Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 831
After several unfortunate physical altercations—Giselle throwing punches to shake off her friends, only for Lee Han to dodge and Durgyu to take the hit instead—she finally managed to calm down.
“…Everyone, I apologize. I let myself get provoked.”
“Everyone has a weak point.”
Lee Han spoke as if he understood perfectly.
Thankfully, Ragesa had targeted Giselle. If she had aimed at Lee Han instead and said something like, ‘Hoho, how cautious of you. Just like the Skull Principal’s disciple,’ he might have charged straight into the domain too.
Everyone had something that got under their skin.
“Don’t listen to Lady Ragesa, Moradi. It’s not as though Lady Jiklin is the sort of berserker who jumps into every dangerous domain just because it looks interesting.”
“…”
Giselle felt conflicted.
Because her older sister absolutely was the sort of person who would do exactly that.
She definitely would.
Just as mages deliberately sought out dangerous ancient ruins, knights willingly pursued deadly trials in search of glory.
And glory often came with rewards. The more recklessly courageous knights became stronger faster.
Of course, they also died faster.
“Think about it carefully. When else will you ever have the chance to visit a Spirit King’s domain? Hm? One day, you youngsters will leave this school and join knight orders across the Empire. When other knights ask, ‘What did you learn at Einroguard, Sir Mage?’ what are you going to say? That you hid behind your friends while crawling through punishment-cell corridors?”
“Lady Ragesa. Please stop whispering evil nonsense into their ears. Kids, don’t worry about it. There’s no reason to enter a domain over something so ridiculous. And what’s wrong with hiding behind your friends while breaking through punishment-cell corridors? That’s an excellent strategy.”
“…”
“…”
Giselle and Durgyu both looked unconvinced.
Lee Han could usually make even outrageous nonsense sound plausible, but some things were impossible.
Heroically reframing the act of hiding behind allies while scrambling through punishment-cell corridors was one of °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° them.
No sane mage with even a shred of conscience could accept that.
“…Let’s do it, Wardanaz.”
“We came here to challenge it anyway.”
“You were perfectly happy hiding during the punishment-cell run. Why are you acting like this now?”
Lee Han grumbled.
***
FLASH!
The moment they crossed the rift, powerful protective magic wrapped around the students as a new dimension unfolded before their eyes.
A dense forest stretched endlessly into the distance.
Except it was upside down.
The thick woods hung from the sky above them, so tightly packed that not even a sliver of light could pass through.
“…The ground… those are clouds, right? Is it actually safe to step on them?”
“Hey. Wardanaz is glaring at you. Act brave.”
“Wardanaz, don’t worry! This time we’ll protect you!”
The White Tiger Tower students, perhaps feeling guilty about dragging along someone who had openly doubted the idea, puffed out their chests and loudly declared that he only needed to trust them.
Naturally, it wasn’t reassuring in the slightest.
…Well. It should be fine.
If he had truly believed it was dangerous, Lee Han would never have entered no matter how much his friends rolled around whining on the ground.
The domain’s master had guaranteed their safety, they could retreat if things became dangerous, and with the White Tiger Tower students taking the front line, Lee Han could focus entirely on spellcasting.
Even as second-years, a group of knights capable of using magic was formidable support.
But I’m already regretting this.
Lee Han stared grimly at the clouds beneath his feet.
The sight of an upside-down forest growing from the sky while clouds served as the earth below was unsettling enough to make him want to turn around immediately.
He had heard that other dimensions were bizarre, but he hadn’t expected this level of insanity right from the entrance.
“Wardanaz. A butterfly.”
“!”
A butterfly fluttered toward them—the same one that had delivered the Gwangmok King’s message before.
Lee Han carefully greeted it.
Its transparent wings shimmered softly as it circled around the group, then drifted ahead as though beckoning them to follow.
“It seems to be guiding us.”
“Could it be a trap?”
At Giselle’s question, Lee Han considered it for a moment before answering firmly.
“No. The master of the domain swore to protect us after inviting us here.”
“That was a foolish question. My apologies.”
“It’s understandable.”
The students followed after the butterfly, walking across the clouds.
Leaves fell from the sky instead of rain.
Fortunately, they didn’t need to wander far before spotting their destination in the distance.
It was a bizarre manor built beneath a floating sea. Mangrove trees growing upside down from the water above formed pillars and walls.
As the butterfly flew into the forest surrounding the manor, its host stepped outside to greet them.
It was the devil duke Garisayma.
The demon wore a chaotic patchwork of extravagant clothing—hats stacked over helmets, shirts layered with dresses, skirts over trousers—with absolutely no sense of consistency whatsoever.
“…IT’S A TRAP!! A TRAP!! RETREAT!!”
“Wh-What?! What’s happening?!”
The White Tiger Tower students panicked at Lee Han’s sudden shout and immediately raised their weapons.
Garisayma tilted his head lightly, as if asking what nonsense he was hearing.
Trap-human-mage-how-rude-!
“Isn’t that a devil duke?!”
Even Ragesa looked genuinely alarmed for once.
She had followed along expecting to watch the students struggle through some dangerous dimension, not encounter a duke-class devil.
“Lady Ragesa! Please help us!”
“What is this insanity?! Wasn’t this supposed to be the Gwangmok King’s domain?!”
That-mage-is-correct-calling-this-a-trap-is-extremely-rude-!
Garisayma scolded the impolite guests indignantly.
He himself was merely visiting the Gwangmok King’s domain as a guest, yet these human mages were shouting nonsense about traps.
Not only was it disgraceful behavior on their part, it was insulting to both the Arrogance Duke and the Gwangmok King.
To Garisayma, it implied he was the sort of being who laid traps in a friend’s domain.
To the Gwangmok King, it implied he couldn’t even protect invited guests from such things.
Lee Han forced himself to stay calm as he listened.
“So… you’re seriously saying you’re just a guest?”
That’s-right-!
“…Do spirit domains normally invite demons as guests?”
Giselle asked sharply, one hand resting near her sword hilt.
Even if no mage could fully understand the countless dimensions beyond the world, there were still certain accepted truths.
One of them was that spirits and demons generally despised each other on instinct.
Gwangmok-King-respects-demons-good-friend-
“…That spirit sounds insane.”
“Wardanaz. I think it might actually be crazy.”
I already told you it was the Gwangmok King, you idiots.
Lee Han cursed inwardly at his friends’ whispers.
If they thought the spirit sounded insane, why had they ignored that part earlier?
“I understand. Your Highness Arrogance Duke… did you happen to know I had been invited as well?”
Of-course-this-Garisayma-personally-introduced-the-human-mage-!
The Arrogance Duke proudly explained.
When the invitation for Perkuntra had arrived, Garisayma himself had stepped forward saying, ‘Ah, I know that mage.’
“…”
Lee Han vowed never again to trust even a “safe” spirit domain.
You can never lower your guard.
Who could have predicted Garisayma would be casually sitting beside the spirit who invited them?
Come-inside-I-have-wanted-to-speak-with-you-for-some-time-
I really don’t want to.
Apparently thinking the same thing, Giselle answered cautiously.
“If only the domain’s master were present, that would be one thing. But with a devil duke here as well, it’s difficult not to be wary.”
Human-mages-are-so-rude-I-told-you-there-are-other-guests-besides-me-
Garisayma shook his head in disgust.
Even after all his generosity, the mages were still suspicious.
Lee Han asked reluctantly.
“Other devil dukes didn’t come too, did they?”
No-they-are-humans-like-you-
The White Tiger Tower students stared in disbelief.
“What kind of lunatic would willingly come here?”
“You didn’t kidnap them, right?”
“Lady Ragesa, what do you think?”
“Well… honestly, even I find this difficult to believe…”
Before she could finish, Arsil stepped out of the manor.
Apparently wondering why his younger brother was taking so long to arrive, Arsil smiled brightly the moment he saw Lee Han and the others.
“…”
“…”
***
The Gwangmok King resembled tangled vines and roots woven into the shape of a human being.
The Arrogance Duke lightly rebuked him.
Look-human-mages-have-come-to-visit-you-should-adjust-your-appearance-look-at-me-am-I-not-beautiful-
The fashion was utterly incomprehensible—a grotesque fusion of clothing from different eras layered together without restraint—but none of the mages dared comment on it.
Arsil nodded in agreement as well.
The Gwangmok King considered this, then transformed into the form of a familiar beaver beastman mage.
“Will this appearance suffice?”
“AAAAAAAAAH!”
The students released the loudest scream of the entire day.
The Gwangmok King looked puzzled.
That only made it worse, because he was wearing Professor Verdus’s face.
“I heard that among the Empire’s races, beaver beastmen and penguin beastmen are considered especially popular. So I chose the appearance of the master mage you would find most familiar!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”
They-must-be-screaming-with-joy-!
“Please change back immediately.”
At Lee Han’s desperate plea, the Gwangmok King finally returned to his original form of vines and roots.
-I suffer from severe madness, so neither my subordinates nor outsiders usually seek me out. If these two friends hadn’t requested it, I never would have summoned such a young human mage myself.
“…Brother. What exactly did you tell him?”
I simply explained what an outstanding younger brother you are, Lee Han.
Arsil answered kindly.
Lee Han looked like a man in agony.
This was the danger of being on good terms with spirits.
You never knew when they would suddenly appear in someone else’s territory.
“Why exactly is a devil duke visiting as a guest?”
Because the Gwangmok King himself is half spirit and half demon.
“I see. That’s quite the secret… Wait. Is it really okay to tell us something like that so casually?”
He says not to worry because his madness is severe enough that he won’t care.
That’s even more terrifying.
Now-hurry-you-must-state-your-request-
Human-mage-hurry-! You-must-receive-the-tree-branch-before-the-Gwangmok-King-changes-his-mind-!
“…”
With two overwhelmingly powerful beings urging him on from both sides, Lee Han felt like he was suffocating.
Who would have thought encouragement alone could cause this much psychological distress without even a hint of hostility?
Ragesa spoke up as well.
“You’d better hurry and ask.”
“Are you enjoying watching me suffer?”
“You brat. Does this look like the time for jokes? You heard him. He’s a spirit consumed by madness. We need to finish the conversation and receive the branch before something goes wrong.”
Normally she would have enjoyed watching the students struggle.
But this time, Ragesa sounded completely serious.
An opportunity like this might never come again.
“Understood. Um… Your Highness the Gwangmok King.”
-What-is-it-Imperial-Mage-Marshal.
“…”
The instant the title came out, Lee Han realized the other party’s mind had already drifted somewhere far away.
