There was a saying that when a person loses one sense, their other senses develop further to compensate for it.
But even considering that, the senses of the warehouse keeper were astonishing.
Despite being blind, he had managed to catch Ihan and Ratford.
‘Was it his hearing? No, we didn’t make any sound.
His sense of smell? Even so, there’s so much clutter here.
Could it be... does he have the ability to detect magical energy?’
While Ihan was debating whether to confront him or run, the warehouse keeper spoke again.
“Ah, it’s the headmaster. My apologies.”
“...???”
The warehouse keeper didn’t even come closer.
He simply turned around and left.
Ratford was half-fainting from fear, but Ihan focused to understand the situation.
What’s going on?
‘Why did he mistake me for that crazy skeleton headmaster?’
If it had been any other student, they might have panicked or made a mistake in such a confusing situation.
But Ihan kept thinking stubbornly.
‘It’s because of my magical energy!’
The ability to detect magical energy.
If the warehouse keeper had found Ihan and Ratford hiding because of this ability, it made sense.
Ihan’s magical energy was, as the professors had said, overwhelmingly vast.
It was possible that the blind warehouse keeper had sensed something similar to the headmaster’s energy.
‘But does this really make sense? Even if it’s similar to the headmaster’s...’
Ihan wasn’t entirely convinced, but he decided to assume it was true for now.
They couldn’t stay here forever.
“Hey, snap out of it.”
“Huh? What just happened? How...?”
“That’s not important right now.”
There was no time to explain, and Ihan himself wasn’t entirely sure.
But to Ratford, it sounded like something else entirely.
This boy from the Wodanaz family had even prepared a way to deceive the underground warehouse keeper!
‘He’s... he’s a big deal! This guy is the real deal!’
At this point, the rumors about him were an understatement.
A freshman with the magical skill to deceive the warehouse keeper?
“I-I understand.”
“?”
Ihan was puzzled by Ratford suddenly using formal speech, but there was no time to dwell on it.
“Let’s move. Don’t touch anything here.”
“Right... if we touch anything, we might get caught. That guy was counting everything earlier.”
“Exactly. There are alarm spells set up too.”
It pained Ihan not to be able to touch the items piled up in the warehouse.
But judging from the headmaster’s sinister schemes, this warehouse was clearly a trap set to catch unsuspecting freshmen who wandered in.
In a week or two, there would surely be students who got caught and dragged away!
‘We can’t fall for it.
We need to keep moving and find a way out.’
Instead of obsessing over the warehouse, Ihan decided to focus on finding an exit.
If they could just find a way out...!
“This way!”
Ratford pressed his ear to the ground and found the direction where footsteps could be heard.
Though it was called a warehouse, its size made it feel more like a massive maze.
In such a situation, Ratford’s ability to pick up sounds was incredibly useful.
“Very impressive.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“But why are you suddenly being so formal...?”
“Please follow me.”
Ratford hurriedly moved his feet.
Staying in the warehouse too long could lead to more trouble! While Ihan wasn’t afraid, Ratford was terrified every moment they spent here.
‘I’m sure it was this way...?’
But Ratford had no choice but to stop with a bewildered expression.
They had come in the direction where the sound was coming from, but instead of a passage, there was only a solid wall.
“Are you sure it was this way?”
“Yes... it was...”
“I think I know.”
“!?”
Unlike Ratford, who had always dealt with similar locks, Ihan was from Earth.
Thanks to that, his imagination was much broader in situations like this.
“Look here. There are smudges on the wall where people have touched it. If we press here, it should open.”
“...!”
Ratford was shocked once again.
He was surprised by the secret door that opened in such a way, and even more so by the boy from the Wodanaz family who had figured it out.
How did he...!
Click!
When they pressed the smudged parts, the bricks actually slid aside, revealing a passage.
It was a long corridor, so long that the end wasn’t visible.
It was wide enough for two or three carriages to pass through, and the light reflecting off the walls and ceiling made them confident they had found the right path.
‘Finally!’
There were a few rules for the workers who transported supplies to the magic school.
Never reveal how to enter the magic school.
Never talk about what you’ve seen inside the magic school.
Never speak first inside the magic school.
There were other rules like “Be careful not to break the glass bottles” or “Don’t mishandle the scrolls,” but these were the most important ones.
The workers followed these rules more seriously than anyone else.
They didn’t want to end up locked in a mage’s workshop, turned into frogs.
It wasn’t a joke—one mistake, and they might be trapped in the magic school forever.
That was the terrifying thing about the magic school.
The nearby villagers respected the magic school, but they also feared it, and for good reason.
So when a priest and a beggar appeared at the other end of the passage, the workers didn’t say a word.
Well, they appeared!
“......”
“......”
Ihan and Ratford were quite flustered.
The carriages at the end of the passage, and the workers busily loading and unloading goods.
Even though they had openly run into them, the workers were deliberately pretending not to see them.
What’s going on?
‘Is this some kind of rule?’
Ihan quickly guessed the situation from the workers’ deliberate avoidance.
A place like the magic school couldn’t possibly have lax security.
It was only natural that the workers entering such a place wouldn’t show unnecessary interest.
‘Stay calm.
If I stay calm, they won’t notice.’
Only a handful of freshmen had ever successfully escaped the school.
The chances of the workers suspecting Ihan and Ratford of being escaping freshmen were extremely low.
As long as Ihan didn’t make any mistakes...
‘The more you act confidently, the better.’
Without changing his expression, Ihan calmly spoke.
“Can we leave now?”
“I’m sorry, Father. Please wait 30 minutes. We still have some cargo to load.”
“Understood. Can we ride with you?”
“Of course, of course.”
The worker thought Ihan was very polite and kind for a priest.
He could have just sat silently in the carriage, but he even made a request.
It never crossed his mind that Ihan might be a new freshman.
Ihan was too natural and had an air of dignity to be a fresh-faced newcomer.
None of the workers suspected Ihan.
“......”
Ratford looked at Ihan with admiration.
If he had used force or magic to subdue them, it wouldn’t have been as impressive.
But to deceive them so naturally and get what he wanted...
It was a true thief’s skill, using nothing but his demeanor and presence.
‘I still have a long way to go!’
Ratford was grateful to have witnessed a new level of thievery today.
Sometimes, a single real experience could teach more than ten years of training.
This was one of those moments.
Clunk—
The work was done, and the carriages began to move.
Out of the six carriages, Ihan and Ratford were in the last one.
Even after finishing their tasks, the workers didn’t exchange a single unnecessary word.
Seeing this, Ihan realized once again how terrifying this school was.
‘If even the external workers are managed like this...’
While the image of the school as a place for imperial talent education might seem warm and welcoming, Ihan knew the world didn’t work so simply.
This magic school was a symbol of the empire and the mages.
And both the empire and the mages had enemies.
How much must those enemies despise this magic school?
Even without considering those enemies, there were plenty of people who coveted the treasures within the school.
In a way, this level of security was only natural.
‘Though that doesn’t justify locking up freshmen and not letting them leave.’
That was clearly just the headmaster’s hobby.
The carriage in front of them suddenly stopped.
Ihan curiously peeked his head out.
“...!!!”
Surprisingly, a familiar face was boarding the front carriage.
It was Professor Troll, Garcia Kim.
‘Have we been caught?’
Ihan felt his heart sink.
But upon reflection, they hadn’t been caught yet.
If they had, the carriage would have been surrounded by now, and Ihan and Ratford would have had to raise their hands and crawl out.
So why was the professor boarding that carriage...?
‘Damn it, this is getting messy!’
Ihan quickly figured out what was going on.
The professor was human too, so of course he would go out sometimes.
It just happened to coincide with their escape.
“Is... is that... outside?”
“Shh.”
Ihan gestured for Ratford to keep his expression in check.
“We haven’t been caught yet. Let’s keep going. The village is big, and it’s dark outside. If we’re careful when we get off, we won’t be noticed.”
At Ihan’s words, Ratford nodded.
Then he was slightly embarrassed.
‘Wait, who’s the thief here?’
Shouldn’t Ratford be the one giving Ihan advice on this?
The stopped carriage clunked and started moving again.
Ihan focused, trying to remember as much as he could.
Even if things went wrong and they failed...
‘I won’t give up.’
Ihan clenched his fist, then felt a bit embarrassed.
...
What am I doing, getting so worked up about sneaking out of school late at night?
Professor Garcia carefully held the package he had received from the headmaster in both hands.
-When you go outside, the emperor’s chamberlain will be waiting.
Deliver this completed artifact to him.
Professor Garcia wasn’t going out to the village for fun.
The magic school might seem peaceful on the surface, but inside, it was like a blazing furnace.
It was only natural, given that it gathered the empire’s most talented mages in one place.
Creating and delivering artifacts for the emperor was one of the tasks the mages of the magic school had to do...
And Professor Garcia had been tasked with quietly delivering the completed artifact this time.
Uninformed people might wonder, “If it’s for the imperial family, why deliver it so quietly?” But that was a foolish question.
Delivering it openly and loudly would only bring trouble.
Useless flies would swarm.
A mage had to think practically.
Thud—
“Eek!”
“Ugh!”
The workers nearby stiffened and straightened their posture when they accidentally bumped into Professor Garcia.
He was already scary as a magic school professor, but being a troll made it even worse.
It was hard to tell which was more terrifying.
Professor Garcia chuckled.
He always found the workers’ reactions amusing.
“... Everyone, draw your weapons!”
“??”
Professor Garcia was puzzled by the worker’s shout.
Even if they were scared, wasn’t this a bit too much?
“Professor! There’s a suspicious person ahead! Please get inside the carriage!”
“...!!”
Only then did Professor Garcia realize that the atmosphere ahead was strangely tense.
‘Who on earth is out there?!’