SMMA 102

Chapter 102

As the water spirit fled, Ihan ceased his spellcasting and shouted,
“Stop right there!”

In truth, all this commotion was caused by those water spirits in the lake.
Had they not arrived first, the White Tiger Tower students could have leisurely been herded onto the sandbar, allowing everything to be thoroughly checked.

“Wardanaz, fighting spirits while injured is a bit risky…”
Dukema began to caution, but seeing the spirit flee, he changed his mind.
“No! It’s not risky! Let’s chase them! Angrago!”

“Wait, wait!”
Angrago quickly wrapped up their food in leather, unwilling to leave it behind.

“Chase that one! It must be the Headmaster’s subordinate!”

In a voice colder than the night’s chill, Ihan commanded.
The two White Tiger Tower students dashed out as if they were villains.
…Though they weren’t doing anything wrong, they felt as if they were.

*        *        *

Angrago veered to the left, narrowly dodging a sharply flying water orb.
Dukema turned right and ducked under a water spike due to his lower stature.

“The water spirits’ attacks are really quite simple,” Ihan thought as he approached from the center.
A water spirit launched an attack at Ihan, who summoned a water orb and bounced it back without dodging.

Jorban the Second, the undead summon of the sandbar, was large and strong, yet such low-tier water spirits were no match for Ihan face-to-face.

As Ihan exuded a fierce magical aura and drew near, the water spirits trembled in panic.

“Don’t run away, water spirit. I mean no harm.”

“…?”

Angrago aimed his wooden sword at the water spirit, thinking quietly,
“In this situation, it probably won’t believe anything I say.”

If he were a water spirit, he would never trust these words either…

“You’re one of the Headmaster’s subordinates, right?”

The water spirit shook its head quickly.
Though the White Tiger Tower students lacked the skill to converse with spirits, they somehow seemed to understand what the water spirit intended to communicate.

“So it’s definitely not.”

Water spirits naturally inspire sympathy to observers.
Their rounded water masses exuded a gentle watery aura, softening hostile feelings.

But Ihan did not waver.

“Don’t intend to deceive me. The Headmaster surely commanded you to do this.”

“…!”

Dukema was surprised.
“So that’s the case?”

But the water spirit shook its head fervently again. Ihan, cool and analytical, pointed out,
“Then why did you attack us crossing the lake, and even attack us while resting?”

“I see…!”

His logical reasoning compelled the two students to acknowledge the point.
Indeed, it was strange for the water spirits to so relentlessly follow and attack.

The water spirit swayed its body, pointing at Ihan.

“?”
“What’s that?”

They didn’t understand why the water spirit was behaving like that.
Of course, Ihan did.

“It says you came intending to attack it.”

He had no response to that.
After all, he was the one emitting fierce magical power over the lake first.

“Wardanaz, what is that spirit saying?”

“It says it thought you stabbed it with your oar and attacked it.”

Ugh.

Angrago had nothing to say to the water spirit.

“It was a mistake. If I’d known the spirit was there, I would have rowed much more carefully. I only hope it believes that…”

The water spirit looked troubled, as if questioning Angrago’s excuse.
“Ihan’s scary, so what is this nonsense?”

Ihan nodded instead.

“It understands mistakes can happen.”

“Thank goodness…!”

“But even if what happened on the lake can be excused, there’s no justification for attacking us while we were resting.”

Talking about the lake incident wouldn’t help, so Ihan moved on swiftly.

The water spirit was ensnared by Ihan’s subtle scheming.

Forgetting all about the lake events, it pointed toward the campfire.

“Saying you lit a fire at night made you do it, huh?”

“What the…!”

The White Tiger Tower students were angry.
Of course, to the spirit, intruders cooking and lighting fires, releasing smells, could be unpleasant.

But instead of a warning, it attacked first.
Wasn’t that a bit too violent?

The water spirit shook itself anxiously, signaling a misunderstanding.

It pointed at the campfire, the scorched ground, and Ihan’s staff.

They still didn’t understand, but Ihan immediately did.

“Ah, I angered it by burning the surroundings.”

The fire he’d caused fighting the undead summon had scorched the nearby waters, muddying them.

The resting water spirit naturally had reason to be upset.

“What is that spirit saying, Wardanaz?”

“It sincerely apologizes for its narrow-minded behavior.”

“Hmph… shall we forgive it?”

“Yes. After all, it’s a spirit.”

The two White Tiger Tower students decided to show great mercy.
Unlike undead, spirits were difficult to treat harshly—especially water spirits.

The spirit sensed the conversation flowing oddly and stared intently at Ihan.

He ignored it, pretending not to notice.

*        *        *

The water spirit was not a subordinate of the Skeleton Headmaster but had observed from afar when the Headmaster came to this island.

Following this spirit’s guidance, Ihan asked,
“Exactly what kind of spell did the Headmaster use?”

 

Although Ihan did not know all the magic the Skeleton Headmaster had used, if he could find out beforehand what kind of magic it was, it would make things much easier.

The water spirit could not speak but puffed up and changed its shape as it tried hard to explain.

‘A grave? Seal? Lock?’

It formed a small grave shape, then made several bands representing seals, and even something resembling a lock.

Ihan vaguely sensed what the spirit was trying to say.

‘The Headmaster has imprisoned something.’

There was only one thing that could have been imprisoned.

The exit permit.

‘It wouldn’t be surprising if something happens when we get close.’

Ihan closed his eyes and tried to imagine the Headmaster’s thoughts.

If he were the Headmaster, how would he have created this?

‘A trial dungeon underground beneath the sandbar, and after passing through the dungeon, a place where the exit permit is kept. That sounds like something the Headmaster would do.’

And if he sealed that place, that would be even more typical of the Headmaster.

After enduring all the hardships of the underground sandbar dungeon, cooperating to barely escape, how despairing would it be if the exit permit at the end was locked away?

Exactly the kind of scenario the Headmaster would enjoy.

“Wardanaz, over there!”

Angrago whispered in surprise.

Beyond where the water spirit had stopped moving, there truly was a place built by the Headmaster.

It was a small stone structure with a quaint feel.

For some reason, Ihan felt it resembled a temple.

Stone stairs leading underground (seemingly connecting to the sandbar dungeon), large hollow stone pillars arranged with geometric precision all around, and an altar at the center.

Of course, what lay within the altar would not be a sacrifice, but the exit permit.

‘How do I send these two in first?’

Ihan pondered how to let Angrago and Dukema enter ahead.

To detect the Headmaster’s trap, a sacrifice—or rather, a scouting party—was needed.

“Wardanaz, I’ll go first.”

“Angrago, are you insulting me now? I’ll go first.”

“Dukema, it’s my fault this happened. I made the water spirit angry.”

“Angrago, you built and rowed the boat, fulfilling your mission. I did nothing. If I don’t step up now, my honor as a knight is…”

Ihan yawned and flipped a coin.

Clack.

“Heads. Angrago Alpha, you go.”

“…Uh, okay.”

Angrago walked forward with a somewhat dazed look.

He had planned to go in first to protect Wardanaz, who had a wounded arm, but he couldn’t shake his strange feelings.

Come if you dare!

Angrago swallowed his solemn mood and looked around.

Even those born into knightly families were raised knowing about magical traps.

Angrago was prepared to endure whatever traps would trigger.

But no trap activated.

Not when stepping onto the fitting stone floor.

Not while passing between the stone pillars or when arriving before the altar.

Ihan was slightly surprised by this.

‘Could it be that the Headmaster prepared the trap to trigger only when two people ascend together?’

He felt uneasy without a trap.

Ihan focused all his power on detecting magic or mana nearby.

But he sensed nothing.

Either there was truly nothing, or the Headmaster’s skill was so great that Ihan couldn’t sense it.

Probably the latter.

In truth, there was no trap.

For sensory things like this, Ihan could be confident in himself.

Even professors and the Headmaster had praised his ability.

Yet, he refused to believe nothing had been set.

No way!

The Headmaster must have arranged something.

“Wardanaz. Here… the Headmaster wrote something.”

“What does it say? Does it say the trap begins now?”

“No. Nothing like that.”

“Congratulations on making it this far, young freshmen.
You may be startled by this sudden trial, but all of this is a process to nurture you young wizards.”

How disturbingly polite.

Ihan thought to himself.

When the Headmaster spoke so kindly, it often meant something far more terrifying.

“Along the way, you’ve learned to cooperate with friends from different towers.
Now, try your final cooperation using what you’ve learned.
If you place another person inside the stone pillars,
the seal on the altar containing the exit permit will be lifted!”

The three turned their heads to glance aside.

The large stone pillars were hollow inside, big enough to hold one person comfortably.

If they locked someone up inside…

Wouldn’t that open the altar but move the exit permit further away?

“This is nonsense! There must be another way!”

Dukema exploded in anger.

As a student of a knightly family, he could not accept a trap that split up students who had worked hard together to pass the trial.

There had to be another method!

There probably isn’t.

Ihan was calm.

This was exactly the kind of thing the Headmaster would like, so it was no surprise.

No matter how many unite, only one will get what they want.

If it feels unfair, get stronger—

And expect other nonsense like that.

Ihan pondered.

Should he subdue Dukema first, or Angrago first?

Originally, the altar was to receive two people, but now with three present, Ihan was at a disadvantage.

Besides, hadn’t he injured one of his arms?

To win, he needed to strike before the White Tiger Tower students attacked.

“Wardanaz!”

Dukema shouted. Ihan flinched.

Was he discovered?

“Stop Angrago!”

“!”

Looking up, he saw Angrago running toward the stone pillars.

For a moment, Ihan hesitated, wondering whether to restrain him or pretend to let it happen.