Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 775

Ah, damn.

Only when Lee Han saw the tail sticking out between his sleeves trembling sadly did he remember there had been a basilisk inside.

It was always wrapped around his arm so naturally, like a bracelet, that he had forgotten.

That was a mistake. I should’ve watched my words.

A mage was supposed to be careful with words even in front of monsters.

Just like the old Imperial folktale about the mage who commanded a yellow devil and a black devil—then muttered, “The yellow devil works better,” and got attacked by the enraged black devil—powerful monsters were intelligent as well.

“…What I meant was, with an intelligent monster like a basilisk, wouldn’t it make more sense to first learn the languages of other monsters that are relatively easier, before trying to understand basilisk language?”

“No need to worry about that.”

The devil Oriphyulas, an Imperial legal official who had been tricked into a contract and had now been serving for a hundred thirty-two years, had somehow appeared and was offering advice.

“Basilisk language is certainly one of the hardest there is, but it’s a language isolate, so learning other monster languages first won’t make it any easier. If you need it, it’s better to just practice basilisk language directly.”

“……”

Lee Han looked around.

Naturally, his friends were trying to learn the comparatively easy and useful monster languages from the list.

“Moradi. Wolf-type languages are still the most practical to learn first, right?”

“Probably. The languages used by monsters in that branch are pretty similar.”

“Priest Tiziling. Would nightjar be better, or cuckoo?”

“Among the bird-shaped monsters found around Einroguard, the cuckoo line is stronger by far, so I think that would be better…”

Once you learned the wolf-side languages, they were useful against wolf-type monsters as a whole, and although birds came in many varieties, even learning just a few of the more common kinds was still very practical.

“I want to try something harder.”

“!”

Lee Han brightened at Shailes’s words.

As expected of the Black Turtle Tower’s second-ranked student, Shailes possessed both exceptional intelligence and a true spirit of challenge.

“Shailes. How about basilisk language?”

“Absolutely not.”

Shailes refused at once, face stiffening.

Wanting to try something hard was one thing. Throwing oneself into the infernal pit the way Wardanaz did just to gain knowledge was another.

“Hmm. I think I’ll try wyvern language. That’ll help later when I graduate.”

“Good idea, Richmond.”

“Wouldn’t basilisk language be better? It’s rarer.”

Lee Han kept pressing, but Shailes ignored him as if he hadn’t heard.

Since Shailes came from a family in the Imperial carriage guild, it was important to be good at handling monsters like wyverns, which were widely used in transport work.

And wyvern language was also useful when learning the languages of other snake-type monsters or dragonlike monsters.

There was no reason to pass that up just to learn basilisk language.

When even Shailes rejected him coldly, Lee Han grew a little crestfallen and reread the basilisk language description.

Hmm. Doesn’t basilisk language have any advantages?

“Even if it’s a language isolate, I feel like there should still be at least some snake-type monsters that use something similar to basilisk language…”

“There aren’t any, Wardanaz.”

As expected of a snake beastkin, Siana explained in a confident voice.

If you traced a basilisk’s bloodline back far enough, there were too many different animals mixed into it, so its language was very different from that used by ordinary snake-type monsters.

“…My thanks, Priest Siana.”

“Hehe. It was nothing.”

Siana turned away, pleased by the fact that Siana had been of help to a friend.

Of course, Siana had no intention of learning basilisk language. Siana planned to learn cuckoo language instead.

Lee Han let out a quiet sigh and looked over his recommended-language list again.

Basilisk language

Griffin language

Frost Giant language

Devil language (Pride Duke domain) — especially recommended by Oriphyulas!

…

The list Yonair had received looked like this:

Owl language, nightjar language, waterfowl language

Fire-spirit language (sphere-spirit domain)

Cat language

Pegasus language — high difficulty. Use caution!

…

…Isn’t this just bullying?

Lee Han suddenly felt a chill as the difference hit him.

When he looked over at the professor and the legal official, neither seemed to realize anything was strange and only looked back at him in puzzlement.

“Why is student Lee Han acting like that?”

“I think I know why.”

Oriphyulas answered calmly.

“Clearly, it’s because student Lee Han is struggling to choose between basilisk language and devil language. I told you, didn’t I? I said student Lee Han would definitely like it.”

“Urgh. I hate to admit it, but I have to.”

Professor Rozine clenched a fist in frustration, but had no choice but to admit the devil was right.

To think Lee Han would actually struggle because he wanted to learn devil language!

*****

“Grrrk-grrk. Grrrkk-rk-rk.”

“Kieek. Kieeeek. Kieeeek.”

“Kyit-kyit?”

For a while, the classroom was as noisy as a beast den.

Professor Rozine and Oriphyulas watched the scene with pleased expressions.

“Ugh. I wish I could just learn it with one spell…”

“M-me too.”

Exhausted nonsense drifted from the students here and there.

Since this too was entirely expected, the two kept watching with the same pleased expressions.

Young mages always said things like that when they ran into difficulties.

—Ugh. Why do I have to learn geometry in the first place? Why do I have ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to learn all these laws? Can’t I just solve it with magic?

—Ugh. Why do I have to learn this ancient script in the first place? Can’t I just solve it with magic?

For the record, if an upperclassman at Einroguard was caught saying something like that by the Skull Principal, that student got dragged off to the punishment cells for the offense of “low-level nonsense.”

That was how foolish a question it was.

Magic was not a convenient discipline that let you learn what you did not know and master what you could not do with a single spell.

“Hss, hssit, hssiiit, hssit?”

—……

The baby basilisk waited eagerly for Lee Han’s lesson, its tail moving with anticipation.

Damn it. This is absurdly hard.

Lee Han liked to think his intelligence, at least by Einroguard standards, was hardly poor, but basilisk language was more difficult than he had expected.

As Lee Han groaned and struggled over it, Oriphyulas approached.

“Don’t strain yourself too much.”

“Sir Oriphyulas.”

“If it really won’t work, trying devil language might be a good method too.”

“Sir Oriphyulas…”

“A joke.”

Oriphyulas continued blandly.

“Strictly speaking, speaking a monster’s language is closer to a primitive, simple form of magic. Very faint, but mana clings to it. Have you learned word-command magic?”

“…What?”

“I thought Lord Gonadaltes said you’d be learning it soon… Was I mistaken?”

“Haha. The principal does enjoy talking nonsense.”

Lee Han forced down his anger and laughed it off. Since it was an Imperial legal official saying it, he let it pass.

“If you think in terms of the structure of word-command magic, it becomes much easier to understand. You speak while loading your will into the words so they resonate directly with the other party’s soul. Of course, monster language is so simple and crude it scarcely deserves to be called magic, which means pronunciation must be much more exact, but still.”

Oriphyulas thought there was no reason for a mage like Lee Han to sit there suffering.

After all, Lee Han had at least heard about word-command magic from the Skull Principal, and there was a basilisk right in front of him.

In that case, learning by speaking directly with the basilisk would be much faster.

Monster languages were, fundamentally, a highly academic field—but when you got down to it, they still belonged within the domain of magic.

That does make sense.

Lee Han thought to himself.

The part about word-command magic had been close to nonsense, but since he was already learning Music Magic, there was enough overlap for the point to land.

Where did Music Magic begin, after all?

With placing mana into phrases.

Of course, monster language was far simpler and more primitive than either word-command magic or Music Magic, but there was definitely a place where the basic principles overlapped.

Then that gives me an advantage.

Rather than learning alone, he would learn through direct conversation.

At first, since he would be clumsy, he would have to lean heavily on mana—but with repetition, he would improve quickly, and eventually he would no longer need to rely on it.

“Are you awake? Can you help me a little?”

—!

At Lee Han’s call, the basilisk perked up and tried to poke its head out.

Professor Rozine and Oriphyulas immediately stopped it in cold voices.

“Wait, wait just a moment!”

“You’ll go practice in the classroom next door. Don’t forget to lock the door.”

Even if it was only a hatchling, if poisonous breath slipped out during the conversation, or someone met its gaze wrong, dealing with the aftermath would become troublesome.

“……”

—……

The young Serpent King and the mage both drooped slightly and moved to the room next door.

*****

“Hello? Hello— hello? I greet?”

After some thirty minutes of hissing back and forth—

“Hello?”

—!

For the first time, the basilisk lit up as though it had actually understood Lee Han.

In that instant, Lee Han felt words connect for the first time.

So this is what it feels like!

—Master? Master?

“Yes. Pleased to meet you.”

—Sniff… what did I do wrong for you to hate me?

“……”

Lee Han, who had been sticking to easy words, was caught off guard by the sudden sentence.

Huh?

“There seems to be a slight misunderstanding. I do not hate you.”

—You said earlier you wanted to learn another monster language…

Lee Han could feel himself improving at a rapid pace.

He could even understand the whining little voice now, like a child sniffling in complaint.

“…Basilisk language is difficult. I did not understand. I like basilisks very much.”

—Learn another monster language! Means don’t like basilisks!

The baby basilisk pounded its tail against the desk in protest.

It wanted, somehow, to get its meaning across to its master.

“I like basilisks very much. There is a misunderstanding. Basilisk language is difficult.”

As its master repeated the point, the hatchling’s anger eased a little.

Acting like it was reluctantly giving in, the basilisk proudly stated its demand.

—…Then scold the griffin for me.

“The griffin?”

At Lee Han’s question, the baby basilisk nodded and tattled about what had happened.

There had been an incident back when it had been wandering around with Phoneig.

The baby basilisk, bored from spending all its time hidden inside Lee Han’s sleeve, had come out and plucked one of Phoneig’s feathers, then stuck it into its own tail as decoration. Phoneig had immediately snapped it up in its beak and shaken it violently from side to side.

At the time, the baby basilisk had been convinced it was about to be eaten.

So that’s what happened.

Lee Han had wondered why Phoneig had seemed unusually angry during camp. So that had been the reason.

“You do not worry. I will scold the griffin.”

At Lee Han’s words, the baby basilisk grew very happy.

Of course, Lee Han had every intention of doing absolutely nothing after saying that.

He didn’t even know griffin language to begin with…

—Then give me a name too.

“A name?”

—A cool name. I’m the only one without a name.

“Ah.”

Lee Han realized the other side was talking about Phoneig’s name.

“I did not make that name. And is that even a good… name?”

—Master, you’re speaking really well now?

The baby basilisk tilted its head.

At some point, Lee Han’s speech had stopped being stiff and labored and had turned into natural hissing.

“Do you want a snack?”

—Wow, yes!

While the baby basilisk happily munched on a snack, Lee Han bought himself time and sank into thought.

Did the book mention what kind of names basilisks like too?

If he named it badly here, it might sulk for real. It was a more important problem than he had expected.

<Professor Voladi’s Assassination Attempt>… Hmm. Too long, and not very good. Something like <King of Snakes> might make me look personally arrogant when I apply for funding later. Should I just name it the way Phoneig was named?

The baby basilisk finished wolfing down the snack and spoke in an innocent voice.

—Oh, and I don’t want a name like Ksrisilva.

As expected of a powerful monster. It’s intelligent.

Lee Han shivered inwardly at the other side’s intelligence.