"Wardanaz, wasn't it you who had prepared in advance?"

"I sometimes wonder what you all think of me..."

Yi-Han checked the shattered hole and clicked his tongue.

"Not good."

"Why is that?"

"The debris is inside the Gaksu Pavilion. It must have come from outside."

If the creature that had been lurking inside the Gaksu Pavilion had broken out, it wouldn't have been a concern. However, the current state of affairs clearly indicated that a large monster from outside had entered the Gaksu Pavilion.

Ratford looked at Yi-Han with a slightly impressed expression.

"You truly have the qualities of a great thief."

"Tsk...!"

"Me, me too! Ratford. I can deduce as well!"

The students of the Blue Dragon showed a strange sense of competition.

Even if they fell behind in academic grades or magic abilities, they did not want to be outdone in their skills as thieves.

Nillia looked at them as if wondering why they were behaving like that.

"Why are they acting like this?"

"It's probably because they grew up reading fairy tales about honorable thieves."

At Yonaire's words, Nillia thought it was absurd.

Do the nobles of the empire really grow up reading such ridiculous fairy tales?

"Are there no hunters?"

Uh Im sure there are fairy tales about a thief who turned into a hunter

While his friends were conversing, Yi-Han made up his mind and opened the door to the Gaksu Pavilion.

"Listen everyone. We are not here to sneak into the Gaksu Pavilion."

"?"

"???"

Not sneak in? Then what?

Were they planning to write 'Visited by the students of the Blue Dragon' on the walls with paint?

"We have voluntarily gathered to stop the summoned beast that arbitrarily invades the Gaksu Pavillion and protect the precious items of the professor."

"...Ah. Aha!"

"Indeed...!"

The invasion of the summoned beast was not entirely a disadvantage.

If things went wrong later, they could blame it on the summoned beast.

...Of course, whether this excuse would work with Professor Uregor was another matter.

"Light."

Yi-Han conjured a sphere of light. The dark first floor of the Gaksu Pavilion brightened up.

The greenhouses and classrooms located next to the corridor.

Students who had wandered around the magic academy at night knew that the academy at night was entirely different from the daytime.

Classrooms that looked ordinary during the day seemed like they could be hiding a few undead at night...

And the plants that grew in the warm greenhouse under the sunlight seemed to be holding their breath in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

'It wouldn't be surprising if Professor Uregor had actually prepared such plants.'

The first floor was familiar to all students, but from the second floor onwards, it was uncharted territory.

What could possibly be there?

"!"

As they ascended the stairs to the second floor, a strong mana was felt from within.

The space itself was imbued with magic.

'Space expansion!'

The space on the second floor appeared tens of times larger than the first floor. It was a vast botanical garden.

The students were overwhelmed by the sight of strange and enormous plants, the likes of which they had never seen or heard of.

"There is a saying that a great alchemist must be a great gardener. But even so, the scale is truly remarkable..."

Priestess Siana murmured in awe.

As much as alchemists needed to traverse mountains and fields to gather ingredients, it was natural for them to grow what they could.

But even considering that, the scale was truly impressive.

"Wow. What's the name of this plant?"

Gainando pointed at a flower shining in iridescent colors at the front, marveling at it.

The way it swayed with the soft moonlight coming through the window was truly beautiful.

Yi-Han kindly responded.

"That flower is a Nepholops."

"Oh. What effects does it have?"

"It swallows whole any beast that touches its petals."

"..."

Gainando stepped back in alarm.

"But the honey produced by that flower sells for quite a high price..."

"Is that really important right now?!"

"I was just answering your question."

Yi-Han replied and looked around.

There were many more things in the vicinity that Yi-Han didn't know than he did. Yonaire and Priestess Siana were likely in the same situation.

'But...'

The Gaksu Pavilion was not a dormitory tower. Being a workshop used by Professor Uregor, it couldn't possibly be filled with so many traps.

After all, Professor Uregor himself had to walk around there too...

Yi-Han calmly searched for a path. There must be a route used by Professor Uregor when he wandered through this botanical garden.

Rattle-

"!"

As if reading Yi-Han's thoughts, the bone summon made a rattling noise from his belt.

The bone summon pointed in a direction, indicating where to look. Surprisingly, there were fresh footprints in the mud, likely made by a monster.

'So, a monster passed through here first!'

It was clear that the monster had found the path used by Professor Uregor before they did.

Yi-Han wanted to praise the bone summon for discovering it. But then

"Wardanaz. I've got a good idea. Seeing these footprints, it's clear a monster entered first! So, this path must be safe."

Nillia whispered excitedly.

Yi-Han was about to praise the bone summon, but he hesitated and then spoke.

"...Amazing, Nillia!"

Rattle Rattle!

"Is it because you're from the <Shadow Patrol>? You're really amazing. I'm glad you're here. It would have been scary to imagine what would have happened without you."

"It's nothing much."

Nillia tried to brush it off as nothing, but her long ears were twitching excitedly.

"Alright. I'll find the way. Please tell everyone to follow me."

"Sure, sure."

Yi-Han sent Nillia ahead and sighed in relief.

Rattle Rattle Rattle!

Yi-Han apologized to the protesting bone summon.

"Sorry. Friendship is more complicated than you think."

The bone summon flicked its fingers, as if it found it hard to understand.

Following the footprints of the monster that entered first turned out to be a good strategy.

As they moved along the path in the botanical garden, the students were not attacked by any of the plants.

It was clear that Professor Uregor hadn't set many traps on the paths he used.

'Thank you, Professor.'

Yi-Han moved forward, grateful for the professor's laziness.

-...

"..."

But where there's fortune, misfortune often follows.

At the far end of the botanical garden, near the stairs to the third floor.

Yi-Han's expression hardened when he saw the monster occupying the space in front of the stairs.

"A bull... right?"

"Yeah. It doesn't look like an ordinary bull."

Not only had it broken down the main door on the first floor, but it also seemed to have trampled a few plants on the second floor, as evidenced by the debris, vines, and leaves tangled in the bull's horns.

At that moment, Yi-Han recalled a bull that Professor Uregor had mentioned before.

'...Huh?'

Until now, he had thought the spirit bull captured by Professor Ingurdel was the same bull, but upon closer inspection, the bull in front of him resembled much more to the one Professor Uregor had described.

This bull wasn't mixed with any spirit and appeared to have been enhanced only physically by various potions.

Then was it just a creature summoned by the upperclassmen?

Yi-Han felt apologetic for having cursed Professor Uregor upon seeing the spirit bull.

'No. On second thought, there's no need to feel sorry.'

His feelings of remorse vanished instantly as he looked at the bull before him.

Was this brute really left to roam the mountains?

"How should we handle this?"

"There's no need to fight it, really."

Though slightly different in kind, he had already learned something from dealing with the spirit bull.

There was no need to overpower and subdue an opponent!

Besides, this botanical garden was not an ideal place for a fight, nor had they come to subdue a bull.

Moreover, the bull seemed to have little interest in the students. It was chewing something, positioned in front of the stairs.

"If that's the bull raised by Professor Uregor... could it have returned because it's hungry?"

Yonaire's suggestion sounded plausible.

If it was a creature raised by Professor Uregor, then it knowing its way around here made sense.

That it had come straight here without wreaking havoc elsewhere on the first floor would have been difficult for an ordinary monster.

"Then, if we leave it be, might it just eat and move on?"

"It's highly likely."

Relieved that they might not have to fight, the students let out sighs of relief.

The creature before them felt more violent and wilder than the spirit bull, just based on its size.

"...Uh... Yi-Han...?"

Yonaire tugged at Yi-Han's sleeve and spoke.

"Is that... okay?"

The bull, ignoring the students, bit off a plant next to it. After a few chews, it spat it out, apparently finding it tasteless.

Then it chewed on another plant, and another, trampling a few with its feet...

Seemingly amused, the bull began to destroy the plants even more rapidly.

The faces of Yonaire, an alchemy expert, and Priestess Siana paled. Even though the plants weren't theirs, it hurt to see them destroyed.

Yi-Han's complexion changed as well.

It was one thing for students to come in and borrow a little potion, but quite another for a monster to be destroying the plants in the botanical garden.

And if these two issues were combined, the professor's anger could very well turn towards the students.

"We have to stop it! Feet, grasp the earth!!"

Yi-Han chanted a spell and rushed forward.

He then hurled a curse magic at the bull.

"Be paralyzed!"

Dark magic formed like a wave and surged towards the bull.

However, the bull sensed the threat and dodged the curse.

"Wardanaz! Why do we have to stop it?"

"That's what honor is! Wardanaz. I'm coming to help!"

Misunderstanding Yi-Han's intention, his friends from the Blue Dragon rushed in, wielding their staffs.

"The flame of power..."

As Gainando started casting a flame creation spell, Yi-Han slapped his mouth in horror.

Slap!

"?!?"

"Never use fire where there are plants!"

"Be paralyzed!"

"Be paralyzed!!"

His friends cast paralyzing curses they had learned in class. Carelessly invoking the wrong element could have set the surroundings ablaze.

Unlike Yi-Han's curse, which the bull had dodged, it didn't even try to avoid the students' curses. Despite several hits, the bull seemed unaffected.

"Ah, what exactly did Professor Uregor feed it?!"

The students screamed. The bull was tougher than they had anticipated.

"Go and distract it!"

Yi-Han sent the bone summon and then started summoning water orbs.

The bull, indifferent to the other students waving their staffs or speaking, looked at Yi-Han as if on guard.

"It wasn't wise to hastily cast a curse!"

Casting a curse on a monster with sharp instincts was not an easy task.

Incautiously casting a curse had only made the bull more wary, complicating the situation.

Yi-Han began to hurl a series of water orbs. The bull dodged them accurately, but Yi-Han did not panic.

'First, we need to draw it out from among the plants.'

He had been attacking to separate the bull from the plants all along.

"Everyone, take these weakening potions!"

Priestess Siana handed out potion flasks. The students quickly threw them.

As the flasks shattered, the bull stumbled, hit by the potion. Yonaire, realizing the bull's magic resistance had weakened, shouted.

"Everyone, cast your curses again!"

"Be paralyzed, be paralyzed!"

"Be paralyzed!"

The bull shook its head as if annoyed. The weakening had allowed the curses to penetrate its skin.

Yi-Han detonated the water orbs in erratic orbits around the bull. The bull flinched and stopped moving.

Then, Yi-Han's curse burst forth.

'Faster!'

"Be paralyzed!"

With a single-minded focus on casting faster, Yi-Han's spell accelerated.

As a result, his curse was launched even before he finished chanting the spell. It was such a frantic moment that Yi-Han himself didn't realize it.

Thump!

Unable to withstand Yi-Han's curse, the bull finally knelt down.

The students, without any order, simultaneously let out long breaths of relief.

"What in the world is going on here?"

"!!!"

A tall, skinny willow tree was walking towards them from among the plants.

Yi-Han immediately responded.

"We were protecting Professor Uregor's plants."

"...Yes! A strange bull was tearing at the plants...!"