Episode 919

-An ambush!

The ones who first noticed the descent of the storm were the demons.

Demons waiting at the rear of the army for fresh blood and souls were shocked by the sudden magical storm.

-How dare you!

The chief demon blacksmith under Esadojiqua’s command, holding the title of Siege Engineer, a nine-headed demon, let out a roar of rage.

That roar wasn’t just an expression of anger. The infernal siege weapons prepared by the demons unleashed their firepower.

——–!

The souls of mortals trapped inside copper cannons wailed as they vaporized into a single blast of energy. When this force tore space and scorched the earth, the young skeleton headmaster blinked away, expressing his contempt.

“Demons. The price of these evil deeds will be paid by your race for eternity.”

-For a mere mortal, you talk too much. You magician, you don’t have the power to exact vengeance on my race, nor even on me!

“We’ll see about that.”

The young skeleton headmaster waved lightly. A small drop of water floated above his finger—a perfect sphere.

Not a single demon could guess or predict the magic they were witnessing.

Just a single drop of water—what could that possibly…

Crash!

Before their confusion ended, shock struck. The drop of water left the young skeleton headmaster’s hand and accelerated at a speed no one could perceive.

A conical shockwave and blue-white light scattered in all directions. But the demons had no room to observe what was happening.

The drop of water was mercilessly tearing their siege weapons apart.

The copper cannons and war chariots, which had trapped the souls of mortals just moments ago, as well as the battering rams, were instantly engulfed in flames. With each touch, the gigantic weapons forged with demonic blood and sweat exploded and collapsed.

What Lee Han had done with compressed, rotating water was on another level from this. That single drop of water contained at least dozens of properties, concepts, and philosophies.

The despairing demons tried to counterattack, but by then the young skeleton headmaster was already out of range. The nine-headed demon trembled in fury.

“Magician! If I catch you, I’ll leave nothing but your heart and eyes. You will hang and suffer forever!”

But from Lee Han’s view, the battle was already lost for the nine-headed demon.

All the massive war machines nearby had been destroyed, and the demon was just screaming in vain.

In reality, the young skeleton headmaster ignored him completely and went on to destroy other locations. The same was true for the other areas his clones descended upon.

You again, you damned prince!

As the rear melted away in the blink of an eye, Esadojiqua roared.

He had tangled with the young skeleton headmaster several times before, and recognized him instantly from the magical aftershock alone.

My greatest mistake was not corrupting you, Esadojiqua’s greatest failure. Surround the prince! You may let the others go, but if you let the prince escape, I’ll devour you all!

The demon, reminiscent of a minotaur, roared flames of everlasting fire from his eyes.

At that, the young skeleton headmaster withdrew all his clones. To face Esadojiqua and his subordinates, he couldn’t afford to waste power on clones.

“You wicked demons!”

“!”

The young skeleton headmaster was startled by the shout behind him.

The students who’d come from the distant future dimension, whom he had ordered to stay in mid-air, were joining the battle.

“Student Lee Han! You must never, ever, ever, ever come forward! Understand? Absolutely do not come forward!”

“Just look ahead, professor! Ahead!”

Lee Han smacked Professor Garcia’s back and pointed forward.

This was no time for Garcia to be worrying about his student.

Meanwhile, Professor Voladi summoned a blade of darkness in the air and sliced through the demons.

“No outsider will approach this place…”

Professor Garcia closed his eyes and chanted spells. It seemed, in this situation, closing his eyes made it easier to focus.

Professor Voladi attacked.

Professor Garcia defended.

And Lee Han…

“Professor! Take my mana!”

“Student Lee Han, don’t shout so loudly!”

“???”

Lee Han looked at Garcia in puzzlement.

“There’s nobody here to overhear except the demons?”

“…Still!”

A professor’s pride wouldn’t allow him to announce—in front of demons, no less—that he was draining his student’s mana.

After a spell of demon-slaying, Professor Voladi returned to replenish his mana from the student and then went out to slash again.

With perfect synergy of attack, defense, and recovery, Lee Han’s party quickly gained ground even amidst the chaos. The young skeleton headmaster let out a sigh of relief at the sight.

“Why did you come? I thought I told you to wait.”

“How could I just watch with demons attacking like this! The two professors here are capable enough, even if not me.”

“S-Student Lee Han. I’m really not that confident…”

Professor Garcia was flustered, thinking his student overestimated him.

He came down trusting in Professor Baegrek after all—he wasn’t confident in his own combat skills.

Crackle!

Meanwhile, a demon trying to pierce the massive barrier Garcia had cast was turned to dust.

On seeing this, the young skeleton headmaster nodded. With abilities like that, they deserved to fight on this battlefield.

“Thank you for worrying about a lacking teacher like me, all of you.”

“Seriously, please don’t say things like that.”

As Lee Han grimaced, Professor Garcia nodded slightly as well.

Even though they had talked and prepared themselves before coming down here, even that resolve was hard to maintain before the young skeleton headmaster’s gratitude.

“…Wait, those guys?!”

In the middle of conversation, Lee Han belatedly noticed a turn of events and was horrified.

Taking advantage of the demons’ broken formation, the city’s wizard-nobles and their minions were making a run for it.

‘Even in Einrogard, people join the fight when demons appear!’

Lee Han was enraged by such outrageous cowardice.

“Mr. Gonadaltes! Just give the order! Professor Baegrek will sweep them all up for you!”

Professor Voladi did not object.

Though his appearance had changed, the young skeleton headmaster was still his teacher; pursuing enemies who had betrayed their teacher was a student’s duty.

But the young skeleton headmaster shook his head.

“Leave them. It’s better for us if they stay out of the way.”

Whatever his hatred for the city’s wizard-nobles, he had no intention of getting rid of all their minions over petty revenge.

Prince. You’re not thinking of sacrificing yourself to rescue that trash, are you?

Esadojiqua, who’d tangled much with the prince, changed his thinking.

If the city’s wizards fleeing was all part of the enemy’s plan, he couldn’t ignore it—that was a matter of pride.

Pursue them! Hunt them to the end and kill everything you see!

“!”

The young skeleton headmaster’s expression changed.

He wasn’t worried about the wizard-nobles; they could take care of themselves once out of the encirclement.

He was worried about the people near the city gate.

If the wizard-nobles changed their minds and counterattacked near the city gate, that would be fine; but knowing their arrogant, selfish personalities, they would definitely just pass through the city gate to the safest spot inside.

That would inevitably bring bloodshed to those by the city gate.

As the wizards rushed through, the demons would arrive…

The young skeleton headmaster decided instantly. A clone was summoned to break through all interference and race to the city gate before anyone else.

‘The city gate!’

Lee Han realized what the skeleton headmaster was doing.

In this urgent situation, he was proceeding with the city gate spell using the blue jade and mermaid’s tear.

And he was having a clone do it!

“Mr. Gonadaltes, you must concentrate!”

Fighting off the approaching demons with the professors, Lee Han called out.

The demons that attacked from all sides howled pitifully, focusing their attacks on Lee Han, having realized where Professor Garcia and Voladi were replenishing their mana.

How dare you let your guard down before me, Esadojiqua! Prince, today is your last day!

Esadojiqua realized that the young skeleton headmaster had overextended himself.

He attacked immediately, not giving his opponent a chance to recover or regroup, his blood-red axe swallowing surrounding spells with eerie screams.

“Mr. Gonadaltes! Withdraw your clone and resume work later!”

Despite Lee Han’s plea, the young skeleton headmaster shook his head.

“My student.”

“Yes?”

“The Fall spell really isn’t that hard.”

“What…!”

Given that a great demon’s killing intent was bearing down on him, his words were terribly relaxed.

Even Lee Han, watching, was getting anxious.

“Just as you came down here, sincerely worrying about me—sincerely worry for others. Then you will soon understand.”

With those final words, the young skeleton headmaster collided head-on with Esadojiqua.

Staggering from having his clone tied up with the city gate spell, the young skeleton headmaster was still relentless. Blood streamed from his eyes and nose, but he kept casting spells one after the other.

Prince. Still so haughty and cocky!

Even though Esadojiqua had the advantage, he growled in humiliation. Watching that wild scene, Lee Han resolved to step up himself.

‘I have to help with my mana at least!’

He had promised Professor Garcia not to leave, but there are always exceptions to rules.

In this situation, he was sure Professor Garcia would understand.

But then, suddenly, the surrounding space distorted in a strange way. Professor Garcia shouted in alarm.

“The Scepter!”

The Scepter was sending Lee Han’s group back to their original place. Garcia’s face fell at the unexpectedly fast return.

Returning in the midst of this battle—what of the young skeleton headmaster?

But the young skeleton headmaster smiled as if everything was fine.

“Return, my disciples. This is not your era.”

“But…!”

“We will meet again someday. That’s enough. Go!”

With that farewell, the vortex of space swept them up. The demons lunging at them were scattered, and Lee Han’s party fell into the dimensional passage.

The last sight Lee Han saw was the young skeleton headmaster, defending the city gate even as he blocked Esadojiqua’s attacks.

• * *

Pop!

“…!”

Back in Einrogard, Lee Han staggered. It wasn’t just from the shock of the artifact’s activation.

‘…Honestly… I was moved.’

To leave such a deep impression not with grand magic or heaps of gold, but with attitude alone.

The sight Lee Han saw at the end sent chills down his spine.

In an age so brutal and inhuman, he alone steadfastly did good, even while all the kingdoms around him conspired against him.

Not just for the sake of learning the Fall spell, but because he’d seen that past with his own eyes.

Lee Han resolved to become just a little more generous and kind in the future.

‘Yeah. Even if I can’t reach the headmaster’s level, at least I can be a bit more…’

-How dare you put other hamsters in my cage?!

Having safely returned, with some time to breathe, the hamster let out an angry squeak.

-Just try that one more time and…!

“Well, they’re gone now, so it’s fine, isn’t it! The young headmaster risked his life fighting for people, and you’re complaining just because I put one other hamster in your cage? Have some shame!”

-……

The hamster fell silent, full of indignation.