Episode 997

When the wizard who had summoned the world behind the mountain range vanished, the world dispersed as the dawn drives away the darkness of night.

The starlight that helped the wizard’s disciple, too, finished its work and returned to the heavens.

As those mighty powers faded one after another, the surroundings turned quiet. The first to recover from shock was the skull headmaster.

…Well… I suppose it’s resolved.

The skull headmaster’s voice held unmistakable resentment.

Compared to being reverse summoned or sealed away forever, ascending like that was certainly a much better ending for the clone.

This was especially true, considering the skull headmaster did feel a twinge of pity toward his clones.

But a guy who’d made a huge fuss, kidnapping the disciple in someone else’s territory and threatening to destroy a school, now satisfied on his own and just skipped off to ascend—there was no helping the lingering bitterness.

And most of all, if he was the kind of guy who could ascend simply after being talked down like that…

…Shouldn’t he have done so before the skull headmaster blew a fortune on prepping great magic?

‘It can’t be helped.’

The skull headmaster decided not to think about it—for now. What good would it do, anyway?

Bat-naz, you’ve been through a lot. For all your stubbornness, I guess luck was on your side. Don’t do it again.

“……”

Bat-naz?

Lee Han didn’t respond.

Realizing belatedly that his disciple was protesting in silence, the skull headmaster said, dumbfounded,

Since when is it your turn to be mad, Bat-naz? I’m the one who should be mad! And that was practically an apotheosis. What’s with you?

If it had been eternal sealing, he could understand such a reaction.

If that were the case, the skull headmaster would’ve just said, ‘Do as you like, I’ll do as I please.’

He was more than used to his unworthy disciples’ petty complaints.

But the reason for Lee Han’s anger was slightly different from what the skull headmaster expected.

“If only you hadn’t interfered, headmaster, at least he could’ve ascended in a much more stable situation. He could’ve left a longer final message. Could’ve said some words to his friends too…”

…Is ascension a joke to you!?

The skull headmaster was even more exasperated at the motive for Lee Han’s complaint, which was, emotionally, different from any he had seen before.

His other disciples had whined that he didn’t teach them magic, didn’t give them assignments, or underestimated them as wizards—but this kid was angry because he didn’t give his master enough time to leave a farewell will?

It’s a convergence of all favorable times and situations. You should be grateful! If I hadn’t pressured you, you never would have drawn out Arna’s power, and that clone never would have ascended but would have been sealed away!

Lee Han continued to protest by remaining silent.

The skull headmaster considered giving him a smack, but gave up.

Lee Han’s condition clearly wasn’t good even before this, and after drawing on Arna’s power, he was completely wrung out.

“What happened?”

You back, grumpy professor?

As Professor Voladi, who’d temporarily been sent to another dimension, returned, the skull headmaster offered a sarcastic greeting.

Of course, Professor Voladi wasn’t fazed by such remarks. Only a Baldrogard student might be disturbed by that.

The skull headmaster gave up being sarcastic and explained the situation. At least the shock that spread like wildfire across Professor Voladi’s face was a small consolation.

“So there was no need to escalate the situation so aggressively?”

…Shut it.

• * *

The most unlucky skull headmaster in the empire had no time to fuss over Einrogard’s pettiest disciple.

He immediately swept away the veil of dreams and recalled the mages waiting below. Even now, every second, gold equal to the weight of a giant was being spent.

-All went well, so you may all return.

-Sir? But Lord Gonadaltes, you invested such vast sums of gold in this magic?

-…I said it went well. Go home.

-But… when we explained this magic was astronomically expensive and practically impossible to prepare, you said there was no other way. Now you say it worked out without using it? Aren’t you at all regretful?

-…Get out!

-Aaaah!

The magicians who had been summoned from all over the empire at great expense recoiled in fear at Einrogard’s blunt send-off and vanished.

Forgetting the mountain of gold spent on this magic, the skull headmaster focused his mind on the present.

You knights. You who prize loyalty and honor, offering your swords to your lord. Seems you’ve omitted quite a few reports about Bat-naz.

-……

-……

The Death Knights, who had strategically omitted information about Lee Han while the skull headmaster was away, nodded.

Then they all turned on their heels.

Where are you going?

-To the punishment room.

……

The skull headmaster gave thanks for his lack of a physical body.

If he had flesh, he would have felt stabbing headaches.

Normally, even to a disciple, the Death Knights would not have been so lenient.

But somehow, this Bat-naz brat had a knack for charming them, enough to use them as his own minions.

Report what you omitted before you go.

-…Can’t we just stay in the punishment room longer?

……

The skull headmaster shuddered.

…Was there something he’d missed?

…Report properly before I demote you all to skeletons.

The Death Knights, who once stood against evil dragons sword in hand, now shuffled nervously and spoke,

-Prince Joulin… well…

Thankfully, I know about that. His Majesty knows as well. Not your fault.

The skull headmaster sighed.

Joulin’s brilliant stratagem for the mad clone’s eternal sealing had staggered both him and the Emperor.

It was a scheme chilling enough to make even the gutless tremble.

-That’s a relief! Then His Highness knows about Prince Joulin presenting the Dragonstone to the disciple, being put under a travel ban, secretly sneaking out to carry the disciple on his back to subdue the clone together, right?

…What?

The skull headmaster, who had been about to draft a letter to the Emperor saying, ‘It was solved better than expected and one of the continent’s problems is gone, so please extend the repayment deadline,’ paused.

What was that you just said?

What stone, what subjugation? On his back? Does that mean he was chosen?

-……

-…Actually, Professor Baegrek and Professor Kim were also present.

Desperate not to take all the blame for a second death, the Death Knights rushed to share responsibility.

The skull headmaster closed his eyes, picturing the shameless vampire professor’s face.

‘…I should have driven him away when he asked for power…’

Back in the day, those people weren’t so sly, but he has no idea how they ended up this way.

The skull headmaster quickly composed himself. He was a transcendent mage, after all.

Fine, I get it. If it’s riding on a dragon, the Bat-naz brat loses, not my problem.

Whoever was chosen as a dragon’s contractor could borrow that support, but equally bore a matching responsibility.

If the dragon caused trouble, the contractor would be punished by other dragons as well—a deeply unreasonable contract passed down since ancient times.

As one who had experienced it, the skull headmaster knew how troublesome that could be. Fitting punishment for a wicked disciple.

-What a relief!

The Death Knights sounded a little more cheerful.

-Then the matter of the Dragonstone and subduing the clone are okay too?

You think so?

The skull headmaster’s tone cooled.

Even if the Emperor didn’t mind, if the imperial officials found out, they’d foam at the mouth.

He’d already garnered plenty of dislike for preparations related to this sealing…

-Shouldn’t we have tried persuasion instead?

-Shh, didn’t you agree at the time that threats would be faster?

-Well, thinking back, stringing the treasurer up by his feet now seems…

-I apologized, alright? The apology was accepted.

Enough. Alright. For now… we’ll just let this one go. His Highness isn’t the gossipy sort.

Joulin wasn’t much of a socialite. Even among imperial officials, this matter was unlikely to become public knowledge.

The skull headmaster settled on that and moved to the next topic.

But what, exactly, did the clone do to require a subjugation? Did he kidnap again during that time?

-After his state reversed, he declared his intention to subjugate the continent. The disciple summoned the Yaksha King of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas to resolve it…

Garcia!!! Voladi!!!

The skull headmaster finally exploded.

How could professors, even so, cover all of this up??

Even if nothing happened to the disciple, there were limits to that kind of narrow-sightedness.

Sometimes, if a disciple’s heading for ruin, you have to be strict.

If that had happened, there would’ve been no need for all this whining over one clone.

Even Professor Garcia was like this—was there really not a single trustworthy wizard left?

-Um… Master.

What is it?

-Master, while you were preparing magic with His Majesty… you told us not to report any unnecessary happenings…

The Death Knight who’d spoken up out of turn was immediately transferred to the deep punishment room.

Don’t you even know what counts as unnecessary? I wonder if that Yaksha rascal pulled some trickery. Might’ve pulled a fast one.

The skull headmaster suspected the Yaksha King’s wiles were behind the professors’ omissions.

That Yaksha, famed for seeing destiny and the future, had always gotten people in trouble with his sly ways.

No wonder the professors glossed things over after being persuaded. ‘The clone’s fine, teaching the disciple well… why stir things up with the headmaster?’ he surely whispered.

They’d gotten too close for comfort. Professors… at least try to stop things… Next topic!

-The… about fighting the evil god cultists in Granden City…

I heard about that.

-Then is it okay that Professor Mortum contracted with that death and darkness beast he brought…?

…I didn’t know, but it’s not surprising.

The skull headmaster answered with detachment.

If he visited the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas and befriended the Yaksha King, nothing shocked him anymore.

Especially since he’d even become close with Perkuntra…

Come to think of it, Bat-naz really was talented at roping in powerful transcendents. Probably due to that shameless cunning.

If he met the real form of the one Mortum brought, then perhaps his wound has healed.

-Yes. Seems that way.

The Death Knights sighed in relief.

Judging by his words, he hadn’t heard rumor yet about the trouble caused by the upstart wizard Stedal Nago.

The skull headmaster was puzzled.

That was surprising enough on its own, but he’d already been stunned in the capital, so…

But why bring up the Granden City story? Was there more?

-No, just to confirm… By the way, are you aware that Professor Baegrek used a relic?

I know. You must mean the Stone of Saint Iactus.

The skull headmaster replied indifferently.

At the start of the semester, Professor Voladi had borrowed a relic to save the disciple kidnapped by the mad clone.

Of course the skull headmaster hadn’t left that relic poorly secured. He’d deliberately set it up for that possibility.

-That’s a relief! Still, I was surprised. The Stone of Saint Iactus is one thing, but even lending the Drop of Anabaldalda…

…You used the Drop of Anabaldalda, too?

-……

-……

The Death Knights realized their mistake.