Episode 695

“This way!”

As Lee Han tried to run up the stairs after passing through the door, Eurde stopped him under a copper picture frame.

Then he stamped his foot three times and did a backward roll.

“…What are you doing?”

“Creating a shortcut!”

Boom!

Suddenly, stairs appeared beneath the picture frame.

“Only a few in the Blue Dragon Tower even know about this, so don’t go blabbing!”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But how did you find this route, senior? Was it illusion magic, by any chance?”

The stairs that appeared had been so perfectly concealed that even Lee Han couldn’t sense the magic.

For a senior to know of such a route…

Lee Han wondered if illusion mages had their own means for finding secret passages.

“No. One night I was wandering around and got spooked by a professor, fell over, and discovered it.”

“I see…”

“…There are some routes I found with illusion magic, so don’t be disappointed.”

“I’m not disappointed at all. Haha.”

• * *

Hearing footsteps in the distance, Ratford paused.

Death Knights in full plate made a signature, heavy clanging sound when they walked by.

But the footsteps approaching now weren’t Death Knights.

This was…

“P-Professor is coming!”

“Which professor?!”

Yoner asked, tense.

If it was the type of professor who listened or had sympathy for students, like Professor Garcia, there might be hope.

Even if caught, negotiation would be possible.

But if not…

“P-Professor Verdus…!”

“……”

Yoner bit his lips at the arrival of an unpredictable, troublesome opponent.

This was the eccentric of Einrogard, who couldn’t be negotiated or threatened.

Even the principal’s words didn’t work on him—would a student like Yoner even stand a chance?

“He’ll be here any second. What do we do?”

“I’ll handle him. Let me know when he’s at the door.”

Yoner stood near the warehouse entrance.

Then he waited calmly.

Three, two, one…

“Aaah! The cargo fell over! If I’m to sort this, I’ll need the magicians’ help! Go call for them!”

Thud—

The footsteps outside stopped.

Then, the sound of someone hurriedly running away in the opposite direction echoed.

“……”

“…Whew. We’re safe.”

“Yoner, sir, you’re a genius…!”

Ratford exclaimed in awe.

Foreseeing the selfishness of Professor Verdus and deflecting him like this!

“It was just… just lucky. Lee Han often talked about Professor Verdus.”

“What did you say?”

“That he’s a madman.”

‘Isn’t that unrelated to the current situation…?’

Ratford thought inwardly.

“Anyway, it’s a relief. He’s gone somehow.”

“Yes, but…”

Knock, knock—

The warehouse door was rapped, then opened.

A professor appeared.

A human woman, old, wearing a monocle over one eye—Professor Millei, summoning magic instructor.

‘We’re doomed.’

Yoner squeezed his eyes shut.

If it had just been Verdus, they might have gotten away with it; he was mostly indifferent unless something caught his interest.

But the strict Professor Millei would never miss the incongruity of the number of workers or the cargo.

“Professor Verdus said you needed help, so I came…”

Millei surveyed the area.

Ratford forced down a trembling voice and spoke.

“W-we took care of it ourselves.”

“In that short time?”

‘Damn.’

They both belatedly realized their mistake.

They should have made things messier or something.

The number of workers didn’t match, the cargo was off; the lie was obvious.

Sweat ran cold down their backs.

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Professor Millei looked around the warehouse, then stared at them.

Her gaze felt piercing, making both even more anxious.

After mulling for a while, Professor Millei gave a faint sigh and spoke.

“Get things organized quietly and leave.”

With that, she turned and left.

The two, sure it was the end, now stared at each other in amazement at this miraculous escape.

“W-what was that?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Is it a trap? Waiting to grab Wardanaz when he comes back…”

“…I don’t think so.”

Yoner was quietly impressed by Ratford’s suspicion.

Truly a thief guild prodigy; his thinking was on another level.

• * *

“Ah, beautiful…”

“The box, sir?”

“You’re so lacking in sentiment, aren’t you?”

Eurde grumbled at the junior’s nitpicking.

Any student who’d attended Einrogard could understand:

This box was more beautiful than any poem or painting!

He felt tears sting his eyes.

“Once they’re all stacked, let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

“…Right. It’s not over yet.”

Eurde steeled himself.

If his junior was showing such spirit, he couldn’t disgrace himself as a senior.

The work was only halfway done.

He’d have to finish the other half for true success.

“Let’s go. If we pull this off, you’ll go down as a legend in Einrogard. You’ve never done a job on this scale before, have you?”

“I did sneak almost the entire class out once last year.”

“‘Classmates?’ You mean three? Four people?”

“Almost the entire year…”

“…Don’t joke.”

“I’m not joking.”

“That’s impossible!”

Eurde started to argue, forgetting the situation, but then stopped.

When they tried to leave again by the exit beneath the copper frame, something felt off.

“Light, illuminate the way.”

With a muttered spell, the view beyond the closed exit came into focus.

Right now, Death Knights were stationed on the main building’s first floor.

“……”

“……”

Startled by how much the situation had changed in such a short time, they both widened their eyes.

-We have to be part of the inspection, too?

-Yes, by order of our master.

-Does he think we didn’t get orders? Patrolling the desert is also his order. If a slip happens during inspection, what then?

-My swamp area boils over with pests if I look away for even a few hours. There are plenty of knights here; can’t I skip just this once?

-No exceptions! Wait here till everyone arrives. Once inspection’s finished, you can leave for your own duties.

-Damn it. Who’s still not here?

-Lord Klzenberg, right? He always gets lost.

-That guy again?

-Watch your mouth, brat! If Lord Klzenberg were still alive, you wouldn’t dare speak so!

-That’s right! Lord Klzenberg gets lost because of the curse he got in life.

-Don’t talk nonsense! He has a new body now; the curse shouldn’t follow! He just gets lost!

The Death Knights all started bickering noisily.

It looked like they wouldn’t leave until everyone had gathered.

Lee Han anxiously checked the time. It was getting truly dangerous.

‘If we’re any later, we might fail to escape at all. Do I force a breakthrough? Even with an invisibility spell, there are too many of them, and the door is blocked… somehow I need to draw attention—’

While Lee Han was worrying, Eurde, who had been watching him, tapped him.

“Hey, junior.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have a way?”

“Please wait a second. I’ll think of something.”

“Forget that. Let me teach you one last lesson.”

“?”

The unexpected words made Lee Han pause.

Eurde spoke on in a solemn voice.

“You’re an amazing one. Einrogard gathers the Empire’s geniuses, but sometimes, there are geniuses even more special, like you. Like Senior Yukveltire.”

“Why, of all people…”

Lee Han reflexively balked at such an unconvincing example.

“When I first saw you, I had no idea what you were up to. Every word and action was strange, and you seemed so full of bluster it was ridiculous.”

“I don’t think I was quite that bad…”

“But the one who didn’t recognize you was me. I’ve never seen anyone like you in my year. Or in the year above.”

Eurde’s tone was serious.

He’d first approached Lee Han thinking he’d use him as mere bait in the smuggling plan, but that notion was long gone.

His junior in front of him was capable of leading the great affairs of Einrogard.

“Normally, what could I teach someone like you, but even so, today I have one thing to teach. Sometimes you need to know when to leave your friends, your juniors, your seniors… behind.”

With that, Eurde shoved Lee Han back, threw open the exit under the frame, and dashed out.

“?!”

Then he muttered a spell as he charged at the Death Knights.

“Horrible memories, arise!”

With a sinister sound, a vision of the skeleton principal floated up.

The vision, imbued with magical power, struck at the souls of the surrounding Death Knights, causing hallucinations.

You disappoint me with your performance!

-We’re sorry, maste—wait, who is this?

-What impudent brat is this?!

But it ended there.

Even against high-level undead like Death Knights, an impromptu illusion spell couldn’t last more than a second.

The Death Knights snapped out of it in an instant, frowned at the floating skeleton principal’s vision.

“It’s me!”

-…Uh, what’s he doing here?

-Isn’t that the crazy student who always shows up first?

-Shouldn’t he go to the infirmary instead of the punishment room?

“I’m perfectly sane, you minions! I came early to save the principal’s face!”

-He’s sane!

-Thank goodness, he’s completely sane.

-Student. Please come this way. We’ll escort you to the punishment room.

“Hmph.”

Eurde snorted.

The Death Knights sensed a foreboding in his smile.

Delinquent students at Einrogard rarely got caught quietly.

-Student. No tricks, now.

“The principal’s the only one who pulls tricks! Come forth, illusion devourer!”

At his incantation, a gigantic carnivorous plant began to appear around Eurde.

The Death Knights, realizing what it was, recoiled in shock.

-No! Don’t do that!

The illusion devourer was a monstrous extradimensional plant that spat acid mixing reality and illusion, destroying its surroundings and converting the environment.

If left unchecked, the entire main hall would be in chaos.

“Try and catch me if you can, minions!”

-Get him!

The Death Knights ground their teeth and lunged at Eurde.

From the look of things, he definitely bore a grudge against the principal. If they didn’t hurry, this mess was going to get a lot worse.

Even as he was subdued in an instant, Eurde gestured toward Lee Han’s direction.

There was only one thing that gesture could mean.

“…!”

Lee Han squeezed his eyes shut, exited through the passage beneath the picture frame, and headed for the back of the first floor.

The Death Knights, focused entirely on cleaning up the illusion devourer, didn’t notice Lee Han.

‘…Thank you, senior.’

Listening to the shouts of the Death Knights and the chaos in the distance, Lee Han made a vow.

He would repay this favor by making this smuggling mission a success!