Episode 24

While Durgyu was lowering his evaluation of Gainando, Nilia began counting off the necessary preparations for their long nighttime excursion one by one.

"First, since we don't know how long we'll be moving, we should prepare as thoroughly as possible. Sturdy boots and several pairs of good quality socks would be ideal, but..."

"We don't have those."

At Lee Han's words, the mood turned somber.

The headmaster had deliberately given them rough, worn-out clothes—there was no way they'd have such things.

Nilia, as if she'd expected this, pulled out her luggage.

"I made spare boots using the hides from animals we caught last time. I also tore up some curtain fabric from the lounge to make foot wraps. Here. Give me your feet."

"......"

"......"

When Lee Han and Yoner remained silent, Nilia realized her mistake.

'Did I come off as pitiful again?'

After bringing them meat, Nilia had grown quite close to the students of the Tower of the Black Turtle, but she still couldn't help feeling a certain distance when conversing with them.

There was bound to be a gap between Nilia—born and raised as part of the Shadow Patrol in the cold northern mountains—and students born into the great merchant families of the Empire's center.

-Wow! See those red flowers over there?

-Yeah. Those flowers are delicious. Sweet and sugary.

-...Uh, no. Aren't they pretty?

-They're pretty AND tasty, so isn't that even better?

Of course, unless Nilia was an idiot, she couldn't possibly miss that atmosphere.

Once things got awkward, she'd firmly shut her mouth and swallow her words.

But now she'd gone and spoken up again.

It was a mistake.

"It's, well... I did sew them myself, but... I had no choice..."

"This is amazing!"

"Right! It's incredible!"

"!?"

However, Lee Han and Yoner's reactions were the complete opposite of what Nilia had expected.

"This... is amazing?"

"Of course it is. You made these yourself."

"Not just anyone could do this. You sewed these by hand, right?"

At Lee Han and Yoner's reactions, the corners of Nilia's mouth and eyes twitched with visible pleasure.

"...It's nothing special?"

"Nothing special? What are you talking about?"

"Exactly. Who else here could do this?"

"Nilia. You should go into business."

"Right. Let's sell these to our fellow tower students for money."

As Nilia basked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in their praise, the conversation took an odd turn, and she waved her hands in refusal.

"I don't want to do business."

"Why not?"

"How come? Nilia. Why do you hate money?"

When Lee Han and Yoner asked with genuine confusion, Nilia was dumbfounded.

'Isn't it normal not to want to do business with friends?!'

Anyone watching would think Nilia belonged to the Blue Dragon Tower.

"How could I take money for something like this! No way!"

At that, Lee Han and Yoner grew serious.

"That's nonsense. Whether you can charge money isn't up to you—it's up to the market."

"Wise words. Nilia. You understand, right?"

"...Can I just finish explaining? Huh??"

"Ah. Sorry. Go on."

Finally freed, Nilia cleared her throat. Still, her expression was much brighter than before, and her long ears perked up happily.

No matter how much she pretended otherwise, being acknowledged was undeniably joyful.

"But what's so amazing about these?"

Gainando asked as if he didn't understand.

Thwack!

Yoner smacked Gainando's back. Lee Han kicked his shin.

"Nilia. Don't give him any. He won't appreciate how amazing they are until he's suffered a bit."

"Right. He needs to experience some hardship first."

"You... isn't this too much?! I'm still a prince, you know...!"

'A prince?!'

Nilia was shocked.

Lee Han and Yoner, coming from great families, had no particular reverence for the hundreds of imperial relatives, but to Nilia, the idea was overwhelmingly grand.

A direct descendant of the Emperor.

Just the title alone carried such majesty...

'...Or not.'

Watching him get smacked on the back by Yoner and kicked in the shin by Lee Han, he seemed less like a prince and more like a patient.

"Hey. Do you have any idea how precious those boots and foot wraps are when you don't know how many hours you'll have to walk? Your feet will be raw after just an hour."

"Let's just leave him behind."

"N-no! I get it! I get it now, so don't leave me!"

As the situation settled, Lee Han apologized to Nilia on behalf of the others.

"Sorry, Nilia. You worked hard preparing, and this Gainando guy had to go and say something rude."

"Oh, no. I really don't mind."

"You look like you mind. Should I hit him again?"

"I'm seriously fine!!"

Nilia hastily stopped him, genuinely startled.

She truly didn't feel any resentment. It was obvious Gainando had never walked long distances in his life (let alone being a prince), so it was natural he wouldn't know better.

"Here. I brought this cloak I made. It's spring, but nights can still get chilly. The wind around here can get pretty strong too."

"Nilia..."

"Honestly..."

"...do you have to react like that every single time?"

Though it felt nice, Nilia was starting to get annoyed by how excessively they were fussing over her.

"Leather backpack. You'll need it when we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enter the village. Leather water pouch. I made this too."

'Honestly impressive.'

Lee Han was genuinely impressed.

Making all that just with leather, needles, and thread—and entirely by herself.

'Why isn't she using that skill to make a living?'

If it were Lee Han, he'd have made a tidy profit from it.

Glancing aside, he saw Yoner wearing a similarly regretful expression, as if thinking the same thing.

"If you're going to move long distances in the dark, you need to wrap your feet properly, prepare a cloak for unexpected cold, and make sure you have enough to drink and eat..."

Nilia hesitated mid-sentence.

She was worried about the food.

Sure, Nilia could go a whole day without eating while crossing mountains, but would the others really be okay?

"I brought food. Sausages, sliced bread, goat cheese, and dwarf-style honey candy. Will this be enough?"

"!"

Nilia was startled.

The food Lee Han had brought would be more than enough as emergency rations.

"Where did you get all this?"

"Snuck it from Professor Thunderstep's cabin."

"......"

Are you sure you belong to the Blue Dragon Tower?

"Today, in this place, my honorable friends. The knights who have sworn to follow my command."

At Giselle's words, the well-built students nodded.

They were White Tiger Tower students who had decided to trust Giselle and attempt the escape with her.

Though they hadn't heard any concrete plan yet, the fact that they had gathered like this showed the extent of Giselle's influence.

Many of them were taller and broader than Giselle, and some looked far rougher around the edges.

Given that Giselle was an elf with a slender, delicate frame, one might expect her to be intimidated—but she stood at the front, unfazed.

Then, in an arrogant and sharp voice, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠declared:

"Don't worry about the idiots and traitors who didn't show up. They'll find out soon enough."

"Of course!"

"You're right, Moradi."

"We depart in ten minutes."

Naturally, Giselle's confidence wasn't baseless.

'If we follow the map, four hours should be enough.'

Surprisingly, Giselle had an escape map.

A map she had found back when she was still with the Moradi family, before entering the school!

"A Beginner's Guide to Magic, What is Magic?, The Legends of Einrogard... Is this all you have?"

"My apologies, Lady Moradi."

"Bring everything possible. I have no intention of being looked down upon by other mages."

Those from knightly families all shared similar worries before entering the Magic School.

Would they be able to keep up?

Unlike those from other families, who had spent their lives wielding swords, it was only natural for them to have such concerns.

Giselle, proud as she was, refused to be underestimated. Before entering the Magic School, she studied as much as possible, reading all sorts of books.

And among those books was the escape map.

"An Einrogard escape map...? What is this doing here?"

A map detailing how to escape the school—when she first saw it, Giselle was dumbfounded.

Einrogard wasn't a school just anyone could enter.

The empire's top magic school, where only the most talented are selected to enter.

What kind of pathetic fool would go through all that trouble to get such an opportunity, only to think about escaping?

Yet, just one day after entering this school, Giselle understood why that map had been made.

Ah, no wonder it exists!

-Concerning Escape from Einrogard -

I speak the truth unto you: the paths marked on this map are the only ways to escape. May you, our juniors, use the routes we seniors and our friends have painstakingly carved out to leave this school...

The map had been meticulously and thoughtfully prepared by earlier students for the sake of those who came after.

With this map alone, escaping would be entirely possible!

"They're moving toward the mountains."

"As expected..."

Lee Han and his group, lying prone in the bushes, witnessed torches flickering and moving in the distance.

The students of White Tiger Tower had begun their move.

'So it really was the mountains?'

From Lee Han's perspective, there were two main routes to escape the magic school.

The first was the massive walls or gates at the school's front.

Since that was where they had entered, it was close, and once outside, they could quickly reach a village via the empire's main roads. However, the problem was that breaching the walls or gates wouldn't be easy.

The second was the vast and majestic mountain range stretching behind the magic school.

The long walls would eventually break off deep in the mountains, so if they could just get in, they could bypass and escape.

Lee Han had suspected that if Giselle knew a way, it would be the latter.

The expansive mountain range behind the school was densely forested, daunting even from the outside—but for someone capable, a map would be enough to break through.

His assumption had been correct.

"They're moving. Let's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠follow them!"

"Huh? Why the mountains?!"

Gainando chased after them in confusion. He had naturally assumed they would head for the gates.

"We'll climb the mountains and break through."

"Huh?! Why?!"

"Because the path is there. Durgyu, take care of Gainando."

"Understood."

Durgyu nodded readily.

Among them, Nilia was the most skilled at climbing mountains. Lee Han and Durgyu, as knights, had received considerable training. Yoner, too, had confidence in walking thanks to running around gathering alchemy ingredients since childhood.

The biggest concern was Gainando!

"Huh? What do you mean, take care of me?!"

"I'll be right behind you, Your Highness. Breathe through your nose and don't stop moving. Go!"

"Huh? No, wait—"

Gainando wanted to voice his confusion, but before long, he couldn't ask any more questions.

"Huff huff huff huff huff!"

"Go!"

"What... Go... Huff huff huff!"

"Go!"

'Stop it...!'

Under the dim moonlight,

walking an unfamiliar mountain path in the dark was exhausting.

Even with Nilia leading the way, checking the path and clearing obstacles, the entire group was drenched in sweat.

Lee Han, meanwhile, struggled to record their route.

Thanks to the brutal training under his insane professor, he could sketch a map on paper even without seeing it clearly.

"???"

Yoner, walking beside him, stared at Lee Han in disbelief.

'Is he using some kind of <Night Vision> spell alone?'

If not for some pre-learned Wardanaz family technique, this feat was inexplicable.

"Ah. Look at this."

"What is it?"

"Sleep Herb. Grind it into powder, mix it with water, and it helps you sleep."

"Take it."

"Huh?"

"Take it. You never know when it might be useful."

"Why would we need this?"

Yoner tilted her head but pocketed the Sleep Herb.

'It must have been over an hour by now.'

"Nilia. How long do you think we've walked? Feels like at least an hour."

"An hour and ten minutes."

Nilia answered, then gave Lee Han a curious look.

For someone who wasn't even a hunter, keeping track of time in these mountains was impressive.

At that moment, Lee Han felt a chilling sensation, as if the hairs on his back were standing on end.

'A monster?! No, Nilia would've noticed... Did she miss it?'

Hahahahahahahahaha!

"......"

It was the familiar laughter of a skull.