Chapter 613

As Yi-Han stepped out the door, Eandurde followed him closely.

"Junior. You need to stay here."

"??"

Eandurde looked at him as if to ask why she had to do that.

Seeing this, Yi-Han pondered how to explain.

"So, from now on, we're going to a place where we don't know what kind of violence the principal might..."

"Don't casually slander people. I've already used up all the violence."

The skull principal interrupted Yi-Han's words and put a bracelet on Eandurde.

It was a bracelet that suppressed the evil eye imbued with the petrification curse and the hair that turned into snakes.

"Is it okay to take her?"

"To adapt to Einroguard, she needs to practice going around as well as studying."

Seeing his growling junior, Yi-Han suddenly became worried.

Surely she wouldn't attack passing citizens?

'I must stop her.'

Yi-Han firmly resolved not to let his junior become an imperial criminal.

"Let's go."

The two students moved their feet, following the skull principal.

The junior sniffed, smelling the people passing by.

"That..."

"That's an ice cream cone. It's ice cream on a baked waffle cone."

At Yi-Han's explanation, the junior's eyes sparkled.

And she immediately took a stance to snatch the ice cream cone held by a passing child.

"Turn to iron, cloak!"

Yi-Han quickly tied the junior's arms and legs with his cloak and transformed it into iron, then urgently whispered.

"What did I tell you, junior? If you attack first...?"

"Ah. Don't attack first!"

"That's right!"

At Yi-Han's words, Eandurde became sullen.

She had wanted to try that snack.

"...Principal. Please give me some money to buy ice cream."

"If you buy everything they want, you'll spoil the child."

The skull principal said this but still flicked an imperial silver coin. Yi-Han went to a street stall and bought an ice cream cone.

"Here. If you need something, you buy it with money. Understand?"

"Money is earned through work."

"That's right!"

Yi-Han felt proud of his junior who was licking the ice cream and saying admirable things as she had been taught.

As expected of a smart kid, she remembered three things when taught one.

"But is it not okay to steal money?"

"...Junior. Let's talk again. So, if you steal money first..."

Yi-Han continued to teach Eandurde on the way to meet the Pengerin family's new student.

The junior understood everything well, but whenever a passing person had something interesting, she forgot the teachings and took a battle stance.

Seeing this, the skull principal made a comment.

"We need to enroll her in Einroguard quickly."

"..."

Yi-Han was worried that his junior might be called something like 'the beast of the Black Tortoise Tower' by her tower mates after enrolling in Einroguard.

She should have many friends like Nillia...

"That..."

"I said no!"

Yi-Han immediately grabbed the back of his junior's neck with one hand and swung his staff with the other to firmly secure the cloak.

The junior said with a dazed look.

"I think we've arrived..."

"...Haha. You have a very good eye! Isn't that admirable?"

Yi-Han quickly let go of his hand and staff and praised his junior.

Eandurde nodded with a grin, forgetting that she had just been misunderstood.

***

The Pengerin family was a family with quite a high reputation in the empire, and as such, the nobles of the family had great pride.

One of the people who inherited this characteristic the most was Alhidle.

At an age not yet ten, Alhidle could read not only the imperial characters but also the characters from the Three Kingdoms era, the Ancient Kingdom era, the Seven Kingdoms era, and solve all kinds of complex arithmetic problems.

It wasn't just intelligence that was outstanding.

In swordsmanship, which was considered a noble's education, he showed achievements that amazed various swordsmen, and he was also proficient in music, literature, and art.

With such talent, the expectations within the family were high.

"So, it's right to send him to Einroguard. How can you change your mind now after deciding to send him to Einroguard in the first place? Are you thinking of tarnishing the reputation of the Pengerin family?"

"If it's for Alhidle's future, I can endure even if the Pengerin family's reputation gets a little dirty. I'll persuade Mr. Gonadaltes! Alhidle doesn't need to waste time mingling with other ordinary people. We should call tutors to teach him!"

"Why would other nobles send their children to Einroguard instead of calling tutors to educate them? Einroguard is the empire's most traditional and excellent magic academy. Aren't there only a few nobles who have achieved outstanding results under the guidance of tutors?"

"That's because the mages called as tutors were incompetent! It will be different if we call the best. Whether it's a magic academy or a magic tower, we can't waste precious time mixing with other ordinary people!"

Various people in the family strongly expressed their opinions about Alhidle.

The older people argued that he shouldn't waste precious time and should study properly on his own, while the relatively younger people argued that they shouldn't make unnecessary attempts and should send him to Einroguard.

As both sides sincerely valued Alhidle's talent highly, the conflict was even more intense. To the extent that no one would easily give in.

"Alhidle. What do you think? Don't you want to go to Einroguard? It's about honing your skills with the best talents at the empire's best magic academy."

"Don't put unnecessary pressure on him. Alhidle, even if you go, it will be hard to find people at your level. You'll just waste time and spend it lonely!"

Alhidle hesitated and looked at the elders of the family.

He knew his talent was outstanding, but it was difficult to decide easily which choice was right.

Thinking of the excellent teachers, it seemed right to go to Einroguard, but then again, if he went to Einroguard, there wouldn't be friends at his level, so it also seemed like a waste of time...

"Is anyone there?"

"M-Mr. Gonadaltes! We're sorry. Such rudeness... Please come in."

"No. I happened to overhear the conversation. I see. So you were worrying about enrollment because of young Pengerin's talent."

"Th-that's right, Your Excellency. Forgive my foolish words, but in my humble opinion, I think it would be more efficient for Alhidle to study on his own without enrolling..."

The skull principal managed his expression.

Fortunately, things ended quickly this winter, otherwise he might have cursed.

"That can happen. Everyone has such worries."

"Your Excellency! I knew you would understand!"

While the skull principal artificially soothed the penguin mixed-bloods of the Pengerin family, Yi-Han whispered to his junior.

"That guy over there is one of the students who will enroll with you."

"Fight? Struggle? Submit?"

"No. I'm not telling you to fight... No. Looking at the different towers, you might fight. Just that he might enter with you. Look at him and try to get along if you can."

"He looks weak."

"Just because someone is weak doesn't mean they can't be friends, so..."

"Wardanaz. Come here."

Yi-Han, who was educating his junior on 'making friends at Einroguard', hesitated at the skull principal's call.

"What is it?"

"The people of the Pengerin family here want to know the average level of Einroguard students!"

"...?"

Yi-Han wondered what he had to do with the average level of Einroguard students.

Was he supposed to talk about it?

"Should I talk about Gainando?"

"No. There's no need for that."

The skull principal put his hand on Yi-Han's shoulder and said.

"This Wardanaz guy here is somewhat average within Einroguard."

"..."

Yi-Han was dumbfounded.

Of course, Yi-Han wasn't a person overflowing with confidence or arrogance, but he knew that he wasn't average at Einroguard.

He was the top student!

"As such, you can know the average level of Einroguard by looking at this guy. Now. Young Pengerin. Come here."

Alhidle walked out with a nervous look, having met unfamiliar mages.

But there was also a hint of confidence in that appearance.

It was confidence that even if they were seniors, they wouldn't surpass him in knowledge.

"What areas is young Pengerin excellent in?"

"Alhidle is proficient in handling numbers."

"Would you show us?"

The people of the Pengerin family brought a thick arithmetic book without hesitation.

And then they opened a random page.

"Now, Alhidle. Solve this."

-A mage wants to buy the following items with twenty-two silver coins...

Scribble scribble-

Alhidle lowered his head and started moving his quill quickly. Numbers and formulas went back and forth dizzily.

How much time had passed?

Finally, having found the answer, Alhidle raised his head.

"I've solved it!"

"..."

"..."

"?"

Alhidle was flustered by the different reaction from usual.

The elders of the family were looking at Alhidle and Yi-Han in turn with bewildered eyes.

"Well done, young Pengerin. But your senior wrote down the answer the moment you lowered your head."

"...?!!"

Alhidle looked at Yi-Han, unable to believe it.

Surprisingly, the paper Yi-Han was holding also had the same answer as Alhidle had given.

Moreover, it was written neatly without any formulas!

'Impossible! This is a trick!'

The skull principal spoke with an arrogant attitude.

"Young Pengerin isn't bad. He might be a bit lacking for Einroguard, but... well... Einroguard isn't a harsh place that blocks a student's enrollment just because they're a bit lacking."

'You're really going too far.'

Yi-Han felt a little sorry when the penguin mixed-blood junior made an expression as if the sky was falling.

Someone like Alhidle could probably achieve grades within the top five in the first year.

It was just that Yi-Han was exceptionally good at arithmetic, not that Alhidle was lacking...

"A-Alhidle isn't just good with numbers. Alhidle is also very proficient with letters."

"Would you show us?"

The people of the Pengerin family brought a thick history book from the Three Kingdoms era without hesitation.

And then they opened a random page.

"Now, Alhidle. Read this."

-As the three kingdoms burned the continent hating each other, the enraged ■■■■■ took revenge...

"Wait."

The skull principal pointed out when Alhidle tried to subtly skip over it, making him stop reading.

"Why are you skipping it?"

"Huh? This is erased so I can't read..."

"It's not erased. Wardanaz? Explain."

"...That's rewritten in the Seoharin Kingdom script. It reads 'Gonadaltes' in Seoharin Kingdom script."

"!!!!"

Alhidle was greatly shocked by Yi-Han's words.

Unlike before, there could be no trick here.

Wasn't it a book that the family members brought and opened!

'There... there was someone more outstanding than me...!'

"What's next? Swordsmanship?"

"Y-yes."

"Bring a sword. Wardanaz."

At the skull principal's merciless instruction, Yi-Han whispered.

"Principal. Isn't this a bit pitiful?"

"Are you saying I'm pitiful for trying to persuade and enroll someone with no particular talent? Thank you for comforting me."

"...No, I mean that junior..."

"You should be thanking me for making him realize his place for free. It's better to realize it now. If he realizes it when he's older, he'll become like Alcicle, would that be better?"

Seeing the skull principal butcher Alcicle who wasn't present, Yi-Han quietly closed his mouth and went to get a sword.

***

After several rounds of competition, the reception room of the Pengerin family became quite quiet.

One of the family elders muttered in a low voice.

"Perhaps Alhidle's talent wasn't that outstanding..."

"Were we too enchanted because he's a member of the same family?"

"Wh-what are you saying! Even people outside the family said Alhidle's talent was outstanding!"

"Maybe it was just a compliment out of courtesy."

"...?!"

Could... could that be?!