Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

“Yes? This is that magic.”

Lee Han was even more confused by the senior’s words.

He could feel the shadows obscuring the future from being read, so why was the senior saying it was not?

“That... is a more subtle and... weaker magic...”

The golem senior began explaining hesitantly.

The original 【Refuge to the Shadow Fortress】, when cast with magic, was a much quieter and calmer spell.

If one had to compare it to something, it was like a lake. The caster threw oneself into that lake to evade the enemy’s foresight.

But the Music Magic his junior was casting now was intense and overflowing with power.

It was like a storm, with an overwhelming presence that seemed to sweep away and blow apart all the enemy’s foresight spread around the area.

The result was the same, in that the caster avoided being caught by breaking through the enemy’s foresight, but...

...could these two truly be called the same magic?

“Is the principle not the same?”

“That is true, but strictly speaking...”

“If there is no problem, I will proceed like this. Originally, Senior, asking me to learn such difficult magic exactly as it is would be unreasonable, would it not? Even if this is a slightly degraded version, I should be grateful as long as I can cast it.”

“It is not degraded! Hey!”

The golem senior tried to correct the junior’s misunderstanding, but Lee Han focused on his performance again.

The magic was still in the middle of unfolding, so he could not afford to do anything else for too long.

Kwarreung!

If another mage had been present, that mage would have heard the mana swirling with a thunderous roar, just like the golem senior did.

A storm violently struck over the shadow fortress that concealed the caster’s fate.

And the noise created by that storm!

The spell was completed with a condensation of mana reminiscent of cliffs fiercely carved by wind and rain. Lee Han exhaled deeply and lowered his instrument.

“How is it?”

“What do you mean, how? I already told you.”

The golem senior replied curtly.

“Come now. I told you. Even if it is a slightly degraded version...”

“It is not degraded!”

“Is that so? Then there is no particular problem with the current magic?”

“That is true, but are you not curious?”

Any mage would naturally be interested in such a phenomenon.

Especially a mage like this junior, who had achieved tremendous magical accomplishments despite being only a second-year.

Why was there such a difference between the Music Magic cast by reading the score and the original spell?

Could it be that Music Magic was the original, and the current 【Refuge to the Shadow Fortress】 had simply been improved based on that original?

“I am not curious.”

“...Do not lie.”

“I am serious. Rather, if there is no problem with the magic, I have something to do, so I will be going now.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I am going to break through the inspector’s surveillance and meet Prince Jowrin.”

“Aha! Right. Have a safe trip!”

The golem senior decided to investigate the magical question that had just occurred to him alone.

After pushing the junior out as though shoving him away, the golem senior scattered salt, holy water, and all sorts of reagents useful for warding off evil at the doorway.

And inwardly, the senior prayed to fate.

Please let that junior go find a professor from now on.

***

Move before the spell’s duration ends.

Lee Han moved immediately.

Ordinarily, he might have taken more time to check.

He would have repeated the performance several times, recorded the range and duration, and checked the variables...

But he did not have that luxury now. If he tried the magic again and it failed to work properly, it would be disastrous.

...Jowrin’s patience would not last that long!

Honestly, Jowrin’s patience should be considered about 0.8 Gainando. Unlike Gainando, who was trained at Einroguard, Jowrin’s might be even lower.

Pat—

As he cast invisibility magic while running, Lee Han’s figure vanished completely from the air.

After loading the two spells that seemed most necessary with space-expansion magic, Lee Han took a deep breath.

The Einroguard main building looked the same as always, but the atmosphere flowing around it was full of unease.

Originally, the place made viewers dizzy because of the magic accumulated over an unimaginably long time, but now...

Unfamiliar magic is flowing through the air.

This was definitely the dragon magic Uman had cast.

Foresight magic to catch students wandering around at night!

-Good grief. Tripling the patrols.

“!”

At the familiar voices of knights from afar, Lee Han lowered his posture.

Although he was currently using both invisibility magic and the shadow fortress spell, careless overconfidence would only bring ruin.

-You were the one who said we should normally increase patrols, were you not? You kept complaining that students were ransacking the storage rooms.

-That’s right. But that was a fair and square confrontation between me and the students. It was a contest to determine which was superior: my insight as a knight, or the mages’ ingenious ideas. But now there is none of that. Everything has been covered with magical barriers...

What kind of nonsense is being said so seriously?

Lee Han almost rushed out to argue. If this was a scheme, it was truly cunning and evil.

What fair and square confrontation?

The students were wandering around at night while risking their lives because they were hungry...!

But aside from his indignation, he was able to gain information thanks to the knights’ conversation.

So His Majesty really did add new magic.

If the existing knights had patrolled fairly and squarely—or rather, had simply walked around—Uman now seemed to have spread surveillance magic all around the main building.

It was on a completely different level of strictness from the previous method, which at least gave some room to breathe.

I do not know how effective the fortress magic will be. Should I just push into the main building now?

Lee Han took out a book to communicate with Jowrin.

He had heard the location last time, but he thought he should check again just in case.

Whoosh!

“...?!!!”

Lee Han was startled by flames suddenly shooting up from a distant mountain ridge.

What?

The flames did not erupt from just one place. They shot up from the forest near the lake, from the athletic field south of the main building, and even from near the main gate.

At first, Lee Han thought worshippers of evil gods, anti-magic extremists, or magical criminals were attacking Einroguard.

Given how much they had suffered so far, it would not have been strange at all if they had come for revenge.

However, the culprits were completely different from what he expected.

“Inspector bastard!! Try inspecting this too!!”

“Inspector, get lost back to the capital!! Einroguard is the students’ land!!”

Declarations from students, amplified by magic, burst out from all directions.

Students who had been resting in the towers rushed to the lounge windows and applauded in unison.

“The spirit of Einroguard is not dead yet!”

“Well done! Burn it all down!”

“...”

Lee Han was speechless at the response, which was far more radical than he had expected.

This is why the Skull Principal only suppresses them moderately...!

Einroguard students were not the sort to quietly submit just because they were strongly oppressed. Rather, they might get angry and start a riot.

Strictly speaking, they had developed that kind of personality because the Skull Principal had been tormenting them since admission, but that was not important right now.

-I knew this would happen!

-This is exactly why inspectors are a problem! They do not know anything about education, but they keep telling us to do this and that!

-Everyone to your positions! Prevent the damage from spreading!

The knights moved without much surprise.

Looking at the meal plan the newly arrived inspector had put out for every meal, they had thought, Ah, the students will start a rebellion soon.

If students were hungry, they could not start a rebellion, but if one forced them to eat terrible food, they would rebel.

...Thanks to that, this worked out well. Surveillance around the main building will decrease.

Lee Han opened his book. Since fires were visible from every direction, <Einroguard’s Watchers> was also noisy.

Iactus: Hahaha!! How does it taste!!!

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Did you do this? This is not easy to say, but I truly respect you.

Iactus: Hmph. The rebels will keep increasing. Let us see them try to stop every act of sabotage happening everywhere.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: But how are you going to handle the searches later?

Iactus: There is a way for everything. Just remember three words: “Memory Confusion Potion.”

What?!

Lee Han was inwardly shocked.

He knew Iactus was a radical member, but who would have thought Iactus was the mastermind behind this commotion!

Iactus is far more insane than I thought. I should not get involved.

Of course, that was not something a person currently casting magic alone and infiltrating the main building by himself in this situation should say.

However, Lee Han thought shamelessly.

Compared to a senior like that, I am very good at following rules. Honestly, is this kind of infiltration not at a level that could be overlooked as cute?

Jowrin: Lee Han!!!

Gonadaltes: Ah. Yes, Your Majesty. Are you still on the fifth floor?

Jowrin: Did Lee Han start the fire outside right now?!?!?! Because of Jowrin?!

***

Currently, only Jowrin and Uman were staying in the fifth-floor visitor accommodation village.

In fact, Uman was going around Einroguard territory without resting for even a moment, nagging about everything. Thanks to that, seventeen holes and fifty-three cracks in the castle walls had been repaired immediately. In reality, only Jowrin was staying in the village.

And the only person who could play with this unfortunate princess was an equally unfortunate archmage.

“Yes! Jowrin has won!”

“Your Majesty. For reference, the queen does not teleport. It moves forward, backward, left, right, and diagonally.”

“Is that so?”

Jowrin grumbled and put the piece back in its original position.

Unlike chess with a Gold Dragon that could move anywhere forward, backward, left, right, and diagonally, and could also use breath attacks, regular chess was still difficult.

“But why did you suddenly suggest playing regular chess?”

“Well... um...”

Jowrin hesitated, then opened her mouth.

“A certain stud... a certain student said this. That playing chess with those special pieces is proof one is still immature... Jowrin does not really think so, though...”

As she spoke, Jowrin kept glancing at the Skull Principal. She was telling him to hurry up and agree.

“Actually, it is true that you were immature. I am glad you are growing.”

“...That was the case?!?!?!?!”

Jowrin was shocked.

Then why had no one told her?!

“Jo-Jowrin thought all of that was proof symbolizing Jowrin’s dignity and virtue... Wait. Was that not something Gonadaltes told Jowrin?”

Jowrin’s eyes turned sharp.

Could it be that Gonadaltes had deceived Jowrin?

“Your Majesty! Look over there! It is a forest fire!”

“If Gonadaltes is deceiving Jowrin, I will never forgive... I-it really is a forest fire!”

“Your Majesty. Why would I lie to Your Majesty? This mage is terribly saddened.”

“So, sorry. For Jowrin to suspect Gonadaltes...”

Jowrin reflected deeply.

To emotionally suspect the innocent Gonadaltes. It was shameful behavior for a dragon.

The knight standing guard nearby thought inwardly.

Is this not why they become twisted later?

Dragons who followed their masters around when young would grind their teeth after maturing, and surely the master bore some responsibility for that?

“Bu-but with a fire like this, is it okay to just stay still?”

“Well, Uman will handle it. And do not worry. It must be a fire started by students.”

“Lee Han?!”

-...

The knight standing guard nearby thought inwardly again.

Why does Your Majesty think of the successor first?

There were many more students who would start fires. This was an unfair accusation.

The Skull Principal heard the accusation against his disciple and nodded.

“Probably so.”

-What do you mean...!

The knight unconsciously let out a sound.