Chapter 1174
'That is true.'
Caten unconsciously nodded. At that, the Descendant of Ahrak glared at Caten.
"People are bound to make mistakes as they live. Mages are even more bound to make mistakes."
"?"
"??"
Was that so?
Lee Han and Caten exchanged puzzled looks.
No matter how long they lived, it did not seem likely that they would make such a disgraceful mistake.
"You young brats only think that way because you have not yet tasted the bitterness of magic! As time passes, you will come to understand my words."
"Ah. Yes. Then I will speak to you again at that time."
Saying that, Lee Han tried to send the Descendant of Ahrak out.
He already had plenty of work to do and had no time to deal with such a troublesome dark mage.
The Descendant of Ahrak resisted with a grunt.
"Think carefully! Do you really want to live like a slave in Einroguard's dark magic school?! If you stay there, you young brat will spend all your time doing menial work and looking after incompetent seniors! You! You seem to be his senior. Do you not feel sorry for your junior?!"
"Mm."
"...Senior. You were not swayed by that nonsense just now, were you?"
Lee Han, who had been pushing the Descendant of Ahrak out, was horrified by Caten's reaction.
The person who had just warned him to be wary of power was being swayed by that nonsense?
"Ah. Junior. I do not think that you should join the Descendants of Ahrak. It is merely..."
"Merely?"
"I think the criticism of Einroguard's dark magic school does have some merit..."
"......"
As they were both fifth-years, Caten had consistently heard many stories about Einroguard's dark magic school from Diret and Princess Yukbeltire.
Diret's stories were complaints, while Princess Yukbeltire's were one-sided condemnations, but in truth, the contents of the two were not very different.
In the end, there was only one conclusion.
Just how difficult and poor the conditions of Einroguard's dark magic school were.
The Descendant of Ahrak grinned. At last, one of the young brats had appeared with a properly functioning head.
"Exactly! At last, one young brat has come to his senses. A talented mage should find a place where that talent can flourish. Why would you do menial work in some school with cobwebs filling its vault?"
"I am not joining a group that disguises itself to extort questions."
"If you join the Descendants of Ahrak, you can do anything you want. No one will interfere. You will walk your own path!"
"I am already walking my own path. And Senior. I appreciate your concern, but are you not also devoting yourself to magic that others try to stop you from pursuing?"
"!"
Caten was greatly shocked by those words.
That was certainly true.
"What matters is not how rough the path is, but that I want to walk it."
"...You are right, Junior. I am ashamed. You truly wish to walk the path of Einroguard's dark magic school."
Lee Han paused for a moment.
Caten and the Descendant of Ahrak stared at him.
...Did he not just hesitate?
"Yes... That is right. Well."
"Do not lie! You hesitated!"
"I did not. And if you keep resisting, I will have Senior Caten deal with you. Leave quickly while I am still asking politely."
Lee Han tried to drive out the senior old mage, who kept speaking only the truth, because he found him irritating.
Whispering the truth into someone's ear so underhandedly. He was an extremely despicable fellow.
Knock knock knock-
"Look. While you were doing this, the professor arrived."
"Hmph."
Lee Han opened the door while glaring at the Descendant of Ahrak.
Once again, it was Professor Taswan of Kalarogard. The professor smiled kindly and raised a stone tablet.
My apologies. I accidentally inhaled poisonous smoke just now, so I cannot speak.
"......"
"......"
"What a half-assed bastard."
The moment the Descendant of Ahrak muttered, Caten punched the professor in the face.
The undead belonging to the Legion of Oondorgu screamed painfully in protest.
"Grrrrrk. (Is that not too much)!"
***
"You both arrived first... Hmm??"
The mage from the Obsidian Magic Tower looked at the two senior dark mages in puzzlement.
Why were they bleeding from their noses?
"There was a reason for it, young brat."
"Grrrk. (The dark mage who rises early obtains the freshly buried corpse)."
"Were you attacked by someone?"
"...I tripped on the way here. The fortress corridors are uneven."
"Grrrk. (I tripped over the same thing)."
Despite the two's half-hearted excuses, the dark mage from the Obsidian Magic Tower paid no attention.
That was because there had been little interest in the two of them from the beginning.
"Lee Han of House Wardanaz. I have brought you a formal proposal in the name of the Obsidian Magic Tower. I hope you will consider it favorably."
The dark mage politely held out the proposal. Lee Han glanced behind the open door of the lodging.
"Is there anything more...?"
"?"
"You may speak honestly. You know. That."
"???"
The dark mage of the Obsidian Magic Tower was flustered.
'Is he talking about a bribe?'
The proposal itself would be filled with special benefits for the mage, so why would that be necessary?
However, if the other party wanted it, this was the time to accommodate him. The dark mage lightly cleared the throat before speaking.
"If you say so, I shall explain it verbally. This time, our Obsidian Magic Tower..."
"I-I apologize to everyone for being late."
Professor Taswan entered while panting.
The professor had arrived late because of having to comfort the disciples who had grown dejected after being compared to students from another magic school.
Upon seeing that, the Descendant of Ahrak and the Legion of Oondorgu shouted as though they had expected it.
"Aha! As expected! You cunning little brat. Putting on such an innocent face while making two separate plans?"
"Grrrk. (I knew it)!"
"...Pardon?"
"What are you talking about?"
Not only Professor Taswan, but also the dark mage of the Obsidian Magic Tower was confused.
Had the madness that every long-serving mage eventually experienced invaded them?
"Enough! I will show you through action. Vengeful spirit, restore the fellow's soul to its original form!"
The Descendant of Ahrak displayed dark magic as powerful as the reputation suggested.
A well-raised vengeful spirit emerged from inside the sleeve, searched for traces of an artificially altered soul, and lunged forward.
Then it circled Professor Taswan once before returning to its master's sleeve.
"......"
"Grrrk. (Are you an idiot)?"
"N-No. This is strange? Vengeful spirit, restore the fellow's soul to its original form!"
The vengeful spirit howled from inside the sleeve as though timidly protesting.
It was a cry that there were no traces of an altered soul.
"......"
"......"
"It seems that this truly is Professor Taswan."
At Lee Han's words, the two who had arrived late asked in bewilderment.
"Of course I am real. Was there a fake?"
"...Student Wardanaz, did you perhaps see a fake?"
If a fake had appeared in a situation like this, the person most likely to do such a thing was...
"Now. Let us all return to the main matter. Dark mages should speak through magic. Has the idle chatter not gone on for too long?"
The Descendant of Ahrak suddenly spoke with a serious expression. Even the undead friend was impressed by such disgraceful behavior.
'It is not easy to be that disgusting.'
"...Yes. It is good that you wish to return to the main matter. Since all of you have gathered like this, I have already made my decision."
Instead of arguing pointlessly, Lee Han decided to get to the main point.
From experience, nothing good ever came from speaking at length with shameless mages.
'Could it be us?'
'It may be us.'
'Naturally, it must be our proposal.'
While the dark mages looked at him with expectant gazes, Lee Han answered calmly.
"Everyone except Professor Taswan should formally contact Einroguard's dark magic school and submit your proposals there."
"......"
"......"
The dark mages fell silent at the completely unexpected answer.
"Why, why would you do such a thing?!"
"Because I belong to Einroguard's dark magic school."
"That is why I am asking why you would do such a thing?!"
'Can he perhaps not hear me?'
Leaving aside the Descendant of Ahrak, who refused to accept the truth, the dark mage of the Obsidian Magic Tower sank into thought.
The instruction to formally send a proposal was not particularly bad in itself.
The mage of House Wardanaz would suffer some loss because the compensation could no longer be monopolized, but was that not ultimately his own choice?
It was not something the Obsidian Magic Tower needed to care about.
The problem was...
"I am concerned that Professor Mortum may behave somewhat irrationally."
"Grrrrrk. (If he learns that we did not invite him, he will block our letters for years)."
It was especially uncomfortable because the head of the school happened to be the dark mage they had recently excluded.
Would he not immediately burn the letters?
"Ah. Do not make the proposal to Professor Mortum. Make it to Senior Diret."
"Is that acceptable?"
"Grrrk. (What a relief)!"
The dark mages brightened.
That disciple was someone with whom communication was far easier.
Even the Descendant of Ahrak, who had been speaking bluntly, was half-convinced by those words.
"Well... If it is that young friend."
At that sight, Caten whispered to Lee Han.
"Did Professor Mortum perhaps attack these people?"
"Surely not... At most, it was probably theft or fraud."
"......"
Theft or fraud might actually have happened??
***
Even though a rough agreement had been reached, the dark mages did not leave the lodging.
The Descendant of Ahrak, who had been wandering around with a disappointed expression, looked at the blueprints Lee Han was sorting through and spoke.
"What is this?"
"I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was commissioned to repair and improve the fortress."
"You were assigned to resolve the northern disturbance and this as well? The head of the house works people more harshly than I expected."
Lee Han was about to say that the former had not been his commission, but let it pass.
If he said that, it seemed likely that it would only add another wound to the hearts of the dark mages present.
It was enough for them to hate Professor Mortum. There was no reason to make them hate Lee Han as well.
"But the magic here is rather crude and outdated."
"It is old work. It was a commission that could not employ high-level mages, so that is only natural."
"Those damned nobles. They should save the money they spend on parties and banquets and use it on mages."
The Descendant of Ahrak turned the blueprint over and checked the notes Lee Han was working on.
Judging by the contents, it seemed to be a plan to strengthen the defenses of the area and raise the level of surveillance so that any possible intruders could be detected.
"Is this not wasting far too much mana?"
"That is my style."
"You young brat keep answering back so neatly... Then what is this? If someone breaks through this side path, the surveillance will stop."
"Grrrk. (Utterly amateurish)."
Lee Han answered in disbelief at the senior dark mages' criticism.
"Is that not because I have not even designed that section yet?"
"Only incompetent people make excuses like that when they are criticized. Look. There is no need to make the magic here so large overall. I will generously teach you one spell. It is . With that one spell, everything here can be resolved."
"Grrrk. (That is a good idea)."
The undead positively accepted the friend's proposal.
Going a step further, the undead used a quill to rapidly fill in the missing points.
"Grrrrrk. (If you make the entire outer wall from high-grade bones, it will function far better)."
"Your head is working rather well today. Then how about this? We place a demon here. I happen to have a suitable demon sealed inside a book."
Professor Taswan was flustered by the sight of the two arbitrarily planning the entire area by themselves.
Was that all right?
It was Wardanaz's commission, yet they were doing whatever they pleased...
"S-Should they not refrain from doing that?"
At Professor Taswan's words, the senior mage from the Obsidian Magic Tower nodded.
"The waste is far too severe. Both of you, stop immediately. If it is built that way, it will not be approved anywhere in the Empire."
"What? Has this young brat gone mad?!"
"Grrrrrk. (Do you even know anything about magical architecture)?!"
The dark mages quarreled with one another while arbitrarily completing Lee Han's commission.
Since none of them fell behind in magical ability, the argument became even fiercer.
Caten asked in surprise.
"Is it all right to leave them alone?"
"I never said I would use it."
Lee Han answered coldly.
They had arbitrarily constructed it with difficult magic that only they understood, so why should Lee Han build something like that?
No matter how well it was made, Lee Han had no intention of doing so whatsoever.