Episode 883

But even amidst such fear, not one of the adventurers tried to stop or turn back.

Anyone who would run away because they were afraid would never have become an adventurer in the first place.

People who overcome fear with desire, conquer terror with greed.

Moreover, after working under Antagondals for so long, their greed was hardly weak.

“Death Knights! Scrolls!”

When Death Knights and a group of bone wyverns appeared in the sky above the forest, the Cangla’s Reflected Shadow adventurers all launched their countermeasures.

Not just invisibility spells, but magic to erase their presence and traces, and illusions that would confuse anyone who glanced their way.

“Ready?”

“Wait. Death Knights pierce through veils easily.”

Even after the Death Knights on patrol disappeared, the adventurers held their ground with caution.

Just as they were about to move on, more Death Knights appeared from a different direction.

“……”

“How many goddamned Death Knights does this domain have? Are they a damn legion?”

Death Knights were a foe so unlucky that meeting even one in an ordinary ruin or dungeon would count for a year’s worth of bad luck.

But here in the Einrogard domain, Death Knights appeared every few minutes, roaming the land. For the adventurers, it was as if icy blades were pressed along their spines.

“…Alright. Let’s move. Candle Maker, did you get the location?”

“One moment…”

The adventurer called Candle Maker pulled out a long brass telescope and carefully checked their position.

Even just making it inside the infamous Einrogard border, there was still a ways to go.

This domain was vast enough to match a decent region, so if you weren’t careful, you’d be lost or wander into danger in no time.

Crunch!

Suddenly the lens on the brass telescope shattered and Candle Maker collapsed forward.

The adventurers recoiled, unable even to scream. The archer quickly checked the Candle Maker’s pulse.

“…He’s done for. His soul was sucked away.”

“D-damn it… These cursed mage bastards. What trap did they lay?”

“He must have looked the wrong way. Should have looked toward the mountains, but probably saw the mage tower instead.”

The adventurer called Craftsman made a calm assessment.

As the veteran in the party with the most knowledge of magic and artifacts, he could guess what had happened.

Mages always set defense spells to protect their treasures in their workshops or towers.

Surely the mages of Einrogard had done the same.

It was hard to believe he lost his soul just by observing from a distance without even approaching…

“No way. I know Einrogard is infamous, but it’s not some remote death labyrinth—do they really set magic this deadly inside the domain? There are outsiders wandering around too, aren’t there?”

“Easily possible. Antagondals snuck in, right? It’d be weird if they didn’t tighten security.”

“Mm…!”

The real reason was the Mad Clone, not Antagondals, but the adventurers had no way of knowing that.

“Leave Candle Maker. Move quickly. His soul was drained so our location might be exposed, too.”

“We haven’t even confirmed our target yet…”

“There’s no choice. We’ll have to make do for now.”

The swordsman opened a silver case and produced a compass. The needle spun and pointed a direction.

The artifact gave a fifty-fifty chance of pointing to the target; not as reliable as Candle Maker’s telescope, but it had to do for now.

“Go!”

The adventurers dashed forward, not even daring to breathe. The fear that Death Knights might swarm them if they hesitated hurried them onward.

Who knows how long they ran.

The swordsman thought to himself.

‘Strange. No tracking party in sight.’

Since Candle Maker’s soul was drained, there ought to be a tracking party out looking for his body.

Yet in the sky, beyond the woods, there was only profound silence.

Almost as if people here didn’t bother to stir up a scene for a lone trespassing adventurer.

That calm actually made the swordsman even more uneasy.

“The mountains!”

When enormous peaks finally appeared as they exited the dark woods, the adventurers breathed sighs of relief.

They had reached the intended mountains within the domain, not the mages’ towers.

The place Antagondals had indicated as his hiding spot.

A remote, barren place—now that they’d made it, they could finally catch their breath. They began searching for Antagondals throughout the mountains…

Wham!

“Do you think we’ll find the intruders in the mountains? What if they got to the interior first?”

“They might, but even for Einrogard’s students, the inner mountains are tough going. The intruders won’t be able to hold out and will have to come down eventually. That’s when we strike.”

Other Einrogard mages, having these grim conversations, were laying magical traps everywhere.

These were savage trap spells that would trigger the instant anyone except Einrogard students stepped on them.

That wasn’t all.

“Tsk tsk. Lazy bums, sitting under trees as if the apples will fall by themselves.”

“Hormasi, you’re right. We have to go on the offensive. If you never take care of your mount, it can’t be counted on when you need it.”

-Grrr…

Some mages were leading sulfur-breathing Cerberus hounds, searching for traces.

“Anpagone, isn’t this device too expensive?”

“It’s a fair price. Much better to observe like this than running around in person. If an intruder sneaks in, we’ll catch them right away.”

“That Wardanaz kid. Always making strange requests. I owe him so I’m doing it, but… why’s he so determined to hunt thieves from outside?”

Some mages floated magical devices in the air, observing the vicinity…

Seeing so many mages searching the mountainside like they were hunting rats caused the adventurers to freeze up.

No matter how seasoned they were, and even if their opponents were mere whelp mages, the difference in numbers was overwhelming—they couldn’t dream of doing anything.

And this was a mages’ domain.

“When that soul got drained earlier, it must have alerted them. Has to be.”

“Ugh…!”

The adventurers groaned softly in dread.

It never even occurred to them that the requests and traps were all being organized by a single student.

• * *

After stationing the giants as guards, earning some praise from the Mad Clone, and even petting the hamster (who tried to bite him), Lee Han returned to school and made a request to his seniors.

“Seniors. I’m taking care of this exam on my own, submitting exam prep materials for the club, and I always help out with club activities, so… could you do me one favor?”

“Puhuh, Wardanaz! Even if you only mentioned one of those things, we’d still have to take your request!”

“There are intruders at school—could you mobilize club members to catch them?”

“That’s not hard… But why?”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you the one doing it, Wardanaz?”

Falkrius tilted his head.

Intruders at Einrogard weren’t a rare occurrence.

Catching them was the headmaster’s, the minions’, or the professors’ job.

It wasn’t the concern of a second-year student about to take midterms in a few days.

“Well… I mean…”

Lee Han was hesitant to mention that he’d hustled a magical criminal and mocked him in hamster form.

Falkrius nodded as if he understood.

“Puhuh. I think I get it, even if you don’t say.”

“Really?”

“Sure. You’re the headmaster’s disciple, right? He’s too much, making you do these things.”

“…That’s not it!”

As Falkrius jumped to the wrong conclusion, Lee Han hurried to explain.

He wasn’t sure he was believed, but Falkrius anyway promised to ask his own club and some juniors to help search the area.

Falkrius wasn’t the only one Lee Han asked.

“Hormasi-senior. I’m taking care of a baby basilisk, a unicorn, a griffin, and Prince Joulin—could you help me out?”

“…A-are you asking me to use my family name to vouch for you or something?”

Carnella was aghast.

What kind of favor starts off with an introduction like that?

“No, it’s just… there are intruders…”

“Why are you, a junior, handling that?”

“Well, it’s just…”

“Ah, forget it. I get it even if you don’t say.”

“You don’t mean because I’m the headmaster’s disciple?”

“That’s exactly it! What, you can read minds now?”

“……”

The requests continued likewise.

Various club seniors.

And seniors from Lee Han’s department (which was most of them), who agreed without complaint since such a request from a junior was rare.

Direte, who said he’d patrol with some juniors from the Black Magic department, suddenly asked out of curiosity,

“So, junior.”

“I’m not doing this because I’m the headmaster’s disciple!”

“…Ah, no, that’s not what I meant?”

Direte was flustered.

He hadn’t even been thinking about a connection to the headmaster. If anything, it would be tied to the Mad Clone.

“…That’s right. Senior. Direte-senior is the best senior in Einrogard!”

Lee Han shouted with genuine emotion. This made Direte embarrassed.

“O-oh, really? There must be better seniors than me.”

“Who? Name just one for me—”

Ignoring the question, Direte went back to the subject.

“I meant, what about the Enchantment Magic seniors?”

“Oh. I haven’t asked them.”

“Why… Actually, never mind, I get it.”

Direte didn’t bother to ask why; he got the reason.

Unlike the other magic schools, the Enchantment Magic seniors didn’t care what juniors did, so there was no point in asking.

“There is a way.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just say the intruders are carrying expensive reagents or artifacts.”

“What? I don’t even know if they’re carrying anything.”

“Yeah. Neither do I. Doesn’t matter, though.”

“……”

Lee Han was startled by the suggestion to just lie so openly.

Was this actually Senior Yukveltire in disguise?

Noticing Lee Han’s look, Direte quickly explained—he was worried if left alone, he might lose his “best senior in Einrogard” status.

“No! I’m not always this dishonest! But Enchantment Magic students are, like, fair game! …It sounds weird, but it’s true!”

Direte felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper the more he spoke.

It sounded stranger the more he tried to clarify.

But Lee Han was, as always, an outstanding junior. He immediately understood Direte’s meaning.

“I see. Understood. Since the Enchantment Magic seniors never repay me for all my hard work, pulling a fast one on them is really just self-defense.”

“Uh… yeah, I guess that’s it… How did you get that out of what I just said?”

“Thank you, Senior Direte. I’ll do so. You really are the best senior in Einrogard!”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

Waving his hand as if it were no big deal, but secretly fluttering with pride, Direte made Lee Han think he ought to get him a mug labeled -Best Senior in Einrogard- for the end of the year.