Chapter 1163
Lee Han reflected once again.
He should not let himself be fooled by a neat outward appearance, yet how many times had this happened already?
‘From now on, I should just assume that any mage is automatically insane.’
And in truth, Garko was a relatively refined kind of insane mage.
Claiming that an ancient mage had actually belonged to his own school of magic was, well...
‘My claim that the Skull Principal was a kindhearted prince in his youth would probably sound no less insane to the people of the Empire.’
“I see. I did not know. I thought Baquantalana belonged to the enchantment magic school.”
When Lee Han played along, Garko gained momentum. Resentment could now be heard in the gentleman’s voice, which until then had never lost its courtesy.
“The enchantment magic school is always like this. They pretend to be artisans, pretend not to know anything, and act cunningly. Not all enchantment mages are like that, but it is certain that there are several shameless enchantment mages!”
“Would Professor Verdus be on that list... Ah, it is nothing.”
Unable to overcome his curiosity, Lee Han nearly asked, ‘Is Professor Verdus also on that list of shameless mages?’ before coming to his senses.
It would have been one thing if he were speaking to another Einroguard student, but he could not insult a professor in front of an outside mage.
“Do you know why I entered these ruins among the many ruins in the north? It is because of this ancient text.”
Garko took out an old book. Green letters were written across the cover of the well-bound book.
“This ancient text is a book that deeply analyzes places where lost transformation magic may lie dormant.”
The goals of mages varied greatly. Sometimes, even the goal of a single person changed capriciously.
In that regard, Garko’s goal was to excavate and restore lost transformation magic.
Excavating such lost magic was never an easy task. There was always a reason why magic that had been lost had still not been discovered.
Unexcavated ruins were comparatively less dangerous, but at times, one had to force a path into harsh regions where human access had been cut off for hundreds of years.
‘I see. No wonder he seemed so skilled at handling the situation.’
The ability to subdue a chimera encountered for the first time without any information was not something that could be developed after only one or two attempts.
“Student Lee Han. I have no desire whatsoever for the magic in these ruins. There is only one thing I want.”
Garko’s eyes blazed. Lee Han became slightly tense. People who claimed to have no desire in situations like this were usually more frightening.
“What is it?”
“If Baquantalana’s magic is not enchantment magic, please do not conceal it! If you present your findings later, I ask that you make sure to reveal the truth.”
“...I-I understand.”
It was a far more trivial request than expected, but Garko was sincere.
What if Baquantalana’s undiscovered magic was not enchantment magic?
And what if it was transformation magic??
‘It is entirely possible.’
Unlike Lee Han, a faithless mage who attended classes from every school of magic, Garko had been born into a family of transformation mages and had already deeply analyzed Baquantalana’s magic and even developed hypotheses of his own.
When looking at magic such as , one could feel a profound understanding of transformation magic.
A mage who did not know transformation magic well could not have created such magic.
There had to be powerful transformation magic among Baquantalana’s spells!
Garko did not stop and began using his sociability to explain the tangled history between enchantment magic and transformation magic.
Lee Han regretted not keeping Caten or Giselle beside him. There was no one to interrupt the conversation.
‘Anglago. Come here and interrupt the conversation.’
When Lee Han gestured, Anglago, who had been waving a staff while searching for the symbol, tilted their head.
Then Anglago struck a fist against an open palm as though understanding.
“Wardanaz says not to disturb this side. He says we should check the other side first.”
“......”
***
Fortunately, the symbol was discovered thirty minutes later.
Lee Han moved forward while being tormented by the thought that some of the enchantment magic he knew might actually belong to the transformation magic school.
“Then... I will open it.”
The sound of Saratan swallowing came from inside the staff.
If the password for descending from here did not work, there could be no greater humiliation.
Unlike living creatures, which were vulnerable to contamination, mechanical devices and magical devices did not change greatly, so it seemed likely to be fine, but...
‘If it does not open, I will have to pretend to be dead.’
Saratan was even considering becoming a dead staff and remaining silent if it did not open.
Rumble-
Fortunately, that worst-case situation did not occur. The symbol shone, the wall split apart, and a path leading downward appeared.
-It worked! Hahaha, it worked! It worked, I said!
“...You are loud, so speak more quietly.”
Lee Han was grateful that only he could hear the voice of the spirit inside the staff.
If everyone else could hear it as well, it would have been quite embarrassing.
“What should we be careful of from here?”
-From this deep level onward, it is left in its natural state.
Above, there had been a truly wide variety of facilities, beginning with spaces used by workers and technicians staying there or by fellow mages when they visited, and extending to places where various pieces of equipment and magical tools were stored.
However, at the very bottom, there was no need for such superficial arrangements. Baquantalana only needed to extract the necessary mana from an environment left in its natural state.
-That does not mean there is no danger. There are three main things you need to be wary of. First, spirits.
“Everyone, watch out for spirits.”
At Lee Han’s words, the students and adventurers heightened their vigilance.
Spirits that appeared in places rich with natural mana were often powerful and ferocious, making them extremely dangerous.
What kind of spirit would it be?
“We are underground, and there is a great deal of bedrock nearby, so there is a high possibility that it is a rock-type spirit.”
“It may be a darkness spirit.”
“...I cannot sense any spiritual energy?”
Lee Han, who had also sharpened his senses and was detecting the mana around them, felt that something was strange.
Regardless of the fact that spirits disliked Lee Han, he was a mage with an exceptionally keen sense for detecting mana, and this sense also applied to detecting spirits.
Yet he could not feel the energy of any spirit in the surroundings.
-They are clearly... clearly hiding somewhe...
“If the guardian above was contaminated, is it not possible that contaminated energy reached this place as well and caused the spirits to leave?”
-...That possibility is high!
Saratan shouted in surprise.
Now that it had heard the explanation, it certainly made sense.
“......”
Lee Han seriously considered whether or not to strike the spirit once.
How absurd must the mages and adventurers feel?
‘Is this bastard deliberately doing this because its own reputation is not at stake?’
“What is the second?”
-The second is magical traps. Baquantalana was an outstanding enchantment mage.
There were few obstacles more threatening than the traps of an enchantment mage.
Lee Han once again examined the surroundings with a serious expression.
There were various movements of mana in nature, but to find a magical trap among them, he needed to locate a regular movement.
It would take some time, but...
-There is no need to find it with your senses. As I said, I built ruins like these countless times.
“How many times?”
-...Do not seize on every word I say. Now. It is over there. Baquantalana often used loosely stacked stone towers as markers. Be caref...
Lee Han cautiously took hold of the stone tower with his hand.
Then a tremendous torrent of mana surged upward from beneath the stone tower and flowed through Lee Han, like lightning coursing through a person’s body.
The difference was that the torrent of mana that had just flowed through him failed to inflict any harm on Lee Han. No matter how great the amount of mana was, compared to Lee Han’s mana, it was insignificant.
-...I was going to tell you not to touch it carelessly. I was.
Saratan spoke in a dazed voice.
It had never imagined that a cunning mage like Wardanaz would simply grab it without caution.
“You should have told me not to touch it first.”
Lee Han grumbled.
In truth, regardless of Saratan’s words, Lee Han had grabbed it because he himself was confident.
A trap that did not create a separate physical effect and instead attacked with pure mana would have difficulty affecting Lee Han.
...Of course, he had not expected every connected trap to break like this.
Lee Han found the other stone towers and cleanly destroyed the rest of them. The friends behind him did not seem to have noticed what had happened.
“Wardanaz. What are you doing?”
“I am destroying the traps.”
“...Is that a joke?”
His friends stared closely in confusion.
It was rare for Wardanaz to joke about something like that, but even taking that into account, the sight was impossible to understand.
Disarming a magical trap was usually a slightly louder and more spectacular affair. At the very least, the movement of mana should scatter in every direction.
Yet Wardanaz merely approached stone towers from which no mana could be felt and scattered the stones as though he were playing a prank.
‘Were those even traps in the first place?’
Garko explained in his place.
“Very impressive. To think he would break through magical traps in that manner. The reason no trap can be felt near those stone towers is because Baquantalana’s magic is that outstanding. The ground beneath our feet may feel like ordinary rock, but this rock is a magical substance created through transformation magic. Thanks to that, even if traps are located beneath it, they are not easy to detect.”
“I-I see...!”
“Amazing!”
After hearing the explanation, the students murmured in astonishment.
The White Tiger Tower students were sometimes scolded by Lee Han, Giselle, and occasionally Caten with the words, ‘Take some interest in magic!’ but they were still fundamentally mages of Einroguard.
No matter what, they did not lack knowledge about magic.
Because of that, they understood how remarkable what they had just heard was. Magic had already been cast without the visitors noticing anything at all.
After finishing the disarming of the traps, Lee Han suddenly had a thought.
‘Wait. If the floor was created through transformation magic, then it is not left in its natural state.’
Lee Han ground his teeth at the way Saratan kept leaving out one piece of information at a time.
That bastard Saratan!
And yet it complained that Lee Han did not trust it. In terms of shamelessness alone, it {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was an even more shameless spirit than Gainando.
“What is the third?”
-In truth, there is a high possibility that there is no third one. It is not present in every ruin.
“I see.”
Lee Han nodded and then spoke to the group.
“Everyone, prepare yourselves. There is a high possibility that something dangerous is here.”
-......
Saratan pursed its lips in anger. Of course, because it was inside the staff, no one could see it.
-I am telling the truth! When it came to magic Baquantalana treasured, additional magic was sometimes placed even in these deep levels. Rivals or enemies would occasionally come and attempt theft or destruction. The third is a clone. Baquantalana’s magical clone. But the number of spells Baquantalana treasured was small, so...
“Everyone! There is a high possibility that Baquantalana’s clone will appear!”
“!!”
-...Even if it does not appear, never blame me!
Although Saratan shouted in a thoroughly sulky manner, it still explained the capabilities of the clone.
It sequentially cast Baquantalana’s predetermined spells. Those who knew about these spells could prepare for them easily, but intruders who did not know about them were swept away on the spot.
Are you the master?
Suddenly, telepathic waves resounded throughout the entire deep level. Lee Han, who had been listening to Saratan’s explanation, asked in confusion.
“What process is this?”
-...Uh, I have never heard of this.
Saratan was extremely flustered.
It sounded like the voice of the clone, but had the clone spoken to intruders like that?
Spirit slave confirmed. Match confirmed. Confirming race... Mismatch. My apologies. You are not the master.
“......”
-......
Had it mistaken Lee Han for the master because it saw him treating Saratan like a slave?