In truth, the Wardanaz family had little to do with this, but Gainando was adamant. "It's certain that such habits were forcibly taught by the Wardanaz family. Otherwise, why would anyone study so diligently on their own?" 'You should study a bit...' The friend from the Tower of the Blue Dragon looked at Gainando with pity and walked away.
Gainando, although not overly concerned about grades thanks to his family's influence, was perhaps a bit too lax. Even the students of the Tower of the Blue Dragon, who weren't particularly focused on studies, thought, 'Isn't that a bit too much play?' Study a bit!
"Alright, let's go." Yi-Han finished organizing and tucked his hand-drawn map into his backpack. It wasn't just a map he packed. Sharply honed daggers, nails, hammers, and other tools, along with sturdy ropes and torches he made himself from oil-soaked rags, were also put in the backpack. And a glass bottle of frequently used oil, canned food for emergencies, a glass bottle of sugar, and a leather water flask... Yi-Han's movements were skilled and precise, showing his experience. ...He did wonder if all this was really necessary for exploring within the academy.
"Are you really going out?"
"Yes."
Moved by Yi-Han's confidence, especially with Professor Garcia's exam tomorrow, Gainando admired him. How splendid! 'That's a true noble!' Being obsessed with grades and studying frantically was not befitting of a noble. A true noble should know how to throw books aside and venture out.
Of course, technically, Yi-Han was going out after finishing his studies... But Gainando chose to ignore that fact.
"Let me come with you."
"Hmm?" Yi-Han was slightly surprised by Gainando's reaction. He hadn't expected Gainando to ask to join him.
"Is that alright?"
"Of course. I can't just sit by if my friend is heading into danger."
"You just don’t want to study, right?"
"......" Gainando, hit right on the mark, fell silent. If he stayed in the lounge, he'd definitely be nagged by passersby with remarks like 'Aren’t you studying?' or 'What's with the card game, there's a quiz coming up, study instead'. It was better to follow Yi-Han than to be scolded for no reason.
"No... not really."
"It seems so... But it's okay, come along." With Yi-Han's permission, Gainando excitedly put on his coat.
Asan entered and asked, "Gainando, you don't need to study?"
"Ah, stop asking!"
"I just asked once..."
The reason Yi-Han wanted to check the spire's stables first was indeed for a means of escape. He had a promise with Amur, the owner of the stables outside the magic academy.
-When the evil Lich falls and the crimson dawn arrives, look up at the eastern spire!
'...Hmm. On second thought, that conversation wasn’t as dramatic.' Memories tend to distort over time, but this seemed a bit too distorted. In reality, stable owner Amur had promised to fly to the academy every two weeks. He hadn't yet acquired a flying mount, but it was wise to familiarize himself with the path to the stables beforehand. And who knows? He might find a clue to acquire a mount on his way to the spire's stables. 'If it's as per the promise, he should be coming this weekend. I wonder if I'll meet him.'
"It's really nice to gather like this, isn't it?" Nillia asked. Yi-Han and Yonaire quickly nodded in agreement. Gainando stood there blankly until Yi-Han pinched his back, prompting him to quickly nod in agreement.
"I'm so, so happy to be wandering around with a reliable guide like Nillia, instead of a filthy friend from the Tutanta family. Right, Yonaire?"
"Of course. I'm also really, really happy."
"I'm really, really happy too."
Thanks to the flattery from Yi-Han, Yonaire, and Ratford in succession, Nillia's mood seemed to have noticeably improved.
'I wish there were some other guys from the Black Tortoise here. It'd be more comfortable.' Yi-Han regretted their absence. Since the Salko gang had agreed to use each other, he had no reason to feel sorry no matter the situation. Even if the Skull Principal appeared and one of the Salko gang was thrown as bait to escape, there was no need for apologies, as it was all pre-agreed. ...Of course, whether the Salko gang thought the same was uncertain. Anyway, that's what Yi-Han thought.
In contrast, Nillia couldn't be discarded. Yi-Han found that regrettable. 'Should I have brought one or two of them along?' But if he asked to borrow one or two from the Salko gang, Salko himself would get involved, and if Salko joined, Nillia would seek revenge for last time's abandonment... Rather than complicating things, Yi-Han thought it best to just bring people he could trust.
"Managing relationships between people is really tough, Ratford."
"???"
Surprised by Yi-Han's sudden remark, Ratford quickly nodded in agreement. Indeed, in the world of thieves, relationships were unexpectedly important. A thief who only cared about themselves and had many enemies wouldn't last long.
"You're right."
"I wish I had one or two friends to take the lead in case of trouble. Like the Salko gang."
"Uhm. But Miss Nillia isn't exactly fond of the Salko gang..."
"Yeah, I know."
Yi-Han finished speaking and looked at Gainando thoughtlessly. Ratford also glanced at Gainando inadvertently. Then the two secretly exchanged glances.
"Gainando. It's reassuring to have you here."
"Huh? Why? What's up?"
Nillia and Ratford were both exceptional guides. One was an expert outdoors, and the other, indoors. That was the only difference. Given the complexity of the magic academy's corridors and staircases, Ratford naturally played a more prominent role.
"Just wait a moment, please." Ratford stretched out his hand to stop his friends, then leaned close to the corridor floor with his ear. Yi-Han and his group were searching for a way to ascend from the cut-off second-floor corridor. According to the map, this path should lead to the third floor, but there was no visible way.
"Umm... It's over there! I hear the sound of stairs moving in that direction."
"...I can do that too..." As Nillia was about to belatedly lie down in the corridor, Yi-Han stopped her. "Nillia. There's no need to show your skills now. Better to save them for later!"
"I think so too!" As Yi-Han and Yonaire restrained her by pulling her up, Nillia stood up, looking a bit disappointed. Meanwhile, the stairs slowly approached. The group ascended the stairs to the third floor.
'This is a new direction for me.' Yi-Han had been guided by Salko to the main building's third floor before, but it was a completely different direction. Yi-Han had no idea what awaited them on the third floor in this direction.
Click- With a heavy sound, the stairs connected. Yi-Han stepped forward, heading to the third floor. One step. Two steps. Three steps forward.
And then, Yi-Han realized that the scenery around him had changed from the corridors, windows, and ceilings of the main building of the magic academy to a dense, lush forest.
"...?!" Yi-Han knew that the magic academy contained all sorts of natural landscapes, but he had never expected to witness such a change within the main building itself. Despite knowing that skilled mages could expand and rearrange spaces, Yi-Han had been trapped in his preconceptions and had not considered this possibility.
The main building of the magic academy was a place with a deep history, so deep that even the principal might not know everything about it. It wouldn't have been surprising to find forests, volcanoes, or even polar regions inside.
"Amazing. To think there was such a forest on the third floor... Nillia, I'm counting on you." Yi-Han said, looking to his side. Finally, a situation had arisen where Nillia could shine. Yi-Han was almost too happy.
But Nillia was not there beside him. "???"
Meow. Looking down, Yi-Han saw a black cat scratching at his ankles. Even Yi-Han, who had become quite familiar with the academy, was perplexed by the current situation.
"Where did everyone go...?"
Surprisingly, not one of the friends who had ascended to the third floor with him on the moving staircase was in sight. Yi-Han immediately drew his staff and surveyed the forest around him.
Meow. Meow.
The cat, as if it had something to say, kept tapping Yi-Han's ankle with its front paws. Yi-Han suddenly wondered if it could be Nillia. "...Could it be you, Nillia?" The black cat meowed and nodded its head repeatedly, clearly agreeing.
'Polymorph!' Not just any forest, but a forest that cast a polymorph spell, forcibly transforming anyone who stepped into it into an animal. Yi-Han felt a chill. 'Wait. Why wasn't I affected?' Considering that all his friends had transformed, it was strange that Yi-Han was the only one unaffected. 'Maybe it's because of my mana.' Whenever he encountered something different from others at the magic academy, suspecting his innate mana usually turned out to be correct 99% of the time.
Yi-Han decided to find his other friends with Nillia first. "Sharakan. Help me find the others." The bone summon, which had been sleeping on his belt, clattered as it took shape and ran ahead. Nillia pressed her paws into Yi-Han. "Nillia. Easy... Why?" Nillia pointed her paws at the bone summon, raising them as if to threaten. "You think the others will get scared and run away when they see the bone summon?" Nillia nodded.
Yi-Han fell into thought for a moment. "We need to catch them before they see it and run away."
...
Nillia was so dumbfounded that she was at a loss for words.
Fortunately, the other friends were quickly found. A bat perched on a branch flew hurriedly towards Yi-Han when it saw him (Yi-Han thought it might be Ratford), and a bushy red fox (probably Yonaire) followed the bone summon.
"Where did Gainando go?" The other friends responded with various animal cries. Yi-Han nodded his head. 'Hmm. It's better to just think on my own.' It turned out that getting answers from his friends wasn't always helpful.
Sharakan, the incomplete bone summon, sniffed around and persistently led Yi-Han. Walking through the verdant forest path, they arrived at a large clearing. Having met a tree spirit in a forest inside a mountain range before, Yi-Han speculated that there might be a tree spirit in this clearing as well. "Seems like a spirit might be needed to maintain and inhabit such a forest within the academy."
However, Yi-Han's prediction was off the mark. At the center of the clearing was a mouse. Clatter, clatter - The bone summon Sharakan lowered its stance, sending a wary gaze toward the mouse. It wasn't just Sharakan who noticed. Yi-Han also felt the powerful magic emanating from the mouse. 'Does this magic academy have any normal plants or animals?'
The mouse, whipping its tail, cast a spell. Then, the bushes surrounding Yi-Han sank down, and the trees on either side were pushed away. "...!" While Yi-Han marveled, the mouse engraved letters on the ground with its magic. Forest. Passage. Duel. Victory. Loser. Return. "To pass through the forest, one must win in a duel, and if defeated, simply return?" The mouse nodded its head. Then, it raised its head and looked at Yi-Han.
Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak! The mouse, startled by the sight of Yi-Han who had not transformed, fell backward in surprise.
