Chapter 1175
Unaware that Lee Han beside them had answered with merciless, bloodless coldness, the dark mages continued to argue heatedly.
"You young brat sure talk a filthy amount. Are you making it with your money? It is being made with the head of the house's money!"
"That is why the Descendants of Ahrak do not receive commissions."
"It is not that we do not receive commissions. We are the ones who refuse trivial commissions!"
"Grrrk. (If the two of you are going to fight, may I finish it?)"
"How dare you!"
***
Half a day later.
The dark mages looked at one another with bloodshot eyes. They had been so absorbed in the magic that their entire bodies felt weary.
In truth, it seemed they were more exhausted from keeping one another in check and fighting than from the magic itself.
But even that exhaustion seemed to vanish in an instant once they looked at the result.
"This is... beautiful."
When the Descendant of Ahrak spoke, the other dark mages nodded as well.
Sometimes, a masterpiece emerged from coincidence.
There were times when countless mages sincerely cooperated and still produced a poor work, while there were also times when those same mages fought among themselves and produced a masterpiece.
And surprisingly, this was exactly one of those times.
A masterpiece so great that even the participating dark mages were astonished!
Even the dark mages could not explain how such a masterpiece had come about.
Perhaps it was because the Legion of Oondorgu pointed out with blazing eyes every part the Descendant of Ahrak had missed, the Obsidian Magic Tower shrieked and mocked every part where the Legion of Oondorgu had made a mistake, and the Descendant of Ahrak sprayed spittle while ridiculing every part the Obsidian Magic Tower had done wrong.
Or perhaps the cold, fresh air of the north had awakened the minds of dark mages who spent every day in musty underground tombs...
"How about naming this ?"
"Grrrrrk. (Have you gone mad?)"
"I knew you were truly shameless, but I never imagined it was to this extent. Why are the Descendants of Ahrak really like this?"
'Bastards. That is too much.'
The dark mages rebuked him far more sharply than usual.
The suggestion was simply too shameless.
To put only his own name on such a masterpiece.
The Descendant of Ahrak was inwardly aware of that as well, so he did not say anything more.
"Grrrrrrrk. (What do you think of ?)"
"Let us stop this meaningless quarrel. Everyone must know that it is impossible anyway. Should we not give it a name that can satisfy all three?"
"? Is that not too long?"
'He is putting his own name first again.'
The undead glared at the friend as though looking at something pathetic.
He was truly persistent when it came to sordid matters.
The dark mages' quarrel ended in a completely unexpected way.
"It is finished!"
"???"
Lee Han, who had been sitting at another desk in the lodging, shouted that and rose from his seat.
The bewildered dark mages asked.
"What is finished?"
"My commission is finished."
"...W-What are you talking about? Your commission is this."
The old dark mage fluttered the greatest masterpiece of the year.
They had put their heads together with their companions to create this masterpiece, so what did he mean by saying it was finished?
"Ah. You meant this? You young brat, I almost misunderstood! Yes. What name do you think would be good, young brat? You think Ahrak should come first after all, do you not?"
"No. What I said was finished is this."
Lee Han waved the design he had just completed.
It was a completely different design from the one made by the senior dark mages.
A magical structure design composed of stable and solid magic, at a level difficult to believe had been completed by a second-year student.
Professor Taswan unconsciously exclaimed in admiration.
"Excellent...!"
"What is excellent about it!"
The Descendant of Ahrak shouted in anger. The other dark mages nodded as though they agreed.
"He only used easy magic and connected it together! What kind of mage is that!"
"N-No. A magical structure should use magic according to its purpose. The magic itself must not become the purpose..."
Professor Taswan argued rationally.
What the head of House Moradi had commissioned was, after all, a structure that would reinforce and manage the area where outside knights stayed, not a masterpiece that would remain forever in the history of dark magic.
The design Wardanaz had just completed was truly sound and efficient.
It placed only the necessary spells exactly where they were needed, and shortened everything that could be shortened by using his own mana...
Not just anyone could become the Einroguard mage most beloved by Imperial officials.
"Silence! Look at this!"
The Descendant of Ahrak forcibly shoved the masterpiece they had just completed into Lee Han's hands. Lee Han flipped through it with an expression that showed how much he did not want to look at it.
"...!!"
The more he read, the more violently Lee Han's eyes shook.
As a mage, he could not help but feel how extraordinary the magic used here was.
"What in the world is this magic?"
"It is called , a spell that summons an eye of dark magic semi-permanently to watch the surroundings. Magic that deceives vision does not work against it."
"What is the magic beside the place where it says 'fill with bones'?"
"Grrrrrk. (It is Oondorgu's secret dark magic, called .)"
"This magic is..."
"That is magic from the Obsidian Magic Tower. It is a spell called ..."
"Ah. I know what kind of magic it is. Professor Mortum taught me."
"Really? Professor Mortum must have found it impressive."
'He cursed it and told us never to use magic this way, but I should not mention that.'
Lee Han thought inwardly.
He had not noticed it at the time, but now that he saw it, it was magic developed by the Obsidian Magic Tower.
No wonder they did not get along!
Even afterward, the parade of splendid spells Lee Han had never heard of continued.
They were so splendid that even the dark mages did not know one another's spells.
"Grrrrrk. (There was magic like this too)?!"
"Of course. Do not disregard the wisdom of our descendants."
"Grrrrrrrk. (You had magic like this, yet you refused when I asked you to help create a new chimera)?!"
"Y-You are the same! You had magic for summoning giant undead, yet you said you did not!"
The explanations continued after that as well.
Even though it was impossible to understand everything, Lee Han somehow succeeded in cramming the overall picture into his head.
And that alone made it feel as though his head were about to burst.
'Are they madmen?'
Lee Han looked at the senior dark mages with fresh astonishment.
They were recommending that a second-year student construct a building with magic like this.
Perhaps Professor Mortum had a valid reason for disliking these people.
"I have finished reading."
"Yes, young brat! Now you understand as well, do you not? That the dark mages' design here is far superior to your design?"
"Yes... Well, I suppose so."
"Then what should you naturally do?"
"I am still going to use my design."
"Why!?"
"Because it is my commission, so it is my choice."
"......"
It was childish logic, but surprisingly difficult logic to refute.
After all, the dark mages gathered here were people who had lived their entire lives with exactly that spirit.
"I... I will tell the head of the house!"
"Grrrrrrrk. (That is truly pathetic, but it is an effective method.)"
"Certainly, if the head of the house hears, the decision may change..."
Lee Han did not even blink at the senior dark mages' threats.
"Do as you please."
"You... You! Just you wait! Follow me! We must meet the head of the house!"
The old dark mage abruptly rushed out without any concern for dignity.
The other dark mages swarmed after him. Only Professor Taswan remained, fidgeting helplessly.
"I-Is this really all right? If the head of the house takes their side..."
"That will not happen, and even if it does, I do not care."
"Why?!"
Professor Taswan could not understand.
Was a commission like this not a precious opportunity even for an Einroguard student?
"I have so many other commissions piled up right now that it does not particularly matter even if this one is canceled..."
"......"
At that moment, Professor Taswan felt he understood a little why the other dark mages found Professor Mortum's disciple so irritating.
***
"The head of the house is currently busy. He has gone hunting."
"...Then what about tomorrow?"
"He will be busy tomorrow as well. There is another hunt."
"...Good. Fine. What about the day after tomorrow??!"
"Unfortunately, he will be busy. There is yet another hunt..."
"You despicable knights!! Do you think you can shamelessly turn your faces away like this!!!"
The dark mages stamped their feet, unable to recover from the harsh taste of the north.
They had been precious guests before the northern problem was resolved, but after it was resolved, they were merely bothersome dark mages.
However, once the head of the house had shamelessly hardened his face, there was nothing ordinary mages could do.
"Khk. I should have founded a magic school too..."
"Grrrrrk. (Stop talking nonsense.)"
As the dark mages trudged away, they saw a tall, slender elf knight.
It was Jiklin, a swordswoman whose name was known by everyone in the territory.
"Moradi!"
"?"
Jiklin, who had been walking, turned with a puzzled look when the dark mages hurriedly gathered around.
"What is the matter with all of you?"
"Sob, please listen to the story of this old dark mage!"
The Descendant of Ahrak hurriedly poured out everything that had happened.
We senior dark mages worked hard to devise magic out of the goodness of our hearts to help our junior, but this wicked young brat seized a tiny bit of authority and looked down on people...
"I see. Is that so."
Jiklin nodded, then turned and tried to walk away again.
The bewildered dark mages shouted in alarm.
"N-No. Moradi! Where are you going?"
"Today is the day I train the knights of the territory, so I am going to the training ground."
"...That is not what we meant! Y-You just heard our story."
"Yes. You asked me to listen, so I listened."
"......"
The dark mages trembled with rage at the way she obeyed their words like some poorly made golem or chimera.
"...After hearing our story, will you support us?"
"I cannot."
"Why?!"
"Because it is not within my authority. You should all stop interfering in matters that are not within your authority as well."
Jiklin spoke decisively, then left.
The dark mages trembled with resentment.
This was why knights who knew nothing of magic were...!
***
Thump thump thump thump thump-
"I may have to change lodgings."
Lee Han muttered as he opened the door.
No matter how he thought about it, there seemed to be far too many uninvited guests these days.
When he opened the door, he saw the faces of the dark mages, which were beginning to feel tiresome.
"Why have you come again?"
"One!"
"???"
"Just one! If you can give even one reason why your design is better than ours, we will accept it and withdraw."
"My design can be built faster, built more cheaply, and built more easily."
"...I said just one, you young brat!"
The Descendant of Ahrak shouted angrily.
In any case, every dark mage from Einroguard was displeasing.
"If you chose that inferior design because it can be built more cheaply... Fine. How about this? I will pay for it with my own money. And so will this undead friend here, and this fool from the Obsidian Magic Tower."
"Grrrk. (What did you say)?!"
"What insane mage pays their own money to work?!"
Naturally, the two fiercely objected. The Descendant of Ahrak shouted as though this worked out well.
"Then the two of you can withdraw. It seems the name will have to be ."
"...Grrrk. (We can just pay.)"
"...Understood. I have money saved..."
Lee Han spoke in disbelief as they bickered and settled things among themselves.
"I will not do it no matter how much you pay."
"Why again!!"
"It takes too long."
"If all of us work together, it will take about the same amount of time!"
"The magic is difficult as well. Do you know how many of those spells I do not know?"
"That..."
The Descendant of Ahrak hesitated. The other dark mages stared desperately, as though urging him not to lose.
Driven into a logical corner, the Descendant hesitated, then spoke.
"...If you learn them from us here and now... they will become easy."
"......"
"......"
"Grrrrrk. (That is truly the worst persuasion.)"
How many spells were there, and how difficult were they, yet he was suggesting learning them here and now?