Thump thump.

As the footsteps drew closer, Nigel Ars anxiously rolled her eyes and scanned the room sharply.

‘… Under the bed?’

If she tried to hide among the densely packed beds in the room…

‘I’d be caught right away.’

She could squeeze under a bed, but in this all-white space, it was only a matter of time before her dark green dress hem was spotted.

‘Then… over there.’

Nigel’s gaze fell on the far end of the room.

There stood two large wooden wardrobes, big enough to fit two, no, even three Allens side by side.

However, the wardrobes might be locked, or they might be divided into compartments, making it impossible to get inside.

‘No time to weigh the possibilities.’

Without hesitation, Nigel walked towards the wardrobes with large strides.

Clunk.

The left wardrobe opened partway, then stopped with a dull sound.

‘… Oh no.’

Now only the right wardrobe remained.

Footsteps about to burst into the room, a wardrobe door locked and refusing to open.

In this urgent situation, Nigel reached out with a trembling heart and grasped the right wardrobe’s handle.

‘I’m saved…’

Thankfully, the wardrobe opened easily.

And contrary to her worries, the inside wasn’t divided into compartments, nor was it filled with clothes, making it a suitable hiding place.

Creeak.

Nigel squeezed herself into the wardrobe in one swift motion and gently closed the door.

Thump thump.

In a split second, the stranger’s footsteps reached the room where Nigel was hiding.

Fearing that even a single breath might escape, Nigel tightly covered her mouth with her hand and stared at the only small sliver of light seeping through the narrow gap in the dark wardrobe.

The darkness in her vision was stifling, but she couldn’t illuminate the wardrobe with her overflowing, almost intoxicating magic.

Her magic control wasn’t delicate enough yet to create a small light that would only brighten the wardrobe without leaking outside.

So…

‘Hurry up and leave, hurry.’

Nigel’s purple eyes glared at the faint light entering the wardrobe as if trying to devour it.

Unaware of Nigel’s feelings inside the wardrobe, the stranger walked around here and there, making the dull sound of leather boots.

That’s when it happened.

There was a commotion near the entrance where Nigel had come in.

Listening carefully, she could hear the overlapping footsteps of several people.

‘Is there a ball being held here today or something?’

To be trapped here even longer in this urgent situation. Nigel frowned in frustration.

Thump thump.

At the same time, the stranger’s footsteps, which had been leisurely until now, quickened.

‘Oh, looks like they haven’t finished their business?’

But the stranger’s footsteps grew closer and closer to the wardrobe where Nigel was hiding.

‘Surely… surely they don’t have any business with this empty wardrobe in this spacious room?’

Nigel shook her head, trying to shake off the creeping sense of foreboding.

‘Is the wardrobe supposed to be a ballroom or something?’

Clunk!

Just then, a familiar sound came from right next to her.

It was the sound of the left wardrobe door getting caught in its lock.

No way.

The moment her anxiety transformed into reality.

Nigel slowly moved her hand. And she grasped the cold, hard dagger handle hidden in the folds of her dress.

Creeak.

Soon, Nigel’s vision brightened, and at the same time, a dark shadow fell across her face.

“……”

“……”

Their eyes met, and both widened in surprise simultaneously.

Without speaking, they could understand the implicit meaning in each other’s eyes.

Why are you coming out of here?

“… Huh? Why is this open?”

Just then, a man’s confused voice was heard from outside.

The stranger, no, the familiar person who had been about to draw the longsword at their left hip, let go of the sword.

And with fluid grace, they slipped into the wardrobe and silently closed the door.

A moment later, a group entered the room.

Nigel swallowed a sigh and looked at her unexpected wardrobe companion.

‘Professor Roneh…’

In the dim darkness, Nigel’s and Roneh’s gazes met. Nigel could almost picture Roneh’s face, eyes crinkled in a refreshing smile.

Should she be glad not to have been caught, or upset that she had been discovered?

Roneh waved at Nigel as if they had just bumped into each other at the academy.

It wasn’t completely incomprehensible why Roneh was in Histon.

Before becoming a professor at Sienna, Roneh had often carried out top-secret missions ordered by the emperor while affiliated with the imperial family.

‘At least I won’t die here.’

In the original story, when monsters attacked, Roneh never let go of her sword and protected countless people, so she could easily protect a single student.

… If she returned to Sienna with Roneh, she probably wouldn’t even receive demerits.

Feeling relieved, Nigel put the dagger back into the folds of her dress.

Flash.

Suddenly, her dark vision brightened.

Nigel squinted and looked at the source of the light.

Roneh, holding a small luminous stone in her hand, flashed a broad smile, showing her teeth.

‘At times like this, it really shows that she was in the knighthood.’

Wait… the knighthood?

Nigel’s eyes suddenly sparkled as she looked down at her empty hands.

[This is the timeline separator]

Roneh, who had infiltrated Histon on a mission to investigate, never imagined she would meet her student here.

And that too, Nigel Ars, the famous freshman.

‘Not even a month into school, and she’s already broken the academy walls, and now she’s caught at an illegal magic extraction site.’

It seems Heres wasn’t just bragging every time they met.

While it was nice to meet her, Roneh’s mouth quirked up on one side, unsure how to take this situation.

That’s when her student wiggled her delicate, unscathed hands.

Though the hand shapes were somewhat clumsy, it was clearly… military hand signals.

‘Meet, surprise.’

Meaning, “Surprised to meet you here.”

Grin.

Both corners of Roneh’s mouth turned up.

[How do you know hand signals? You’ve never been in the knighthood or the military.]

Roneh’s fingers moved expertly.

[Child, knight, family.]

Ah, she did mention that someone in her family was a holy knight.

It seemed that family member taught her hand signals when Nigel was young.

They probably never imagined she’d be using signals typically used for infiltration operations inside a wardrobe.

Nigel moved her hands again.

[Receive, possible, transmit, child, difficult.]

This meant she could understand hand signals, but since she learned them so young, she was a bit clumsy at using them.

Roneh nodded a couple of times in understanding.

[By the way, I almost hurt you. How did you end up in this dangerous place?]

Roneh smiled with her eyes while carefully examining Nigel’s expression.

Roneh’s left corner of the mouth was naturally lowered.

[Woman, companion, danger.]

Ah.

Roneh blinked at the unexpected answer.

It seemed the child’s friend was among the pale girls lying on the beds.

No wonder she kept glancing at the wardrobe door while fidgeting with her hands, her urgent gaze revealing worry and sadness.

Poor, kind thing. The sharp suspicion disappeared without a trace from Roneh’s face.

[You, why, here, place.]

At that moment, Nigel’s hands began to move.

She had seized the opportunity to counterattack when Roneh briefly let her guard down.

‘That’s right, never miss an opening. It’s most foolish to let your guard down just because you know someone. Smart and quick-witted, definitely a future tactician in the making.’

Roneh soon smiled contentedly and raised her hands.

[Received orders from high-ranking person.]

Meanwhile, unaware of Roneh’s devious trick, Nigel discreetly observed that Roneh’s right corner of the mouth had lowered.

In the original story, it was said that Roneh had a habit of raising her right corner of the mouth when troubled, and it turned out to be true.

‘Must have received a confidential mission from the Emperor? Well, this country’s Emperor is trustworthy, so it should be fine.’

Nigel decided to stop pressing Roneh further here.

The situation outside the wardrobe was becoming unsettling.

“Have you all seen Kura’s workshop in detail? I wouldn’t have shown it easily even to other members or His Majesty the Emperor, but I’m showing you specially because you’ve demonstrated your trust in me.”

A laughter that had the talent to instantly make one feel disgusted filled the room.

Trust? More like money. Nigel crossed her arms and listened to the conversation outside.

But only footsteps could be heard, with no further words following.

Tap tap.

Just then, the fingers of her wardrobe comrade broke Nigel’s concentration.

[Are those two outside who aren’t speaking Allen and Noah?]

Nigel blinked slowly.

Allen Evans and Noah Beselion.

If it were these two, rich, highly honored, and quietly stubborn, the possibility that they came here looking for her after she disappeared without a word…

‘It’s not just likely, it’s certain.’

Nigel swallowed a sigh and moved her hands.

[Possibility, high, 2, how. Identity.]

To the question of how she knew there were two people outside and their identities, Roneh silently giggled.

[Want to know?]

Nigel nodded slightly with a dubious expression.

[If you’re curious, transfer to the Swordsmanship department. I’ll tell you then.]

Swish.

Nigel spread her palm wide and held it out to Roneh.

This was the first gesture learned when studying hand signals, meaning rejection.

Tch.

Roneh pouted and turned her head away.

That’s when it happened.

Words that couldn’t be ignored began to be heard from outside.