Episode 1224
Episode 1224
'Maybe it wouldn't hurt to make a small hole in the wall?'
A full-blown escape honestly seemed unlikely.
Though the corridor outside the cell looked quiet and peaceful, there was no telling what traps Professor Garcia—now furious—or the intimidated Skeleton Principal might have set up outside.
Moreover, considering he'd been summoned by the Emperor, it wouldn't be surprising if additional security measures had been implemented.
'Given how petty the Headmaster can be, it's quite probable.'
And beyond all that, Lee Han thought staying in the Punishment Room until Professor Garcia's anger fully subsided was the safer option.
What if he forced an escape only to get caught by Professor Garcia?
From that point on, he might genuinely be treated the same way as Professor Verdus.
But a small hole connecting to the adjacent cell was a different story.
It would be small, convenient, easy to conceal, and have a low chance of detection.
With one hole, he could receive outside food, play Wizard Card or chess when bored, and if magic was blocked, he could even pass magic books through...
'Hmm. Though magic books might be digging my own grave.'
Still, Lee Han made up his mind.
With so much time on his hands, why not dig a small hole next door?
Coincidentally, Gainando had lent him Toberiz Escapes the Fortress, which had a similar plot. The wrongly accused Toberiz befriends a wise old man imprisoned next door, and together they plan their escape.
The first thing Toberiz did was dig a hole to communicate with the old man.
'He really is clever. No wonder he's a detective.'
"Professor?"
"I'm listening."
"How exactly is the magic restriction here enforced?"
It wouldn't be easy, but every system had its loopholes.
Hadn't those friends in the corridor been using magic earlier?
'If it's a system that absorbs and disrupts mana by distinguishing between the corridor and the cell area, then maybe...'
"This place detects the prisoner's soul and casts Reverse Magic."
"...What?!"
Lee Han was stunned.
'Did I mishear?!'
Unfazed by his disciple's shock, Professor Voladi calmly continued his explanation.
Typically, anti-magic barriers designed to trouble wizards focused on absorbing mana or disrupting its flow.
And honestly, this alone was usually enough.
Most wizards struggled to cast spells when nearby mana was either too thin or moving unpredictably.
But exceptional wizards were harder to stop this way.
Even if mana was being absorbed, they could release it faster than the absorption rate, and even if the mana flow was disrupted, their insane concentration allowed them to regain control.
"I can understand the latter, but the former doesn't seem like a common approach. Are there really wizards reckless enough to do that?"
Lee Han, puzzled, interrupted.
Were there really wizards dumb enough to use the first method?
Professor Voladi remained silent, waiting—to spare his disciple embarrassment.
"...Ah."
Fortunately, Lee Han wasn't stupid. A second later, he realized exactly who that reckless wizard was.
'Oh. It's me.'
"My apologies. Please continue."
Since exceptional wizards were hard to stop with ordinary anti-magic barriers, the Skeleton Principal took a different approach.
Just as ancient black mages assembled dozens of spells to create vivid, lifelike golems, this Skeleton Principal assembled hundreds of spells to create a living prison.
This prison memorized the souls of prisoners and every spell they used.
Then, the moment it detected the 'scent' of a spell being cast by a prisoner, it immediately countered it with Reverse Magic.
'Why on earth does it have to be this extreme?'
Lee Han found himself asking the same question he had thrown out countless times since enrolling at Einrogard.
Why did it have to be this extreme?
In truth, Lee Han knew the reason better than anyone. It was undoubtedly because of the countless professors who had come before him.
"Ugh. If only all the professors and seniors had just behaved properly, the security wouldn't have needed to be this thorough!"
The painful reality was that the lack of mutual trust had now come back to bite him as well.
Professor Voladi barely paid attention to his student's words. Wardanaz had a habit of making unnecessary remarks rather often.
"Can't we cast spells faster than the Reverse Magic can counter them?"
"Unlikely. The Principal personally assembled these spells."
The required mana was drawn from the very source of this domain, and the casting had been meticulously woven by the Skeleton Principal himself—making it virtually impregnable.
If there was any way, it would have to be a spell that no prisoner had ever used before, one the Skeleton Principal wouldn't expect Lee Han to know...
Did such a thing even exist?
'Ugh.'
Lee Han attempted to cast a spell beyond the bars.
But the moment his Psychokinesis manifested without an incantation, the prison immediately countered it. The pebbles in the hallway had barely lifted before they dropped right back into place.
The same happened with Black Magic. The Bone Hand didn't even get a chance to rise before it crumbled back into bone fragments.
This place had been designed specifically to imprison professors, so it was expertly crafted to make life difficult for any mage.
A voice came from the neighboring cell again.
"I must have told you not to use magic until you've fully recovered."
"...Ah. Right. My apologies."
Lee Han sheepishly apologized.
'Surely I could at least use this much...'
Normally, he would have muttered it aloud, but the prison was too quiet, forcing him to keep his thoughts to himself.
After a moment of contemplation, Lee Han spoke up again.
"Alright. Then what about a primitive method that doesn't involve casting spells?"
"What method would that be?"
"Fighting purely with raw mana."
In other words, <Valdororn's Mana Hammer>.
Despite its grandiose name, the principle was simple—gathering an enormous amount of mana and striking like a tidal wave.
"If this prison is assembled from hundreds of spells, there must be a weak point."
The more intricate the mechanism, the greater the impact when a single component fails.
The same likely applied here. If he hammered the walls, ceiling, and floor with repeated mana strikes, some kind of malfunction was bound to reveal itself.
"Until you've fully recovered—"
"This much is fine! No strain at all!"
Lee Han immediately shouted.
One advantage of being in solitary confinement was that lies couldn't be detected.
Professor Voladi fell silent for a moment, as if debating whether his student was lying.
Lee Han wasted no time. In situations like this, it was better to act first and think later.
'Here goes!'
Mana surged like a tidal wave, spreading from Lee Han's palm pressed against the wall in a devastating tsunami.
The wall trembled violently. And then, the Skeleton Principal's voice echoed from within it.
"Wardanaz. Break that brutish habit of yours. Did you really think I wouldn't account for that?"
"......"
"......"
Both teacher and student fell silent at the recorded, mocking voice. Lee Han found it somewhat fortunate that he had no friends to witness this.
"He dispersed it meticulously."
Like lightning rods deflecting strikes, countless Magic Circles had been embedded around this cell and the nearby hallway to diffuse powerful mana surges.
It was painfully obvious who this countermeasure was meant for.
Clang, clang, clang—
"?"
Professor Voladi frowned at the rhythmic, cheerful sound of impacts coming from the next cell.
"What are you doing now?"
"Using an actual hammer to punch a hole in the wall."
Lee Han gritted his teeth as he spoke.
The Skeleton Principal's mockery always ignited a fiery determination in his students.
Let's see who comes out on top this time!
Professor Voladi hesitated for a moment, considering whether to tell him to stop, but ultimately shook his head.
Given how this student had performed during the recent incident, he clearly had the right to make his own decisions. There was no need for unnecessary interference.
Even if that decision involved ignorantly hacking away at the wall with hammers and chisels like some magic-illiterate commoner...
'Let's respect his choice.'
Even without magic, Lee Han had a few weapons at his disposal.
One of them was his physical prowess as a knight. The prison hadn't cast Reverse Magic to nullify his momentary physical enhancement using mana.
Bang, bang, bang!
'Ugh. Damn, this is hard.'
But even with his enhanced strength, his hammer swings were slower than expected. The amount of debris chipped away wasn't much either.
Lee Han realized anew just how dependent he'd become on magic in his daily life.
"!"
When footsteps echoed from down the corridor, Lee Han quickly threw a blanket over the hole he'd made and scattered some junk to conceal it.
If it was his friends, that would be fine—but if it was Professor Garcia...
'She might get twice as angry.'
Fortunately, it turned out to be a golden-haired child. Jowurin looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
'Ah. Maybe not so fortunate after all.'
"Waaahhh!"
Jowurin started wailing the moment he arrived. Flustered, Lee Han hastily tossed aside his hammer and chisel and exclaimed,
"Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"Jo-Jowurin thought that if he got locked up in the Dragon Court, Lee Han would come to rescue him, but he never thought Lee Han would get locked up first..."
"......"
So that's what he'd been thinking!
Lee Han was genuinely surprised by Jowurin's unexpected shrewdness. This royal family member had a surprisingly objective perspective.
After crying for a while, Jowurin blew his nose loudly into the handkerchief Lee Han handed him and spoke with reddened eyes.
"Escape plan?"
"Pardon?"
"You've thought of an escape plan, right? Lee Han must have one."
"Well... actually, I was planning to behave this time."
"!?"
Jowurin stared at him in shock, as if the Skeleton Principal had declared, "From now on, I won't torment students anymore."
Why on earth?!
"Why?!"
"Well, the security is tight, and the professors are angry..."
"Which professors?"
"I can't say."
"Professor Garcia?"
"...I said I can't say."
"Seems like there's no one else but Professor Garcia..."
Jowurin, whose intelligence seemed to grow by the day, was becoming a formidable opponent.
Lee Han quickly changed the subject.
"Your Highness, don't worry about me. If you're bored, you can visit often. You didn't do anything strange outside because of me, did you?"
"......"
"...Your Highness?"
When Jowurin averted his gaze furtively, Lee Han's heart sank.
Had he done something strange after all??
"What did you do?"
"I asked Uman to release Lee Han..."
"That's nothing. It's fine."
Seeing Jowurin's sullen expression, Lee Han smiled reassuringly to comfort him.
A request like that was just adorable.
Of course, the lack of response probably meant it had been rejected. That wasn't surprising at all.
Even if Uman wanted to release him, with the Emperor currently furious and ordering the Skeleton Principal to rush to the capital...
'Wait. Did His Highness Uman get dragged into this too?'
Lee Han suddenly felt concerned.
The Skeleton Principal could handle being scolded, but it was unfortunate if that earnest Black Dragon had to suffer.
"Hmm. Is that so?"
"Yes. It's fine."
Jowurin seemed to regain some energy at Lee Han's reassurance. The young Gold Dragon mustered his courage and continued.
"Actually... there's a bit more."
"Go ahead."
"I got a little angry too..."
"That's nothing. We can go apologize together later."
"I also threw a few punches... in dragon form..."
"......"
Lee Han's face turned pale.