Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 702
“What is the meaning of this?”
At the icy voice of the senior, Lee Han answered at once.
“You looked cold, Senior.”
“Do you call that an answer?”
‘Huh?’
Lee Han was slightly flustered.
That would definitely have worked on Professor Verdus…
Apparently Yukbeltire had more social intelligence than Professor Verdus.
‘Then why does someone like that act like Professor Verdus?’
While Lee Han was puzzling over it, Yukbeltire moved the cloak aside and looked at him. That gaze was half indifference and half contempt.
“Place the hand on the clock again.”
“…?”
Lee Han was startled again.
Amazingly enough, the other side still had not recognized him!
‘What is this? Beginner’s luck at the start of second year?’
There was a reason people said beginner’s luck.
Maybe fortune was pitying Lee Han, who had only just become a second-year, and lending a hand.
‘It isn’t over yet. Get out of here with as little suspicion as possible.’
Meanwhile, Yukbeltire took out a small magnifying glass and looked at the junior.
It was a magnifying glass fitted with a high-grade mana-recognition lens personally made by Yukbeltire.
A mage was someone who handled mana, but that did not mean every mage could perceive the flow of mana perfectly.
Even a peaceful-looking space with no visible movement was filled with countless currents and changes of mana.
The flow of mana was so complex that even someone born with an innate sensitivity to mana would find it hard to grasp by sheer sense alone.
This simple artifact Yukbeltire had made allowed precise recognition of a junior’s mana flow.
Exactly what kind of idiotic stunt had this junior pulled to make the artifact stop? Yukbeltire intended to confirm it personally.
CRACK!
The moment it was activated, the magnifying lens shattered on the spot.
“……”
“……”
Yukbeltire tilted the head slightly. Then cast a spell on the own eyes.
“Pierce through.”
As <Baquantala’s Blue Eyes> was cast, information from the expanded space flooded directly into Yukbeltire’s brain.
Yukbeltire might not remember faces well, but remembered mana very well. It did not take long to pull the junior’s mana out of memory.
“A second-year from House Wardanaz?”
“…Couldn’t you possibly have the wrong person?”
In a voice mixed with resignation, Lee Han made one last attempt at resistance.
*****
Once Yukbeltire recognized the junior, the attitude became far friendlier than before.
Of course, that did not mean tea was served or refreshments were offered.
By Yukbeltire’s standards, simply speaking first and asking questions of the junior sitting in front was already an extremely friendly attitude.
“Have you thought about research?”
‘Here it comes.’
At the senior’s question, Lee Han braced himself.
Fortunately, he had a prepared answer for just this sort of situation.
“I would be honored, but unfortunately I have a prior commitment. And that person said that if I worked on any other research in parallel, I would not be forgiven…”
“What an impolite person.”
“It’s Senior Diret.”
“……”
Yukbeltire showed a faintly disappointed expression.
Just as it was hard to imagine Professor Verdus looking disappointed, it was the same with the senior in front of him, so Lee Han was fairly startled.
“To say something like that to me and then try to monopolize you personally. Diret is disappointing.”
‘Don’t argue. Don’t argue.’
Lee Han forcibly held back the urge to defend Diret.
After all, Diret had warned him.
—Junior, since you’re in the Blue Dragon Tower, there’s a chance you’ll meet Yukbeltire.
—What do I do if I meet that person? Pretend to be dead?
—That’s a good method too, but it won’t work. Yukbeltire will check your pulse immediately. Just use me as an excuse.
—Pardon? Say you killed me?
—…No! Make excuses that because of me, you don’t have time to participate in other research!
—That… isn’t that far too disadvantageous for you, Senior?
—My life turned disadvantageous the moment I decided on fifth year. It won’t really matter if it gets a little worse here.
—……
—…Sorry. That wasn’t something I should say in front of a junior. ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Anyway, using me as an excuse is about the only thing that will work with Yukbeltire. Oh, right. No matter what Yukbeltire says about me, just keep quiet. Don’t argue. The instant you argue, you’ll get dragged in.
Classmates attached insulting titles like Verdus’s direct disciple to Yukbeltire, but in truth, Yukbeltire was very different from Professor Verdus.
If Professor Verdus had no social intelligence at all, Yukbeltire had it and simply chose not to use it.
And if necessary, Yukbeltire would use any means or method without hesitation, which was why Lee Han absolutely could not let the guard down and approach carelessly. Keeping his mouth shut was best.
‘I’ll endure it.’
While Lee Han endured, Yukbeltire smiled coldly.
“But this is satisfying. So Diret has finally decided to stop taking care of juniors beneath the standard and focus on the own magic… Now that Diret is in fifth year, perhaps there has been a change of heart.”
‘…If I challenge this person to a duel, will I lose?’
For a brief moment, Lee Han nearly challenged the senior in front of him.
How could anyone insult Diret like that?
Oblivious to what Lee Han was thinking, Yukbeltire said in a cool voice,
“If it is because of Diret’s research, I will yield for the moment.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I can simply persuade Diret later.”
“……”
Lee Han suddenly became very worried about Diret.
Professor Verdus’s style of persuasion was, more or less, to torment the other side until they were completely sick of living…
…How different could the disciple possibly be?
‘I may really have to subdue this person right here!’
Having no idea that a distant junior was seriously contemplating assassination, Yukbeltire turned the gaze back to the artifact.
“So then, junior of House Wardanaz… I have been thinking about why the artifact became inoperable. You said you were taking quite a few schools, correct?”
“Yes.”
“That is probably the cause.”
Staring at the gigantic lecture-clock artifact, Yukbeltire gave an order.
“Exclude replaceable lectures!”
If one was taking many schools, the number of related lectures could only increase.
Yukbeltire ordered the artifact to remove lectures whose content overlapped with other lectures or that could be substituted by other lectures.
And then…
TING!
“……”
“……”
The clock rattled, then stopped. Yukbeltire’s brows furrowed very slightly.
The pride as an enchanter had been wounded.
“To think I had not anticipated a case like this.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“It is not your fault. It is mine. I should have considered Professor Garcia’s precedent.”
“……”
Lee Han fell silent with a complicated expression.
He had no idea whether he was supposed to be happy or sad.
“In that case… let us find schools that can be excluded.”
“That is possible too?”
“Yes. I included some divination magic as well.”
“!”
At the senior’s words, Lee Han was startled.
He had already thought it was a complex artifact, but it was far more incredible than expected.
To think it even contained divination magic.
“How does this clock function?”
“It has priorities. I already mentioned schools, interests, and ability, yes? After that come talent and professor.”
“Talent and professor… professor?”
Sensing something odd, Lee Han asked back.
Talent he understood, but what was professor?
“You may think of talent as abilities you yourself do not know you possess. If strange or unusual lectures appear, assume you have talent in that direction. The last is professor; simply put, it is how well your personalities fit. Naturally, if you do not get along well with the teacher, it becomes difficult to learn.”
“There is really a function like that?!”
Lee Han looked over in admiration.
He almost felt that instead of using the Skull Principal’s grand magic to find incoming students for Einroguard, they should use magic like this instead.
“Shouldn’t the professor priority be raised?”
“What nonsense are you saying? In magic, personality compatibility with the teacher is the least important part.”
Yukbeltire looked at the junior as if he were pathetic. Lee Han wilted.
CLACK, CLACK, CLACK… TING!
“……”
“……”
While they were talking, the clock stopped again.
The crease between Yukbeltire’s brows was slightly deeper than before.
“Why is it doing this this time?”
“…It seems there are no schools in which your talent is lacking. Surprising…”
Yukbeltire looked Lee Han up and down again.
Yukbeltire had thought Lee Han possessed exceptional talent in enchantment magic, and spirit affinity on top of that, but looking now, the sheer versatility was absurd.
How could someone have talent so evenly spread across every school?
“I’m sorry there are no schools in which my talent is lacking.”
“No. As I said, this is my fault. Do not apologize.”
A superior enchanter did not fear discovering flaws.
The more flaws were discovered, the more an artifact improved.
…Though it did not seem likely that another junior like this would ever appear again…
“Good. Then… let us once again find schools that can be excluded. This time focusing on the most incompatible professor!”
“!”
When Yukbeltire gave a new order to find schools to exclude based on the very last priority, compatibility with professors, Lee Han was startled.
‘Who is the professor I’m least compatible with?’
Honestly, he was curious.
There were too many plausible candidates, which somehow only made him more curious…
TING!
The clock stopped again.
“……”
“…It seems you have no professors who are on bad terms with you.”
“This thing is broken!”
Lee Han flared up and shouted.
What kind of insane clock was this?
Or else Yukbeltire had clearly made a mistake in the divination magic. What would an enchanter even know about divination magic?
“Do you have any idea how much I hate Ver… anyway, certain professors?”
“I am sure you do. But it appears those professors do not hate you. Since this is the result.”
“……”
At the senior’s blunt explanation, Lee Han felt a chill run down the spine.
Come to think of it, considering the personalities of certain professors, even if he avoided a lecture, it would not be strange if that lecture were forcibly added anyway.
And if this clock had foreseen even that…
‘Terrifying…!’
“It cannot be helped.”
After thinking for a moment, Yukbeltire spoke.
“There is a method?”
“Exclude easy lectures that can be self-studied, and focus on difficult lectures.”
“No, what kind of…?”
CLACK!
With a puff of smoke, the clock finally completed a one-day lecture schedule.
It was a packed schedule with almost no empty space visible from morning to evening.
Yukbeltire nodded as if telling him to write it down. Lee Han copied it with an extremely dubious expression.
“The lecture <Wand Materials and Magical Amplification> is worth learning. Once you learn it, the margin of error when conducting research will become much smaller. Before attending the lecture, bring the following materials…”
After Lee Han finished writing down the schedule, Yukbeltire gave additional explanations about several lectures.
Before taking <The Tragic History of Ancient Relics and Summoning Magic>, one had to prepare at least three mental-defense artifacts…
As he busily took notes, Lee Han felt a flicker of gratitude.
“Thank you, Senior. I didn’t expect you to explain things in such detail.”
“I am spending time explaining it so that you will feel grateful. So, do you now want to help with my research?”
“No?”
*****
Even after the explanation ended and evening came, Lee Han and his friends were not able to rest.
Before visiting the new spaces of the tower, they had to deal with the smuggled goods first.
‘You do not put all your eggs in one basket.’
Some would go in their private rooms, some in the secret base, some in the hut, some in the second-year lounge…
There was so much that even spending the whole evening on it might not be enough.
“Junior.”
“!”
As he was leaving the tower, Lee Han spotted Diret and jumped.
“Senior. Lower your voice!”
“…Hey. You’re a second-year now. You won’t get sent to the punishment ward just for talking to me.”
“If I meet a first-year, I get sent to the punishment ward.”
“What are you talking about? The first-years can’t see you.”
“The geas only didn’t stick to me.”
“……”
