Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Diret, who had been about to ask a spirit to record the scene, suddenly remembered something.

“Come to think of it, junior.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you say you negotiated with Professor Verdus before and got a key?”

“Since we’re breaking in anyway, isn’t this more efficient?”

“…”

“Senior. That was a joke.”

“Who would think that was a joke?!”

Diret exploded at the sight of his junior looking genuinely embarrassed while speaking in a completely serious tone.

Lee Han explained again.

“I did receive keys to the underground warehouses, but they only work on the storage areas for materials and reagents. We still need to break through the golems to enter the actual workshop.”

“I see.”

Diret nodded, though a stubborn suspicion still lingered in the back of his mind.

Did his junior’s key really not open the passage to the first basement workshop?

***

The group arrived in front of Professor Verdus’s workshop on the first basement level.

Jowrin shouted excitedly:

Professor Bagreg! Jowrin commands you to smash this door too!

“Your Majesty. We cannot destroy this door.”

Professor Voladi Bagreg shook his head and explained calmly.

The defense golems stationed throughout the first basement level were one thing.

The workshop itself was another matter entirely.

Professor Verdus had intentionally left tiny gaps in the former.

The latter, however, had been constructed with absolutely no weaknesses whatsoever.

If they touched it carelessly, alarms could spread throughout the entire tower.

“This is where Yukveltire will shine, Your Majesty.”

Diret immediately turned toward Yukveltire.

Since she was Professor Verdus’s disciple, and since she already knew they were here, she would surely explain the defensive magic in detail.

And if they understood the structure of the magic, Professor Voladi Bagreg would certainly be capable of breaking through.

“Yukveltire. What kind of magic is protecting it?”

“I don’t know either.”

“…What?”

While Diret stood there dumbfounded, Yukveltire quietly produced a workshop key she had copied without Professor Verdus noticing.

Then she calmly unlocked the first basement workshop door.

Everyone present—including Jowrin—fell silent.

“…No, wait. When did you even get that?”

Lee Han asked in genuine shock.

The defenses protecting the outer warehouses and the first basement level were already brutal enough.

But by Professor Verdus’s standards, those were only the outer layers.

There was no way someone like Professor Verdus would casually hand over access to the workshop storing his truly important creations.

And if he ever discovered the key had been copied, he would immediately replace every defensive spell in the workshop.

“I happened to acquire it three years ago.”

“How did you avoid getting caught for three entire years??”

“Simple. I never used it.”

“…”

Lee Han felt shocked all over again.

The fact that Yukveltire had refrained from using the key for three years was astonishing enough.

The fact that she was choosing to use it now was even more terrifying.

“…I don’t really have the right to say this, but are you sure this is okay?”

“I’m recommending suitable artifacts to a talented junior. This is an entirely rational action.”

“Ah. Right.”

Behind Yukveltire, Jowrin raised both front paws beside her head like horns.

Lee Han immediately understood what she meant.

-She’s definitely angry, right?

Let’s just pretend she isn’t for now…

Lee Han felt faintly uneasy that he might be exploiting a senior who had temporarily lost all rationality to anger.

“Professor. What do you think—”

He turned toward Professor Voladi Bagreg, only to realize the professor had already disappeared.

Looking up, Lee Han found Professor Voladi Bagreg already inside the workshop searching through magic drafting tools.

“…Professor…”

“?”

“It’s nothing.”

Lee Han entered after him.

Just as a cunning rabbit prepared three burrows, Professor Verdus also maintained multiple workshops.

Outstanding artists often maintained several workshops for different creative purposes.

Lee Han, however, suspected Professor Verdus simply did it to minimize losses whenever one inevitably got robbed.

In that sense, the first basement workshop was impressive.

The quality of the artifacts here far exceeded the things Professor Verdus normally displayed in front of students.

This seemed to be the place where Professor Verdus stored personal works and completed commissions intended for delivery.

Wouldn’t a normal professor use things like this for educational purposes?

“Found it. Here.”

Yukveltire called to Lee Han.

On the workbench sat an artifact case labeled:

<Bivle’s Drafting Tool>

“…Isn’t this an artifact Professor Verdus still actively uses himself?”

“?”

Yukveltire looked at Lee Han as if asking:

So what?

Professor Voladi Bagreg looked at him with almost the exact same expression.

Diret quietly placed a hand on his junior’s shoulder.

I understand how you feel.

Thank you, senior.

Lee Han was grateful that at least one normal person still existed in this place.

“…Fine. I’ll make good use of it.”

“Wait.”

Yukveltire stopped him before he could touch the artifact.

Every item stored on this basement level was linked directly to the tower’s alarm system.

The instant anyone besides Professor Verdus touched one, defensive magic throughout the entire tower would activate.

Lee Han stared in disbelief.

“Putting defensive magic on the entrance is one thing, but you’re saying he enchanted every individual artifact too?”

Triggering tower-wide defensive magic not only when items were destroyed or dispelled, but merely from physical contact, required absurd amounts of effort.

Each item would need separate enchantments painstakingly layered onto it.

Professor Verdus wasn’t exactly a man overflowing with free time, so how could—

“Yes.”

“…”

Once again, Lee Han realized how monstrous Professor Verdus truly was.

Normally, Lee Han only stole materials, reagents, or occasionally unfinished airships, so it was easy to forget.

But when Professor Verdus genuinely wanted to protect something, robbing him became extremely difficult.

And now I’m trying to steal one of his favorite artifacts.

Lee Han thought about it for roughly one second before hardening his resolve again.

Even if he got caught later, stealing first was still the correct choice.

Especially when the victim was Professor Verdus.

“The moment we touch anything, we’ll need to escape immediately.”

“That’s right.”

“We can probably grab one or two more things too. Look around.”

“…Do you perhaps also have unresolved issues with Professor Verdus…? Never mind.”

Lee Han was briefly overwhelmed by how thoroughly Professor Voladi Bagreg pursued profit.

I should inspect things carefully first.

Leaving the drafting instrument alone for the moment, Lee Han continued looking around the workshop.

Amulet of Aging Resistance

Amazing.

Lee Han stared at the amulet hanging on the wall in admiration.

Not because of its appearance.

Not because of the craftsmanship.

Not even because of the glittering gemstones embedded in it.

What impressed him was the sophistication of the magic woven into it.

Tiny enchantments interconnected like intricate gears, forming an enormous magical structure that slowed aging and restored youth to the wearer.

There’s even an explanation written underneath it.

Even if stealing it was impossible because of the defensive magic, Lee Han still wanted to read Professor Verdus’s notes.

Commissioned by House Pengerine

Delivery delayed:

5 years

6 years

7 years

“…”

Just deliver it already!

Lee Han stared in disbelief.

The artifact was already complete to an absurd degree, yet Professor Verdus had apparently delayed handing it over for seven years.

It would honestly be stranger if House Pengerine hadn’t sent assassins after him.

Actually… maybe they did, and I just never heard about it…

The other artifacts weren’t much different.

All of them were masterpieces.

All of them were accompanied by phrases like:

Delivery delayed several years

And beneath them lay stacks of furious letters.

If you delay again, I really will send you to hell. – Osyu

If you delay again, I really will force you to lecture inside the deeper punishment cells. – Osyu

If you delay again, I really will burn down your workshop and hang you from the castle gates. – Osyu

If you delay again—

What the hell is wrong with you? Just finish your work on time already! – Osyu

Lee Han stared at the mountain of curse-filled letters and shook his head.

It wasn’t easy to feel sympathy for the Skull Principal.

Yet somehow Professor Verdus made even that possible.

Star Guide

Professor Paserlet Kraer

Third-Year Examination Use

Lee Han froze at the sight of the enormous brass telescope and the label beneath it.

This was an artifact intended for one of his future exams.

Well, considering Professor Verdus’s skill as an artifact craftsman, it made perfect sense that other professors would commission examination artifacts from him.

When Lee Han stopped to examine the telescope more closely, the others gathered around him curiously.

“What is it?”

“Junior. What are you looking at?”

Jowrin owns a telescope much larger and more magnificent than this one. His Majesty currently has it, but if Lee Han wants—

That really snapped me back to reality.

Lee Han immediately clamped Jowrin’s mouth shut with both hands before answering.

“I was surprised because this is apparently going to be used in one of my exams.”

“I see.”

“Ah.”

“Take it.”

“?”

Lee Han paused.

One of those responses definitely sounded strange.

Unsurprisingly, the speaker had been Professor Voladi Bagreg.

Actually… now that I think about it, maybe that isn’t surprising at all.

“Professor. This belongs to another professor’s examination.”

“Securing it in advance is also part of a student’s ability.”

Yukveltire nodded in agreement.

“Professor Verdus should have protected it more carefully.”

Lee Han stood speechless.

Then Diret quietly whispered beside him.

“Junior.”

“Yes? I also think stealing this might be a little too—”

“Just take it. Eliminating even one exam is worth it.”

***

Iactus: Professor Verdus’s workshop got robbed! Professor Verdus’s workshop got robbed!! Professor Verdus’s workshop got robbed!!!

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Stop spamming and write it once. Why are you acting like this isn’t normal?

Iactus: You read it wrong. Not the storage. The workshop! The first basement workshop!

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: …Professor Verdus’s workshop got robbed!!!!

The messages in <Whispers of Einroguard> began endlessly repeating:

Professor Verdus’s workshop got robbed

Professor Verdus’s workshop got robbed

Professor Verdus’s workshop got robbed

It was simply that shocking.

Not the storage.

Not the first-floor workshop.

The first basement workshop had been robbed.

Baquantalana: Professor Verdus had countless enemies. This is simply karma.

Iactus: No. You can’t evaluate this so casually. Professor Verdus always had enemies, but nobody ever completely robbed the personal workshop before.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Could it be related to the dragon that came this time? With a dragon’s power—

Iactus: Impossible. She’s royalty. A proper member of the Imperial Family who never even enrolled in Einroguard. Why would someone like that commit theft?

Baquantalana: Enrolling in Einroguard doesn’t magically make royalty improper.

Iactus: What are you talking about? The moment someone enters Einroguard, they stop being royalty and become an Einroguard student.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Agreed. I once saw a royal junior desperately stuffing bread into their mouth like a starving alley beggar. Once you enter Einroguard, status means nothing.

Lee Han carefully glanced around before quietly joining the conversation.

Gonadaltes: How was it confirmed that Professor Verdus’s workshop was robbed? Couldn’t it just be a false rumor?

Iactus: No. Professor Kraer is currently trying to murder Professor Verdus.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Maybe someone claimed it was stolen and secretly took it for themselves afterward?

Iactus: Surely a fellow professor wouldn’t steal another professor’s property… Hmm… Actually, maybe.

Gonadaltes: That certainly sounds possible.

Baquantalana: I still doubt it.

Gonadaltes: More importantly, the Skull Principal hasn’t appeared lately. Does anyone know why?

Lee Han casually asked something he had genuinely been curious about.

The replies immediately flooded in with curses.

Iactus: Everyone’s happy the bastard isn’t around, so why the hell would you ask that?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: If he comes back tomorrow because you jinxed it, are you taking responsibility?