Episode 64
Episode 64
"It seems I've chosen everything."
Lee Han had finished his frenzied shopping spree.
Lee Han's shopping didn't end with just visiting the grocery and fabric stores.
Stationery shops and bookstores ("Please fill these with cheap, durable paper! Do you happen to have any illusion magic books that might fool a professor's eyes?"), agricultural stores ("Where can I find edible seeds and seedlings?"), and so on.
The employees were amazed.
'He really wouldn't starve to death even if stranded on a desert island!'
"Where's the stables?"
"The stables... You mean for horses?"
Arien looked puzzled.
As mentioned earlier, it wasn't possible to bring mounts near the school.
But Arien didn't ask any further questions now.
It was clear this young master of the Wardanaz family had something in mind.
Amur's Stables was bustling with people coming and going.
As a result, Amur, the stable owner, was swamped without a moment to breathe.
Consulting a group of adventurers who came looking to buy new mounts, hastily opening the rooftop flying mount area for a customer who came to board their lightning eagle...
Running a stable in a village frequented by so many adventurers required more than ordinary knowledge and skills.
Not just the ability to handle horses, but knowing how to manage most of the various mounts seen across the Empire.
Just as this hectic period was ending, an unusual customer arrived.
'A magic school student?'
"Good day."
"Good day. What brings you here?"
"By any chance, do you have people here who go directly to the school?"
"!"
Amur was startled.
The student's words were indeed correct.
Though the magic school located in that mountain range was an object of terror, it wasn't without visitors from outside.
There were merchants contracted with the magic school who regularly came to supply goods, adventurers who came after resolving mages' requests, and occasionally when someone caused trouble, the Emperor's messengers would come flying like madmen.
But among those who knew the circumstances well, the magic school's main gate had a notorious reputation.
So much so that people said, 'You'd grow old and die trying to pass through it'...
Thus, those in a hurry went underground or flew through the skies. As long as their identity was properly verified, passage was relatively easier.
"That's correct. Why do you ask?"
"I'll pay money—could you arrange to help me escape on a set date?"
"...!"
There was only one reason Lee Han had come here.
'I need to prepare my next escape method.'
It was persistence that would even impress the Skeleton Principal.
Instead of enjoying his day out by wandering the village and eating desserts after using his Outing Pass, here was a student seriously preparing his next escape method.
And that burning sincerity reached Amur as well.
'Impressive!'
Amur stared at Lee Han with astonished eyes.
Amur too had heard rumors about the magic school.
That it was a place of such harsh education that students attempted to escape.
Yet here was this magic school rookie boldly planning such a daring scheme.
Even among the tribes living in the Empire's wildest lands, few boys had such audacity.
'I want to help him.'
Amur found himself wanting to assist Lee Han, as impressed as he was by the boy's guts.
But there was a problem.
"That... would be difficult."
"May I ask why?"
"I've escorted customers to the magic school a few times before, but their identity verification is extremely thorough."
While easier compared to the main gate, "easier" didn't mean it was simple.
Visitors approaching the magic school by air first had to stop at a designated location.
After sending a signal, someone from the magic school would fly over to verify their identity.
They only let you in if you're someone they've made prior arrangements with."
"But since you've been here before... Couldn't you come up with a plausible reason to enter?"
"Right. Getting in isn't the problem. The issue is when you leave. The school checks headcounts during exits too."
"...!"
If Amur flew in on his eagle, they'd verify during departure that Amur was the only one riding it back out.
They even used various detection spells to ensure no one was hiding, making deception nearly impossible.
Lee Han's expression darkened as he listened to the explanation.
'Damn. Do we really have to go this far?'
At this point, the Magic School's motto might as well be changed to "Do we really have to go this far?"
"But it's not completely impossible."
Amur stuck a thick cigar between his teeth and lit it before continuing.
"What method do you have in mind?"
"Find an unclaimed mount inside. When I come for you, just follow me out on whatever mount you've secured from within."
"...?"
Lee Han didn't understand.
Wouldn't they get caught during the exit check anyway?
"Won't we get caught during the verification process?"
"That's slightly different. I learned this by chance... For outsiders leaving, they thoroughly inspect both rider and mount. But for residents exiting, they don't scrutinize as carefully."
Since professors also left on outings, they didn't conduct thorough checks when school residents departed.
Amur had once coincidentally exited alongside a professor—while he underwent multiple inspections, the professor wasn't even glanced at before being waved through.
"Of course, trying to leave alone would raise suspicion. But if we exit together when I come for you, their attention will focus on me. This seems our best option."
'Damn. Where would I even find an unclaimed flying mount inside the school?'
Part of him wanted to just steal someone else's mount, but...
"I say this just in case—don't even think about stealing a claimed mount."
"Of course not. I'd never consider such a thing."
Amur nodded approvingly at Lee Han's answer, smiling with satisfaction.
"Good. Forcibly separating a mount from its owner is barbaric and cruel."
"......"
Lee Han had actually given up on the idea because 'magical mounts would trigger alarms and alert their owners the moment they're stolen,' but since Amur seemed pleased, he saw no need to correct him.
'There are still many uncertainties... but this is currently our most viable plan.'
Lee Han resisted saying things like 'How am I supposed to find a flying mount inside the school!' or 'Even if they don't check thoroughly, wouldn't removing just our hoods and cloaks get us caught?!'
That was the talk of losers.
'I'll make it work. If this is the only way out!'
"...I'm counting on you!"
"I knew it! That look in your eyes from the start—I could tell you weren't an ordinary student. I'll come to the school every two weeks, at midnight on Saturdays. If you've secured a mount, meet me at the stables atop the central tower. Each time, I'll wait for one hour. If you're prepared, we leave together."
As Lee Han nodded, a sudden curiosity struck him.
The stable owner was going through too much trouble for the promised payment—coming each time without knowing whether Lee Han would emerge, waiting a full hour.
"But... forgive me if this is impertinent. Why are you going to such lengths to help me?"
Scratching his beard at the question, Amur broke into a wide grin.
"That school torments students like you with absurdly harsh rules. Where I'm from, we despise such regulations. Seeing a student fight back—I couldn't just stand by."
"...Thank you!"
Lee Han was moved.
Chivalry and camaraderie still lived beyond the school's walls!
The exit permit's time was nearly up.
The time it would take to return also needed to be accounted for, so there wasn't much time left now.
'There's one more place to visit.'
Lee Han hurriedly ran off.
It was <Illusion Mage Valdororn's Workshop>.
Not all mages obtained imperial positions to live as civil servants.
Some mages took commissions alongside adventurers to solve problems, while others set up workshops in villages to make a living through various requests.
The place Lee Han was heading to now was one such workshop.
"...??"
Valdororn was bewildered by the appearance of the visiting student.
No matter how he looked at it, this was clearly a student from the Magic School.
'Why would a Magic School student come here?'
Valdororn was a mage whose maximum capability was 3rd Circle magic. At that level, he would be equivalent to a second or third-year student at the Magic School.
With so many archmages inside the school, why would someone come to Valdororn's workshop of all places?
Moreover, judging by the other party's demeanor, they didn't seem like an ordinary noble.
From their speech patterns to their appearance and gait—even if you draped a noble in rags, you couldn't hide their true bearing.
"How may I... help you?"
"I came to consult about magic."
"......"
Valdororn was dumbfounded.
'Are they here to pick a fight?'
In the heat of youth, thinking something like, 'How dare someone of this level set up a workshop!'...
"Go ahead."
Still, since he had already accepted the consultation fee, Valdororn decided to hear them out.
"I'm trying to enter a certain tower, but there's a magic barrier preventing intruders. Since you specialize in illusion magic, I thought you might know something about it."
"......"
Valdororn was stunned.
Wasn't it painfully obvious which tower they were referring to?
'That's the tower inside the Magic School...!'
Upon closer inspection, Lee Han's attire was that of a first-year. Valdororn grew even more bewildered.
So, not only had this first-year successfully snuck out of school, but now they were here to figure out how to bypass the school's alarm magic?
'...This one's going to be an archmage in the future!'
Valdororn could only marvel in admiration.
At that age, he had been idly smoking and fooling around...
"Magic barriers against intruders come in countless varieties. So many that no single mage could possibly know them all. A skilled mage might recognize the structure of such barriers, and an even more exceptional one could even reverse-engineer them, but..."
Valdororn trailed off.
This wasn't just about talent—it was a matter of knowledge and experience.
A master lockpick had thousands, even tens of thousands, of lock designs memorized.
That way, even when encountering a new lock, they could quickly deduce its mechanism by comparing it to existing designs.
Bypassing intrusion magic was similar.
You had to have hundreds of common barrier spells memorized to recognize, upon encountering a new one, things like 'Ah, this combines these incantations' or 'This resembles that spell.'
No genius could dismantle a barrier spell without knowledge and experience.
"This... requires seasoned experience and extensive knowledge. Even if I were to list a few suspicious spells, you wouldn't be able to dismantle them unless you were proficient in handling them. Frankly, rather than dismantling the magic, it might be easier to—"
Valdororn abruptly stopped.
He had carelessly blurted out something absurd.
Of course, elegantly and quietly dismantling magic was the more magically sophisticated approach.
But shattering magic wasn't easy either.
In some ways, it could be considered even harder.
If the magic was cast within the Magic School, the mana reserves sustaining it would be substantial. You'd need to strike with enough force to destabilize the spell's robust structure.
Where would one even find such power?
"...No. That was thoughtless of me. That's an impossible method."
"Not at all. Please explain the shattering method in detail."
"?!!"