Professor Garcia felt a surge of anger and nearly swore out loud, but with his disciple standing beside him, he barely managed to hold it back.

“Slaves? We’re not slaves. Look. This is magic, isn’t it?”

“Strange magic. Maybe magic slaves?”

“...”

Lee Han saw Professor Garcia’s fists clench tightly.

Do people from ancient times have no sense of fear?

Even setting everything else aside, Professor Garcia’s physique alone should have been enough to make any normal person think, Ah, definitely not slaves.

Even if Professor Garcia had chains and shackles on his wrists and ankles, the sensible thing would have been to awkwardly say, “Right, not slaves,” and move on. Lee Han genuinely could not understand where this kind of confidence came from.

-Don’t try to judge them rationally.

The hamster hanging from Lee Han’s backpack squeaked from inside its cage.

“What do you mean?”

-Just because they dress like soldiers or patrol guards doesn’t mean you should think of them as the Empire’s soldiers or patrol guards. They’re completely different creatures.

From the hamster’s perspective, the patrol guards here resembled mage criminals or raiders far more than actual law enforcement.

They had spent their entire lives raiding, killing, and plundering. Murderous intent flickered in their eyes, and their fingers twitched constantly, ready to attack at the slightest opening.

“You’re saying the patrol guards themselves are criminals? Then coming here was also...”

While Lee Han was speaking with the hamster, the patrol guards interrupted again.

“Magic slaves or not, it makes no difference. Put down your equipment and surrender.”

“No! We already told you we’re not slaves! Look closely. And we’re not even from this kingdom. We came from outside.”

Professor Garcia somehow suppressed his irritation and attempted one last reasonable negotiation.

The patrol guards hesitated. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Not from the Kingdom of Margada? Outsiders?”

“Yes!”

“Even better. Then we won’t have to bother returning you to your owners. We can sell you directly. Surrender before we kill—”

The patrol guards collapsed mid-sentence.

At some point, Professor Voladi Bagreg had vanished from the group. Now he reappeared behind the fallen guards and spoke bluntly.

“We won’t be able to enter easily.”

“...Clearly not.”

***

After capturing the unconscious patrol guards, the group moved quickly.

Professor Garcia found a suitable cave nearby, concealed the entrance with camouflage magic, stationed guards, and established a temporary camp.

“I’ll help too.”

“It’s fine, Student Lee Han. Go rest.”

Professor Garcia waved him away as though there was no reason for his disciple to work.

Rejected, Lee Han walked over to Professor Voladi Bagreg instead. The professor was binding the captured patrol guards and setting up a crude interrogation area.

“I’ll help too.”

“Rest.”

“...”

Lee Han, who usually ended up doing the work of ten people whenever he was with his friends, suddenly found himself with absolutely nothing to do whenever he was around professors.

Technically, he could simply relax, but somehow that felt even more uncomfortable.

Couldn’t they at least give me something?

Sitting idle while the professors worked felt strangely unbearable.

Lee Han turned to the hamster.

“So the patrol guards here just capture anyone they want and turn them into slaves?”

-That’s hardly unusual.

The hamster answered indifferently.

The Empire was peaceful now, but once you moved far enough toward the frontier or beyond civilization, things like this were common.

Rigid class divisions. Oppression of the lower classes. Outsiders treated as slaves the moment they wandered into the wrong place.

This kingdom appeared to be no different.

Even the reinforcements that had arrived earlier to confront the demon army had behaved unnaturally harshly once you looked closely.

Whenever one of the auxiliary slaves operating the golems stepped even slightly out of formation, razor-like whips lashed down from above, spraying blood and tearing flesh apart.

As a mage criminal, the hamster instinctively recognized the atmosphere of this kingdom.

A powerful mage kingdom ruled through fear and violence.

“Let’s begin.”

Professor Voladi Bagreg finished his preparations, then called everyone over and woke the prisoners.

The patrol guards glared fiercely the moment they regained consciousness.

“How dare slaves do this? Aren’t you afraid of punishment?”

“If you apologize now, we’ll settle for making you slaves!”

Professor Voladi Bagreg used magic with calm efficiency.

After several spells were cast, the patrol guards became dramatically more cooperative.

“Wh-what... do you want to know...”

“S-stop... I’ll answer...”

-His techniques are exceptional.

Even the hamster had to admit that this Einroguard professor was remarkably skilled.

Lee Han nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. Professor Bagreg is very good at making people cooperate.”

Why is this idiot sounding proud right now?

The hamster was genuinely dumbfounded.

A mage criminal could appreciate efficient interrogation methods, certainly, but wasn’t the boy from House Wardanaz supposed to be different?

“Affiliation.”

“Ma-Margada Kingdom... patrol guard of Isran City...”

“Method of entering the kingdom.”

“I-if you’re outsiders... normally you can’t enter... if you’re caught... you become slaves...”

Professor Garcia, who had been listening nearby, looked shocked.

“Outsiders are completely forbidden from entering? How does that make any sense?”

When people thought about the Three Kingdoms Era, they often imagined a world with only three kingdoms, but the reality had been more complicated.

It was simply called that because among countless smaller kingdoms, there were three powers influential enough to leave their names in history.

And the Kingdom of Margada was one of those great powers, a kingdom even Professor Garcia recognized by name.

It was difficult to believe that such a massive nation—not some isolated backwater—would enslave every outsider who entered.

“If they act like that, all the merchants will go to the Karsala Kingdom or the Arbanti Kingdom instead. Travelers from smaller kingdoms too.”

Professor Garcia named the other two great kingdoms.

The Three Kingdoms Era had been an age where kings died overnight and crowns melted down like scrap metal.

In a period like that, such stupidity would only benefit rival nations.

But the patrol guard looked at him as if he were the strange one.

“The Karsala Kingdom and Arbanti Kingdom are exactly the same... Where are you from that you don’t even know that... Ugh!”

“Mind your manners.”

The moment the patrol guard became rude, Professor Voladi Bagreg resumed his efficient use of magic.

After several more rounds, the patrol guard finally understood that the origin of outsiders mattered less than speaking respectfully.

“...The Three Kingdoms Era was harsher than I imagined.”

“Seriously.”

Lee Han quietly agreed with Professor Garcia.

When reading history books, what remained were glorious stories of archmages, secret arts, strange cultures, and legendary anecdotes.

But seeing it in person was another matter entirely.

The three great kingdoms treated both outsiders and their own citizens like disposable slaves while obsessively developing ever more powerful secret arts. Beyond the borders, demon armies roamed the continent in search of weakness.

And they had learned all this less than a day after arriving here.

There were probably countless worse horrors they still hadn’t seen.

“To enter... you need disguises... help from smugglers... or clothing from kingdom citizens...”

“How likely is detection?”

“Chimeras patrol regularly... outsiders lack identification marks... so they’re discovered easily...”

This is stricter than Einroguard.

Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.

Chimeras that hunted down anyone lacking magically processed identification marks.

And this wasn’t even the royal capital. It was just a small city.

He could hardly believe they maintained surveillance this thorough.

“Have you heard of the Gonadaltes family?”

“Gonadaltes...? I think I’ve heard the name... maybe...”

The patrol guard frowned, then shook his head uncertainly.

Even if the Skull Principal had once been a prince, he had still belonged to a relatively minor kingdom.

An ordinary patrol guard would never know the details of such noble families.

Having heard enough, Professor Voladi Bagreg nodded and began reverse-analyzing the magical identification marks.

“Professor Garcia.”

“Yes.”

Professor Garcia immediately began applying identification marks to everyone’s clothing, understanding the plan without further explanation.

With these marks, they would not be immediately exposed as outsiders once they entered the city.

-Wait. Let me offer my opinion.

“?”

Everyone turned toward the squeaking hamster in confusion.

Even the captured patrol guards stared.

“Student Lee Han. There’s something I’m curious about.”

-I am Antagondals. Surely you mages know that. Due to certain circumstances, I am currently trapped in this body—

“No, we know you’re Antagondals. Student Lee Han already told us.”

-...

The hamster suddenly felt embarrassed.

Then even more bewildered.

Normally, if you were carrying around a notorious mage criminal in a cage, wouldn’t you at least try to hide it?

-He told everyone?!

“Yes? We had no idea what kind of trick... I mean, what kind of schemes you might attempt, so naturally we had to warn everyone. What if you cast some sinister enchantment on me?”

-...

Logically, it was completely reasonable.

That only made it more irritating.

Professor Garcia interrupted impatiently.

“What I’m curious about is why you keep carrying this hamster around in the first place.”

“Ah. Since he’s the oldest person here, I figured he might be useful. He probably knows a lot about ancient times too.”

Again, completely logical. Emotionally horrifying, but logical.

Professor Garcia sighed inwardly.

I’ve thought this before, but Student Lee Han really doesn’t seem afraid of associating with dangerous people.

Granted, Einroguard had spent an absurd amount of time throwing extremely dangerous individuals directly at Lee °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Han.

Still, the fact remained that the boy had adapted far too well.

-Stop chatting and listen. These patrol guards need to be killed immediately.

The hamster spoke firmly, partly because his own safety was involved.

The other mages were in perfect condition. Even if they died inside this ancient dimension, they might somehow recover their souls and return.

But the hamster was currently in an extremely weakened state.

If the group was wiped out, he would suffer the worst consequences.

“What did you just say?!”

“That’s impossible! How dare you kill patrol guards of the Kingdom of Margada!”

The patrol guards shouted furiously.

Capturing royal patrol guards had already been outrageous enough, but now these mysterious outsiders intended to murder them?

-Look. If we leave them alive, there’s no telling what they’ll do. There are too many unknown spells from this era for us to simply bind them and move on. We can’t afford unnecessary variables.

The Three Kingdoms Era contained far too many strange spells, even ones the hamster himself didn’t recognize.

There might even be tracking spells specifically designed to locate missing patrol guards.

-I know Einroguard mages tend to be soft-hearted, but this isn’t the time—

“Oh, Mage Antagondals. I wasn’t planning to simply tie them up and leave them behind.”

Lee Han interrupted carefully.

Under the current circumstances, he also had no intention of letting the patrol guards go free.

-Then what?

“We’ll probably need to enter the city anyway, right? So I thought it might be useful to keep them as guides.”

-Didn’t you hear me say not to create unnecessary variables?

“Yes. I considered that too. But wouldn’t it be safer if we transformed them into hamsters and kept them locked in cages so they couldn’t cause trouble?”

Professor Voladi Bagreg nodded as though his disciple had made an excellent suggestion.

The hamster stared silently for several moments before finally speaking.

-...I genuinely don’t understand why you Einroguard people aren’t all classified as mage criminals.