Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 89

“Get moving.”

 

The more clumsy and unskilled a mage was, the more flamboyantly they would swing their wand and loudly chant their spells.

 

The less confident they were, the more forcefully they had to act in order to solidify their own mental images.

 

In that aspect, Yi-Han barely swung his wand, and his voice was as soft as a whisper.

 

Yi-Han himself did not notice it, but the effects of Professor Bolady’s harsh training were clearly evident.

 

“…!”

 

Yonaire was surprised at the sight of the assignments flying through the air.

 

Like birds made of paper, Yi-Han and Yonaire’s thick assignments softly cut through the air and approached the professor’s pile of assignments.

 

Even though it was just assignments flying, it was impossible to take your eyes off of it.

 

This seemed like a completely different level of magic compared to the stiff and choppy <Lower Control> magic that Yonaire had seen until now.

 

‘Let’s focus.’

 

Yi-Han focused his mind.

 

It was not just a matter of simply sticking it into the pile of assignments.

 

He had to do it without being caught by the professor.

 

– Focus.

 

It was as if Professor Bolady’s voice was whispering in his ear.

 

“It’s a simple task. Just slipping the paper in between.”

 

The voice of Professor Bolady whispering in his ear became clearer.

 

“But what if there’s a barrier set up?”

 

“You’ll be able to break through it. You already learned how. Right?”

 

The voice became so clear that it was burdensome.

 

This was…

 

This was not just a voice echoing in his head.

 

Shivering with fear, Yi-Han turned his gaze.

 

Behind Yi-Han, two professors were staring at him intently.

 

Because of that, Yonaire could not even breathe properly.

 

Professor Bolady said in a cold voice.

 

“Why’d you turn away? Focus.”

 

Yi-Han instinctively turned his head back.

 

Then the professor next to Professor Bolady, whom he was seeing for the first time, said,

 

“Eh, maybe you should just dip and back out…”

 

“Ignore what he says. You got this. Think back to what you learned.”

 

“……”

 

Yi-Han thought about all the misfortunes that had befallen him this week.

 

No matter how he thought about it, he was incredibly unlucky.

 

Did I get cursed or something? Yi-Han thought.

 

“Out of all things, we had to run into some professors passing by.”

 

If it had been Professor Garsia, it would have been better than Professor Bolady.

 

Yi-Han was seriously considering whether he should find a potion of luck.

 

“No, I’m telling you. That barrier is more difficult than you think.”

 

“You can do it. Do it.”

 

“Professors, I’m sorry, but could you please agree on your opinions and give me some advice…?”

 

Yonaire, who could not take it anymore, spoke up, but the two professors paid her no heed.

 

Professor Bolady said to do it because he could do it, and the professor he was seeing for the first time advised Yi-Han to back down.

 

It was a mind-boggling situation, but Yi-Han was still able to figure out a few things.

 

‘So there was a barrier.’

 

Since it was a pile of assignments floating in the air following the professor around, he had thought that there would naturally be magic involved, but he had not expected there to be a barrier.

 

The professor whom Yi-Han was seeing for the first time, said,

 

“That barrier makes loud noises if someone touches it. It might not feel like it to you, but there are several layers of invisible magic bands rotating around the pile of papers.”

 

Yi-Han concentrated on feeling the magic after hearing that.

 

It was easy to miss because of the enormous amount of magical power gushing out from his whole body, but Yi-Han’s talent was not just limited to magic.

 

In addition to his tenacity that was unmatched by anyone else, his thorough calculation skills that did not waver even in moments of crisis, and his useless presence that made spirits terrified, his ability to detect magic was also excellent.

 

‘I see it!’

 

When he concentrated, he could really feel the magic bands spread out around the pile of papers, slowly rotating.

 

“It’s almost impossible for a student to approach without touching the magic bands at this point. So don’t fall for Professor Bolady’s words and make a reckless attempt. It’s better to wait for the next opportunity. As you know, Bolady doesn’t care about the students at all.”

 

‘That’s true.’

 

Yi-Han agreed very much, but he vocalized something different.

 

“No. He always thinks about the students.”

 

“That’s what I thought.”

 

Professor Bolady took Yi-Han’s words at face value.

 

If Yi-Han had agreed, Professor Bolady would have judged, ‘Ah, I guess I failed to adequately consider my students.”

 

However, hearing Yi-Han say that, Professor Bolady judged that his current teaching method was indeed taking students’ considerations into account.

 

There seemed to be no other possibility.

 

“Really? My disciple is truly kind.”

 

“That’s not logical. Wardanaz. Do it. He’s walking away.”

 

“No, you can’t…!”

 

Professor Bolady urged him on, and the professor he was seeing for the first time stopped him.

 

And Yi-Han made a move.

 

Pop!

 

The thick assignment flew smoothly and passed through the space where the magic bands were moving.

 

If there had been even a slight difference, the magic band would have been torn and made a loud noise.

 

Yi-Han did not hesitate and sent the next assignment flying. Yonaire’s assignment also landed accurately on top of the pile of assignments.

 

Yonaire clapped her hands without realizing it. Professor Bolady subtly nodded in seeming acknowledgment.

 

“…This is crazy! How?!”

 

“Because I taught him.”

 

“Yes. It’s thanks  to Mr. Bolady’s guidance.”

 

Yi-Han said without showing any emotion. Then, the professor he was seeing for the first time was even more impressed.

 

“Aren’t you really an amazing student?! Nice to meet you. You must be Wardanaz, right? I’m Professor Kirmin Ku. Although we should normally shake hands, I don’t recommend shaking hands with me. It’s because of my racial circumstances.”

 

Professor Kirmin was the complete opposite of Professor Bolady.

 

He had a cheerful and bouncy voice, and he was dressed in a gentlemanly manner without a single wrinkle. It was strange to see him talking so friendly with Professor Bolady.

 

“What subject do you teach sir?”

 

“I’m a specialist in illusion magic, particularly in barriers. You saw it just now, didn’t you?”

 

“!”

 

Yi-Han was delighted.

 

He had heard him talking and wondered if he was, but he really was a specialist in barrier magic.

 

“I’ll be entering Professor Garsia’s classroom at least once this semester. I have to teach the students how fun and enjoyable illusion magic is.”

 

“Illusion magic is useless.”

 

“……”

 

Yi-Han was shocked by Professor Bolady’s words.

 

To disregard another professor’s field.

 

Isn’t that asking for a fight?

 

However, Professor Kirmin simply ignored Professor Bolady’s words.

 

“It’s several times more difficult to deceive a mage above a certain level with illusion magic than with other types of magic.”

 

“Yeah. I’ve said it a hundred times. But there aren’t even a handful of mages that you’re talking about, ‘above a certain level,’ in this vast empire. So Wardanaz. Why were you trying to put those papers in there?”

 

Yi-Han pondered for a second.

 

He looked at the professor’s mood and thought about whether a lie would work, and made the best judgment.

 

‘I guess it’s better to just be honest.’

 

“I was late for the assignment submission?”

 

“……”

 

Yonaire blushed with embarrassment. Professor Kirmin also seemed taken aback by the unexpected reason.

 

‘All this for being a bit late with an assignment submission?!’

 

“I’m sorry sir.”

 

Yi-Han apologized to Professor Bolady for the time being. However, Professor Bolady did not care, as expected.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I was late for the assignment?”

 

“Was it my assignment?”

 

‘I knew you’d say that.’

 

“That’s right.”

 

Professor Kirmin looked at the teacher and student duo as if they were strange.

 

In fact, it had been a long time since he had seen someone who could get along with Professor Bolady like this.

 

Whether they were professors or students, for Bolady Bagrak, it would not be strange if he left after a few minutes of conversation, saying, ‘I hope the sun rises above your head, you vampire scum.’

 

“So what class was it?”

 

“<Fundamentals of Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic>.”

 

“Professor Alpen Knighton?”

 

Yi-Han tensed up at Professor Kirmin’s mention of the other person’s name.

 

In front of the friendship between professors, students’ assignments seemed insignificant…

 

“Well done. Well done. To be honest, that professor’s assignments are nothing to sneeze at.”

 

“???”

 

Professor Kirmin praised Yi-Han instead. Professor Bolady also added something rare.

 

“Professor Alpen Knighton is a mage who used to work as a high-ranking imperial administrator. He’s better at wielding power than magic.”

 

“Did you know that jerk cut my research budget in half back in the day?”

 

The two professors gritted their teeth and cursed the <Fundamentals of Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic> professor. Yi-Han sighed in relief at the familiar sight.

 

Not all professors were on good terms.

 

In particular, mages who had taken the path of pure magic research did not like active mages who received high positions in the empire.

 

The reason was something like ‘the purity of magic this and that,’ ‘the temptation and corruption of the secular world this and that,’ but in Yi-Han’s opinion, it was probably because the latter was messing with the former’s budget.

 

Even mages who could destroy the sky and split the earth could not do research if they did not have a research budget.

 

In that sense, mages who worked in high-ranking positions in the empire and reviewed research budgets were the enemies of all other mages.

 

– My life’s intuition is telling me! This dungeon must be excavated, even if it means mobilizing the entire territory’s budget. Call all the nearby adventurers…

 

– You said it was your life’s intuition last time too. Proposal denied.

 

– I  will  kill  you! You better watch your back at night!

 

– If you want to target my night walk, you’ll have to get in line and wait. There are already thirty people in the queue.

 

…Such dignified conversations happened every year.

 

However, Yi-Han did not change his mind even after hearing the two professors’ conversation.

 

Rather…

 

‘Wait, he was a high-ranking imperial administrator?’

 

Yi-Han’s eyes sparkled when he heard that the other person was from the imperial government.

 

What could that mean?

 

It meant that he had strong connections in the empire’s bureaucracy.

 

And at the very top of Yi-Han’s goals was the imperial bureaucracy.

 

Yi-Han suddenly felt his grudge against Professor Alpen Knighton melt away like snow.

 

Even the ridiculous amount of assignments suddenly felt like the responsibility of a high-ranking official who shouldered the empire.

 

‘I have to show him my best from now on.’

 

“Wardanaz. I heard rumors that you’re very talented. You better be careful. Don’t let yourself get dragged into the imperial bureaucracy. They’ll send you all sorts of temptations if you’re too good.”

 

Professor Bolady frowned and spoke at length, which was rare for him.

 

“Cut the joke there Ku. There’s no way Wardanaz would take such a trivial path of anti-magic.”

 

“Oh, what am I saying? You’re from the Wardanaz family. There’s no way you’ll become an imperial bureaucrat. Right?”

 

“……”

 

Yi-Han felt a cold sweat running down his back for the first time in a long time.

 

After hearing from Professor Kirmin Ku that he should see him during the next illusion magic class (Professor Kirmin ignored Professor Bolady’s interference and even recommended that he seriously learn illusion magic), Yi-Han went with Yonaire to meet their friends from the Blue Dragon Tower.

 

Judging from the way they had exchanged glances outside the classroom earlier, it seemed that they had all returned safely.

 

‘That’s a relief.’

 

Now, to receive the materials and brew the potion…

 

“You all worked hard yesterday…”

 

“Wardanaz! Gainando was kidnapped!”

 

“!”

 

The students of the Blue Dragon Tower who had gathered in front of the tower rushed towards Yi-Han as soon as they saw him.

 

They all looked disheveled as if they had just been in a fight.

 

Yi-Han was startled and asked.

 

“By who? Those bastards from White Tiger Tower?”

 

“No! By a Freed Summon!!”

 

Yi-Han stopped himself from feeling relieved.

 

Upon reflection, it was not a situation to be relieved about at all.

–
Translator: Kaiser | Editor: Gleru