Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 838

Fortunately, this time he had not been dragged off by Sarataan. He had simply collapsed.

Lying flat on his back, Lee Han asked in a voice tinged with despair.

“Did Gainando really carry me?”

“To be precise… he supported you.”

“Lee Han!”

Freed from Ragesa’s magic, Gainando came trotting over cheerfully, completely unaware of the situation.

“I held Lady Ragesa back!”

“?”

“??”

His friends were bewildered by this strategic objective they were hearing about for the first time, but Lee Han calmly nodded.

“I see.”

Smack!

“Ow!”

“You bastard. You kept talking about the prophecy! How could you touch me just because I collapsed?”

“B-But it was an emergency! The White Tiger Tower guys might have kidnapped you!”

—What kind of bastard says that?

—Hey, you insane prince! What would we even do with Wardanaz if we kidnapped him?

—Actually, wouldn’t it be useful if we did? Meals, magic lectures…

—Shut up.

Ignoring the White Tiger Tower students protesting behind him, Gainando tried his best to slander them.

Smack!

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting when we need to work together?”

“Ah, no, but… they all helped too…”

The Blue Dragon Tower students who had carried Lee Han quickly averted their eyes.

Only Adenart fidgeted, unsure what to do.

She had made the same mistake as Gainando, and the fact that she alone was not being scolded made her feel even guiltier.

“Right! Right! Adenart helped too! The bad luck must have doubled because of her!”

He’s our friend, but he really is trash.

The Blue Dragon Tower students were amazed.

How could he drag another friend down in a situation like this?

“I’m sorry, Wardanaz.”

Smack!

“You should have stopped them! You were right next to me when I talked about that prophecy the most!”

The changed staff made a far brighter sound than before when it struck.

After venting his anger with three knocks, Lee Han let out a deep sigh.

“Fine. What’s done is done.”

Damn it… couldn’t you have said that before hitting me?

Gainando grumbled inwardly.

If Lee Han was going to let it go anyway, what harm would there have been in doing that before the beating?

“Since it was an action taken to avoid the prophecy, breaking it once does not necessarily mean twice the misfortune will come. It may already be over.”

Priest Tiziling spoke up to comfort Lee Han.

The goal had been to avoid contact with royalty in order to avoid misfortune. But if misfortune had already struck because of that contact, then it was already done. A few more instances of contact with royalty would not necessarily multiply it.

Siana, who had been listening nearby, tilted her head.

“I don’t know much about divination magic, but isn’t misfortune sometimes like a rain shower that ends once you block it, while other times it lingers like dark clouds? In that case, wouldn’t breaking the prophecy again bring more misfortune each time?”

“…Thank you for the valuable point…”

Priest Tiziling, who had been trying to comfort Lee Han by cleverly bending the truth, drooped.

Lee Han also drooped.

Only then realizing she had misspoken, Siana panicked.

“N-No! The misfortune might really be over already!”

“It might not be. I met a devil duke and a Spirit King, so… hm… next, I might meet a dimensional monster.”

“But the Spirit King was kind!”

“Priest Siana. I wasn’t talking about the Gwangmok King.”

“??”

Lee Han sighed again and stood.

There was no way to know whether the misfortune had ended, or whether additional contact had invited more before it could pass, but for now they needed to prepare to leave.

Since the Gwangmok King had promised to open this dimension for them, almost no time should have passed outside. But no one knew what might happen if they exceeded the allotted time.

Time might suddenly accelerate, or in the worst case, the dimension gate itself might vanish.

“Everyone, let’s start moving. Wait. Lady Ragesa. Your mana flow feels strange. Did you drink?”

“It’s a long story, young one.”

***

Professor Ingledel was sitting with Caten, a fifth-year White Tiger Tower student, going through the accumulated reports.

“Jahan. You don’t need to help. Practice your swordsmanship.”

“It’s fine. I’ll help first, then practice.”

Caten of House Jahan was already quite famous among the Empire’s swordsmen, despite still being a student.

Rumors had spread that he was a genius who might follow in the footsteps of Jiklin of House Moradi.

Because Professor Ingledel knew this, the professor had taken considerable interest in Caten.

What a shame.

As a zero-school student, there was not much Caten could do to help, no matter how much he tried.

The Skull Principal had been getting angry and harassing him to do something, so he was helping with Professor Ingledel’s work, but from Professor Ingledel’s point of view, it would have been much better if Caten simply focused on swordsmanship.

A swordsman’s worth was proven by the sword, not by miscellaneous chores.

“Hup!”

After finishing the document sorting, Caten swung his sword nearby. Dozens of flashes of sword light bloomed, and sprouts emerged before him.

“Haha! I did it! Professor! Did you see that? If I practice ten thousand more times, I might be able to make saplings!”

“…”

Professor Ingledel watched Caten with a deeply complicated expression.

Every student had their own swordsmanship, and Professor Ingledel’s policy was to help them learn that swordsmanship rather than forcibly change its direction.

But whenever the professor saw what Caten was doing, the words How about focusing on swordsmanship instead? rose to the throat.

Professor Ingledel sighed inwardly and held them back.

Surely Caten knew that devoting himself purely to swordsmanship would let him grow much faster.

When talent and desire matched, it was a blessing. But when they did not, that did not mean one had to follow talent.

If Caten wanted this path, then Caten had the right to walk it.

…Even if it was frustrating to watch.

I should read the students’ reports.

Professor Ingledel lightly shook the thought away and picked up the reports the students had submitted.

Reading reports instead of swords often felt awkward, but this too was part of teaching.

Come to think of it…

Professor Ingledel felt puzzled.

The students had submitted far earlier than expected, and all of them had submitted.

Did they all move together?

A smile formed on the scarred elf professor’s lips.

Personally, nothing was more pleasing than seeing students cooperate.

The second-years bickered constantly, but whenever they faced a crisis, they showed real unity.

Pleased with the quiz choice, Professor Ingledel thought:

I should give tests like this next time too.

Then Professor Ingledel paused while checking the names on the reports one by one.

“…??”

Hello, Professor Ingledel. I did not attend the lecture, but after all the hard work I put in, I felt wronged, so I am leaving this here. If anyone from White Tiger wrote something worse than me, please let me know. I would be grateful.

—Gainando

To Professor Ingledel’s surprise, some students from other towers who did not even attend the lecture had submitted reports.

The professor checked the names with a bewildered expression. It was not just one person. There were five or six of them.

…Just how many of them went?

For a moment, Professor Ingledel wondered if perhaps every second-year had gone.

Then the professor searched for Wardanaz’s name.

At times like this, it was best to start with the report from the most trustworthy student.

Five Days with the Gwangmok King, the Pride Duke, the Spirit Oppressor, Tujeonsseungmogwang, and the Admiral of the Southern Privateer Fleet

—Lee Han of House Wardanaz

“…”

Professor Ingledel wondered whether it would be best to avoid giving assignments like this to any year that contained a boy from House Wardanaz.

***

“Senior. Could you take a look at the form of this staff?”

“It’s too classical.”

When Princess Yukbeltire saw the tree-branch form Lee Han had brought, she made a rare expression of disgust.

It was a staff style used only in ancient times.

“Are there any flaws besides that?”

“Classical styles become classical for a reason. Naturally, there is a reason behind it. But junior of House Wardanaz.”

Princess Yukbeltire paused, then stared intently at Lee Han with blue eyes.

“The distance seems different from usual.”

“Ah. Does it?”

Lee Han answered from the opposite side of the lecture hall as if surprised.

Since he infused mana into his voice, it rang out clearly even from that far away.

Princess Yukbeltire pointed at him.

“Come here and talk.”

“No, senior. I have caught an infectious disease.”

“An infectious disease?”

“Yes. The dark magic school is prone to infectious diseases.”

“That’s true. Diret was like that too.”

Princess Yukbeltire nodded.

Lee Han, who had made up a random excuse to avoid contact, suddenly felt sad.

“That’s interesting.”

“That I caught an infectious disease?”

“Yes. What kind of infectious disease?”

Normally, she had little interest in healing magic or that branch of alchemy, but if there was an infectious disease capable of affecting even a junior with that much mana, she was curious.

What sort of magical disease could pierce through all that mana?

“Uh… roughly speaking, it’s like a disease created by the Pride Duke and the Gwangmok King joining forces.”

“Really? Show me.”

When Princess Yukbeltire approached, Lee Han hurriedly backed away. He even raised telekinetic barriers around himself.

“Junior of House Wardanaz. If you are worried about infecting me, there is no need. I am wearing defensive artifacts.”

“I see. But this disease penetrates all of those too.”

“Now I’m even more curious. Show me.”

“Wait. Please tell me about the staff’s flaws first. Why did you recommend putting the tree branch in the core and surrounding it with black magnetite last time?”

Princess Yukbeltire was curious about what kind of disease could involve the Pride Duke and the Gwangmok King joining forces, but she held back and explained first.

“Because it is the most efficient.”

“Are you saying this current form is inefficient?”

“That form is specialized for ancient magic. That is why it is classical. There is no reason to take losses when using current Imperial magic.”

“…”

Lee Han realized what she meant, and his face hardened.

That bastard black book?

Even if it was teaching magic to someone learning modern magic, it should have adapted to modern styles. What was it doing handing him an old-style staff just because it was an old magic book?

Utterly shameless.

“I can’t change this shape, can I? Especially if something like a sealed Spirit King is inside?”

Instead of answering, Princess Yukbeltire silently stared at him.

Lee Han could read the meaning in that stare.

Are you really Diret’s junior, asking something that stupid?

“I understand.”

“Good. Then, about the infectious disease…”

“Then I’ll see you next time when I add the black magnetite. Senior, farewell!”

Lee Han quickly opened the lecture-hall door and rushed outside.

He heard someone calling from inside, but ignored it and pretended not to hear.

You obtained the tree branch. That much is only natural.

“…Master. Do you happen to know the phrase ‘well done’?”

At the sight of the insane duplicate appearing without being called and offering praise, Lee Han asked cautiously.

The insane duplicate snickered.

I also know the word “pathetic,” fool. Do not try to be praised for something obvious.

“…”

Lee Han was not starved for praise, but after safely escaping from the Gwangmok King, the Pride Duke, the Spirit Oppressor, and Tujeonsseungmogwang, he did think at least one word of praise would be nice.

Am I asking for too much?

Tell me what happened.

“Yes. What happened was…”

Lee Han reported that the black book had borrowed his body to cast evil magic.

Wait. Come to think of it, does the insane duplicate know what all these spells are?

If they were spells created before the split, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) there was a high chance the insane duplicate knew them.

“Do you know what this magic is?”

Yes. Dendrobium is a tree that royalty once cultivated.

“…You cultivated a tree that absorbs human essence?”

…It is magic that honors that tree, fool.