Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 794

“I don’t normally allow second-year students to participate. But I’ll make an exception just this once.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Lee Han cursed inwardly.

Anyone would think some tremendous favor was being granted.

Why had Lee Han stepped forward to help?

Was it not to help Eandurde so he would not collapse, and to help Professor Voladi so Lee Han would not be called in by the Skull Principal?

Even praising him as an admirable disciple would not have been enough, yet the professor said something like that.

As expected, professors were fundamentally shameless people.

“After the spirit-stone orbs, iron balls are next, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And that includes attacks too?”

Lee Han went over last year’s curriculum together with Professor Voladi.

Learning basic control with orbs made from highly reactive materials, namely spirit-stone orbs, then iron balls, then elemental form transformation and control again…

And attacks whenever the student got stuck.

This is the core of Professor Voladi’s school.

Without the attacks, it would have simply been a school that enjoyed dull, repetitive learning. Thanks to the attacks, however, it had become a very thrilling, insane school.

There were not many schools in the Empire where a master attacked a disciple whenever the disciple got stuck during magic training.

“Well.”

“?!?!”

That was why Lee Han could not help being shocked by the professor’s answer.

“Didn’t you attack me whenever I got stuck???”

“It depends on the person.”

Some metals broke when subjected to trials by fire, while others grew harder.

The boy from House Wardanaz was a typical case of the latter, but it was still unknown whether Eandurde would also belong to that category.

Of course, it did not sound very convincing to Lee Han.

Trials by fire, what nonsense. The professor should experience a trial by fire at least once too.

Wouldn’t a flame spell shot from behind by a disciple count as a trial by fire as well?

The professor might become harder too.

…But I have to endure it. For Eandurde’s sake.

Lee Han endured and agreed for his junior’s sake.

“Indeed. Then we’ll exclude the attacks. Oh my. That’s much better. Oh, right. Professor. How about changing the iron balls to rubber balls?”

At the sight of the disciple enthusiastically offering opinions, Professor Voladi readily nodded.

Whatever the outcome, Professor Voladi intended to respect the disciple’s opinions. Whether it succeeded or failed, would Lee Han not learn from it again?

Making the disciple think and reflect on his own was what made a good master.

“Next is the elemental form transformation stage. At that point, I plan to prepare defensive artifacts with elemental resistance. I’ll obtain them myself. I can steal… no, borrow them from Professor Verdus’s workshop.”

Professor Voladi nodded again. Encouraged by the professor’s support, Lee Han continued producing improvement plans.

He would pour out everything that had built up while learning last year!

“And when practicing movements, concentration drops easily with simple repetition, so we should prepare various courses and situations… praise and rewards each time he succeeds…”

“Mm.”

Professor Voladi agreed to everything while thinking inwardly.

With this much interest in teaching, permission should have been granted sooner.

*****

“…So considering Eandurde’s stamina, I think it would be good to provide simple meals in the lecture hall as well.”

“Am I making them?”

When Professor Voladi asked, Lee Han hesitated.

Somehow, the lecture had been improved too much already. If he asked Professor Voladi to cook on top of this, he might be crossing a line.

Perhaps the professor had been agreeing while thinking inwardly, Let’s see how far this disciple goes.

“…I’ll prepare the meals myself.”

“I see.”

Professor Voladi erased the caprese salad recipe from the notes.

A few recipes had been written down in preparation for a possible need to cook, but it seemed that would not be necessary.

“Is that all?”

“Yes… well… there wasn’t anything too extreme or presumptuous, was there?”

Lee Han asked while reading the mood. Fortunately, Professor Voladi nodded.

“Excellent.”

“You don’t think it’s too comfortable or luxurious for learning, do you?”

“I trust you.”

“…”

It would have been somewhat comforting if the professor had said indifferently, “Let’s try it once and see how it goes.”

Being told “I trust you” only made it more burdensome.

Trusts me? If I fail, there won’t be twice the anger because I betrayed that trust, will there?

Lee Han thought he should ask Eandurde for a favor when they met later.

Eandurde’s magic training results might also determine Lee Han’s life.

“Then let’s begin practice.”

Having slacked off as much as he wanted during lecture time, Lee Han took up his staff and stood.

He wanted to keep stalling with lecture improvement plans, but if he did that, Professor Voladi might notice. Now it was time to practice.

CRACKLE!

The assignments Lee Han was currently receiving in lectures were many: advanced applications of various elemental properties, combat utilization and coordination of magic from other schools, bringing evil and powerful monsters so he could fight for his life, and so on. But the first thing he needed to finish was lightning-element form transformation.

Although he had recently become able to use the fire element safely, the element Lee Han used most in combat was the lightning element.

The difference in proficiency was incomparable. The fire element was important, but he also needed to keep steadily polishing the lightning element.

Moreover, because the lightning element was especially difficult for form transformation, it required even more consistent effort.

Currently, he had succeeded with a few forms, such as <Lightning Spear Enchantment> and <Lightning Cloak Enchantment>, but…

I should at least be able to create barriers or lay traps on the floor before I can feel somewhat comfortable.

“I heard you borrowed a spirit’s power to transform into lightning.”

“?!!”

At Professor Voladi’s sudden words, Lee Han was horrified and threw himself aside.

Lightning that had slipped out of his control struck hard where Lee Han had been standing just moments before, scorching the floor.

“Excuse me??”

“During winter break. I heard the Pride Duke was summoned.”

“…”

Lee Han realized that what had happened at Princess Yukbeltire’s exchange meeting had reached Professor Voladi’s ears, and he was shocked.

Which vile and despicable traitor informed on me? Was it Senior Yukbeltire?

With fierce anger, Lee Han vowed to find and deal with the informant.

That rat bastard who would destroy trust between mages and bring ruin to the Empire!

“Isn’t that right?”

“It isn’t wrong, but, well, to be precise, rather than summoning… originally, depending on the perspective from which one views an event, even the events that occurred can change…”

“??”

Lee Han tried to escape through rambling, but Professor Voladi responded in the most effective way possible.

The professor waited quietly.

“…Yes. The Pride Duke was summoned, so I also borrowed the power of the spirit I had contracted with.”

“And you transformed into lightning.”

“Yes.”

Perkuntra had displayed powerful authorities befitting the title Thunder Duke King.

One of them was lightning transformation, in which the mage became pure lightning.

A mage who had learned transformation magic could change the body into other substances, but even that was magic with many restrictions and a high degree of difficulty.

Among such transformations, turning into the pure lightning element was truly…

“That is what I am trying to practice.”

“Ye… yes???”

Lee Han, who had been mindlessly saying “yes” and “yes,” asked back in shock.

“Lightning transformation begins at the fifth circle at minimum. As I said before, do not overdo it.”

Having recently forced himself to learn <Wardanaz’s Telekinetic Force>, attempting another fifth-circle magic like lightning transformation would be quite dangerous.

“Professor. I have no particular interest in lightning transformation.”

“I see. And yet you continue practicing the lightning element.”

“…That’s because shape transformation is difficult and tricky.”

“You should have succeeded with <Lightning Spear Enchantment> or <Lightning Cloak Enchantment>.”

“That still isn’t quite enough for me…”

Professor Voladi shook that head at the disciple’s lie.

<Lightning Cloak Enchantment> was tricky even among shape transformations. Unlike a long spear, it required maintaining the form of a cloak and its fluttering texture.

Yet Lee Han had succeeded at that in one go and was saying such things.

To anyone watching, it was an obvious lie.

“…I’m sorry. I won’t get greedy about lightning transformation.”

Lee Han ended up apologizing for a resolution he had not even made. It was truly unfair.

Professor Voladi consoled the disciple.

“For now, prioritize refining your existing magic.”

…That’s what I was doing…

Even after saying that, perhaps still suspicious of the disciple’s destructive talent, Professor Voladi decided to change the subject.

“How is the water-orb book coming along?”

“…!”

At those words, Lee Han regretted not insisting that he wanted to learn lightning transformation instead.

As the professor’s attention shifted elsewhere, the assignment from last year resurfaced.

<Wardanaz’s Water Orb>, which Lee Han had struggled to complete throughout his first year.

Professor Voladi had demanded that he write one book about that water orb, and another book about the developmental direction of water orbs. It was unbelievably harsh treatment for a first-year student who had learned fourth-circle magic.

“I… I am writing it, but it still needs time before it’s complete…”

“I’d like to see it.”

“…”

Lee Han broke out in a cold sweat as he took out the book.

He had been writing whenever he had time, but ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) he was not confident it would meet Professor Voladi’s standards.

“Hmm.”

Professor Voladi took the book and focused on reading with an expressionless face.

<On Wardanaz’s Water Orb and Its Basic Principles> and <On the Limitations of Water-Orb Magic and Its Developmental Direction>.

Lee Han regretted not coming up with better titles.

I should have called it Wardanaz’s Water Orb, Guided by Professor Voladi.

He should have at least put flattery in the title!

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

Who could that be?

Professor Voladi, who had been reading intently, briefly closed the book and looked up.

“Interesting.”

“There’s a visitor outside, Professor.”

“Yes. I was planning to introduce you anyway.”

Even if the person being introduced was a devil duke, it would be better than Professor Voladi reading the book so carefully right now.

Lee Han brightened and rose from his seat.

He hoped that, after greeting the visitor, Professor Voladi would forget about the book.

“Please come in.”

The person who entered through the door was a fierce-looking elderly woman.

She was large, with a healthy complexion, and her physique nearly matched Professor Voladi’s.

“Keh-heh. I never thought Einroguard would call for me.”

“I was asked for the sake of the duel club students.”

“Duel club? What nonsense are you spouting? Duel followed by club. Do you think that makes sense?”

Professor Voladi did not answer.

From the conversation, Lee Han realized that the visitor had come because of next week’s club week.

The professor in charge of the Duel Club was Professor Kirmin Ku, and the two professors were friends…

It wouldn’t be strange for Professor Kirmin Ku to ask for a favor.

Of course, Professor Voladi was blacklisted by quite a few duel clubs in the Empire, but there were still many acquaintances.

There would be sufficient connections to invite outstanding duel mages.

“This person is Yumidihus’s master.”

“!”

Lee Han was shocked by Professor Voladi’s introduction.

He never would have thought she was Yumidihus’s master.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Han. I too have received teachings from Master Yumidihus.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m a pirate.”

“…Is Pirate your name? Or your family name?”

“My profession is pirate.”

“…”

At that unbelievably shocking statement, Lee Han wondered whether Professor Voladi had finally started calling magical criminals in for lectures.