‘Shouldn’t they just send everyone who spreads these ridiculous rumors to the punishment room?’

Fuming, I-han scrawled his reply across the mirror.

*I have no idea where you keep getting all this nonsense from. This is the second time—I really think you should consider where you're getting your information. Why do you only manage to pick up rumors…*

‘Quite the temper.’

The person on the other side of the mirror raised their eyebrows at the rapidly appearing letters. This Black Tortoise Tower student had remarkable abilities, but a tendency toward emotional outbursts—something that lowered their overall potential in his eyes.

Still, there was no doubt the student was resourceful. ‘They must have connections with the first-years,’ he thought, something most avoided due to the punishment awaiting anyone caught by the Skull Principal. After all, having contact with first-years was seen as a greater offense than even raiding the principal’s storage.

*I understand. I’ll take that into account.*

*Why are you so interested in the first-years? I told you before—this one’s an oddball who attends multiple departments. Not exactly someone suited for… your purposes.*

I-han generally tried to keep a good reputation among seniors, but this was different. He intended to persuade the other person that this particular freshman wasn’t worth their time so he wouldn’t be dragged into anything extra when he became a sophomore. He wanted to give the impression, *“This junior isn’t exactly what you’re looking for.”*

*You’re not thinking clearly.*

*Excuse me?*

*Let me offer you a bit of advice about handling juniors. When one says they’re busy with other tasks, what do you think?*

*They’re just busy, right?*

*Wrong. It means they’re wasting time on unimportant matters. My proposition would clearly benefit them the most.*

‘This one is absolutely delusional,’ I-han thought, half-wondering if he was actually speaking to Professor Berdous. He almost asked, but decided against it.

*How can you be so sure?*

*What do you mean? Of course, my magic would be the most beneficial to them.*

“......”

I-han realized he’d made a mistake—arguing with a crazy person was pointless!

*Alright, I hope your skills match your confidence. But this junior likely won’t agree, given they’re already attending multiple departments.*

*Possibly. But there are ways to persuade them.*

*And what would that be?*

*Since you’ve been so helpful, I’ll tell you. Given they’re eccentric enough to associate with Illendil…*

*I’m telling you, we’re not friends!*

*Right. If they’re odd enough to get along with Illendil and associate with the Dark Magic students, it’s highly likely this Wardanas junior has limited and strained social relationships.*

“......”

The absurd remark left I-han speechless.

*Isn’t that a bit of an assumption?*

*Not at all. They’re from the Wardanas family, so it’s almost certain.*

‘This guy is unbelievable.’

For a moment, I-han forgot the person was a senior and nearly suggested they meet in person.

*So inviting them to my club, where they can build proper connections, would undoubtedly satisfy them.*

‘If someone invites you to a club right off the bat, they’re definitely not to be trusted,’ I-han thought, replying:

*Right. That sounds reasonable. Go for it.*

*Thank you. Your information, as usual, is quite accurate. By the way, did you confirm the hydra’s status?*

Satisfied that I-han had agreed with him, the person on the other side raised his evaluation of him. Here was someone who knew when to stand his ground and when to concede—a quality worth noting.

*Yes.*

*Let me add one more piece of information as payment. The hydra likely won’t respond well to sleep spells. The principal has made some adjustments.*

*Wow. Really appreciate it.*

*Good. Farewell.*

The other person ended the conversation, pleased. He’d had countless exchanges through communication artifacts, but this one felt like it might last longer than most. Despite a quick temper and a rash side, this contact had a solid grasp of useful information and even seemed genuinely grateful.

‘Should I just block him already?’

I-han cursed the other for constantly giving him irrelevant information.

---

“I-han, I-han!”

Kainan crawled through a small hole into I-han’s hideout, calling his name. I-han, irritated, replied curtly.

“Kainan, didn’t I just give you dinner? Go find snacks yourself. Did you already eat all those treats I gave you?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“You want to play Mage Cards? We played five rounds yesterday, and you lost all five, so not today.”

“No, it’s not that either…”

“Need help with Dark Magic homework? Kainan, I’ve told you already, bone element spells rely heavily on the quality of the bone materials. Check it again and make sure it’s suitable as a spell catalyst.”

“No, that’s not it!!!”

Finally snapping, Kainan threw himself on the ground and rolled back and forth, yelling.

“Tomorrow! We’re supposed to! Go outside!! They’re waiting for us!!!”

“Oh.”

I-han finally remembered they’d planned to make an escape attempt with friends this weekend. With final exams next week, it would be difficult to go out later.

“Sorry, Kainan. I forgot.”

“How could you forget? I’ve been thinking about it every night this week.”

Kainan glanced at the stack of books and papers piled around I-han and nodded in understanding.

“I guess it’d be easy to forget.”

“No, I shouldn’t have. Thanks for reminding me.”

“Then, can I have more snacks?”

“No. Finish your homework.”

With that, I-han led the dejected Kainan to the meeting place where the others were waiting.

In a hidden passage on the second floor of the main building lay a dusty artifact—a dimensional gate that had been tinkered with by students for generations. Normally unusable due to lack of mana, it had been brought back to life thanks to I-han’s efforts.

A portal that led outside the academy!

…Though the fact that it led to the Skull Principal’s villa was a bit unsettling, the prospect of going outside fueled the students’ excitement, and they didn’t let it dampen their spirits.

“I put the word out. How many people have gathered so far?”

“Well, about that…”

“?”

I-han was confused by Kainan’s hesitation.

“Did no one else show up?”

“No.”

“Then… too many?”

“That’s… one way to put it…”

“How many?”

“Everyone?”

“......”

I-han blinked.

“Everyone???”

“As far as I know, yes…” Kainan replied, looking unsure, as if he wasn’t entirely confident about the information.

“Wait, even Phoenix Tower Priests?”

“Apparently, they said they wanted to come and support you, I-han.”

“......”

For a moment, I-han wondered if he was corrupting the good-natured Phoenix Tower Priests.

‘No, this isn’t my fault. It’s the fault of those other students.’

It was the likes of Salco and Moradi who had corrupted them, not I-han—at least, that’s what he convinced himself.

*Creeak.*

Entering the storage room, I-han found representatives from each tower nervously waiting.

“You made it, Wardanas?”

“Everyone’s really coming along?”

“Last I checked, yes.”

Siana Priest and Tijilling Priest nodded.

“They’re all coming.”

“We did warn them that they could end up in the punishment room, but they insisted they had to see it…”

“......”

Despite a twinge of guilt, I-han managed to shake it off and nodded.

“Good work gathering them this way; it would’ve drawn attention otherwise.”

“Right. So, the plan…”

Giselle tossed a thick stack of papers his way.

The plans had been reviewed and improved by students from every tower over the past week, and they now looked well-worn.

*Black Tortoise Tower students prepare outfits in advance (change immediately upon exit—avoid looking like students!).*

*Proceed to Blue Dragon Tower family residences to secure funds (plenty if possible).*

*White Tiger Tower and Phoenix Tower students request companions from knights and priests (choose discreet people).*

*Split up to avoid detection…*

I-han nodded after reading it. Since they’d reviewed it several times already, nothing surprised him.

“I’ll add a few more things.”

“What?”

“We’re using the permits too.”

With so many leaving to gather supplies, suspicion was inevitable. To avoid that, I-han planned to send multiple groups to divert attention.

“You’re going out, Wardanas?”

“No, I need to stay and keep the portal open. Plus, if I use the permit, the principal will likely catch on. He’s already been suspicious lately.”

The Skull Principal was now highly alert due to several previous unauthorized excursions.

As soon as he used the permit, the principal would probably assign someone to tail him, suspecting that he’d found yet another escape route.

“Have some of the priests go—they’ll be less suspicious.”

I-han decided to send priests with the permits. They were the least likely to draw attention when leaving and returning.

Siana Priest, with a serious expression, responded, “I’ll do my best.”

“?”

I-han paused, realizing what she meant, and quickly clarified.

“Oh, actually, Siana Priest, I’d prefer if you took the portal. It’s just that someone trustworthy needs to stay on this side. It’s not that I don’t trust you. Understood

?”

“Ah, if that’s the case, I understand.”

*Too easy,* he thought.

Tijilling Priest gave I-han an incredulous look, but he ignored it.

“Priests with permits will make normal purchases, while the rest will go through the portal one by one. Understood?”

“Got it.”

The students’ eyes shone with determination. For them, everything they’d learned this year had led up to this moment.

They were ready to put their studies to use and outsmart the conniving grand mage!

---

*Sizzle, crackle, crackle!*

The dimensional portal artifact, receiving far more mana than before, ripped open a passageway once more.

Nearby, Adenart frowned, worried by the instability of the artifact, which had visibly weakened.

She whispered cautiously, “Are you sure it’s… safe?”

“It has to be. I calculated it—don’t worry.”

“Oh, that’s… a relief.”

“...Probably.”

“?!”

Adenart looked back in shock, but the students had already begun pouring through.

With a nod, I-han gestured to the princess’s followers to move along. The princess glared at him as she was whisked away, but he ignored it.

His skill at brushing off attention had grown lately.

‘It should hold up for a round trip,’ he thought.

He just had to hope that the artifact’s original creators hadn’t botched their work.

With everything set in motion, I-han muttered to himself.

*The mad Skull won’t have a clue what we’re after. Once it’s complete, your villa will be ours!*