Chapter 1356

“They said you just have to write that you won’t say anything stupid again.”

“What?”

At Alter’s words, the Valdrogard students who had been brought in later looked bewildered.

Then, realizing what he meant, they grew angry.

“Alter. We came down here because we defended you. Isn’t that a bit much?”

“A Valdrogard student may be imprisoned, but we cannot be mocked!”

‘That may be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.’

The Einroguard student in the neighboring cell, wondering if there was anything else to add, went so far as to report one of his friend’s misdeeds from the previous year.

...Under the protection of friendship, I cannot possibly reveal the name, but one of my Imperial friends built a secret room for mage cards behind the dormitory fireplace last year. Once again, I must emphasize that I absolutely did not reveal their name...

“I’m telling you, they really said we just have to write that we won’t say anything stupid again! Senior! That’s what you said, right?”

“What? Yeah. I did.”

“......”

The Valdrogard students who had arrived later were dumbfounded.

“That’s flattery!”

“They say magic is originally the study of flattery.”

“That is the most absurd and bizarre thing I’ve ever heard. Who said that?”

“That senior prisoner over there...”

“......”

The Valdrogard students sitting in their respective cells fell into confusion.

They were not experts in magic, but even to them, the idea that magic was the study of flattery sounded extremely strange.

“That’s just how magic works. If you want to stand proudly before magic and make your own claims, you first have to learn flattery. You need to build your skills.”

“Senior. My opinion still hasn’t changed.”

“Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“I said close your eyes.”

Alter was confused by the senior prisoner’s words, but did as he was told.

“What do you hear?”

“I hear dripping water... and faint screams from above...”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s probably Wardanaz teaching a magic lecture. What else do you hear?”

“I hear scratching sounds. Someone writing on paper... Y-You guys aren’t writing reflection letters right now, are you?!”

Only then did Alter realize that the friends who had arrived later had fallen silent.

He had wondered why they were being so quiet, but astonishingly, they were writing reflection letters!

“Why aren’t you answering! Answer me!”

The punishment room became so quiet it was as though everyone had vanished. Alter cried out in alarm.

“Senior? Senior?”

“You’re making it hard for me to write my reflection letter. I told you, didn’t I? Close your eyes and listen. They’re all pretending not to be there while writing reflection letters.”

“......”

“......”

The friends who had secretly continued writing their reflection letters wore embarrassed expressions.

They had been pretending not to exist by refusing to answer, only to have their true intentions exposed.

Alter was horrified.

To think his honorable Valdrogard friends would do something so petty and shallow.

The senior prisoner said mockingly,

“Heh. True friendship always reveals itself in the punishment room.”

“N-No! Don’t slander us!”

One of the Valdrogard students who had been pretending not to be there finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted,

“We kept quiet out of consideration for Alter. Alter didn’t seem like he was going to write a reflection letter...”

“What would a senior who’s been locked in here this whole time know about friendship!”

Creak-

Before the words had even finished, the punishment room door opened.

The Valdrogard students were terrified, thinking the Death Knight had come down again.

But the senior prisoner remained calm. There was no trace of the distinctive negative energy of an undead.

Salco cleared his throat and looked around.

“Here. Over here, Tutanta.”

“There you are. Take this.”

Salco secretly pushed the bundle he had brought through the bars.

Einroguard students kept various supply bundles prepared in case they were sent to the punishment room.

Basic bundle, intermediate bundle, advanced bundle, premium bundle...

The basic bundle contained little more than simple dried rations and a bit of tea leaves or coffee powder, but by the time one reached the premium bundle, it even included sugar, spices, and the latest issue of Toberiz magazine.

“Thanks, Tutanta.”

“It’s nothing. I might get caught, so I’ll get going.”

After Salco left, the Valdrogard students stared wide-eyed and asked,

“W-Why? Why are you helping Senior?”

“This is what friendship is.”

“But... Senior, you said you came from a noble family. That person didn’t seem to be from a noble family.”

Anyone could tell that Salco, who had just come and gone, was not of noble birth.

His accent, his manner of speaking, and above all, the shabby clothes that looked like rags.

“...Those aren’t rags. That’s a powerful cloak enchanted with all kinds of magic...”

“What?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing. Anyway, friendship isn’t determined by where someone comes from. What matters more is what hardships you’ve overcome together.”

The senior prisoner’s words carried a strong resonance. Without realizing it, the Valdrogard students focused on them.

Had they perhaps been thinking too narrowly all this time?

‘Maybe he’s right.’

‘If that’s why the professor sent us to the punishment room...’

‘Come to think of it, these bastards were secretly writing reflection letters without telling me.’

Creak-

At that moment, the door opened again, and Salco, who had left, returned.

Lowering his voice, Salco said,

“I forgot to mention this, but in exchange, you’re keeping last year’s White Tiger Tower food-storage raid a secret from Wardanaz. Got it?”

“Heh. Don’t worry. That was the work of some suspicious seniors whose identities remain unknown.”

Having confirmed the deal, Salco left with relief.

“......”

“......”

The Valdrogard students were dumbfounded.

This was friendship?

But the senior prisoner shamelessly replied,

“This is also a form of friendship.”

* * *

Einroguard was as noisy as if someone had kicked a beehive.

It was not because a dark magic student who had just finished their second year had summoned undead with a dark mage from the Descendants of Ahrak on their estate and then lost control of them.

Of course, that was fairly serious too, but it was something for the dark magic school or the Principal to handle.

After all, a lord of an estate was given responsibility in proportion to their authority.

Einroguard was noisy for a somewhat different reason.

“Principal. Why didn’t you receive the paper bird?”

“Didn’t I? I don’t know.”

“Principal. Student Lee Han is a professor at Valdrogard...”

“The Einroguard estate is burning! This is terrible! Next year’s incoming students will be stepping onto filthy land contaminated by dark elements and negative mana?”

The Skull Principal blatantly changed the subject. That attitude made Professor Garcia even more afraid.

Could it really be true?

“Principal! You didn’t actually sell him, did you?”

“Professor Jorzik! Wouldn’t the person who resolves the current contamination of the estate be the one worthy of becoming the next Principal?”

“Principal! You are absolutely right! Thank you for giving me this opportunity!”

“Take Professor Garcia with you. She’ll be a great help.”

“I will! Thank you, Principal!”

Professor Jorzik of House Benmalpa shouted loudly, his mustache trembling with excitement.

Professor Garcia stared at him in disbelief.

“Professor Benmalpa! That’s a trick! You’re being fooled right now!”

“Do not doubt the Principal’s words, Professor Kim! I will prove my ability by achieving results!”

“No...! He’s running away!”

Professor Garcia pointed toward the Skull Principal’s retreating back.

He had already disappeared far into the distance until he looked like nothing more than a speck.

But Professor Jorzik shook his head. The professor, normally sharp-minded, now had eyes blazing with ambition.

“He must simply be that busy. Please help me, Professor Kim. Once I become Principal, I will reward you handsomely.”

“Why do you become like this every time the position of Principal comes up?”

Professor Garcia could not understand why Jorzik was so obsessed with becoming Principal.

No matter how she thought about it, wasn’t it a position where you only lost out?

Bang!

The wall beside them opened, and Professor Voladi leapt out.

Professor Jorzik flinched in surprise.

“Why are you coming out of there, Professor Bagreg?”

Professor Garcia did not ask.

Instead, she pointed in the direction the Skull Principal had fled.

“He went that way.”

Professor Voladi gave a slight nod and vanished.

Professor Garcia shook her head at the sight.

‘One step too late.’

The Skull Principal had probably already used Einroguard’s complicated terrain to hide himself.

Come to think of it, calling Professor Garcia and Professor Jorzik out together had been an extremely clever scheme.

He had explained only as much of the situation as necessary to the two professors who were easiest to handle, then disappeared!

Professor Kirmin came next.

The attractive professor with succubus blood came running over with a shocked expression, completely unlike the usual relaxed and easygoing demeanor.

“Did he really sell him off???”

“......”

“Professor Ku. Please help me.”

Professor Jorzik quickly cut in.

Professor Voladi had immediately flown off and could not be stopped, but fortunately, Professor Kirmin was different.

“Professor Benmalpa, are you trying to catch the Principal too? It won’t be easy, but if all the other professors join in, I can also...”

“No. Not that. Estate management. Cleaning up the mess after a dark magic summon caused an incident.”

At Professor Garcia’s words, Professor Kirmin immediately frowned.

Why would anyone want to do something that annoying, boring, and utterly unrewarding?

“Isn’t that something the Principal should handle?”

“The Principal entrusted it to me. He believes I’m a candidate for the next Principal.”

“???”

Professor Kirmin exchanged glances with Professor Garcia.

-Could he have lost his mind?

-Don’t be rude to Professor Benmalpa.

-Could the Principal have attacked his soul?

-......

Professor Kirmin belatedly understood the situation.

Professor Jorzik was an excellent mage and a capable professor, but he had one weakness.

He pointlessly coveted a bizarre position that nobody else wanted.

The evil archmage had clearly exploited that weakness and toyed with him.

“Professor Benmalpa. I’m sorry to say this, but the Principal is deceiving you.”

“That may be true. But I believe in the Principal’s intellect. If I show my dedication despite such deception, would he not judge that itself to be the quality of a lord?”

“I don’t think he would.”

“I don’t think so either.”

Despite the ruthless answers from the two professors, Professor Jorzik refused to listen.

“Then I’ll go restore it myself! Farewell!”

“Professor! You’re being fooled! Professor! ...Argh!”

“Everyone has a weakness, Professor Kim.”

“This is not the time to act profound and recite wise sayings, you know? I think I need to visit Valdrogard.”

“!”

Professor Kirmin paused at Professor Garcia’s words.

At first, it had seemed wasteful to send someone as capable as Professor Garcia on something that seemed so unlikely, but thinking about it again, there really was no one else to send.

The professors who diligently did their own work had no intention of cleaning up the Skull Principal’s mess, while sending someone like Professor Bagreg might result in bloodshed...

‘This, too, must be one of Einroguard’s laws. The kinder someone is, the more work they end up doing.’

“...Would you like me to go with you?”

“Professor Kim. Don’t get angry at me. I didn’t do this. You should be angry at the Principal.”

“Hmph.”

Professor Garcia looked displeased, but did not ask again. Professor Kirmin relaxed at the sight.

Bang!

The ceiling opened, and Professor Verdus fell upside down.

Then Verdus shouted,

“Did Gonadaltes really sell Wardanaz off?! You were allowed to do that?!! What a waste!!!!”

“......”

Seeing the junior professor’s face turn red and purple, Professor Kirmin immediately jumped out the window.

There was no desire to die together with that person.