Rick and his friends remained perfectly silent.
Outside, the persistent knocking on the door refused to stop.
Rick slowly raised a hand, signaling everyone to stay quiet. Then he pointed toward the window.
Without making the slightest sound, they understood his intention.
One by one, they quietly climbed out through the window, disappearing into the darkness without leaving a trace.
Outside Krai's room, nearly twenty students from the third and fourth years stood waiting.
The hallway had grown crowded, attracting the attention of many nearby students. They gathered at a distance, whispering among themselves.
"Do you think they're here for Krai?" one student asked quietly.
"Of course they are," another replied. "Don't you know? Krai is one of Rick's friends, and Rick isn't exactly on good terms with the Crown Prince."
Their whispers grew louder as more students gathered to watch.
"It's been a while."
One of the fourth-year students frowned at the still-closed door.
"They still haven't opened it."
"Should we break it down?" another asked.
"No."
A senior fourth-year student shook his head.
"If we use mana now, they'll sense it and escape."
Another student frowned.
"What are the chances they haven't already run away after sensing our presence?"
"But we haven't used any mana," one of the third-year students argued. "How could they possibly detect us?"
The senior glanced at him.
"You're forgetting Rome."
His expression became serious.
"If he's inside, he can probably sense us without us even using mana."
He slowly drew his sword.
"So stop wasting time."
With a single swing infused with mana, the blade flashed through the air.
Boom!
The door exploded inward, splintering into countless pieces.
The group rushed into the room—
Only to freeze.
The room...
...was completely empty.
"Tch."
One of the fourth-year students clicked his tongue in frustration.
"They should still be somewhere nearby."
His eyes turned cold as he looked toward the hallway.
"Spread out."
"Find them."
"And don't let them escape."
At his command, the third- and fourth-year students immediately scattered throughout the academy, beginning a relentless search for Rick and his companions.
By now, the entire academy had fallen into chaos.
Students from every year were searching for Rick and his companions, each hoping that capturing them would earn the Crown Prince's favor.
Meanwhile, behind the academy, Rick and his friends quietly made their way toward the outer wall.
"Why are we here?" Rome asked in a low voice as he followed behind Rick. "Shouldn't we head to the main gate and ask the guards for help?"
Rick didn't even slow his pace.
"And how do you think twenty third- and fourth-year students managed to enter the first- and second-year dormitories despite not being allowed inside?"
His voice was calm but laced with frustration.
Rome's eyebrows knitted together.
"You don't mean..."
Rick remained silent.
His silence alone was enough to answer the question.
After a few moments, the group finally reached the academy wall.
Rick stopped and fell into thought.
Who gave those students permission?
His eyes narrowed.
Then he turned toward Krai.
"Krai, you said both the Headmaster and Vice Headmaster are away on academy business."
"Yes."
"Then... who's currently in charge of the academy?"
"Well..."
Krai began to answer before suddenly freezing.
His expression stiffened.
"What's wrong?" Rick asked.
Krai slowly raised a hand to his forehead.
"It's Professor Damian."
His voice became noticeably heavier.
"And... he's a noble."
"He openly supports Crown Prince Henry."
The moment those words left his mouth, silence fell over the group.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Without saying another word, Rick climbed over the academy wall.
The others quickly followed.
One after another, they disappeared into the forest beyond the academy grounds.
After walking for quite some time, they finally stopped in a secluded clearing.
Everyone sat down on the ground, taking a moment to catch their breath.
Rome broke the silence first.
"So... Professor Damian ordered the guards to let those bastards do whatever they wanted?"
Leze looked toward Rick.
"I don't think so."
Krai shook his head.
"I don't think that's what happened."
The forest fell silent once more as everyone waited for Rick's thoughts.
" Professor Damian is only temporary headmaster of Academy. Si if the headmaster Nuel came back and a guard were to the incident it may cause trouble for both." Krai added.
" What? So what did they do ? Did they told them to go home and sleep. " Leze frustrated.
" Something like that. " Rome added.
" What? " Leze confused looking at Rome.
"I am pretty sure they sent the guard to somewhere elsr. That way even if they were to report the incident, they can simply deny that and i don't think anyone in the academy will question that. " Rome with a smirk on his face.
Rick looked at everyone.
"So what should we do now?"
For a moment, no one answered. Everyone lowered their heads, deep in thought.
Finally, Krai broke the silence.
"I have an idea."
Everyone turned toward him.
"You all know that, apart from the students, only the Headmaster and the Vice Headmaster are allowed to live inside the academy. Because of that, the teachers' dormitory was built on the western side of the city."
He pointed toward the west.
"So... you're suggesting we ask the teachers for help?" Rome asked.
"That's right," Krai replied. "Not every teacher supports the Crown Prince or Princess Nina. There are several neutral teachers. If we can report everything to one of them, they will protect us until the Headmaster returns."
Rick remained silent, considering the idea carefully.
"It could work," he admitted after a moment.
Leze nodded.
"But now we have another problem."
Everyone looked at him.
"How do we get there? If we stay here until morning, they'll eventually surround us. But if we head toward the teachers' dormitory now, there's a good chance we'll run into the people searching for us."
Silence filled the forest once again.
Rome frowned.
"So either we stay here and get surrounded... or we move and risk being caught."
"Not necessarily," Rick finally said.
Everyone looked at him.
"The academy is in complete chaos right now. Almost every student is searching for us to earn the Crown Prince's favor. Because of that, they're focusing on the student dormitories, the academy grounds, and the main roads."
Rick pointed toward the academy wall they had climbed over.
"They'll never expect us to circle around from outside the academy and approach the teachers' dormitory from the western side."
Krai's eyes widened.
"The western forest..."
Rick nodded.
"It's darker, less traveled, and there are no student dormitories nearby. It's the route with the lowest chance of running into anyone."
Rome smiled slightly.
"So instead of walking into their search, we'll walk around it."
"Exactly," Rick replied.
Leze stood up and tightened the strap of his sword.
"Then let's move before they realize we're no longer inside the academy."
"But reaching the teachers dormitory on foot will take too long. They'll catch up to us before we arrive." Lezee added.
Rick remained silent.
"So we'll have to use the mini train," Rome continued. "Fortunately, it runs all day and night."
Rick gave a slight nod.
"Then let's move."
Without wasting another second, the group set off into the darkness.
Meanwhile, inside the dormitory for the third- and fourth-year students...
Prince Henry sat alone in his room, calmly writing a letter at his desk.
A hurried knock echoed through the room.
"Your Highness!"
"Come in."
The door opened immediately.
A student rushed inside before dropping to one knee.
Henry didn't even lift his eyes from the paper.
"So," he said calmly, "have you found them?"
The student hesitated.
"About that..."
Henry's pen suddenly stopped moving.
"...Speak."
The room instantly became heavy with pressure.
"It seems... Rick and his friends have already left the academy."
The moment those words left the student's mouth—
Bang!
The chair beside Henry shot across the room, smashing into the student with tremendous force and sending him crashing onto the floor.
"You searched the entire academy..."
Henry's cold voice was filled with restrained fury.
"...and even after all that, you couldn't catch four people who are weaker than you?"
"I-I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness!"
The student immediately crawled back onto both knees and lowered his head until it nearly touched the floor.
"According to several students, Rick was often caught sneaking out of the academy late at night. Since we had already sent the guards away, it became much easier for them to escape. And because Rome can detect mana, they were able to avoid all of our search parties."
The student hurriedly explained everything in a single breath, afraid that stopping even for a moment would only anger the prince further.
Henry remained silent.
The room fell deathly quiet.
The kneeling student didn't dare raise his head, while everyone else present held their breath, waiting for the prince's next command.
Hearing the report, Henry slowly walked over to his bed and sat down.
"Rome... oh, Rome."
A faint smirk spread across his face.
"If only you hadn't chosen him as your lord, things would have turned out very differently. But now... all of you are going to pay for standing against me."
The room fell silent.
One of the students cautiously spoke.
"Your Highness, I've already sent several of our people into the city to search for them. However, considering how large the city is, finding them may prove difficult."
Henry merely smiled.
"Don't worry."
The student looked up in confusion.
"I already know where they're trying to go."
"Y-You do, Your Highness?"
"They're heading for the mini train."
Henry stood and walked toward the window, looking out into the night.
"From there, they'll travel toward the teachers' dormitory and ask the neutral teachers for protection."
The student's eyes widened.
"If that's the case, Your Highness, we have to stop them before they reach the teachers' dormitory. If they manage to contact the teachers while most of the students are still searching elsewhere, it could become troublesome for us."
Henry nodded.
"You're right."
He turned around.
"Send five students into the forest to search for them."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Station twenty students around the mini train station."
The student quickly nodded.
"And recall everyone else. Their search inside the academy is no longer necessary."
"At once, Your Highness."
The student bowed deeply and turned to leave.
"Geo."
Henry's voice stopped him before he reached the door.
The student froze and immediately turned around.
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"You must stop them from reaching the teachers' dormitory."
Henry's eyes remained fixed outside the window.
"I don't care what method you use."
His voice became colder.
"But make sure nothing happens that could leave evidence pointing back to us."
Geo understood the hidden meaning immediately.
He lowered his head even further.
"As you command, Your Highness."
Without another word, he quietly left the room, while Henry continued staring into the darkness outside, the faint smile never leaving his face.
" It looks like i took you lightly Rick. " Henry still looking at the night sky with a smile on his face.