Episode 556
Episode 556
"Did everyone go in? I'm going in too."
Given the large number of students trying to enter, it wasn't possible for all of them to go at once.
Lee Han divided the students into groups and formed parties in order. The vanguard, who would enter first, had to consist of students who were both exceptionally skilled and quick-witted in emergencies.
And naturally, Lee Han was among them.
He knew full well that without him, Salko and Giselle would immediately grab each other by the collar and start fighting.
"According to calculations, it should stay open. If it closes, don't even think about lingering here—just go back to the dorm and pretend you know nothing."
"W-Wardanaz. But how can you say that so..."
"The living must survive. There's no other choice."
Lee Han spoke firmly to his hesitant and shocked friends.
If the Dimensional Gate closed, the students who had already crossed would have to find their own way back to school.
How could the students left behind possibly rescue them?
"Then... let's go."
Pop!
As soon as he stepped through the Dimensional Gate, Lee Han felt the same sensation he'd experienced when entering the Spirit World or the Undead Realm.
A bizarre feeling of moving through dimensions that shared the same phase but were entirely different in reality.
The moment, which felt like an eternity, ended swiftly, and before Lee Han stretched an unfamiliar mansion corridor.
"Wardanaz."
"...Everyone made it safely."
The friends who had entered first nodded with tense expressions.
No matter what, there wasn't a single student who wouldn't be nervous after stepping into the Skeleton Principal's private villa.
"Everyone, stay calm."
"I-I am calm!"
"I-I'm calm too, Wardanaz."
'Your hands are shaking...'
Seeing even friends like Salko and Giselle trembling nervously, Lee Han realized he needed to ease their tension.
"If we stick to the plan, there's no need to worry about getting caught. Come on, everyone. Take deep breaths. We'll quickly check the mansion's layout, change clothes, and then get out."
"Are we really leaving everything in the mansion untouched?"
"No way. That's insane."
Ratford wore a sorrowful expression. Surprisingly, it wasn't just Ratford—several other students were openly regretful too.
It wasn't just greed for the treasures in the mansion.
"But Wardanaz... If we don't do it now, we might never get another chance to loot the Headmaster's villa in our lifetime..."
"Right. If we're going to the Punishment Room anyway, shouldn't we at least loot it before we go?"
The desperation of knowing this might be their only chance to steal the Skeleton Principal's treasures.
And the resolve that, having jumped into this mess, they were already half-prepared to face the Punishment Room.
It wasn't surprising that several students were thinking, 'Since it's come to this, might as well deal as much damage to the Skeleton Principal as possible.'
But Lee Han remained coldly rational.
"No. Everyone sticks to the plan. Ignore what the seniors said. We're going with the approach that minimizes the risk of getting caught. Understood?"
As the one with the most escape experience here, Lee Han knew better than anyone.
There was nothing more dangerous in an escape than acting on emotion.
'We need to grasp the layout as quickly as possible and get out of the city. The longer we stay, the riskier it gets. And if the treasures go missing too...'
"Right. Listen to Wardanaz. He's the one who's escaped the most out of all of us. No one can match his cunning."
"I may not agree with him on other things, but I'll acknowledge Wardanaz's criminal skills."
"Thanks, everyone...Wait. Did you just insult me?"
At Lee Han's question, Salko and Giselle shook their heads simultaneously.
"No."
"Not at all. You're misunderstanding."
"It sure sounded like an insult... Anyway, let's move. Everyone, stay close."
Just as Lee Han gathered his friends close and prepared to cast Invisibility Magic, he froze on the spot.
Mercenaries had appeared at the other end of the corridor.
The Empire's prejudiced folk believed mercenaries were no different from criminals.
By day, they dutifully carried weapons and obeyed their employers, but by night, they'd turn those same weapons on their employers and rob them blind.
Of course, mercenaries vehemently denied such stereotypes.
-How dare you slander the soldiers who dedicate themselves to justice, from the freezing blizzards of the Empire's northern mountains to the scorching deserts of the south!
-Sure, one of my comrades did get caught attacking an employer, but that's an extreme minority!
-That's right, that's right! Sure, my comrade got caught stealing last time, but that was an extremely exceptional case!
Unfortunately, the mercenaries captured by the Death Knights under the Skeleton Principal's command fell precisely into that "exceptional" category.
They were men who had lived strictly abiding by the Empire's laws, but a series of misunderstandings and misfortunes had made them appear as if they had committed crimes.
That was why they protested vehemently when the Death Knights seized them.
-Release us right now, or I'll tear your master to pieces, you undead scum!
-You filthy spell-slinging bastards! Grave-robbing, thieving Black Magic sorcerers!
But when the Death Knights revealed their master's identity, the mercenaries protested in a slightly more refined manner.
-...
-No matter what, this is going too far!
-If we have to fight a mage, we can do it right now!
Then, when the Death Knights locked the warehouse doors and brandished their weapons at the defiant ones, the mercenaries' protests became far more polished.
-Uh, how much more do we have to do?
-Do we need to prepare more than this? Any mage would be done for at this level. Just one arrow to the neck, and a mage would...
Of course, no matter how refined their protests became, the Death Knights didn't release them easily.
-Shut up. You're still far from ready. Among the opponents you're targeting, there are mages so battle-hardened you can't even imagine. Keep training.
-N-No way...!
As time passed, the Death Knights selected only the mercenaries who met their standards and moved them to the villa.
Even though they had technically passed the test, the mercenaries grew increasingly uneasy.
-What the hell do they want us for? Don't tell me they're planning to assassinate another mage?
-Damn it, if it's an assassination, even if we succeed, they won't let us live!
-The ones who failed might've already been turned to stone by that mage's curse...
A cornered rat will bite a cat.
And these were violent mercenaries who had committed crimes and been caught.
It was only natural that they began preparing an escape without waiting for the Death Knights' orders.
But escaping wasn't easy.
-You rat bastard. You bragged about picking over ten thousand locks, and you can't even open this flimsy front gate?
-Dammit, you try it! Whatever the hell they did, it won't budge! Feels like they welded it shut!
-I-I tried climbing the wall and jumping, but it was like hitting an invisible barrier.
-That mage must've cast spells in midair. Fucking lunatic!
-Let's dig! We'll dig our way out.
-The ground's blocked too... They even put spells underground. That insane mage bastard!
Every possible escape route the mercenaries could think of was sealed.
Whether they knew it or not, the Death Knights who visited every evening didn't even blink at the dug-up earth or the scratches on the front gate.
They ruthlessly punished the mercenaries if their skills hadn't improved.
-Stop wasting time and train, you trash!
-Don't you realize that with your current skills, you can't even break through a mage's Summon?!
The more they suffered under the Death Knights, the more desperate the mercenaries became to escape.
Who knew what horrors awaited them if they stayed any longer?
-Let's search the mansion. The mage might've left something behind.
-Search everything. Start behind the mirrors, under the beds—leave no stone unturned!
-Is it okay to go in here? I think the Death Knights said never to enter...
-They won't be back for a while. Go in! We're dead men anyway.
And so, the mercenaries boldly stepped into the mansion's forbidden zones, searching recklessly.
But their brave search ended in absurdity.
At the top of the stairs, in the hallway, a group of Einrogard students stood waiting.
"......"
"......"
Both the students and the mercenaries froze in silence.
With so much at stake for both sides, their minds simply shut down.
'We've been caught!? Who are they? The Headmaster's underlings?'
'We've been caught!? Who the hell are they? That mage's lackeys?'
The students debated whether to retreat through the Dimensional Gate or, now that things had come to this, brace for the Punishment Room and force their way out of the mansion.
The mercenaries were torn between retreating immediately or subduing the wizard's subordinates and taking hostages.
And the first to take action was Lee Han.
"Attack!"
"What?"
"I said attack! Strike them down, Perkuntra's lightning!"
As Lee Han's incantation echoed, lightning struck the corridor, and the mercenaries realized they had made a grave mistake by falling into confusion.
'We're in trouble!'
To lose the initiative against a mage!
"Grab those bastards as hos—Guhk!"
A mercenary who had been a beat too late in declaring his attack was pierced by lightning and collapsed on the spot.
His entire body trembled violently, unable to rise—clearly, he had been hit hard.
"Shieldbearers, forward!"
"Sh-shieldbearers! Right. Shieldbearers, forward!"
The fact that they could still move systematically despite their panic at losing the initiative against a mage was ironically thanks to the Death Knights who had drilled them mercilessly.
Their brutal training in anti-magic combat allowed them to act instinctively even in this situation.
Mercenaries carrying sturdy wooden shields enchanted for magic resistance stepped forward and swiftly formed a shield wall.
Behind them, others prepared ranged attacks—crossbows were loaded, and poison-coated daggers were drawn.
Lee Han's expression sharpened as he saw this.
'As expected of trained fighters!'
"W-Wardanaz. Are we really allowed to attack like this recklessly?"
"They're criminals captured by the Headmaster anyway. Attack!"
"What? How do you know—A-alright. Attack! Attack!"
Lee Han's reason for striking first was simple.
He had seen these mercenaries before—at the warehouse on the city outskirts.
Criminals brought in by the Skeleton Principal to attack the freshmen.
Since he recognized them, there was no need to hesitate. They were bound to fight the school sooner or later anyway.
"Spread, O Mist! Rise, warriors of bone!"
Lee Han swiftly swung his staff, summoning mist through the corridor and calling forth Skeleton Warriors to advance.
The mercenaries felt intense pressure as the dark Skeleton Warriors formed ranks and marched through the mist, their movements precise despite the obscurity.
In the blink of an eye, the situation had shifted once again!
"T-this is..."
"H-how...?!"
The mercenaries had thought the Death Knights were just being unreasonable when they criticized and abused their tactics.
—Too slow and clumsy. And only one prepared method? You think that's enough to face a mage?!
As seasoned mercenaries, they had fought mages before on the battlefield.
Most mages didn't perform well in sudden combat situations.
Their casting was slow, their awareness lax, their reactions to incoming attacks sluggish...
They believed that if they blocked one spell, they could immediately counterattack and suppress the mage afterward.
But the mage before them now left no openings.
As they raised their defenses to buy time, the mage instantly adjusted his tactics, reinforcing his own defenses and preparing for a prolonged battle.
Watching the Skeleton Warriors advance through the mist, their thoughts grew complicated.
'Should we fight? Just how strong are these things?'
'Can we even break through and reach the spellcasters?'
At that moment, the students' magical barrage began raining down.
While Lee Han had bought time, the others had completed their spells.
Boom! Crack! KABOOM!
"Guhk!"
"Ghh—!"
Though they had raised anti-magic barriers, blocking the relentless spells of over a dozen mages was impossible without suffering heavy recoil.
Shields shattered, and mercenaries were flung back by the impacts.
Giselle glanced at the fallen enemies, then briefly eyed Lee Han.
'They really are criminals... right?'
She couldn't help but suspect that Wardanaz had just called them criminals to justify attacking them easily.
'...No, probably not. No way to confirm now anyway.'
"They're running!"
The students shouted as they saw the enemies at the end of the corridor hastily retreating down the stairs.
Lee Han issued a cold command.
"Capture them! Not a single one escapes!"
"...Wardanaz. They really are criminals, right?"
"I said they are, didn't I? Why do you keep asking useless questions?"
"N-no reason. Never mind."