These confidential documents should have been kept in the Grand Library, but Carian Knights guarded the only route in. None of the Preceptors could pass, and forcing their way through was out of the question.
It was precisely because they had been unable to pay homage to the Queen of the Full Moon for so long that the Preceptors gradually sensed something was wrong. In time, they pieced together the truth, and thoughts of betrayal began to take root.
They were waiting for the right moment, biding their time until they could cast off the shackles the Carian royal family had placed upon the academy in one decisive move.
That aside, the library itself was packed with glintstone-based magical devices, all designed to detect the presence of magic.
Once magical power exceeded a certain threshold, alarms would be triggered. Even Hidden Body and Spook wouldn't be able to slip past them.
"I should've asked that ghost lady for a Concealing Veil before I left," Nolan muttered. "Though even if I had, she probably wouldn't have given me one."
He straightened up and walked forward openly.
The rooms here were all small classrooms, much like Sellen's. Through the cracks of some doors, light spilled faintly into the corridor.
Anyone qualified to serve as a lecturer was a genius without exception.
And most of them, like Sellen, were not only exceptionally gifted but also relentlessly hardworking.
"There are some real heavyweights further in," Nolan thought to himself. "Can't let them become a problem later."
He pulled out a Fire Pot, sprinted forward a short distance, judged the timing, and hurled it down the corridor without hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, he burst toward the open courtyard at astonishing speed.
The full moon hung high above, its cold light washing over the land and draping the world in a layer of silver.
On such a quiet night, a tense and dangerous infiltration was unfolding in silence.
Nolan slipped between buildings like a specter. Under the strain of intense movement, the invisibility magic cloaking him began to destabilize.
At times his figure was clearly visible, at others blurred and indistinct, flickering faintly in the darkness.
Fortunately, the night itself was dim, visibility already severely limited.
The Sorcerers stationed on higher ground remained alert, but none of them noticed Nolan. Instead, their attention was drawn to the sudden burst of flames rising in the distance.
"What's going on?"
"Is there a fire?"
Confused voices rang out among them.
The academy had always been heavily guarded. No intrusion had ever occurred before. It never crossed their minds that an enemy could have slipped inside.
In that brief moment of distraction, Nolan vanished once more.
Blocked by a low wall, the Sorcerers guarding the entrance couldn't see his movements at all.
They felt only a faint breeze brush past them and thought nothing of it.
What truly shocked them was the roaring fire erupting in the corridor. They assumed someone inside had caused an accident.
As the Sorcerers rushed toward the corridor in panic, Nolan seized the opportunity and hurled two more Fire Pots along with oil jars toward the doorway.
Almost the moment the flames flared up, Nolan charged straight into the library, dispelled his invisibility, and quickly slipped into a corner to hide.
"What's going on?"
"How did a fire break out? Which brainless idiot was running experiments here and lost control?"
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and put it out! We can't let the library burn down. I still want to borrow a couple of papers tomorrow."
Startled shouts rang through the corridor as the Sorcerers were thrown into confusion by the sudden incident.
The Sorcerer on duty leapt to his feet the moment he heard the noise and raised the alarm. One after another, the glintstone lamps in the dormitories lit up.
Yet none of them seemed to realize this was an intrusion.
After all, this was the very heart of the academy. Even "turning invisible" couldn't fool the outermost defensive spell formations.
The Cuckoos and Sorcerers stationed outside weren't corpses. How could they possibly let an enemy reach this far inside?
As the commotion outside grew louder, Nolan remained calm and unhurried.
He drew two greatswords from his spirit ring, quietly estimating how long it would take for the fire to be put out.
Then he settled the swords against his back and fixed his gaze forward.
The narrow corridor was lined on both sides with portraits of sages from generations past, the air thick with an unmistakable scholarly atmosphere.
Ahead lay a fork in the path. At the end of the left corridor stood a tightly shut wooden door.
That area was normally forbidden. Only magic professors were permitted to enter freely.
But for someone determined, there was always a way. Through years of careful observation, Sellen had already grasped every detail of this place.
She had even drawn a detailed sketch, filling it with meticulous annotations, as if worried her student might run into trouble somewhere.
Unfortunately, the handwriting was far too recognizable. Anyone could tell at a glance who had written it.
To avoid any unforeseen risks, Nolan committed the diagram to memory, then destroyed it completely, leaving no trace behind.
Tap. Tap. Tap…
Heavy footsteps echoed from afar, drawing closer by the second. It sounded as though two oppressive figures had been alerted and were striding over to investigate.
"So they're still here," Nolan murmured.
He narrowed his eyes, lowered his body, and slipped swiftly into the shadows.
Only one final obstacle remained in his way.
On duty tonight were two associate professors from the Karolos Conspectus and the Olivinus Conspectus: Geralt Wolf and Roman Axed.
After a period of observation and investigation, Nolan had discovered that every associate professor and professor in the academy was a hero-level unit.
Excluding the Lazuli Conspectus, there were only twelve of them in total.
The two associate professors separated from him by a single wall were among the most ordinary of the lot, which was precisely why Nolan had chosen tonight to act.
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Large portions of the building were made of wood, and the open courtyard was filled with flowers and trees. The fire spread rapidly.
Flames engulfed the entire courtyard and even began to creep toward the adjacent dormitories. This was one of the academy's uppermost buildings, and the blaze was likely visible from nearly anywhere on the grounds.
Sorcerers poured out of their rooms, looking up at the sky.
Apprentices who had been fast asleep were jolted awake by the sudden glow of fire, staring around in bewilderment.
Even the nearby Cuckoos exchanged uneasy glances, their attention settling on the tall figure of the Knight Commander, silently asking what was happening.
"What are you all staring at? The academy won't let us go in. Do what you're supposed to do!"
Beneath his helm, Knight Commander Kercius wore a grim expression.
He could only hope this fire was nothing more than an accident, and not the sign of an enemy infiltration.
As the Knight Commander, if an enemy had breached the academy's inner grounds due to negligence, responsibility would fall squarely on his shoulders.
Being scolded would be trivial. Using this as an excuse to cut military funding, however, was absolutely unacceptable, and his knights would never stand for it.