Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 884

After returning to the common room from his conversation with Einroguard’s greatest senior, Lee Han gained a new insight.

Senior Diret was right. In certain situations, deception is self-defense.

Jowurin was curled up by the fireplace, dozing. Lee Han covered her with an enormous blanket made by stitching together students’ cloaks.

For Jowurin, who usually lived quietly and peacefully in the manor, the magic academy was like a festival packed with every kind of entertainment. Even when she grew sleepy, she absolutely refused to return to the common room and instead kept following Lee Han around.

Because of that, whenever they returned to the common room like this, she would immediately curl up and fall asleep.

From Lee Han’s perspective, that actually wasn’t so bad. Taking care of Jowurin wasn’t particularly difficult, but he still needed time for himself.

Lee Han took out a sheet of paper and began organizing what he needed to do tomorrow, Friday, what had to be done over the weekend, and what he needed to watch out for during next week’s midterm exams.

Hmm…

Looking at the darkness settled beyond the window, Lee Han felt the need to clear his head for a moment.

One convenient thing about being a mage was that, at times like this, there was no need to fill a kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil.

Lee Han waved his staff, created water in midair, and boiled it.

This is what being a mage is all about.

Strictly speaking, ordinary mages didn’t waste precious mana on such trivial tasks, but Lee Han felt the usefulness of magic most strongly at moments like this.

Holding the hot, strong coffee he had made, Lee Han walked over to the window.

Though barren and terrible, Einroguard truly did have beautiful scenery.

When he stuck his head out the window late at night, brilliant trails of starlight passed overhead, and the breathing of the forest could be heard below—

-Snore!

“…”

Seeing Professor Bendozol sleeping naked outside beneath the window, Lee Han’s expression became extremely complicated.

One of his few pleasures had been ruined like this. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to look out the window for a while.

I should use deception—no, self-defense.

Lee Han took out the <Whispers of Einroguard> artifact and opened it. Then he began writing on the <Einroguard’s Watchers> page.

Gonadaltes: Has everyone heard the rumor?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: What rumor?

Gonadaltes: The rumor about the intruder this time. It was so shocking and astonishing that my hands are still trembling.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: For someone whose hands are trembling, your writing looks perfectly normal… So? What rumor?

Gonadaltes: That intruder actually stole the Principal’s treasure! Isn’t that truly shocking?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: What?! That really is shocking… Wait. How do you know that?

Oops.

Lee Han thought, Oops.

He had only been thinking about mobilizing the Watchers members and hadn’t considered how suspicious he would look.

No choice. I’ll have to push through.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: No matter how I think about it, you know strangely much about the Principal…

Gonadaltes: Good grief. How long must I keep hearing accusations like this? Even when I share a rumor, I’m slandered. Fine. Let’s end this discussion.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: No. I was wrong! I apologize.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox still felt suspicious, but apologized for now.

There was nothing to gain from pressuring someone who brought information to the club.

Baquantalana: Convincing. The one currently moving to catch the intruder is the Wardanaz Family Boy. He is the Principal’s disciple. If the intruder stole the Principal’s treasure, the logic holds.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: …Do you happen to know what treasure it is? It isn’t the <Light of the Forest>, is it?

What’s that?

Lee Han had no idea what artifact the other person was talking about, but he agreed for now.

Gonadaltes: That possibility cannot be completely ruled out. Of course, nothing is certain.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: This won’t do. I’m going to kill the intruder. I’ll apologize to everyone in advance. I’m taking the treasure.

This person can be reliable at times like this.

Lee Han was almost certain Beaver-Penguin-Fox was Ilendil.

Because of that, the active attitude shown inside <Einroguard’s Watchers> was surprisingly unexpected.

Senior Ilendil, a dryad hybrid, was usually slow and indifferent.

No. She did move quickly when the forest was involved…

Come to think of it, when the forest was being destroyed, she had hurled curses around without hesitation.

Her usual sluggishness might simply have been because most things didn’t fall within her field of interest.

Gonadaltes: Baquantalana. Beaver-Penguin-Fox is saying this, but aren’t you interested? Beaver-Penguin-Fox may monopolize everything.

Baquantalana: I have my own plan.

Gonadaltes: Did you know that among the Principal’s treasures, there is a dimension gate connected to the outside of the academy? The rumor is that the intruder took that…

Though he had thrown out random bait to provoke the other party, Baquantalana seemed to have closed the book, as no further reply came.

After waiting for a while, Lee Han clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Don’t be impatient. This is only the beginning.

Getting one person interested was already a respectable result, and other club members who opened the artifact later might show further interest.

Lee Han began thinking about how to make his lies more convincing if the subject came up again.

I don’t really know what Iactus likes. Unbreakable One seems… to have old-fashioned tastes. As for Klezzenbereg, aside from persuasion, that one is just creepy.

Tap.

“?”

After some time passed, a paper bird flew in through the window.

Lee Han checked the message and was surprised by the sender.

Come to the common lounge as soon as you confirm this.

—Yukbeltire

Aha. Senior must have heard the rumor too.

Lee Han immediately understood the situation.

The rumor that the intruder had treasure must have reached Yukbeltire’s ears as well.

“Senior.”

“Mm.”

Yukbeltire, seated in a chair in the common lounge—chairs would be stolen by students from other years if left unattended, so one had to either carry a chair around or make one on the spot—nodded when she saw her junior.

“What is it? Is it because of the intruder?”

“Correct. Your insight is excellent.”

“If you help me, Senior, that would be very reassuring. Thank you.”

Lee Han spoke with a deliberately formal attitude.

Of course, from Yukbeltire’s perspective, having stepped forward because of the Skeleton Principal’s treasure, this would feel like betrayal. But Lee Han was cold-hearted.

In certain situations at Einroguard, deception was self-defense, wasn’t it?

If the target was an enchantment magic school senior, there was an even higher chance the logic would be accepted.

“I want the information you know about the intruder. And I want to know which other students are participating.”

“I’ll explain as much as I can.”

Lee Han began explaining what he knew.

He didn’t know much about the intruder, but he did at least know the students currently taking part in the search in detail.

Yukbeltire took notes while considering what approach to use.

Approaching from below the mountain range may be meaningless. Better to go deeper in and lay traps…

“Senior. What treasure are you after?”

Lee Han asked, intending to use this opportunity to learn what treasures the Skeleton Principal possessed.

If [N O V E L I G H T] Yukbeltire wanted one of the Skeleton Principal’s treasures, then it had to be worth that much.

“?”

However, Yukbeltire’s reaction was unexpected.

She stared at him with clear eyes, as if she didn’t understand what he was talking about.

“Aren’t you after the intruder’s treasure?”

“Not particularly. Even if the intruder did steal the Principal’s treasure, it is likely to be relatively trivial.”

Yukbeltire was cold.

Her judgment was that even if the intruder had stolen some treasure, it was likely to be something insignificant at best.

If it were truly important, the Death Knights wouldn’t be wandering around so leisurely right now.

Yukbeltire wasn’t foolish enough to act based only on such an uncertain rumor.

No. Then why did she step forward?

“If that isn’t it… then why?”

“Because you, a junior from House Wardanaz, help with my research. I am helping you in return.”

“…!!!”

Lee Han was truly shocked by the unexpected answer.

Impossible!

To think Yukbeltire would step forward to help out of pure goodwill.

Of course, Lee Han had promised to help with research over vacation, but even taking that into account, this was remarkable.

From now on, if anyone calls Senior Little Verdus, I’ll grab them by the collar immediately.

Lee Han was both surprised and moved.

People really could change.

Then would the day come when Professor Verdus would also abandon that attitude and help someone out of pure goodwill?

…I can’t imagine it at all…

“Thank you, Senior. I really didn’t expect you to help without compensation like this. What made you decide to?”

“Diret told me to.”

“…”

More than half of Lee Han’s emotion vanished.

He knew it!

“By any chance, were the words about helping me because I help you with research also written by Senior Diret?”

“That’s right.”

“…But did Senior Diret give you permission to tell me that?”

Listening to the story, Lee Han felt slightly puzzled.

Given Diret’s personality, if she was pushing a friend to help a junior, she would probably keep it secret rather than reveal it.

Yukbeltire’s pale face furrowed faintly as she thought it over.

Then she said,

“I don’t think permission was given. I would appreciate it if you kept it secret.”

“I understand… Anyway, thank you…”

“Tell Diret properly as well. Tell her that you, a junior from House Wardanaz, are grateful to me.”

“Yes, yes.”

***

Jowurin, who had woken from her doze, crawled out to the common lounge when she couldn’t see Lee Han.

Lee Han, who was seeing Yukbeltire off, widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Jowurin.

“Did you wake up?”

Jowurin wasn’t sleeping!

Why do both Jowurin and the baby basilisk insist they weren’t sleeping?

No one would scold them for sleeping, so he couldn’t understand why they insisted on denying it.

Since it wasn’t important, Lee Han briefly explained what they had been discussing.

“Senior Yukbeltire will also be joining the search for the intruder with the other divination magic school seniors.”

Yukbeltire is truly kind!

“Um… That’s… well… No. Yes. She is kind.”

Lee Han didn’t want to criticize that friend in front of Jowurin, so he let it pass.

I’m sure she tried to hang Professor Verdus upside down in front of His Majesty.

Jowurin nodded and said,

Actually, Jowurin thought Yukbeltire came because of the exam.

“Exam?”

Lee Han is taking the exam early! So she came to make him take it first…

“…I told you, Your Majesty, that’s a misunderstanding.”

Lee Han once again explained to Jowurin, who still had not cleared up the misunderstanding despite his earlier correction.

It wasn’t that he was intentionally taking the exam early. It was only a coincidence. And if it was the lecture Yukbeltire was currently in charge of, then it was <Magical Algebra and Arcane Geometry>, an extremely difficult course. Taking that early made absolutely no sense…

“Even if I studied more today, tomorrow, and all through the weekend before taking it, it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Lee Han seems like he could just take it.

“Absolutely not…”

The common lounge door opened, and Yukbeltire, who had left earlier, returned.

Yukbeltire moved lightly to sit in front of Lee Han and said,

“I missed another matter because we were talking about the intruder. There is something I need to say, junior from House Wardanaz.”

“I’m listening.”

Thud!

A thick bundle of papers appeared on the table.

“It is the <Magical Algebra and Arcane Geometry> exam. We will begin as soon as you are ready.”