What rude people.
Even if they had no way to contact him, why were they tormenting Alshicle?
“So what did you do?”
Alshicle had already confirmed that Lee Han had done something under the name Stedal of House Nago.
“I might not have done anything.”
“As if that’s possible.”
Unwavering faith.
Of course, considering the timeline, Lee Han really had not had much time to do anything recently.
During the vacation, he had been hunting monsters from the void outside dimensions, visiting other magic schools to solve problems, being kidnapped by evil dragons, or subjugating worshippers of evil gods.
No. Come to think of it, why is this guy doing all this during vacation?
Alshicle suddenly fell into a fundamental doubt.
Shouldn’t a student’s vacation be more refreshing and pleasant?
Of course, there were limits to that when one was an Einroguard student, but even taking that into account, Wardanaz’s vacation had far too high a professor density.
“Actually, I did do something.”
Lee Han gave up and confessed.
“When, and what did you do?”
“Last night, I went around under the identity of Stedal of House Nago.”
“...What?! When?!”
Alshicle was shocked.
Alshicle had thought Lee Han had done something recently, but never imagined it had been yesterday.
Had he not been modifying a small sailboat on the second floor?
“I briefly took it up for testing... But didn’t Professor Verdus notice anything strange when we all disappeared?”
“Would Professor Verdus have noticed?”
That’s true.
While Lee Han and his group worked on the second floor and even flew through the air, Professor Verdus had been completely absorbed in the work most interesting in the world to Professor Verdus.
Even after being told that the two mages had left, Professor Verdus would say something like, “Really? Then I should finish this and go back.”
Of course, the knights were cold-hearted. They immediately grabbed Professor Verdus by the scruff of the neck, stuffed the professor into a carriage, and departed for Einroguard.
“More importantly, it’s unfortunate that Professor Verdus went back.”
“What?!”
Lee Han, who had been explaining, was startled by Alshicle’s words.
Had some magical contamination phenomenon occurred?
“Still, if Professor Verdus were here, Professor Voladi Bagreg would attack Professor Verdus first instead of me.”
“Indeed.”
Lee Han was impressed.
The name of a genius mage was not empty after all.
To make such calculations in such a short time?
“So while flying the airship, people flocked to you, and you said you were Stedal of House Nago?”
“Yes. Aren’t people being a bit excessive?”
“If someone told me there was a mage who stole Professor Verdus’s belongings, I think I’d be curious enough to go see that mage too...”
“...”
Alshicle was serious.
If there were a mage who had completed permafrost magic and a mage who had robbed Professor Verdus of belongings, Alshicle would want to meet the latter first.
“It would be impossible to reply to all of them, but you can’t ignore them all either. How about responding to just one or two decent invitations among these?”
“I was planning to ignore them all.”
At Lee Han’s answer, Alshicle shook his head and explained.
“It seems you plan to keep using this insincere pseudonym, and in that case, nothing good will come from ignoring every invitation. That would look even stranger.”
“What do you mean, insincere pseudonym?”
Ignoring the light protest, Alshicle continued.
“And when inviting a mage who has accomplished outstanding feats, people usually prepare suitable proposals and gifts. Even if you reject the proposals, the gifts would tempt you, wouldn’t they?”
It was a little embarrassing to call stealing a professor’s treasure an outstanding feat, but Alshicle’s words certainly made sense.
Just by attending, he could receive gifts.
It certainly suits my disposition.
“One last thing.”
“What?”
“When you go, please tell them you’re not that close to me...”
Alshicle’s voice sounded pitiful, after nearly being buried under letters overnight.
Lee Han had no choice but to nod.
***
“Diret. But is this all right?”
Koholti asked carefully.
Unlike the Einroguard dark magic school students here, Koholti was a graduate.
Perhaps because of that, Koholti was more worried about the friend from the same year.
“What is?”
“Well, I was wondering if it’s all right not to meet your friend and just keep taking care of these underclassmen.”
As soon as Koholti finished speaking, immediate backlash erupted from the dark magic school underclassmen.
“What’s wrong with us that you’re saying things like that?”
“Come to think of it, you’re not even a senior anymore, are you, Koholti? Why are you here? Go to your workplace!”
These rotten kids.
Koholti was inwardly upset.
Of course, even during school days, Koholti had not exactly been a reliable senior.
Still, Koholti had helped the underclassmen as Diret instructed, and this was how they repaid that kindness.
“Which friend?”
Diret was puzzled.
Diret could not guess who Koholti was talking about.
“Aren’t you talking about the Imperial Princess?”
“It must be Senior Yukbeltire.”
When the underclassmen immediately provided answers and Koholti nodded, Diret replied in shock.
“Why would Princess Yukbeltire come up here?!”
“Huh, what? You two are really close... or not?”
The dark magic school students hesitated.
“We’re not that close... mmm... not exactly not close either... Right. We are close, but I absolutely don’t want to meet Princess Yukbeltire during vacation or anything like that, okay? Rather, I’m relieved not to meet her, okay?”
“For someone saying that, don’t you take very good care of her?”
“Our senior is naturally affectionate. Last time, Senior Diret even made a contract with that ugly undead because Senior Diret felt sorry for it.”
When the underclassmen whispered among themselves, Diret got angry.
“It’s not ugly. Be quiet.”
“We’re sorry.”
“And Yukbeltire is probably busy with her own affairs. Got it? I’m comfortable not meeting her for once, so don’t say ominous things. I have no complaints about moving around with my underclassmen.”
At Diret’s words, the underclassmen unanimously attacked Koholti.
“That’s right. Sen... no, Mr. Koholti, why would you say something like that?”
“Senior Diret has no complaints about making time for us. Stop trying to drive a wedge between us.”
At the cold attitude of the underclassmen, Koholti made a decision.
Even if these underclassmen came to Koholti’s workplace later, Koholti would absolutely not acknowledge them.
Just wait and see, you little brats.
Still, seeing Koholti being attacked too much, Diret personally changed the subject.
“Koholti. Tell us about your workplace. The underclassmen can listen and use it as a reference.”
“Hmph. Tell the fifth-years to go.”
“...”
“...”
The atmosphere instantly turned cold. Koholti realized the mistake.
It was the worst possible comment, one that would anger not only the juniors but even Diret.
“...I made a mistake. I apologize.”
In the end, Koholti had to hand out ice cream generously mixed with peaches and plums to the students of the dark magic school.
Even while licking the ice cream served in waffles, the students did not stop glaring at Koholti.
“I said I’m sorry...”
“Hmph.”
“Work has been difficult lately.”
Koholti opened up about recent work.
No matter how unpopular the dark magic school was, students who graduated from Einroguard were not without offers. Naturally, Koholti had received several proposals as well.
An Imperial army mage in the northern contaminated regions, a research mage at a dark magic tower, a guest mage for a knight order formed to track magical criminals, a dark mage managing and supervising regional gravekeepers...
And among these, Koholti had chosen to become a watcher for the western Wasteland Star Hunters.
The Wasteland Star Hunters, excellent hunters and patrollers, also monitored devils and magical crimes, and for that, they needed skilled dark mages.
“Come to think of it, why did you join the Wasteland Star Hunters, Senior Koholti?”
“Hm? Because the pay was the best.”
We shouldn’t have asked.
The juniors regretted it in unison.
Even though Koholti was in the same year as Senior Diret, that complete lack of inspiring qualities was quite remarkable.
Should they just drop “senior” and call Koholti “mister” again?
“Anyway, this Wasteland Star Hunters work turned out to be harder than I thought.”
“Ah. The travel distances must be...”
The western wasteland region boasted one of the largest areas in the Empire. For the Wasteland Star Hunters, racing across this land for three straight nights was ordinary work.
“No. That wasn’t particularly difficult. My body was actually more comfortable than during my Einroguard days.”
“Really? That’s strange. Did they show consideration because you’re mages?”
“...”
Diret remained inwardly silent.
It was truly pitiful how distorted the juniors’ perceptions had become.
The stargazers had not been showing consideration. Einroguard life was simply that harsh.
“Then what was difficult? Were the enemies powerful?”
“No. I didn’t even see any powerful enemies. Devils or magical criminals don’t appear that often anyway. The difficult part was the people.”
“People? But you said magical criminals didn’t appear often.”
“Not magical criminals. Ordinary people.”
In fact, the work of patrollers prioritized prevention by finding and stopping incidents before they happened, rather than chasing and arresting people after the fact.
If someone obtained an evil dark magic artifact, they went to stop that person before any trouble happened. If someone was poisoned after making the wrong potion, they went to detoxify that person...
And through that process, Koholti realized that the people of the Empire were surprisingly disobedient.
-You must throw away that amulet!
-What nonsense! Do you know how much I paid for this?
-The mirror is cursed! Please let me enter and dispel it!
-Do you think I would carelessly let outsiders into my manor? Don’t even dream of it!
“...Even when I told them it was dangerous, they wouldn’t listen.”
“Oh my.”
“If they don’t know much about magic, it can’t be helped. Try persuading them the way you learned at Einroguard.”
Did we learn anything like that?
At someone’s words, the other students wondered inwardly.
They did not think they had particularly learned persuasion...
Hearing the juniors’ words, Koholti looked slightly more dejected.
“The way I learned at Einroguard? I tried that... but it... had the opposite effect.”
“Opposite effect?”
“I tried to sneak in and secretly destroy it, but I got caught.”
The dark magic school students could not help but feel sorry.
“What a shame! Getting caught doing that!”
“If only you hadn’t been caught...!”
“Right? I thought so too.”
Diret fell silent once again.
Diret wanted to tell the juniors, “The problem wasn’t getting caught, but trying to secretly destroy it in the first place,” but it seemed pointless.
“So did you get fired? Are you perhaps re-enrolling at Einroguard?”
“Don’t say such horrible things, even as a joke.”
Koholti glared with a serious expression.
Then Koholti’s eyes met Diret’s.
“...Ah, no. I didn’t mean the fifth year was horrible...”
“Just shut up and continue your story.”
“So I came to the capital. To apologize.”
Diret and the juniors had come to the capital during vacation to handle various commissions, research, and visits.
Then they heard news that Koholti was also in the capital and met like this...
“Is the owner of what you broke a noble of the capital?”
“More precisely, an elder of that house. Count Jau. He’s famous for being generous.”
Arriving in front of the count’s manor, Koholti lightly shook the prepared gift.
If Koholti went in, explained the work that Wasteland Star Hunters mages did, and gave this gift, the generous count would surely step forward personally to resolve the problem.
“Isn’t that... too optimistic? Is there any guarantee His Excellency the Count will definitely resolve it?”
“He’s famous for being generous, I tell you. Just wait and see.”
Diret felt unnecessarily worried.
Of course, the rumor about Count Jau being generous probably was not false, but being generous did not necessarily mean he would forgive and resolve everything.
Perhaps everyone was thinking the same thing, because the juniors whispered.
“Senior Diret. Should we abandon Koholti and move separately?”
“...Still, let’s not do that...”
While they were whispering, an unfamiliar house carriage stopped in front.
Then someone with a rough and fierce atmosphere jumped down. Diret stepped aside, thinking it must be a guest of the count.
...Until that person whispered in a familiar voice.
“Senior Diret. It’s me.”
“...?!”
