Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 877
Professor Paserlet looked at Lee Han as if asking what nonsense he was talking about.
The purpose of this midterm exam was simple: teach the students how to use the 《Star Guide》 and have them search for stars.
The artifact itself was already difficult enough to handle that simply mastering its operation qualified as an exam.
Lee Han answered calmly.
“I heard that forming contracts with stars isn’t actually as difficult as people think. Unlike spirits or demons, it’s not about conversation, persuasion, bargaining, or threats. It’s about exploration and recognition, then proving your qualifications according to the proper rules…”
Did he read some bizarre ancient text somewhere?
Professor Paserlet stared at the top student in confusion as he calmly spouted increasingly suspicious theories.
Geniuses occasionally said strange things.
Especially the truly exceptional ones — the kind who dug up forbidden ancient grimoires no sane person would touch, then quietly wandered halfway into madness.
What the boy from House Wardanaz was saying hadn’t quite reached the level of insanity yet.
But it definitely seemed to be heading there.
Contracting with stars was difficult.
Finding stars was difficult.
Even learning how to use the 《Star Guide》 was difficult.
And uncovering the laws governing those stars, then proving oneself worthy according to those laws, was even more difficult still.
“…Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Lee Han nodded.
Then, without warning, he sprinted to the window and shouted loudly outside.
Though it was difficult to make out properly, words like “Yachaowang” and “bastard” could clearly be heard mixed into the shouting.
“!?”
“???!”
Not only Professor Paserlet but the other professors also looked at Lee Han in shock.
Professor Bendozol immediately became suspicious.
“…Professor Verdus. Haven’t you been tormenting him too much?”
“When have I ever?”
That actually does sound plausible.
Professor Paserlet silently agreed with Bendozol’s suspicion.
While searching for the artifact, how much suffering must this disciple have endured because of Professor Verdus?
That was obvious even without prophecy magic.
“Oh.”
While inspecting the 《Star Guide》 one last time, Professor Paserlet suddenly discovered faint star traces remaining inside the artifact.
They were residual marks left behind by intense stellar power.
Marks that absolutely should not exist unless someone had used the artifact to form a contract with a star.
“…Did you use the artifact, by any chance?”
Lee Han, who had been yelling out the window, immediately stopped and returned.
Then he silently nodded.
“You found stars too?”
Another nod.
“…You didn’t actually form contracts with them too, did you?”
A third nod followed.
Professor Paserlet stared at the disciple in stunned disbelief.
Why was someone with talent this absurd always compelled to do dangerous things no one had asked him to do?
Perhaps that was simply the fate of geniuses.
***
The three professors sat down and began an impromptu lecture.
Since Lee Han had already found stars and formed contracts, there technically wasn’t much left to teach him.
Still, there were precautions he absolutely needed to hear.
“You need to be careful around asteroid clusters.”
Professor Verdus said while gnawing on a strip of birch bark.
“They resemble star clusters, so if you approach them trying to form a contract, you could suffer serious injuries.”
Asteroid clusters were one of the classic traps awaiting mages seeking contracts with stars.
At first glance, they radiated power similar to genuine stars.
But approaching them carelessly meant being shredded by unstable masses of fragmented stellar debris.
“Yes… I encountered them before.”
“…”
“…”
Professor Paserlet and Professor Bendozol’s expressions immediately stiffened.
Only Professor Verdus looked puzzled.
“Then is there really any point in learning this now?”
“No one asked for your opinion.”
“Please be quiet, Professor Verdus.”
Professor Verdus obediently shut his mouth again.
For some reason, the other two professors looked irritated.
Truly emotional people.
“Then… you also need to beware dark nebulae. Merely looking at them can consume a mage’s soul…”
“Yes. I saw those too.”
“…”
“…”
Professor Paserlet genuinely wondered what kind of ancient text he had read to casually encounter both asteroid clusters and dark nebulae.
Perhaps the title had been:
《How to Self-Destruct Among the Stars》.
Jowrin tilted her head.
It sounds like Lee Han doesn’t really have anything left to learn…
“No, Dragon! Even aside from what I mentioned, star detection requires mastery of countless laws and principles!”
Bendozol immediately reacted defensively, unwilling to appear incompetent before the dragon.
“I was planning to explain them one by one from now on. For example! Do you know the Law of Preemption?!”
“Yes.”
“Why do you know that too?!”
At that point, Professor Paserlet simply gave up and focused on explaining how to operate the 《Star Guide》 itself.
***
“Like this. If you operate it in this direction, the direction of the soul vision changes accordingly. Stars move quickly, so a certain amount of prediction is essential. Even with the assistance of the 《Star Guide》, mages still need considerable proficiency in prophecy magic.”
“I see.”
“This week happens to be when the Spirit Star passes closest to the continent. Did you happen to see the Spirit Star too?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Did you form a contract with the Spirit Star?!”
“No… it rejected me.”
“…”
“…”
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
While stars often ignored people entirely, outright rejection was extremely rare.
Eandurde, the only one who didn’t understand the problem, asked curiously,
“Why would a star reject someone?”
Shh. Eandurde. There are evil stars too.
“With magic power as intense as his, spirits ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) may dislike him. That probably led to the Spirit Star rejecting him.”
Professor Verdus nodded to himself as though he alone understood the answer.
Lee Han shot him a sharp glare.
“Well… it’s already in the past now. In any case, what star did you contract with?”
“I heard it was called the guest star Arnara.”
Several awkward silences had already occurred throughout the day.
But none of them compared to this one.
Professor Paserlet and Professor Bendozol stared at Lee Han with utterly horrified expressions.
Even Professor Verdus dropped his strip of bark.
“…Did I accidentally make a dangerous contract?”
“A second-year student forming star contracts is dangerous to begin with. But beyond that… catastrophic prophecies… no…”
“Arnara is… well… fate itself is… no… it’s closer to superstition. Though superstition is still related to prophecy…”
This explanation is completely useless.
No matter how persistently he questioned them, the professors refused to explain properly.
From what Lee Han could piece together, however, mages who contracted with Arnara generally seemed to meet terrible fates.
Well, it was the star the Skull Principal had contracted with.
That’s horrifying. Imagine becoming the principal of Einroguard just because you formed a contract with it.
“Ah. Wait. There’s one last thing I forgot to tell you about using this artifact.”
Professor Paserlet called out just as Lee Han was about to leave.
“What is it?”
“You should only use this artifact for a few minutes each day at most. Viewing the sea of stars drains the soul far more than you’d expect.”
“…”
Shouldn’t that warning have been posted directly on the artifact itself?
***
After returning to the tower, Jowrin cautiously watched Lee Han’s expression before speaking.
Lee Han?
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
…Are you taking exams early because of Jowrin…?
It was a reasonable concern.
Normally, exams were meant to be delayed until the absolute last moment before desperately cramming everything in panic.
(Jowrin’s perspective on studying had become somewhat distorted after learning entirely through books.)
But Lee Han kept perfectly completing final exams an entire week early.
Naturally, Jowrin couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
From what I heard, you weren’t like this last year…
Lee Han immediately reacted to the dragon’s intelligent deduction.
“What nonsense are you talking about, Your Majesty?!”
!
Oh no. This is bad.
Lee Han suddenly realized, in horror, that he was starting to treat Jowrin the same way he treated Gainando.
At this rate, he might someday be formally charged with insulting royalty.
“I apologize. I got flustered and accidentally spoke the way I usually do with my friends.”
No! Jowrin likes it when you talk to Jowrin the same way you talk to your friends!
Jowrin flapped her wings excitedly, eyes sparkling.
Deep down, she had been a little hurt that Lee Han treated his friends differently than he treated her.
Now an opportunity had finally appeared.
“No. Considering Your Majesty’s status, proper etiquette is still necessary.”
No! No! Jowrin doesn’t want that!
Jowrin immediately threw herself into a tantrum, rolling left and right across the floor.
Each roll from the enormous dragon caused furniture throughout the Blue Dragon Tower common room to explode apart with loud cracking noises.
Gainando, who had been playing Mage Cards in the corner, let out a miserable scream as his rare winning hand was destroyed.
Jowrin commands it! Wardanaz must treat Jowrin exactly the same as his usual friends!
“…Hmm. If that is truly Your Majesty’s wish…”
Jowrin’s expression brightened instantly.
Lee Han spoke bluntly.
“Then stop saying ridiculous things.”
…
“Perhaps proper etiquette would be better after all…”
No! Jowrin is completely fine with it!
Eandurde thought he saw tears gathering faintly in Jowrin’s eyes, but chose not to mention it.
That was his own form of kindness toward his giant dragon friend.
“More importantly, Your Majesty. I’m not intentionally taking exams early.”
“Really??”
Not only Jowrin, but Eandurde also looked shocked.
“…Why are you both so surprised?”
“Well…”
Eandurde began counting on his fingers.
《Wand Materials and Magical Amplification》.
《Viciously Beautiful Creatures》.
《Poison, Bone, Blood》.
《Divination Spells Perfect for Going Mad》…
There were simply too many examples for it to be coincidence.
Naturally, Eandurde had assumed this iron-willed senior was systematically clearing exams early according to some flawless master plan.
“They were just accidental incidents.”
“Hmm…”
Hmm…
Maybe pairing those two together was a mistake.
Putting two people with similarly immature mental ages together only seemed to make them suspicious of everyone around them.
-Hmm…
“…You’re not scared anymore?”
Lee Han addressed the baby basilisk hidden in his sleeve.
With her incredibly sharp dragon hearing, Jowrin immediately focused on the sleeve.
I think I heard the baby basilisk’s voice.
-M-master. I-I-I’m sc-scared!
“That’s why I told you not to talk…”
Wow!
The moment she discovered the baby basilisk, Jowrin lunged forward in delight like a lightning bolt.
-Master! I was wrong! Save me! Eek…
So cute!
While Jowrin spent some time happily playing with the baby basilisk, Lee Han organized the remainder of his assignments.
I really do have fewer exams left now.
“Wardanaz. Paper bird.”
“It’s not from Professor Verdus, is it?”
“If it were, I would’ve shot it down already!”
A Blue Dragon Tower friend laughed as though asking what kind of person Lee Han took him for, then handed over the paper bird.
Relieved, Lee Han checked the messages.
They were from upperclassmen in the clubs.
I heard you already took the 《Viciously Beautiful Creatures》 exam. Congratulations. If you plan to take 《A Drop of Potion Instead of Complex Magic》 early as well, could you let us know beforehand?
Junior, are you planning to take 《Elemental Magic and Its Linkages》 early too? If so, we’d really appreciate advance notice…
…
“…”
Every letter contained roughly the same message.
They had responsibilities as club seniors to help their junior prepare for exams.
But if he intended to keep taking exams early, they wanted advance notice so they could avoid unnecessary preparation work.
Isn’t this a bit much?
Lee Han silently grumbled about Einroguard’s cold-hearted culture.
Instead of worrying whether a junior was overworking himself, they were only asking him to warn them in advance if he planned to continue this madness.
“Gentlemen. Is student Wardanaz present?”
“Well, that depends entirely on the professor’s reason for visiting.”
A familiar voice echoed from the entrance to the common room.
It belonged to Professor Jorzik of House Benmalpa, proudly wearing a sharply groomed seagull-shaped mustache.
One Blue Dragon Tower student unfamiliar with him asked curiously,
“Wardanaz. What kind of professor is he?”
“He’s not a bad person. He takes good care of students.”
“Oh…”
“And he’s trying to become the next principal.”
The Blue Dragon Tower student instantly turned pale and fled upstairs.
That’s a completely insane professor!
