The figure standing in the middle of the road appeared to be an ordinary traveler, but he was anything but ordinary.
No ordinary traveler would block the path on a dimly lit evening on a deserted imperial road.
Though his face was partially hidden beneath a cloak and coat, the fierce glint in his eyes was unmistakable.
The voices of the workers grew louder and more aggressive.
"Last warning! Reveal yourself now!" When no response came, the workers immediately fired their crossbows.
With a sharp twang, the bolts shot forward.
Thud! Instead of the sound of a body being pierced, the bolt struck something solid.
The workers, undeterred, quickly reloaded their crossbows.
These were no ordinary workers transporting goods for the magic academy.
They were trained to protect the cargo and fight if necessary.
Many of them were former imperial adventurers, mercenaries, or soldiers.
Even in such a situation, they didn’t panic.
With practiced movements, they leaped out of the carriage and aimed their crossbows at the enemy.
"Fire!"
"Foolish fools. Do you even know who you’re siding with?" The figure spoke in a deep, rough voice that sounded even more sinister in the darkness.
"You’re siding with the mages who are corrupting the empire. Free yourselves before you’re ensnared by their evil magic!"
"By the ancestors’ beards! Anti-magic extremists!" one of the dwarf workers shouted in alarm.
The anti-magic extremists of the empire were notorious even among the empire’s many villains.
As their name suggested, they despised all forms of magic.
Magic disrupts order, destroys nature, and corrupts humanity! But their hatred didn’t stop at mere dislike.
They often attacked mages and magic academies.
The reason these violent individuals were lying in wait here was clear.
"In the name of the Twilight Dawn!" they shouted in unison.
As soon as the warning ended, the attackers charged forward.
The moonlight glinted off their sharp weapons, and the workers swallowed hard.
"Barrier of Order!" A powerful wave of magical energy surged, and a massive magical shield formed around the carriages.
The charging enemies were thrown back, coughing up blood.
Professor Garcia’s magic had taken effect.
"Ooooh!"
"As expected of the professor!" The armed workers marveled at the might of the magic.
However, Professor Garcia’s expression was grim.
Many mistook him for a combat expert due to his appearance, but the truth was, he had no talent for battle.
There was a common misconception that high-level mages were also skilled in combat, but that was far from the truth.
Magic and combat were entirely separate domains.
A mage who had spent his life researching magic at a desk would find it difficult to maintain composure and cast spells in the chaos of battle.
A single lapse in concentration or a mistake could lead to disastrous results.
Magic was a double-edged sword, dangerous in the wrong hands.
That’s why mages trained specifically for combat were called "battle mages."
‘We need to buy time,’ Professor Garcia thought.
He swung his staff, and birds made of light soared into the sky.
These birds would alert the other professors at the magic academy of the current situation.
"Rotting bones, withering muscles!" The attackers near the barrier screamed in agony as cursed magical energy wrapped around their bodies, weakening them.
"Activate!" But the enemy was no pushover.
Professor Garcia’s face darkened.
The empire’s mages were not to be underestimated, and the anti-magic extremists who had been attacking them knew exactly how to deal with mages.
A low, rumbling vibration shook the air, and the surrounding magical energy began to churn violently.
It was then sucked into a single point.
"!!!" The Barrier of Order that Professor Garcia had erected melted away like snow in summer.
The sheer power of it left the professor in shock.
‘An ancient artifact!’ There were ways to counter magic.
The empire had metals that could absorb or repel magical energy, and there were spells to dispel magic.
But there was no method that could absorb such a vast amount of magical energy all at once.
Only one thing in the empire could perform such a miracle—an ancient artifact.
These treasures, often found in ruins or dungeons, contained forgotten mysteries and knowledge from ages past.
Who would have thought that such an artifact would fall into the hands of these extremists?
"Professor! Fall back!" The workers tried to pull Professor Garcia back as the barrier disappeared and the enemies began to close in again.
Garcia attempted to cast another spell, but before he could, his magic unraveled, and his energy was sucked toward the artifact.
"You evil mage! You shall be punished!" One of the attackers drew his sword and swung it at Garcia.
Crack!!!! In that instant, the attacker’s head was sent flying.
"...?!"
"???!" Both Professor Garcia and the workers were stunned.
What had just happened?
‘This is definitely not the headmaster’s trap,’ thought Yi Han, who had been listening from the carriage behind.
Hearing the name "Twilight Dawn" left no room for denial.
If the headmaster had set a trap this elaborate, Yi Han might as well resign himself to being a graduate student forever.
The Twilight Dawn was the largest and most vicious group of anti-magic extremists in the empire.
As a member of one of the empire’s prestigious magical families, Yi Han had heard of them before.
He just never expected to encounter them here.
"Uh, what are you going to do?" asked Ratford.
"Ratford, stay hidden."
"Don’t tell me...?" Before Ratford could finish, Yi Han began chanting a spell.
"I hide in the night."
As the spell took effect, Yi Han’s form became transparent.
Before Ratford could even react to the artifact’s effect, he urgently said, "It’s dangerous! Those guys aren’t ordinary!"
"I know. That’s why I’m being careful."
It was better to prepare in advance than to waste an opportunity by hiding.
Yi Han always prepared for the worst.
- Barrier of Order!
‘Maybe the professor can hold them off?’ Yi Han felt a surge of hope as the massive barrier formed and Garcia’s curses began to take down the attackers.
But then, the extremists pulled out a strange artifact and dispelled all the magic in the area, even Garcia’s spells.
‘!!!’ Yi Han was shocked, but there was one silver lining—his belt had held.
Even as the surrounding magic crumbled and magical energy was sucked away, his invisibility spell remained intact.
Was this the blessing of Freesinga? ‘...
No, it’s my own magical energy.’ Yi Han could sense the flow of magical energy around him.
While all the nearby energy was being drawn toward the artifact, his own energy was continuously replenished by his belt.
No matter how much was drained, there was no gap in his supply.
It was like having a massive battery right next to him.
‘They’re coming!’ Yi Han had no more time to think.
The enemies were closing in on Professor Garcia.
Crack!!!! As the old knight of the family, Alarron, and the elven swordsmanship professor, Ingeldel, had both acknowledged, Yi Han had a talent for swordsmanship.
Even now, with invisibility active, it was only natural that he could pull off such a surprise attack.
"Professor! It’s me, Yi Han!" Yi Han shouted to Garcia.
He didn’t want to be mistaken for an enemy and attacked by his own side.
"Yi Han?! Why are you here...?!"
"It’s a long story! Professor, tell me what I need to do!" Yi Han grabbed a fallen enemy’s sword and shouted.
The professor snapped out of his daze.
"I’ve sent word to the academy. Reinforcements should arrive soon. Hold out until then without getting hurt!"
Thud, thud— The sound of crossbows firing echoed through the night sky.
At first glance, it seemed like they had the upper hand, but Yi Han could sense the attackers’ movements were sharp.
‘They’re all skilled swordsmen!’ Crossbows were powerful, but they took time to reload after each shot.
The attackers were using that gap to close in.
"The workers might not hold out much longer! Professor, can you use any magic?"
"Right now, the surrounding magical energy is... Wait."
Professor Garcia noticed Yi Han’s transparent state and was puzzled.
How was he maintaining the invisibility spell? "How... Ah!" Garcia realized how Yi Han was keeping the spell active.
An endless well of magical energy!
"Yi Han, lend me your energy!" Garcia extended his hand, and Yi Han grasped it.
He immediately felt his energy being drawn away.
It wasn’t surprising, as Professor Voladi had done something similar before.
"Petra’s Diamond Spear!" Without hesitation, Garcia chanted a spell aimed at the artifact.
He had initially planned to buy time with defensive spells, but with the enemy wielding such a cheat-like artifact, the situation had changed.
Even if it meant sacrificing something, he had to destroy the artifact!
"!" Yi Han was stunned by the massive diamond spear that appeared in midair.
To summon such a weapon out of thin air!
"Dodge!!"
"Dodge!" The attackers, aware of the spear’s power, scrambled to get out of its path.
Even as the ancient artifact continued to absorb magical energy and weaken the spell, the diamond spear didn’t disappear.
Crash!!!! With a deafening roar, the spear struck the ancient artifact.
The surrounding magical flow returned to normal.
"Lightning wolves, tear them apart!" Crackling sounds filled the air as massive bolts of lightning took the form of wolves and began to leap in all directions, tearing through the enemies.
"..."
Yi Han shuddered at the sight of the lightning wolves severing and burning the enemies’ life force.
It was a gruesome scene that inspired awe for the professor.
Rumble— "!?" Yi Han looked up at the ominous sound he had heard earlier.
The half-destroyed ancient artifact was reactivating.
"Kill that mage! At all costs!" Dozens had fallen, but the remaining attackers, enraged, charged at Professor Garcia.
Yi Han swung the sword he had taken and met them head-on.
Thud! "There’s someone using an invisibility spell! There’s an invisible mage here, damn it!" The anti-magic extremist who had been stabbed coughed up blood and threw it in Yi Han’s direction.
Yi Han felt a chill run down his spine.
‘These guys are no ordinary fighters!’ To react so quickly and calmly to an invisible enemy.
It felt like fighting Alarron.
Moreover, the leader of the attackers was closing in.
Just his stance alone made it clear he was a master.
Could Yi Han protect Professor Garcia while dealing with all of them?
"I reveal myself at dawn."
"!" As the spell ended, Yi Han’s form became visible.
The enemies stared at him in shock.
They hadn’t expected their opponent to be a young priest.
"I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’ll send you to join your mage friend."
"Do as you please."
"?"
"I’m going to destroy the artifact!" With that, Yi Han dashed forward, heading straight for the ancient artifact.
The attackers were stunned to see the artifact left unguarded.
"Stop him!!"