Episode 938
by Cristae“What? Why would we need calming potions?”
Angrago asked, utterly confused.
Shouldn’t they be making poison or beast summoning potions—or at the very least, something that would terrify or drive people mad?
Lee Han looked at Angrago as if he were looking at garbage.
“What are you planning on doing to innocent people?”
“N-no… Just, you know. It was a theoretical suggestion.”
“When chaos breaks out, the play will pause for a bit. The audience will want to go outside and take a break. That’s when we hand out the potions.”
Adenart and her bodyguard, Rowena, watched Lee Han with slightly moved expressions.
He hadn’t forgotten his devotion to the people of the Empire, even in this situation.
The Wardanaz family truly was a pillar of the Empire…
“And after you hand it out, use the excuse that you need more ingredients to leave with a few nobles. With nobles beside you, the Death Knights won’t suspect a thing.”
“……”
“……”
Ignoring their looks of disappointment, Lee Han went on.
“If everyone tries to leave in a crowd, even amidst chaos, it’ll be easy to get caught—so you have to split up. You guys… let’s call your group the ‘Potion Escape Party.’ Get any Seniors confident in alchemy to join you.”
“Wait a minute, Wardanaz. I’m not that good with alchemy. Wouldn’t Meikin be better?”
Angrago hesitated.
He’d self-studied potion brewing on top of belonging to the Healing Magic School and had taken some classes as a first year, but it wasn’t his specialty.
“No. Yoner has a different role. Yoner, you’re on the ‘Noble Bewitchment Party.’”
“……”
Yoner looked at his friend as if to say, “What kind of name is that?”
But the other students immediately understood. Salko nodded.
“I see. So we trick the nobles by chatting with them in advance.”
“That’s right.”
If the play was stopped midway, there were always nobles who would choose to go back instead of waiting.
Students from great noble families, including Yoner, should preemptively converse with such nobles and get invited to join them naturally.
That way, when the play paused, they could leave with these nobles.
“If you tell them you need to slip out past the escorting Death Knights, they’ll help.”
“Of course.”
‘So I’m in the Potion Escape Party.’
Nillia nodded to herself as she listened to her friends.
Being an alchemy major, she had confidence in potion brewing…
Then Yoner grabbed Nillia’s hand and said:
“Nillia. You have to talk well for us.”
“…Huh?? I’m not in the Potion Escape Party?”
“What are you talking about? You’re in the Noble Bewitchment Party.”
“That’s right. Miss Nillia fits best on the Noble Bewitchment Party.”
“As a fellow Tower student, I also think you belong there.”
“……”
Nillia was speechless and flustered at her friends’ words.
Why??
“Salko, you move with the Seniors who prefer to just break out directly.”
“Can I call the group the ‘Dwarf Tunnel Party’?”
“…You can name it whatever you want. Anyway, you need to be able to quietly slip out when chaos breaks out. Can you handle that?”
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
Not everyone could leave with the nobles.
Some students were planning to slip straight out through the palace where the play was being held.
With the Death Knights’ surveillance reduced, digging a tunnel or finding another corridor would be comparatively easier.
“I’ll stay behind and support the groups where things go wrong. Good luck, everyone.”
Lee Han and his friends exchanged determined glances.
With preparations at this level, even if some got caught, a good number would surely make it out!
“Wait, Dalkard. Now that I think about it, why aren’t you in the Noble Bewitchment Party?”
“Ah. I’m not confident dealing with nobles.”
“……”
Angrago was dumbfounded.
What’s a Blue Dragon Tower guy talking about?
But, surprisingly, the other Blue Dragon Tower Seniors nodded in agreement.
“Dealing with nobles isn’t easy.”
“True. Alchemy is so much simpler in comparison. Potions in the cauldron don’t talk back.”
Bolstered by the encouragement, Ahsan spoke up.
“Now socializing is for people like Nillia. I don’t suit it. I like numbers better.”
“She really is something else.”
Even Angrago, of the White Tiger Tower, admitted Nillia’s sociability was extraordinary.
She’d probably be friends with all the nobles within thirty minutes.
“But I do have a question.”
One Senior lowered their voice.
They were now inside the palace restroom.
It was a space unsuited for great alchemy, but to avoid the gazes of the Death Knights lingering nearby, there was no other way to secretly brew potions.
“What are you curious about?”
“Why hasn’t anyone else from the Teleportation Club shown up? Surely it’s not just one member.”
“…Uh…”
Angrago hesitated at the question.
Now that she mentioned it—
Ahsan seemed to agree, tilting his head. But as neither of them belonged to the Teleportation Club, they had no idea.
“Not sure.”
“Did your friend Wardanaz decide to take care of it alone? Maybe to show off his skills to the Seniors.”
The Seniors joked and laughed.
But Ahsan and Angrago immediately looked serious.
“…No way…”
“Nah… Even so… Maybe…but…”
Nillia was invited by five families in just fifteen minutes.
‘Someone save me!’
A cold sweat ran down Nillia’s back as the nobles proposed a group hunting trip to the northern mountains.
Nobles who came to the rugged northern mountains for sport usually died by game, by misstep, or suspiciously by arrows similar to those used by the Shadow Patrol.
“Um, the northern mountains could be a bit dange—”
“Hunting is inherently dangerous, Miss Meikin!”
“The more dangerous, the more fun, don’t you think!”
‘Then why not enroll in Einrogard…’
Yoner fumed inwardly.
Why did people who loved danger so much gather at the theater instead?
“Excuse me, Your Highness. Could you help?”
“…Um…”
Hesitating, Adenart finally made up her mind to step forward.
She felt a sense of responsibility as a princess, but that alone didn’t account for the desperate look in Nillia’s eyes.
“Everyone. I have something to say.”
“When should we depart? This coat should be alright in the northern mountains, don’t you think?”
“You’d better wear a scarf! Ah, I wonder if there’s a theater in the northern mountains?”
“……”
Adenart’s fingers trembled.
Unlike Gainando, there were quite a few imperial patrons who supported the princess, but unfortunately, today none were present.
Thanks to that, the nobles were getting all excited just talking among themselves about when to go to the northern mountains.
“Everyone… everyone…”
Adenart’s voice, cowed by this first-ever experience, gradually grew smaller.
Rowena, angry at the sight, was about to shout when Yoner urgently stopped her.
“If you do that, it’ll only embarrass Her Highness more!”
“B-but, those people! Those people…!”
“Calm down! They’re just excited on their own!”
Now they were even asking specific good dates for hunting.
As her vision blurred, Nillia spotted Lee Han walking by and called urgently.
“Sir Stedal! Sir Stedal!”
“??”
Lee Han, thinking there was trouble, rushed over.
“What’s happened?”
“Ah! You came just in time, Sir Stedal! Would you join us for a hunt in the northern mountains?”
“You’ll probably freeze to death.”
“!”
Everyone froze at that shocking statement.
Still, the one who’d extended the invitation tried to persuade again.
“But… Miss Nillia here is a seasoned hunter from the -Shadow Patrol-… and there are others…”
“Nonsense. The north is one of the most harsh and savage lands in the Empire. And the northern mountains are especially brutal. I once wandered the north and met a knight of the Moradi family there.”
Lee Han began using Giselle’s family to persuade people.
Those shocked by Stedal’s blunt words were soon drawn back into his story.
When he got to talk of imoogis, minotaurs, and evil god worshippers, people were horrified and became cautious.
“No way! I never imagined the north could be so dangerous… I was planning to visit the Moradi family next month, but I’d better postpone it.”
“…You really don’t have to… No, never mind.”
Lee Han felt a twinge of guilt.
But the monsters he’d mentioned were things he’d heard about or experienced himself.
‘The north really is dangerous, after all.’
Of the three, Salko’s party was unexpectedly the most stable.
Finding a storage room behind the area where the illusion mages were working, Salko and the Seniors began digging an underground tunnel on the spot.
Lee Han, impressed by the skill, said,
“It’d be great if we could escape Einrogard like this too.”
“Impossible. There are barriers underground, too.”
‘They really do waste money on pointless things.’
Cursing the Skull Headmaster once, Lee Han asked,
“What about the Death Knights?”
“They haven’t noticed. Seems they’re distracted elsewhere.”
‘Is it because of what I said?’
Lee Han suspected it was because he’d reported Madpr as suspicious.
If the Death Knights still couldn’t pay attention to the students, the plan was working out way better than expected.
‘Heheh. At this rate, right away…’
-Lord Nago.
“!”
Just as Lee Han stepped out, Death Knights approached from the front.
‘…Did I get caught?’
“What is it?”
-Madpr was an evil god worshipper. When interrogated, he confessed his group is targeting the palace.
“……”
Lee Han went blank for a moment.
He’d been thinking only about escaping the palace, and now suddenly there was mention of evil god worshippers!
‘What the…?’
Now that he thought about it, he had heard from Direte recently that evil god worshippers had been very active and people were on the lookout.
He never expected it would happen this close.
‘So what do I do now? Cancel all the plans?’
-Lord Nago.
“Yes?”
-We are gathering everyone in the palace who can cooperate and informing them of the situation. Would you join us?
“…Alright.”
Lee Han nodded for now.
As he entered, he saw all the Einrogard students, the illusion magicians, and even Alsicle gathered in the hall.
It seemed they’d rounded up every magician who could fight as a force.
“What in the world is going on? Evil god worshippers? Surely they aren’t hiding among us?”
“Shouldn’t we stop the play?”
“Stopping because we’re afraid of evil god worshippers would be even more disgraceful! It would shame the name of the knights and magicians gathered here!”
“But shouldn’t we at least inform the nobles?”
“No! We don’t know who among them might be in league with the worshippers.”
As people muttered, Angrago sidled up and whispered.
“…W-wardanaz, don’t tell me the commotion you were planning is… evil god worshippers…? No, right…?”
“……”
Lee Han kicked him aside. The Death Knights watching thought to themselves,
‘Indeed, a violent magician!’