While Derregu was mentally lowering his evaluation of Gainando, Nilia had already begun listing out the supplies needed for moving around late at night.
"We don't know how long we'll be out, so we need to be as prepared as possible. Sturdy boots and a few pairs of high-quality socks would be great, but..."
"We don't have anything like that," Ihan said.
The mood turned somber.
The headmaster had deliberately given them rough, worn-out clothes. Of course they didn't have proper gear.
As if she expected this, Nilia pulled out her pack.
"I made some spare boots using the hide from the beast we caught last time. And I tore up the lounge curtains to make footwraps. Here. Give me your foot."
"..."
"..."
When Ihan and Yoner didn't respond, Nilia flinched a little.
'Did I act too miserably again?'
Ever since she brought them meat, she had gotten quite close to the Black Tortoise Tower students, but she couldn't help feeling a bit of distance in conversation.
It was only natural—Nilia had been born and raised in the cold northern mountains as part of the Shadow Patrol, while the others were from a prestigious merchant family in the heart of the Empire.
—"Wow! Do you see that red flower?"
—"Yeah. That one tastes good. Sweet, too."
—"…No, I meant—it's pretty, right?"
—"It's pretty and tasty, which makes it even better, right?"
Of course, Nilia wasn't so oblivious that she didn't sense the subtle gap between them.
Ever since one awkward moment, she'd kept her mouth shut more often than not.
But now she found herself speaking again.
A mistake.
"I mean, this… I stitched it myself, but only because I had to, and..."
"That's amazing!" Ihan exclaimed.
"Yeah! Incredible!" Yoner agreed.
"!?"
Their reactions were the complete opposite of what Nilia had expected.
"You think… this is amazing?"
"Of course! You made this yourself?"
"This kind of craftsmanship isn't something just anyone can do. You sewed this all by hand, right?"
At their praise, Nilia's lips and the corners of her eyes trembled ever so slightly with delight.
"...It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal? What are you talking about?"
"Right. Who else here could even do this?"
"Nilia, you should go into business."
"Yeah, sell these to the other tower students for money!"
As the conversation took an odd turn, Nilia quickly waved her hands.
"I don't want to do business!"
"Why not?"
"What do you mean, why? Nilia, what do you have against money?"
Ihan and Yoner looked genuinely baffled, which left Nilia speechless.
'Isn't it normal not to want to do business with your friends?!'
Someone might even mistake her for a student from the Blue Dragon Tower.
"Why would I charge for something like this?! No way!"
At that, Ihan and Yoner gave her a dead serious look.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's not up to you to decide whether something's worth money—that's the market's job."
"Very wise words. You get it, right, Nilia?"
"...Can I just finish explaining, please? Hmm??"
"Oh. Sorry. Please continue."
Finally free from the business debate, Nilia cleared her throat. Her expression had brightened significantly, and her long ears perked up with satisfaction.
No matter how much you pretend otherwise, being recognized always feels good.
"But like, what's so great about this?" Gainando asked, clearly not getting it.
Whack!
Yoner smacked Gainando on the back. Ihan kicked him in the shin.
"Nilia, don't give him any. He'll only understand how great it is once his feet are blistered to hell."
"Yeah. Let him suffer a bit."
"You guys are so mean! I'm a prince, you know...!"
'Wait—he's a prince?!'
Nilia nearly jumped.
To students like Ihan and Yoner—who were used to being around triple-digit royals—a prince was just another face in the crowd. But to Nilia, it was a huge deal.
A direct bloodline of the emperor?
The very name held an air of majesty...
'...Or not.'
Getting smacked by Yoner and kicked by Ihan, he looked more like a patient than a prince.
"Hey. Do you not realize how valuable those boots and footwraps are when we might have to walk for hours? You'll be covered in blisters after just one."
"Let's just leave him behind."
"N-No! I get it! I get it now! Don't leave me!"
Once things calmed down, Ihan turned to Nilia and apologized.
"Sorry about that, Nilia. You put in so much effort and Gainando was rude."
"No, it's really fine."
"You sure? Want me to hit him again just in case?"
"Seriously, I'm fine!!"
Nilia jumped and quickly stopped them.
She genuinely wasn't upset. It was obvious Gainando had never walked long distances before—especially considering he was a prince. Of course he didn't know any better.
"Here. I also made these coats. It might be spring, but the nights are chilly. There'll be a lot of wind in this area too."
"Nilia…"
"Seriously…"
"…Could you stop reacting like that every time I say something?"
It was nice to be appreciated, but all the fuss was getting a little annoying.
"Leather backpack. We'll need it when we get to the village. And a leather canteen—I made that too."
'She really is amazing,' Ihan thought to himself, honestly impressed.
Leather, needles, and thread—she made all that alone?
Why doesn't she run a business with that kind of skill?
If it were Ihan, he'd have made a decent living from it.
When he glanced to the side, Yonere seemed to be thinking the same thing, a look of pity on his face.
"To move around for a long time in the dark, you have to keep your feet protected, prepare coats for unexpected cold, and have enough food and water..."
As she spoke, Nillia hesitated.
She was worried about the food.
While Nillia could go a whole day without eating and still climb mountains, she wasn't sure if the others could handle it too.
"I brought food. Sliced sausage and bread, goat cheese, and some dwarf-style honey candy. Will that be enough?"
"!"
Nillia was shocked.
The food Ihan had brought would serve just fine as emergency rations.
"Where did you get it?"
"I swiped it from Professor Thunderstep's cabin."
"..."
Are you sure you're not from the Azure Dragon Tower?
"Today, gathered here are my honorable friends. Knights who've sworn to follow my command."
At Gisel's words, the strong, broad-shouldered students nodded their heads.
They were the White Tiger Tower students who had chosen to trust Gisel and attempt an escape together.
They hadn't even heard any concrete plan, but seeing them all gathered like this showed just how much influence Gisel held.
There were students taller and bulkier than Gisel, some who looked much rougher, even intimidating.
But as a slender, delicate-looking elf, Gisel stood before them, undaunted.
And with a haughty, sharp voice, she declared:
"Forget about the fools and traitors who didn't show up. They'll understand soon enough."
"Of course!"
"You're right, Moradi."
"We move out in ten minutes."
There was good reason for Gisel's confidence.
If we follow the map, four hours should be enough.
Amazingly, Gisel had an escape map in her possession.
She'd found it back when she was still with the Moradi family—before entering the school!
"An Intro to Magic for Beginners, What Is Magic?, The Legend of Einroguard... Is this all there is?"
"I'm sorry, Lady Moradi."
"Bring me everything you can find. I'm not planning to get looked down on by other mages."
As a member of a knightly family, Gisel had the same concerns many others had before entering a magic academy:
Will I be able to keep up?
Unlike students from magical families, who'd studied theory for years, she'd only wielded swords all her life.
It was natural to worry.
But with her pride, Gisel refused to be underestimated. She'd studied furiously, reading every book she could get her hands on.
And tucked between those books… was the escape map.
"Escape map of Einroguard...? Who would even make something like this?"
A map detailing the exact way out of the school—
When she first saw it, Gisel had been dumbfounded.
Einroguard wasn't a school just anyone could enter.
It was the Empire's top magical academy, reserved for only the most gifted.
Who would be foolish enough to think about escaping after getting such an opportunity?
But after only one day at the school, Gisel understood why the map had been made.
Ah. Makes perfect sense now!
"On Escaping Einroguard"
Truly, I say to you: the path shown in this map is the only way to escape.
May our juniors follow the road we and our friends carved out and leave this place...
The map had been painstakingly drawn by upperclassmen—detailed, thorough, and precise.
With this map, escape was absolutely possible!
"They're moving into the mountains."
"Just as expected..."
Ihan's group, crouched low in the bushes, saw the distant flicker of torches.
The White Tiger Tower students had begun to move.
So it was the mountains, after all...
In Ihan's view, there were only two possible escape routes from the magic school.
One was the main gate and giant front wall.
It was where they'd entered, closest to the Imperial highway, and once past it, they could quickly reach a town.
But breaking through that wall or gate would be no easy task.
The other option was the vast, majestic mountain range behind the school.
The walls likely ended somewhere deep within the mountains.
If they entered cleverly enough, they might slip around them entirely.
Ihan had guessed that if Gisel really had a plan, she'd choose the latter.
The mountain forest behind the school was so thick and wild it seemed impassable at a glance,
but with a map—and skill—it was doable.
And his prediction had been right.
"They're on the move. Let's follow them!"
"Huh? Why are we going to the mountains??"
Gaynando looked confused as he followed behind.
He'd clearly expected them to use the front gate.
"We're climbing the mountains to break through."
"Huh? Why?!"
"Because that's where the path is. Derregu, take care of Gaynando."
"Got it."
Derregu nodded without hesitation.
Among them, Nillia was by far the best at navigating mountains.
Ihan and Derregu had both received solid training as knights.
Yonere, too, had wandered everywhere as a kid gathering alchemy ingredients, so he was used to long treks.
The only concern was... Gaynando!
"Huh? What do you mean, take care of me??"
"I'm right behind you, Your Highness. Breathe through your nose and don't stop walking. Now, go!"
"Wait, wha—?!"
Gaynando tried to protest, but it wasn't long before he lost the ability to ask any more questions.
"Huff... huff... huff... huff...!"
"Go!"
"Wha—go... huhh..."
"Go!"
Please... stop...!
It was a moonlit night, but faint at best.
Navigating unfamiliar mountain trails in the dark drained their stamina rapidly.
Nillia led the way, clearing obstacles and finding paths, but even so, everyone was drenched in sweat.
Amid all this, Ihan still tried to chart their route.
Thanks to brutal training under a mad professor, he had learned to sketch maps on paper even without sight.
"???"
Yonere glanced at Ihan walking beside him, disbelief on his face.
Is he using some spell like ?
If not for being from the Wordanaz family, this kind of skill was unexplainable.
"Oh—look at this."
"What is it?"
"Sleep herb. Grind it into powder and mix with water—makes you drowsy."
"Let's take it."
"Huh?"
"Let's take it. You never know when we'll need it."
"We're going to use this?"
Yonere tilted his head but tucked it away.
It's been at least an hour, Ihan thought.
"Nillia, how long do you think we've walked? It feels like over an hour."
"One hour and ten minutes," she replied, then glanced at Ihan with renewed interest.
To still have a sense of time in these mountains, without being a hunter...
At that moment, a chill shot down Ihan's spine.
A monster!? No—Nillia would have noticed... did she miss it??
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
"..."
It was the familiar laughter of a skeleton.