Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

“He probably entrusted it to him because he saw talent.”

Abalkaigen, befitting a renowned enchantment mage, guessed Ragesa’s thoughts accurately.

Just by looking at the magic this boy had worked on with Princess Yukbeltire, one could tell how outstanding his talent was.

Though Abalkaigen did not want to admit it, the boy was superior to his own disciple. It made sense that Ragesa would entrust Professor Verdus’s aerial sailboat to him after investing all that gold.

-Oh...!

-I thought she gave it to him out of pity, but that explanation definitely sounds right. As expected of Master Abalkaigen!

The Death Knights admired his keen insight.

Come to think of it, it had been strange.

It was far too expensive an item to give away out of pity.

It seemed they had been fooled by the claim that their successor had received it out of pity.

Are they mocking me?

Abalkaigen was slightly bewildered by the knights’ absurd reaction. However, he did not show it and spoke again.

“Anyway, you have that sailboat?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Then there’s no problem. If you want, I’ll cast the magic I brought on that sailboat.”

“I will do the same.”

The two mages expressed their agreement, but Lee Han did not.

In fact, he still had not fully grasped the situation.

“Wait a minute, everyone. Is this really all right? You came here together because of the Professor’s work, didn’t you?”

-Our mission is to guard, not to help Professor Verdus with his work.

The Death Knights showed the flexibility befitting those who had lived life twice.

Their mission was to keep Professor Verdus’s head attached, not to ensure his work was completed.

Lee Han regretted asking the wrong people. Even if he had asked, “Is it all right to sell Professor Verdus as a slave?” the Death Knights probably would have answered, “Well, as long as he stays alive, it should be fine.”

Instead, Lee Han asked the two mages, who possessed both common sense and experience.

“Is this really all right? The two of you came all the way to this damn... I mean, to this place because you needed Professor Verdus’s help.”

Did he just almost say “damn place”?

Abalkaigen thought to himself.

But he must have been mistaken. A mage of House Wardanaz would not use such vulgar language.

“Of course that’s true.”

“Is it all right not to receive that help?”

Both mages nodded at the same time.

“I’d rather not receive it than put up with that bastard’s unreasonable demands.”

“I agree. Cooperation may be necessary, but not to the point of readjusting the magic we prepared from scratch.”

“...”

Lee Han was overwhelmed by the two mages’ resolute will.

There was only one emotion he could feel from them.

Rather than accommodate Professor Verdus’s unreasonable demands, they would throw their magic into the dirt!

“The magic we prepared can’t be used anywhere except on Professor Verdus’s sailboat anyway.”

“That’s right. Since we brought it all the way here, please accept it.”

“But right now, the sailboat is at Einroguard...”

-Do not worry. We have already contacted them and told them to bring it.

“...”

From the moment the professor started acting unreasonably, the knights had been sending messages to their comrades at Einroguard.

They had predicted this entire situation.

They truly could be called exceptional strategists.

“Th-thank you.”

-We should be the ones thanking you. But if you tell Professor Verdus about this later, please make sure to call us too!

***

Though the two mages had rushed outside, Professor Verdus used that time efficiently instead of chasing after them to apologize or persuade them.

The professor immersed himself in work.

Seeing Professor Verdus meticulously adjusting the sailboat under the shrinking spell, Alshicle Pengerine became restless and asked,

“Um, shouldn’t you go outside?”

“Why?”

“...Because everyone gathered here to cooperate?”

“If I follow them out, will cooperation happen?”

“!”

Professor Verdus had an unexpectedly sharp side.

That was certainly true. Even if Professor Verdus followed them out, those two would not change their minds.

This person... could actually be a genius?

Alshicle, who had been shocked, blinked upon seeing a bizarre spectacle outside the window.

What was that?

What? That sailboat... that... uh...?

The Death Knights were floating in the air, cutting away the outer wall of the upper floor and pushing a small sailboat inside.

Even for mages, such surreal sights were rare.

Alshicle, who had been staring blankly, made eye contact with Lee Han. Lee Han quietly gestured for silence and pleaded with his eyes.

-Please hold Professor Verdus back.

“...H-how am I supposed to do that!”

“Can’t you be a little quieter?”

Professor Verdus, feeling no sense of unease whatsoever, snapped irritably.

Right now, rearranging the internal mana structure while the shrinking spell was active was extremely tricky.

“S-sorry. Um... work hard. I won’t disturb you. Is there anything I can help with?”

Alshicle decided to do the best he could for now.

Since he had no friendship with Professor Verdus, he was not confident he could do well. If it had been someone else, he would have tried charming them with a penguin beastman’s cuteness, but unfortunately, his opponent was a beaver beastman. Still, he had to try.

“Something to help with? There is.”

“Oh. What is it?”

“Could you make some ice?”

Various types of ice were also used as reagents depending on their shape and properties.

A frost-magic user of Alshicle’s caliber could create several reagents that were impossible to collect naturally.

“What kind of ice do you need? The shape and properties...”

Professor Verdus held out a mug.

“Put it on top of the water here.”

“...”

Realizing that his help was needed for ice water, Alshicle became furious.

Abandoning the respectful attitude for which many people had praised him, Alshicle shouted,

“What are you doing right now!”

“Huh? Why?”

“I said I would help with what was needed for magic, not that I would help with menial chores like making your ice water!”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

Professor Verdus was confused.

If Professor Verdus was hot and thirsty, magical efficiency would drop, wouldn’t it?

“What kind of mage uses magic for such things!”

“Wardanaz does.”

“...”

Even in his anger, Alshicle was so dumbfounded that his head cleared.

Wardanaz, you bastard...!

How could such an exceptionally skilled mage be so pitiful?

It was truly a mysterious thing.

Alshicle steeled his resolve. Now was not the time to lash out in anger.

While they were working upstairs—though he had no idea what they were doing—he had to stop Professor Verdus for the sake of the most pitiful mage in the Empire!

“...I understand. Please put it in here.”

Alshicle packed the ice tightly with hatred. Professor Verdus muttered something and immersed himself in work again.

Had about an hour passed?

Alshicle, who was keeping watch, estimated the time in his head.

I might unexpectedly be able to keep blocking him.

At first, he had had no confidence in persuading Professor Verdus, but upon thinking about it, Professor Verdus did not like moving around in the first place.

As long as Alshicle kept throwing ice to the professor, Professor Verdus would happily remain seated.

“Ah.”

“!”

However, that thought vanished like foam the moment Professor Verdus rose from the seat. Alshicle felt his heart sink.

“Why, why are you getting up?”

“I need to go to the second floor for a moment.”

“Why??”

Alshicle wondered if Professor Verdus had finally noticed something was off.

Had the professor realized where the missing people had gone?

“I need Belgarung’s pigment as a reagent.”

On the second floor of this place, there were several paintings hung by the original owner of the house.

If Professor Verdus scraped them off, enough reagent for current use could roughly be secured.

Of course, it would be unpleasant for the original owner, the anonymous skeleton archmage, but Professor Verdus did not care about that.

“Wait! Wait!”

“??”

“...Is that pigment really necessary?”

“It’s necessary.”

Damn it. Why am I so lacking in eloquence!

Alshicle reflected on himself.

Having relied on his cute appearance his whole life, he had too few means available when that did not work.

If it were that Wardanaz bastard, he would have persuaded Professor Verdus with just a few words to jump into the fireplace!

Professor Verdus, who had stopped in front of the stairs, hesitated.

Professor Voladi was standing in the middle.

“I’m going to the second floor...”

Professor Voladi slowly shook the head. There were no threatening gestures or words, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Professor Verdus obediently turned around and sat back down. Alshicle could not help but ask,

“Don’t you need the pigment?”

“Mmm. I think I can substitute something else.”

“...”

Alshicle pondered for a moment.

...Should he try combat-mage training once this was over?

***

The two mages on the second floor displayed concentration that surprised even themselves.

Thinking that they were helping not Professor Verdus but his disciple’s matter made their hearts feel light and motivation well up inside them.

“Thank you so much. Please have some water.”

Lee Han handed a tin cup to the orc mage who was Abalkaigen’s disciple.

Unfortunately, there was not much Lee Han could do in this sailboat modification work.

The magic each of the two mages had prepared was already complete, and the work of transplanting it into the sailboat would only be hindered if an outsider interfered.

Thanks to that, Lee Han could only watch as the orc mage Abalkarun worked up a sweat with his master.

I wish I had a strong heart like Senior Yukbeltire.

Surprisingly, Princess Yukbeltire did not bat an eye. Her attitude was confident, as if there was no reason to step forward when other mages were transplanting the magic they had prepared.

Come to think of it, that seemed less like having a strong heart and more like having a shameless one. Lee Han decided he should not follow that example after all.

“Thank you... Was there an ice artifact on this second floor?”

Abalkarun was puzzled by the cold ice water.

There was nothing special on this second floor except decorative paintings hung on the walls, so where had this water come from?

“I made it with magic.”

“...?!”

Abalkarun was shocked by the unbelievable waste of mana.

This was not some third-rate mage wandering the streets, but an Einroguard mage far more impressive than himself. What kind of waste was this?

“Why on earth...”

He stammered as he tried to ask the reason, but Lee Han threw out a question first.

“More importantly, what was the magic you two were going to ask Professor Verdus to help with?”

“Ah, we were going to ask Professor Verdus to cast <Bivle’s Sorrow>.”

Abalkaigen was an outstanding expert on ancient artifacts, but he could not cast every spell himself.

He had intended to use Professor Verdus’s dark magic, <Bivle’s Sorrow>, a spell that reinterpreted Baquantalana’s sorrow, to repair damaged artifacts.

“Is that magic impossible to imitate?”

“It’s more or less like that, yes. It isn’t simple casting, and from what I understand, Professor Verdus has to use a Lesser World as well...”

The difficulty level was certainly high.

To think Professor Verdus had to cast it while deploying a Lesser World.

Lee Han fell into thought.

“Could you show me the damaged artifact for a moment?”

“That’s not difficult, but...”

Even as Abalkarun handed it over, he was puzzled.

Was Lee Han planning to go downstairs and ask Professor Verdus?

It seemed absolutely impossible, but since the other party was Professor Verdus’s disciple, one never knew.

However, instead of going downstairs, Lee Han opened the door to a guest room for a moment and went inside.

Just when the orc mage’s questions had swelled to the point of bursting, Lee Han opened the door and came out again.

“I cast it and brought it out. Could you please check whether this level is acceptable?”

THUD!

Abalkarun’s legs gave out from shock, and he collapsed.