Chapter 598
Gduff (Duke Icaldoren's confidant that infiltrated Einroguard, from chapter 258) blinked at the faintly heard sound.
Suddenly, a useless old story he had shared with a knight under the duke came to mind.
-But what happens if you get hit by a curse like petrification and are left neglected for a long time?-
-You're talking nonsense. Why would that happen?-
-But you never know what might happen in the world, Sir Gduff.-
-If you were hit by such a curse and left neglected for a long time, you would be discovered and killed before that. So it's nonsense.-
-I think you wouldn't starve to death since your whole body changes. Instead, I think your body would stiffen. Prisoners who are locked up in a small underground prison for a long time get their bodies twisted.-
Gduff felt like he could now answer what would happen if he was under a curse for a long time.
Even though it was his own body, it felt so awkward that he couldn't put any strength into it. It felt like he would collapse right away even if the wind blew a little.
"Uh... uh... uh..."
Even when he tried to speak, his stiffly hardened tongue and lips couldn't make a sound.
Seeing that, the death knights ran over in shock.
-Oh my goodness!! What crazy bastard did this!-
-It wasn't me!-
-Me neither!-
The death knights, who thought that one of them had accidentally turned a guest into a statue and thrown them there, took the utmost care of Gduff.
-Guest. Don't move!-
-If you were a statue for a long time, you won't be able to put strength into your body. First, you need to soak your body in hot water and recover.-
-Take out that liquor. We need to bring back his senses.-
The death knights knew suspiciously well about how to deal with petrification curses.
They immediately laid Gduff down and poured a few sips of amber distilled liquor into his mouth.
"Uh-uh. Uh-uh."
Gduff's complexion became less pale than before. The death knights nodded their heads in satisfaction.
-As expected, there's no liquor as effective as this 'Einroguard's Lava'.-
-First, let's lay him down. After massaging his arms and legs, we need to call Professor Lagrinde.-
Gduff, who had regained consciousness in a gray world, slowly began to think.
At some point, he had completely lost consciousness and felt like he had become a statue forever, but it seemed like he had managed to break free.
'...Did I not get caught?'
As he blinked his stiff eyelid muscles and looked around, it didn't seem like he had been caught.
There was a corpse that looked like a muddy red slime piled up like a mountain, and the mages who seemed to be students were healing the giants in the back… Ȑ𝒶NȪ₿ËS
'?!?!'
Gduff almost screamed at the surreal sight. Fortunately, his throat was still stiff, so no sound came out.
'Get a grip. I need to assess the situation.'
For now, the death knights, the underlings of the grand mage, didn't show any particular hostility.
They must have failed to recognize Gduff's identity.
-Professor Lagrinde. There's a guest here who was a statue for a long time...-
"Stop it. You crazy thugs. Did you turn a guest into a statue and throw them away again because you didn't like them?"
-Wh-what! When did we ever do that!-
-Wardanaz will misunderstand!-
At Professor Alkasis's rebuke, the death knights hurriedly denied it in a fluster.
Some of them shouted to Yi-Han, "Don't be fooled by the professor's slander," but it wasn't very effective.
'It seems like you frequently turn people into statues.'
Still, the professor clicked her tongue once, threw a potion for restoring vitality, and left.
The death knight poured the potion into Gduff's mouth.
"Uh... uh... ah."
-It seems like you can speak now. Are you okay? What's your name?-
"I, I can't remember."
Gduff cunningly made an excuse.
In the current situation, it was more advantageous to insist that he couldn't remember anything like this rather than telling a clumsy lie.
Since the death knights were misunderstanding, if he stimulated that, he could easily escape from this place.
-I swear on my master's skull, we're in big trouble.-
-Shh. It's not over yet. We just need to revive his memory, right?-
The death knights encouraged and cheered each other up and made a resolution.
-Wardanaz. Is there any way to revive the memory of that person who lost his memory?-
"I'm a 1st-year student."
-We know that too?-
"...It meant I don't know well."
-Oh no!-
-Let's ask Professor Lagrinde again.-
-I think Professor Lagrinde will get angry...-
"If, if you just let me out, I won't tell anyone."
Gduff pretended to tremble, acting like a scared ordinary imperial citizen.
Then the death knights felt even more sorry.
-No, no!-
-We will definitely restore your memory.-
'Why does it feel like I've seen him somewhere?'
Yi-Han tilted his head.
Strangely, Gduff's appearance seemed familiar.
It felt like he had seen a statue that looked like that somewhere?
-What are you doing?-
The skull principal came flying from behind, floating in the air. Next to him was Professor Bagrak.
-Ah, it's nothing. Master. We found a guest who had accidentally turned into a statue and were talking to him.-
-Don't tell me you turned someone into a statue and threw them away again because you were dissatisfied? If you have a complaint, just say it... No! That guy is an intruder!! What are you doing!-
The skull principal shouted as if dumbfounded.
The moment he heard that sound, Gduff squeezed out the last of his strength and tried to escape.
However, the movement of the boy in front was much faster. Yi-Han immediately sent Gduff's chin flying with his staff.
Bam!
-...-
-Ki-killing him wasn't necessary... Anyway, well done.-
***
Every final exam week, the skull principal used to check with some professors who needed special attention.
-Are you preparing well?-
-I'm preparing well.-
-Yeah. Are you really preparing well?-
-I said I'm preparing well? Why are you asking?-
-Haha. Actually, I wasn't asking. Open your warehouse right now. If it's not prepared, beaver stew will be boiling in that pot today.-
Among them, the professors who needed extra special attention were checked from the week before the final exam, but fortunately, Professor Bagrak wasn't that bad.
-...I'm going to ask the giants to take the exam like this.-
-...Oh...-
'Should I have checked from last week?'
The skull principal, who heard about this final exam from Professor Bagrak, was conflicted about whether he should raise the other party's attention level even more.
In fact, it might have been that his madness was less apparent because he had no disciples until now.
Usually, when the skull principal talked to professors about exams, he would say "raise the difficulty level," but the exam Professor Bagrak presented this time was really a bit…
-Ey! I think it'll be fine like this!-
-Thank you.-
Although he felt a little uneasy, the skull principal allowed Professor Bagrak's exam.
As the principal, he had his pride, so he couldn't stop it just because the exam was difficult.
Still, he couldn't help but be concerned, so the skull principal started calling Professor Bagrak a little more often.
-Is it going well?-
-Yes.-
-Is it really going well?-
-Of course.-
Professor Bagrak gave a faint smile.
He judged that the skull principal kept asking because he was impressed by Professor Bagrak's exam.
Seeing that smile filled with pride, the skull principal was dumbfounded.
'Even though he's a professor I hired, does he really have no conscience?'
The skull principal also liked to give trials to his disciples, but he didn't feel proud of it in good conscience.
But this professor was sincerely proud, which made him even more vicious than the skull principal.
'No wonder he has no disciples.'
While thinking a very rude thought, the skull principal nodded his head.
-I see. I really want to watch when the exam starts.-
Regardless of Professor Bagrak's lack of conscience, this exam was honestly worth watching.
When would he see an exam that mobilized giants like this again? If he watched it once, it would become a topic of conversation for over a decade.
Moreover, the true uniqueness of this exam was not the fact that it mobilized giants.
The true uniqueness was that it meticulously constructed obstacles like a splendid parade that never rested for a single moment with the mobilized giants.
An exam that only a combat mage with deep practical experience like Professor Bagrak could construct!
How far would that Wardanaz kid be able to pass this exam?
'I am curious.'
-Master! A monster has appeared!-
-Yeah. Handle it well on your own.-
The skull principal waved his hand as if annoyed at the death knight's report.
Come to think of it, about five or six monsters would appear in Einroguard every day, so why were they reporting each one?
-Master! The monster is rampaging near the main gate!-
-You idiots! Why are you saying that now? If the area around the main gate is destroyed, I won't forgive you!-
-...-
The death knight had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.
It was fine for dozens of monsters to roam around in places that couldn't be seen from the outside, but the area around the main gate where outsiders came and went had to be kept clean.
If someone was invited and a monster popped out, 1/3 of the donations would be cut that day.
-I should go see now. Professor Bagrak.-
"I will help you."
-Wouldn't it be better to prepare for the exam?-
"It's already perfect."
Professor Bagrak gave another faint smile.
The skull principal was annoyed by that smile filled with pride.
'I hope the exam gets ruined... Oops. What am I thinking?'
For a moment, he almost took Wardanaz's side because he found Professor Bagrak annoying.
-I see. Then let's go!-
The skull principal and Professor Bagrak quickly flew through the air and arrived near the main gate.
Collapsed 1st-year students who had already fought noisily and giants being treated by senior healing magic students...?
-?-
The skull principal was puzzled as to why the giants were here, but he ignored it for now and checked the main gate first.
The damage wasn't that big.
The statue park was broken and the road was a bit blown away, but the main gate was intact, and most importantly, no outsiders were swept away.
'Thank goodness!'
As the skull principal let out a sigh of relief, a group of death knights caught his eye.
The skull principal threw an angry gaze.
What were those guys doing until the situation became like this?
-What are you doing? Don't tell me you turned someone into a statue again...-
***
Yi-Han, who had knocked down Gduff, asked in confusion.
"Is he really an intruder?"
-Then do you think I would insist that an innocent guest is an intruder?-
"..."
-...-
An awkward silence lingered. Yi-Han quickly answered.
"There's no way you would!"
-It seems like it's two beats late... Anyway, I was wondering where the intruder was hiding, but he was hiding here among the main gate statues. I thought he had gotten lost somewhere deep in the main building…-
The death knights, who realized their mistake, hurriedly flattered.
-That's right. He made it all the way here.-
-But he couldn't deceive your gaze, Master!-
-It looks like you guys were taking care of the intruder?-
-It's a misunderstanding! We were just soothing him so he wouldn't go into shock in case the intruder died.-
The death knights made a disgraceful excuse. The skull principal shook his head.
To think these guys are my subordinates!
-Why are you doing that?-
"...Ah! I was cursing at the intruder for coming all the way to the main gate, saying he's a really despicable bastard!"
Yi-Han quickly shouted.
Come to think of it, the reason that guy was able to come all the way to the main gate was because Yi-Han had thrown him there while cleaning the warehouse.
It was a fact that wasn't good to be known.
-Sorry. Mage. We're tired from fighting.-
-We got hit a lot and need to rest a bit. Ugh. My head is ringing.-
"..."
In the back, the giants and Professor Bagrak were seen talking. Professor Bagrak still had a cold face, but the tips of his fingers were trembling slightly from the shock.
The skull principal, who realized the situation, made a sound as if clicking his tongue regretfully.
-Oh my... It turned out unfortunately. Professor Bagrak prepared so hard.-
"I'm also truly regretful."
Yi-Han pretended to give his sympathy.
-Didn't you just laugh?-
"It must be your imagination."
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