Episode 849
Episode 849
However, Garal didn't immediately voice his inner thoughts.
Had this been back when he was at the Northern Snowflake Magic Tower, he would have spoken boldly, but thanks to experiencing three research failures, five accidents, and one attempted assassination of a sponsor (to be precise, it was an accident mistaken for an assassination attempt), Garal had matured quite a bit.
No matter how unlucky he was, he had to watch his words in front of his employer.
"That's surprising. I've never heard of a Baldrogard student being close with an Einrogard student."
"Indeed, while Einrogard students are one of the twin pillars driving the Empire forward, they do have a reputation for lacking a bit of refinement. It's understandable that they rarely get along with us Baldrogard students."
-Grind!
Garal had to grit his teeth.
The Baldrogard student before him seemed to be casting illusion magic with just a few words.
'To manipulate someone's emotions this easily... I must endure.'
"But there are always exceptions, aren't there?"
-Zandanni, unaware that Garal was clenching his teeth, continued his explanation.
The senior's senior, who had collaborated with the Einrogard student to create this improved Space Expansion Backpack, was a figure renowned even within Baldrogard.
"He was practically legendary. So incredible that right after graduation, invitations poured in from everywhere..."
"......"
-The corner of Garal's mouth twitched again.
There was no way a Baldrogard student would receive such enthusiastic invitations from imperial magic towers or mage guilds.
"So how did you receive this gift?"
"Ah, there's a touching story behind it."
-According to Zandanni, the Baldrogard student and the Einrogard student had diligently researched the Space Expansion Backpack together.
Then one day, the Einrogard student had to leave abruptly due to personal circumstances during the research...
The Baldrogard student kept the Space Expansion Backpack left behind by their friend as a token of friendship and later passed it down to their juniors.
'Good heavens. Even the cases in Detective Toberiz aren't this suspicious.'
Garal was astonished.
The short and simple story had more than one or two dubious points.
First off, it was strange that an Einrogard student would suddenly abandon their research and leave due to personal circumstances.
Among the Empire's many magic academies, Einrogard was particularly strict about evaluating achievements, wasn't it? There was no way a student from there would just discard their research and leave.
'An Einrogard student would send their soul to participate in research even if their head were cut off. Suspicious.'
But the other party was his employer.
Instead of pointing out the holes in the story, Garal changed the subject.
"Indeed. It's a fine backpack."
Items that provided a subspace larger on the inside than the outside were plentiful, but their quality varied drastically.
Some offered only two or three times the expanded space, while others provided enough room for an entire tent.
And it didn't stop at just the size of the space.
How would the weight inside be reduced? How would the necessary mana be secured?
Since the interior inevitably shook when moving, how would the chaos caused by the expanded space be brought under control?
Because the areas requiring attention were so vast, perfection was impossible. Some advantages were even mutually exclusive.
In the end, an outstanding spatial expansion item meant one crafted as meticulously as possible—even if not perfect, as close to perfection as could be.
From that perspective, this Space Expansion Backpack was undoubtedly exceptional.
Not a single aspect was lacking, and above all...
'It's not heavy, and the surroundings don't shake when moving. The space is well anchored. Wait—did they not expand the interior space but instead create a separate space and link it?'
Rather than inflating or expanding the interior space, they had created an entirely separate space and linked it.
Garal was stunned.
The former method was typically used for small bags or backpacks, while the latter was employed for tents or canopies.
"After all, stretching or expanding existing space requires much less mana and the process is less labor-intensive."
"In contrast, creating a separate subspace and newly connecting it required far more effort starting from the space itself. It wasn't for nothing that this method was used for large tents or canopies."
"But to apply the latter method to a backpack..."
"'They connected a separate subspace!? Did you know about this?'"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"...Haha. Never mind."
Garal smoothly glossed over Zandanni's reaction.
Explaining the methodological differences in spatial expansion magic to a Baldrogard student would require being paid ten times his current fee.
"By any chance, can you change the space inside this backpack?"
"Oh! How did you know? The backpack's name is actually <The Hexa-Spatial Backpack>."
"Zandanni excitedly explained the backpack's features."
The backpack contained six separate spaces, and by rotating the engraved pattern on the lock mechanism, one could access the desired space.
Zandanni had stored high-quality wine in Space 1, a chess set and chairs made of boxwood in Space 2, cashmere frock coats and tailcoats, southern silk vests and hats, etc., in Space 3, imperial literary classics including the Toberiz detective series in Space 4, and polo equipment in Space 5...
'Not a single magic-related item in sight.' Garal cursed inwardly.
At the very least, if this were the Alchemy School, they could've carried around a cauldron or flasks.
"Wait. You can access six spaces, but you've only mentioned five?"
"Space 6 is locked. It's been that way since I first received it."
"Why?"
"Hmm? I'm not sure."
"...Weren't you curious?"
Any normal mage, upon acquiring an artifact with a locked space, would've been curious enough to try opening it by any means.
Zandanni clapped his hands together and shook his head.
"Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit curious."
Garal forced a smile, lifting the corners of his mouth. Losing his temper would only leave him at a disadvantage.
"It must have been left unfinished."
"That's right."
"Mind if I try opening it?"
"I'd be grateful if you did! Please, go ahead."
"Alright. I'll take a short break and then give it a try."
"Garal got up from his seat, opened the door, and stepped outside."
The <Visitor Lodging> village was a cozy, comfortable place with brick and wooden mansions arranged in a circle.
Instead of a sky, the high ceiling of Einrogard's Main Building glittered with light in place of stars, and thick fog enveloped the village instead of a horizon.
In the profound silence that pierced his chest, Garal took a deep breath.
'As I thought last time, this place feels nothing like Einrogard. So peaceful.'
"Hold it right there."
"Don't move. I bear no grudge against you, but the moment you move, I cannot guarantee your safety."
"The cold touch of a staff pressing against his back and the nape of his neck made Garal deeply regret his carelessness."
No matter how peaceful a place seemed in Einrogard, one should never let their guard down.
Using spatial overlap, Lee Han arrived at the lodging village and, utilizing the illusion magic he had just learned, slipped past the Death Knights' security to infiltrate the area.
The mansion where the Baldrogard guests were staying was easy to spot—it was the one with the most dazzling lights and loud music blaring from inside.
"Wait. What's this spilled on the ground?"
"It's wine."
"Why is wine spilled here?"
"Probably because the Baldrogard bastards brought it and didn't like the taste, so they dumped it here. Spoiled brats."
"...I'll kill them!"
"Calm down, calm down."
Though there was a minor commotion, Lee Han and Sebius successfully approached the mansion.
As they pondered how to infiltrate, the mage who accounted for 98% of Baldrogard's combat power happened to walk out, sighing heavily.
The two exchanged glances.
-This is perfect. Luck is on our side.
-The heavens must be furious at Baldrogard's misdeeds as well—
-...
Y-yeah.
Whoosh!
"Raise your hands."
"Don't move. I have no grudge against you, but if you so much as twitch, I can't guarantee your safety."
"!!!"
"A mage caught completely off guard turned out to be far more vulnerable than expected."
Garal, who never imagined being ambushed in a place like the Visitor Lodging, was taken down without even a chance to cast defensive magic or prepare a countermeasure.
"Confiscate his staff. Seize the reagents."
"My apologies, Mr. Garal."
"You! Are you a sixth-year from the Wardanaz family?!"
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
Lee Han, his face concealed, feigned ignorance. Sebius shot his junior a bewildered look.
-What on earth did you do to be mistaken for a sixth-year?
-I didn't do anything. They must've assumed I was older just because of my magic.
-Ah. That makes sense. I can see why.
Sebius immediately understood.
Given that even he sometimes found his junior's magical talent unsettling, it wasn't surprising that an outsider might mistake him for a sixth-year.
After all, mastering two spells in such a short time and then using the remaining moments to learn a third was already bizarre enough...
'Honestly, it's more plausible to assume he's a deranged sixth-year pretending to be a second-year than a second-year with genius-level talent. I get it.'
Sebius entertained this rude thought, knowing full well his junior would throw a fit if he heard it.
Garal, now stripped of his staff, reagents, and all his equipment, sighed and asked,
"Why have Einrogard students come here? Revenge?"
"We don't waste emotions on petty grudges like that."
"Then?"
"We're here to reclaim a senior's treasure that Baldrogard students stole through underhanded means."
"Is it... the Space Expansion Backpack?"
"!?"
"Lee Han was startled. Sebius, equally surprised, pressed further."
How did you know that?
"Earlier, one of the Baldrogard students was bragging about a Space Expansion Backpack. It was so well-made that I wondered if it might be the one."
"That alone doesn't explain it."
Sebius interrogated sternly.
It might seem like nitpicking, but they needed absolute certainty before proceeding.
For all they knew, this could be a trap.
"No matter how well-made the backpack is, you couldn't have guessed it was stolen loot just from that."
"They said they'd been researching with an Einrogard student and received it as a token of friendship, so I figured they must've stolen it."
"The two immediately understood."
If that was the case, Garal's suspicion made perfect sense.
"No. Wait—they were going around calling it a token of friendship? The sheer shamelessness of those despicable bastards!"
As Lee Han growled, Garal flinched slightly. The memory of this Wardanaz boy summoning the Black Emperor's Crown was still vivid in his mind.
"I understand your anger toward the Baldrogard students, but as the stronger party, won't you show some mercy?"
"...Why am I the stronger party!?"
'Well, you are...' Sebius thought to himself.
Realistically, it'd probably take several fourth-years or higher from Einrogard to properly deal with this junior.
"Fine. We'll show mercy. We have no intention of pointlessly fighting Baldrogard students either. We just need that backpack."
"In that case, I know a good method."
"What is it?"
"Just walk in and take it."
"Lee Han stared at him incredulously."
What kind of nonsense is that? Are you saying we should just barge in, beat them up, and take it by force?
"
For a moment, he wondered if "showing mercy" meant finishing them off in one strike.
But Garal shook his head.
"You misunderstood. I mean literally just walk in and take it. They're all asleep right now."
"Huh? They're already asleep? How does that make any sense?"
"They believe sleeping early leads to better rest, which is supposedly good for a mage's health... Ugh—ah, ow, that hurts."
As Lee Han tightened his grip on the staff, Garal coughed from the sudden choking sensation.
"S-sorry. I got a little carried away."
"