Completely cowed, Duke Ikalderen hurriedly snatched up the quill and began signing a document titled I Will Sponsor Princess Yukbeltire’s Artificial Dimension Research.

There was no trace left of the confidence he normally displayed while controlling the Empire’s underworld from the shadows.

He looked like some aging tycoon ruined overnight, trembling as he wrote out a final will.

Lee Han and Princess Yukbeltire watched with satisfaction. Fortunately, Diret—still the only one thinking straight—grabbed both of them by the shoulders and whispered urgently.

“Hey. Hold on a second.”

“?”

“??”

The two stared at Diret as if asking what the problem was.

“...I said we should maintain at least a minimum of courtesy.”

“But it’s settled now, isn’t it? All that’s left is to keep him locked up until the end of the week.”

“Don’t worry, Senior. I’ll make sure he gets fed properly.”

One friend was being infuriating, and the junior was cheerfully missing the point entirely, but Diret somehow managed to hold back his anger.

“Urrghrghrgh...”

“Diret. Speak clearly. Don’t mumble like that.”

“I think he said, ‘Even then, this is going too far’...”

As Lee Han translated, he quietly took a step backward.

Princess Yukbeltire looked at him in confusion, wondering why her junior was retreating.

SMACK!

Diret slammed the tip of the staff against his friend’s head.

Princess Yukbeltire blinked repeatedly, looking utterly betrayed by someone she had trusted completely.

“W-Why?”

“You call this talking things out?! Are you planning to practice magic for only one more year? That duke’s eventually going to be released and return home. Do you want to end up blacklisted by the Imperial nobility?”

“But...”

Princess Yukbeltire tried to argue.

The ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Empire was full of powerful nobles. Even if Duke Ikalderen spread ugly rumors out of spite, someone with exceptional magical talent would always find nobles willing to sponsor research.

SMACK!

“And now you’re dragging your junior into dirty work just to fund your research! Do you even hear yourself?!”

“That’s...”

Princess Yukbeltire tried to protest again.

Strictly speaking, Lee Han’s threats hadn’t been orders she personally gave.

Still, she wisely kept her mouth shut.

For some reason, she felt that if she said the wrong thing now, a curse would come flying at her instead of another strike from the staff.

I should’ve prepared for close-range curses instead of trusting Diret.

Princess Yukbeltire reflected silently on her own naïveté.

“Senior, please calm down.”

Lee Han slipped behind Princess Yukbeltire and tried to explain.

“To be fair, that duke was impossible to persuade. You know that too, Senior.”

“...He was panicking and babbling nonsense, yes, but still— Wait. Haven’t you met him before? What happened?”

“Nothing much. I just received a few invitations from him.”

“Really? His reaction seemed a little extreme for that.”

“I did help the Principal arrest him at the end.”

Diret glared at his junior.

Shouldn’t he have started with that part?

“No wonder he kept screaming about the Dark Mage’s disciple... Sigh. If you want a long career as a mage, making enemies everywhere is a terrible idea.”

“No matter how much Duke Ikalderen spreads rumors out of spite, someone with outstanding magical talent can overcome that easily...”

“You stay quiet.”

After shutting down his increasingly aggravating friend, Diret let out another long sigh.

He didn’t particularly care if Princess Yukbeltire accumulated enemies by the dozen, but it bothered him that his junior had already earned the hatred of an Imperial duke.

Having too many enemies was never good for a mage’s future.

The Skull Principal undoubtedly knew that too, yet still brought Lee Han along for the arrest.

It was obvious malicious intent—spreading rumors on purpose. Truly foul.

As Diret continued sighing heavily, Lee Han started feeling uneasy.

“Is the rumor about being the Dark Mage’s disciple really that dangerous?”

“Well... people will respect you in their own way.”

“But they’ll hate you just as much.”

“Senior, please restrain yourself!”

Lee Han hurriedly grabbed Diret’s arm.

Judging by the green light flashing in the senior’s eyes, at least one poison curse had already been halfway prepared.

Princess Yukbeltire tilted her head, baffled.

“I explained it perfectly clearly, so why is he reacting like this?”

“I think I understand now... Anyway, being known as the Dark Mage’s disciple really does sound like a double-edged sword.”

Diret nearly replied, More like a sword whose blade only faces the wielder, but stopped himself out of pity for his junior.

Watching the two look so dejected, Princess Yukbeltire suddenly felt compelled to offer practical advice.

“Diret. If you’re really that worried about your junior, there is one solution.”

“...What solution?”

“Threaten Duke Ikalderen more thoroughly right now. Make sure he never dares oppose us after he’s released.”

Courtesy and reconciliation were clearly beyond saving at this point, so her suggestion was simple: terrify him enough to prevent future problems.

Lee Han’s eyes lit up with interest.

“Please elaborate...”

“Hey. Outside. Now.”

No. I wanted to hear the rest.

At Diret’s icy tone, Lee Han inwardly mourned.

If he got the chance later, he decided he would ask Princess Yukbeltire for the details privately.

If nothing else, as Professor Verdus’s disciple, she clearly seemed extremely reliable in matters like this.

***

After mediating between the two seniors and settling Duke Ikalderen into a warm bed beneath the Dark Hall—it was surprisingly comfortable, thanks to the nearby corpse-burning furnace—Lee Han returned to the dormitory as though nothing had happened.

Students from the seventh floor were also gradually returning after finishing their own sponsor-hunting campaigns, eyes still gleaming with predatory ambition.

“You worked hard today, Senior Perse.”

“I didn’t really do much. Most of the Jousting Club sponsors are decent people. Besides, we already receive support from the Imperial Jousting Association... Ah, right. Junior, I heard you secured separate sponsorships yourself? As expected of the master of a basilisk and griffin.”

Perse looked at Lee Han with open admiration.

Naturally, Perse had no way of imagining that an ancient being carrying hidden treasure had personally awakened and come searching for Lee Han.

Lee Han forced an awkward smile.

“I just got lucky.”

“That’s not luck. Ah, right—you all heard the rumor about the duke, didn’t you?”

Perse looked not only at Lee Han but also at the other second-years nearby.

The Blue Dragon Tower students nodded immediately.

“Of course.”

“If you catch the duke, does he really cough up gold coins equal to his own weight?”

How did the rumor spread this fast?

Lee Han was genuinely startled.

He hadn’t expected even his friends to hear about it already, much less the upperclassmen.

Perse’s sharp, stern face darkened with concern.

“Just in case, don’t get greedy over Duke Ankarden.”

“It’s Ikalderen.”

“Ah. Right. Duke Ikalderen.”

Perse paused mid-sentence.

How did his junior know the duke’s exact name already?

Well, he takes classes from every school. Makes sense he’d hear rumors faster.

“The Skull Principal wouldn’t imprison someone without squeezing money out of them first, so the payout will probably be enormous. But the competition’s vicious already. I even heard fifth-years are getting involved.”

“This is ridiculous! If they’re already fifth-years, shouldn’t they just graduate already?”

“Watch your mouth! Have some respect for the seniors who survived all the way to fifth year. Don’t you feel any sympathy at all?”

Senior Perse somehow sounds even crueler...

Lee Han thought to himself.

“Don’t worry, Senior. We’re not particularly interested in the duke.”

“Right. I heard the sixth-floor corridor got destroyed because fifth-years started fighting over him.”

“...!”

Lee Han shuddered.

His own crimes had somehow blended perfectly into the rumors.

So this is how rumors are born!

Still, thanks to that misunderstanding, the second-years seemed to have lost most of their interest in Duke Ikalderen.

Hearing that upperclassmen were fighting fiercely over him had significantly reduced everyone’s enthusiasm.

A few friends whispered quietly to Lee Han anyway.

“Wardanaz. You’re really not interested?”

“Really, really not interested?”

“...I said I’m not.”

“Whew. Then I’m not interested either.”

“Me too!”

“...”

Lee Han was briefly speechless at the unwavering loyalty of friends apparently willing to help kidnap an Imperial duke the moment he gave the word.

“That’s probably for the best. Honestly, I wasn’t even planning to mention this, but there’s a fifth-year in White Tiger Tower—Senior Caten of House Jahan. An incredible swordsman who can freely wield aura.”

“He must be good at magic too?”

“Huh? Ah... probably? Anyway, Senior Caten got an arm shattered while competing over the duke. That’s how fierce things have gotten. Be careful, all of you. Understood? If people mistake you for rivals trying to steal the duke, you’ll end up in the infirmary instead of the punishment cells.”

“We’ll be careful!”

“Junior. What about you?”

Perse stared sternly at Lee Han when he failed to answer immediately.

This junior attended lectures from every school and lacked even the slightest instinct for self-preservation. Additional emphasis felt necessary.

“I’ll be careful too!”

“Good. That’s enough.”

“But Senior Perse, isn’t the story about Senior Caten getting his arm shattered just a false rumor? I can’t imagine someone like him getting injured.”

Lee Han abruptly recovered his senses and attempted emergency rumor control.

Unfortunately, Perse shook his head.

“No, it’s true. I heard it directly.”

“...From who?”

Lee Han immediately prepared to mentally blacklist whoever had spread the story.

“From Senior Caten himself. He repeated several times that the opponent was genuinely terrifying.”

“...”

Lee Han quietly clenched his fist.

***

Even during club week, classes still continued.

Students had to attend lectures while simultaneously kidnapping and persuading sponsors.

Naturally, Lee Han was even busier than usual.

Good thing I dealt with as much as possible over the weekend...

If he’d been forced to juggle both Duke Ikalderen and the ancient attendant sent by the insane duplicate during the school week, the workload would’ve become several times worse.

Thinking that, Lee Han moved quietly through the darkness just before dawn.

He wasn’t heading to class or searching for sponsors this time. These were routine responsibilities.

Taking care of the creatures he raised—Phoneig would sulk if he visited the unicorn first, while the unicorn would sulk if he brought Basil along—collecting additional food supplies from the vegetable garden and Kitchen Club storage areas he’d been allowed to use by upperclassmen...

As Lee Han crept along under concealment magic, he suddenly froze.

A familiar pirate grandmother stood ahead in the distance.

“Lady Ragesa?”

“What brat’s sneaking around— Ah. It’s you. Why are you skulking around like a rat under invisibility magic at this hour?”

“Because I’m technically supposed to be asleep in the dormitory right now. But what are you doing here, Lady Ragesa? The sponsor quarters aren’t in this direction.”

“I got bored and decided to walk around. Felt sorry for the students too.”

“The upperclassmen are definitely having a rough time.”

Lee Han nodded sympathetically.

Then Ragesa exploded.

“What’s pitiful about those rotten brats?! They’re arrogant little bastards!”

“...The seniors?”

“Yes! Those bastards!”

What in the world did the seniors do this time?

Lee Han was honestly impressed that they had managed to genuinely anger Ragesa in such a short time.

“Just because I invested a little gold in Bivle, they all think Torgerd’s daughter is some gullible idiot! You’re not thinking that too, are you?”

“Lady Ragesa, I’m Professor Verdus’s disciple. The professor’s research genuinely is worth investing in.”

“That’s not the point.”

“...”

“Forget it. The students I felt sorry for were the new ones. Look over there.”

Ragesa pointed ahead.

Lee Han enhanced his vision and looked into the darkness.

There was a basket of food sitting there.

What?

A moment later, several skinny first-year students came running over, snatched up the basket, and began devouring the food desperately.

Ragesa clicked her tongue.

“Even so, starving them that badly...”

“N-No, it’s not usually that extreme...”

“Really? Last I heard, that was normal around here. Did things improve while I wasn’t looking?”