Episode 39
Episode 39
There's a saying that when people lose one sense, their other senses develop further to compensate.
But even taking that into account, the warehouse keeper's senses were astonishing.
Despite being blind, he'd managed to detect Lee Han and Ratford.
'Was it hearing? No. We didn't make any sound. Smell? Even then, with all this clutter around here... Don't tell me... Does he have some kind of mana detection ability?'
While Lee Han was debating whether to confront him or flee, the warehouse keeper spoke again.
"It was the Headmaster. My apologies."
"...???"
Without even approaching, the warehouse keeper simply turned and walked away.
Ratford was half-fainting from terror, but Lee Han focused to grasp the situation.
What the hell?
'Why did he mistake me for that crazy Skeleton Principal?'
Any other student would have either cracked under pressure and acted recklessly or made a mistake out of sheer confusion.
But Lee Han stubbornly kept thinking.
'It's the mana!'
A mana detection ability.
If the warehouse keeper had found him and Ratford hiding earlier because of such an ability, it made sense.
Lee Han's mana reserves were, as the professors had said, monstrously vast.
To a blind warehouse keeper relying on detection, it might have felt similar to the Headmaster's mana.
'But does that really make sense? Even so, compared to the Headmaster...'
Lee Han wasn't entirely convinced, but he decided to accept that explanation for now.
They couldn't afford to stay here any longer.
"Hey. Snap out of it."
"Huh, huh? What just happened? How...?"
"That's not important right now."
There was no time to explain, and Lee Han himself wasn't entirely sure either.
But Ratford interpreted it differently.
This boy from the Wardanaz family had, astonishingly, even prepared a way to deceive the underground warehouse keeper!
'He's... he's a big deal! This guy is the real deal!'
At this point, the rumors had clearly underestimated him.
For a freshman to possess magic skills capable of tricking the warehouse keeper...
"U-understood."
"?"
Lee Han was puzzled by Ratford suddenly using honorifics, but there was no time to question it.
"Let's move. Don't touch anything here."
"Of course... Touching anything might get us caught, and that guy had memorized all the numbers earlier."
"Right. There are probably alarm spells too."
Lee Han also felt a pang of regret at not being able to touch the items piled up in the warehouse.
But given the Headmaster's sinister schemes, this warehouse was clearly a trap meant to ensnare clueless freshmen who wandered in.
No doubt in a week or two, some poor souls who'd somehow gotten in here would be caught and dragged away!
'Don't get distracted. Keep moving. We need to find a way out.'
Instead of fixating on the warehouse, Lee Han resolved to find an exit.
If they could just find a way out...!
"This way!"
Ratford pressed his ear to the floor and identified the direction where footsteps could be heard.
Though called a warehouse, its sheer scale made it feel more like a massive labyrinth.
In such a situation, Ratford's ability to track sound was incredibly useful.
"Excellent work."
"Whew. Thank you."
"But why the sudden formal—?"
"Please follow me."
Ratford hurried ahead.
Staying in the warehouse too long could lead to who-knows-what!
Lee Han might be fearless, but Ratford was terrified every second they spent here.
'It was definitely this way??'
But Ratford could only stop in bewilderment.
They'd followed the direction where the sound had come from, only to find a solid wall instead of a passage.
"Are you sure it was this way?"
"Y-yeah... It was..."
"I think I get it."
"!?"
Unlike Ratford, who had only ever picked similar locks, Lee Han was from Earth. That gave him a much broader imagination in situations like this.
"Look here. There are smudges on the wall where hands have touched. If we press here, it should open."
"...!"
Ratford was astonished once again.
He was shocked both by the existence of a secret door that opened in such a manner and by the boy from the Wardanaz family who had noticed it.
How did he even...!
Click-clack!
When they pressed the smudged sections, the bricks truly slid aside, revealing a passage.
It was an impossibly long corridor—so lengthy that the end wasn't even visible.
Wide enough for two or three carriages to pass through, and with light glinting off the walls and ceiling, they were certain they'd found the right path.
'Finally!'
The workers transporting supplies for the Magic School had several ironclad rules.
Never reveal how to enter the Magic School.
Never speak of what you've seen inside the Magic School.
Never initiate conversation within the Magic School.
Aside from these, there were other minor rules like "Be careful not to break glass bottles" or "Don't mishandle scrolls," but the most critical ones were those above.
The workers adhered to these rules more seriously than anyone.
After all, no one wanted to end up locked in a mage's workshop and turned into a frog.
It wasn't a joke—one mistake could mean being trapped in the Magic School forever.
That was the terrifying nature of the place.
The nearby villagers respected the Magic School, but their fear wasn't without reason.
So when a priest and a beggar suddenly appeared from the opposite end of the corridor, the workers remained utterly silent.
Well, "appeared" might be an understatement.
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and Ratford were thoroughly bewildered.
At the far end of the passage stood carriages, with workers busily loading and unloading supplies.
Even if they could overlook the blatant encounter, the workers were deliberately pretending not to see them.
What's going on?
'Is this some kind of rule?'
Lee Han quickly pieced together the situation from the workers' deliberate avoidance.
A place like the Magic School wouldn't have lax security.
It made sense that workers entering such a place would avoid unnecessary attention.
'Stay calm. If I remain composed, they won't suspect a thing.'
Only a handful of freshmen had ever successfully escaped the school.
The chances of the workers suspecting Lee Han and Ratford of being runaway students were slim.
As long as Lee Han didn't make any mistakes out of nervousness...
'The bolder, the better.'
Without changing his expression, Lee Han spoke calmly.
"Can we leave now?"
"Apologies, Father. Please wait just 30 minutes. We still have a bit more cargo to load."
"Understood. May we ride along when you depart?"
"Oh! Of course, of course."
The worker thought Lee Han was remarkably kind and polite for a priest. He could've just silently taken a seat on the carriage, yet here he was, making polite requests.
It never even crossed the worker's mind that Lee Han might be one of the newly enrolled freshmen.
Lee Han was far too composed and carried himself with too much dignity to be a greenhorn who'd just arrived.
Not a single worker doubted him.
"......"
Ratford gazed at Lee Han with pure admiration.
If they'd used force or magic to overpower the workers, it wouldn't have been nearly as impressive.
But to deceive so naturally and get exactly what they wanted?
No lengthy explanations, no hefty bribes—just a true thief's ability to fool people with nothing but demeanor and presence.
'I still have so much to learn!'
Ratford felt grateful for this eye-opening lesson in the art of thievery.
Sometimes, a single real-world experience could teach more than ten years of training.
This was one of those moments.
Clatter-clunk!
The work finished, and the carriages began to move. Among the six carriages, Lee Han and Ratford boarded the very last one.
Even after finishing loading the cargo, the workers didn't exchange a single unnecessary word. From their demeanor, Lee Han once again realized just how terrifying this school was.
'If even external workers are managed this strictly...'
When people mention places that nurture the Empire's talents, warm and cozy images might come to mind, but Lee Han knew the world didn't operate so simply.
This Magic School was practically a symbol of both the Empire and its mages. And both the Empire and the mages had enemies.
How much must those enemies despise the sight of this Magic School?
Even setting aside such enemies, there would be no shortage of people coveting the treasures within this Magic School.
In a way, this level of security was only natural.
'Though that still doesn't justify locking up freshmen and forbidding them from leaving.'
No matter how you looked at it, that was just the headmaster's personal quirk.
The carriage ahead suddenly halted briefly. Puzzled, Lee Han peeked his head slightly out of the carriage.
"...!!!"
Surprisingly, a familiar face was boarding the very front carriage.
Professor Troll, Garcia Kim.
'Were we caught?'
Lee Han felt his heart plummet.
But upon reflection, they hadn't been caught yet.
If they had, the carriage would've been surrounded by now, forcing Lee Han and Ratford to come crawling out with their hands raised.
So the reason the professor was boarding that carriage...
'Damn. This is getting messy!'
Lee Han could guess what was happening.
Professors were people too—they needed to go out sometimes. It was just their luck that it coincided with now.
"Outside... Could it be...?"
"Shh."
Lee Han gestured for Ratford to control his expression.
"We haven't been caught yet. We'll proceed as planned. The village is large, and it's dark outside. If we're careful when getting off, we won't be noticed."
At Lee Han's words, Ratford nodded.
Then he froze slightly.
'Wait, who's the thief here?'
Shouldn't Ratford be the one giving Lee Han advice about this?
The halted carriage clattered back into motion.
Lee Han focused intently, committing as much as possible to memory.
Even if the worst happened and they failed...
'I won't give up.'
Lee Han clenched his fist tightly, then belatedly felt embarrassed.
...What was he getting so worked up about? They were just sneaking out of school late at night...
Professor Garcia carefully held the package received from the headmaster with both hands.
-Once outside, an imperial eunuch will be waiting. Deliver this completed artifact to him.
Professor Garcia wasn't heading to the village for leisure.
Outwardly, the Magic School might appear peaceful, but inside it burned like a furnace.
Given that it gathered the Empire's most outstanding mages in one place, this was only to be expected.
Creating and delivering artifacts requested by the Emperor was one of the duties expected of the Magic School's mages...
And Professor Garcia had been assigned to quietly deliver this completed piece this time.
Ignorant people might wonder, 'Why deliver it quietly if it's for the imperial family?' but that would be foolish thinking.
Making a grand, noisy presentation would bring no benefits—only unnecessary complications.
A proper mage needed to think pragmatically.
Thud-
"Eek!"
"Ugh!"
The nearby workers stiffened their entire bodies and straightened their postures upon slightly bumping into Professor Garcia.
Already intimidating as a Magic School professor, he was also a troll.
It was hard to say which aspect was more frightening.
Professor Garcia chuckled quietly. Though he saw it every time, the workers' reactions never failed to amuse him.
"...Weapons at the ready!"
"??"
At the worker's shout, Professor Garcia looked puzzled.
Even accounting for their fear, this seemed excessive.
"Professor! There are suspicious figures ahead! Please get inside the carriage!"
"...!!"
Only then did Professor Garcia notice the unusual tension in the air further down the road.
'Who in the world could it be?!'