Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Lee Han pushed Professor Verdus forward with great displeasure.

Who was the professor trying to use as a scapegoat?

At that moment, Professor Voladi Bagreg, Alshicle Pengerine, Yukbeltire, and even the Death Knights arrived belatedly.

“No way. This many guards?! ...Well, I suppose I understand.”

Abalkaigen, who had been surprised, immediately accepted it.

After all, this was an escort job for Professor Verdus, so it was only natural. If anything, this number of people seemed too few.

“Still, the people of Einroguard do care for Professor Verdus. What amazing people.”

“I’m not an Einroguard mage.”

Alshicle revealed his identity with great displeasure.

Not only had he been mistaken for an Einroguard mage, he had now been accused of caring for Professor Verdus.

“And I didn’t follow because of escort duty, but to see whether Professor Verdus crawls around properly on all fours... no, I came because of magic.”

Only at the end did Alshicle come to his senses.

A mage of House Pengerine could not say he had followed someone just to watch that person crawl around on all fours.

“I’m an Einroguard mage, but I don’t care for the professor.”

“Wait. Aren’t you Princess Yukbeltire?”

Abalkaigen recognized Yukbeltire’s face.

As a mage of the enchantment magic school, there was no way he would not know Yukbeltire. Was she not the rising star of the enchantment magic school, someone greatly anticipated as a future Einroguard graduate?

...And she was also Professor Verdus’s top student!

“I don’t care for the professor either.”

Professor Voladi Bagreg also stepped forward to clarify.

The Death Knights, who had suddenly become the last remaining people who might care for Professor Verdus, hastily explained.

—We are also only following orders!

“...I was wrong. I didn’t know everyone disliked Professor Verdus this much.”

Abalkaigen reflected on himself.

He had not known that even the people of Einroguard were so disgusted.

“But if Professor Verdus has been making this student work since first year... is he a fourth-year? Why haven’t I heard of him?”

Turning his gaze to examine Lee Han again, Abalkaigen became doubtful.

If Lee Han had accompanied Professor Verdus to help with magic, he would have to be a fourth-year. And if he had been helping Professor Verdus since first year, his talent was certain...

Was there such a student in Einroguard’s enchantment magic school?

“A little below that.”

“Below? Ah. You mean year? Third-year?!”

“A little more below...”

“...”

Abalkaigen looked at the Einroguard people with eyes full of shock and horror.

Some, like Professor Voladi Bagreg and Yukbeltire, maintained indifferent attitudes, but Alshicle and the Death Knights had consciences and avoided his gaze.

“What are you people doing?!”

“Calm down, Abalkaigen.”

When Professor Verdus spoke from below as if this had nothing to do with the professor, Abalkaigen shouted loudly.

“When you think about it, this is because of you!”

“Calm down. What’s the point of getting angry at Professor Verdus?”

When Master Puyo intervened, Abalkaigen calmed his huffing breath.

“And that boy from House Wardanaz over there has excellent skills regardless of year. He helped with my work last year too.”

—That’s right. It is not that anyone forced him. Student Wardanaz learned on his own.

‘Is that so?’

Lee Han wondered inwardly.

Honestly, it seemed to him that the Einroguard professors had definitely forced him a little...

“You assigned him work too?!”

Abalkaigen seemed shocked in a different way.

Who would have thought that Master Puyo, whom he respected to some extent, would do the same thing as Professor Verdus?

“Ah, no. I’m different from Professor Verdus. I strictly gave him work appropriate for his level...”

“How long are you going to chatter? Let’s start the magic already.”

Professor Verdus, still lying on all fours, spoke in annoyance.

When Abalkaigen’s attention turned elsewhere, Puyo breathed a sigh of relief. Puyo’s built-up reputation had nearly been contaminated by Professor Verdus.

“All right... wait. Did you say House Wardanaz?!”

Abalkaigen, realizing it belatedly, was surprised again.

Seeing this, Puyo tried to comfort him by saying family was not important.

“Wasn’t he a fifth-year?!”

“...I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard.”

Professor Verdus grew irritated again at their conversation.

“Let’s start the magic already!”

“Fine!”

Abalkaigen shouted back at Professor Verdus, then prepared his magic.

It seemed that this disciple from House Wardanaz was qualified to attend the gathering.

Princess Yukbeltire had already proven her outstanding talent before, so there was nothing more to say about her...

“But who is that one?”

“!”

When Professor Verdus pointed out Abalkaigen’s disciple, Abalkaigen stiffened.

He had been so busy talking about the unexpected guests that he had not explained his own disciple.

“...This is my disciple, Abalkarun. Say hello.”

“H-hello.”

The orc mage, who had been standing awkwardly in the corner and unable to join the stormy conversation, spoke shyly.

His frame was so large that anyone seeing him for the first time might mistake him for a warrior, but this orc was a mage with such outstanding talent that his master cherished him greatly.

Abalkaigen’s affection for his disciple was very deep, since he had raised him personally after finding him abandoned and wrapped in swaddling clothes.

“Right. Got it.”

Professor Verdus nodded, then turned away. The professor’s attitude showed no interest at all.

Actually, given Professor Verdus’s personality, it was a natural reaction.

Unless Abalkarun made a mistake once the magic began, the nearby teapot and that orc mage were the same kind of object to Professor Verdus.

But that reaction wounded Abalkaigen’s pride.

Originally, a hateful person was hateful no matter what that person did.

“He will help with this magic.”

“Got it.”

“Aren’t you going to ask? What kind of mage he is?”

“Why should I ask?”

Professor Verdus asked as if genuinely unable to understand.

For Professor Verdus, who did not even ask questions about the professor’s own disciples, expecting interest in someone else’s disciple was asking far too much.

“...”

“Now, now. Everyone calm down.”

Puyo hurriedly stepped in, worried that Abalkaigen might spread Professor Verdus’s personal information to the Empire’s bounty hunters and assassins.

“Since it has come to this, let’s briefly introduce each other’s disciples before starting.”

“Why?”

Professor Verdus openly showed reluctance.

The professor wanted to quickly exchange magic and go their separate ways, so what was this about introducing disciples who held no interest?

Puyo sent the professor’s disciples a pleading look for help.

Lee Han pondered for a moment, then sent Professor Voladi Bagreg a pleading look.

“Follow me for a moment.”

“Why?”

Professor Voladi Bagreg ignored the question and dragged Professor Verdus upstairs.

Lee Han could feel waves of mana spreading from the second floor. It was soundproofing magic to block sound.

A moment later.

“Introduce your disciples...”

Professor Verdus returned looking even more dejected. Puyo stared at Lee Han with shocked eyes.

Puyo had asked him, as the professor’s disciple, to persuade the professor!

‘I’m sorry. I’m not confident in that.’

Lee Han was unashamed.

Persuading Professor Verdus with words had been impossible.

“Abalkarun. Show us what you’ve worked on recently.”

“H-here it is.”

The orc mage bashfully took out a mirror of peculiar form.

The frame was adorned with ancient-style golden decorations, and the mirror’s surface was bronze, spreading new magical patterns from within whenever light touched it.

Yukbeltire trembled at the artifact, which was clearly superior to the one she had made.

“H-h-h-how did...”

“Senior. That’s an ancient relic. He didn’t make it directly. He repaired it, right...”

“Ah.”

Yukbeltire immediately came back to her senses.

Alshicle, who had been listening nearby, asked with an expression of incomprehension.

“Anyone can see it’s an ancient relic... Did you think he made that directly?”

“...”

After spending so much time around monster-like mages lately, her boundaries of common sense had crumbled a little.

Yukbeltire’s fingertips trembled from humiliation.

“Abalkarun repaired it.”

“Remarkable. Repairing an ancient relic like this isn’t easy.”

Puyo was honestly impressed. It was easy to see why Abalkaigen cherished his disciple so much.

The Empire’s current magical system was considerably different from ancient magical systems. It was a form that had been built up and changed over a long time.

Because of this, the difficulty increased when Empire mages restored ancient relics. It was often difficult even to guess what sort of magic had once occupied damaged sections.

Therefore, mages specializing in ancient relics needed excellent magical ability to substitute with Empire magic when necessary, extensive historical knowledge to find and restore the required magic from ancient texts, and the connections and stomach to go begging to archmages who knew the magic of those times.

“Is this Abalkain’s bronze mirror? I knew you had acquired it, but I didn’t expect you to complete it so quickly.”

“Thank you for the praise.”

“Engraving Abalkain’s diffraction magic at such a high level is not something just anyone can do. You should be proud. Professor Verdus. What about your disciples?”

After Abalkaigen’s disciple introduction ended, Puyo called Professor Verdus.

Professor Verdus’s voice came from under the table.

“Go on. Introduce yourselves.”

“...No, no. You should introduce them... Why are you telling your disciples to introduce themselves? Don’t you know what your disciples have been working on lately?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“...”

—...

The inside of the dilapidated building fell silent with contempt. Abalkaigen felt his wariness toward Professor Verdus’s disciples fade, and sympathy rose in its place.

He had worried that they might be superior to his own disciple, but after hearing what had just been said, such worries no longer mattered.

“...Take out what you’ve worked on recently.”

At the sight of the half-wood-spirit mage speaking in an exhausted voice, Lee Han glanced at his staff.

‘Is this too sloppy?’

Of course, making this staff was sufficiently remarkable, but considering how much help he had received from the spirit onward, he wondered whether it was all right to bring it out.

“Senior. Don’t you have anything good?”

“?”

Yukbeltire, who had been about to take out the adamantite plate, sent her junior a look of incomprehension.

If they were being asked about recent work, naturally she should talk about this achievement of fusing and engraving the dimensional rod with refraction. What else would she talk about?

“Ah. You were going to talk about this? I thought of something else since we received too much help from Master... No. Let’s talk about this!”

Lee Han, who had been speaking, saw his senior’s fingertips trembling again and thought, ‘Oh no.’

Come to think of it, that mage named Abalkarun must have also performed magic while receiving help from his master, so there was no need to be strict about it.

“No need. I’ll take out something I didn’t receive help for, so wait a moment.”

“Ah. Why are you really doing this?”

Yukbeltire stubbornly checked the list of artifacts she had recently made.

Seeing that the two seemed to be arguing, Abalkaigen asked curiously.

“What are you talking about?”

“Senior is embarrassed about her recent work and won’t take it out.”

“A mage shouldn’t hide her own work. Professor Verdus. Did you not even teach that?”

“I didn’t teach it.”

“...I’m the crazy one for asking. Anyway, take it out.”

Lee Han snatched the adamantite plate from his senior’s hands and placed it on the table.

Abalkaigen’s face turned pale upon witnessing the essence of magic.

“Im... Impossible! You two did this together!?”

“Right? You think it’s impossible too, don’t you?”

Professor Verdus’s voice came from under the table, sounding delighted. Even while shocked, Abalkaigen asked in incomprehension.

“Wh-why is Professor Verdus acting like that?”

“Ah. You can ignore the professor. Professor Verdus said the professor would crawl around on all fours if we completed it.”

For a moment, Abalkaigen almost said, ‘I would crawl on all fours too if my disciple completed this,’ but came to his senses.

His disciple was still right there.