Episode 950

Beaver-Penguin-Fox, Ellendil, was dumbfounded.

At the moment, Ellendil was not inside Einrogard but out—more specifically, inside the pocket of a student headed out.

As soon as it became clear dangerous people were involved, they took action right away.

‘…Almost broke the bottle…’

By about fourth year, most students had at least a couple ways to escape Einrogard in an emergency, but that didn’t make escape easy.

Ellendil’s method was using the power of a spirit to hide inside a glass potion bottle.

Of course, they’d entered stealthily without asking the student who owned the bottle, so not being discovered was imperative.

Ellendil stifled disbelief and moved the chalk again.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Must be a misunderstanding.

Gonadaltes: I checked; they say it really is Akdin.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: ……

Ellendil, now troubled, grabbed their tangle-branch hair and thought hard.

Gonadaltes might be nuts (especially when it came to naming), but he wasn’t the type to bluff about this sort of thing.

Did he really catch him?

This job involved lots of notorious mercenaries.

But if you had to pick a leader among them, Three-Fingers Akdin was most likely.

Cunning and persistent, he’d instigated events like -Garam’s Frenzy- and -Flame Falls Raid-, and still always escaped unscathed.

And Lee Han just caught that kind of guy, just like that?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: He’s a master of tricks and deception, with lots of experience in escaping… Are you absolutely sure it’s Akdin?

Gonadaltes: Yeah. I checked. I ambushed him—happened to hit his artifact directly, so it broke. He was slow to respond, maybe let his guard down.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: That’s all?

Unconvinced, Ellendil asked again.

That infamously cunning and persistent mercenary, caught off guard like a rookie?

Gonadaltes started to sound annoyed, maybe out of boredom.

Gonadaltes: Then don’t believe me, whatever. Want to come check yourself?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: …Er. Sorry—I’m just being persistent because these guys are so dangerous. I’m heading to Granden City myself since the people after the mead are pretty scary.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox planned to alert local wizards and knights in Granden City and try to catch the mercenaries.

Normally, an unrelated student would be kept out of this mess, but upon seeing Gonadaltes’s abilities, Ellendil changed plans.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Gonadaltes. Want to team up and work together?

“!”

Lee Han was surprised by the unexpected suggestion.

A proposal for cooperation.

‘Sure, we should catch the ones who ran, but she’s personally stepping in?’

He could see that from Professor Voladi, but for a senior who seemed to mainly like gardening in the woods to step up like this, Lee Han was a little puzzled.

Gonadaltes: If you’ve got info, shouldn’t we just leave it to locals in Granden City?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: I will to a point, but I can’t rely only on them. Plus it’s too good an opportunity.

Gonadaltes: What do you mean “too good an opportunity”?

Ellendil explained in detail to the confused Lee Han.

There were two reasons Ellendil was taking action personally.

One was, as a wizard of Einrogard, she couldn’t just trust other mages and wait idly. The other reason was the artifacts the mercenaries had.

If Gonadaltes helped, she’d make sure to split the reward she promised earlier, but also fairly divide any loot they obtained.

‘Wait. How does she know that?’

Gonadaltes: Fine. As a fellow Einrogard student, I’ll cooperate—but in return, I’d like some club help now and then.

Noticing Lee Han angling for more terms, Ellendil frowned.

The previously promised reward and the artifact split were more than fair as payment; asking for more now was greedy.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: That’s not quite fair. If we work together, the reward and artifacts should cover it. Why add more?

Gonadaltes: Think about it. If we work together, we’ll both get a sense of each other’s identity.

He wasn’t wrong.

Even if you disguised yourself and hid your identity, if you watched someone cast enough magic up close, you’d start forming suspicions.

‘Why point that out?’

Gonadaltes: But I already know who you are. If only I reveal myself, I’m at a disadvantage.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: …Don’t be ridiculous.

Ellendil barely managed to reply.

That sneaky brat was bluffing for even more.

She knew she’d never revealed her identity in the Watchman Club. Gonadaltes had even joined later than she did.

Gonadaltes: Believe it or not, I know anyway.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Let’s hear it. If you’re right, I’ll help you with any Watchman Club matter, no questions asked.

Ellendil snorted.

There was no way he’d guess…

Gonadaltes: Senior Ellendil.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: ……

Gonadaltes: Got it right, didn’t I? I’ll be counting on your help when we chat on the artifact from now on. And back me up once in a while when complaining about Iactus.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Whddfgdfg?

Gonadaltes: We’ll talk more in person. By the way, senior—how’d you learn what the mercenaries are planning?

Lee Han couldn’t help but ask what he couldn’t understand.

Even while roaming Granden City, Lee Han had never heard of this, but Ellendil had? How?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: One of the mercenaries’ spirits came and told me.

“……”

Lee Han’s eyes went wide with shock.

How in the world was something like that even possible??

• * *

“Guys, gather up.”

Lee Han called his friends with a serious expression.

Having realized things were more serious after the mercenary collapse, the students quietly gathered.

“It sounds crazy, but your spirits can betray you. Double-check your contracts.”

“…W-what are you saying?”

“Weren’t we talking about those mercenaries?”

“I’ll get to that.”

Lee Han relayed what his senior had told him.

Amazingly, the reason the mercenaries were running wild now was because of evil god worshipers.

It was easy to assume evil god worshipers worked alone, but in big plans, they always needed extra hands.

This batch of mercenaries in Granden City had followed the cultists for a hefty sum of gold.

-We have somewhere else to go now. You deliver this artifact to your companions.

‘Are they idiots?’

The mercenaries were baffled.

Why would they trust mercenaries with the artifact?

Spies usually watched each other, and here they were just handing it over.

The mercenaries, once separated, immediately planned to sell the artifact on the black market and agreed with a grin.

-Understood. We’ll do that.

-Just as promised.

-Yeah. We promise.

With artifact in hand, the mercenaries were already planning to leave town that night.

After a few chores, they’d get the gold and ancient artifact—what a gig!

But that evening in Granden City, the cultists summoned a monster, and at the same moment, a terrible curse manifested on the mercenaries.

Obey the command…

They heard the evil god’s hallucinations and voices.

If they disobeyed, the curse instantly spread through their bodies, grabbing their hearts.

Only then did the mercenaries realize they’d been duped, and that their actions had triggered the curse.

With bounties on their heads after the palace beast incident, at any moment they could be discovered.

They had to run—but couldn’t, instead following the evil god’s commands.

Raiding the shop and trying to steal the mead was part of that.

As Angrago listened closely, he asked,

“But those mercenaries didn’t seem so impressive. Wouldn’t Granden City’s mages or knights easily catch them?”

“I wondered too, but my senior really wants that artifact. Must be valuable.”

‘These… arrogant little wizards…!’

Akdin, having come to, was incredulous.

He could put up with many things, but to be looked down on as inferior stung.

Just his name was enough that you’d find volunteers eager to join his side!

‘Was I too anxious?! How could I make such a mistake?’

Akdin clenched his teeth.

After surviving much, to get caught just for underestimating a customer…

Who’d have thought they’d trace him this close.

‘…No, they do have the right to mock me.’

Lured and baited, then knocked out cold with a perfect strike directly over the artifact.

It was so flawless there were no excuses.

Akdin had never imagined his opponent would just have magic prepared and check inside the shop for no reason.

Even the artifact being shattered was just a lucky blow…

“Sorry for being late!”

As the city’s knights and mages rushed in, Lee Han and friends prepared to leave.

But a staff member dashed up in a panic.

“Wait! Which wizard are you affiliated with? Let us repay you!”

“Uh…”

“Well…”

The students hesitated.

Technically, they were Einrogard mages, but they were in disguise.

And given the gravity of the situation, if they fessed up, word could reach the Death Knights—it looked dangerous…

“Uh, we’re mages from the Nago Family.”

“Ah! Yes, from the Nago Family, me too!”

“Ooo…!”

Even the staff and knights looked impressed.

Other mages from that now-famed Nago Family?

“Did you know? Last time we asked the Einrogard Death Knights if they knew of that family, and they said it was very extraordinary.”

“Amazing. There are many remarkable families in the Empire, but…”

‘Nago Family… That’s a name to watch for.’

Power still thoroughly sealed, Akdin memorized the name deep in his mind.

A seasoned mercenary doesn’t resent being bested—he remembers and avoids.

Fighting strong people never brings anything good.

Seeing the “Nago Family mages’” skill, he decided he’d keep clear in the future.

• * *

Ellendil was waiting anxiously in a nearby garden for Gonadaltes to arrive.

Basically, Ellendil didn’t like meeting other mages in person. Especially not those who called themselves Gonadaltes.

But in this situation, there was no choice.

If she wanted to be sure of getting the rare artifact, teaming up with the Einrogard student was the best call.

And Gonadaltes clearly had the skills…

‘If he took down Akdin so easily, is he a fourth, or even fifth year? Who is he?’

The shock even made Ellendil forget he’d called her “senior.”

“Excuse me?”

“…Ahhh!”

Ellendil screamed quietly when she saw the crowd of mages pouring in.

The mage at the front recognized Ellendil and called out,

“Senior Ellendil?”

“W-why are there so many of you?”

“What?”

“So many mages…”

“Isn’t it better to have more help on our side?”

“I-I guess…”

Ellendil trailed off. Lee Han cocked his head, wondering if something was wrong.

Haltingly, Ellendil answered in a low voice.

“I, I’m not good with crowds…”

“……”

After being so lively in the Watchman Club chat!

Lee Han was baffled, but asked his friends to wait outside for a bit.

“Could you wait outside?”

“If she attacks you, scream right away, Wardanaz.”

“…Would she really?”

“Isn’t that the madwoman who summoned a shadow spirit in the forest? Are you sure we should leave you alone?”

‘Can’t even deny it.’

Just as Ellendil didn’t like being crowded by strangers, the second-year students weren’t keen on being left with the infamous “crazy senior” who’d unleashed an artificial shadow spirit in the woods.

By now, among the second-years, Ellendil was definitely filed under “that crazy senior.”

Creak—

As the door closed, Ellendil let out a sigh of relief. Then asked,

“You’re not someone I’ve met before…?”

“Oh. I was in disguise.”

Lee Han dropped his disguise.

When the warm-hearted, spirit-loving junior appeared, Ellendil shrieked and fainted backwards.