Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 761
Since it seemed the professor from Kalarogard, whom he was meeting again after a long time, was finding this odd, Professor Mortum hurried to explain.
“He may be a second-year, but not an ordinary second-year. A second-year like a third-year, no, a fourth-year!”
“…”
Professor Taswan stared in bafflement at Professor Mortum’s utterly unconvincing words.
What on earth had happened to this professor at Einroguard in the time they had been apart?
To insist that one plus one equaled three with that much sincerity…
“It’s true. Please believe me.”
Professor Mortum wanted to reveal that Lee Han was the Skull Principal’s disciple, but held himself back because it felt like it would only backfire.
Telling someone still afflicted by the Skull Principal’s curse about the disciple of that very principal did not seem likely to do either side any good.
“Hmm… very well. If you insist that strongly…”
In the end, even Professor Taswan had no choice but to accept it in the face of Professor Mortum’s earnest attitude.
As a guest at Einroguard, there was only so far he could go in disregarding the host’s goodwill.
Of course, that did not stop him from thinking to himself:
Could it be that Einroguard’s dark magic school is short on students too?
Professor Taswan had, unexpectedly, hit rather sharply upon the truth.
*****
“The upperclassmen are tougher than I thought.”
Lee Han came back up the embankment after checking the area around the field and clicked his tongue.
Even when hunting a rabbit, a lion used its full strength.
And these opponents were not classmates or juniors, but upperclassmen of Einroguard.
There was nothing strange about assuming that mages who had survived one or two extra years in this hell might have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves.
The best method would be a quick strike.
Professor Voladi’s philosophy of magical combat was always speed.
No matter how powerful a mage was, getting hit first before casting a major spell would force them into a corner.
That was also why a mage’s rank was not directly proportional to combat power.
To maintain concentration in chaotic, urgent battle conditions and cast without making mistakes, one needed at least a certain amount of regular combat-magic training.
Lee Han had no idea how used the upperclassmen were to magical combat, but he had no intention of underestimating them, so he wanted to ambush them as fast as possible…
But not a single one of them had left the mushroom field, so it looked difficult to deal with all of them through surprise attacks alone.
“This is a problem. I thought at least one or two would peel off, but they’re all just wrapping themselves in sleeping bags or blankets and holding out.”
“My, my! No wonder they’re upperclassmen.”
Siana set up a small cauldron and raised an alchemist’s smoke-shrouding screen over it. It was to keep the multicolored fumes from the brewing potion from alerting the upperclassmen.
“What are you making right now?”
“<Arlekan’s Ferocious Beast Potion>.”
Yonair answered in Siana’s place.
Holding a book marked with the crest of House Meikin in one hand, Yonair stared into the cauldron with the sort of focus that allowed no margin for error whatsoever.
“Arlekan…”
Arlekan Meikin.
A great alchemist of legendary fame from centuries ago, and one of Yonair’s ancestors from the same house.
“You mean the great alchemist who created the prototypes for <House Meikin’s Sweet Slab Chocolate> and <House Meikin’s Magical Chocolate Eclair>?!”
“That, that is true, but… of all the great potions, why those?”
Siana looked slightly embarrassed by Lee Han’s examples.
Out of all the creations by an alchemist who had developed countless masterworks, he had chosen chocolate and éclairs as his examples.
“What are you talking about, Junior Siana? Do you have any idea how much revenue those two works bring House Meikin?”
“No. Who would know that?”
“Isn’t it in the Imperial newspapers?!”
“The Imperial newspapers print House Meikin’s revenue?!”
“No, not that exactly, but if you look at the business section and do the math—”
Yonair said irritably,
“Would both of you keep it down?”
“Sorry.”
“I’m sorry.”
The two lowered their voices and whispered.
“So is that book something like Arlekan’s secret grimoire?”
“Yes. It looks like Yonair started researching it in earnest this year. I brought a few secret grimoires from the Flameang Order too.”
Siana shook a small booklet marked with the Order’s emblem.
Even within the same alchemical school, the paths taken by mages branched into hundreds of directions.
Yonair followed the secret arts of the house, Siana the formulas of her order, and a senior like Ilendil created artificial spirits to complete the Forest of Death…
No. That last example feels a little strange.
Anyway, seeing how even second-years had all found their own paths and were preparing so quickly made Lee Han feel a faint sense of urgency.
“I’m starting to wonder if I’ve been too passive, just following lectures.”
“What kind of nonsense are you—? S-sorry.”
“…”
When her friend looked hurt, Siana apologized once again.
“Everyone else brought back secret traditions from their houses or temples and is studying on their own, while I’m just…”
“You’re attending lectures from every school there is.”
“…Yes. I misspoke.”
“If you’re anxious, why not learn <Arlekan’s Ferocious Beast Potion> with me? Lord Meikin is a very good teacher.”
Siana naturally assumed Lee Han would refuse.
He was supposed to be resting even now, and was only here because of the alchemy lecture.
He was already taking so many other classes. There was no reason for him to learn a potion unrelated to his coursework…
“Would that be all right? Thank you.”
“…”
Siana looked at her friend the way a priest might look at a patient suffering from an incurable disease.
“What is it?”
“Haha. It’s nothing.”
Sssk, sssk—
From below, a bone rat came racing up at incredible speed. The moment it reached Lee Han, it transformed into a single fragment of bone. It was a message someone had sent.
Guests have arrived from Kalarogard. Need a reliable dark-magic-school student. Return at once.
Professor Mortum
“??”
“What kind of message is it?”
“They say guests have come from another magic school.”
“Wow!”
Siana’s eyes lit up with intense curiosity.
Guests from another magic school!
“Wait. It’s not Valdrogard, right?”
“No. Kalarogard.”
“Whew. That’s a relief. As long as it isn’t Valdrogard.”
Lee Han wanted to ask the priest what exactly that was supposed to mean, but there was something more important first.
“Why are they calling for me?”
“Hmm. Since it’s a dark-magic school… maybe they’re gathering all the dark magic students together so they can mingle and exchange ideas?”
Siana guessed based on the things she had experienced at the temple.
Whenever priests from another order visited carrying gift baskets, even the younger priests would all come out to greet them and talk about the faith.
—Hehe. And that is how it all comes together.
—Amazing, Priest Siana of the Flameang Order! To be this knowledgeable about alchemy at such a young age!
—At this point, I really ought to write a recommendation. To Einroguard! Priest Siana, you should be studying at the finest magic school in the Empire!
—But our Priest Siana is still young, and the path to becoming a mage is a harsh one…
—It’s all right! I know I can handle it!
…Hmm. Come to think of it, that was a mistake.
A slightly bitter look crossed Siana’s face.
A painful memory she had forgotten suddenly came back to her.
The priests from the other orders had praised her so much that she had gotten carried away and worked hard to prove herself, and in the end that was what had gotten her admitted to Einroguard…
Siana consoled herself by thinking she probably would have wound up at Einroguard even without that.
“What’s wrong? You look distressed.”
“I was remembering the day I got admitted to Einroguard.”
“Ah. I see. That would be painful.”
“How did you end up entering Einroguard, Lord Wardanaz?”
“I volunteered because I planned to become an Imperial official after graduating.”
“Ahh.”
The snake-beast priest nodded.
And thought to herself,
What a bizarre lie.
If he did not want to say, he could simply refuse. It was a very strange lie to tell.
*****
At the mention of an exchange gathering, Lee Han brought Gainando, Imirg, and Raphaedel along.
“Gainando. Because of the prophecy, I can’t make physical contact with you right now. Understood? If you come too close, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} I’ll attack.”
“Y-you’re not doing this because I skipped studying and went off to play, right?”
Gainando, uncertain whether this was really about a prophecy or whether his friend was acting like this because he had not studied, nervously watched Lee Han’s face.
Raphaedel nodded as if this was exactly what had been coming.
“You kept needling his temper, and now this happens. Prince brat. I told you to stop messing around and study.”
“T-that’s right.”
When even Imirg agreed, Gainando looked ready to collapse from sheer injustice.
“I only played around a little!”
“All three of you, quiet. It’s not because you never listen. The prophecy says so. If I come into contact with the Imperial Family, misfortune will follow.”
Lee Han gave them a brief explanation of what he had heard in divination magic class.
Hearing about divination magic, one of the strangest and most bizarre branches among the many schools, they all looked fascinated.
“I can’t make contact with the Imperial Family?”
“I’ve got it! It’s Adenart!”
Gainando clapped his hands as if he had suddenly seen the truth.
“Adenart is the one bringing Lee Han bad luck! Not me!”
“H-how would Her Highness?”
“Who knows? Maybe she eats all of Lee Han’s meals by herself.”
“That sounds more like something you would do.”
The looks in Raphaedel’s and Imirg’s eyes were becoming increasingly suspicious.
No matter how they thought about it, if anyone in the Imperial Family was going to bring Lee Han bad luck, it seemed far more likely to be this prince.
“I’m telling you, it’s not—!”
“Cough. What is this? Why is everyone here?”
Professor Mortum, who had been waiting in front of the Dark Hall, looked puzzled when the second-years all came trooping in together.
“Didn’t you say guests had come from Kalarogard? Since it was an exchange gathering, I brought my friends too.”
“What? Cough. It’s not an exchange gathering… there is an exchange, but that’s only for the Mage Card Club. They came to trade reagents and exchange a few grimoires.”
That only made Lee Han more puzzled.
“Then why did you call me?”
“Cough. Because I need someone to guide them around Einroguard.”
“…”
“…”
“W-wouldn’t that normally be something upperclassmen should handle…?”
Imirg asked in a shrinking voice that did not fit his size at all. Professor Mortum let out a long sigh.
“Yes. Normally that would be Diret’s job. But Diret is a fifth-year now.”
“Does the professor maybe not know how to count three and four?”
Gainando muttered.
Unless he only knew the numbers one, two, and five, it was hard to explain that remark.
Instead of panicking, Lee Han took the list of tasks from Professor Mortum and checked it over.
An experienced Einroguard student got to work instead of wasting time being shocked.
Oh. The mushroom field is on here too.
While thinking about how to finish the work quickly, Lee Han noticed “Mage Card Club exchange match” and called Gainando over.
“Gainando. This works out nicely. It looks like these guests are interested in Mage Cards too.”
“Mm.”
Gainando answered with a gloomy expression. The reaction made all three of them stare in shock.
“What’s wrong with the prince brat??”
“I-it looks terminal…”
“Is he pretending to look gloomy because he’s afraid he’ll get hit if he acts excited?”
But surprisingly enough, Gainando stayed gloomy. Lee Han could not understand it and asked,
“If it’s a Mage Card Club exchange match, isn’t this the opportunity you’ve always dreamed of? What’s wrong?”
“Lee Han. The truth is… I never joined the Mage Card Club.”
“???”
The three tilted their heads.
If the friend who had been singing the praises of the Mage Card Club ever since first year had not joined it, then where had he joined?
“Then what did you join?”
“The Mage Card Collectors Club.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
At Raphaedel’s question, Gainando flared up in outrage.
“It’s not the same! One is a club for enjoying Mage Cards, and the other is—”
“What?”
“…a club for collecting expensive Mage Cards and selling them for even more…”
“…”
“I got mixed up and joined the wrong one…”
“Oh. That’s all?”
His friends immediately lost interest.
While Gainando cursed furiously in the background, Lee Han continued listening to Professor Mortum’s explanation.
“Cough. This is the <Dark Magic School’s King Scepter>. It’s a useful artifact in combat situations.”
The bone artifact in the shape of a scepter was shedding powerful negative energy.
It was cracked in several places, and a few sections were outright broken, which made Lee Han wonder whether it was really safe to use…
“And this is the key to the school storeroom. Cough. If you need anything, you may take it and use it. This is the key to the vault. Your payment is inside.”
“Thank you.”
Professor Mortum might not be a professor who could count three and four, but at least he was not the kind who worked students for no pay.
Pleased, Lee Han opened the vault with the bone key he had just received.
Click!
Inside was a small handful of Imperial gold. Lee Han, who had been about to scrape up the gold for his wages, paused.
“…Professor. Does our school have another vault?”
“Cough. No. Why?”
“…”
Lee Han took the entire financial assets of the school with him and squeezed his eyes shut so he would not have to see the cobwebs hanging in the far corner of the vault.
