"Is everyone in? I’m going in now."

There were too many students trying to go at once, so they couldn’t all go through together.

I-han organized them into small groups, creating staggered parties. The first wave had to consist of the most skilled and quick-witted students.

Naturally, I-han was part of this initial group.

He knew well that without him, Salco and Giselle would be at each other’s throats in no time.

"The gate should stay open as calculated. If it closes, don’t even think about trying to get back in. Just go back to the dorms and act like you don’t know a thing."

"W-woah, Wardanas. How can you say that so..."

"The living have to live. There’s no other choice."

I-han’s voice was firm as he addressed his hesitant, shocked friends.

If the dimensional gate closed, the students who went through would have to find their own way back to the academy.

No one left at the school would be able to rescue them.

"Well then... let’s go."

*Flash!*

As I-han stepped into the dimensional gate, he felt the same sensation as when he’d previously entered the spirit realm or the undead domain.

It was a peculiar feeling—moving through a dimension that shared the same spatial plane but was fundamentally different.

The moment, which felt like an eternity, ended abruptly, and a long corridor in an unfamiliar mansion stretched before him.

"Wardanas."

"...Everyone made it through safely."

The friends who’d gone through first nodded, their faces tense.

After all, they were entering the Skull Principal’s villa. No student could help but feel nervous.

"Stay calm, everyone."

"I-I’m calm."

"I-I am calm too, Wardanas."

*Your hands are shaking...*

Seeing his friends like Salco and Giselle trembling with nerves, I-han decided he needed to calm them down.

"Stick to the plan, and we won’t have to worry about getting caught. Now, everyone, take a deep breath. Let’s quickly check the layout of the mansion, change our clothes, and get moving."

"Are we really leaving everything in the mansion untouched?"

"No way. That’s insane."

Ratford had a sad look on his face. Surprisingly, a few other students also seemed visibly disappointed.

It wasn’t just the treasure in the mansion they longed for.

"But Wardanas, we might never get another chance to loot the Principal’s villa..."

"Yeah, if we’re going to end up in the Punishment Room anyway, shouldn’t we at least make it worth it?"

The desperation of never again getting the chance to rob the Skull Principal was real.

And, to be fair, many of them had already resigned themselves to a potential trip to the Punishment Room for their actions here.

It wasn’t surprising that some students were thinking, *If we’re already in trouble, why not hit the Principal where it hurts?*

But I-han stayed level-headed.

"No. Stick to the plan. Ignore whatever the seniors might have said. We’re taking the route with the lowest chance of getting caught. Got it?"

As the one with the most escape experience, I-han understood this better than anyone.

Nothing was more dangerous in an escape than acting on impulse.

*We need to map the place quickly and get to the city. The longer we stay, the riskier it gets. And if the treasure goes missing...*

"Right, listen to Wardanas. He’s the one who’s made the most escapes among us. No one else is as cunning."

"I might not know much, but I’ll give him credit for his skill in criminal activities."

"Thanks, everyone... Wait a second, did you just insult me?"

Salco and Giselle shook their heads in unison.

"No."

"Of course not. You must have misunderstood."

"...It sounded like an insult. Anyway, let’s move. Stick close together."

Gathering his friends closer, I-han prepared to cast invisibility but froze in place.

Mercenaries appeared at the end of the corridor.

---

The empire’s prejudiced citizens often thought of mercenaries as no different from criminals.

By day, they wielded weapons and followed their employers’ orders, only to turn their blades against those same employers by night.

Of course, mercenaries vehemently denied these accusations.

"From the frozen mountains of the north to the blazing deserts of the south, we’re soldiers devoted to justice. How dare you slander us like that?"

"Sure, one of my comrades did get caught trying to rob an employer, but that was an exception!"

"Yeah, yeah! My buddy got caught stealing recently, but that was a rare case!"

Unfortunately, those mercenaries captured by the Skull Principal’s Death Knights fit these "exceptions" perfectly.

They were men who had once lived strictly by the law of the empire but had been burdened by misunderstandings and ill luck, making them appear as if they were criminals.

As such, when the Death Knights apprehended them, they protested vehemently.

"Let us go, you undead fiends, or I’ll tear your master to pieces!"

"Curse you, filthy necromancer, digging up graves and robbing corpses!"

When the Death Knights revealed their master’s identity, the mercenaries offered slightly more polite objections.

"...This is going too far!"

"If you want us to fight a mage, fine! Just let us prepare!"

When the Death Knights locked them in storage and swung weapons at anyone who resisted, the mercenaries’ complaints became considerably more refined.

"How much longer do we have to do this?"

"How much more training do we need? Any mage would go down with an arrow to the neck..."

But no matter how elegant their objections, the Death Knights didn’t release them easily.

"Silence. You still have far to go. Among your targets, there are mages far more skilled than you can imagine. Train harder."

"A-are you serious?"

As time passed, the Death Knights selected only those who met their standards, transferring them to the villa.

Even though they’d "passed the test," the mercenaries’ anxiety only deepened.

"What could they want us for? Are they planning to make us assassinate another mage?"

"Damn it, if it’s an assassination, they won’t let us live even if we succeed!"

"The ones who didn’t make it have probably already been cursed by that mage and turned to stone..."

Cornered, even a rat will bite the cat.

It was no surprise, then, that these mercenaries began preparing for an escape, disregarding the Death Knights’ orders.

However, escaping was easier said than done.

"You rat! You said you’ve unlocked thousands of locks but can’t handle a single door?"

"Why don’t you do it yourself, then? It’s impossible! It’s like they’ve welded it shut!"

"I scaled the wall and tried to jump, but I just bounced off like there was some invisible barrier."

"That crazy mage’s magic is even blocking the air! What kind of psychopath..."

"Let’s dig under! We can dig a tunnel and get out that way."

"That’s blocked too... He even warded the ground with magic. This damned mage!"

Every attempt the mercenaries thought of was thwarted.

The Death Knights, aware of this, ignored the dug-up soil or the scuffed door each evening.

Instead, they monitored the mercenaries' skills and punished those who hadn’t improved.

"Spend less time on useless activities and train. You trash!"

"With your current skills, you wouldn’t even survive against a summoned creature, let alone a mage!"

The more they suffered under the Death Knights, the more desperate the mercenaries became to escape.

Who knew what might happen if they stayed any longer?

"Let’s search the villa. Maybe the mage left something behind."

"Check everything! Behind the mirrors, under the beds—turn this place upside down!"

"Are we allowed in here? Didn’t the Death Knights say this area was off-limits?"

"They won’t be back for a while. Just get in! We’re already dead men walking."

With reckless resolve, the mercenaries ventured into forbidden parts of the mansion.

Their courageous search ended abruptly.

At the top of the stairs, a group of Einroguard students awaited them.

---

"......"

"......"

The students and the mercenaries froze in silence.

With so much at stake, both groups found their minds racing to decide their next move.

*Are we caught? Who are they? The Principal’s minions?*

*Are we discovered? Who are they? The mage’s underlings?*

The students debated retreating through the dimensional gate or, if it came to it, pushing through the mansion to escape, Punishment Room be damned.

The mercenaries, on the other hand, considered whether to fall back or take these mage apprentices hostage.

The first to act was I-han.

"Attack!"

"What?"

"I said attack! Smite them with Perkuntra’s lightning!"

As I-han’s incantation echoed through the hall, lightning struck, and the mercenaries realized their grave mistake.

They had lost the initiative against a mage!

*We’re in trouble!*

"Take them hostage and... Gah!"

A mercenary, a moment too late to give the order, was struck by the lightning and collapsed, twitching on the ground.

"Shield-bearers, forward!"

"S-shield-bearers! Yes, shield-bearers, move up!"

The mercenaries’ quick reorganization, though disoriented, was ironically thanks to the harsh training of the Death Knights.

Because they had been rigorously trained to confront mages, they instinctively fell into formation even under pressure.

The mercenaries carrying tough wooden shields resistant to magic formed

 a wall, and those behind prepared ranged attacks. Crossbows loaded, poison-laced daggers drawn.

Seeing this, I-han’s expression grew sharp.

*They’re trained, after all!*

"W-Wardanas, are you sure we should be going all out like this?"

"They’re criminals captured by the Principal himself. Attack!"

"What? How do you... Alright. Attack! Everyone, attack!"

I-han’s reason for initiating was simple.

He had seen these mercenaries before, outside the storage warehouses at the edge of town.

The Skull Principal had brought these criminals to assault the first-year students.

Since he’d recognized them, he didn’t need to hold back. These were enemies they would have fought at school anyway.

"Mist, spread forth; rise, warriors of bone!"

I-han swiftly swung his staff, summoning a dense mist and conjuring skeletal warriors to advance.

The mercenaries felt the heavy pressure of dark figures advancing in formation through the mist.

The situation had changed in the blink of an eye.

"This... This can’t be..."

"H-how..."

The mercenaries had assumed the Death Knights’ criticism was exaggerated.

*Slow, clumsy... only one method? And you think that’s enough to face a mage?*

As seasoned mercenaries, they had fought mages before.

Most mages were not formidable in sudden combat scenarios. Slow casting, weak awareness of surroundings, and poor reactions to incoming attacks...

They had thought that once they blocked a spell, they could counter and subdue him immediately.

But the mage before them left no opening.

Seeing their defensive stance, he quickly adapted, raising his own defenses and preparing for a long-range confrontation.

Watching the skeletal warriors advancing through the mist, the mercenaries’ thoughts tangled.

*Should we fight? Just how strong are these things?*

*Can we break through and reach that caster?*

At that moment, the students unleashed a barrage of spells.

While I-han bought them time, the students completed their magic.

*BOOM! BOOM!*

"Ugh!"

"Arrgh!"

Even though they had a defensive wall, the barrage from more than a dozen mages had its impact.

Some mercenaries had their shields broken or were thrown back by the impact.

Giselle glanced at the fallen enemies, then looked at I-han.

*Are they really criminals...?*

She wondered if Wardanas had simply shouted "criminals" to justify the attack.

*...Probably not. Besides, there’s no way to check now.*

"They’re retreating!"

The students shouted as they saw the mercenaries scrambling back toward the stairs.

I-han issued his command coldly.

"Don’t let a single one escape! Capture them all!"

"Wardanas... they’re really criminals, right?"

"They’re criminals! Salco, stop asking pointless questions."

"Oh, right. Sorry, nothing..."