The Death Knight sitting in the coachman’s seat quickly scanned the faces of the mages who had come out to greet them.
Lava Forge Magic Tower, Snowflake Magic Tower, Water Magic Mountain Range Magic Tower… why are those Paragranium Guild bastards here? Even the Obsidian Magic Tower…
Even at a rough glance, there were far more than one or two magic towers participating.
It seemed Erindarvel had shared the news she had heard with various magic towers.
The Skull Principal, realizing the same thing, spoke in an irritated voice.
“If you heard about Lesser World, you should have kept it to yourself. Why spread it across the entire Empire?”
From a practical standpoint, the Skull Principal’s criticism was correct.
If the Skull Principal had heard about the extraordinary talent of a mage he wanted, he would have controlled the rumors first.
What good could come from increasing the number of competitors?
And yet this foolish archmage had shared the news with multiple magic towers.
-It seems Lady Erindarvel, being a responsible archmage, thought it was something the other magic tower mages ought to know as well…
“So you’re saying I’m an irresponsible archmage?”
-…
“…”
At the spiteful nitpicking of the Skull Principal, his subordinates and disciple fell silent.
Realizing that getting irritated would not change anything, the Skull Principal let out a sigh.
“Everyone is making things troublesome from every direction…”
“What should we do now?”
At his disciple’s question, the Skull Principal nodded as if it were a good question.
“From now on, when you go out, disguise yourself and hide your identity. When you meet mages, first check whether they belong to a magic tower, workshop, or guild. If they are above a certain scale, do not even sit down with them.”
“…I didn’t mean such distant future matters.”
“That is not a distant future story. They came to see, so we have to show them.”
“The Lesser World I mastered is Basilios, but it isn’t something I can show others just because I want to.”
To summon this crown inherited from the projection from a parallel dimension, devotion and nobility for others were required.
He could not easily demonstrate it to the mages from the magic towers.
“It does not matter.”
“?”
“Even if you only show them other things besides Lesser World, it will be enough anyway.”
At the Skull Principal’s words, the knights also nodded.
Just talking about the magic he had normally learned or his contract list would be enough to make the mages faint.
“…”
While Lee Han looked reluctant, the Skull Principal read the last part of the letter he had not paid attention to earlier.
…Yukbeltire is trying to sue Your Excellency in the Imperial Court for stealing her prior research agreement…
“Do you happen to know what this is about?”
“I had promised to help Senior Yukbeltire with her research during vacation.”
“Ah. I see.”
The Skull Principal snickered and burned the letter.
“…Um, she said she would sue in court. Is that all right?”
“Tell her to work hard at it. That one still has a long way to go.”
The merciful Skull Principal intended to teach the foolish student a lesson.
If you wanted to conduct research with a certain mage, you had to hold on to that mage properly.
If you grew complacent and relied only on promises, you would get robbed like this.
“Tsk, tsk. To think she still doesn’t understand even after seeing what her own professor does.”
The Skull Principal felt pity as he watched Yukbeltire fail to grasp this obvious principle despite being Professor Verdus’s disciple.
Some mages could never be bound by Imperial law.
When dealing with such mages, you had to seize them directly by force!
***
Lee Han was somewhat worried that he could not show Lesser World, but the Skull Principal and the knights had been right.
The mages from the various magic towers were sufficiently satisfied even without seeing Lesser World.
“For advanced lightning-element magic, 【Wardanaz’s Thunder Flower】…”
“Heoeoook!”
“You mean celestial magic? I have contracted with stars, though…”
“Heoeoeoeoook!”
“Um…”
“Heoeoeoeoeoeoook!”
“…I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Ah. Sorry about that.”
The mages, accustomed to being shocked, felt embarrassed after trying to be shocked in advance.
They had been surprised so many times that they unconsciously reacted with amazement first.
“What were you trying to say?”
“Ah. It’s nothing much, but I was wondering how much more magic I need to use.”
“Oh my! We failed to consider the young talent. Let us stop here.”
The mages spoke with apologetic smiles.
Of course, Lee Han had not said it with the intention of stopping. It had just been a question.
He had not even brought up the Skull Principal’s debt story yet.
“I can do more, though.”
“No, no! There is no need for that.”
“Right. While Einroguard works mages harshly, we at the Snowflake Magic Tower do not treat them that way.”
“Anyway, Einroguard is a terrible and evil place. Isn’t that right?”
“?”
Lee Han sensed something strange in the mages’ conversation.
What was this?
“Um… it is tough, but calling it terrible and evil… well, that is correct, though…”
“Exactly! Staying in such a place for too long completely twists a person. If my memory serves me right, wasn’t Professor Verdus there too?”
“That’s right! Professor Verdus was there. Have you never thought that staying there too long might turn you into a mage like Professor Verdus?”
“…”
Lee Han could hardly believe it.
So right now…
Were they having this conversation to invite him to their magic towers?
No way. Would Imperial mages really do something this transparent?
“Are you perhaps trying to give me a negative impression of Einroguard right now?”
“Wh, what?”
“Not at all? We were merely discussing obvious facts about Einroguard.”
“Do you know that statistically, mages who graduate from Einroguard have a higher probability of becoming magical criminals?”
“Stop acting so crudely.”
The Skull Principal suddenly stuck his face out and cut off the conversation.
The mages were startled as if they had encountered an evil lich in the deepest part of a dungeon.
“If you are also mages, then make your invitations fairly and squarely with magic. What kind of magic your towers have, what secrets you possess…”
At the wise archmage’s advice, the mages from the magic towers responded with enthusiasm.
“So that’s why you confined Professor Garcia to Einroguard?”
“There are mages who have the right to speak of fairness.”
“Why don’t you release Professor Verdus?”
“…I did not confine Professor Garcia! Professor Garcia chose it voluntarily!”
While the Skull Principal could not deny the other points, he strongly denied the first accusation.
That was truly malicious slander.
“Ha. I suppose you would think so.”
“Aren’t all the Einroguard students also happily doing magic of their own free will?”
“I think he probably locked them in the punishment cells and threatened them.”
“…”
The Skull Principal instinctively realized that if he said anything more, he would not even break even against these venomous mages.
This had been predetermined karma ever since he had deceived them with Professor Garcia.
“…Still, you will grant my request for the sake of my disciple’s face here, won’t you?”
“Of course. We will erase the debt completely.”
“The artifact you asked us to hand over last time—would you like to take it now?”
“Haha. No need.”
The Skull Principal slyly poked his disciple in the back.
It meant that they should slip away quietly now that they had obtained everything they wanted.
Lee Han, who had grown accustomed to dealing with mages whose eyes flashed with madness, nodded and silently stepped backward.
His stealth was so perfect that the mages did not even notice the disciple had disappeared while they were talking with the Skull Principal.
-You have worked hard.
The knights who had been watching anxiously also breathed sighs of relief.
-We were worried the mages might go mad and attempt a kidnapping.
“No matter what, they are all people affiliated with magic towers. Surely they would not go that far?”
-In the old days, with Professor Garcia, they actually attacked and burned down the master’s villa…
“…What did you say earlier about how I should behave going forward?”
Lee Han felt the need to properly remember the advice he had casually brushed off earlier.
When going outside, disguise yourself, hide your identity, and when meeting mages, check whether they belonged to magic towers or…
-Still, do not worry too much.
“Right? Even so, mages affiliated with the Empire’s official magic towers would not go so far as to…”
-Ah. That is not what I meant. I meant that since you are an excellent combat mage, heir, you would be able to respond well even if the tower mages attempted a kidnapping.
“…Wow… how truly delightful.”
At the heir’s response, all the knights looked pleased.
It seemed to have comforted him somewhat.
While exiting the tower corridor with the knights, an unfamiliar mage appeared ahead.
It was a mage with silver hair and blue eyes. Lee Han whispered to the Death Knights.
“Is that person Erindarvel?”
-That is correct. She resembles your friend, does she not?
The knights naturally assumed Lee Han had recognized her identity by her facial features.
“Ah. Indeed. She definitely resembles her.”
-Huh? Then how did you recognize her?
“The structure of the staff magic she’s using is similar to Senior Yukbeltire’s…”
-…You had better not say that in front of the magic tower mages.
“???”
Lee Han was puzzled by the knights’ reaction.
Had there been some mistake in his recent speculation?
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Wardanaz. Welcome to our visit.”
“Greetings, Lady Erindarvel.”
The two mages greeted each other politely.
The archmage’s welcome had a somewhat strict and stiff feeling to it.
However, Lee Han felt slightly relieved just by the fact that she did not badmouth Einroguard or ramble about how wonderful it would be if he came to their magic tower after graduation.
She might be a good person.
His average expectations had dropped considerably because of the mages he had met recently.
“Thank you for the magic demonstration you showed during today’s visit. It surely left a deep impression on the other mages as well.”
“Not at all. It was inadequate magic, so I am only ashamed.”
-Inadequate?
The Death Knights muttered as if dumbfounded, but Lee Han signaled for them to shut up.
“By the way, I heard that Senior Yukbeltire sent a letter, and I’m sorry. Because of the Principal…”
“Are you referring to Yukbeltire’s research?”
“Yes.”
“That is insignificant research, so you need not help with it. Please proceed with your own research, Lord Wardanaz.”
“…You really are Senior Yukbeltire’s mother!”
“?”
“Ah. I apologize. It was nothing.”
Lee Han quickly recovered after realizing it was rude.
“It doesn’t seem like such insignificant research, though. If she could create an artificial dimension, even locally…”
“When researching magic, one must consider both the possibility of success and its utility after success. To put it in Einroguard terms, it would be a failing grade. Moreover, she is even causing trouble for her friend.”
“Friend? Who…”
-Diret from the dark magic school! She means Diret from the dark magic school!
One of the knights whispered desperately. Only then did Lee Han come to his senses.
“Ah! You mean Senior Diret! I have so many other friends that I was momentarily confused about whom you were referring to.”
“???”
Erindarvel looked at the mage of House Wardanaz as if he were strange.
Could there possibly be two Yukbeltires at Einroguard?
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter