Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 698
“W-What? Why is this in here?”
“Because a student put it there, I would assume.”
The Death Knights stared at Dreumcha with stern eyes.
Students who ended up being sent to the punishment ward usually came up with all kinds of excuses.
Sleepwalking, multiple personalities, aftereffects from prophecy magic, and so on.
Of course, most of those excuses vanished without accomplishing much.
“I don’t think this is my luggage! I definitely put it in a junior’s—”
“So you mean you put this into a junior’s luggage?”
The Death Knights’ eyes turned even colder.
The Death Knights conducting the inspections here knew very well that Einroguard students would stop at nothing and use any means necessary to make their smuggling succeed.
And that included luring innocent juniors in and using them as bait.
“Hmph, looks like your plan fell apart!”
“You will be punished for insulting our master, attempting smuggling, and deceiving a junior!”
“Damn it, fine, call smuggling and tricking a junior crimes, but why is exposing the truth a crime?!”
Apparently deciding this was hopeless, Dreumcha quickly threw down the backpack and swung a wand, casting a spell.
With an explosive roar, magic spread out near the inspection station.
“He’s trying to escape!”
“He’s trying to escape!”
The Death Knights surged forward and tightened their formation. The students, taking advantage of the chaos, let out smoke and launched illusions into the air so they could slip away.
“Lee Han, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine. I got out.”
After getting away safely, Lee Han waved to his friends.
What Lee Han had just done was very simple. It was almost embarrassing to even call it a trick.
He had dispelled the magic on the box inside his own luggage and put the bone-catching parrot, now newly enchanted with the seniors’ magic, into the seniors’ luggage instead.
The seniors, never imagining for even a moment that a junior already knew every part of the plan, panicked at the sudden cries of the bone-catching parrot and failed to respond properly.
“The commotion is more violent than I expected. Is this really okay?”
“I think they’re about to get subdued.”
Lee Han coolly assessed the fight near the inspection station.
Dreumcha’s gang was fighting bravely, but since they clearly hadn’t expected actual combat, they had limits.
They laid down a blazing wall, spread a magic circle around the area to amplify the power of fire, and finally summoned spirits to try to chain their attacks together and reverse-summon the Death Knights, but the opponents were not so easy to handle.
The knights of death cut off the follow-up magic the moment the burning wall rose, then unleashed a strike packed with negative energy and canceled the wall’s summoning.
At the same time, they borrowed their master’s power and spread dark mist in every direction. The mages who inhaled elements infused with dark energy shuddered at the sensation of their vitality being sealed away and lost control of their magic.
Dreumcha’s gang made one last desperate stand, maintaining formation while vomiting out every spell they had prepared, but the Death Knights held firm behind a shield wall and waves of low-rank undead summons.
Once those spells ran out, they would probably be subdued on the spot.
‘Their attacks are too straightforward. Trying to overpower that many Death Knights head-on…’
While Lee Han was carrying out a battle analysis nobody had asked for, another gang of seniors appeared.
This time it was Ivanna’s gang.
A violent bunch planning to move their goods by using physical enhancement magic together with species-transformation magic!
“Junior, where are you?”
“Senior Ivanna. I’m right here.”
“This is our chance. Let’s go!”
The new seniors had absolutely no intention of helping while Dreumcha was under attack.
On the contrary, they were trying to use the confusion to pass through the inspection station.
“Here. Drink this potion! This is a potion that blocks the inspection!”
“Yes. Understood.”
The seniors, who intended to deceive Lee Han and make him drink a potion that would transform him into a giant, hesitated.
The transformation was taking longer than expected.
“Aren’t you going?”
“W-Wait.”
“Just wait a little. The potion needs time to take effect.”
Ivanna’s gang did not know what kinds of things happened when a mage had an absurd amount of mana.
Interference from outside that posed a threat would be instinctively blocked.
“Did you give me the wrong one? Why don’t you try drinking it?”
Lee Han took another swallow, then handed it to the seniors.
Since the junior looked perfectly fine, one of the seniors actually started wondering if the potion had been mixed wrong and tried to take just a small sip.
“Ghk… GRAAAAGH!”
In an instant, the senior’s body swelled and began transforming into a giant race.
Seeing that, the Death Knights shouted in disgust.
“You thought turning into a giant and charging would get you through?!”
“Bring out the bone ballistas! These disgusting student bastards!”
“I-If it’s come to this, we have no choice. Charge into the inspection station!”
“We will now pass through inspection! We are not hiding any items at all!”
“What nonsense! If you’re truly innocent, stop and wait!”
“We are waiting! If you can’t inspect us right now, we’re going in!”
“Push through!”
Before the disturbance from Dreumcha’s gang had even ended, Ivanna’s gang also began causing chaos.
Seeing that, the other smugglers must have decided this was their chance too, because they all rushed the inspection station.
“Now!”
“We’ll be passing through! Please inspect us! Ah, you’re saying it’s fine even if you don’t? Understood. We’ll pass through!”
“These lunatic students!”
“■ ■■■■ ■■■!”
“Don’t curse quite that much, elder!”
Just as if they had expected this all along, the Death Knights spat out curses and began converging on the inspection station.
Among the seniors still left, those who were still desperately trying to drag in more bait hurried to entice the juniors.
“Junior, drink this potion!”
“Isn’t this a mixture of berserker potion and bladed-bear transformation potion?”
“…How do you know that? Don’t tell me Alde betrayed us?! I thought the Skull Principal had caught Alde!”
“Alde was caught by the Skull Principal.”
“Shut up and drink it! When you’re a junior, you’re supposed to experience turning into a crazed bladed bear at least once!”
“Wouldn’t tormenting a junior get you sent to the punishment ward?”
“By that logic, the Skull Principal should be sent to the punishment ward first! If you won’t drink it, then I’ll make you drink it!”
Alde’s remaining friends quickly swung their wands and pulled the potion up out of the glass bottle.
Then they transformed the contents into the shape of bats and sent them flying in fast.
“Be resummoned as bats, liquid!”
“Ice, float as a shield!”
Lee Han immediately called up an ice shield and covered the front of his body. The seniors who had tried to control the potion-bats and attack were a beat too slow because of his swift response, and their attack was blocked.
Having bought some time, Lee Han reverse-engineered the enemy’s magic.
‘It’s a similar line to the paper-bird summoning spell.’
Fortunately, it was magic Lee Han had learned in his first year.
Summoning from nothing was complicated, so it normally required the help of a magic circle or separate reagents, but right now the opponent had already completed the process and summoned it first.
All Lee Han had to do was steal control.
‘There’ll definitely be an opening!’
“Break the shield first!”
“It’s tougher than I thought, this brat. Looks like ice element is a specialty!”
There came the sound of magic exploding and scattering across the ice shield.
‘It’ll hold for about five more seconds.’
Checking the remaining strength, Lee Han focused his sense for mana.
At that moment, the flow of mana nearby changed. The opponent was trying to cast the resummoning again.
“The potion’s slowed down! I need to summon it again!”
“Got it. I’ll cover you!”
“Be resummoned as bats, liqui—ghk?!”
As if he had been waiting for that exact moment, Lee Han swung his wand and cast counter-magic.
It was an acrobatic feat made possible only because he had learned magic similar to the opponent’s and had already completely grasped its structure.
The senior had never imagined a second-year junior would show off a high-level magical technique like counter-magic, and was completely caught off guard. Because of that, control of the bats was lost entirely.
“Be summoned anew, liquid!”
With the spell, Lee Han seized control of the potion. The potion transformed into the shape of a bird and shot forward like an arrow.
“What are you doing?! How did you let that get stolen?!”
“Be paralyzed!”
“A mere low-rank paralysis curse won’t—GRAAAAGH!”
Even after being hit with counter-magic, the senior still hadn’t come to his senses, and paid the price for it.
The senior had trusted only in the magic resistance of the equipment on hand and tried to endure a low-rank paralysis curse, but the curse Lee Han fired had a very different level of penetrating power.
In an instant, the senior’s body went rigid, and the potion flew straight into the throat.
Gulp!
“No! He’ll transform into a bladed bear!”
“…At this point, lure him toward the inspection station! Damn it. Junior. I’ll remember you! What’s your name?”
“Bivle Verdus!”
“You crazy little… fine! Run for the inspection station!”
Once one of their friends transformed into a bladed bear, Alde’s remaining gang seemed to decide they couldn’t waste any more time. They gave up and retreated.
Victorious, Lee Han looked at the second-year students and said,
“You all saw that, didn’t you? What kinds of schemes the seniors are carrying. And after that, you still want to smuggle with them?”
The reason Lee Han had defeated the seniors’ offers one by one was partly revenge for trying to deceive him.
But it was also for the sake of the other second-years.
There were too many students who would be blinded by greed and refuse to believe it unless they saw it for themselves.
“Th-That…!”
When the White Tiger Tower students muttered in shock, Lee Han nodded with satisfaction.
“What did I tell you? So—”
“Doesn’t that just mean that bastard from House Wardanaz can even beat three seniors at once?!”
“…”
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
He pointed at the moon, and these pathetic idiots were staring at the finger!
“Is that really what you should be saying right now? You idiots who almost got conned?”
“W-Well, we still have to be prepared too…”
The White Tiger Tower students were being far too honest.
Setting aside the fact that they had gotten help from House Wardanaz, House Wardanaz was also the kind of person who, when enraged, would mercilessly fire off magic and attack White Tiger Tower students.
Since White Tiger Tower students had, tower by tower, been attacked the most, it was an unavoidable reaction.
Even the Black Turtle Tower students nodded, apparently finding that logic somewhat relatable.
‘Mm. True enough. Even if you become friends with a dragon, it’s not a bad idea to prepare for the day it bites you…’
If Lee Han had heard that, he would have overturned a cooking cauldron.
“I-It’s not that we don’t trust you, Wardanaz.”
“Right. It’s like how we respect the Skull Principal but are still afraid of him. We trust you too, but it’s more that we need to be a little careful around you…”
“Can you all stop comparing Lee Han to the Skull Principal, at least?!”
Unable to watch anymore, Dergeu stopped the others.
Since getting angrier would only leave a deeper wound, Lee Han called out to Giselle.
“…Moradi. You explain the rest. If I keep explaining it to these idiots, I’m going to clutch the back of my neck.”
‘Why is this bastard calling me…’
Giselle made a displeased face.
Anyone seeing this would think they were close!
“Why are you dragging me into this?”
“…You came to my territory last time and helped with work. Help me out a little.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Students like Anglago and Dukema doubted their ears ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) for a moment.
Who had gone where and helped with what?
At their reaction, Giselle ground teeth together and jumped to feet.
“None of you should trust the seniors!”
“Moradi, just now—”
“Setting aside the grudges House Wardanaz has built up, the seniors can’t be trusted! You all saw what they just did!”
To change the subject, Giselle rapidly shouted while reciting a hundred curses at Lee Han in the heart.
“If you fall for them, that’s what happens!”
“I-I see.”
“That’s true.”
With the seniors trying to smuggle all causing simultaneous disturbances at the inspection station, the chaos was anything but mild.
The second-year students wiped their chests in relief at the thought that they themselves could easily have ended up among them.
Watching the scene together, Lee Han suddenly grew curious and asked,
“Moradi. You didn’t take part in the smuggling?”
“I heard what it was really like from a senior in my family. So I didn’t care.”
“…Wait, you heard about it and still didn’t participate?”
“Isn’t that normal?”
Giselle looked at Lee Han as if he were the strange one.
If you heard the truth about the smuggling, you would know how disadvantaged students newly rising into second year were.
Anyone wise would naturally give up and step back this year, and Giselle had assumed Lee Han would have done the same.
“…R-Right. I didn’t do it either.”
“Of course you didn’t.”
“Right. I didn’t.”
“Why are you saying it twice? I heard you.”
