Episode 64

“I think I’ve chosen everything.”
Ihan finished his frenzied shopping spree.
His spree didn’t end with the grocery and fabric stores.
He also visited the stationery and book shops (“Fill it with cheap and sturdy paper! Do you have any illusion spellbooks that could fool a professor’s eyes?”), the farm shop (“Where are the edible seeds and saplings?”), etc.
The staff members were amazed.
‘He really wouldn’t starve, even if stranded on a deserted island!’
“Where’s the stable?”
“The stable… do you mean horses?”
Aryan was puzzled.
He had already mentioned that you couldn’t bring a mount near the school.
But Aryan no longer asked questions.
There was definitely some reason behind this Wardanaz young master’s actions.

• * *
  Amur’s Stable was bustling with people coming and going.
  Because of this, Amur, the stable’s owner, didn’t have a moment to rest.
  He consulted with a group of adventurers wanting to buy a new mount, and when a client wanted to entrust a thunder-eagle, he hurriedly opened the special flying mount section at the top of the tower…
  Running a stable in a town full of adventurers required more than ordinary knowledge and skill.
  Besides being able to handle horses, he had to know how to deal with most mounts seen in the Empire.
  Finally, after the busy hours ended, an unusual customer appeared.
  ‘Is he a magic school student?’
  “Greetings.”
  “Greetings. What are you looking for?”
  “Does anyone ever go directly from here to the school?”
  “!”
  Amur was surprised.
  The student was right.
  That magic school up in the mountains was a place of fear, but there were some visitors from outside.
  There were merchants contracted to supply the school, adventurers who completed requests from mages and came to deliver, and, sometimes, when an incident happened, the imperial emperor’s messengers would arrive in a frenzy.
  But for those who knew the situation, the front gate of the magic school was notorious.
  It was said, “You’ll die of old age trying to get through.”
  So those in a hurry would go underground or fly through the air. If your identity was clear, those ways were relatively easier.
  “That’s right. Why do you ask?”
  “I’ll pay. Could you smuggle me out on a particular date?”
  “…!”
  There was only one reason Ihan had come here.
  ‘I’ve got to prepare the next escape plan.’
  Such perseverance would astound even the skeleton principal.
  On a day out, instead of touring the town and eating desserts, he was seriously preparing his next escape route.
  And that burning sincerity came through to Amur.
  ‘Amazing!’
  Amur stared at Ihan with shocked eyes.
  He had heard the rumors about the magic school.
  It was a place of such harsh education that students tried to escape.
  Yet here this fledgling magic school student was, coming out to plot such a bold plan.
  Even among the tribes living in the roughest parts of the Empire, there weren’t many youths this gutsy.
  ‘I’d like to help him.’
  As much as he admired Ihan’s guts, Amur wanted to help.
  But there was a problem.
  “That’s… difficult.”
  “May I ask why?”
  “I’ve personally brought guests into the magic school more than once. The school’s identity checks are extremely thorough.”
  It was only easier than the front gate; the sky was not actually easy.
  Those who tried to approach the magic school by air had to stop at a set location.
  If they signaled, someone from the school would come to confirm their identity.
  If they matched a pre-scheduled appointment, they were allowed through.
  “But you’ve gone in before. Can’t you come up with a plausible reason to get in?”
  “That’s right. Getting in isn’t the problem. It’s getting out. The school also checks the number of people leaving.”
  “…!”
  If Amur came in riding a flying eagle, they’d check when he left to make sure he was still alone on the eagle.
  They’d even use all sorts of magic to check for hidden passengers, so tricking them was nearly impossible.
  Hearing this, Ihan’s face darkened.
  ‘Damn. Do they really have to go this far?’
  The school’s motto ought to be, “Do we really have to go this far.”
  “But there isn’t no way.”
  Amur bit down on a thick cigar and lit it as he spoke.
  “What’s the method?”
  “Inside the school, find an ownerless mount. If I come to fetch you, ride it out and follow me as I fly out.”
  “…?”
  Ihan didn’t understand.
  Wouldn’t he get caught on the way out anyway?
  “Wouldn’t they just check and catch me anyway?”
  “It’s a little different. I only found out by chance… when people come in from outside, they check the mounts thoroughly when they leave, but when someone inside goes out, they don’t check as thoroughly.”
  Since even professors left for outings, the checks weren’t as thorough for people already inside.
  Amur had, by chance, left together with a professor once—he himself was checked several times, but the professor wasn’t even looked at.
  “Of course, if you try to go out alone, there’s a higher chance you’ll be caught. But if you leave with me when I come in, the attention will be on me. It’s the only way.”
  ‘Damn. How am I supposed to find an ownerless flying mount in the school?’
  He’d like to steal someone’s mount, but…
  “Just in case, let me say—don’t think about stealing a mount with an owner.”
  “Of course. I had no intention of doing that.”
  Amur grinned with satisfaction at Ihan’s answer and nodded.
  “Right. Forcibly taking one from its owner is a barbarous and cruel act.”
  “……”
  Ihan had only ruled it out because, being a magician’s mount, if he stole one, an alarm would go off and the owner would instantly be notified. Since his counterpart seemed satisfied, he didn’t bother explaining.
  ‘There are still a lot of uncertainties… but this is the most plausible plan for now.’
  Ihan didn’t say, “How am I supposed to get a flying mount inside the school!” or “Even if the checks aren’t thorough, what if they spot me by accident if my hood or cloak slips off!”
  That was talk for a loser.
  ‘I’m going to make it. If this is the only way out, then I have to do it!’
  “…I’ll be counting on you!”
  “That’s what I thought! I knew from the first time I saw your eyes that you weren’t an ordinary student. From now, every two weeks, I’ll come to the school at midnight Saturday. If you’ve prepared a mount, come to the stables on top of the school’s tower. I’ll wait an hour every time I show up. If you’re ready, we’ll leave together.”
  Ihan nodded but suddenly got curious.
  Even if he was paying, this was a lot to ask of the stable owner.
  He’d have to come and wait an hour every time, and he might not even know whether Ihan would show.
  “This may sound rude… but why are you helping me so much?”
  Amur scratched his beard and smiled broadly.
  “The school is tormenting students like you with absurdly harsh rules. In my homeland, we despise rules like that. When I saw a student standing up to it, I couldn’t sit idly by.”
  “…Thank you!”
  Ihan was moved.
  Honor and chivalry still lived outside the school walls!
• * *
  The time allowed by the outing pass was nearly over.
  He’d have to allow for travel time, so there wasn’t much left now.
  ‘There’s one more place to visit.’
  Ihan hurried off.
  To .
  Not all mages sought imperial posts or lived as civil servants.
  Some mages did odd jobs like adventurers, while others set up workshops in towns and lived off various commissions.
  This place Ihan visited was one such workshop.
  “…??”
  Baldororn was baffled at the sight of the student who arrived.
  He was obviously a magic school student.
  ‘Why would a magic school student come here?’
  Baldororn was a third-circle mage—the equivalent of a second or third-year at the magic school.
  There were plenty of great magicians at the school, so why seek out Baldororn’s workshop?
  What’s more, this student’s bearing said he was no ordinary noble.
  From his tone to his face, even his gait, you couldn’t hide the air of the high nobility, no matter what rags you wore.
  “What brings you here…?”
  “I came for a consultation about magic.”
  “……”
  Baldororn was dumbfounded.
  ‘Is he here to pick a fight?’
  Wondering if the youth was going to criticize, “How does someone of your level open a workshop!”
  “Tell me.”
  Still, since he’d been paid a consultation fee, Baldororn decided to listen.
  “I’m trying to enter one of the towers, but there is a magic barrier to keep out intruders. As an illusion magic expert, I thought you might know something.”
  “……”
  Baldororn was stunned.
  Wasn’t it obvious which tower he meant?
  ‘He’s talking about one of the towers inside the magic school…!’
  Looking again, Ihan wore a first-year uniform. Baldororn was even more shocked.
  So not only had this first-year managed to escape the school, but he’d come seeking a way to bypass the alarm magic inside the school?
  ‘…He’ll become a great mage in the future!’
  Baldororn could only admire him.
  At his age, he’d been fooling around smoking rather than worrying about things like this…
  “There are countless kinds of intrusion prevention enchantments. No magician can know all of them. Great mages can recognize the structures of such enchantments, and even greater ones can counter them…”
  Baldororn trailed off.
  This was less about talent and more about knowledge and experience.
  A skilled safe breaker could memorize thousands upon thousands of lock designs.
  That way, even when encountering a new lock, he could quickly identify its workings by comparing it to those he knew.
  It was similar with bypassing anti-intruder magic.
  If you had hundreds of standard wards used in the Empire memorized, then when you saw a new one, you could say, “This combines elements of these spells,” or “This is similar to that spell.”
  No genius could break a ward without sufficient knowledge and experience.
  “It takes… veteran experience and much knowledge. I could tell you a few possible spells, but if you can’t handle them proficiently, you couldn’t break them. Honestly, it’s easier to just smash through it than to cancel it…”
  Baldororn halted, surprised by what he’d just said.
  It was nonsense to suggest something like that.
  Skillfully and quietly unraveling a spell was far more magically difficult.
  But brute-forcing through a spell wasn’t easy, either.
  You could even say it was harder.
  If it was a spell cast within the magic school, the magical force would be huge—a structure so solid it would take extraordinary power to shatter.
  Where could you find such power?
  “…No, that was a slip of the tongue. That approach is ridiculous.”
  “No. Please tell me more about the brute-force approach.”
  “?!!”