Ran law states that no matter who or where the person comes from, if you consume their food no matter how small or seemingly innocent, they have to stay on the island, never to leave or return to their homeland. If they try to leave without acknowledging themselves as Ran citizens and throwing away their old identity, then they will be taken back and severely punished as one of them.
It is terrifying to be hunted down by them because they will hunt their outlaws to the ends of the earth. This is something that they won't take lightly. Even though it is an island nation, it is easy to get in but impossible to leave if someone consumes their food and drink on their own land. The only safe thing to consume is water but even Amy is reluctant to drink it.
This law is implemented to keep foreigners in, especially talented ones for their own benefit. Norman is a scholar and while he is not well known or knowledgeable in the mainland, his talent is desirable to the islanders and they would not want him to leave even if he didn't consume their food but since he did, there is no excuse.
Lisa is a hired mercenary to protect him. She told her that she found Norman drunk consuming Ran wine in front of everyone. The situation is far worse since there are plenty of witnesses. She could leave him behind, but her sense of code and business requires her to stick by him. Norman may seem bookish to her, but it seems that he is probably the dumbest out of all of them.
"Can we just quietly escape?" Lisa suggests.
"Even if you are sneaky like, it won't help. The people of Ran have a way of figuring out of knowing who consumes our food. It will not be easy to smuggle out of the island." Ryota says with a serious look on his face, "It will be difficult." he finished.
"Where is he?" Amy asked Lisa.
"He's at the government office, they are waiting for him to sober up first." she answered.
"And the others?"
"At the inn," she answered, "They are trying to figure out solutions."
As much as a dunce as that scholar is, he is still needed for their journey. Norman, himself, is quite remorseful for his actions as Lisa apparently chewed him out for it. Manny and Kate seemed to have the bright idea of staying on the ship just in case someone hijacks it.
*
That was over a week ago. Amy is discussing with Ryota while the adults are conversing and negotiating with the officials to let Norman go. Everyone is persistent and not backing down from their arguments. At this rate, this is gonna get heated but if anything goes wrong... well, she will have to plan a prison break. She tested the range of her magic and with Ryota's help, understood the extent of their magic. Unlike the mainland, Amy knows very little of the Island's magic from a reader's point of view, but it is common knowledge that the magic on this island is weaker due to the ley lines and thus other than her purification ability, her magic will be a bit weaker as well.
"Are you worried?" Ryota asked while Amy is looking over her notes.
"Obviously. There is no sign of anyone giving in." she said.
"It will become persistent. At this rate, you guys are gonna run out of food."
"We have prepared enough to last a year." Amy replied, "We'll be fine."
"To be honest, I hate this law. It is one of the dumbest things to ever exist on this island. It is enough to scare any potential visitors here."
Amy sighs, "Glad to see that some people on this island think so."
"At this rate, they will never get your friend out. You need a plan."
Amy stared at Ryota who had a serious expression on his face, "Are you suggesting I break him out?"
"If I say that it's possible, would you do it?"
Amy is not worried. Magic may be a bit weak on this island, but it doesn't apply to true mages like her. Her magic is an innate ability, and her control is already at an expert level. On the other hand, she is a bit distracted with Ryota training her. It hasn't even been a week since arriving on the island yet now they are so eager to leave before she could familiarize herself with the weapons and techniques.
"What exactly do you have in mind?"
Ryota did a hand sign and suddenly his shadow started to elongate in size and touch a shadow of a cup on the table and after moving his hand a bit, the cup moved a couple of inches then slide towards him. He grabbed the cup and drank the contents.
"This is shadow magic." He explained blankly, "It is difficult to master and exclusively used by the islanders."
Shadow magic, she has heard of it since she transmigrated but never in the story. It is confirmed that the islanders are capable of unique magic though there isn't any context to that, so she is quite intrigued to learn about it. Normally they would keep it secret, but Ryota is telling her this for good reason. She can already tell where this is going.
"Because of the unique element of this magic, it is extremely difficult to master. Shadow magic is mainly used for binding, strangling or handling. A novice usually can move an item by a few centimeters, but a complete expert can sometimes solidify it. Shadow does not follow any rules of gravity, physics as long as there is a light source. It is not infinite either as there is a limit depending on the size of the shadow. But if you get caught then it is impossible to escape from it. The entire island is bright at night as lights were put up. That is also Ran law hence why Ran is known as the Land of Light. In other words, they are never put out and are routinely checked and replace before it goes out."
Amy understood now. There are guards surrounding and protecting the place where Norman is being kept prisoner. If she goes there without this knowledge, she will get caught instantly. Sneak attacks are also impossible.
"You made it sound impossible."
"There are downsides other than just requiring a light source. It can be easily put out. If you are caught by shadow magic, a flicker of light is enough to break it. It is entirely reliant on light, and you can also manipulate your shadow and make the range of your shadow smaller. You can't get rid of it, but you will have an easier time not worrying about getting your shadow caught."
He then demonstrates by making his shadow smaller and smaller until it is just a small black circle under his feet.
Ryota is willing to help but she prepared for an eventual betrayal though much to her surprise, he didn't do anything that would raise suspicions. He genuinely wants to help her.