The time given to Gerhard wasn't very long, and he couldn't move noisily.
The eyes of professors, instructors, and even students. There were many restrictions, but Gerhard solved them all with money.
Using all kinds of artifacts and magical reagents, he erased as much of his presence and mana emanation as possible.
He had, of course, moved deep underground and prepared for every contingency.
Nevertheless, one major hurdle remained.
'The method to find the cave after arriving at the lake.'
Gerhard had already searched all the lakes once.
It was obvious that the entrance couldn't be found by ordinary methods, and to make matters worse, it was questionable how much longer Veriana could hold Aint.
Because of this, Gerhard pondered again and again.
How could he find the cave in time?
How could he avoid being detected?
And he reached a conclusion.
'It's impossible for both to coexist.'
If he moved cautiously to avoid detection, he wouldn't be able to find it before Aint arrived.
But if he acted recklessly, it would only be a matter of time before professors and instructors detected him.
So Gerhard decided to challenge the middle ground.
First, he activated an artifact purchased from the Dragon Faith Order. A translucent membrane partially enveloped the lower part of the lake around him.
It was a device that prevented mana, noise, debris, etc., from leaking outside. However, it wasn't omnipotent and couldn't cover beyond a certain extent.
'Still, it's better than nothing.'
He opened his subspace again.
Crack-crack-
A huge hand popped out first from the split crack. Gradually expanding the crack, the feet, head, and torso followed.
It was an artificial giant, a golem, standing at 5m.
The essence of magic engineering, which encompasses all kinds of magical techniques. And the essence of a merchant, with countless amounts of money invested.
The golem, its eyes glowing, moved smoothly even underwater.
Soon, Gerhard placed his hand on the golem's body and manipulated the formula. Mana rippled as a link was established between them.
'It was impossible to explore the interior by spreading mana.'
It was also impossible to disrupt the ground with high-level magic, as it would inevitably attract attention from around.
Then there was only one method left.
'I have no choice but to use equipment to directly rummage through the entire bottom.'
Water spray and dirt might rise hazily as the golem moved, but it was undeniably the best method available.
Of course, this method was possible because there were no monsters in the lake. Otherwise, he would be virtually defenseless while controlling the golem.
'Let's begin.'
Hoping that Veriana would buy him more time, he sat down quietly and began controlling the golem.
As the golem moved, the calm surface of the lake gradually began to ripple.
***
"Step over me if you want to pass!"
'...Ah, this is really annoying.'
Aint clutched his throbbing head.
In front, someone was blocking the way and whining, and at his waist, a sword was vibrating and making noise.
'If fighting were possible, I could just knock him down and go...'
Previously, this would have been unimaginable, but that was his current feeling.
"Take it easy, Veriana. Stop being childish and insisting when you know we can't fight."
"Childish? Did you just finish what you wanted to say?"
Suddenly, Veriana's face contorted horribly.
"If you don't want to hear it, just leave this. Do you know how many minutes I've been here because of you?"
But Aint didn't back down and growled.
"It's not like I'm enjoying this...!"
"Remember, Veriana. One hour. If you can't even last a mere hour, the Judges will personally come to escort you from your home."
Veriana, who was about to shout, swallowed her words.
Being caught and tortured by the Judges was much more terrifying than being ignored by Aint.
"...I..."
"What did you say?"
"I'm not doing this because I enjoy it, you son of a bitch! Come at me right now!"
"This is really...!"
Aint once again drew up his aura and kicked the ground. It was in the opposite direction from where Veriana was blocking.
"Where do you think you're going!"
But Veriana wasn't easy to deal with. In an instant, a sword strike flew and cut through part of the forest, and falling tree trunks blocked Aint's path.
And in the meantime, Veriana once again blocked Aint's way.
This was a process that had been repeated numerous times so far.
"I told you that you can't go without fighting me, Aint. Do you have no ability to learn?"
"That's my line! If you've lost twice, just go away!"
Though she had lost in duels, Veriana's skills were real. It was extremely difficult to escape from her grasp purely by speed without using force.
'Why is this my fault!'
Anyway, if he truly wanted to escape, he had no choice but to go all out.
In the process, unnecessary conflicts might occur, and someone might get hurt, but he thought professors or instructors would probably overlook this much.
Having been held up for about an hour, they must have seen all this.
Golden aura enveloped Aint's entire body, scattering a dawn-like light.
"If you won't step aside, try to withstand it. I won't be responsible if you get hurt now."
And without waiting for an answer, he charged straight ahead.
It was like a mad bull, and Veriana unconsciously faltered. Thus, she let Aint slip away.
"...Ah."
She belatedly realized her mistake but just slumped down.
"Damn it, I've done what I could."
Veriana checked her pocket watch and heaved a deep sigh.
"At least I lasted more than an hour."
She held out for an hour and ten minutes. Fortunately, she didn't fall short of the cutoff.
"How many more such demands will he..."
Make, I need some alternative...
Trailing off, Veriana drew her sword with a swish and turned her body around.
There was a monster emitting a foul smell.
A massive 3m body, huge but sharp front legs, ferocious killing intent. It was a Grizzly Bear, one of the longtime residents of the forest.
"Damn it, not even giving me a moment to rest...!"
The Grizzly Bear charged.
***
Meanwhile, Aint was walking along the forest path.
"I'm not too delayed, am I? If it weren't for Veriana, I wouldn't have been this late."
After running aimlessly to shake off Veriana, he had actually moved further away from his destination.
Veriana Kalproten was, in many ways, not a person who was helpful to him.
"I guess that's true."