Cross Brothers Swordsmen Guild- said this gravely.
If outside intruders entered where vulnerable sorcerers were, the whole domain should go on alert and tighten security.
Students should gather only during the day and stay in at night…
“Hmm. Einrogard does not deal with such things that way.”
Professor Ingeldel cleared his throat and said this to a friend.
“What do you mean ‘not that way’?”
“Well… hmm… Einrogard has many intruders… and the students are all strong…”
Even he felt this was a thin excuse, but Professor Ingeldel did his best to explain the rules of Einrogard.
Since intruders came constantly, no one made a fuss over just a few!
“What! The strongest mages in the Empire are so laxly protected?”
“Hm. Ingeldel has a point. Isn’t it confidence in the superiority of Einrogard’s magic and mages? Their pride in being able to resolve things on their own is impressive.”
“……”
“……”
The two students silently muttered to themselves, ‘No, it’s just that the skull headmaster made it mandatory.’
“I see. But I worry the rules in Einrogard are too lax. What if mages are attacked? I can’t believe someone as wise as Duke Gonadaltes made such a rule.”
“Wwmmph.”
“Look at these fine students. See how they step forward for their juniors? No need to worry.”
The two, their words garbled by Golden Rule, hesitated and exchanged glances.
“R-right. Einrogard seniors all step up for their juniors.”
“I see. Even if the rules look lax and odd, there’s reason behind it… All the same, Professor Ingeldel, I can’t sit idly by as someone from the swordsmen’s guild knowing there are intruders. I want to help the students.”
“You’re in luck. The students asked for help, so let’s go. Did you say the intruders are fast?”
“Uh, yes… But…”
As Professor Ingeldel and the empire’s strongmen leapt up, Valpatan and Palga hesitated a little.
In fact, their reason for seeking Professor Ingeldel was not really about their sense of responsibility to deal with the intruders for the juniors.
It was greed!
‘It’s the one who took the headmaster’s treasure. There’s no way I’ll let anyone else get it…!’
‘We have to be the ones to catch them…!’
Fewer students in Einrogard coveted the Skull Headmaster’s treasure than one might think.
Any student with a functional head knew how difficult and dangerous it was.
But what if another student tried for it?
Einrogard students would rally and support them in any way possible.
Once the Skull Headmaster’s treasure was out in the open, then they could snatch or steal it for themselves.
It was the same for this intruder case.
They might not forgive the intruder, but since the treasure was already stolen, their own students should put it to good use!
Thinking thus, it was only natural for these White Tiger Tower students to seek the professor.
In such fierce competition, ordinary methods simply wouldn’t do.
“What’s the matter, you two?”
“…Ah, well. We stepped forward for the juniors, but is it really right to accept help from outside guests…”
“Hahaha! How admirable you seniors are. Einrogard’s students must be happy to have such seniors!”
Professor Ingeldel’s friends laughed heartily as they flung open the doors and went outside.
Palga hesitated, then whispered to Valpatan.
“Senior, aren’t we… acting a bit too much like Blue Dragon Tower students…”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Out on intruder search temporarily
Professor Ingeldel
“!”
Lee Han was surprised to see the note on the door.
If it was intruders, it must be (unless more had arrived in the meantime) the adventurers who infiltrated to rescue Antagondals.
“So why is the professor going out himself?”
“Junior, I think he’s probably planning to capture the intruders and use them for the exam.”
“How does that make any…”
Lee Han was about to protest until he glanced at Professor Voladi.
The very person who did something similar last year was standing before him.
“…Come to think of it, it does make sense.”
R-really?
Joulin tilted his head, not understanding why Lee Han accepted that.
No matter how he looked at it, it sounded weird…
“At this point, there’s no helping it. Junior, let’s just…”
“No, let’s follow Professor Ingeldel. We’ll go and disrupt—no, ask about the exam.”
“Is that really necessary?”
Catten was unconvinced, but couldn’t break his junior’s iron will.
Lee Han spouted all sorts of flowery magical rhetoric and insisted they must immediately see Professor Ingeldel so Catten’s magic could grow.
“F-fine. If you insist, Junior…”
“Trust me. But I still don’t get it. With any other senior, maybe, but why would Professor Ingeldel go capture the intruders himself?”
Einrogard professors were never idle, especially with exams coming up.
Having to rely on Death Knights would already be a stretch; personally leading the search made no sense.
“Hm. I do have one theory.”
“What is it?”
“I heard the intruder stole the Headmaster’s treasure. Maybe that’s why. If it’s an important treasure, it’s not so strange for the professor to act personally…”
“……”
As the rumor he started boomeranged back to him, Lee Han deeply reflected.