"You passed," declared the demon, motioning for the next student to approach, signaling for the successful candidate to clear the way quickly.

"???"

The students behind Yi-Han were visibly baffled, whispering among themselves.

"What about that conversation qualified as a pass?" one student wondered aloud.

"Ah! Perhaps it was his polite greeting?" another speculated.

Yi-Han, overhearing his peers, thought there might be merit to that idea. Though unintentional, his courteous greeting had evidently appealed to the demon.

"Indeed... I have learned something. It was my polite greeting that made the difference," Yi-Han reflected proudly on his habit of always flattering people politely.

What folly, theres nothing to gain by flattering The demon corrected him.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Your mana was a satisfactory trade condition for your pass," the demon explained.

"Wait a moment!"

Professor Rosine, unable to contain herself, interrupted and pulled the demon aside.

"Mr. Orifulas, this is unacceptable. You must work diligently."

Am I not being diligent?

"You just did it carelessly," Professor Rosine chided sternly.

Orifulas, a powerful demon bound by contract, protested in a wronged tone, "I was told to pass students who bring valid contract terms."

For a mage, rhetoric and eloquence were more crucial than one might think, especially when encountering beings more powerful than oneself. Mages who relied solely on strength and lacked wisdom were helpless in such situations. In contrast, a clever mage could turn crises into opportunities, even when facing stronger entities. Learning how to understand and persuade beings from other realms from the first year was vital.

Just passing him like that is wrong!

But the mana is sufficient... Must I make an unreasonable objection?

Rosine had no response to that. After all, it was meant to be a practical exercise.

To species like demons, who subsist on mana, regular supply of mana was always a popular contract term. This supply far exceeded the scale imagined by ordinary mages. mages, made of flesh and bone, could survive without magic, never fully understanding the insatiable hunger of demonic beings.

More. Much more!

This was why deals with demons often involved dark offerings and dark magic - fulfilling a demon's mana needs by normal means was impossible.

But occasionally, a mage possessed exactly what a demon desired, without any special preparations, just like now.

"...Very well. But at least give him a stern warning," Professor Rosine conceded.

Understood.

Orifulas called Yi-Han over again, remarking, "Relying solely on one's mana to make deals with demons is indeed foolish."

"...Who would be so insane?" Yi-Han expressed his astonishment.

Could a mage really approach a demon, saying, 'Let's make a deal!' just because they had ample mana? That sounded more foolish than mage-ly...

A guy like that always comes out every now and then. Remember this well. Underestimating a demon is..."

Orifulas seated Yi-Han and began listing '101 Reasons to Be Wary of Demons.'

Yi-Han wondered what he had done wrong.

Didnt he just give me a pass?

Do you understand now?

"Yes, thanks to Mr. Orifulas, it's crystal clear. I will never hastily attempt to contract with demons solely based on my mana."

Good, that's enough then.

"But Mr. Orifulas,"

What is it?

"Why are you working for the empire under a contract?"

Yi-Han asked out of pure curiosity. Knowing the terms of Orifulas's contract could be useful for future reference.

'Gold? Gems? Mana? Sacrifices?'

I was tricked into this contract.

Yi-Han's face hardened, his expectations unmet.

So be careful when you make contracts. Understand? They can be this dangerous.

"Ah... yes."

Yi-Han was shocked.

To think that the demon had been deceived into forced labor...

The imperial officials were no better than the notorious Einroguard.

Thursday.

Yi-Han, yawning, walked down the corridor. Despite it being morning, he felt groggy from lack of sleep.

Hmm!

"..."

Spotting the round, white skull of the skull principal from afar, Yi-Han suddenly felt wide awake.

'Amazing. My mind is incredibly clear.'

"Good morning."

Yes, good morni... Wait a minute.

Yi-Han's heart sank.

He was planning to leave the academy for the Spire Stables the day after tomorrow, so encountering the skull principal was unnerving.

But if the principal was an esteemed educational expert in the empire, Yi-Han was no less an expert as a student.

Without showing any change in expression, Yi-Han asked, "Is there something you need?"

Have you seen anything around here yesterday?

"No, I haven't."

This was not a lie. He hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary around where the skull principal and the Death Knights were standing.

'What's going on?'

Stop babbling nonsense and stand guard properly.

-Kill me, please! I'm sorry. I've dishonored you, my lord!-

Stop asking to be killed over every mistake. When will you abandon these old habits? Knights nowadays don't die over a single error.

The skull principal reprimanded the Death Knights.

An audacious intruder had recently entered the academy.

In response, the principal had set undead guards throughout the academy to catch the intruder, going as far as searching each building thoroughly.

But last night, a barrier in this area was found to be broken.

It could have been a coincidence. The main building of the magic academy was ancient and intertwined with countless spells, making it as unpredictable as another realm.

The principal remained vigilant, not taking any chances.

Increase the guard here. Start searching from this area. If you find the intruder, tear him to pieces. Understood?

-We shall follow your command!-

"The intruder hasn't been caught yet?"

We'll catch them soon. Or they might already be dead.

The skull principal grumbled in response.

Just to clarify, there's no issue with our surveillance or patrols. That broken barrier is just a minor incident.

'Hmm. I wonder why all professors react the same when they make mistakes.'

Of course, Yi-Han had no intention of provoking the principal's temper.

A wrong move could jeopardize his plans for the weekend.

The intruder must be

"A great mage?"

Avoiding the eyes of the Death Knights and other barriers was not something just anyone could do.

More likely, the intruder possesses an unknown artifact. Thieves are often known to carry such things.

The skull principal considered, if the barrier's breach in this vicinity was the intruder's doing, then it's highly probable they possessed a powerful artifact of invisibility.

Even with the power of such an artifact, it would be impossible to evade all the Death Knights and magic barriers, so the intruder must have accidentally broken this corner's barrier.

"Foolish, isn't it? If they just came forward, we could end this with minimal pain."

'Even if its me, I doubt I could come forward in that situation...'

Listening to the principal, Yi-Han casually suggested, "What about increasing the number of Death Knights?"

Increasing their numbers won't make much of a difference.

The principal was skeptical about adding more knights. Already, Death Knights were stationed throughout the main building.

Their undetected movement implied they had a way to evade the Death Knights' gaze.

"Can't Death Knights see through invisibility magic?"

To some extent, but if it's a powerful artifact, even Death Knights might... But we've prepared for that with various barriers.

Expert mages could use invisibility magic strong enough to shield against the gaze of powerful undead monsters.

Naturally, the principal, aware of this, had laid out barriers weakening such invisibility magic throughout the premises.

With the barriers intact, such magic should...

Wait.

The principal, conversing with Yi-Han, suddenly realized something.

If it's a powerful artifact, it might temporarily suspend the nearby barriers. That must be it.

The intruder could evade the Death Knights' gaze if the surrounding barriers were momentarily disabled.

The principal clicked his tongue. Yi-Han, seemingly relieved, remarked, "If we've found a weakness, we can prepare against it, right?"

Indeed.

The principal looked intently at Yi-Han, who, feeling uneasy, asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

One of the simplest precautions is having an expert mage hold these barrier stones.

Whatever the artifact may be, the principle to stop the barrier is simple: to momentarily disrupt it by shaking the barrier stones with force.

But if an expert mage holds the barrier stones and defends them, the scenario changes.

"I don't know about that defensive magic."

It's not about using defensive magic; it's about using your brute mana.

Having a large amount of mana naturally provides resistance against other magic.

Yi-Han, just by holding the barrier stones, could likely block external forces.

"...Wouldn't it be better if you did it, principal?"

I will do it too. Didn't you see I'm already searching? We'll take turns.

"I'm in the middle of my pre-final project."

Just spend about two hours a day on this. Help the Death Knights with the search.

"..."

Yi-Han, suddenly tasked with searching alongside Death Knights, was speechless.

No...

The principal tried to reassure him.

We'll finish faster if we work together, won't we?

"Principal, I'm just a first-year student..."

In times of crisis in Einroguard, students and professors alike must come together.

"It doesn't seem much like a crisis..."

Thank you. If you achieve results, I'll make sure to reward you.

"You're doing this just to save those two hours, aren't you?"

Now, Death Knights. Are you ready to proceed with the search alongside this bright student?

-Leave it to us! We will redeem our honor!-

I really want to kill him.

Yi-Han walked down the corridor, arms full of stones engraved with barriers, accompanied by the Death Knights.

The stones, each of a different size and shape and lacking in aesthetic appeal, held magic of such complexity that Yi-Han could only guess at their high level of difficulty. The structure was beyond his comprehension.

It was said these were spells to weaken the intruder's invisibility magic, and indeed...

-Really, I've always wanted to have a conversation with you. It's an honor, Wardanaz.-

-Your reputation is quite well-known among our knights.-

"Ah. Yes. Thank you."

The Death Knights, despite being undead, were surprisingly sociable.

Yi-Han found it a bit disconcerting.

"Shall we start by opening each of these doors?"

-Let's do that! Stand back. We don't know what might be inside.-

"...Oh, right. Can I check any places I suspect?"

-Of course!-

The Death Knights, oblivious to Yi-Han's ulterior motives, nodded readily.

If it meant finding the intruder, what difficulty could there be in searching other floors!