Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 776

Having had his thoughts seen through, Lee Han tossed out a few names as if testing the baby basilisk.

He started with rather grandiose ones like <Jörmungandr>, <Ouroboros>, and <Caduceus>, then moved on to more familiar names like <Coilcoil>, <Gainando>, and <Siana>.

-Whine. I think they’re all kind of bad.

“Mm. Then can I call you Basil until I think of a good name?”

Lee Han, who was gradually finding this troublesome, spoke with the intention of tricking the baby basilisk.

He would start by calling it Basil, and if he kept sliding past the matter, the name would eventually stick.

-Yes, I like that!

The baby basilisk was intelligent, but it could not defeat an Einroguard student trained in schemes and stratagems.

Basil, unaware of Lee Han’s wicked intentions, wagged its tail excitedly.

-When do we meet that evil mage again?

“?”

Lee Han looked puzzled when the baby basilisk asked in such an innocent tone.

Who on earth does it mean by evil mage?

There were so many that even lining them up from the main gate of Einroguard’s main building to the front gate of the estate would not be enough…

“Who?”

The baby basilisk answered as if wondering why he did not know.

-The person who hits Master.

“…So who?”

The baby basilisk was about to answer, but the snack it had just eaten seemed to get stuck in its throat, and it made coughing sounds.

Lee Han felt sorry for it and poured some milk into a small bowl.

“You should have eaten slowly.”

-Huh? What if someone steals it?

“……”

I’ll have to retract the part about thinking it was intelligent.

Never dreaming that its master had lowered its intelligence evaluation by several levels, the baby basilisk eagerly lapped at the bowl of milk.

“So who were you talking about?”

Instead of answering, the baby basilisk kept licking the bowl. In Lee Han’s eyes, it had been empty for quite some time.

Lee Han took the bowl back. The baby basilisk looked up at him with eyes like the sky had collapsed.

I should have eaten faster!

“You finished it…”

-There was some left!

“There wasn’t.”

Even when he showed it the bottom of the bowl and explained, the baby basilisk refused to give in.

Only after its eyes filled with tears and it struck the desk floor with its tail several times did the baby basilisk accept the fact that the bowl was empty.

-The scary mage.

“…Basil. You need to get into the habit of speaking specifically. Let’s start with species.”

-A vampire.

“Ah. Professor Bagreg, then.”

Lee Han understood immediately.

From the baby basilisk’s perspective, it was only natural to fear Professor Voladi.

After all, Professor Voladi had tried to forcibly grow it and make it fight Lee Han…

“We’re not meeting today.”

-Tomorrow?

“Want some more milk?”

Lee Han quietly ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) dodged the answer and filled the bowl with milk again. The baby basilisk let out a cheer and stuck its head back into the bowl.

-Gulp, then, the other, scary mage…

“Talk after you eat.”

The baby basilisk lapped away eagerly and emptied the bowl once again. Staring at the bowl in lingering regret, the baby basilisk said,

-When does the other scary mage disappear?

“Who? Wait, when does that person disappear? Was it someone who was with us?”

Lee Han wondered if it meant Professor Rozine.

-The snake beastkin.

“…Uh, why Priest Siana? Siana isn’t a bad person.”

-Wh-what…! Siana tried to forcibly extract my poison!

The baby basilisk flailed its body and protested.

Even thinking about it now was frightening.

Ah. That did happen.

Come to think of it, when the baby basilisk had just been born, Siana had approached with a large brass syringe sharpened to a point.

It was an alchemist’s tool used to pierce plants or animals and extract liquid, but to the eyes of a newborn basilisk, it must have looked like an instrument of torture.

And in fact, it could be used as one…

“Siana isn’t a bad person. That’s just what alchemists are like.”

-A-are all alchemists scary people?

“Mm. In some ways, maybe a little.”

While teaching the baby basilisk common sense, Lee Han suddenly became curious.

Come to think of it, there were a few things he had never been able to ask because they had not been able to communicate until now.

“Basil. What abilities can you use right now?”

-I can swing my tail!

The baby basilisk spun its tail around. Lee Han clapped halfheartedly.

“Other than that?”

-Drinking milk?

“…What about the evil eye?”

The famous bloodline ability of basilisks was the evil eye imbued with a petrification curse.

The deadly poison in their breath that drained life was also famous, but that unique evil eye would surely be useful in various ways.

-I can use it!

“!”

Lee Han looked at the baby basilisk with admiration in his eyes.

He had thought it only ever sucked up mana from inside his sleeve, but apparently it had been developing its abilities in its own way.

“Really?”

-I-I don’t want to use it. I don’t want to. It’s tiring when I use it…

“I’m not saying I’ll make you use it. Haha. I was just asking. You haven’t grown yet, so of course it would still be hard.”

Even in Lee Han’s view, it did not seem likely that a not-yet-fully-grown baby basilisk could use its evil eye frequently.

It would definitely burden its body.

“What about poison?”

-Wait a second. Ngh… nnngh.

The baby basilisk groaned and produced a very small amount of poison.

Then it made crying sounds because it was hungry.

-Waaah. I’m so hungry…

“…Here, have some more snacks.”

Lee Han quickly collected the single drop of venom in a reagent vial and held out a snack.

Watching the baby basilisk happily wrap its body around the snack, Lee Han asked,

“Come to think of it, is it better to feed you like this? Better than mana?”

-I like both!

Mm. I’ll have to add “has a strong appetite” too.

Lee Han thought that if he ever had to prepare documents for a subsidy application for the basilisk, he would add “has a strong appetite” as well.

“Right. When do you grow?”

-Mmbrp?

The baby basilisk, which had been busily swallowing its food, blinked.

“You know. Getting bigger.”

Gulp!

-I think…

“You’ll need to grow bigger so you can stop clinging to my arm and move around separately.”

-…I-I don’t get bigger. I’m a special basilisk that doesn’t grow.

“……”

*****

After the lecture ended and Shailes stepped outside, Shailes spotted Lee Han in the distance and felt slightly sorry.

Mm… Should I have learned basilisk language after all?

Thinking about it, Wardanaz had done so much for Shailes, yet Shailes had refused without even learning a single basilisk language.

It was rude and ungrateful behavior.

Of course, wyvern language was a very useful monster language, but who knew whether basilisk language might be useful someday too?

But seriously, where would I use it?

Unless basilisk carriages became a thing…

“Wardanaz!”

“Oh. Shailes? Hold on.”

When the friend approached, Lee Han hissed at his sleeve.

Shailes looked puzzled by that.

“What did you just do?”

“I told the basilisk that you aren’t an alchemist.”

“I see. …Wait, you told the basilisk!?”

Shailes doubted those ears.

Then Lee Han sighed and explained to Shailes.

“Shailes. Basil here isn’t a dangerous monster…”

“Nooo, I’m not surprised because there’s a basilisk here, okay??”

The fact that Lee Han was raising a basilisk was something most of his friends knew by now.

At first, friends who had said things like “Don’t talk nonsense” and “Do you think putting Wardanaz in front makes us believe anything?” had gradually begun noticing the signs one by one, wavering with things like “It really seems like Wardanaz is raising one” and “Maybe it’s just a pet snake,” until finally they had resigned themselves with “It really is a basilisk” and “I won’t be surprised even if Wardanaz raises a dragon next.”

“Wait. Why did you say Shailes wasn’t an alchemist?”

“There’s a bit of a long story there. So what is it? I need to go to my next lecture.”

Seeing the friend trying to head to the next lecture without caring about anything like break time made Shailes’s eyes sting.

Wait. That isn’t what I came to talk about.

Shailes pulled together and asked,

“So you spoke basilisk language, then?”

“Ah. I communicate with the basilisk often in my day-to-day life, and since I’ve practiced Music Magic, it was somewhat easier.”

“…Anyway, you did it?”

“I did, didn’t I? That’s why I spoke to it.”

“I see.”

Shailes nodded.

Thanks to that, the guilt from a moment ago vanished completely.

“By any chance, Shailes, have you become interested in basilisk language? Good. If you learn it, then together with Basil here…”

“I’m learning wyvern language. See you!”

At the sight of the Black Turtle Tower friend turning away so coldly, Lee Han grumbled about ingratitude.

*****

“Student Wardanaz! I heard you were kidnapped. It is good to see you healthy!”

Professor Jorzik of House Benmalpa greeted him in a voice overflowing with his usual passion and energy.

Perhaps it was Lee Han’s imagination, but the splendidly grown seagull-shaped mustache seemed to be flapping its wings more energetically than usual today.

“Good day, Professor Jorzik. I’m glad you were worried.”

“Yes! I truly was worried.”

“Uh, Professor, did you perhaps… participate?”

Lee Han wondered if Professor Jorzik had also been among the three professors who had come to rescue him.

He had not seen Jorzik, but considering the personalities of Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi, it was possible they had kidnapped Professor Jorzik as well.

“Participate in what?”

“Nothing.”

“I do not know what you mean, but I was busy with another matter! Student Wardanaz. I wrote a petition to His Imperial Majesty!”

“Yes??”

Lee Han was startled.

Wrote what to whom?

“I wrote a magnificent letter saying that, in light of the responsibility for your kidnapping, should this Jorzik of House Benmalpa not become the next principal?”

At that answer, Lee Han sent him a look of contempt.

To use a student’s tragedy as a stepping-stone for his own ambition!

I’ll have to leave the <Make Jorzik of House Benmalpa Principal of Einroguard> gathering.

Trapped in his ambition, Professor Jorzik did not realize that he had fallen to a position similar to Professor Verdus inside his student’s mind and muttered,

“But the Death Knights confiscated it… Truly regrettable. How can I break through their surveillance and send the petition?”

“Please tell me if you find a way, Professor.”

“Haha! Do not worry. As the next principal of Einroguard, how could I fail to grant a request from the next professor? Shall we begin the lecture, then? Go in, Student Wardanaz!”

“Yes.”

Following the professor’s words, Lee Han entered the Room of Elements.

Then he suddenly felt something was strange and stopped.

“What did you just say…”

RUMBLE!

“Uwaah! The water element is running wild!!”

“Move aside.”

When water shot fiercely in every direction from the surrounding waterfalls, Lee Han swung his staff, recited an incantation, and secured control.

Because the water element was the element most familiar and comfortable to him, he was confident even if another mage had made a mistake and sent it out of control.

“Excellent, Wardanaz!”

“The lightning curtain burst! Everyone, be careful!”

What is going on today?

Of course, the Room of Elements was a place where elemental energy flowed powerfully, so the possibility of students making mistakes during practice and causing rampages was high, but today’s bad luck was excessive.

Lee Han ran all over the place with the upperclassmen and helped settle the lightning element.

“Huff… huff. Thank you, Senior Wardanaz.”

“Yes?”

“Ah. Right. You were a second-year. For a moment there. Haha.”

“……”

Because he had been running around in such chaos, Lee Han forgot what Professor Jorzik had said just now.

Professor Jorzik watched with satisfaction as the students brought things under control, then swung his staff to tidy the surroundings and gave the next practice instruction.

“Now, Student Wardanaz! How was the method we tried last time, casting fire magic on your body?”

“After that, I was kidnapped, so I’m not sure.”

“I see! That is fine. These things happen. We can simply do it again.”

Professor Jorzik shouted passionately.

The effort needed to teach an outstanding student was nothing but a very minor matter.

Beside them, Adenart stared at the two in horror at the mention of setting him on fire again.

“But before that, try casting fire magic a few times. I would like to check how much difference there is!”

“Yes.”

Lee Han cast the most recent spell he had practiced, <Low-Grade Flame Barrier>, which he had practiced while being attacked by a mad fifth-year upperclassman.

At the clean and stable casting, Professor Jorzik looked puzzled.

“What? It has improved greatly!”

“That’s because I only practiced this one.”

“Then try the other spells too!”

Lee Han cast several low-circle fire spells.

Unlike usual, the fire-element spells came out stably, and Lee Han froze.

…Huh?

“It seems you have overcome the problem.”

“…It seems so.”

“Hmm! Interesting. What could the reason have been…”

Professor Jorzik wrote things like “constant burning at the stake?” and “kidnapped by ancient mage’s duplicate?” on the paper with great interest.

Which of these was the cause?