Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 700

“I didn’t know you could come out even when I hadn’t summoned you.”

“The energy of darkness is truly overflowing!”

The undead mage, Verdus, drew in a deep breath of that abundant power.

Normally, once beings from other dimensions had been summoned once, it was difficult to summon them again until their strength had recovered.

And Verdus was still carrying injuries from the Ghoul King.

Verdus seemed not to have expected to manifest in the mortal world without being called either, and checked the situation around several times.

A powerful spider monstrosity was rampaging and spewing out even more poisonous breath.

“Wait. Don’t tell me this is another °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° one of your master’s tests like last time?”

“Uh, well.”

Lee Han faltered.

Back in the dark magic midterm, Lee Han had summoned Verdus in order to stop the seniors’ undead wave after misunderstanding the situation.

Verdus had fought hard for the contractor, only to learn the truth later and unleash a flood of curses.

‘Is this another master’s test?’

Strictly speaking, it was the Skull Principal’s test, but depending on how one looked at it, this could also be called an accident rather than a test…

“No, probably not. No master would send out a monster like that as a test.”

“…”

“Then why are those Death Knights looking at me like that?”

The undead mage looked puzzled by the stares the Death Knights were sending.

They were not green knight-apprentices. They were Death Knights who had known glory in life and hardship after death, yet they were staring this way with a strange kind of fear.

One of the Death Knights cautiously asked,

“Did you turn the professor into undead, by any chance?”

“No.”

Lee Han answered with a straight face.

No matter how much of a misunderstanding it was, that was going way too far.

The Death Knights sounded disappointed by Lee Han’s answer.

“Damn!”

“I had a little hope…”

“…”

As if asking for an explanation, the undead mage called out to Lee Han. The Death Knights’ behavior had been odd for a while now.

“Ah. There is a mage who bears the name Verdus, and that person and those Death Knights do not have a very good relationship.”

“I see. So that was it. For Death Knights, they certainly are making a huge fuss. No matter if the family name matches, to be frightened by a mere mage.”

“Haha.”

Lee Han thought Verdus might change opinion a little after meeting Professor Verdus.

With Professor Verdus, there was a kind of fear that had nothing to do with strength.

“And there must be hundreds of Verdus families not just on the continent, but in other realms too.”

“That is absolutely true.”

“Tsk, tsk. But what species is that mage, by any chance?”

“What? Why are you asking?”

“When I still had a body of flesh, my species was a beaver beastkin. I asked just in case. It’s not a common species!”

“…”

Lee Han felt a fear even worse than when Anansi had first appeared. It felt like all the blood in his body had drained away and his body had frozen cold.

No way.

‘No. It must be a coincidence.’

The undead mage in front of him might be a lich and might have worked in the Ghoul King’s palace, but at heart, this was a kind and upright person.

There was no way someone like that could be Professor Verdus’s ancestor.

“Why are you still standing there just fine?”

“!”

Anansi, which had been sweeping aside the troublesome Death Knights, noticed Lee Han at last and made its eyes flash.

The Death Knights hurriedly shouted,

“Verd—… Mage! Please help!”

“Verd—… Verd—… damn it, we request your support!”

“Understood! I shall cooperate!”

Being a seasoned lich, the undead mage did not waste more time on useless talk.

Snakes, bones, and dark elements moved and traced out a magic circle.

“You, get inside this!”

“A protective magic circle?”

When Lee Han stepped into the magic circle, the Death Knights asked.

For a protective magic circle, it looked rather unusual.

“It’s a mana-absorption circle.”

“It’s a mana-absorption circle.”

At the undead mage’s and Lee Han’s answers, the Death Knights froze for a moment.

They were suddenly confused about whether they should subdue Anansi or subdue the lich trying to exploit their master’s disciple’s mana.

‘Why is the disciple so calm while having mana sucked out?’

‘Without madness, it’s hard to study under our master in the first place.’

While the Death Knights were hesitating, the undead mage finished charging up mana.

Since the contractor’s mana was overflowing to begin with, there was not much difficulty in preparing. And the surrounding dark elements were also plentiful…

“Be engraved upon me, Pentagramaton!”

With such overflowing power, the undead mage even used a Lesser World.

The limits of the mage and of nearby dark magic were lifted, and dozens, hundreds of spells were completed even before the mage’s chant finished.

A black aura wrapped around the Death Knights and thickened their armor. Their swords, already blazing blue with negative energy, turned sharper and even more savage.

The magic was cast so fast it surpassed the limits of recognition, to the point where the words of the incantation could not even be heard.

And yet the spells did not interfere with one another or affect one another in the least. With not the slightest error, they strengthened the Death Knights and weakened Anansi.

“AAAAAAAAAGH!”

Even Anansi, which had been rampaging with confidence in its hard exoskeleton no matter what attacks hit it, felt pain when dozens of curses poured in like a rising tide.

The Death Knights, now properly supported, roared and charged in.

“W-Wait! Wait!”

“Too late. You should have listened when we were still talking!”

They could not draw forth living mana as vigorously as when alive, but the authorities the Death Knights had received after swearing themselves to the Lord of Death more than made up for it.

An authority that could receive the power of darkness without end, unbound by the limits of any vessel.

Borrowing the power of dark magic, the Death Knights gave off pitch-black aura and properly butchered Anansi.

“Excellent!”

Watching the Death Knights fight, the undead mage looked satisfied.

They had seemed pitifully timid because of some mage with the same family name, so Verdus had wondered what kind of feeble knights they were. But seeing them fight, it was obvious they had been brave knights even in life.

THUD!

At last the giant spider collapsed, and the undead mage expressed gratitude for the knights’ devotion.

“You have all worked hard. May your swords endure as eternally as your fame!”

“Mage, may your magic also remain immortal and everlasting!”

“But how did that spider come out in the first place?”

“Whew. Our master was trying to test the students, and that is what happened.”

“……”

The undead mage stared at Lee Han, mouth hanging open.

Lee Han quickly fled toward the students.

*****

After the battle ended and the commotion had been brought under control by the Death Knights, they resumed the inspection.

(That process of bringing things under control also included stopping the excited undead mage from hurling curses and sending it back.)

Unlike before, this inspection was quiet and peaceful.

That was because every student who had tried smuggling had been caught, and because everyone was exhausted beyond measure.

“Pass.”

“Thank you.”

“Pass.”

“Is that him from earlier?”

“I told you to pass, student. Though to answer your question, yes.”

“Wow…”

“Is that House Wardanaz? I thought that was just one of Einroguard’s ridiculous rumors.”

“So it wasn’t a fake rumor invented by the Skull Principal?”

Even amid the earlier chaos, the seniors who had seen Lee Han running around through Anansi’s poisonous breath and standing alongside the Death Knights whispered among themselves in amazement.

Lee Han lifted Gainando to avoid their gazes. Gainando squirmed in displeasure.

“Pass through.”

“Ah. Yes. Sorry. Junior! By any chance, are you interested in the jousting club—ghk!”

The Death Knights firmly restrained students who broke the rules.

Club recommendations, school recommendations, research recommendations—students who were not yet fully prepared as second-years could not just be lured in however people pleased.

“No club recommendations, and no school recommendations.”

“And school recommendations are meaningless anyway. Since, well…”

“……”

Lee Han looked at the Death Knights with a wounded expression. The Death Knights, only belatedly realizing what they had said, cleared throats awkwardly and averted their gaze.

“Hand over your backpack.”

“Here it is.”

Lee Han pulled out the confiscation backpack.

It was the backpack he had properly packed so it could be confiscated.

The storehouse keeper and the Death Knights glanced around once, then whispered:

“Please proceed.”

“Pardon?”

“You may just go through. Honestly, with how much hardship you’ve gone through, it’s fine if you bring in this much.”

Lee Han could sense sympathy not only from the Death Knights, but even from the storehouse keeper, whose eyes were covered with bandages and could not see.

Among the Skull Principal’s servants, there were few who did not find Lee Han pitiful.

“…N-No. You can’t just change school regulations like that…”

Of course, from Lee Han’s point of view, this was bewildering.

Just in case, Lee Han asked,

“Are you letting me through because I fought alongside you against Anansi just now?”

There was desperation in the question.

It was the desperation of protecting the meaning of the underground smuggling operation he had suffered so much to carry out.

“No. We had originally intended to let the disciple bring in a little anyway.”

“Please go through quickly.”

“…Thank you…”

Lee Han took up the backpack with slumped shoulders and walked forward.

At that sight, the Death Knights were puzzled.

“Why doesn’t he look happy?”

“He’s probably acting. Aren’t our master’s eyes all over the school?”

“I see…! This may be somewhat disrespectful to say, but truly, not just anyone can become our master’s disciple.”

“Ha ha. Naturally!”

*****

‘…It wasn’t for nothing.’

After passing the inspection and heading toward the Blue Dragon Tower, Lee Han recovered his spirits.

In truth, the Death Knights had only let the backpack through because they felt sorry for him. If he had brought in an entire smuggling wagon, even the Death Knights would probably have reacted with, “That’s a bit much.”

The underground smuggling had absolutely not been pointless.

“That’s right, Lee Han. It definitely wasn’t pointless.”

Gainando spoke in a rarely serious voice.

Lee Han was a little moved.

“You think so too?”

“I sacrificed myself by drinking poison!”

“……”

At the side, Yonair whispered,

“That’s the twenty-third time now.”

“…Let’s just put up with it until we get inside.”

Once they finished the inspection, the second-year students gathered one by one in front of the Blue Dragon Tower, only to stop when they spotted a senior.

The Blue Dragon Tower senior, who had been waiting while idly tapping the toe of a snakeskin boot in boredom, rose from the spot when the second-years had all gathered.

“You’re all here. There aren’t any second-years who got sent to the punishment ward, are there? If there are, pass the message along later. I am Perseda of House Quilberg. I’ll be going up to fourth year this time. I was waiting here to explain the life of an Einroguard Bronze Year to you.”

“Senior, are you the representative of the fourth years… the student council president… the leader… I don’t know if this place has anything like that, but something along those lines?”

“No. I was waiting here simply because I lost the lottery. And what you just said does not exist. Even if the Skull Principal tells you it does, don’t believe him, unless you want to become a laughingstock. When I was in second year, I got fooled by the Skull Principal and worked hard to become a student council president that didn’t even exist.”

“……”

Perseda was tall and muscular. The appearance suited White Tiger Tower more than Blue Dragon Tower.

Seeing the magic worked into the snakeskin boots and the jousting mallet hanging across the back, Lee Han realized that Perseda liked jousting very much. Or used the mallet as a weapon.

“It’s really fortunate that none of you took part in the smuggling. Every year, some people fall for it.”

“Shouldn’t the seniors have tried harder to stop them?”

At someone’s question, Perseda shrugged.

“When we try to stop them, they want to do it even more. Ironic, isn’t it?”

“……”

“Anyway, shall we start? I’m a fourth-year too, so I don’t exactly have all the time in the world. The main things you need to know for this academic year are clubs, lectures, and commissions. The club members will come tomorrow and explain things themselves, so shall I start with lectures? Who here is taking one school?”

A few students raised hands. Perseda nodded.

“It’s not bad to take one more major in your second year. It makes your research more flexible, after all. Anyone taking two?”

Quite a lot of students raised hands. Perseda looked satisfied.

“As always, Blue Dragon Tower students are the most studious and intellectually gifted. Anyone taking three?”

Adenart raised a hand. Perseda gave a courteous nod of respect.

Even if a person was a junior, a mage majoring in three schools deserved that kind of greeting.

“You have my respect. It’s a great accomplishment, but if it becomes too difficult, consider reducing the number of schools. The professors will understand.”

‘Will they?’

Lee Han tilted head inwardly.

That did not seem right…