"Th-thank you," Salko stammered out his gratitude.

"Wardanaz, thank you," the rest of Salko's gang, who were behind him, also expressed their thanks. Some were even on the verge of tears.

Just moments ago, they had been in despair, thinking they would be trapped here with no way out. But suddenly, Yi-Han had appeared and rescued them, so it was understandable that they were moved.

Although surprised and flustered, Salko thanked Yi-Han in a daze. But then he felt something strange.

'But why is Wardanaz here?'

"By the way, Wardanaz, what brings you here...?"

"Now's not the time to talk. We need to move quickly! The pursuers could be on our tail at any moment!"

"R-right, you have a point."

When Yi-Han whispered urgently, Salko immediately understood.

Now that the trap had been triggered, it wouldn't be surprising if the principal's minions, who were on standby nearby, showed up at any time.

They had to escape as quickly as possible.

"This way!"

"Let's take the left staircase instead of the central one! There's nowhere to hide on the central staircase!"

"Got it! Everyone, hurry..."

Fortunately, the first-year students moved swiftly without any hesitation.

They were all students who had wandered around at night, so they didn't waste time unnecessarily in this situation.

"W-Wardanaz! There's a sound from ahead! Someone's coming!"

"Get into the lecture room next to us! I'll cast an invisibility spell!"

When they reached the first floor and heard footsteps and voices coming from the front of the corridor, Yi-Han immediately turned and entered the lecture room next to them.

Fortunately, the inside of the lecture room was dark, but Yi-Han didn't let his guard down.

"Cloak, engulf me!"

As the invisibility spell was amplified, Yi-Han made everyone huddle close together.

Salko frowned at the sight of Yi-Han placing his elbow above his head, but given the situation, he didn't say anything.

-Where is this? The kitchen?-

-It's the second floor.-

-Who touched it?-

-Probably the freshmen. It's unfortunate. Einroguard isn't such an easy place…-

The Death Knights moved on, conversing with pity.

The kitchen and food storage on the second floor of the main building, which were relatively easy to access and had no special security or defense mechanisms.

At Einroguard, one should have been more suspicious.

-Still, after going to the punishment room a few times, they'll learn.-

-You're right. Isn't that how everyone grows?-

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere among the students hiding in the lecture room turned chilly.

They realized that they had just stepped on the threshold of the afterlife.

"I'm really grateful, Wardanaz."

"It's fine. I didn't do it to receive gratitude. We should go now, right? It doesn't seem like a good idea for us to stick together at the moment."

Yi-Han managed his expression to hide the heavy food supplies in his backpack and spoke firmly.

No matter how grateful Salko and his gang were now, there was no telling if they would still feel the same way after finding out that Yi-Han's group had looted first.

'Once we split up, even if they suspect me later, what can they do?'

"Wardanaz..."

"You're really on a different level from the other Blue Dragon Tower bastards."

The Black Tortoise Tower students were all deeply impressed by Yi-Han's attitude of not taking credit even after helping them.

If it had been another Blue Dragon Tower student, they would have bragged for a good thirty minutes, mentioning their family, bloodline, and honor.

'They say that an honorable person does good deeds not to elevate their own honor, but because the deed itself is good. Those words are indeed true!'

Even the roughest and most outspoken student in the Black Tortoise Tower couldn't deny Wardanaz's honor.

"Wardanaz, there's something I want to tell you in return."

"Does it have to be now?"

Yi-Han glanced at the door, just wanting to leave quickly.

'These guys are making me uncomfortable… They couldn't have noticed, could they?'

"It has to be now."

"Alright. Tell me. But make it quick."

"You know Professor Uregor, right?"

"Of course."

There was no way he wouldn't know, considering he went to the vegetable garden and even did chores there during breaks. Salko nodded at Yi-Han's answer and continued.

"Yesterday, one of our tower students witnessed something. In the middle of the night, Professor Uregor brought in a hydra."

"...I must be too tired from studying too much. I think I misheard. What did you say he brought in?"

"A hydra."

"..."

Yi-Han frowned and fell into thought.

Hydra.

A monster with nine heads, powerful regenerative abilities, and deadly venom.

Even in the empire, where all sorts of ferocious and dangerous monsters were rampant, the hydra was among the top tier.

And Professor Uregor brought that in??

'Does that make sense?'

Normally, he would have said they saw it wrong, but Yi-Han didn't.

It was so absurd that it actually made him believe it.

Anything could happen at Einroguard, after all.

"But it wasn't a fully grown one, apparently. It seemed to be a young one."

"A young one? That's a relief! If it were fully grown, I'd have no confidence in facing it, but if it's young, I feel confident."

"Is that true?"

"...Of course it's a joke."

Yi-Han was dumbfounded.

He had been sarcastic, but they took it seriously.

Salko also seemed to realize that he had said something ridiculous, as his face turned red.

"To be serious, I was mistaken. Anyway, Wardanaz, I know you're taking the alchemy lecture."

"That's right."

"And dark magic, summoning magic, illusion magic, enchantment magic, divination magic, transformation magic, and healing magic too."

"...Is there really a need to mention all of that?"

"Anyway, I thought it would be good for you to know in advance. You'll be preparing for other lecture exams too, so it would be helpful to know at least one thing beforehand."

Yonaire, who was listening from the side, muttered.

"Even if he knows, it doesn't seem like it would be of much help."

"Hydra... What kind of exam could be related to a hydra?"

On the way back.

He should have been happy, having obtained everything he wanted, but his heart felt as heavy as his backpack.

Yonaire and Ratford also had serious expressions.

"It could be a potion to put the hydra to sleep."

"It might be a potion to make the hydra go berserk."

"The former, I can understand, but the latter... Surely not."

No matter how much Einroguard was Einroguard, they wouldn't feed a potion that would drive a hydra crazy at an exam site full of students.

...Probably!

"A potion to suppress hydra regeneration? A potion to neutralize hydra venom?"

"Surely they wouldn't go that far..."

Yonaire spoke with a sickened expression at Yi-Han's brutal predictions.

"Rather than that, could it be that he brought it to use as an ingredient? The target potion might require something like hydra's fresh blood."

"Indeed. That seems plausible."

Ratford also agreed, as if it made sense.

However, Yi-Han couldn't easily accept it.

"Professor Uregor already said he would increase the exam difficulty, but isn't that too easy?"

"It's not easy."

"It's not easy at all."

"No, that seems a bit too easy."

"..."

"..."

Yonaire and Ratford looked at each other.

'You try to explain it well.'

'How should I explain it?'

"Wait."

Thanks to his enhanced hearing from reinforcement magic, Yi-Han noticed the sound of footsteps coming from afar.

They entered the lecture room right next to them and held their breath, and the Death Knights passed by the corridor again, chatting.

-Whoever it was, they managed to escape skillfully. It seems they were divided in half and waiting outside. These freshmen seem to be very clever.-

-From what I saw, they didn't seem to be freshmen. Even if they were waiting outside, the moment they touched the sealed door, their mana would have been completely drained.-

-True. Considering they poured mana until the sealed door was released, it's not something freshmen would do. We should go and see what the upperclassmen are up to.-

"..."

Yi-Han made a resolution to himself.

From now on, even if a seemingly perfect opportunity presented itself, he would check thoroughly, at least a dozen times, before proceeding.

"I believe in you, Marronnier."

<Basic Riding Training> final exam.

Yonaire hugged the neck of a horse with brown fur and whispered.

"Let's do our best, Grand Empire Emperor Gainando."

"Just do as we practiced. Okay?"

Other students also started talking to the horses they had been taking care of throughout the semester, one by one.

Their voices were filled with solemnity, as they were about to take the exam.

"Niffirg."

Snort!

When Yi-Han spoke, Niffirg's eyes sparkled as if in anticipation.

Although its owner was stingy with praise, this time, surely...

"Don't attack other horses."

...Neigh!!

Niffirg snorted angrily and started kicking up dirt with its hooves.

Gainando, who was passing by, ate a handful of dirt and spat it out.

"See? This is why I'm worried when you act up like this."

Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!

Niffirg neighed in a voice full of resentment.

Griffins were originally noble beasts.

A noble beast cursed to take the form of a horse would naturally be stressed, wouldn't it?

And above all, of course it would get angry when its owner doubted it!

"Alright, alright. I was wrong. Anyway, don't attack other horses before I tell you to. Okay?"

'Before he tells it to?'

Yonaire tilted her head and brushed the horse's fur.

Meanwhile, Professor Bungaegor, who had finished setting up the vast open field, appeared, dusting off her hands.

"You've all worked hard throughout the semester. I hope you've learned a lot while bonding with the horses. Horses are rare animals that assist mages. Once you become friends, they won't betray you and will help you no matter what happens. They are the most reliable companions. After the lecture ends, take them with you and spend time together."

"!!"

"Thank you!"

The students' faces lit up upon receiving the horses they had bonded with as gifts. Yi-Han looked at Niffirg. Niffirg looked back with gentle eyes as if asking why.

'This one isn't a horse, is it?'

While Yi-Han was having other thoughts, Professor Bungaegor asked, looking at him.

"How about coming to the stable during the vacation?"

Yi-Han was startled.

"What??!!?"

"I'm just joking, so don't take it so seriously."

'Oops.'

Yi-Han reflected on himself.

He had failed to control his emotions due to the absurd remark.

"Of course, it was a joke to tell you to come to the stable during the vacation, but as long as you're taking care of Niffirg, you'll have some work to do even during the break. Griffins are quite troublesome animals."

Niffirg snorted as if telling him not to worry. Yi-Han was worried about something else from that behavior.

"The curse won't be lifted during the vacation, right?"

"That's unlikely to happen. ...Probably. Anyway, if you need help or a spacious place for Niffirg to play, come to the Einroguard stable. I'll be at the academy during this vacation."

"Thank you."

Of course, Yi-Han had no intention of setting foot in Einroguard during the vacation.

He wouldn't even breathe in the direction of Einroguard.

"Well then, shall we begin?"

Professor Bungaegor pointed her riding crop at the seemingly endless vast field.

Obstacles were installed here and there.

If the midterm was just a sprint, the final exam required jumping over these obstacles as well.

The difficulty level seemed quite high, but the students were surprisingly calm.

After taking other final exams throughout the week, they now found this level of exam trivial.

"This is just a change of pace."

"You're right."

Moreover, many students were confident in the <Basic Riding Training> lecture, even if they weren't sure about other lectures.

Since they had been riding horses from a young age, they all had a sense of pride, thinking, 'I'm better than the others.'

"Yonaire, I don't think it's a good idea to rush ahead even when the starting signal is given."

"Why?"

Before Yi-Han could answer, Professor Bungaegor gave the starting signal.

At that moment, the students waiting at the starting line spurred their horses forward like lightning.

Clop clop clop-

Thud!

The student who was riding at the very front was hit by a stream of water that flew from the side and was knocked off.

"..."

"That's why."