Chapter 1279

"What's wrong?"

"Ah... It's nothing."

Gainando looked at Salco strangely.

Why was this muscular elf friend who looked like a dwarf suddenly acting like this?

'Gasp. This bastard. He's not planning to rob me, is he?'

Once they reached some secluded underground area of Einroguard with Ratford, maybe the two of them would suddenly turn on him and say something like, 'Hand over your backpack!'

Fortunately, he had not brought any valuables for something like this, but he did have three secretly hidden chocolate bars and a bag of candy. Gainando shot them a wary look.

Regardless, Salco focused on his conversation with Wardanaz.

-Wardanaz, you're really not around here, right?

-What? You saw me in the punishment area.

-I know. But you're good at escaping too.

-I don't know what you're talking about. I've never escaped before. What's escaping?

At Wardanaz's professional feigned ignorance, Salco unconsciously nodded.

As expected of Wardanaz, there were no openings.

'Looks like he really isn't nearby.'

-Anything else you can tell me? Oh, right. The prince was using your name. It's not forged, is it?

-It's not forged... I only heard the rumor too. I don't actually know much. That's why I sent Gainando.

-Ihaveaquestion.

A third person joined the conversation. Lee Han and Salco recognized Adenart from the handwriting.

-What is it?

-I'malsointheBlueDragonTowersowhywasGainandogiventhejob?

"......"

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Lee Han was flustered.

-Well... he finished his exams first.

-Ifinishedallmyexamstoo.

Unable to keep watching, Salco stepped in to defend Lee Han.

-It probably would've been a little dangerous to ask a member of the Imperial Family to do it.

-...Salco... you do know Gainando is also a member of the Imperial Family, right? You didn't forget, did you?

'Ah.'

Salco realized his mistake.

But strangely enough, Salco's slip seemed to improve Adenart's mood a little.

-No.That'ssomethingyoucouldeasilyforget.

"......"

Lee Han found it absurd, but for now he continued making excuses.

-Actually, I needed an expert in dark magic.

-Huh? Really? Want me to send Raphaedel?

This time Anglago joined in.

If they needed a dark magic expert, Raphaedel honestly seemed better than Gainando.

Giselle reacted negatively.

-Even so, Gral is a bit... What are you going to do if you send a mage who's learning dark magic because he hates dark magic?

-No. Raphaedel says that, but he's actually completely obsessed with dark magic. Last time, he stood in front of his summoned undead himself because he was worried it might get hurt.

Lee Han agreed.

-Raphaedel definitely does like dark magic.

-What? Really?

-Last time too, he stayed late at Black Dark Hall talking to his summon by himself... Ah. That's a secret. I'd appreciate it if everyone kept it.

At Lee Han's request, the others all answered that they understood.

Lee Han smiled at the heartwarming friendship. Raphaedel would probably have been happy if he had seen this too.

-Got it. Then I'll head down with that prince bast...

Salco's writing suddenly cut off. Lee Han was startled.

'What is it? Did something happen?'

They probably had not even properly begun exploring yet, so there was little chance they had been attacked.

Could other students searching for the portrait have attacked Gainando's group?

-...That prince bastard ran off and left me behind! Crazy bastard! I'm busy chasing him right now, so I'll tell you later!

-......

-......

-I'm sorry...

As a member of Blue Dragon Tower, Lee Han felt deep shame.

***

While Salco was talking with the others, Gainando made his decision.

"Light, be trapped here!"

He suddenly swung his staff, spread a curtain that sealed the light source, and then started running away as fast as he could.

From Ratford's perspective, who had been standing there blankly, it was an utterly baffling sight.

What in the world is wrong with this person?

"Gainando! Why are you running away!"

"You think I don't know what you're planning! Aren't you two plotting to rob me right now!"

"What kind of nonsense... Wait, do you have something good on you?"

"See! You think I'm going to fall for that!"

Gainando stopped answering and sped up. Salco belatedly shoved the bundle of papers into his pocket and shouted through gritted teeth.

"Chase him! That half-wit... No, calling him a half-wit would be too generous! You crumb of a prince!"

He had said in front of Wardanaz and the others that he would handle this. If he failed because he could not even control Gainando, it would become a matter of pride.

He would absolutely not let him simply run away!

Salco plunged into the darkened corridor. It was pitch-black because Gainando had removed the light source, but Salco was also a mage.

"Iron sand, point the way!"

If he wasted time trying to destroy the seal just to restore the light source, it would only slow him down.

Gainando had probably cast the spell specifically for that purpose in the first place.

So instead of playing along, Salco immediately cast a directional detection spell.

Sand-like iron filings accurately pointed the way even in the darkness.

"This way, follow me, Ratford!"

While sprinting down the corridor, Salco suddenly stopped.

Judging from the echoes ahead, there was a fork.

Which way did the prince go?

"Right! I can smell chocolate from the right!"

"...Good! Excellent!"

Impressed by his friend's skill, Salco sprinted onward.

After passing through another corridor, they finally saw light. It seemed the light-sealing effect did not reach this far.

"Did he run downward!"

When Salco found a circular staircase descending underground, he ground his teeth. There were many places to branch off along the way, making it the worst possible location for a pursuer.

Salco had always berated Gainando as a half-wit, but after being caught off guard like this, he had no choice but to acknowledge his skill.

This dark mage was definitely not an easy opponent. Perhaps because he spent so much time with Wardanaz, he knew how to use the same spells effectively.

Stealing the light source to buy time, then running to the nearest staircase to shake off pursuit...

-Are you still chasing him?

At Wardanaz's question, Salco swallowed his embarrassment and answered.

-Sorry, but I think I lost him. I don't know what he ate wrong, but he suddenly blocked our vision and ran...

-My fault. More importantly, are you on a staircase right now?

-...You really are in the punishment area, right!?

Salco jumped in shock.

How the hell did this bastard know?

-Calm down. I really am inside the punishment area. Gainando often uses stairs when he runs away, so I guessed.

Lee Han explained while calming Salco down.

Since they were from the same dark magic school, Lee Han roughly knew what kinds of spells Gainando used.

And how he applied them.

Lee Han himself had experienced Gainando sealing the light source and escaping by stairs several times.

-Gainando isn't very skilled with physical enhancement magic, so he probably couldn't have actually gone down the stairs. He's probably hiding nearby. Swing a mana hammer around and break the surrounding magic.

-??

-????

-...W-what are you telling me to do?

'Ah.'

Seeing his friends' reactions, Lee Han realized his mistake. Come to think of it, that was something only he could do.

-Forget what I just said.

-Wardanaz, you go around breaking magic like that?! No wonder you kept getting inside even when we put up barriers to keep you out...

Ignoring the horrified Anglago's accusation, Lee Han gave new instructions.

-Gainando's invisibility magic is based on an illusion curse from dark magic. The trigger will be either smell or sound, so block both and look around.

-Wait! Come to think of it, that prince bastard smelled like chocolate while he was running! Was that the activation condition for the curse!?

-No. That's just chocolate Gainando likes. I thought he'd eaten it all, but I guess he still had some left.

-......

Feeling awkward, Salco blocked his hearing and sense of smell.

Then a very faint high-pitched sound cut off, and Gainando popped out from a corner.

"Bones, become handcuffs and bind the enemy..."

"You think that's going to work twice!"

The furious Salco pulled a stone statue from his sleeve and threw it onto the floor. The shattered statue transformed into a gigantic palm of sand and subdued Gainando.

Gainando was flattened against the floor with a squeak.

"Ugh. Tutanta is one thing, but Ratford, even you... I'm seriously disappointed!"

"I'm disappointed in you, Gainando."

Ratford looked down at Gainando in disbelief.

What kind of person is this, seriously?

"We weren't plotting to rob you. We were talking with Wardanaz."

"...Don't lie."

"It's true."

Ratford took the bundle-of-papers artifact from Salco and showed it to him.

-Did you catch Gainando? If he talks nonsense, just show him this.

-Gainando? Don't tell me you made the first move because you thought they might rob you. Even if you did, you'd wait until after you found everything, right? Why would they rob you when you have nothing?

-No answer, so I guess Gainando is looking at this right now?

"......"

After grasping the situation, Gainando answered immediately.

"Looks like there was a misunderstanding between us. Can you let me go?"

"......"

"......"

The two looked down at the Blue Dragon Tower student with contempt.

***

"The rumor I heard said the fourth underground floor. The seniors said there's a side path deep inside the swamp on the fourth underground floor that lets you go straight down even farther! Isn't that amazing? Isn't it interesting?"

"Not really."

"You're not going to fire another spell and run away once we reach the swamp, are you?"

Gainando tried hard to lighten the mood, but once the atmosphere had turned cold, it did not recover easily.

No matter what he said, the two Black Tortoise Tower students only gave him indifferent looks. Gainando grumbled inwardly.

'These petty bastards!'

People could misunderstand things. How could they sulk this much just because there had been a little chasing back and forth?

-Oh, right. When you two go from the second underground floor to the third, use the railing stairs instead of the front staircase.

"...?!"

The three, who had just been about to descend the front staircase, froze.

Gainando asked in horror,

"Did Lee Han attach something to us or something?!"

"Why are you asking us that, Prince?"

-I'm not spying on you. Judging by the time, I figured you'd probably be arriving around there by now. There's apparently a contaminated entity that escaped from a laboratory beneath that staircase right now, so don't bother fighting it. No need to waste time.

"......"

"......"

The group followed his instructions while feeling increasingly creeped out.

Sometimes this magic-crazed friend was unsettling, but they had never imagined he could make them feel creeped out with just a few written words even when he was not even there.

What the hell is this?!

"L-Lee Han, you idiot! Magic dictator!"

"What? What are you doing?"

"Shh. I'm checking whether Lee Han is nearby."

"How would he possibly know that just from..."

-If Gainando is insulting me while looking around to see whether I'm nearby, tell him nobody falls for provocations like that, so stop wasting his time.

-Come on. Even Gainando wouldn't do something like that.

"......"

Salco nearly dropped the bundle-of-papers artifact.

Wardanaz had cast plenty of high-level magic that did not fit his year, but what he was showing right now was truly...!

-No answer. Did you stop because you're surprised? Or did you run into someone on the way? No. It can't be the latter.