'Apakah benar-benar Senior Direth?'
Sebenarnya, pertanyaan yang Yi-Han lemparkan tidak diajukan dengan percaya diri yang besar.
Dia hanya tiba-tiba memikirkan Senior Direth saat berbicara dan bertanya.
Namun ketika jawaban pihak lain tiba-tiba menghilang, kecurigaan berubah menjadi keyakinan.
[Siapa itu?]
'Benar-benar Senior Direth.'
Kali ini, ketika Yi-Han tidak menjawab, pihak lain menulis beberapa baris lagi. Entah mengapa, terasa seperti mereka berbicara tidak koheren.
[Aku tidak tahu siapa itu, tapi kebiasaan melempar nama sembarangan sambil menyelidiki orang lain bukanlah kebiasaan yang baik...]
[Senior. Aku adalah Wardanaz. Wardanaz yang berbagi makan di ruang hukuman.]
Jawaban menghilang lagi.
Yi-Han sedikit menyesal telah bertanya sembarangan.
'Seharusnya aku hanya pura-pura menjadi Moradi?'
Memikirkannya kembali, menunjukkan kesalahan seorang senior sebagai yunior bukanlah kebiasaan yang baik.
Kadang-kadang, seseorang harus pura-pura tidak tahu untuk menjadi yunior yang dicintai.
[Mengapa kamu, seorang siswa tahun pertama, mengendalikan artefak seperti ini...]
Direth akhirnya menyerah dan mengakuinya.
Tulisan di notebook terlihat sangat lemah.
—
Direth memberikan Yi-Han penjelasan tambahan tentang artefaknya.
[Ini memerlukan cukup banyak mana, jadi akan menarik mana dari sekitarnya. Itulah mengapa ia tidak bisa bergerak... Kamu mengatakan kamu menemukannya di gudang yang digunakan oleh alumni?]
[Ya.]
[Akan sulit menemukan hal semacam itu secara kebetulan, bagaimana kamu menemukannya?]
[Aku bertanya kepada seorang senior alumni yang terjebak di area terlarang ruang hukuman.]
[...Jika kamu tidak ingin memberitahu, katakan saja bahwa kamu tidak ingin memberitahu. Yunior.]
Direth menjawab, sedikit tersinggung.
'Itu memang benar.'
Yi-Han merasa tidak adil.
[Sebenarnya, aku menangkap Mouse Hutan yang menjaga Hutan Polymorph di lantai 3 dan mengancamnya, dan itu mengatakan kepadaku.]
[Ah. Mouse itu...! Cerdas, bukan?]
"..."
Yi-Han bingung dengan penampilan Direth yang tidak meragukan sama sekali dan menerimanya, meskipun dia telah melempar kebohongan yang konyol dari rasa tidak adil.
'Apakah dia benar-benar berpikir itu masuk akal?'
Cukup membuat seseorang meragukan bagaimana Direth memikirkan Yi-Han.
[Barusan, apakah kamu benar-benar berpikir itu masuk akal...]
[Aku harus keluar segera juga, jadi aku akan dengan cepat memberitahu apa yang perlu aku katakan. Pertama, jika kamu mendapatkan lebih banyak artefak komunikasi ini, jangan mendekatnya sembarangan seperti hari ini. Senior-senior di sini di Einroguard tidak pernah baik kepada yunior.]
[Kamu sangat baik seperti ini, tapi mereka benar-benar orang-orang jahat.]
[Diamlah.]
Direth memotong pujian Yi-Han dengan satu sentakan.
Siswa tahun pertama sering memiliki fantasi tentang senior, karena mereka biasanya tidak memiliki kontak dengan mereka.
-Karena Einroguard begitu mengerikan, bukankah senior-seniornya sedikit lebih baik?
-Karena profesor-profesornya begitu sampah, bukankah senior-seniornya sedikit lebih baik?
Namun jika dipikirkan, ada banyak celah dalam fantasi itu.
Bagaimana jenis makhluk yang akan menjadi senior-senior Einroguard, yang telah melalui kehidupan tahun pertama yang sama dan naik terlebih dahulu?
Mereka adalah mereka yang bisa menjual yunior mereka tanpa ragu untuk keselamatan dan keuntungan mereka sendiri.
Siswa-siswa yang tidak bersalah yang baru saja naik ke tahun ke-2 hanya bisa mendapatkan realisasi bahwa 'Ah, di sini, senior dan profesor semuanya sama' setelah mengalami digunakan sampai tulang berkali-kali.
Dengan demikian, Direth sedikit khawatir tentang Yi-Han.
Tentu saja, anak laki-laki dari keluarga Wardanaz ini memiliki bakat luar biasa yang bisa dihitung dengan jari dengan cara yang luar biasa, tetapi jika hanya pengalaman sosial yang dibandingkan, sulit untuk bersaing dengan senior-senior Einroguard yang terkikis.
Selain itu, seperti yang terlihat dari kenyataan bahwa dia mengendalikan artefak komunikasi kali ini, bakatnya dalam hal ini agak beracun.
Bukan seharusnya dia memiliki banyak kesempatan untuk dengan canggung bersentuhan dengan senior?
[Aku akan memberitahu beberapa aturan, jadi hafalkan. Pertama, mendekat dengan kuat. Kamu tidak perlu menggunakan kata sapaan kehormatan atau apa pun seperti itu.]
[Haruskah aku mencoba mendekat sambil mengumpat sedikit?]
[Bukan ide yang buruk. Kamu bisa menyembunyikan latar belakangmu.]
'Oh.'
Ini adalah lelucon, tetapi Direth menjawab dengan serius.
Yi-Han mengangguk dan mengambil memo di sampingnya.
1. Mengumpat seperti penjahat gang kota.
"...???"
Ratford, yang sedang mengatur barang bawaan di sampingnya, melihat memo Yi-Han, menengok, dan berbalik.
[Jangan pernah menunjukkan bahwa ini adalah pertama kalinya kamu menggunakan artefak. Mereka yang menggunakan artefak-artefak ini sering memiliki banyak pengalaman, jadi mereka cepat memperhatikan.]
[Aku akan memperhatikan hal itu.]
Ini benar-benar benar.
Seandainya tidak karena fakta bahwa pihak lain adalah Direth, Yi-Han bisa saja ditipu dengan cara apa pun jika orang itu memiliki niat jahat.
[Tidak apa-apa untuk berbicara lebih sedikit juga. Kamu bisa hanya menanyakan apa yang kamu inginkan dan apa yang diinginkan orang lain. Jika mereka berpengalaman, mereka akan tahu apa yang kamu maksudkan.]
Yi-Han menambahkan ke memo.
2. Berbicara lebih sedikit.
"???"
[Ada beberapa orang yang menggunakan trik secara terang-terangan. Tetapi tidak ada yang tidak menggunakan trik. Kamu harus mengingat itu.]
Karena sulit untuk mendapatkan artefak komunikasi ini, jarang seseorang secara terbuka melanggar janji dengan pihak lain.
Ada kesetiaan bahkan di antara pencuri, dan ada aturan bahkan di gang-gang belakang yang tidak teratur.
Namun permainan kata-kata yang ambigu berada dalam kisaran yang diizinkan.
[Jangan percaya semuanya apa yang dikatakan orang lain. Jangan gunakan ini terlalu lama. Nilaimu akan menderita. Aku harus pergi sekarang. Ada yang ingin ditanyakan?]
[Senior.]
[Apa?]
[Aku juga akan mengambil sihir hitam di tahun ke-2 aku. Tolong jaga aku dengan baik.]
[...Aku tidak meminta untuk memberikan tekanan kepadamu. Aku paham tentang gelombang monster dan tidak mengambil sihir hitam, aku hanya ingin tahu terlebih dahulu. Jadi aku bisa mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepadamu tanpa membebani. Aku akan mengatakannya lagi, aku benar-benar tidak memberikan tekanan, dan jika kamu tidak ingin mengambilnya, kamu tidak harus. Baik? Apakah kamu mendengarkan?]
'Apakah dia selalu berbicara banyak seperti ini?'
Yi-Han merasa sedikit kewalahan oleh tulisan yang mengisi notebook dengan dua kali kecepatan sebelumnya.
[Aku mengambil sihir hitam karena itu benar-benar menarik.]
Ketika dia mengukir tinta di atas kertas, tidak ada respons lagi untuk sementara waktu.
Yi-Han berpikir Direth telah pergi dan akan menutup notebook.
Kemudian satu baris lagi ditambahkan.
[Bagus mendengarnya. Sampai jumpa tahun depan juga.]
[Ya.]
Ketika Direth benar-benar pergi, Yi-Han juga menutup notebook.
Ratford, yang sedang mengatur di sampingnya, mendekati dan bertanya dengan hati-hati.
"Maaf. Mr. Wardanaz. Apakah kamu mungkin perlu bertindak seperti penjahat gang kota?"
—
Setelah menjelaskan kesalahpahaman, Yi-Han menyelesaikan pekerjaan bersama Ratford.
Setelah mengirim kembali Sharakan dan Gonadaltes, yang telah bekerja keras seharian (Gonadaltes melihat Yi-Han dengan mata sedih setiap kali dia membersihkan sepotong besar barang, meratapi nasibnya), dan mendorong sampah, beberapa ruang tercipta.
"Apakah ada jendela di sini juga?"
"Ya. Sepertinya terlupakan karena ada terlalu banyak coretan di atasnya."
Melihat ke atas di skylight kecil, bintang-bintang sudah berkelip.
Yi-Han menghela napas saat menempatkan buku-buku yang diperlukan di atas meja panjang dan berat yang terletak di tengah gudang.
"Harinya baru berlalu. Aku harus mulai perlahan."
"Huh? Apakah kamu memiliki tugas?"
Ratford, yang sedang memotong keju untuk mereka berdua makan, terlihat bingung.
Kuliah minggu ini semuanya istirahat bersama, dan minggu lalu adalah ujian tengah semester?
Tidak peduli berapa banyak kuliah yang Wardanaz ambil, waktunya untuk menerima tugas...
"Aku menerima tugas terpisah saat keluar kemarin. Aku harus menulis dua buku."
"Ah. Kamu menerimanya secara terpisah. Pasti berat harus membaca dua buku."
Ratford mengangguk dan berjalan ke samping.
Yi-Han duduk di meja, membuka buku, dan bersiap untuk berkonsentrasi.
"...Tunggu sebentar. Kamu bilang kamu harus menulisnya?"
"Huh? Ya. Aku mengatakan aku menulis dua buku, bukan?"
"..."
Ratford mencoba mengatakan sesuatu tetapi menyerah dan mengubah topik.
Dia tidak bisa bertahan tanpa mengubah topik karena itu terlalu menyedihkan.
"Ah. Mr. Wardanaz, sejak kamu baru-baru ini memperoleh tempat ini, seharusnya kita memberinya nama? Seperti markas rahasia Wardanaz?"
"Tidak bisakah kita memanggilnya markas rahasia Moradi?"
Yi-Han lebih suka nama yang tidak akan diasumsikan menjadi dirinya jika dia tertangkap nanti.
"Mengapa Moradi...?"
"Baiklah. Mari kita sebut saja markas rahasia Wardanaz. Namanya tidak penting."
Yi-Han dengan cepat mengubah kata-katanya karena mata Ratford terlalu polos.
"Ah. Ratford. Apakah kamu memiliki sesuatu untuk dilakukan sekarang?"
"Huh? Tidak, aku tidak."
Ratford berkata sambil menggigit sepotong keju tebal tanpa banyak pikiran.
"Maka duduklah di depanku dan buka buku alkimia. Kita bisa belajar bersama."
"...Ah, ah, sekarang yang dipikirkan, masih ada banyak barang sampah tersisa di sana. Tolong biarkan aku mencari sedikit lagi!"
"Hmm. Bukankah itu terlalu banyak? Aku pikir itu serakah untuk mencoba melakukan semuanya dalam satu hari..."
"Kamu harus berusaha sebaik mungkin untuk membuat kemajuan sedikit demi sedikit!"
Ratford berlari ke tumpukan sampah. Yi-Han mengangkat bahunya dan memalingkan pandangannya ke buku.
[Sihir pertarungan elemen air sering mudah diremehkan, tetapi nilai sebenarnya tidak dapat dengan mudah ditolak oleh mage Kekaisaran mana pun. Mage Kekaisaran Eumidiphos mengorganisir sihir pertarungan elemen air klasik dan...]
[Apa itu sihir Peluru Air? Untuk menjelaskan ini, kita harus terlebih dahulu berbicara tentang sihir pertarungan elemen air yang diremehkan... Mage
Chapter 498
'Is it really senior Direth?'
In fact, the question Yi-Han threw out was not with great confidence either.
He just suddenly thought of senior Direth while talking and asked.
But when the other party's answer suddenly disappeared, suspicion turned into conviction.
[Who is that?]
'It is indeed senior Direth.'
This time, when Yi-Han didn't answer, the other party wrote a few more lines. For some reason, it felt like they were talking incoherently.
[I don't know who that is, but the habit of throwing out any random name while probing the other person is not a good habit...]
[Senior. I am Wardanaz. The Wardanaz who shared the punishment room meal.]
The answer disappeared again.
Yi-Han slightly regretted asking thoughtlessly.
'Should I have just pretended to be Moradi?'
Come to think of it, as a junior, pointing out a senior's mistake was not a good habit.
Sometimes, one had to pretend not to know in order to be a loved junior.
[Why are you, a 1st-year, getting your hands on such an artifact...]
Direth finally gave up and admitted it.
The writing on the notebook looked unusually powerless.
—
Direth gave Yi-Han additional explanations about the artifact.
[It requires quite a bit of mana, so it will be drawing mana from the surroundings. That's why it can't move... You said you found it in a warehouse used by graduates?]
[Yes.]
[It would have been difficult to find such a thing by chance, how did you find it?]
[I asked a graduated senior who was trapped in the forbidden area of the punishment room.]
[...If you don't want to tell me, just say you don't want to tell me. Junior.]
Direth answered, slightly sulking.
'It's true though.'
Yi-Han felt wronged.
[Actually, I caught the Forest Mouse guarding the Polymorph Forest on the 3rd floor and threatened it, and it told me.]
[Ah. That mouse...! It's clever, right?]
"..."
Yi-Han was flustered by Direth's appearance of not doubting it at all and accepting it, even though he had thrown an absurd lie out of a sense of injustice.
'Does she really think that makes sense?'
It was enough to make one doubt how Direth thought of Yi-Han.
[Just now, do you really think that makes sen...]
[I have to go out soon too, so I'll quickly tell you what I need to say. First of all, if you get more of these communication artifacts, don't approach them recklessly like today. The seniors here at Einroguard are never kind to juniors.]
[You are so kind like this, but they are really bad people.]
[Shut up.]
Direth cut off Yi-Han's flattery with a single stroke.
1st-year students often had fantasies about seniors, as they usually had no contact with them.
-Since Einroguard is so dog-like, wouldn't the seniors be a bit better?-
-Since the professors are so trashy, wouldn't the seniors be a bit better?-
But if you think about it, there are many loopholes in that fantasy.
What kind of beings would the Einroguard seniors, who have gone through the same 1st-year life and moved up first, be?
They were the ones who could sell out their juniors without hesitation for their own survival and benefit.
Innocent students who had just moved up to the 2nd year could only gain the realization that 'Ah, here, seniors and professors are all the same' after experiencing being used to the bone a few times.
As such, Direth was a little worried about Yi-Han.
Of course, this boy from the Wardanaz family had extraordinary talent that could be counted on the fingers in many ways, but if only social experience was compared, it was difficult to keep up with the worn-out Einroguard seniors.
Moreover, as can be seen from the fact that he got his hands on a communication artifact this time, his talent in this aspect was rather poisonous.
Wouldn't he have many occasions to clumsily come into contact with seniors?
[I'll tell you a few rules, so remember them. First, approach strongly. You don't need to use honorifics or anything like that.]
[Should I try approaching while cursing a bit?]
[Not a bad idea. You can hide your background.]
'Oh.'
It was a joke, but Direth answered seriously.
Yi-Han nodded and took a memo next to him.
1. Curse like a back-alley thug.
"...???"
Ratford, who was organizing luggage next to him, saw Yi-Han's memo, tilted his head, and turned away.
[Never show that it's your first time using an artifact. Those who use these artifacts often have a lot of experience, so they are quick to notice.]
[I will keep that in mind.]
This was definitely true.
If it weren't for the fact that the other party was Direth, Yi-Han could have been deceived in any way if the person had evil intentions.
[It's not bad to speak less either. You can just ask what you want and what the other person wants. If they are experienced, they will know what you mean.]
Yi-Han added to the memo.
2. Speak less.
"???"
[There are few people who use tricks blatantly. But there is no one who doesn't use tricks. You have to keep that in mind.]
As it was difficult to obtain these communication artifacts, it was rare for someone to openly break a promise with the other party.
There was loyalty even among thieves, and there were rules even in the disorderly back alleys.
However, ambiguous word plays were within the permissible range.
[Don't believe everything the other person says too much. Don't use this for too long. Your grades will suffer. I have to go now. Anything to ask?]
[Senior.]
[What?]
[I will also take dark magic in my 2nd year. Please take good care of me.]
[...I didn't ask to pressure you. I understand about the monster wave and not taking dark magic, I just wanted to know in advance. So that I can say goodbye to you without burdening you. I'll say it again, I'm really not pressuring you, and if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. Okay? Are you listening?]
'Was she always this talkative?'
Yi-Han felt slightly overwhelmed by the writing that filled the notebook at twice the speed of before.
[I'm taking dark magic because it's really interesting.]
When he engraved the ink on the paper, there was no response for a while again.
Yi-Han thought Direth had left and was about to close the notebook.
Then one more line was added.
[That's good to hear. See you next year too.]
[Yes.]
When Direth really left, Yi-Han also closed the notebook.
Ratford, who was organizing next to him, approached and asked carefully.
"Excuse me. Mr. Wardanaz. Do you perhaps need to act like a back-alley thug?"
—
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Yi-Han finished the work together with Ratford.
After sending back Sharakan and Gonadaltes, who had worked hard all day (Gonadaltes looked at Yi-Han with sorrowful eyes every time he cleared a large piece of luggage, lamenting his situation), and pushing in the trash, some space was created.
"Was there a window here too?"
"Yes. It seems to have been forgotten because there was too much graffiti above."
Looking up at the small skylight, the stars were already twinkling.
Yi-Han sighed as he placed the necessary books on the long and heavy table located in the center of the warehouse.
"The day just passed. I should start slowly."
"Huh? Did you have an assignment?"
Ratford, who was cutting cheese for the two of them to eat, was puzzled.
The lectures this week were all rested together, and last week was the midterm exam?
No matter how many lectures Wardanaz took, the time to receive an assignment...
"I received a separate assignment when I went out last time. I have to write two books."
"Ah. You received it separately. It must be tough to have to read two books."
Ratford nodded and walked to the side.
Yi-Han sat at the table, opened the book, and prepared to concentrate.
"...Wait a moment. You said you have to write them?"
"Huh? Yeah. I said I'm writing two books, right?"
"..."
Ratford tried to say something but gave up and changed the subject.
He couldn't bear it without changing the subject because it was too unfortunate.
"Ah. Mr. Wardanaz, since you newly acquired this place, shouldn't we give it a name? Like Wardanaz's secret base?"
"Can't we call it Moradi's secret base?"
Yi-Han preferred a name that would not be assumed to be him in case he was caught later.
"Why Moradi...?"
"Alright. Let's call it Wardanaz's secret base. The name doesn't matter."
Yi-Han quickly changed his words because Ratford's eyes were too innocent.
"Ah. Ratford. Do you have anything to do right now?"
"Huh? No, I don't."
Ratford said, biting into a thick piece of cheese without much thought.
"Then sit in front of me and open an alchemy book. We can study together."
"...Ah, ah, come to think of it, there are still a lot of junk left over there. Please let me search a little more!"
"Hmm. Isn't that too much? I think it's greedy to try to do it all in one day..."
"You have to do your best to make progress little by little!"
Ratford ran away to the pile of junk. Yi-Han shrugged his shoulders and turned his gaze to the book.
[Water element combat magic is often easily underestimated, but its true value cannot be easily denied by any Imperial mage. Imperial mage Eumidiphos organized the classic water element combat magic and…]
[What is Water Bullet magic? To explain this, we must first talk about the underestimated water element combat magic... Imperial mage Eumidiphos…]
'Hmm. My skills haven't died yet.'
Yi-Han was slightly amazed at his own ability to densely insert the same content into different books.
Professor Bagrak or the skull principal might dislike such a useless preface, but originally, books should have such a preface.
There had to be consideration for the reader.
[...First, the following preconditions are necessary... Such a large amount of mana consumption is a disadvantage... To compensate for this, a means of mana amplification such as blood magic...]
'Is it too extreme?'
While writing an introductory book on , Yi-Han hesitated.
As he wrote that mana consumption was a disadvantage and that it needed to be compensated for, it seemed a bit extreme.
"Mr. Wardanaz?"
"Ah. Ratford. Are you going to study alchemy?"
"...Ah, no."
Ratford became a little scared of Yi-Han.
"There's a unique artifact here."
"!"
Yi-Han put down the quill and moved his steps to where Ratford was.
As the pile of junk was cleared away, a mirror firmly fixed to the floor was revealed.
The bronze mirror was very flawed, with a blurry outer surface, and it couldn't even properly reflect a face.
However, thanks to the notebook he had just dealt with, Yi-Han instinctively realized what kind of artifact this mirror was.
The mana wavelengths of the two were similar.
'It's a communication artifact!'
There was more than one in the warehouse.
Yi-Han approached the mirror with a curious gaze. And he activated it in the same way he had activated the notebook earlier.
"..."
"..."
However, unlike before, nothing happened.
'Is the connected artifact also in a state of having lost its owner?'
It was a sufficiently possible situation.
There were many abandoned places in Einroguard, and in that case, the artifacts connected to them would have been abandoned together...
Earlier, he was lucky that Direth had the connected artifact, and it was fortunate that she was nearby when Yi-Han connected, otherwise it would have been difficult to even hear a response.
"Hmm. Unfortunately. I thought I could talk to another senior."
"I will keep watch."
"No. It's something only the connected person can see anyway. Let's stop cleaning now and sit down to study."
"...Yes..."
Ratford sat down in front of Yi-Han, crestfallen. He instinctively felt that excuses would no longer work.
'Is the old saying that if you know alchemy, you can become an excellent thief really true? Is it a lie? Is alchemy really necessary?'
As he opened the alchemy book, skeptical thoughts trapped inside the book began to torment Ratford, wielding boredom.
Woong-
"!"
Yi-Han, who was wielding a quill next to him, was startled by the sound of the mirror vibrating.
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