Damn. I should’ve stopped them.

In a way, this was his own fault. Lee Han regretted encouraging his friends to ignore the school rules and go astray.

“Hm. The professors’ commissions won’t be easy either, so is it really a good idea to take on extra work?”

“Junior, you little...!”

At Lee Han’s words, the gathered members of the Club — already hiding their faces behind masks — reacted fiercely.

For a moment, Lee Han wondered if he had accidentally revealed his true thoughts.

“A second-year already knows how to control greed?”

“You’re really going to make it big. Just what you’d expect from the guy who plundered the Principal’s villa.”

“...Haha. I’m just not naturally very greedy.”

Lee Han answered with a shameless lie.

The upperclassmen looked impressed, but none of them suggested canceling the commission.

“But we still have to take it.”

“Why?”

“Our club doesn’t pick and choose commissions.”

The Club wasn’t exactly on good terms with either the professors or the students.

When club members moved objects around inside Einroguard, they didn’t stop to check who those objects belonged to one by one.

That was why the Club maintained its reputation through sheer skill.

People who might be hated, but who still had to be called when necessary.

That was the reputation the club wanted.

“If we start filtering commissions, the information coming in becomes limited. That’s fatal for us.”

“That makes sense.”

“And the biggest reason is that they paid us a ton of gold.”

I shouldn’t have asked.

No matter how he looked at it, that last reason was clearly the most important one. Lee Han grumbled inwardly.

“Here, junior. Your share.”

“Some of the Drama Club members are my friends too. Naturally, I have to help.”

Lee Han tossed the heavy pouch of gold into his backpack and declared it solemnly.

The upperclassmen immediately started offering advice like worried seniors.

“Don’t get sentimental.”

“Friendship is friendship, but don’t let it interfere with work. Got it?”

Perhaps because he was still only a second-year, their junior still had some naïve tendencies. The upperclassmen of the Club found themselves slightly worried.

Work was supposed to be done coldly from the start.

***

The students rode in carriages through Einroguard’s main gate. By sunrise, they would probably arrive at White Sheep Gate in Granden City.

Professor Garcia gave the students instructions.

“Start casting the magic slowly.”

“Yes, Professor.”

The members of the Club raised their wands. Their masks shifted, turning into entirely different faces before settling naturally over their features.

Lee Han transformed his own mask as well. After changing clothes, he no longer looked like a ragged beggar, but an ordinary traveler.

“But, Professor.”

“What is it, Student Lee Han?”

“Well... why did you come with us, Professor?”

“What are you talking about, junior? Did you think we’d go out on external activities by ourselves?”

The upperclassmen laughed as if the question itself was strange. Professor Garcia laughed along with them.

“Student Lee Han only became a second-year recently. It’s natural that he wouldn’t know.”

“Haha. That’s true. Sometimes we forget our junior’s still a second-year.”

Am I the only one who thinks it’s strange for a professor to accompany a commission like this??

Inside the carriage, Lee Han felt his common sense crumbling apart.

To think he was the only one bothered by this.

But Professor Garcia continued as if everything were perfectly normal.

“Once you enter Granden City, stay at the . Inform me before moving positions. Purchasing items related to the commission is acceptable, but don’t overdo it.”

“We understand.”

“I’ll be staying nearby as well, so contact me immediately if something happens.”

Whenever students went outside, faculty members from Einroguard naturally accompanied them as supervisors.

And among those supervisors, Professor Garcia was considered one of the gentler and more lenient types. Even now, his words openly implied that he intended to turn a blind eye when appropriate.

As long as they didn’t act too blatantly, he clearly didn’t care if they bought a few necessary supplies before returning to school.

Isn’t this favoritism way too blatant toward the Club?

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

The Skull Principal watched the Drama Club like he wanted to kill them, yet treated the Club like this?

While Lee Han stood there in disbelief, Sebius handed him a sheet of paper filled with notes.

“Here. These are the items you need to bring back. If things get difficult or impossible, quietly let me know.”

Normally, every member of the Club handled their own assignments independently.

To thieves — no, to position-transfer specialists — incompetent partners were nothing but shackles.

Yet Sebius was telling him to speak up if things became impossible.

“Senior...”

Lee Han looked at Sebius with touched eyes.

The hamster beastman senior immediately recoiled in disgust.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry. I’ll do my best.”

“Do whatever you want. Oh, right. As for the Drama Club commission, we’ll be handling that together. We need to divide up the roles... We’ll need someone to infiltrate from the inside and help them.”

“Yes.”

Just as clapping required two hands, an escape like this also required cooperation from within.

Someone had to coordinate with the Drama Club members, relay information, and direct the operation from the inside.

“You’ll do it.”

“...What?”

Lee Han stared blankly.

“Why me? Isn’t that an important role?”

“Simple. You’re the only one here refined enough to blend in with the Drama Club.”

“...”

To bypass security and make contact with the Drama Club members, disguising themselves as refined nobles from Granden City offered the highest chance of success.

Cultured men and women who had come to enjoy a play together.

And among the members gathered here, not a single one cared about theater.

“I don’t know anything about Imperial theater either, though??”

“What are you talking about? You’re from Blue Dragon Tower.”

“That’s just the modesty unique to Blue Dragon Tower students. Pretending they don’t know things they clearly know.”

“Oh right. How could I forget?”

“...”

Lee Han cursed the upperclassmen inwardly.

Was it really acceptable to bully him like this just because he belonged to another tower?

“...Understood. I’ll infiltrate.”

“Good. We’re counting on you. Then let’s all wish each other luck. We’ll exchange information every evening on the first floor of the inn, and finish everything within this week. If this drags into next week, it’ll overlap with several other clubs...”

“Is it bad if schedules overlap with other clubs?”

Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.

Each club in Einroguard had its own business to handle, so it wasn’t unusual for several clubs to go out around the same time.

But was overlapping really such a problem?

“Yeah. If things start disappearing while a bunch of Einroguard students are outside at the same time, people get suspicious. We need to finish before that happens.”

“...”

“Alright then. Good luck, everyone!”

***

I can’t believe I got out this easily. This feels strange.

Lee Han slowly walked through Granden City’s main street, savoring a freedom he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Of course, a thorough inspection awaited him once he returned to Einroguard, so he couldn’t stockpile supplies on the same scale he had attempted at the beginning of the semester.

Still, small purchases should be manageable.

I still have plenty of supplies saved up anyway. Magic items? Nothing I urgently need right now. I’ll just buy the requested items and maybe look around for a few useful artifacts.

If this had been his first year, he would’ve been running around frantically without a moment to spare.

But now, as a second-year, Lee Han had finally accumulated enough experience and composure to remain calm.

Like an ant that had spent the entire summer preparing and could now rest comfortably.

All thanks to his relentless stockpiling and preparation.

Feeling unusually relaxed, Lee Han looked around the bustling street.

Carriages and horses of every imaginable type moved along Granden City’s main avenue while enormous crowds surged around them. The races and species were so diverse that he spotted several he had never even seen inside Einroguard.

“You lunatic! This happened because you let a boar drive the carriage!”

“My boar was trained by master mages from Ilyainas City! Your worthless horse is the problem!”

“Buy herbs certified by mages from Einroguard and Valdrogard! The Empire’s twin-carriage-certified herbs!”

“The southern bull rebellion has ended! Commemorative discount sale! Come buy!”

As Lee Han leisurely observed the scenery, he suddenly noticed the manor of House Meikin.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea to stop by his reliable friend’s household and ask for the items he needed.

I wonder if Lady Yoanen is there.

“We’ll be counting on you.”

“Yes. I’ll contact you immediately once the students arrive.”

“Kekeke... The students are about to learn another lesson.”

“...”

Lee Han froze in horror.

In the distance, Death Knights were setting up an ambush around House Meikin’s manor.

They were preparing traps in anticipation of the upcoming club activities.

If students slipped away during club business and visited their family estates, they would walk directly into those ambushes.

Why do they go this far?

Lee Han repeated the question he had already asked himself countless times.

Why did they go this far??

If there’s an ambush at House Meikin, there are probably ambushes everywhere else too. I should assume every place students might visit has already been targeted.

Faced with preparations far more thorough than expected, Lee Han decided to finish his work first instead of getting distracted by errands or artifact shopping.

He had no intention of becoming the fastest student thrown into the punishment cells because of greed.

How far does the excuse of “purchasing items for the commission” actually work? Would the Death Knights check with Professor Garcia? The professor would probably cover for me...

“!”

While turning down another street, Lee Han suddenly spotted two familiar faces.

Mr. Mrangse, who ran Mrangse Stable in the village near Einroguard, and Arien, branch manager of Kaako Trading Company, were walking along the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° road together.

“Mr. Mrangse!”

“...Who are you?”

Mrangse scratched his cheek with thick fingers, looking puzzled.

No matter how he looked at it, he had never seen this person before.

“I’m the magic school student you helped escape last time. I’m disguised right now.”

“Ah!”

The moment he heard that explanation, Mrangse immediately understood.

If it was a student who had snuck out of Einroguard, a disguise wasn’t strange at all.

Naturally, Arien understood nothing.

“Who is this?”

“The student I lent money to last year. I was really grateful back then.”

“You lent money to someone last year? Me? Wait... that person couldn’t possibly have been... Young Master Wardanaz?!”

Arien felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.

How could he possibly forget?

A son of one of the Empire’s great noble families had personally come to borrow silver coins, then bargained so ruthlessly that even veteran merchants were left speechless.

The entire situation had been so absurd that he and the other employees had genuinely discussed whether the boy might actually be an impostor pretending to be from House Wardanaz.

If the borrowed silver hadn’t been repaid during vacation alongside a proper letter, he might have truly believed it.

“How did you manage to get out again?”

“This time I officially came out through club activities.”

“Ah... I see...”

Arien answered instinctively, then suddenly realized something strange.

If this was official club business, why was he disguised?

“...Please, come with us! I’d like to buy you a drink.”

Arien quickly buried his doubts and guided Lee Han toward the famous Granden City café, .

For merchants, what mattered was value, not inconvenient truths.

And honestly, if a student happened to escape while outside for club activities...

“Ah, could we possibly sit by the second-floor window overlooking the street?”

“Of course.”

Though puzzled by the odd request, Arien accepted without hesitation.

Mages were difficult people to understand in the first place.