Chapter 1252

'Ah. This isn't the time for this.'

Lee Han, who had gotten carried away enjoying himself while badmouthing the Skull Principal, belatedly came to his senses.

Now that he thought about it, this really wasn't the time for that.

"Your Majesty. Thank you for your guidance. But if Professor Garcia came for some other reason, then I need to return to the academy as quickly as possible..."

Do you really?

"!"

Lee Han paused at the Emperor's words.

Was there something he had overlooked?

"What do you mean?"

Do you really think the mages from the other magic academies will readily accept Professor Kim's proposal?

"...!"

Lee Han's eyes widened.

The Emperor was right.

Just look at how difficult the mages from Petroguard, Oculoguard, and Valdrogard had been.

Valdrogard wasn't particularly...

"The other magic academies will be the same! Those wicked people will surely torment our kind professor!"

Lee Han seemed to view the other magic academies with a slight prejudice, but the Emperor didn't bother pointing it out.

It was only natural for a person to care about the magic academy they belonged to.

And this attitude was also born from concern for his teacher...

'Though I don't really understand why Valdrogard is included there.'

Then who should help?

"I will."

Lee Han answered immediately. The old dragon nodded in satisfaction.

The dragon holds a position that prevents openly taking sides. Please help the professor in the dragon's place.

"Don't worry. I'll persuade them even if I have to use force."

As it happened, there was already someone with considerable force who had come to the capital with him.

Watching Lee Han's back as he hurried away like a storm, the dragon let out a long sigh.

Looking at that disciple made Osu seem truly enviable.

Unlike the dragon, who had no idea when a successor would ever appear, Osu had such a dependable successor...

'Ah! That makes Osu even more irritating!'

* * *

"So what happened? Is His Majesty going to withdraw Professor Garcia's punishment?"

"Is the Principal going to prison!?"

"No. It's a long story, but apparently His Majesty never summoned Professor Garcia in the first place."

"????"

Everyone there fell into confusion.

After hearing the additional explanation, Paridim went pale and apologized.

"I'm sorry! I can't believe I failed to hear it properly..."

"No. The Principal's tricks aren't easy to see through. Especially if you're an outsider."

The Einroguard students nodded in agreement.

You had to be fooled a few times before you learned how to tell. In a way, it was only natural that an outside student like Paridim would fall for it.

"B-but there's no evidence that the Principal actually deceived anyone, is there?"

Paridim asked, unable to understand.

There wasn't any particular evidence that the Skull Principal had pulled some kind of trick, so Paridim couldn't understand why everyone was immediately suspecting him.

"That's obvious without even looking."

"Right. Right. You're supposed to specialize in foresight magic. You can't not know something like that."

When Gainando lectured them as though it were self-evident, Paridim only became even more confused.

Was there perhaps some method that only Einroguard's foresight magic school could use?

"More importantly, Lee Han. Are we going back right away, then?"

"No. His Majesty said he'd like us to help Professor Garcia a little."

Lee Han unfolded a sheet of paper.

It was Professor Garcia's rough schedule, which the Emperor had given him as he left the Inner Palace.

Capital Magic Academy Exchange Plan

-Rent a hall at the Hall of Gold

-Invite Valdrogard (easiest!)

-Invite Kalarogard (negotiate using the Principal's grimoire)

-Invite Petroguard (already resolved)

-Invite Oculoguard (apologize for the threats)

-Talk with the Terarogard mages / talk with the Dekarogard mages (for now, let's try negotiating and find out what they want and how much they want)

-Pararogard mages (ask which of the Principal's artifacts they want)...

"How did you get this?"

"Dragon magic is mysterious, Nillia."

Jowrin looked proud at Lee Han's answer. She didn't know exactly what it meant, but for some reason it made her feel good.

But the dragons' magic didn't end there. Once they finished reading the schedule, the letters changed into a new form.

The auction house will probably be crowded because of the festival, so it will be difficult to rent a hall right now...

"Whose voice is that?"

Gainando asked curiously. Uman, who recognized the voice, became slightly flustered.

To think His Majesty the Emperor had personally gone through the plan and added corrections one by one!

"Let's go. The Hall of Gold is definitely difficult to rent. With the festival overlapping, it'll be even harder."

Having visited this auction house before, Lee Han knew very well how difficult it was to rent one of its halls.

Professor Garcia probably didn't even know it was festival season, which would make it even harder.

"But Lee Han. If Professor Garcia can't rent it, won't it be difficult for us too?"

"Hm. Professor Voladi and I could disguise ourselves and threaten..."

Lee Han was speaking with the resolve to bring out Stedal Nago once again when—

Go find Duke Bellaron and give him this paper...

"......"

Uman decided to pretend he had neither seen nor heard anything that had happened today.

He truly never imagined that someone who normally secluded themself in the Inner Palace would go this far personally.

* * *

"You can't rent the hall?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Professor."

The guild member working at the Hall of Gold couldn't bring themself to look Professor Garcia properly in the eye.

They had confidently recommended the place by letter, so they felt even more ashamed.

"Because of the sudden festival, far more people have come..."

The festival celebrating the subjugation of the evil god had drawn far more people to the capital than expected.

Even Imperial socialites who normally wouldn't have visited had become interested and flocked in like clouds, and as a result, every inn and mansion in the capital, large and small, was crowded to the point where there wasn't a single empty space.

The Hall of Gold was currently used as an auction house, but it had been a sacred place since before the founding of the Empire, layered with blessings of fortune and wealth.

Naturally, there were many people who wanted to hold gatherings and events in this old-style palace covered in dazzling light.

"Ugh. I chose this place because mages are so picky..."

Professor Garcia already felt a headache coming on.

The mages from all these different magic academies were the sort of people who constantly looked for excuses to refuse, so even choosing the location required great care.

Professor Garcia had chosen the Hall of Gold because it had a long history and pure mana flowed through it, thinking that would make things go more smoothly...

"What about Silver Disc Lake or the Star-Rainbow Corridor? Those are pretty good places for mages to gather too, aren't they?"

"Silver Disc Lake is a little difficult because the Principal once shoved a Kalarogard mage into it upside down, and the Star-Rainbow Corridor is also a little... because Terarogard and Dekarogard mages once fought a duel there."

"......"

The guild member looked at Professor Garcia with pity.

They had never imagined they would one day pity a mage from the infamous Einroguard.

Did those foul-tempered mages really have to be gathered in one place?

"For now, I'll try asking someone. Is Baron Raunt the one renting the first hall right now?"

"Yes. But this baron is..."

The guild member hesitated.

Baron Raunt had quite a reputation for being greedy and rude.

Wouldn't asking someone like that simply be a waste of time?

But Professor Garcia acted immediately.

Nothing would change by doing nothing just because the chances were low.

"Baron. Hello. I'm Professor Garcia Kim of Einroguard."

"What is it?"

Baron Raunt, who had a crafty-looking face, looked at Professor Garcia with displeasure.

He was wondering why a mage, and an infamous Einroguard mage at that, was talking to him.

"I was wondering if you might be willing to transfer your reservation for the Hall of Gold to us. Mages from several magic academies are supposed to gather this time..."

"What kind of nonsense is that! You..."

Baron Raunt snapped in irritation.

The baron was about to start swearing, but paused when he saw Professor Garcia's fist.

"...This is truly ridiculous! Do you think being an Einroguard mage means you can make absurd requests like this!"

"I-if you transfer it to us, we'll compensate you. We can offer assistance from the Einroguard mages..."

"I don't need it! What use would someone like me, who lives without committing a single crime, have for a mage's help!"

Baron Raunt snorted.

Since this baron could simply hire mages with his own money anyway, he had little desperate need for assistance from Einroguard mages.

If the Skull Principal had been there, he would have shoved this insolent brat upside down into Silver Disc Lake and made him experience the difference between an ordinary mage and an Einroguard mage, but unfortunately Professor Garcia was far too kind.

Professor Garcia's shoulders drooped as the professor apologized.

"I'm sorry. I suppose I asked too much."

"Do you even know what kind of gathering this is? I'm inviting His Grace Duke Bellaron! And you ask me to give up such a gathering! Even putting a sword to my throat would be less shameless than this!"

Even after receiving an apology, Baron Raunt still seemed unable to calm down and continued fuming.

Among the Empire's great noble houses, House Bellaron could be said to be the one most envied by the socialites of the capital.

There were many legends surrounding the great noble houses, each of which had contributed to the founding of the Empire in its own way, but in Duke Bellaron's case, there was even a rumor that the duke was His Majesty the Emperor's confidant.

It was said that even the Emperor, who generally did not show themself in public, often summoned Duke Bellaron for private audiences, which showed just how great that favor was.

Naturally, Baron Raunt had been forced to endure enormous expense just to invite Duke Bellaron once.

Giving gifts to other nobles, bribing people from the ducal house...

The expenses were painful enough to make his stomach ache, but that didn't matter.

Simply having the honor of saying he had spoken with Duke Bellaron at the same gathering would be worth the price.

"I-I didn't realize it was that kind of gathering. I'm sorry."

"You should be!"

While the baron was still raging, someone came running urgently from far away.

The guild member somehow thought the person looked familiar.

The neatly groomed white hair had become disheveled from running at full speed, the dignified eyes gleaming between deep wrinkles were trembling, and the old-fashioned formal clothes and cloak bearing the family crest were covered in dust.

...Huh?

'Isn't that H-His Grace the Duke?'

Before the guild member could even process the shock, Duke Bellaron arrived.

Then, panting heavily, the duke shouted at Professor Garcia.

"A-are you perhaps trying to rent the Hall of Gold, Professor?!"

"What?! Ah. Um... i-it's fine. You have a gathering, don't you? I heard from the baron."

"W-what... what did you hear?"

"What? Isn't he holding the gathering to invite you, Your Grace?"

When Professor Garcia looked confused, Baron Raunt answered in the professor's place.

"Don't worry, Your Grace!"

"What... what exactly am I not supposed to worry about?"

"This mage made a shameless request, so I firmly refused."

Smack!

The enraged Duke Bellaron immediately slapped Baron Raunt across the face.

Was this bastard trying to ruin his entire house?!