Chapter 27: "These bad kids should be thankful we gave them sleeping herbs instead of poison!" Nilia said with a huff.

She was furious with the White Tiger Tower students after hearing what had happened to Yihan and Yonell.

"Picking a fight with Wodanaz, who did nothing wrong!"

"Well, it's not like I did nothing wrong. I did sneak into the White Tiger Tower's swordsmanship class," Yihan admitted.

"Huh? Wait, why is that wrong...?"

"But that's not the point," Yihan continued, ignoring Nilia's wide-eyed, incredulous stare.

"Anyway, Derku. I know you're shocked, but I hope you understand that this isn't cowardly or dishonorable. It's strategy."

"Y-yeah. The ones who got tricked are the fools," Nilia chimed in.

As a hunter, this level of retaliation was nothing to her.

"I still think it should've been more honorable..."

"Tsk, Derku. You're thinking too narrowly about honor. Look at the result. If we had fought and caused a commotion, we'd all have been caught, and everyone would've been embarrassed. But thanks to the sleeping herbs in the water, we ended things without anyone losing face. We didn't get caught, and those guys will return to school unharmed. Isn't that honorable?"

"Is... is that so?"

"It's honor. Definitely honor," Nilia backed him up.

Yonell and Gainando also nodded in agreement.

"That does seem like an honorable move."

"Even the imperial palace would consider this honorable, right?"

"I... I guess so."

Like ink slowly staining paper, Derku was gradually being influenced by Yihan's way of thinking without even realizing it.

Tap tap tap tap— The sound of undead approaching from a distance made Yihan nod.

"Suppression complete."

The bone trackers didn't find it strange that the White Tiger Tower students had fallen asleep.

As low-intelligence undead summons, they couldn't distinguish such things.

'Now we just have to wait,' Yihan thought, confident that the bone trackers would soon disperse.

With their targets—the White Tiger Tower students—all captured, there was no reason for them to stay.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check out the area while we wait," Yihan said, carefully heading toward the direction of the fortress wall.

The unexpected commotion had ruined their original plan to escape the school, but they couldn't just return empty-handed. 'We need to check something.'

He wanted to see how far the massive fortress wall surrounding the school grounds extended into the mountain range.

And whether there was really no way to escape.

The other students followed Yihan cautiously.

Even though the bone trackers had disappeared, the dark forest ahead was dense, and the higher they climbed, the steeper and more overgrown the terrain became.

"It's... too dark."

"This is dangerous. We might fall."

To make matters worse, the White Tiger Tower students who had been carrying torches were gone, leaving the surroundings even darker.

"Wodanaz, we need to light a fire."

"Isn't that risky?"

"There are so many obstacles around here, so it should be fine."

"Alright. Light, come forth!"

With Yihan's incantation, a bright light enveloped the area, as if it were midday.

Seeing this, Nilia suddenly grew uneasy.

Theoretically, with the distance and the dense foliage, the light shouldn't be visible from below... but Yihan's spell was too intense.

'Please don't let us get caught.'

"Put out the fire, young students. You're disturbing our sleep."

"!!!"

A deep, resonant voice, filled with magic, echoed from within the forest.

The students, already traumatized by the crazy headmaster, couldn't help but be shocked.

Was there a trap here too?

"Who are you?" Yihan was the first to regain his composure and speak.

'If it were the headmaster's summon, it would've attacked us by now.'

"I'll ask the questions first. Since you students have come here, I'll treat you as guests if you answer correctly. But if you get it wrong, you'll be treated as intruders.

Now... no need to be nervous. It's a really easy question. A dwarf lit five candles in his room late at night.

A strong wind blew through the window and extinguished one candle. Shortly after, a guest dwarf drinking beer in the next room slammed the door open, extinguishing another candle. To prevent more candles from going out, the dwarf closed the window and door.

The next morning, how many candles were left?"

'This is a trap,' Yihan realized.

At first glance, it seemed like three candles would remain since two had been extinguished.

But candles burn out over time, so by morning, there would be none left.

"Three!" Gainando blurted out without thinking.

Yihan was horrified.

"!"

"Correct."

"... Wait, shouldn't the candles have burned out by morning?" Yihan couldn't help but ask.

The voice replied, sounding puzzled, "Of course, when posing such a riddle, we'd use magic candles that don't burn out. Isn't that obvious?"

"......"

Yihan cursed inwardly. 'This ridiculous magical society.'

It really was as simple as the voice had said.

"Since you answered correctly, I'll treat you as guests. But... it's been a while since I've had visitors, and it feels a bit lacking to end it here. How about answering one more question? Even if you get it wrong, I'll still treat you as guests. But if you get it right, I'll give you a gift."

"We're ready," Yihan replied immediately, without hesitation.

Missing such an opportunity would be foolish.

"In the morning, there is a large figure. At noon, it becomes smaller. In the afternoon, it grows large again. At night, it disappears. Who is this?"

The students hesitated, caught off guard by the unexpected riddle.

'What is it?'

'I have no idea.'

Gainando, who had gained confidence from the previous correct answer, shouted again, "It's a monster that's big in the morning and afternoon but small at noon!"

"... Wrong."

"Why?! Oh, I forgot to mention it disappears at night..."

"Wrong, I said."

"Is the answer... a shadow?"

"Correct!"

"!!!"

The friends stared at Yihan in shock.

"How did you get that?"

It was a very famous riddle, one of the Sphinx's riddles.

Not wanting to explain his past life knowledge, Yihan simply said, "I focused my mind and let wisdom guide me to the answer."

Vague answers always tend to be interpreted favorably.

The voice seemed deeply impressed by Yihan's response.

"Excellent. Welcome, clever young students."

The densely packed trees suddenly parted, and the surrounding terrain began to shift like mist clearing.

A clearing filled with thick, magical greenery and an otherworldly aura appeared before them.

Yihan and his friends were greeted by a talking oak tree.

Deep in the forest lived all sorts of monsters, spirits, and other mysterious beings.

The oak tree before them was one of them.

"You all look very tired. Drink this."

The talking oak tree extended a branch, offering a wooden cup filled with a cold, green liquid.

'The smell isn't great,' Yihan thought.

It looked and smelled like plant sap, but the magical energy it exuded was potent.

He cautiously took a sip.

"!"

It felt as if all the fatigue in his muscles had melted away.

Like drinking ice-cold water after running on a hot summer day, the green beverage had a refreshing effect.

The coolness sliding down his throat! Despite its bitterness, the effect was undeniable.

"It's a drink made from the sap of the forest trees. Do you like it?"

"Yes, it's delicious. Could I have some more?"

"Help yourself."

Yihan filled a leather pouch with the sap.

Given the harsh school environment, he needed to stock up whenever he could.

While Yihan was busy, the other students continued asking the oak tree questions.

Being in a mysterious clearing known only to the forest spirits, they couldn't help but be curious.

"What is this place?"

"Are there other trees here?"

"Hey, is there any food? This is too bitter. Do you have any sweet fruits or something?"

As the friends chattered, Yihan also asked the oak tree a question.

He couldn't miss this opportunity.

"May I ask a few questions?"

"Go ahead. But first, introduce yourself."

"My name is Yihan."

The oak tree was intrigued.

It was rare for a noble boy to introduce himself by name rather than his family.

"Your family?"

"The Wodanaz family."

Thud— The oak tree took a step back.

Yihan felt slightly wronged.

"My apologies. It's not your fault, but your family's reputation precedes you. The Wodanaz family has produced many great mages."

"Is that so?"

"And many mad mages as well."

"......"

"Introducing yourself by name rather than your family... Impressive. You'll become a great mage. But what brings you students here in the middle of the night?"

Yihan replied without hesitation, "We were enjoying a night stroll."

"......"

Yonell, standing nearby, bit his lip to keep from laughing.

Of course, the talking oak tree wasn't fooled by such a lie.

"Ah. You're looking for a way out of the school, aren't you? But judging by the moon's phase, it's the first week for new students. Are you already trying to escape in your first week?"

"... There are some circumstances."

The oak tree was already marveling.

"Trying to escape in the first week... This year's new students are impressive."

'Damn it.' Yihan gave up on explaining.

"Mr. Talking Oak Tree. If so many students have tried to escape before, could you give us some advice on how to do it?"

"I've lived in this forest for hundreds of years. I've seen many students try to leave this school. It's not impossible, but it's beyond the capabilities of new students like you."

The oak tree didn't seem inclined to share more.

Yihan, who hadn't expected much to begin with, decided to ask a different question.

"If we keep going in this direction, can we climb the mountain and get out?"

"That would be difficult. There's a fortress wall."

"... There's a fortress wall here too??"

"Yes. And it's enchanted. If you try to climb it recklessly, you'll regret it."

Yihan was stunned.

The fortress wall extended deep into the steep mountain range they had been climbing for hours.

It was truly impressive!

'Finding a gap in the wall to escape is practically impossible.'

Climbing or bypassing the wall was out of the question.

The oak tree advised, "Don't try to force your way out as a new student. It's far too dangerous. The mountains are quiet now, but in a few weeks, the dormant monsters will awaken."

"Thank you for the advice."

The oak tree looked into Yihan's eyes.

Even after hearing such warnings, Yihan showed no sign of wavering.

Instead, his eyes burned with determination.

The oak tree was impressed.

"Here's a riddle for you. The Black Axe tribe orcs, the Red Feather tribe orcs, the White Eagle tribe orcs, and the Green Frog tribe orcs gathered for a feast. A mischievous goblin joined them and ate and drank to his heart's content. How did the goblin manage to do that?"

"...?"

"???"

The students were baffled by the oak tree's riddle.

Gainando spoke up, "Was the goblin popular?"

The oak tree ignored him as if it hadn't heard.