Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 694

Chapter 694

Yi-Han's group drove the carriages through the underground passage.

Each time the solid stone floor and carriage wheels collided, echoes spread across the high ceiling of the passage.

Alde inwardly clicked his tongue at the lights illuminating the long underground passage.

It was no exaggeration to say that there were so many passages in Einroguard's underground that even the principal couldn't grasp their full number.

To think there was such a path here.

"It reminds me of the passage I found last year."

"The passage, you mean?"

Yi-Han asked, brightening.

As his junior's face moved away from pain and hatred, Alde felt slightly relieved and answered.

"Yes. Do you remember the flood last year by any chance?"

"Yes."

There was no way he could forget.

How much had Yi-Han and the 1st year students suffered?

Yi-Han even had to directly face an enraged spirit to try to solve that problem.

"Einroguard's natural disasters are painful, but at the same time, they become opportunities for students."

'He's speaking like the principal.'

Yi-Han thought that if the person in question heard this, he would burst into bitter tears.

"When the school's solid order is shaken, hidden shortcuts are revealed. It was the same then too."

"You were lucky."

"Well..."

Alde made a bitter expression.

"It was a path alright, but it happened to be a sewer where magical waste passed through. Even then, I was caught and failed."

Escapes from Einroguard always carried numerous failures and risks.

One couldn't always think there would be glory just because a path appeared.

"Junior. With your ability, you'll probably do well on your own, but never let your guard down. Einroguard is like a swamp. If you're careless, before you know it, it'll be up to your neck."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I hope nothing goes wrong."

Alde looked back with a worried expression.

He was concerned about what was ahead that they would soon enter, but in fact, he was also quite worried about what was behind.

As this plan was built on tight timing, any variable could complicate the situation.

He wasn't sure if the 1st years in charge of the rear would do as well as the junior beside him.

"It'll be fine. My friends are all as excellent as I am."

"Well, seeing the potions, they're not ordinary. Professor Uregor would be pleased."

"The priestess Siana who made that is in the rear."

"That's reassuring. What about your other friends?"

"Dolgyu is an excellent knight. He's evenly matched with me in swordsmanship."

"I see... Huh?"

Alde paused.

He thought that being evenly matched in swordsmanship with a Blue Dragon Tower student wasn't that impressive.

"I-I see. Who else?"

"Nillia is a hunter from the Shadow Patrol."

"What's the Shadow Patrol?"

"No. How can you not know about the empire's best patrollers who guard the northern mountain ranges?"

Alde was taken aback when his usually calm junior got angry.

"S-sorry. I'm from the south."

"Even if you're from the south, this is common knowledge!"

"I-I'll remember it. What about your other friend?"

"Hmm. I think I've mentioned everyone..."

Yonaire, who was driving the carriage behind, said quietly.

"Gainando."

"Ah. Gainando. Gainando is a good friend too."

"Didn't you just forg..."

"It was a mistake due to nervousness."

"So what's great about that friend?"

"Senior. Your voice is too loud. Please be quiet."

"..."

This guy?

***

"Will it be okay?"

"It'll be fine."

"Will it be okay?"

"It'll be alright."

"Will it be okay?"

"It'll be okay."

"Will it be..."

Nillia, Dolgyu, and Siana exchanged glances.

Then they quickly grabbed Gainando's arms and covered his mouth.

"Mmph! Mmph mmph!"

Even if they tried to be patient, asking if their friends who had gone in would be okay every 5 seconds was a bit too much.

When the real Gainando signaled to be released, Dolgyu carefully removed the gag.

"Gainando. If you keep doing this, we'll have no choice but to tie you up again."

"Sob sob. I'm just worried."

"I'm worried too, Gainando. But it'll be fine. Yi-Han went, didn't he?"

"I hope Yi-Han escapes even if Yonaire gets caught."

At Gainando's muttering, Nillia and Siana sent contemptuous glances.

What a trash bastard!

"You should say the senior should get caught instead."

"That's right. The senior would be fine, right?"

"Well. The senior might be okay..."

As they decided on a sacrificial lamb among themselves, faint lights began to appear in the distance.

At those lights, Nillia felt her heart sink.

"Ca... Carriages!"

"What? Impossible. It shouldn't be time yet!"

Nillia lightly jumped down from the tree and urgently whispered.

"Three. Two lanterns per carriage. They're merchant group carriages for sure."

"Damn it, Lord Flameng!"

"?"

Dolgyu doubted his ears for a moment at Priestess Siana's curse, but there was no time to ask again now.

Merchant group carriages coming at this time was the worst-case scenario among what they had anticipated.

Yi-Han had entered the merchant group and forged the principal's and Professor Beavle's signatures to deliver a fake message.

Part of that content included delaying the real carriage arrival time by about three hours.

The plan was for Yi-Han's group to quickly strike and get out using that earned time...

"It seems they want to arrive early and wait, as it's a matter of delivering supplies to Einroguard."

"Why does Einroguard have such an unnecessarily bad reputation?"

"It can't be helped. Get out what we prepared! Gainando. Can you do it?"

"W-well."

Although they had prepared, Gainando became nervous when the situation to actually do it arrived.

Dolgyu grabbed both of Gainando's shoulders and spoke firmly.

"You have to do it, Gainando! If you fail, Yi-Han might get caught!"

"O-okay. I'll do it! Let's go!"

"Good. Everyone to your positions!"

The merchant group carriages approached, rattling from afar.

Usually, the workers would hum tunes during such operations, but today they were as quiet as mice.

They just muttered very quietly.

-Please let us place it and get out safely...-

-Please let us place it and get out...-

Delivering supplies to Einroguard was scary no matter how many times they did it.

"H-help!"

"?!"

"My friend collapsed!"

Nillia jumped out and shouted to the workers.

The workers turned their gazes in bewilderment. Inside the bushes was a blond boy who had collapsed with foam at his mouth.

"What happened?"

"We came out to see the big evening primrose squirrels that only appear at night, but he accidentally ate a strange flower!"

"Why did he eat such a thing?!"

The workers unknowingly got angry.

It was so ridiculous that they got angry even though the other party seemed quite wealthy and of high status.

"I-I'm sorry. Just... it looked pretty..."

"How can you eat anything just because it looks pretty!"

The workers hurriedly ran over and checked Gainando's condition.

Gainando closed his eyes and concentrated.

'I am sick. I am sick.'

Recalling his experiences of feigning illness when he didn't want to study last year, Gainando foamed at the mouth and trembled violently.

The workers became serious at that sight.

"He seems to be in a lot of pain."

"If it's around here, could he have eaten a Kalaivi flower or a Ranaton flower?"

"Either way, we should take him to the town quickly."

After hearing the workers' report, the person in charge pondered and made a decision.

"Get on the carriage! It'll be uncomfortable since it's a cargo carriage, but we have no choice. It's fortunate we left early."

The students' faces brightened as they somehow succeeded.

They had succeeded in buying time!

Clop clop clop-

"?"

As the sound of horse hooves was heard from another direction, the workers and students turned their heads.

An unfamiliar traveler was approaching on horseback.

"Excuse me. Is there someone injured? I was passing by the upper road and it seemed like someone was hurt..."

"Are you perhaps a healing mage?"

"Yes. I'm Phil, a healing mage from Einroguard."

"Gasp!"

The workers brightened while the students despaired.

To think a senior would appear so tactlessly!

"From Einroguard! What a relief! There's someone here who collapsed after eating a strange flower!"

"Why did he eat that?!"

"We don't know either!"

"I understand. I'll come!"

As Phil began to approach, the juniors looked at each other with despairing gazes.

At that moment, Gainando whispered to Siana.

"Priestess Siana."

"Yes?"

"Th-that thing. Give it to me. Quickly."

"You don't mean..."

Siana was flustered.

There was certainly a real poison she had made at Gainando's request before departing.

A real poison that wouldn't endanger life but would cause real pain!

She thought he might use a drop or so if his acting was awkward, but now?

"Hurry!"

"H-here."

"Tell Yi-Han. I drank it heroically...!"

"I will!"

Gainando opened the lid of the real poison and gulped it down.

Then he began to foam at the mouth and convulse.

"Arghhhh!"

"Oh, my goodness! Please come quickly! The patient's condition is not good!"

Phil hurriedly arrived and checked Gainando's condition.

Then he shouted in shock. The poison components were not just one.

"How many flowers did he eat... No, how many different flowers did he eat?"

"W-we don't know either..."

"Let's go to the town! The reagents I have now might not be enough!"

"Understood!"

"Hold on a little longer! I'll treat you soon!"

As Phil held Gainando's hand tightly and shouted, the other friends watched with complex expressions.

***

-Please organize inside.-

As they arrived at the end of the underground passage, the warehouse revealed itself.

It was a warehouse Yi-Han had seen before.

'The warehouse keeper isn't here!'

Yi-Han and Alde exchanged glances.

As the Death Knights weren't very interested in organizing the warehouse, they wouldn't come inside.

Now they just had to enter the warehouse and move as quickly as possible.

Luck was on their side.

Rattle!

Yi-Han's group, like skilled workers, lifted boxes from the carriage and placed them inside the warehouse.

"Yonaire, Ratford. I'm counting on you. If we don't come back..."

"Forget it. Let's just get caught together."

"No. At least you two start the carriage. There's no point in all of us being in the punishment room."

To prepare for any situation, two people had to remain in the warehouse to make excuses.

Although the Death Knights were indifferent to such matters, it was a different story if no one was there.

"Rise, warriors made of bone."

Yi-Han summoned skeleton warriors enhanced with dark elements and called Gonadaltes to take on the role of leader.

Given the nature of the cargo they had to move, many hands were needed.

Alde was dumbfounded looking at the undead summons, then just closed his mouth.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's go!"

Yi-Han and Alde began running while carrying the cargo.

They ran through the empty underground warehouse area and climbed up the stairs, revealing the area behind the central entrance.

An empty banquet hall and large hall, and several closed doors.

"This way!"

From here on, even Alde knew the place, so they ran without hindrance.

Cross over to the front area of the central entrance and climb up to the main building's 2nd floor warehouse through the stairs!

That was the original plan...

"!"

"!!!!"

They were startled.

There was a wall where there should have been a door to cross over to the front area.

"Damn Einroguard! The location changed!"

Alde cursed.

They say Einroguard's terrain changes often, but for this place to change at a time like this!

"We need to find the door!"

"It's difficult without clues. In a situation like this..."

Despite his senior's words, Yi-Han didn't waver.

'Although they say Einroguard's main building is ever-changing, the 1st floor, which outsiders frequently access, doesn't change that easily. There must be a door not far from here.'

Yi-Han sharpened his senses and tried to feel the mana flow around him.

Where there's magic, there's a path.

If he could find something out of place, surely...

"Senior. This wall, it's not a wall but a door!"

"What?"

Alde belatedly reacted and waved his staff.

Surprisingly, his junior was right.

It wasn't a wall, but a door cleverly disguised as a wall!

If he had majored in illusion magic, he should have recognized it first, but he had made a mistake due to his anxious mind.

Alde blushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! I should have found it. I'll dispel it right away."

If he dispelled the illusion wall, a door would appear. Alde knelt on one knee and placed his staff, about to chant a spell.

"Senior. How long do you think it will take?"

"5 to 10 minutes!"

"That won't do. Let's break it with force!"

"How can you break this with force?!"

Alde's eyes widened at such a crude suggestion.

Yi-Han placed his staff and swung a mana hammer to blow away the illusion.

Thud!

The wall disappeared and a door revealed itself.

"Let's go!"

"You... what did you just..."

"It's Baldoorn's Mana Hammer!"

"...You must explain this in detail later!"

Alde ran, confused by the name of an illusion mage he had never heard of before.