Chapter 1295

Lee Han broke out in a cold sweat, but for the moment, he covered his friend’s mouth first.

Gainando, who had been quietly standing beside him only to suddenly get jabbed in the side, groaned and lowered his head.

‘W-why?!’

Gainando could not understand.

What had he possibly said wrong in this situation?

“If we hadn’t set the place on fire and rescued you, by now you’d be helplessly learning Professor Verdus’s microcosm. Just thinking about it is horrifying.”

“...No. Professor Verdus’s magic is excellent magic too, so I don’t think it can necessarily be called horrifying.”

Even as Diret said that, they took out some snacks hidden in the cupboard and pushed them toward the Descendants of Ahrak.

Compared to how they had hesitated over whether to even open the doors of the mage tower earlier, it was an extremely friendly attitude.

“Junior. I truly don’t mind at all if you learn Professor Verdus’s microcosm magic first. You know that, right?”

“Of course, Senior.”

Lee Han answered with perfect politeness. For some reason, unlike usual, he found himself speaking to the senior with an extra degree of formality.

“But I would like to learn a dark-magic microcosm first. The reason is simple. Dark magic is the greatest and most extraordinary of all the Empire’s schools of magic.”

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP-

The elderly dark mages applauded. One of them even wiped at the corners of their eyes.

Lee Han was not stupid enough to think they genuinely meant it when they said he could learn Professor Verdus’s microcosm magic first.

‘Still, Senior Diret had a side like this too...’

Perhaps Einroguard’s brutal environment and the dreadful condition known as a fifth-year’s winter vacation had dried out the senior’s heart.

Lee Han cursed Professor Mortum.

‘He dumps all the work on Senior and doesn’t help at all. No wonder a person ends up like that.’

Professor Verdus had gathered so much infamy among students as an absolute evil that it overshadowed everyone else, but if Professor Verdus had not existed, Professor Mortum would have earned quite a reputation too.

After hearing everything the junior had said, Diret’s mood completely recovered, and they gave an embarrassed cough.

“Come on, dark magic isn’t that amazing... Junior. But why did you suddenly start talking to me so formally?”

‘Damn.’

“I suppose I’m still a little shaken from running out of a burning mage tower. Haha.”

Lee Han inwardly wiped the sweat from his chest.

As expected, this senior was not someone to underestimate. One slip of the tongue could expose the lie.

“I heard Wardanaz learned about Pentagrammaton from you?”

“I haven’t even started teaching it. I only explained it to him. Are you interested in Pentagrammaton?”

Diret looked at the junior as they asked.

This magic subdued five high-ranking demons and sealed them into five letters. Using their power as fuel, it removed the limits on dark magic within the mage and in the immediate surrounding area, making it a microcosm spell.

It was highly versatile magic that any dark mage would benefit from learning, but it also had a drawback. Separate from its difficulty, it took quite a long time to complete the spell.

“With the difficulty level, I don’t think you’d fail to learn it, but it would still take a long time to complete the magic. Wouldn’t that be difficult?”

‘Difficult. Is this a trap question?’

Lee Han thought briefly.

If he answered, ‘It would be difficult,’ wouldn’t Senior Diret say, ‘You spy from another school! So you really did want to learn some other school’s microcosm before dark magic!’?

Perhaps noticing his hesitation, Diret gave a bitter smile.

“Junior. You can speak comfortably. I was a little... childish earlier, wasn’t I? Sorry.”

Diret was perceptive too.

The junior had suddenly started praising dark magic one thing after another, which he normally never did, and was even speaking to them more formally. There was no way that could fail to feel strange.

Thinking about it, their own reaction had probably been too intense. They had openly shown disappointment and sadness, so there was no way this considerate junior would not have become self-conscious.

‘Difficult. Is this one a trap question too?’

Lee Han thought again.

If he answered, ‘Understood,’ surely they would not say, ‘You spy from another school! So you really were thinking that after all!’?

“...I’m seriously telling you it’s fine, so just speak comfortably!”

“Ah. Yes. Understood.”

“You’re from House Wardanaz. Would Pentagrammaton really take that long?”

One of the Descendants beside them spoke up.

If he borrowed the power of his family, obtaining five high-ranking demons seemed like it would be easy enough.

Lee Han asked back in disbelief.

“What are you talking about? Of course there are a few demons on our family estate, but...”

“A few?”

Lee Han pretended not to hear someone muttering.

“...They are not demons I can simply use however I please. Please don’t be misled by strange rumors.”

“Hmm. True. Without the head of the family’s orders, perhaps you cannot use the demons as you wish. We may have thought about this too easily...”

“Ah. Young Master. You were chatting with your fellow dark mages.”

Orlach, the Duel Banner Bearer of the great demon Pride Duke and the Curtain-Clown Demon, came upstairs carrying a broom. Upon discovering Lee Han’s group, it greeted them.

“My apologies for disturbing you. I’ll come back later to clean.”

Orlach took off the cleaning cap on its head and bowed politely.

Then it began backing away to leav—

“Wait! Wait! Wait!!”

One of the elderly dark mages shouted loudly enough to make the cracked windows rattle, startling Orlach.

Had that dark mage gone insane?

“What is it? Do not raise your voice so rudely. This place is...”

“That’s a demon! And that one is... a demon under the Pride Duke! That crest can only be carried by the Duel Banner Bearer!”

The Descendants of Ahrak were all highly knowledgeable in demonology. Just by looking at Orlach’s appearance, they immediately recognized which duke it served under and what position it had held.

At the dark mages’ commotion, Orlach suddenly felt the pride and arrogance it had forgotten beginning to stir again.

It had forgotten while working as a mage-tower cleaner and general laborer, but originally, it was a demon.

The proper place for a demon was one where countless mortals feared and revered it.

“...It seems you have at least some discernment. Then, can you recognize this crest as well?”

“Curtain-Clown Demon! You were a Curtain-Clown Demon too? Demon, could your name possibly be... Orlach?”

At the dark mages instantly recognizing everything it showed them, Orlach was so delighted it could have jumped for joy.

In truth, having one’s identity and background exposed to mages was extremely dangerous for a demon.

If a demon’s weapons were ferocity and brute strength, a mage’s weapons were knowledge and preparation.

If a demon encountered a mage who already knew exactly what it was, there was a high chance that mage had also brought a way to defeat it.

But Orlach was too pleased to care about any of that. Besides, it was currently enslaved anyway, so there was no chance of a fight.

As befitted the clown of a demon duke, Orlach declared in a grave voice.

“Now that things have come to this, there is no meaning in hiding it any longer. Ah, Young Master. Please forgive this incompetent servant for being forced to reveal its true identity!”

“I see. If you already have a demon like Orlach serving as your servant, then I suppose there really is no reason to borrow demons from your family.”

The Descendants of Ahrak understood it in a completely different way and nodded in admiration.

If he already had such a demon as a servant, then it made sense that he would not consider borrowing demons from his family estate.

“That demon belongs to the dark magic school.”

“Really? Who captured it?”

“......”

Gainando and Diret glanced at Lee Han.

Understanding the meaning behind those looks, the dark mages nodded as though they had expected as much.

“I withdraw what I said about casually invoking your family’s name. You should be perfectly capable of completing it on your own.”

“No...!”

Lee Han stopped midway through his protest.

The more he listened, the more he began to wonder if perhaps he was the one who had been wrong.

Was that really the case?

‘Could Pentagrammaton actually be the microcosm that suits my current situation best?’

At first, when he heard that he had to capture and imprison five high-ranking demons, he assumed it would take several years and had not even considered it seriously. But with everyone beside him constantly whispering things like, ‘This is perfect,’ and, ‘This magic was practically made for you,’ even he was beginning to waver.

What if this was not a cunning trick by crafty old dark mages, but sincere advice?

“...Senior. If five high-ranking demons are sealed, do those demons remain sealed the entire time?”

“Yes. That’s why people usually seal demons they’re hostile with.”

Lee Han unconsciously looked at Orlach.

Orlach flinched and waved both arms frantically.

“Young Master! Surely you are not thinking of sealing me?!”

“Sometimes you have to sacrifice a demon servant for the sake of magic.”

“If that demon bastard cannot offer itself up as a sacrifice here, then its loyalty is false! Demon! Prove your loyalty!”

The Descendants of Ahrak whispered treacherously from the side.

If they filled even one of the five demon slots now, perhaps Lee Han would work harder on the dark-magic microcosm than on some other school’s microcosm, if only because it would be a waste to abandon the progress.

At the shameless reversal of these vile mages, Orlach ground its teeth.

‘I should never have trusted these crafty, vile mage bastards. Fraudsters who’ll stab you in the back the moment they get the chance!’

Mages constantly condemned demons as wicked beings for emerging into the material world and exploiting the emotions of mortals, but from the demons’ perspective, the mages who constantly twisted rules and tried to scam others for profit were the more wicked beings.

“Hmm. Even so, sealing a demon that once worked for our family would be a little...”

The elderly dark mages sighed, while Orlach screamed in joy.

Never before had it felt so proud to have lived as a slave of House Wardanaz.

As expected, even if one was going to be a slave, it was better to serve under a proven great mage rather than some strange dark-mage bastard.

“Tsk, tsk. He’s far too sentimental.”

“That demon bastard clearly has no loyalty. You can tell it’ll stab him in the back.”

“I heard a rumor that the demon called Orlach has such a vicious and vile disposition that it had bad relations with every other demon too. Wouldn’t it be better to seal it?”

“......”

Orlach greatly regretted revealing its identity in a brief moment of excitement.

It had thought there was no point in hiding anything when it was already a slave, but apparently there was a very significant point after all.

These mages were using their crafty tongues to spread baseless rumors...!

“...Even so, no.”

“The junior is right. Stop trying to force him.”

“Senior!”

Lee Han looked at Diret with eyes full of emotion when they took his side.

As expected, at times like this, Diret was the only person he could trust.

“Besides, if the junior really decides to do it, he can just go capture demons himself.”

“Senior?”

Lee Han froze as the direction of the conversation suddenly became strange.

Huh?

“That’s not wrong, is it?”

“No... He might... not be able to capture them...”

In the middle of the conversation, one of the dark mages pointed at Lee Han’s bracelet and asked.

“May I ask one thing?”

“Yes?”

“Do you perhaps have demons sealed inside that bracelet? I can feel a strange presence from it.”

The demons trapped inside the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons stirred, then suddenly went completely silent.

It was almost as though they were playing dead. They had realized that if they were caught in the current situation, they might be dragged somewhere far worse than the bracelet.

“...There are demons trapped inside, but I can’t wake them whenever I want. They’re disobedient.”

“That’s even better! Trick them, lure them out, then drag them out and... Khehehe...”

Lee Han whispered toward the bracelet, telling them not to be afraid.

Though he was not sure whether the demons trapped inside would believe him...!