Chapter 556
"Is everyone in? I'm going in too."
Since the number of students wanting to go was large, they couldn't all go at once.
Yi-Han divided the students and organized parties in turns. The advance party that would enter first had to be outstanding in skill and adaptable among the students.
And of course, Yi-Han was included in that.
Because he knew well that if he wasn't there, Salko and Jijel would grab each other's collars and fight.
"According to the calculations, it should be maintained continuously. If it closes, don't even come near here and go back to the dormitory and pretend you don't know."
"Wa-Wardanaz. Still, how can you..."
"The living must live. It can't be helped."
To his friends who were hesitating in shock, Yi-Han spoke firmly.
If the realm gate closed, the students who had crossed over had to find their own way back to the academy.
How could the students at the academy save them?
"Then... I'm going."
Pat!
As he stepped into the realm gate, he felt a sensation similar to entering the spirit realm or undead realm before.
A bizarre sensation of moving through a completely different realm while having the same phase.
When the moment that felt like eternity quickly ended, an unfamiliar mansion corridor unfolded in front of Yi-Han.
"Wardanaz."
"...Everyone arrived safely."
The friends who had entered first nodded their heads with tense faces.
No matter what, there was no student who wouldn't be nervous after entering the skull principal's villa.
"Everyone, stay calm."
"Ca-calm?"
"I-I'm calm too. Wardanaz."
'Your hands are shaking...'
Seeing even friends like Salko and Jijel trembling with tension, he thought he should relieve the tension.
"If we follow the plan, there's no need to worry about getting caught. Now. Everyone take a deep breath. Quickly check the structure of the mansion and change clothes, then go out."
"Are we really going to leave the items in the mansion?"
"No. That's crazy."
Ratford had a sad expression. Surprisingly, not only Ratford but also some of the other students were openly expressing regret.
It wasn't simply because they coveted the treasures in the mansion.
"But Wardanaz. If not now, we might never be able to raid the principal's mansion in our lifetime..."
"That's right. If we're going to the punishment room anyway, wouldn't it be right to raid it and go?"
The desperation that if not now, they might never be able to steal the skull principal's treasures in their lifetime.
And the determination that they were already half-prepared to go to the punishment room since they had jumped into this kind of thing in the first place.
It wouldn't be surprising if there were many students who thought, 'Since it's come to this, let's deal the maximum damage to the skull principal.'
But Yi-Han was still cold-hearted.
"No. Everyone follows the plan. Ignore what the seniors left behind. We're going in the direction with the lowest possibility of getting caught. Got it?"
As the one who had the most experience escaping here, Yi-Han knew it well.
That there was nothing more dangerous than acting emotionally during an escape.
'We need to grasp the structure as quickly as possible and escape to the city. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it becomes. Moreover, if the treasures disappear too...'
"Yeah. Listen to Wardanaz. He's the one who has escaped the most among us. No one can match his cunning."
"I'll acknowledge Wardanaz's criminal skills, if nothing else."
"Thank you, everyone. ...Wait. Did you just insult me?"
Salko and Jijel simultaneously shook their heads at Yi-Han's question.
"No."
"No. There's a misunderstanding."
"It sounded like an insult... Anyway, let's move. Everyone stick close."
After gathering his friends close, Yi-Han was about to prepare to cast invisibility magic when he froze on the spot.
Mercenaries had appeared from the opposite end of the corridor.
***
Prejudiced people in the empire thought mercenaries were no different from criminals.
During the day, they would hold weapons and listen to the client's words, but at night, they would turn their weapons around and plunder the client.
Of course, the mercenaries vehemently denied such prejudice.
-What slander against the soldiers who are dedicated to justice from the snowy mountains of the empire's harsh north to the burning deserts of the south!-
-Of course, one of my colleagues was caught attacking a client, but that's only a small minority!-
-Yeah, yeah! Last time, one of my colleagues was also caught stealing, but that's a very exceptional case!-
'This is bad!'
"Catch those bastards and take them hostage... Ugh!"
The mercenary who tried to declare an attack a beat late was pierced by lightning and collapsed on the spot.
The way he couldn't get up, trembling all over his body, it seemed he had been hit properly.
"Shield-bearers to the front!"
"Sh-shield-bearers! Yes. Shield-bearers to the front!"
Ironically, it was thanks to the Death Knights who had exploited them that the mercenaries, who were startled by the fact that the mage had taken the initiative, were able to move in an organized manner.
Thanks to the harsh training to be able to face mages, they were able to move instinctively even in this situation.
The mercenaries carrying tough wooden shields treated against magic stepped forward and quickly formed a shield wall.
And the mercenaries behind them prepared for long-range attacks. Crossbows were loaded and poisoned daggers were drawn.
Seeing that, Yi-Han's expression also turned sharp.
'As expected, they're trained guys!'
"Wa-Wardanaz. Is it really okay to attack so recklessly like this?"
"They're criminals caught by the principal anyway. Attack!"
"What? How do you... O-okay. Attack! Attack!"
The reason Yi-Han took the initiative was simple.
He had seen those mercenaries before in the warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
The criminals the skull principal had brought to attack the freshmen.
Once he recognized them, there was no need for them to hesitate to take the initiative. Weren't they the ones they would have fought at school anyway?
"Fog, spread. Arise, warriors made of bones!"
Yi-Han quickly swung his staff to summon fog between the corridors and summoned skeleton warriors to march forward.
As the black skeleton warriors formed ranks and advanced through the fog, the mercenaries felt a strong sense of pressure.
The situation had changed once again in the blink of an eye!
"Th-this is..."
"How... how...!"
The mercenaries thought the Death Knight was making things up and abusing them when he nitpicked their tactics.
-Slow and dull. And you only have one method prepared? You're going to face a mage with just that?-
Because they were experienced mercenaries, they had also faced mages on the battlefield.
Most mages didn't show much strength in sudden combat situations.
Their casting speed was slow, their awareness of their surroundings was lax, they couldn't respond well when attacks flew in...
They thought that once they blocked a spell, they could immediately counterattack and subdue the mage from then on.
However, the mage in front of them now showed no gaps at all.
When they raised their defense and tried to buy time, he instantly matched their tactics, raised his defense, and prepared for a prolonged battle.
Seeing the skeleton warriors advancing through the fog, their thoughts became complicated.
'Should we fight? How strong are these guys?'
'Can we break through this and reach those spell-casting bastards?'
At that moment, a barrage of magic from the students began to fly in.
In the time Yi-Han had bought, the students' magic had been completed.
Boom boom boom boom!
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
Even though they had set up a defensive wall against magic, there was bound to be an impact when more than a dozen mages were firing magic.
Mercenaries whose shields were shattered or who were blown away by the impact began to appear.
Jijel glanced at Yi-Han as she watched the opponents fall.
'Are they really criminals...?'
She suspected that Wardanaz had simply shouted that they were criminals to make it easier to attack them.
'...Probably not. There's no way to confirm it now anyway.'
"They're running away!"
The students shouted as they saw the enemies at the end of the corridor hastily retreating to the stairs.
Yi-Han gave a cold order.
"Catch them! Don't let a single one escape!"
"...Wardanaz. Are they really criminals?"
"I told you they're criminals? Salko. Why do you keep asking unnecessary questions?"
"Ah, no. It's nothing."
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