Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 846
How pitiful.
To think a duke as arrogant as Duke Ikalderen could end up like this.
Lee Han had never particularly liked the man, but even he found himself feeling sorry for him now.
And the most shocking part was that Princess Yukbeltire had absolutely no malicious intent.
Honestly, even if she’d tried to torture him on purpose, she probably couldn’t have done it this effectively…
Even if Lee Han and Princess Yukbeltire had teamed up as the good interrogator and the bad interrogator, they likely wouldn’t have achieved results this devastating.
As expected of Professor Verdus’s disciple, she possessed a natural talent for tormenting people.
Anyway, I should tell Senior about this.
Lee Han planned to find Princess Yukbeltire and tell her he would take over management of the duke for the remaining few days.
It would be troublesome, but Duke Ikalderen looked so miserable that Lee Han felt obligated to at least do that much for him.
Besides, he had already secured sponsorship for two research projects.
“Oh. Senior!”
Just as he emerged from the Dark Hall, he spotted Princess Yukbeltire passing nearby.
She had been winding her pocket watch with pale, slender fingers while checking the time. At her junior’s call, she slowly turned her head.
“Good day.”
“Yes. Good to see you.”
Lee Han hurriedly tossed the staff he was carrying into a nearby grave pit before she noticed it.
Honestly, it probably would have been fine if she saw it, but Diret’s warning still lingered in his mind.
If his senior decided to make his life miserable using her authority and status, nothing good would come of it. Better to stay cautious.
…Wait. Don’t wood spirits hate places like that?
Only after throwing it did he remember.
Wood spirits, being closely tied to life, naturally detested the corpse energy and evil energy permeating the dark magic school.
Well. Too late now.
Lee Han gave up immediately.
What was he supposed to do about something he had already thrown away?
Besides, the wood spirit was sturdy and vicious enough that a little grave pit probably wouldn’t hurt it.
“Senior, what brings you here?”
“I came to return a book I borrowed from Diret. What about you?”
“Well… I was wondering whether Duke Ikalderen was doing alright.”
Princess Yukbeltire lightly shook her head, as though he had asked something pointless.
“The duke is being managed perfectly. There’s no need to waste your time.”
“…”
Lee Han was speechless.
What stunned him even more was the sheer confidence with which she said it.
You nearly starved the man to death, and you’re still this confident?
“Did you check on him today by any chance?”
“No.”
“…Why not?”
“Junior of House Wardanaz. You’ll learn this soon enough as well, but efficiency is essential in enchantment magic. Just as there is no need to recalculate a perfectly completed formula, there is no need to revisit the duke once his management has already been perfected.”
Princess Yukbeltire spoke without the slightest trace of doubt.
She had already provided the duke with exactly the amount of food he required. There was no reason to intervene again before the designated period ended.
“…I see… But Senior, would it be alright if I took over managing the duke from now on?”
“Why?”
Lee Han nearly answered, Because the duke wants to murder you, but stopped himself.
He was worried Princess Yukbeltire might become stubborn for no reason.
“As your junior, I’d like to help lighten your workload.”
“A belated thought, but still commendable. In that case, my artificial dimension research—”
“I don’t want to do that.”
“…”
The moment Lee Han flatly refused, dissatisfaction surfaced on Princess Yukbeltire’s otherwise expressionless face.
Why did this junior keep refusing despite possessing the qualifications, the talent, and even proper respect for his senior?
“I’m far too busy for that as well. In any case, may I handle the duke?”
“Do as you wish. But don’t make a mistake and let the duke die. He’s an important hostage.”
“…”
Lee Han unconsciously clenched his fist.
She’s my senior. I absolutely cannot hit her. She’s my senior. I absolutely cannot hit her.
“Yes. I’ll do my best. Then I’ll be going now—”
“Wait.”
“?”
Princess Yukbeltire called out to Lee Han just as he was about to leave.
“How is your staff construction progressing?”
“My staff?”
After glancing once toward the grave pit beside him, Lee Han carefully probed her reaction.
“I’ve been searching for obsidian. But Senior… what would you think if someone else completed my staff for me?”
“If they completed it, then they completed it.”
Princess Yukbeltire answered immediately, as though it were nothing at all.
Hearing that, Lee Han sighed inwardly in relief.
What? So Senior Diret was worrying over nothing?
Princess Yukbeltire might be very strange, but apparently she wasn’t the sort of person who would harass a junior simply because someone else completed their staff.
“Did someone offer to complete it for you?”
“I did receive such an offer…”
“You should refuse it. It’s obviously some third-rate scam. Anyone shameless enough to steal work another enchantment mage touched first is trash.”
This was the longest sentence Lee Han had ever heard her say.
She spat the entire thing out in one breath without even pausing.
“No… Senior, you literally just said that if it was completed, then it was completed.”
“Did I?”
“But now the person who proposed it is apparently trash and a scammer…”
“They are trash and a scammer. If anything, those are mild descriptions. Even if their soul were eternally cursed to wander through hell, it still wouldn’t be punishment enough.”
“…”
At this point, wouldn’t it be better if she just admitted she was angry?
Lee Han was amazed by the way she insisted she wasn’t upset while radiating lingering resentment from every word.
Fortunately, most of that anger would probably be directed at Professor Verdus—
—but unfortunately, some of it might splash onto Lee Han as well.
It was irrational and unreasonable, but that described most mages at Einroguard anyway.
I’ll tell her later.
Or perhaps never tell her at all.
“I understand, Senior. I’ll keep it in mind. Then I’ll really be going now—”
“Junior of House Wardanaz.”
“Yes?”
“You will refuse the offer, correct?”
“…Yes. I’m leaving now.”
“Good.”
Lee Han finally turned away with a sigh of relief.
He planned to come back for the staff once Princess Yukbeltire disappeared completely.
“Junior of House Wardanaz.”
“!?”
Princess Yukbeltire, who had already started walking away, suddenly stopped and called out again.
Lee Han nearly jumped.
For a moment, he wondered whether she had somehow read his thoughts.
“Yes?”
“You truly should refuse the offer. Understood?”
“…I understand already.”
Princess Yukbeltire called him back three more times before finally leaving for good.
Lee Han quietly added her name to the list of people he intended to avoid for a while.
Insane duplicate.
Professor Verdus.
Princess Yukbeltire.
“…Hmm.”
After thinking for a moment, Lee Han picked up his quill and rearranged the rankings.
Princess Yukbeltire.
Professor Verdus.
Insane duplicate.
Professor Verdus.
Princess Yukbeltire.
***
The lecture 【Advanced Illusion Magic and Soul Theory】 was a third-year course taught by Professor Kirmin Ku.
Illusion magic itself could technically be taught to second-years already, but this particular lecture was restricted to third-years because of the soul theory component.
Souls.
Spirits.
Once illusion magic reached a certain level, the study of existence and souls became unavoidable.
Lower-level illusion magic did not necessarily require any understanding of souls.
In many ways, illusion magic was fundamentally about deception, and deceiving someone did not inherently require interference with the soul.
Even the illusion spells from Pahait’s illusion magic series that Lee Han had learned the previous year functioned by distorting vision through the power of flames, without involving souls at all.
“However, that line of thinking is simplistic. Once illusion magic surpasses a certain threshold, illusion mages must explore souls more deeply than practitioners of any other school.”
Professor Kirmin wrote glowing letters across the blackboard using illusions.
Detecting another person’s soul.
Recognizing one’s own soul.
Expanding and compressing the strength of the soul.
Directly interfering with souls in order to confuse and attack them.
It wasn’t merely a matter of pursuing stronger magic.
Against enemies or monsters with high resistance to magic, approaching the soul directly became essential for illusion magic to function effectively.
Professor Voladi Bagreg often said, “Deceiving high-level mages with illusion magic is several times harder than using magic from other disciplines.”
But according to Professor Kirmin, that was only half true.
“A truly exceptional illusion mage cannot be stopped even if you attempt to stop them. Imagine sitting safely inside your workshop, thinking, No one can reach me here, only to notice your own shadow beginning to move on its own. At that point, you’ll never look down on illusion magic again. Did I ever tell you all about the time I fooled # Nоvеlight # Professor Voladi Bagreg?”
“Professor. I think we’ve heard that story over a hundred times already.”
“Hmph. Fine, then. I simply won’t tell it.”
No!
Lee Han glared at the upperclassmen.
Just because they had heard it already didn’t mean they had the right to rob a junior of the opportunity.
It was infuriating.
Damn it. Now I’m curious. How exactly did he fool Professor Voladi Bagreg?
If he learned the weakness, it might prove useful later.
“Everyone, remember what we covered last lecture? We’ll continue from there. Wardanaz, come to the front.”
Professor Kirmin called Lee Han over separately.
Since Lee Han had missed the previous lecture, the professor felt it necessary to explain things personally.
“The students are currently practicing contemplation and recognition of the soul. Wardanaz, as I explained earlier, recognition comes first. It’s more difficult than it sounds. Even if you can’t manage it today, that’s perfectly understandable.”
Even for mages, recognizing their own souls proved surprisingly difficult.
Trying to consciously perceive something as natural and automatic as breathing was no easy task.
That was why students generally began by observing the souls of others before attempting to recognize their own.
Throughout the lecture hall, the upperclassmen used various elixirs and spells to amplify and resonate the power of their souls.
Once enlarged, souls became much easier to perceive.
“Next, we’ll perform a light astral projection exercise. Wardanaz, I’ll leave my body briefly and return. Try to sense the feeling of dissonance. A soul will remain there.”
“Um. Professor.”
“Yes?”
“I think I can already recognize souls…”
“?!”
Professor Kirmin looked genuinely startled.
“Did Professor Voladi Bagreg make you practice soul recognition too? Even for that professor, this would be excessive!”
“No.”
Lee Han hurriedly corrected the misunderstanding.
If he stayed silent, Professor Voladi Bagreg—who was innocent in this particular matter, at least—might end up falsely accused.
“It’s just that…”
Last time, when he had learned ancient dark magic, that magic absorbed the pain of others, and properly using it had required delving deeply into souls—
It was an incredibly long story, but Professor Kirmin listened patiently, like one of the few relatively normal professors at Einroguard.
If it had been anyone else, they probably would have interrupted halfway through with, Wait. How does any of that make sense?
…Hmm.
After hearing how Lee Han had learned necromancy from the Skull Principal’s insane duplicate, used that magic to heal another cursed mage, then even cursed his own soul in order to locate it and overcome its trials, Professor Kirmin found himself asking a question beyond mere astonishment.
Then doesn’t Wardanaz have no reason to take this lecture at all?
The first-semester objective of 【Advanced Illusion Magic and Soul Theory】 was simply to recognize souls and grow accustomed to them.
…And yet Lee Han had somehow mastered all of it on his own before even attending the class.
