When Yi Han saw the herb he needed to find, he thought it looked like a mix between a mushroom and a ginseng.
It was called the <Poisonous Grass>, and according to the notes, it was used in making antidotes.
"Have you handled it before?"
"Yes."
"That's a relief."
Yi Han felt reassured when Yoner said she had experience with it.
Distinguishing between the countless grasses and herbs scattered across the hills, fields, and forests was no easy task.
Even with illustrations, beginners could easily get confused.
In that regard, having someone with experience was a great comfort.
"But... it feels a bit risky for just the two of us to move around."
"Is it really that dangerous?"
"Right? It's better to have at least three people when moving around. Maybe we shouldn't have let Gainando go."
"Even if we hadn't, he wouldn't have followed us anyway."
Yi Han's words made Yoner chuckle.
"Then should we just go around with the two of us?"
"No. I don't want my name on the list of casualties."
Einrogard lived up to its reputation, with plenty of terrifying rumors.
Magic was inherently a dangerous field of study, and it wasn't uncommon for students to die while learning it.
Before coming here, Yi Han had thought it was inevitable.
No matter how much the professors cared, accidents happened.
But now, seeing it firsthand...
'Isn't this just a complete lack of safety awareness?'
From the professors to the students, it seemed like no one in Einrogard cared much about their lives.
To Yi Han, a modern person, they all seemed a bit crazy.
"A list of casualties... Don't make such creepy jokes with that face. It doesn't suit you."
"I wasn't joking."
"If you weren't joking, that's even scarier. Hmm. It would be better to have someone from the same tower."
Yoner looked around, hoping to find a student from the Blue Dragon Tower to join them.
But there was no one in sight.
"Uh... Are we screwed?"
"Can't we just talk to the princess?"
"You really want to talk to her? She seemed pretty prickly."
"We're here to find herbs, not to throw a ball."
Yi Han's words made Yoner nod.
He had a point.
"But it seems like it's already too late."
A few students were already gathered near Adenart.
The princess, realizing the need to move in groups, had already formed a party.
"Wait. Is that a Black Turtle Tower freshman over there?"
Yi Han felt a bit resentful.
If they were going to avoid the Wodanaz family out of fear, shouldn't they avoid the princess too? But surprisingly, some of the students gathered around the princess were from the Black Turtle Tower.
"Well, that princess was famous even before she enrolled..."
Famous people tend to stay famous.
Adenart was known among the royal family for her exceptional intelligence and remarkable talent.
It was only natural that nobles and commoners alike would flock to her as soon as she enrolled.
"Was she?"
"... Even if you're from the Wodanaz family, you must have at least read the news, right?"
"I usually only read <The Empire's New Ventures>. I'm not really interested in <Royal Family News>."
"Ah. That was fun. Did you see the one where adventurers were told not to throw away empty potion bottles in dungeons and bring them back for coins? That was a good idea, wasn't it?"
"It was a good idea."
"... No. This isn't the time for that."
Yoner snapped back to reality.
The conversation had gone off track.
"Anyway, even if you only read <Royal Family News>, you'd know Adenart was famous. So it's only natural that people would gather around her like that."
"Did Gainando have anything like that?"
"No."
"I see. Gainando really has nothing going for him."
"Absolutely nothing."
Gainando, who was in the infirmary drinking potions, felt unfairly attacked.
"Then let's give up on the princess and find someone else."
"Is that possible? It looks like the only ones left are Black Turtle Tower students."
Yi Han frowned at Yoner's words.
'Hmm.'
It was true that only Black Turtle Tower students seemed to be left.
Of course, if they grabbed just anyone, some might agree to join them.
But when moving together, it was important not to get in each other's way.
More importantly...
'It would be good if they had some ability.'
When working in groups, wasn't the most important thing each member's abilities? Yi Han looked around and spotted someone suitable.
Nilia, a freshman from the Black Turtle Tower, was a dark elf from the <Shadow Patrol> in the northern part of the empire.
The <Shadow Patrol> was a group of skilled hunters and scouts who roamed the northern mountain ranges as if they were their own backyard.
Having been born there, Nilia was confident in navigating forests and mountains.
'What's this? It's not that hard.'
She had never seen the Poisonous Grass before, but once she knew what it looked like, finding it was quick.
It was incomparable to the inexperienced bookworms who had never set foot in a forest or mountain.
In fact, since coming to Einrogard, Nilia had been feeling inferior.
There were too many outstanding freshmen, not just from other towers but even within the Black Turtle Tower.
There were freshmen from rising noble families, famous merchant families, and even those with renowned adventurers as parents.
Among them, Nilia, who had spent her life running through mountains and forests before being invited to the school, couldn't help but feel inferior.
The magic classes she had never heard of before were overwhelming...
But now, faced with this kind of class, Nilia's motivation surged.
'Hmph.
Just wait.
I'll find it several times faster than those guys.'
Nilia planned to move quickly and find the Poisonous Grass on her own.
While others might stick together because they weren't used to mountains and forests, Nilia was confident she could handle it alone.
"Ahem."
"?"
Nilia was slightly startled when someone approached.
It was a pretty girl with red hair.
"... Who are you?"
"I'm Yoner from the Meikin family. This is..."
"Yi Han. Nice to meet you."
From their words, Nilia guessed that Yoner was a noble, while Yi Han was not.
Nobles usually introduced themselves by mentioning their family name first.
'But they're from the Blue Dragon Tower?'
"Why are they like this?"
"It's because you didn't mention your family name..."
Yoner looked at Yi Han incredulously.
Why would he say his name but not his family name?
"Isn't it too bothersome to mention your family name every time you introduce yourself? Later on, you'll have to start with the family head's name, where the family lands are, and so on."
"That's how nobles do it at parties, right?"
"......"
Yi Han genuinely looked disgusted at Yoner's words.
Seeing this, Nilia spoke up with a guarded tone.
"If you two are going to chat, go somewhere else. Why are you here bothering me?"
"Want to move together?"
"!"
Nilia was startled by Yi Han's words.
She hadn't expected that.
"What's your angle?"
Nilia glared at Yi Han with hostility.
She didn't have a good impression of noble family kids.
Even back in the north, it was the same.
Occasionally, nobles would come to the mountains, wrinkling their noses and saying, "How can people live in a place like this?" Even when the hunters served them the best food and prepared the finest beds, the nobles would complain about the taste, the discomfort, and how poorly they were treated.
Some scouts even joked, "If we pretend to guide them and push them off a cliff, no one would know, right?"
Having grown up in such an environment, Nilia had no reason to like students from the Blue Dragon Tower.
"It's disadvantageous to move alone in such a vast area. If a monster appears, you need at least three people."
"Hmph. I don't need it."
Nilia snorted and refused.
Yi Han, unfazed, asked,
"Can I ask why?"
"Why do you need a reason?"
"Depending on why you refused, we can figure out what kind of person you are. Hmm. Let me guess."
Yi Han pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Are you worried we might use you as bait or abandon you in danger? That would be a complete disregard for our honor."
"... That's not it."
No one could agree with such a statement, especially when it came from two noble family kids.
No matter how much Nilia disliked them, she couldn't say that.
"Then do you think you can handle it alone?"
"That's it..."
"You can't possibly think that, right? No matter how skilled you are, you never know what might happen in the mountains and forests. Plus, finding the herb isn't the end; you have to carefully dig it up too. If you think you can do all that alone, that's really foolish. I don't think you're that kind of person. Hmm. I really can't figure out the reason."
"... Shut up. Fine, I'll go with you!"
Nilia turned away, huffing.
Yi Han nodded in satisfaction, while Yoner looked at him in surprise.
'What on earth do they teach in the Wodanaz family?'
Nilia's steps were light and quick.
Leading the way and carving a path, she truly looked like a seasoned hunter.
Yoner, curious, asked Yi Han,
"She moves really well, but how did you figure her out and approach her?"
"Looking at her, her legs and calf muscles are well-developed, and there are calluses and bumps on her hands and fingers. Those come from holding a bow. Only an experienced hunter would have those."
"!"
"...!"
Not just Yoner, but even Nilia, who was walking ahead, shuddered upon hearing this.
How could he have guessed her background from such details? She had underestimated him as just another noble family kid, but this Yi Han had an eerie aura about him, as if he could see right through people.
"Just kidding, she had a <Shadow Patrol> insignia on her waist. If she's from there, she must be good at navigating mountains."
"......"
Nilia turned her head sharply and glared at Yi Han.
Yoner laughed and asked,
"Were you listening?"
"I wasn't!"
"Let's walk together. Match our pace."
"Why should I match your pace? You should match mine!"
Yi Han replied to Nilia's words.
"That's because Yoner here is the one who can identify the herbs. If she gets tired and collapses, we'll have to find them ourselves."
"......"
Nilia was speechless again.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to argue further.
"Fine. I'll slow down."
"Ah. As expected of the Shadow Patrol, so wise..."
"Are you mocking me?? Huh??"
"It's a compliment."
Feeling like she was constantly being outsmarted by Yi Han, Nilia turned her frustration elsewhere.
"She's here to identify herbs, and I'm the guide. What about you? What's your role?"
'If I say freeloader, she'll get mad, right?'
Yi Han stopped himself from saying that.
No need to provoke her unnecessarily.
"My role is to chase away any wild beasts or monsters that show up."
"......"
Nilia was speechless again.
Someone who could chase away monsters while navigating the mountains was important.
Judging by his build, Yi Han seemed to be from a knightly family.
He was tall and well-built.
'...
Wait? Knights are from the White Tiger Tower, right?'
"I don't think I heard earlier. What family are you from?"
"Wodanaz. The Wodanaz family."
"......"
Nilia recoiled with a look of disgust.
Yi Han felt a little hurt.