Chapter 64

Chapter 064

"It seems I have everything I need."

Lee Han had completed his frenzied shopping spree.

His shopping spree did not end with just the grocery and fabric stores.

It included stationery stores (please fill it with cheap and sturdy paper! Is there any illusion magic book that can deceive a professor's eyes?), agricultural stores (where are the edible seeds and seedlings?), and more.

The staff were amazed.

'He really won't starve even if he's stranded on a deserted island!'

"Where is the stable?"

"The stable... for horses?"

Arian was puzzled.

As mentioned earlier, it was impossible to bring a mount near the school.

However, Arian did not ask any more questions.

It was clear that this young master of the Wodanas family had some plan in mind.

* * *

The Amur stable was bustling with people coming and going.

As a result, Amur, the stable owner, was kept extremely busy.

He consulted with a group of adventurers who wanted to buy new mounts, hurriedly opened the flying mount area on the tower for a customer who wanted to entrust a lightning griffin, and more...

Running a stable in a village where many adventurers roamed was not a task for the ordinary.

Not only did he need to handle horses, but he also had to know how to handle most of the various mounts seen in the empire.

Just as he finally managed to finish his busy schedule, a peculiar customer arrived.

'Is this a magic school student?'

"Hello."

"Hello. What are you looking for?"

"Is there anyone here who goes directly to the school?"

"!"

Amur was surprised.

The student's words were indeed true.

The magic school, located in the mountains, was a place of terror, but it was not without visitors.

There were merchants who regularly delivered supplies to the magic school, adventurers who came to resolve quests commissioned by mages, and occasionally, the emperor's messenger would fly in frantically when an accident occurred.

However, the main gate of the magic school was notorious among those who knew the situation well.

It was said that one could grow old trying to pass through it...

Therefore, people in a hurry would go underground or fly in the sky. As long as their identity was confirmed, passage was relatively easy.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I will pay. Can you help me escape on a specific date?"

"..."

Lee Han had only one reason for coming here.

'I need to prepare the next escape method.'

His perseverance was such that even the skeleton principal would be impressed.

On a good day when he used his outing permit, instead of wandering around the village and eating desserts, he was seriously preparing the next escape method.

And that burning determination was also conveyed to Amur.

'Impressive!'

Amur looked at Lee Han with astonishment.

Amur had heard the rumors about the magic school.

It was a place where the education was so harsh that students attempted to escape.

Yet, a freshman magic school student was out here, boldly planning an escape.

Even among the tribes living in the empire's roughest lands, there were few boys with such courage.

'I want to help him.'

Amur was as impressed by Lee Han's boldness as he was by his determination.

However, there was a problem.

"That's... difficult."

"Can I ask why?"

"I've taken a few customers to the magic school before. The identity verification at the magic school is extremely thorough."

Compared to the main gate, it was easier, but flying in was not easy either.

Customers who approached the magic school by air had to stop at a designated location.

When a signal was sent, someone from the magic school would fly over to verify their identity.

If it was the person who had made the appointment, they would be allowed in.

"But since you've been in before... can't you come in with a reasonable excuse?"

"Yes. Getting in isn't the problem. The problem is getting out. The school checks the number of people when they leave as well."

"..."

If Amur flew in on a flying griffin, they would check to ensure that Amur was the only one on the griffin when leaving.

They would even use various spells to check if anyone was hiding, making it almost impossible to deceive them.

Lee Han's expression darkened as he listened.

'Damn. Do I really have to go through all this?'

The magic school's motto might as well be changed to 'Do I really have to go through all this?'

"But there is a way."

Amur, puffing on a thick cigar, spoke.

"What way?"

"Find an unowned mount inside. When I come, you can ride the mount you found inside and follow me."

"..."

Lee Han didn't understand.

If they checked when leaving, wouldn't he get caught?

"Since they check anyway, won't I get caught?"

"That's a bit different. I learned this by chance... When people from outside enter, they are thoroughly checked when they leave. But when people who stay inside leave, they are not checked so thoroughly."

Since professors also went out, people who stayed inside were not checked so thoroughly.

When Amur went out with a professor, he was checked multiple times, but the professor was let out without even a glance.

"Of course, if you go out alone, the chances of getting caught are high. But if you go out with me, the attention will be on me. This is the best option."

'Damn. Can I even find an unowned mount inside the school?'

He wanted to steal an owned mount, but...

"Just in case, don't even think about stealing an owned mount."

"Of course. I have no intention of doing that."

Satisfied with Lee Han's answer, Amur nodded and smiled.

"That's right. Forcing someone to leave their mount is a barbaric and cruel act."

"..."

Lee Han had given up on stealing because he thought, 'As soon as I steal a mage's mount, the alarm will sound and the owner will be notified.' But since the other party seemed satisfied, he didn't point it out.

'There are still many uncertainties... but this is the most feasible plan for now.'

Lee Han didn't say, 'How do I find a flying mount inside the school!' or 'Even if they don't check thoroughly, won't I get caught if they just remove my hood and cloak?'

That would be the words of a loser.

'I will make it happen. If this is the only way out!'

"...Thank you very much!"

"Indeed! When I saw your eyes, I knew you weren't an ordinary student. I will come to the school every two weeks, at midnight on Saturdays. If you have a mount ready, come to the stable at the top of the school tower. I will wait for an hour each time I come. If you are ready, we will leave together."

Lee Han nodded, then suddenly became curious.

Even though he would pay, it was too much for the stable owner to bear.

He didn't know if Lee Han would come out or not, yet he would come and wait for an hour each time.

"However... forgive me if it's an impertinent question. Why are you helping me like this?"

Amur, scratching his beard, smiled.

"The school is tormenting students like you with unreasonable and harsh rules. In my hometown, such rules are despised. Seeing a student stand up against them, I couldn't just stand by."

"...Thank you!"

Lee Han was moved.

There was still righteousness and chivalry outside the school!

* * *

The time for the outing permit was running out.

He also needed to calculate the time to return, so the remaining time was not much.

'There's one more place to visit.'

Lee Han hurriedly ran.

It was the <Workshop of Illusionist Valdorurn>.

Not all mages worked as imperial officials.

Some mages took on quests with adventurers, and some set up workshops in towns to make a living through various commissions.

The place Lee Han was heading to was one such workshop.

"...??"

Valdorurn was taken aback by the appearance of the student who had come.

He was clearly a student from the magic school.

'Why would a magic school student come here?'

Valdorurn was a mage whose maximum was 3rd Circle. This was roughly the level of a 2nd or 3rd-year student at the magic school.

With many archmages inside, it was strange for a student to come to Valdorurn's workshop.

Moreover, the student's demeanor suggested he was not an ordinary noble.

From his accent, appearance, and gait, a high noble could not hide their identity even if they wore rags.

"What brings you here?"

"I came for a consultation about magic."

"......"

Valdorurn was taken aback.

'Is he here to pick a fight?'

In his youth, he might have thought, 'How dare he set up a workshop at this level!'

"Tell me."

Still, since he had received the consultation fee, Valdorurn decided to listen.

"I'm trying to enter a certain tower, but there's a magic spell to prevent intruders. Since you specialize in illusion magic, I thought you might know something."

"......"

Valdorurn was taken aback.

Wasn't it too obvious which tower he was talking about?

'The tower inside the magic school...!'

Upon closer inspection, Lee Han was wearing a 1st-year uniform. Valdorurn was even more taken aback.

So, a 1st-year student had not only successfully escaped the school but was now seeking a way to bypass the school's alarm magic?

'...He will become a great archmage in the future!'

Valdorurn could only marvel.

When he was that age, he just smoked and played around...

"Magic to prevent intruders comes in countless varieties. No mage can know all of them. A skilled mage can recognize the structure of such prevention magic, and an even more skilled mage can disable it... but that's a matter of knowledge and experience, not just talent."

Valdorurn trailed off.

A skilled lockpicker had thousands or tens of thousands of lock designs in their head.

This allowed them to quickly recognize the structure of a new lock by comparing it with existing designs.

Disabling intruder prevention magic was similar.

One needed to have hundreds of commonly used prevention magic designs in their head to recognize a new magic spell and understand which incantations were mixed or which incantations were similar.

No genius could disable prevention magic without knowledge and experience.

"This... requires seasoned experience and extensive knowledge. Even if I mention a few suspicious magic spells, you won't be able to disable them if you can't handle them skillfully. Rather than disabling the magic, breaking it... might be..."

Valdorurn hesitated.

He had inadvertently said something absurd.

Disabling magic in a sophisticated and quiet manner was certainly a more magically challenging task.

But breaking magic was not easy either.

In some ways, it could be even more difficult.

The magic inside the magic school would have a considerable amount of magical power, and one would need to strike it with a massive force to shake the sturdy structure supporting the magic.

Where would one get such power?

"...No. I misspoke. That's an absurd method."

"No. Please explain the method of breaking it in detail."

"?!!"