Chapter 1146
“Senior Anpagon must have had some circumstances last year.”
“What circumstances could have been more important than participating in something like this?”
“Perhaps an arm was cut off, or a leg was cut off, or a head was cut off. That is not what matters right now.”
As Lee Han grew annoyed, he put less and less effort into the nonsense he was throwing out. Naturally, even Princess Yukbeltire was dumbfounded by this.
“If Anpagon’s head had been cut off, there is no way I would not have known...”
“Senior. I will challenge the dream you failed to achieve in your place. Please help me.”
The design of the magical structure was currently close to a blank slate, and to complete it properly, it would be best to receive help from at least one of either Professor Verdus or Princess Yukbeltire.
Even for Lee Han, designing this alone from beginning to end would be far too dangerous.
Besides, since Princess Yukbeltire had attempted a commission like this before, it would be even better to receive help from her.
Of course, Princess Yukbeltire did not fall for Lee Han’s words.
“If it is a dream I failed to achieve, then I should challenge it. I do not quite understand what it has to do with you, my junior from House Wardanaz, challenging it.”
'Tsk.'
Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.
If this had been a senior from another school, the mood would have carried the senior along!
It made sense that no other seniors gathered around Princess Yukbeltire. She had no popularity whatsoever.
“If you help me, I will engrave your name on it and move the commission you mentioned last time to the highest priority.”
“I will help.”
Princess Yukbeltire accepted immediately.
Lee Han often felt this, but this junior from House Wardanaz certainly had an unusually intelligent side.
That did not refer only to magical ability. Lee Han’s magical ability was outstanding as well, but he also knew how to convince Princess Yukbeltire in matters like this.
If it had been the other juniors in the school, they would have emotionally forced their arguments a few times, then become unable to continue speaking and destroyed themselves.
“By the way, Senior, what kind of structure were you trying to build on Einroguard’s grounds last year?”
“It was a structure that manifested the small-world magic Pentagrammaton.”
The dark magic school’s small world, Pentagrammaton.
Manifesting magic like this as a structure might sound strange, but mages of the enchantment magic school specialized in precisely such things.
Did Professor Verdus not carry small worlds around inside clothing and accessories?
Princess Yukbeltire could not miniaturize one to that extent, but manifesting one on the scale of a structure was entirely possible. Even that alone was magic of an extremely impressive level.
“Oh... Wait, is Pentagrammaton not dark magic? Why would you...?”
“Diret needed it to prepare for graduation.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Lee Han snorted.
Princess Yukbeltire had been a fourth-year last year and should have been preparing for graduation as well, yet she had tried to build a structure to help Diret?
It seemed more likely that Gainando would come build a structure to help Lee Han during his graduation year.
Where had she picked up nonsense like that...
***
Jarun of House Ironshoe, a fourth-year student at Einroguard, opened his eyes.
The cool, moldy darkness underground, where not a trace of sunlight entered, greeted the socially deficient dwarf.
Scratch!
When he struck a match, it caught fire. Jarun carefully brought the flame to the lanterns hanging from the ceiling and walls.
It was quite an unusual action for a mage. With a single wave of a staff, a mage could bring forth light or fire, yet he was doing this instead.
However, any mage who had spent a long time underground in Einroguard would understand why Jarun acted this way.
There were monsters underground that sensitively detected magic and mana. There was no need to provoke them by using magic unnecessarily.
Bubble, bubble-
Once light filled the small chamber carved between the bedrock, Jarun brewed tea.
No flavor remained in the tea leaves, which seemed to have been steeped around thirty times already, but Jarun paid no attention and sipped the tea as he unfolded a map.
'Hmm. It seems there is a vein of gold around here after all.'
The parts he had checked and the parts he had not yet checked, newly dug tunnels and sealed tunnels, traps he had installed to block other students from approaching and traps other students had installed first—the map containing all of this was a treasure Jarun had made personally.
As a fourth-year student, it would have been natural for him to begin worrying about graduation.
That was especially true for Jarun, since his ongoing research, —or, according to the name given by his junior, —was not progressing particularly well.
The magic created a magic circle in which countless connected dimensions shifted and flickered even within a brief instant, then secured gold whenever gold was observed. Its difficulty was truly high.
Nevertheless, Jarun’s heart was as calm as a lake. The reason was simple.
'I simply will not graduate.'
He had already finished making up his mind.
Many Einroguard students failed to realize it, but graduation and the punishment room were not the only choices available to a fourth-year.
Surprisingly, there was also the option of going missing between the two.
Jarun had made a clean decision.
If he failed to graduate, rather than pointlessly bringing joy to the Skull Principal, he would settle underground and finish doing what he wanted.
Jarun was walking the path chosen by a small number of wise Einroguard seniors. He was not afraid at all.
Tap!
A sound came from the place that served as the chamber’s door, roughly covered with a slab carved from rock. It seemed a paper bird had arrived.
Jarun trudged outside with an annoyed expression.
The paper birds regularly sent by professors and juniors were quite troublesome.
He was still communicating with the surface because he needed supplies, but once he had completely prepared everything he needed, Jarun planned to conceal his location as well.
Forever, until he mined all the gold underground....
To the senior who is like mold underground,
Senior. A mad member of the Imperial Family is currently imposing tyranny on the surface. Reply if you intend to set Einroguard on fire.
Master of Cerberus
Whoosh-
Jarun casually threw the paper bird into the fire. Thanks to the use of a special oil, the flames cleanly devoured the paper bird’s mana.
The other paper birds did not contain anything particularly useful either.
A letter telling him to assist with a new lecture, a letter saying that prices on the surface had risen because of the new Inspector and that he needed to send up more ore, a letter asking what he was going to do about preparing for graduation...
'They are all garbage letters.'
Growing annoyed, Jarun was about to throw the remaining paper birds into the fire without even opening them.
At that moment, the flames surged wildly. Jarun was horrified and extinguished the fire.
“W-What was that?!”
At first, he thought some madman had tampered with one of the paper birds.
Making flames surge in reverse when thrown into a fire was not particularly difficult. Simple magic or a reagent would be enough.
But when he thought about it, he wondered why he had failed to notice something like that.
'There definitely was no paper bird like that.'
After extinguishing the fire, Jarun checked the paper birds one by one. He quickly discovered the reason. Only one paper bird was overflowing with mana.
Grumbling about what kind of madman had done this, Jarun unfolded the paper bird, realized the culprit’s identity, and was horrified.
To Senior Jarun of House Ironshoe,
Greetings, Senior. I am Lee Han of House Wardanaz, the junior you met during the orichalcum incident last time. Come to think of it, I suddenly remembered helping you when you were trapped inside the crystal vein.
Ah! Please do not misunderstand. I was absolutely not trying to make a show of what I did. I merely happened to remember it suddenly.
The truth is, I recently took on a commission. A lighthouse will be built on Einroguard’s grounds, and I would feel truly reassured if you, as a member of the Stonemason Club, helped us.
To be honest, I know it is rather late to say this, but getting you out when you were trapped inside the crystal vein was quite difficult. The difficulty must surely have been part of the reason the other seniors from the enchantment magic school did not step forward.
Ah! Please do not misunderstand. I am not trying to make a show of what I did, but...
“......”
Jarun was dumbfounded.
What kind of bastard was this?
'I gave him the orichalcum map. That should have settled everything!'
It was true that this junior had saved Jarun when he was sealed inside the vein.
Considering that students from other schools had seen him and simply passed by, it had certainly been an impressive deed. That was why Jarun’s heart had softened slightly and he had handed over the location of the orichalcum he had investigated.
That should have ended it!
Reading this letter made him think he should never have given it away. His chest already felt as though it were tearing apart whenever he thought about the orichalcum...
Just as the grumbling Jarun was about to burn the paper bird, another paper bird arrived.
To Senior Jarun of House Ironshoe,
Greetings, Senior. Seeing that there has been no reply, you must be very busy. Come to think of it, I too was busy when I helped you after you became trapped inside the crystal vein...
“......”
A sudden chill ran down Jarun’s spine.
Could this junior possibly intend to keep sending paper birds until Jarun accepted??
***
Caten of House Jahan, a proud fifth-year senior from the White Tiger Tower, had recently felt a slight flutter in his chest.
The rumors he had been hearing lately had shaken his heart.
-I heard the junior from House Wardanaz is working on a commission? A construction commission, apparently? Inside Einroguard.
-Really? Not Senior Yukbeltire?
-That is what I heard. I checked several times.
-Is Senior Yukbeltire merely putting the junior’s name forward as a disguise because they are from the same tower?
-I checked that too. No.
-Phew. What a relief. I thought it was a commission being led by Senior Yukbeltire.
-Apparently Wardanaz even brought Jarun in somehow.
-Ironshoe!? That is truly impressive.
A commission being led by an intelligent and outstanding junior with whom Caten was acquainted.
And the fact that the commission required quite a number of mages.
There was only one conclusion that could be drawn from these facts.
Soon, Caten would receive a proposal asking for help as well!
'I look forward to it.'
With his heart pounding, Caten stared at the cliff.
Even though he had swung his sword to calm himself, he still felt restless. As a result, the innocent cliff alone was gradually being reduced to rags.
“Senior!”
“!”
Caten’s ears perked up, and he leaped into the air before flying down. Seeing the senior descending with the force of someone falling, Lee Han was horrified.
Boom!
With a thunderous noise, Caten landed lightly.
“Welcome! Junior! I have been waiting for you! Though you could have simply sent a paper bird!”
“Pardon? Ah. Well.”
Lee Han was slightly flustered by the senior’s overwhelmingly enthusiastic reaction. He had not expected it at all.
And the reason Lee Han had come personally rather than sending a paper bird was simple.
Caten might have failed to reply.
Of course, he could not say that, so Lee Han adjusted his posture and expressed it indirectly.
“When else would I have the chance to meet you personally, Senior, except on an occasion like this?”
“Junior...!”
Caten was so moved that the long, thin whiskers characteristic of a feline beastkin trembled.
To think there was a junior who thought so highly of him.
Although they belonged to different towers, Caten thought he had been blessed with a very good junior.
“The truth is, I have also made great progress in magic recently.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“I dare say that at this level, I should be able to do my share in any commission. My friends would be greatly surprised if they knew!”
As Caten said this, he subtly looked at his junior.
It meant that Lee Han should hurry and propose that he participate in the commission.
“That is wonderful, Senior. In fact, the reason I came here today was to ask for your help...”
“Anything is fine! Speak freely!”
“Th-Thank you. The truth is.”
“Mm!”
“I am planning to subjugate evil-god worshipers...”
“...?”
Caten sensed that something was wrong.
Wait?