Episode 934
by CristaeMeanwhile, Professor Garcia, staying at the inn -Schemer’s Delight-, was growing quite anxious.
Normally, the students would gather every evening to share what had happened during the day, but this time, one second-year student hadn’t shown up.
Of course, depending on the circumstances of the job, it was sometimes impossible to attend. But this time felt different.
“Long live the noble thief! Long live upside-down Wuap!”
“Who’d have thought Granden City had this kind of hero!”
“……”
Watching the rowdy adventurers clinking beer mugs behind her, Professor Garcia wore a troubled expression.
She had thought the rumor might die down with time, but it only seemed to be gaining momentum.
“Did you hear? The West Quarter Guard Captain was so frightened that he doubled his security.”
“Too late for that now. The noble thief will come for him next!”
“So, who is actually behind this? They say it’s a magician?”
“Isn’t it someone from Einrogard? It’s not far from here.”
“No way. Einrogard magicians may be skilled, but they’re all weirdos. They wouldn’t do something like this.”
“Or maybe that’s why only a weirdo could…”
“I really don’t think this sounds like something an Einrogard magician would do!”
“Uh?”
The adventurers were startled by the sudden interruption of the troll-blood magician.
At the same time, they checked themselves for any mistake, wary of antagonizing a magician.
“Sorry. We were probably a bit too loud.”
“No, it’s fine. It was an interesting rumor, so I barged in.”
“See! The magician is interested too!”
The adventurers cheered up.
They had been curious, and now an authoritative magician was joining the conversation.
“The noble thief must be a magician, right?”
“Ah… Most likely.”
Professor Garcia sighed inwardly.
Adventurers weren’t fools. She couldn’t force this denial.
“It’s no easy feat to breach such powerful magical defenses that easily… Even if an adventurer had an artifact, it wouldn’t be easy. Believing it’s a magician makes the most sense.”
“As expected!”
“Did you all hear? The noble thief is a magician!”
The inn’s first floor erupted in cheers and applause at the adventurer’s shout. Someone stomped their feet loudly.
“As a commemoration, I’ll call this new drink the ‘Noble Thief of Granden’! Take a cup!”
“Waaaah!”
Professor Garcia gave the inn maid, Maphara, an exasperated look.
Usually attentive and good at reading her customers, today her talents were making Garcia’s life difficult.
If she kept this up, the rumors would never die down!
“Professor Garcia, here you go!”
“Thank you…”
As Maphara poured the quality wine into the tin cup, Professor Garcia forced a smile.
“What’s happening?”
“Hey! At -Schemer’s Delight- today, the ‘Noble Thief of Granden’ is free for everyone!”
“Long live the noble thief! Long live wine!”
Even passersby outside, upon hearing the news, flooded into the inn.
Oblivious to Garcia’s distress, the now-tipsy adventurers pressed her for more.
“Magician! So, what kind of magician is the thief? Einrogard, right?”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“I don’t think it’s an Einrogard magician. As you know, they’re all… a bit eccentric.”
“……”
Maid Maphara, knowing the truth, stared at her in disbelief, but Professor Garcia remained silent.
The maid shook her head, manned the counter, and started ladling out thick meat broth.
‘Einrogard magicians really are eccentric.’
“Yeah, those Einrogard magicians are a bit strange.”
“Shh! Aren’t you scared? Didn’t you hear about the adventurer who insulted Einrogard, then got turned into a toad?”
“Just a rumor! As if Einrogard magicians would have nothing better to do than chase down adventurers and turn them into toads!”
“…Anyway, we’re all agreed it’s not an Einrogard magician, right?”
At Professor Garcia’s remark, everyone nodded.
Truth was, with a drink in them, few in Granden City were petty enough to challenge the word of a troll-blood magician.
“I think they’re at least over a hundred years old.”
“Yeah! The older a magician, the stronger they’re supposed to be, right?”
“And they must have a destructive and violent personality.”
“Of course! Just look at the state of the people who got hit today.”
Professor Garcia breathed a sigh of relief.
At this rate, no one would ever uncover the thief’s identity.
“If it’s a magician over a hundred and that powerful and violent, who could it be?”
“Isn’t it the magician from the Lava Bird Tower? The one with the eternal flaming hair?”
“Sir Gargazun? He’s over a hundred and both powerful and violent.”
“Wasn’t that guy locked up in the imperial prison?”
Amid the heated debate, more wine orders, and the happy maid, the inn door opened and a noble-looking boy entered.
Lee Han surveyed the frenzy inside, then whispered to Professor Garcia,
“Is today some kind of holiday?”
“…Come upstairs with me. Now!”
“Why didn’t you stop them?!”
“……”
Hearing her shameless student say this first, Professor Garcia wanted to pinch both her own cheeks.
“That was me stopping them, Lee Han!”
“Why’s everyone so worked up?”
“The people of Granden City must have been thrilled… And don’t you ever tell anyone what you did here.”
The people of Granden may have enjoyed it, but it was impossible to tell what kind of grudge the ones who suffered might be harboring.
A magician as unfinished as Lee Han didn’t need to make so many enemies so soon.
“Understood. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. You were unlucky… No, lucky, actually?”
“……”
Professor Garcia, muttering, grinned when she saw the large stack of books Lee Han held.
“Lee Han, you’re still studying magic outside class? You could take a break now and then!”
“Ah. It’s not magic study. It’s just recent famous imperial plays, legends, and stories related to them.”
Professor Garcia gave a short scream, dropping her tin cup.
Lee Han, catching it telekinetically before it hit the floor, looked up in surprise.
“What’s wrong, Professor?”
“I’m just surprised you’re actually doing something not related to magic!”
“……”
Lee Han grumbled inwardly as he placed the cup back in his teacher’s hand.
“It’s not like that, it’s for—well, for a job. I have an infiltration coming up.”
“After all those beatings, you still have jobs left?”
Professor Garcia was puzzled.
Were the seniors bullying Lee Han?
Lee Han pretended not to hear. The Theater Club escape job was not something he could admit to anywhere.
“I need to at least pretend I know something about theater, but it’s hard.”
Lee Han pulled out the thick, leather-bound book, -Imperial Theater for Nobles-.
“Ah, that book! Professor Crinbal helped with that edition, too.”
“……”
Truly leading the social scene’s dances.
“I helped with it too.”
“Professor, you know a lot about theater?!”
“Huh? Yeah. I often go with Professor Crinbal.”
‘Ridiculous!’
Lee Han was shocked.
Of course, Professor Garcia was a cultured person, but she had practically devoted her life to magic.
How had she managed to keep up with theater, too?
‘Did she master time magic?’
Unaware of her student’s confusion, Professor Garcia asked,
“How far have you read, Lee Han?”
“I’m up to ‘The Beginnings of Ancient Drama’ here.”
“…That’s the very first page.”
She was incredulous.
Had he just received the book if he hadn’t gotten past the first page of such a thick volume?
“Ugh. It’s such a hard book…”
“It’s not hard at all.”
She couldn’t understand how someone who learned magic a hundred times more difficult with ease could say this.
Professor Garcia pressed her student.
“Come on, read it now. You said you needed it.”
“Fine, then…”
Lee Han, as if turning the pages was a deadly poison, slowly opened to the first page.
And stopped.
“…Lee Han. Can’t you turn the page any faster?”
“Guh. Understood.”
Thanks to Professor Garcia, Lee Han was able to learn how recent imperial theater was structured, which plays were popular, what magic the actors learned for the stage, how magicians made money there, and much more.
“Now tell me about the most popular play.”
“The heirs of two feuding families fall in love, but unable to overcome their families’ opposition, they choose to die.”
“Right. And then?”
“The Great Lich appears and revives them… But really, isn’t it better if that part is left out?”
“What are you saying, Lee Han? That’s the highlight. The Great Lich’s solo there is the best part!”
‘Ugh. This is why art is so hard.’
Lee Han found imperial art much more difficult than imperial magic.
A person with ordinary talent like him just couldn’t keep up with emotional subtleties.
“But, well, now you probably won’t be treated as a weirdo anywhere.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
With genuine gratitude, Lee Han thanked his diligent mentor.
Without Professor Garcia, he might have failed the infiltration altogether.
How else could he have crammed so much material into his head?
“Time to head off then.”
“I’ll be rooting for you, Lee Han!”
Lee Han nodded and stepped out of the inn. People waiting outside approached him.
“Are you here, Mr. Stedal Nago?”
“Yes. Let’s go!”
“……”
Couldn’t they make up a better fake name…!
Arian spoke sternly.
“This time, you really mustn’t hit anyone.”
“…Why would I hit anyone?”
“I know, young master. Really, but you truly must not hit anyone this time.”
‘You really have no idea, do you.’
Lee Han thought to himself.
Arian said she trusted him, but inwardly, she seemed to have her doubts.
Given Lee Han’s point of view—where he’d only fought because of unavoidable bad luck—it was frankly unfair.
“All right. Please repeat it once more.”
“You’ll introduce yourself and make friends with the nobles. You’ll go to the palace together to see the play. And finally, you’ll make contact with the Einrogard students.”
“Good. And what sort of noble is Stedal Nago?”
“A noble rescued from southern pirates by Lagesa, the daughter of Torgard who leads the privateers. While held captive by pirates, you found a treasure map and amassed a fortune. Afterwards you devoted yourself to alchemy, invented several potions, and grew your wealth even more…”
“That’s awfully specific, and I don’t think how you got so rich is necessary… Mmm, but it can’t hurt to be prepared. I think it works.”
Arian was taken aback by Lee Han’s far more detailed background than she had expected, but soon nodded.
Her idea had just been ‘a noble from such-and-such region and family’…
‘Still, it’s not bad to have it that detailed.’
“Stedal Nago didn’t flinch even during the Imperial Boneflesh Flower Speculation Crash, and amassed even more wealth.”
“Okay, that’s enough.”