Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

“Playing a prank like this when you weren’t even going to help…”

Perse was speaking when Perse spotted the tail sticking out from Lee Han’s sleeve and wagging.

Then Perse called the other members over.

“Everyone, get over here and take a look at this!”

“What is it?”

“D-don’t tell me it’s some cursed artifact left behind by the Skull Principal?”

“……”

Lee Han glared at the upperclassman making baseless slander.

Who in the world would carry something like that around?

Of course…

Come to think of it, the behemoth-bone necklace is something the Skull Principal left behind.

But Lee Han refused to acknowledge it.

It was not a cursed object in particular, after all.

“There’s a basilisk here.”

“!!!!!!”

The club members stared at Lee Han, even more shocked than when they had run into the Skull Principal in their hometowns during break.

“Wait. Why did you call us over?”

“Because I figured you wouldn’t believe it.”

“……”

Faced with Perse’s overwhelmingly persuasive answer, the upperclassmen accepted it on the spot.

“A guy taking every school really does raise extraordinary animals…”

“The most shocking part is still the fact that he’s close with the Skull Principal.”

“I still can’t believe that.”

Seeing the members about to start another round ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) of Who exactly is this junior and how are we supposed to process this junior? debate, Perse firmly cut them off.

“Talk later and help with the support application first. Anyone here know the club rules well? How did the griffin and basilisk support amounts go again?”

“I know the rules, but I don’t remember the basilisk support amount… Who even looks that up?”

“This is my first time hearing that there even is basilisk support money.”

“That’s amazing. The griffin support already sounds strange enough, but next to basilisk support it starts sounding normal.”

In the end, the upperclassmen failed to dredge it up from memory and brought out a thick, dust-covered book from somewhere.

On the cover, in green letters, was written:

“Griffin, griffin… Ah. There are two kinds of griffin.”

“Two kinds?”

Lee Han was puzzled.

Were there two species of griffin?

“First, one that does not acknowledge its master, stares slyly, and looks for an opportunity to kill the rider. Is it that kind of griffin?”

“……”

While Lee Han froze in confusion, Hormasi, standing beside him, answered briskly.

“If it were, this junior would have died already and the griffin would’ve run off.”

“That’s a fair point. Then it must be the second kind. One that acknowledges its master, is loyal, and, having received kindness, acts cute.”

Did it ever act cute?

It had clacked its beak and whipped its tail around, sure, but…

“What’s the difference between the first and second kinds?”

“Oh. The first one gets three times the support money. Because it’s dangerous.”

“…!”

Lee Han was horrified.

Because Phoneig was loyal, he was being denied gold coins he should have received!

This is unjust!

“The griffin is settled. What about the basilisk?”

“Basilisk… basilisk… I don’t see basilisk in here.”

“Let’s search from the back. King spider, giant that insists it walks on four legs, basilisk… Ah.”

“Found it?”

“No. That was ‘huge serpent-type monsters that may be mistaken for basilisks.’ Basilisk… basilisk… Found it! This one also has two kinds. First, one that behaves with dignity and possesses a majestic gaze.”

The baby basilisk wagged its tail rapidly from inside Lee Han’s sleeve as if to say that was correct.

Every Einroguard student present shook their heads at the same time.

“It’s not that one.”

“This must be talking about a fully grown adult, so no way.”

“—?!”

The baby basilisk wrapped itself tightly around Lee Han’s wrist in protest.

“The second is… one that is still immature, clings tightly to its parent’s side, and does not stick its head outside.”

“It’s this one.”

“That’s the one, all right.”

The baby basilisk shook its tail furiously, but to the students that only gave additional confirmation.

At last, the basilisk tapped Lee Han’s wrist. It was a signal asking Lee Han to somehow restore its honor.

Lee Han asked the upperclassmen,

“Which of the two gets more support money?”

“The second one gets way more. Looks like baby basilisks are much harder to raise.”

“I see. I also think it’s the second one.”

“—……”

*****

The upperclassmen, having found the club rulebook and read it for the first time in a long while, seemed to get into it and asked Lee Han whether there was anything else he wanted to apply for.

“Upperclassmen, I hesitate to ask this, but… is the club treasury going to be all right?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“No matter how much prize money has been stockpiled, if I take too much in support money…”

“Oh. No need to worry.”

The Jousting Club members said with a laugh,

“It doesn’t only run on prize money.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s not just club members who receive support. The club receives support too.”

Just as the Einroguard Jousting Club supported promising members, the Imperial Jousting Association also supported promising clubs.

If a club sent a letter saying it needed help raising rare animals, the Imperial Jousting Association generously sent support funds.

“…!”

The story was so transcendent that Lee Han’s mind reeled.

It sounded like something from another dimension.

Kitchen Club members fought ingredients from morning to evening just to gather gold coins, yet somewhere out there were kind Imperial wealthy patrons who sent gold coins in response to a single letter.

“I… I can’t believe it.”

“They’re rare animals. If a student is raising a griffin or a basilisk, that’s worth helping with.”

“I actually have more things I raise.”

Lee Han looked at the upperclassmen with burning eyes.

At that gaze, the upperclassmen suddenly felt a little overwhelmed.

“Sharkhan!”

“…That’s a summon, junior.”

“Gonadaltes!”

“I said skeleton warriors don’t count, junior. Wait. What did you just call?”

“Urgh. Then… what about a ghost chicken?”

“…Uh, you raise a ghost chicken? That counts.”

The upperclassman nodded readily and filled out the application.

Since there was far less surprise than before, Lee Han grew curious and asked,

“Is a ghost chicken not all that rare? Are there more people raising them or something…?”

“Oh, no. It’s definitely rare.”

“Is that so? You didn’t seem very surprised.”

“After seeing the griffin and the basilisk, it doesn’t feel all that surprising.”

“……”

“What next?”

Lee Han focused desperately.

Concentrating harder than when he studied magic, his trained brain miraculously dragged back the information he had heard earlier.

“Upperclassman. Earlier in the rulebook there was something about a ‘giant that insists it walks on four legs,’ right? If you were close with a giant, would that be recognized?”

“…Every single part of that question gives me chills, junior.”

The upperclassman writing the application raised a head and stared at Lee Han as if Lee Han were horrifying.

There was no way to even guess what that question was supposed to mean.

Could it be that Lee Han actually knew a giant close enough to make it walk on four legs?

“I was just asking hypothetically.”

“Right? You don’t actually have a giant you’re close with, do you?”

“So would it be recognized?”

Lee Han smoothly changed the subject.

“As I said, you have to raise it. Unless you personally keep a giant in your own cave, feed it, and ride it around, just being close isn’t enough.”

“Urgh… Upperclassman, then if someone happened to be taking care of a mountain-range-destroying sheep…”

“…Why do you keep making these insane hypothetical examples??”

*****

What a shame.

Having failed to squeeze anything further out of the Imperial Jousting Association by means of giants or mountain-range-destroying sheep, Lee Han retreated in disappointment.

Unaware that the junior was feeling disappointed, Hormasi laughed and slapped Lee Han on the back.

“Congratulations on setting a new record!”

“It’s only disappointing because I could have gotten more.”

“You’re bad at jokes, huh? Anyway, come on. I’ll show you my mount. Professor Bendozol! Give me a hand here!”

“Get lost, you poaching bastard!”

“If you don’t help, mine will just be hurting by itself, you know? Don’t you feel bad for my puppy?”

“You little bastard that ought to get struck by lightning!”

Professor Bendozol cursed and still followed behind anyway.

Suppressing laughter, Hormasi said to Lee Han,

“Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t want to call Professor Bendozol either. But I needed to have my puppy’s health checked too. There’s no expert like Professor Bendozol.”

“I’m fine.”

“Junior, at Einroguard there’s nobody who says they’re fine while a professor is following right behind them. Better be careful.”

“……”

Lee Han realized his mistake.

He had learned one more thing from this upperclassman.

From now on, I need to act like I’m suffering.

“Thank you for the advice, Upperclassman.”

“That much advice is nothing for my future striker.”

“Is Puppy the name of the mount you raise?”

“Yeah.”

Some kind of dog- or wolf-type monster, then.

Professor Bendozol, following behind, muttered gruffly,

“If you want to take care of the unicorn, gather a lot of dawn dew.”

“…Professor. What are you talking about?”

Hormasi looked at Professor Bendozol as if disturbed.

If Professor Bendozol had gotten angry or grumbled, that would have been one thing, but suddenly saying something incomprehensible like that was even scarier.

Among Imperial professions, there was no profession more prone to madness than mage.

And Professor Bendozol was already half mad to begin with…

“I wasn’t talking to you! I was talking to the bastard next to you!”

Professor Bendozol snapped, face turning red. Hormasi tilted Hormasi’s head in puzzlement, then belatedly understood.

“No, wait. You’re going to make him take care of the unicorn? Instead of doing it yourself, Professor?”

“Upperclassman. That…”

Watching this upperclassman innocently digging at Professor Bendozol’s wound, Lee Han started getting nervous.

No matter how patient Professor Bendozol might be, there had to be a limit if Professor Bendozol kept getting provoked like this.

“…The unicorn pointed him out.”

“Oh. For taking care of it too?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow…”

Realizing the situation, Hormasi trailed off.

No matter how much this junior had been chosen by the unicorn, to be blocked from even taking care of it.

That was no ordinary humiliation.

When Hormasi said nothing, Professor Bendozol seemed even more tormented and growled,

“What is it you want to say, huh?!”

“No, I mean… well, isn’t that a good thing? That’s good. You’ve got yourself a disciple to help you now, Professor.”

“What kind of bullshit are you talking about?!”

Listening from the side, Lee Han shouted without realizing it.

Just as expected of a White Tiger Tower upperclassman, the moment Lee Han let down his guard, Hormasi stabbed him in the back.

“Sorry. Sorry. I think I lost my mind for a moment.”

Realizing the mistake, Hormasi hurriedly apologized.

Normally, even when clashing with other members, Hormasi was not the sort to bend that easily, but the slip of the tongue just now had been too cruel.

“That doesn’t mean you won’t be a striker, right? You can’t say no because of this.”

“As for me, I’ll do it if I get the chance…”

Lee Han did not have much reason to refuse a jousting match in the first place.

How often did an opportunity come along to earn that much prize money in such a short time?

Besides, jousting had the advantage that even if you won, you did not get banned from entering afterward.

Thinking of a certain professor who had been banned from entering Imperial Duel Clubs, the difference stood out even more clearly.

Still, isn’t this upperclassman expecting too much?

“…Please don’t be too disappointed if I’m bad at it.”

“Don’t worry. Ha ha. I won’t.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I never expect anything from anyone! When a match starts, I think they’re all trash. I resolve myself to handle everything alone.”

“……”

Having heard the upperclassman’s inner thoughts, which Lee Han really had not wanted to know, Lee Han made an uncomfortable expression.

Is this the sort of person who, if I make one mistake, will pretend not to know me at all?

“We’re here.”

Arriving at the edge of the Einroguard desert, Hormasi pointed toward the horizon.

“If we go around there, Puppy will come out.”

“…Upperclassman. This isn’t some kind of trap, is it?”

“What kind of trap?”

“Like if we go that far, the way back gets cut off, or there’s an ambush waiting…”

At the junior’s cute imagination, Hormasi laughed again.

“Hey! I may be from White Tiger Tower, but do you think I’d do something that petty?!”

“……”

Lee Han, who until just a moment ago had not been all that worried, gave the upperclassman a genuinely suspicious look.