"...When did you come out?"

The knights were startled as well and began murmuring among themselves. Looking around, they noticed something rather strange mixed in among them.

Something that was not dead and was dressed like a mage...?

-When did they get out here?

-Quite the skill.

Despite the gazes and whispers pouring in from all directions, the Phoenix Tower students stood there shamelessly.

To be precise, only Nigisor and Siana stood there shamelessly. Tiziling lowered their head in embarrassment.

"How did all of you know to come out?"

Lee Han asked again in confusion.

He had definitely prepared without telling anyone, so how?

'Did word of the plan leak out?'

Apparently thinking the same thing, the knights stared intently at Ibinta.

As a thief, surely Ibinta's lips would be loose as well.

"N-No, it was not me!"

-What was not you? We have not asked anything yet.

"......"

While Ibinta cursed the knights, Siana explained instead.

"No one told us. We just thought you would definitely sneak out at night, so we had been waiting outside since earlier."

"......"

-......

Lee Han felt slightly embarrassed.

He had thought he had prepared fairly discreetly, only for his friends to read his actions.

'Was I acting too obviously?'

"If you leave us behind, we will tell the professors..."

"All right, all right. You can come with us."

At Nigisor's words, Lee Han waved a hand in surrender.

Nigisor had noticed that Lee Han intended to move without the others and had spoken first.

"There is no way I would want to leave you behind. I was planning to wake you. I only held back because I thought you might be tired."

'That is a lie.'

'It seems like a lie.'

"Anyone can tell that is a lie... Ah."

Siana stopped short after realizing that she alone had said it aloud.

How unfair of everyone!

"...Anyway, let us go. Since we only have a few days to remain here, we need to move as efficiently as possible."

Nigisor thought, 'If we only have a few days to stay in the city, could we not simply give up on finding the evil-god worshipers?' but did not say it aloud.

When someone was burning with passion, saying anything was usually useless.

It might be better to let the fire die out naturally. If no evil-god worshipers appeared, Lee Han would eventually give up.

"But what if they do appear?"

"Come now. Surely they will not."

***

Jandanni and the junior sat in a coffeehouse in the city of Vepaim, discussing the events of the day.

Although the students of Valdrogard came from different backgrounds, all of them were cultured nobles overflowing with refinement, and they cultivated their dignity even without receiving anything in return.

No matter how tired they were, they ought to allow themselves this much leisure.

Of course, the coffeehouse building here was neither as beautiful nor as noble in atmosphere as the one situated in front of Valdrogard...

...but the Valdrogard students were wise and generous enough not to complain about such things while disaster had struck the west.

"So, Senior. I am telling you that you must not act so dangerously."

"But I believe one must be capable of acting that way when necessary."

"Even if I concede a hundred times over that forceful action may sometimes be necessary, that still does not mean acting like a mage such as Wardanaz!"

Jangbir of House Raban, a third-year Valdrogard student armed with common sense and intellect, was not easily swayed.

Of course, it was not difficult to understand why someone might admire a mage wielding overwhelming power. They were mages as well.

But before they were mages, were they not dignified nobles of the Empire? No matter what, they could not surround a count's estate and smash it apart.

'I have to persuade Senior to come to their senses.'

Crash!

"??"

The sudden sound of people being sent flying from the street below the second-floor window startled the two students, who looked down.

People were fleeing in terror from a tavern at the back of the alley.

-Aaagh! They are lunatics!

-Everyone, run!

"Now that life is returning to the city, perhaps people have started fighting again?"

"That is certainly possible. Even fighting requires energy..."

-Stop! Do not let them escape!

When Lee Han came charging out afterward, leading the knights, the two Valdrogard students spat out their coffee at the same time.

...What in the world was he doing?!

***

'What am I doing?'

Watching the tavern being enthusiastically demolished, Ibinta fell into confusion.

Perhaps Ibinta had been trapped in a nightmare ever since being caught by the Skull Principal. Otherwise, none of this made sense.

Before entering the tavern, Ibinta had definitely shared the following conversation with Lee Han.

-Successor. Do you recognize this mark?

-I do not. And please stop calling me Successor.

-Ah, yes. It is... a mark used by a thieves' guild.

When people heard "thieves' guild," it was easy to imagine an organized and orderly association like the Empire's other guilds, but in truth, thieves' guilds were far removed from anything of the sort.

If someone possessed the ability to establish and operate an organization spanning the entire Empire, why would that person resort to thievery in the first place?

Thus, the Empire's thieves' guilds were essentially groups of thieves who had banded together separately in each region.

They did not contact one another, interact with one another, or even consider themselves part of the same organization.

But separate from that, those who lived in the Empire's underworld needed a way to communicate with one another.

In fact, because they engaged in illegal work, they needed such means all the more. Even if they wanted to rob somewhere, it was difficult to do so through one person's strength alone.

If a mercenary who had fled for some reason arrived in a new region and wanted to find work, what could be done?

The mercenary could not walk around the plaza holding a sign that read, "Looking for illegal work," so a means of communication was necessary all the same.

That was why the Empire's mercenaries and thieves frequently used marks like these.

Draw a mark like this on a wall, and it meant: This is a place where thieves gather, so if you are enough of a scoundrel to recognize it, you may come show your face!

-I see. I will remember it well.

-There are many variations, so you only need to remember the general rules. In any case, several suspicious people will probably gather at a tavern like this... What would you like to do? Shall I question them?

-Yes. Keep questioning them.

Ibinta nodded happily, too excited by the chance to display personal ability to notice that something was strange.

The odd part had been that Lee Han had said "keep questioning them," rather than "question them for me."

-Hey.

-?

-There has been chaos around here lately. Is there any work worth doing?

-Even the wealthy bastards sitting on piles of gold coins fled in fear. What work could there be?

-Nonsense. That only means there is more work. Times like these are exactly when you can make a profit.

-Hmm... I normally do not offer work to drifters, but looking at your face, you certainly seem trustworthy.

-......

-I did hear they needed one more person. Interested?

-Of course. Just introduce me. ...There has not been anything unusual around here, has there? Suspicious people or the like.

-You are the one becoming suspicious by asking that. Why do you want to know?

-Tsk. I will let that pass just once. Once you learn my name, you will never say something like that again.

-So who are you?

-Ibinta. Have you never heard of Iron Cloak Ibinta?

-Iron Cloak Ibinta! I thought your face looked vicious... I see. I have heard of you. Were you not with ? Why are you wandering around alone like this?

-It is a long story. I encountered some insane archmage.

That was not a lie. Ibinta recalled the eldest son of House Wardanaz and shuddered.

-I am still running away, just in case.

-If it is Ibinta, that is reassuring. They will welcome you.

Once Ibinta revealed that identity, the tavern owner became considerably friendlier.

A reputation still carried weight even among mercenaries.

-So? What about the suspicious people?

-None. Plenty of people come asking me to sell stolen goods, but they are the same sort who always do that.

-Think more carefully.

-I told you, I do not know. I arrange work. I am not an Imperial constable who searches for suspicious people and arrests...

-Everyone, do not move!!!

-???

-???

-Everyone, put your heads against the floor! If anyone raises a head, the Successor will not forgive you!

-Drop your weapons! Anyone who draws a weapon should be prepared to lose an arm or a leg!

When the traveling merchants suddenly tore off their disguises and transformed into heavily armored knights, the thieves inside the tavern were shocked.

-How dare you come in here—Ghk!

-I told you to put your head against the floor!

The knights swung chairs viciously and knocked the thief down.

Several customers and thieves who had failed to grasp the situation tried to flee in a panic, but Lee Han and the knights quickly caught and dragged them back.

And now.

"Ibinta."

"......"

"Ibinta?"

"What? Ah, yes!"

"You worked hard. You did well."

Lee Han thanked Ibinta. Still overwhelmed with confusion, the fugitive asked,

"W-What exactly did I do well?"

"You stalled them nicely while we searched for every possible escape route and completely surrounded the building."

"......"

The tavern owner glared at Ibinta as though intending to kill.

You treacherous bastard!

Of course, from Ibinta's perspective, the situation was merely absurd.

"N-No. I thought... when you said you were going to search... you meant questioning people... gathering rumors... something like that..."

"Ah. Of course, that would also be one possible method, but as you know, I do not have much time."

From Lee Han's perspective, after completing this request, he would have to return, and he would only be able to come out again for the next request. Such a method was far too slow.

Any Einroguard student would naturally act proactively at a time like this rather than remain still and wait.

"Now. I will ask again. Were there any suspicious people?"

Lee Han addressed the captured tavern owner.

The tavern owner was supposedly the leader of the thieves in this district, but the poor person had been so thoroughly intimidated that no words came out.

With Death Knights flooding into the tavern and their eyes blazing, who could possibly protest?

"I... truly cannot think of anyone..."

Lee Han used illusion magic to inspect the state of the tavern owner's soul. It was not a lie.

Not only the tavern owner but even the innocent thieves who had merely come to enjoy themselves were dragged away and interrogated.

Despite that, no one who appeared to be an evil-god worshiper was found.

"There is no one."

-How unfortunate.

"It cannot be helped. Let us go to the next place. We still have several more places to visit."

"......"

The tavern owner stared blankly for a moment before the face turned deathly pale.

They were going to do this in other places too??

Lee Han began to leave the tavern, then turned around as though something had just occurred to him.

"Ah, right. I will come back tomorrow. Please investigate until then."

'He is coming back tomorrow too???!!'

That was far more shocking than the fact that they intended to do this elsewhere.

What in the world was he coming back to do?

"W-W-W-Well, you see. Even if you come back tomorrow... information that does not exist will not suddenly appear..."

"The people here may change, new information may appear in the meantime, and if someone used magical means to lie, a flaw may emerge by then. Are you perhaps telling me not to return because there is something you are hiding?"

"O-Of course not! No! No!"

Bowing repeatedly, the tavern owner saw Lee Han's group off.

Once the group departed, a miserable silence descended over the tavern. Barely regaining composure, the tavern owner gulped down an entire bottle of strong wine and shouted,

"...Find them!"

"F-Find what?"

"The evil-god worshipers! Send word everywhere and identify anyone whose identity cannot be confirmed, anyone who has newly appeared, and anyone who has always seemed suspicious! Find every last one of them! If there are none, make some and bring them to me!!!"