Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

“Why?”

-M-Master. There aren’t many students capable of starting fires, are there? Besides, Lord Wardanaz doesn’t seem especially dissatisfied with the current situation.

“You’re wrong! Lee Han is very angry!”

Jowrin flatly rejected the knight’s words.

Right now, Uman was preventing the contractor and the dragon from meeting. There was no way Lee Han would not be angry.

“Angry or not, didn’t that Wardanaz say he would come in person? Then he would have started fires too.”

The Skull Principal answered coldly.

From a purely probabilistic standpoint, it was a highly plausible guess.

By now, he had probably learned <Escape to the Shadow Fortress>.

However, considering the magic had been weakened when the excessively difficult original text was modified, breaking through the dragon race’s foresight, which Uman had deployed, would not be easy.

Then, inevitably, that disciple would have to throw the dragon race into confusion in order to weaken their foresight.

-...I-I see!

The Death Knight found the explanation convincing before realizing it.

At first, it had sounded forced, but once the Skull Principal actually explained it, it seemed surprisingly plausible.

As expected, the person who knew a disciple best was the master.

-I’m sorry, Master! This foolish knight dared to...!

“Haha. It’s fine. Not everyone can be as wise as this Archmage.”

Pleased by the flattery, the Skull Principal forgave the knight generously.

Jowrin, however, grew deeply dejected.

“Because of Jowrin, Lee Han is burning down the territory...”

“Don’t worry about it too much. Originally, if one wants to become a great mage, one must know how to start a few fires.”

Normally, Jowrin would have fallen for the Skull Principal’s nonsense, but this time it did not work. She only kept sighing, looking gloomy.

She really has grown quite a lot.

The Skull Principal admired her inwardly and made a subtle suggestion.

“Why not ask that Wardanaz once? He won’t care about this at all.”

“Jowrin doesn’t think she can become a dragon like Azirmo...”

“Why would you need to become a dragon like that...”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. Come on, ask him.”

Jowrin gloomily picked up the quill.

And a moment later.

“...Huh? Lee Han says he didn’t do it?”

“Tell him not to lie. What a cunning fellow.”

The Skull Principal snorted.

This disciple certainly did possess the qualifications of a great mage.

To know how to lie even in this situation!

***

“...”

After breaking through the surveillance and arriving on the fifth floor of the main building, Lee Han glared at the Skull Principal and the knights.

The knights would have had nothing to say even if they had ten mouths.

Damn it. It really did sound convincing when I heard it.

“Logically speaking, if fires were started, wouldn’t the upperclassmen be more likely to have started them than me?”

“You could have started them too...”

The Skull Principal looked away and grumbled.

Who would have thought his prediction would be this far off?

“You have the means to escape Uman’s surveillance, and even if Uman examined you with the scales afterward, catching you would be difficult. So naturally, I thought you would start fires.”

“I’m frightened by the way your mind works, Principal. ...Wait. Hold on. What do you mean, even if Prince Uman examined me with the scales, catching me would be difficult?”

At Lee Han’s question, the Skull Principal looked at him as if he were the stupidest person in the room.

“Do you not know what kind of artifact the Soul Scales are?”

“I heard they’re an artifact that binds souls, places them on scales, and makes them confess their crimes.”

“...Have you been eating only tasteless food lately? Is that why your intelligence has dropped?”

The Skull Principal looked at Lee Han incredulously and flipped his eyelids. Lee Han swatted the hand away in displeasure.

-Um, Lord Wardanaz. Just as the freshman protection magic cast on second-years and above does not work on you, magic that binds and extracts souls probably will not work either.

“Ah.”

Only then did Lee Han understand.

“How was I supposed to understand when you explained it like that?”

“How do you get more shameless as time goes on? But if you didn’t start the fires... What is this? <Escape to the Shadow Fortress> is strange? What did you learn?”

“Huh? Didn’t you send me knowing I had the sheet music?”

Lee Han looked puzzled and briefly explained what had happened.

Professor Paserlet had run away, but somehow, with a senior’s help, Lee Han had completed it using existing music magic.

The Skull Principal listened, nodded slightly, and then said,

“I see. Everything went according to my expectations.”

“...”

I don’t think so...

As Lee Han sent him a suspicious look, the Skull Principal called the Death Knights.

“Track Professor Paserlet. Even if capturing Paserlet is difficult, weaken the foresight abilities as much as possible.”

-Yes. Understood.

“Anyway, it’s wonderful that you learned <Escape to the Shadow Fortress>! From now on, you’ll be able to visit here often.”

This would conflict with Uman’s claim that he was “securing healthy daily time for Student Wardanaz,” but this much should be fine.

Sure enough, Jowrin’s face brightened considerably. The blazing firelight outside contributed to it, but even taking that into account, her expression had definitely brightened.

“Wow!!!!! Then...!”

Extremely excited, Jowrin counted on her fingers.

“We need to play chess, and finish the jousting game we were playing last time... um... um... Oh, right! How about visiting for about ten days next week?”

The power to change the Empire’s weekly system was astonishing, but Lee Han could not bring himself to say he understood.

“Um. But, Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“I have to go outside soon for a commission.”

“...”

Jowrin shut her mouth tight. At the sight of her silence, Lee Han and the Skull Principal watched her carefully.

Will she be all right?

She’ll be fine. His Majesty has grown a lot lately.

If this had been the old Jowrin, she would have returned to her original dragon form and cried so hard that the village flooded, but the current Jowrin was not the old Jowrin.

Hadn’t she been growing remarkably every time the Skull Principal saw her, enough to surprise even himself?

...Waaaaaaah!

“Damn it.”

The Skull Principal, who had risen first, moved quickly to avoid the tears sweeping through the area. Lee Han, one step too late, had to endure the baptism of tears.

“...”

“Predictions can be wrong sometimes. One must know how to accept that humbly.”

I should never trust him again.

After glaring once at the Skull Principal, who had dodged alone, Lee Han went back to comforting Jowrin.

Jowrin, having returned to dragon form, wailed pitifully.

Waaah...

“Your Majesty. Your Majesty.”

Jowrin, who had been crying, stopped and looked at her contractor.

“Your Majesty has grown a lot lately. You shouldn’t cry over something like this.”

Jowrin hasn’t grown at all!

-Wow...

The baby basilisk in Lee Han’s sleeve covered its own face with its tail.

It felt embarrassed just listening.

I wasn’t that bad!

“It seems that way.”

“Be quiet.”

Lee Han snapped at the Skull Principal, who was making sarcastic remarks beside him, then resumed his persuasion.

“You can meet me after I finish the commission and return.”

Really...? Is that true? How often do you go on commissions? Once this semester?

Jowrin asked, seeming slightly interested. Lee Han felt his breath catch.

“...A little more than that.”

Twice?

“A little more...”

Three times?

“Just a little more than that...”

...

The Gold Dragon blinked her large eyes and glared at him. Tears welled up again, as if she might start crying at any moment.

Unable to watch any longer, the Skull Principal spoke up.

“Your Majesty. If this is how it’s going to be, why not simply follow along on the commissions?”

“...No. Principal, are you sending her outside?!”

Lee Han was shocked.

What kind of cunning scheme was this evil archmage plotting now?

The Skull Principal grinned and said,

“Don’t tell me you dislike traveling with Your Majesty?”

“...”

Lee Han decided that once this matter was over, he would seriously consider ways to keep Uman in office for another term.

What kind of...

“Your Majesty. When I go on commissions, I don’t go alone. Basically, Professor Voladi Bagreg and Professor Garcia come with me. Sometimes I go with other students too.”

Then Jowrin can come along too!

“...Yes... well... if you insist.”

Lee Han hesitated, but eventually gave up.

Seeing Jowrin act like this, he got the strong feeling that she would never give up.

One of the Death Knights, who had been listening carefully to the conversation, asked,

-But Your Majesty. Will the Inspector be all right with this? He may be disappointed if he finds out you went off on your own...

“!”

Lee Han’s face lit up at those words.

Who would have thought there would be a reversal here?

Jowrin said she had actually thought about Uman too.

The Gold Dragon spoke seriously, mumbling with a thoughtful expression.

There would naturally be consequences for following Lee Han.

“Then what will you do?”

Hmm! Jowrin decided she’ll worry about it later!

“...”

Lee Han was shocked by this reckless idea of following along first and dealing with the consequences later—something only an Einroguard student would think of.

What???

“Excellent, Your Majesty. Honestly, if Your Majesty insists on going, what can Uman possibly do about it?”

“Please, could you just be quiet??”

Lee Han truly wanted to hit his master.

***

“So that’s how you ended up coming along with us?”

“Yes... I’m truly sorry.”

Inside the carriage, Lee Han kept bowing his head in apology to Professor Garcia.

Even with ten mouths, he had nothing to say in his defense.

“Oh, no. It’s not Student Lee Han’s fault. But didn’t Student Lee Han set something on fire?”

“...”

“...Just kidding! It was only a joke!”

Seeing the disciple’s wounded expression, Professor Garcia hastily changed the subject.

I naturally expected to be included!

Even while the two were talking, Jowrin excitedly pressed her nose close to the carriage window and watched the scenery outside.

Professor Garcia glanced once at the Imperial Princess, then lowered the voice to a whisper.

“So she’ll be coming along on the next commission too?”

“Well... I suppose we’ll have to trust Prince Uman.”

At that answer, Professor Garcia felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

A foreboding that she would keep following along in the future!

“...Shall we talk about the commission? I know Student Lee Han has taken on many commissions, so I’m curious why you chose this particular one. It isn’t even a commission you can do with your friends, is it?”

Professor Garcia checked the client.

Unusually, it was a commission from the Daylily Magic Tower.

“It’s the magic tower the Principal visited during the last vacation to extort donations from. I felt a bit sorry about that...”

Principal...!!!!

At the disciple’s answer, Professor Garcia screamed internally.

Never before had Professor Garcia felt more ashamed of being an Einroguard professor than today.

Moreover, hadn’t Professor Garcia been exploited by the Skull Principal in a similar way before?

The Skull Principal’s deceptive trick of dangling an outstanding talent in front of a magic tower and coaxing them with, “This child might go to your magic tower after graduation,” was wickedly cunning.

“Student Lee Han is... truly a disciple too good for the Principal.”

“No. You’re actually a master too good for me, Professor.”

“Student Lee Han!”

Professor Garcia’s eyes suddenly welled up, almost bringing the professor to tears.

Tap, tap—

When Professor Garcia turned, Professor Voladi Bagreg was patting the professor’s shoulder consolingly. Professor Garcia was moved even more deeply.

“Professor Bagreg...! You’re moved too...”

“Time’s up. Professor Garcia. Let’s switch.”

“...”

Professor Garcia felt the tears vanish completely.