Chapter 1162
Lee Han did not lower his guard, but at the same time, he tried not to do anything that might cause the other party to misunderstand.
This was not near the entrance to the ruins, but a section that could only be reached by finding a secret passage and descending through it.
In other words, the adventurer party visible over there was not a group of common nobodies, but had come down here because they knew something and had something they trusted in.
Looking around, he could indeed feel the mana traces left behind by a fierce magical battle.
‘There is no reason to approach people whose nerves are already on edge and cause a misunderstanding.’
In any case, Lee Han had Saratan. There was no need to stealthily follow behind other adventurers.
Surprisingly, however, the people on the other side called out to Lee Han’s group first.
“W-Wait...! Please wait a moment!”
“?”
“Are you mages as well? If so, could you perhaps tell me your identities? I am Garko of House Arjo.”
House Arjo was a mage house whose name Lee Han had heard several times before.
Giselle had heard of it as well, so she nodded.
‘An elf. And if he is a transformation mage, then he really is from House Arjo.’
An observant Einroguard mage could easily distinguish someone from the transformation magic school.
If someone had the fur of various animals attached to their clothes, there was a high chance that they were from the transformation magic school.
“I see. ...Should I use the name Stedal Nago?”
“...Did you not just agree that he was from House Arjo?”
“I think he is from House Arjo. But he could also be an evil-god worshiper from House Arjo.”
“......”
Giselle was horrified when she realized that her friend from one of the Empire’s great noble houses had become several times more suspicious than usual.
He was already suspicious by nature, so seeing him act like this was truly frightening.
“Are you perhaps mages from Einroguard?”
“!”
Lee Han was greatly startled.
Then he whispered to his friends with a serious expression.
“There is a possibility that one of us is a spy.”
“I-It is not me! Wardanaz! You cannot suspect me just because I insulted you earlier by telling you to work hard at learning magic...”
“Do not worry. The one I suspect is Ibinta.”
Ibinta, who was waiting outside in loneliness, suddenly came under suspicion of being a spy.
It was rather fortunate that Ibinta could pass without ever learning this fact.
Unable to watch any longer, Giselle asked in Lee Han’s place.
“Why do you think we came from Einroguard?”
“Are you not Student Lee Han of House Wardanaz? Alshicle of House Pengerine praised you several times at conferences, so I remember you.”
“......”
“......”
“...So Pengerine was the spy.”
“N-No. I am sure it was not intentional!”
The White Tiger Tower students quickly calmed their friend.
Alshicle had boasted needlessly, but it was not as though they could not understand the feeling.
When they returned to their own houses and rumors about Wardanaz came up, they also shamelessly said, ‘Actually, I am close with Wardanaz as well.’
Moreover, conferences between mages were places where everyone boasted to one another(the White Tiger Tower students’ prejudice), so what junior could possibly be better to boast about than Wardanaz?
“Even so, you should only have heard stories about me, so I do not understand how you recognized me immediately.”
“Alshicle of House Pengerine praised you while also drawing your appearance.”
“......”
None of the other mages had doubted it, but perhaps Alshicle wanted to prove beyond doubt that they were close, because he had even created a magnificent magical portrait that no one had asked for.
Lee Han cursed Alshicle inwardly.
What kind of embarrassing senior mage was this?
“...What is it you wish to say? We are also busy because we need to explore the ruins.”
“Would you care to exchange information?”
-You may ignore such nonsense.
Saratan snorted.
If these were Baquantalana’s ruins, there was no expert who knew them better than Saratan, a spirit.
Why would they exchange information with a mage like that?
They might merely have useful items from the ruins taken away from them.
-Look at that mage’s appearance. It seems he somehow managed to discover the passage, but he clearly does not know how to avoid a fight. That must be why he fought so fiercely.
Saratan’s observation certainly made sense. Lee Han nodded slightly.
Garko’s posture was so upright and flawless that it was not obvious from him, but when Lee Han looked at the adventurers behind him, it was extremely obvious.
Exhaustion, fear, despair, and their mouths silently forming the words ‘Please help us’...
‘Is the last one not a little excessive?’
Lee Han was slightly bewildered.
If they were adventurers capable of being hired by a mage from House Arjo, they should possess a certain degree of credibility and experience, yet they were showing such weakness.
“I can also tell you about the guardian of the ruins our party just fought!”
-How persistent. It is annoying, so clearly pass this on for me.
Saratan spoke arrogantly.
Now that an opportunity to be useful had finally come after such a long time, this spirit could see nothing else.
It would crush the other party’s paltry information head-on!
-That guardian must have had six legs.
“Did the guardian have six legs?”
“!”
Garko’s face wavered for the first time that day. He did not show it outwardly because of his gentlemanly dignity, but inwardly, he had received a great shock.
A trade between mages was only possible when both sides possessed equal qualifications. If the information on this side was useless, he could not ask for the information on the other side.
“...That is correct.”
“Did it use its tail as a weapon?”
“That is also correct.”
“Did it continue making loud, strange cries until the intruder retreated?”
“You mean the ultrasonic waves. That is correct.”
“No. Not ultrasonic waves. It simply makes strange cries.”
“...?”
Garko tilted his head. The adventurers also reacted as though they found it strange.
“It fired ultrasonic waves.”
-...That is a lie! How dare they lie! This is why lowly, greedy mortals cannot be trusted!
Saratan shouted indignantly.
However, Lee Han was already looking at it suspiciously.
“Are you not the one who is wrong?”
-...H-How could you say such a thing! Have I ever been wrong on the way here?!
Saratan was genuinely aggrieved.
Who had told them the location of the passage that allowed them to descend after passing through the entrance to the ruins?
It had been Saratan.
After they came down, who had endured the shame and told them, ‘That room is used to imprison spirits that try to escape, so there is no need to force your way inside’?
It had been Saratan.
Who had told them the password Baquantalana had prepared in case a guardian appeared?
It had been Saratan.
Yet after listening to all of that, Lee Han treated it this coldly.
‘Mortals truly cannot be trusted. To think I considered a bastard like this a friend!’
“No... I am sorry. Of course I trust you.”
Perhaps Lee Han could feel Saratan’s sincere sobbing from inside the staff, because he apologized, which was rare for him.
Then Lee Han muttered.
“I thought that even if mechanical devices remained unchanged over time, things like the chimeras inside could become contaminated or undergo mutations, but of course you must have considered that as well, Saratan. I am sorry that I did not trust you. I formally apologize.”
-......
“Saratan? It seems you were hurt so badly that you do not wish to answer. I understand. Speak when you feel like it.”
-Well... The thing is.
Saratan hesitantly opened its mouth.
-Actually... I did not consider contamination or mutation... Now that I think about it, the guardian may have changed like that...
“......”
-Aaaaaaargh!
Saratan screamed in pain as immense mana filled the staff for the first time in a long while.
To suffer like this again specifically within Baquantalana’s ruins!
It was a very unpleasant coincidence.
***
“I see. Thank you for the information.”
Lee Han looked at Garko with newfound appreciation.
Contrary to his outward appearance, which resembled a fashionable gentleman commonly seen in the Empire’s clubs, his magical ability was truly extraordinary.
A chimera that had changed like that due to contamination was several times more difficult to deal with.
A guardian created by a mage was already a considerably troublesome opponent, and now that it had gained unpredictable characteristics on top of that, it was hell itself for intruders.
Yet Garko had somehow managed to defeat it with pure magical ability, without any particular information.
Lee Han had at least received Saratan’s advice, but the opposing mage truly was impressive.
‘Then again. There is no rule saying someone must be bad at magic merely because they are sociable. That is also a prejudice.’
Lee Han reflected on himself.
Just because the students of Vald... No, a certain magic school were sociable did not mean that all sociable mages were incompetent.
“E-Excuse me. Mages from Einroguard. If these ruins were contaminated because of the blasphemous rituals of evil-god worshipers... Should we not seal them off first and approach after going through a purification process?”
The adventurers offered an extremely standard opinion.
In the exploration of ruins, the only people who tried to finish everything at once were slightly deranged mages.
The ordinary process was to approach and investigate first, continue farther inside if it was less dangerous than expected, and retreat to formulate countermeasures if it was more dangerous.
They could not bring themselves to pressure Garko, so they hoped these Einroguard mages would support their opinion.
However, these adventurers were extremely unlucky.
Of all people, the one leading the Einroguard mages here happened to be Lee Han, who was burning with vengeance.
“If the energy of evil-god worshipers has eroded this place, that is even more reason to enter quickly and check its condition. If there is even the slightest possibility that they deliberately planned this, should we not punish them?”
‘...Every mage is insane!’
The adventurers screamed inwardly.
Did these people called mages possess no fear whatsoever?
There was no telling what might be inside after mutations and contamination had occurred, yet he boldly declared that they should enter.
Perhaps such boldness was precisely the qualification required of those who walked the path of magic.
“If you are Student Lee Han of House Wardanaz, I naturally expected you to say that.”
Garko nodded slightly as though he was not surprised at all.
If what Alshicle had said was correct, danger of the degree they had encountered today could not stop this bold genius mage.
If anything, it might merely serve as a diversion that stimulated the genius mage’s interest.
“...?”
Lee Han sensed from the other party’s reaction that there was some misunderstanding, but his mind was currently filled with thoughts of evil-god worshipers, so he did not bother asking.
“In return for the information, I will also share one piece of information I know. Please do not resent me even if it is wrong.”
“Of course.”
“The method of descending farther from here is to find Baquantalana’s symbol. The condition is to recite the password ‘great devotion toward magic’ before Baquantalana’s symbol.”
“!”
“!!”
“!!!”
Not only Garko, but Giselle and Caten were also greatly surprised.
They had wondered if it might be true, but these really were Baquantalana’s ruins!
The White Tiger Tower students had been standing there blankly as though they had no particular interest, but when Lee Han and Giselle glared fiercely at them, they finally shouted loudly.
“B-Batalquannalana! To think these were Batalquannalana’s ruins!”
“We never imagined it! We are truly fortunate!”
“...At least memorize the name properly.”
***
“Sob, sob.”
After being scolded by both sides, the White Tiger Tower students wandered around with miserable expressions, searching for the symbol of Batalquannalana—no, Baquantalana.
Lee Han spoke in a pathetic tone.
“Had you spent the time you used taking an interest in Imperial politics on magic instead, the number of insults you received from Moradi would have been reduced by half.”
“But then it would have been that much less fun... Ah. No. That is good advice, Wardanaz.”
The White Tiger Tower students quickly changed their words.
‘There do not seem to be any more guardians.’
-Naturally. Baquantalana hated inefficiency and placed exactly a fixed number in each section. The contaminated guardian must have ignored those rules and wandered around the sections as it pleased, so the other guardians were probably destroyed.
‘That is fortunate, at least.’
To be honest, Lee Han did not want to fight the guardian Garko had described.
Even with Caten present, it was a more formidable opponent than expected.
Once they found the path leading downward, Lee Han wanted to confirm the contamination and then focus solely on their objective.
“Ah. Lord Arjo.”
“Please call me Garko, Student Lee Han.”
“Thank you, Lord Garko.”
Lee Han had taken quite a liking to this mage of the transformation magic school.
His magical ability was outstanding, he handled matters well, and above all, he even possessed a sociable personality.
A mage like this was always capable of doing the work of several people.
“How much do you know about Baquantalana?”
“I heard about Baquantalana several times while learning enchantment magic.”
Lee Han answered with a humble attitude.
There seemed to be no particular need to mention that he had even helped cast Baquantalana’s magic.
Garko spoke with a serious expression.
“The truth is, Baquantalana was a transformation mage.”
“Pardon?”
“The mages of the enchantment magic school in later generations manipulated the information to their own advantage.”
‘Ah. Right. This person was Alshicle’s friend.’