Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

The young prince prayed with all his heart that someone would make at least one mistake, but in the end, no such thing happened.

Pop!

The magic was completed successfully.

Yukbeltire, who had been unable to restrain herself and was just about to launch an attack at the painting, noticed the sign and hesitated.

Then she turned and rushed toward the board.

“Senior!”

Startled, Lee Han blew his senior away with telekinesis. As if struck by the palm of a giant, Yukbeltire tumbled backward, rolling over and over.

The protective artifacts she wore glowed and shielded their owner, so she was not injured, but rolling across the basement floor could not have been pleasant.

Sarataan, who had been catching his breath, was shocked.

‘What a cold-blooded bastard! He’s trying to eliminate his accomplice the moment the magic is complete!’

In truth, this sort of thing had once been quite common.

Even when several mages joined hands to complete great magic, the final owner of that magic could only be one person.

Of course, they could say they would be considerate, cooperate, and share it, but would that really happen?

If mages had been capable of that in the first place, their history would never have been so soaked in blood.

Even so, blood was thicker than water.

Sarataan decided to take Lee Han’s side.

It was not necessarily because Lee Han was the staff’s owner, but because Sarataan had grown slightly fond of him after they had just overcome hardship together.

‘Wait. But is this goodness?’

Feeling that something was strange, Sarataan tilted his head inwardly.

Eliminating an accomplice as soon as the magic was finished did not seem like goodness...

But Sarataan’s contemplation did not even last a second. Expecting a spirit like Sarataan to think deeply about such matters in the first place was unreasonable.

He had been told to follow the mage’s example, so he would simply follow it!

Good! I’ll deliver the finishing blow!

“You crazy bastard!”

When the spirit suddenly revealed killing intent and tried to leap at Yukbeltire, Lee Han was startled again and struck Sarataan in the back with magic.

Yukbeltire was an excellent mage, but she was physically frail, so he had stopped her with telekinesis. Sarataan was different. Ice bullets formed in midair, spun, and slammed hard into Sarataan’s spine.

Kugh...! Wh-what are you doing...?

Sarataan collapsed to the floor with his posture broken and looked at Lee Han with eyes full of resentment and betrayal.

Of course, those were the words Lee Han should have been saying.

“That’s what I should be asking, you crazy bastard! What are you doing!”

W-weren’t you trying to kill that mage and monopolize it?

“...The magic isn’t stable yet, so I stopped her because it was dangerous!”

Lee Han shouted, dumbfounded. Sarataan became very embarrassed.

H-how was I supposed to know that...?

“If you don’t know, why are you trying to kill people right away? Go help Senior up.”

Worried about Yukbeltire, who still had her face planted in the corner of the wall, Lee Han urged Sarataan on.

If other Einroguard upperclassmen became angry over such disrespect toward a senior...

‘Hmm. Now that I think about it, there’s no need to worry.’

If it had been Diret, he would have been worried, but Yukbeltire probably did not have any juniors who would step forward to avenge her.

Please get up.

“...”

Yukbeltire swatted Sarataan’s hand away and stood up on her own.

Then she spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Excellent. Junior Wardanaz.”

“Hey. Help dust her off.”

When Sarataan approached at Lee Han’s command, Yukbeltire pushed him away again.

“Stay back.”

Why are you angry at me...?

“Senior. Are you angry?”

“I’m not angry at all. I’m expressing my gratitude because the magic is complete.”

Before the spirit and her junior could interrupt, Yukbeltire quickly continued with what she had to say.

“Junior. You exceeded my expectations. Even though you arbitrarily left with the Skull Principal and wasted most of the vacation...”

“Let’s forget about that.”

“...This result is excellent enough to surpass all of that. Very satisfying.”

Except when dealing with Diret or Professor Verdus, this fifth-year senior, who was usually cold, rarely showed satisfaction so openly.

Even though she usually bothered him by about 0.3 Professor Verdus, she was still his senior, so Lee Han felt proud.

“It’s fine. Just share the right to ride Professor Verdus...”

—The stone mirror.

“Yes?”

At the young prince’s words, Lee Han turned his head in confusion.

—You could give the stone mirror as a reward.

“Who gives it to whom?”

—That mage gives it to you, disciple. You made such a contribution. In the days of the old kingdom, senior mages gave proper rewards to junior mages.

“...”

Yukbeltire’s face turned pale.

Although it had been harshly criticized this time, that mirror artifact was a weapon Yukbeltire cherished deeply.

She had begun making it in her second year, completed it in her third year, and even during her busy fourth year, she had carved out time to enhance it together with Diret. Diret must have known the artifact’s value, since Diret had cooperated without complaint.

And now she was supposed to give it to her junior?

“Th-th-th-that’s...”

Lee Han thought this was the first time he had ever seen his senior turn so pale and stammer.

It reminded him of Professor Verdus when his artifacts were being confiscated.

Were all members of Einroguard’s enchantment magic school like this?

‘Senior. It’s fine. I’ll just take gold coins.’

“Thank you. I really wanted that artifact.”

Lee Han had meant to ask for gold coins.

No matter how much enchantment mages whined about having no money, there was no way they were truly broke. If one emptied their pockets, expensive reagents and artifacts would come spilling out.

But to his surprise, different words came out of his mouth.

“???!!”

Lee Han was shocked.

He immediately checked whether magic had been cast on his body, but that was not it. No magic could invade Lee Han.

‘...A Personal World?!?!!’

Only then did Lee Han understand how the young prince had been able to silence voices so easily earlier.

There was no need to go through the trouble of casting magic on each individual.

By completely dominating this basement space, he could easily cut off and alter things like voices.

While trembling once again at that incredible level of magic, Lee Han suddenly felt puzzled.

‘Wait. Then why didn’t he help earlier?’

If the young prince had completely dominated this basement space as if it were his own limbs, then it made sense that he had not stopped the difficult magic casting itself earlier.

But when problems arose midway, he could have dealt with them with a snap of his fingers. Instead, he had gone to the trouble of teaching Lee Han magic.

Could it be...

‘No, no. It was probably such a minor problem that he didn’t need to intervene personally.’

Lee Han shook his head.

His opponent was not the Skull Principal. What suspicion could he possibly harbor toward such a pure and kind young prince?

“Th-then.”

‘Oops.’

While Lee Han was reflecting on the young prince’s magic, Yukbeltire looked at her junior with trembling eyes.

To think even the junior she had placed her hopes in would readily demand that she hand it over.

—Mage. Think about it. This magic carves Baquantalana’s Dimensional Rod and Ahriman’s Refraction onto a single board. Did you think you could receive such magic without paying any price?

“B-but... Junior already, last time...”

Yukbeltire hesitated as she thought of the projection of vanity.

Although that projection had been arrogant, it had never demanded any price for imparting knowledge.

So naturally, she had expected this young prince to be the same...

—Mage! Surely you were angry at your master’s attitude. Are you going to become the same kind of person as your master?

“!!!”

Yukbeltire froze in place after being struck by the finishing blow.

In Einroguard’s enchantment magic school, the phrase “you’re acting like Professor Verdus” was something no student could casually brush off.

“I understand. I will gladly gift the stone mirror to my junior.”

“?!”

Lee Han was surprised by his senior’s sudden answer.

Did she hate being compared to Professor Verdus that much?

Even so, he had never expected that person to so readily give up an artifact she treasured...

“Mmph mmph mmph mmph!”

“...”

When Lee Han’s eyes met Yukbeltire’s, he understood the truth.

His senior was waving her hands, signaling that what she had just said was not her own words.

“Master...”

—Now. Please gift him the stone mirror.

“Here it is. Take it, Junior. This is a well-deserved tribute for your efforts.”

The stone mirror was presented along with words Yukbeltire had not spoken. Lee Han felt needlessly sorry and whispered.

“I’ll return it to you once we get out.”

“Every time you come to the basement, I’ll check. If the stone mirror is gone, I’ll confiscate that board too, so try taking it back if you want. Mage.”

“...Master... you mixed up the voice...”

The young prince should have been speaking, but the voice that came out was Yukbeltire’s.

Apparently too lazy to switch back and forth now, the young prince continued speaking.

“Mage. I can lend you wisdom in the future as well. However, you will need to bring the price for it. It would be good to bring other mages who thirst for knowledge too. As long as they pay the price. Hehehe...”

“You absolutely must not sell out Senior Diret.”

Lee Han looked at Yukbeltire with a serious, stern expression.

Yukbeltire felt deeply wronged.

She had not even thought about Diret!

***

Alhild did not rest even while staying at the capital villa manor.

—Senior. There’s something I’d like to ask about Pahait’s illusion magic.

—Hmm? Sure. Ask away.

His passionate enthusiasm and initiative for magic did not cool even during vacation.

His sincerity was such that even seniors from other towers would answer him.

—Senior. I’d like to ask about Bion’s awakening potion...

—...But isn’t it three in the morning right now?

However, that admirable quality quickly became less admirable.

Alhild was a little too persistent.

—Senior. I’d like to ask about the harvesting method for ice slugs...

—Pengerine! I’m in the middle of a Mage Card game!!

Thanks to this, the second-year students hurriedly ran away at the mere sight of the penguin beastkin’s characteristically cute appearance.

Although Alhild persistently followed them around, the seniors who were one year above him were indeed formidable. They escaped by using all sorts of strange methods to fool Alhild’s senses.

“Senior!!! I’d like to ask!!! About the harvesting method for ice slugs!!!”

“...Was he always like that?”

Alshicle Pengerine looked at his family’s junior from the courtyard with a bewildered expression.

He did not think Alhild had originally had that kind of personality.

Eandurde shrugged. From his point of view, Alhild had been like that from the beginning.

“Do people go crazy like that when they go to Einroguard...”

While Alshicle was muttering, Lee Han walked out with Yukbeltire.

Seeing Princess Yukbeltire’s face full of worry, Alshicle asked in surprise.

“Did the magic fail?!”

“No. The magic succeeded.”

“Then why does she look like that?”

“Senior always has that expression.”

“Did... did she?”

When Lee Han answered shamelessly, Alshicle wavered a little as well.

This boy from House Wardanaz had an excellent talent for spouting nonsense with a serious face, so most people could not win against him and ended up doubting themselves.

“Well, you might be right, since you’re a fellow Einroguard junior.”

“What is Alhild doing here?”

“Bothering the seniors.”

“That’s not true!”

Alhild bristled.

To describe his sincere request for learning in such a way.

Upset that he had been disparaged in front of his respected senior, Alhild began explaining at length.

“Of course, the seniors were playing Mage Cards in the attic...”

“What? Gainando, that bastard. He was hiding in the attic playing Mage Cards? Well said, Alhild. From now on, report it immediately whenever you witness such things.”

Alhild giggled happily at Lee Han’s praise.

‘But I didn’t mention any names, so how did he know?’

“But the seniors keep avoiding me, so it’s hard to ask questions. Is there perhaps a method?”

“Well. I’m not sure about that either. I suppose you have no choice but to chase them one by one with sincere effort?”

After saying that, Lee Han infused his voice with mana and shouted loudly toward the manor.

“Anyone who wants to see Professor Verdus crawling on all fours!!”

As soon as he finished speaking, second-year students came rushing out from all over the manor.

Seeing this, Alhild gained a great enlightenment!