Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

“Then what about the construction?”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, it is nothing.”

Caten cleared his throat.

Coldhearted people like Princess Yukbeltire or the Skull Principal often scolded Caten for having no sense of shame, but contrary to that misunderstanding, Caten was more polite and more easily embarrassed than people thought.

Learning magic was simply an exception.

That was the case now as well.

As a senior, Caten could not force a junior to let him participate in a commission first.

“More importantly, evil-god worshipers... Hmm. I understand, Junior.”

Caten nodded solemnly.

The followers of the crazed Frahgal Order had been clashing with the junior from House Wardanaz for quite some time.

Since these confrontations had happened several times, it would not be strange for both sides to regard the other as an irritating enemy.

“The corrupt followers of Frahgal must have threatened you and gotten in your way, Junior. We must burn these blasphemous and excessive beings down to their very last tentacle!”

“Ah. It is not Frahgal.”

Caten, who had been speaking passionately, stopped again.

“...It was not? Ah. Then is it perhaps Ksaksarigol?”

“It is not Ksaksarigol either...”

While explaining, Lee Han felt puzzled.

How did this senior know that Lee Han had recently clashed with Ksaksarigol?

“You must keep this a secret.”

“I have no one to tell anyway.”

“...It is the Sanguros Order. It was an order that had once been destroyed, but apparently it has recently begun expanding its influence again.”

Along with the explanation, Lee Han also revealed what had happened.

He had gone on an outside commission, but because of an attack by these wicked people, Professor Voladi had gone missing...

“Professor Bagreg was kidnapped?!”

Caten was horrified.

The surprise was so great that Caten’s fur stood on end.

A professor of Einroguard had been kidnapped. This was not something that could simply be overlooked.

Was this not a direct challenge to the authority guaranteed in the name of the Empire?

They needed to mobilize the Imperial Army at once and...

“Ah. Professor Bagreg was not kidnapped.”

“???”

“The professor became angry and disappeared to attack the members of the order.”

“......”

Among the fifth-year students, Caten possessed the strongest mental fortitude. Considering how different the path Caten had walked was from those of the other students, that was only natural.

That was why, even after hearing something like this, Caten could accept it calmly instead of screaming or becoming dumbfounded.

“Hmm... That can happen. It can... happen.”

In truth, Caten was not sure whether something like that really could happen, but nodded for now.

Could this really be called going missing?

“I was truly surprised to hear that Professor Bagreg had gone missing.”

“Wait, you did not know that the professor had disappeared?”

Caten nodded again. Lee Han muttered as though it made no sense.

“Ah. Senior Caten did not know because there was no one for you to talk to.”

“......”

Caten bristled slightly.

Of course, Caten’s circle of acquaintances was smaller than that of the other students, but Caten still heard all the rumors and information that were necessary.

The reason Caten had not known Professor Bagreg was missing was that there were so few disciples studying under Professor Bagreg. It was absolutely not because Caten had no friends.

“In any case, I want to strike these wicked people first and root them out. Would that not ultimately help the professor as well?”

“I do not think Professor Bagreg requires that sort of help... but I understand your intention.”

Caten’s anger subsided. The junior’s sincerity had reached even this fifth-year senior.

And the opportunity to cut down evil-god worshipers was also a good chance to train oneself. Where else could one find experience like this?

“If you need my help, tell me at any time. I will participate.”

“Thank you, Senior!”

Lee Han was delighted by Caten’s willing acceptance.

Of course, Lee Han knew that this fifth-year senior was more combative than expected, and that Caten would not refuse an opportunity to fight, but gratitude was still gratitude.

If this senior with monstrous combat ability came along, it would be an enormous help when fighting the evil-god worshipers.

“Hmm. Hmm.”

After accepting, Caten cleared his throat again, looking slightly embarrassed. Then Caten once more gave Lee Han a meaningful look.

’Heh.’

Lee Han immediately understood what it meant. There was no such thing as a request without compensation in this world.

“Please take this.”

Inside the wooden crate Lee Han had brought were magic books to which he had personally added interpretations and explanations.

They were written far more simply than the original magic books, so they would be a great help to Caten, who was deeply interested in magic.

In fact, Caten was so delighted that Caten nearly leaped straight into the air.

“Junior. Something like this... You must already be short on time. Thank you very much!”

“It is nothing. Please ask me whenever you need anything.”

Caten was so happy that Caten repeatedly expressed gratitude and personally saw the junior off.

Only after the junior had disappeared far into the distance did Caten realize it.

’Ah.’

The construction commission...!

***

“Puh. Even Ironshoe? That is unusual.”

Palcrius found it remarkable to see a student from the same year after such a long time.

It was not only Palcrius. The other juniors reacted the same way. Several of them looked at Jarun in confusion.

“Is that person really an Einroguard student? I have never seen that person before.”

“That is an Einroguard student... It is because Jarun stays underground. Jarun is fairly well known among students who explore underground.”

“Is that not a Valdrogard spy?”

“......”

Jarun glared with a surly expression. The juniors who met Jarun’s eyes quickly turned their heads away.

“Hmph!”

“Ironshoe. You have come out after such a long time, so do not be like that. Have a bowl of soup.”

“Another trick! You are trying to steal a dwarf’s blood and sweat!”

Jarun leaped as though having a fit.

Having fallen victim several times to the Kitchen Club’s food sales, Jarun was even more wary.

There had once been an incident like this.

-Ironshoe! Ironshoe! Oh dear. You collapsed after losing your strength. Drink some of this. The meat broth will restore your energy.

-Ugh... What happened?

-You must have collapsed because you were hungry. Here. One gold coin.

-...What!? I-I never bought anything...

-Puh. You ate it anyway. And do not think about refusing to pay. Your surroundings are already encircled by members of the Kitchen Club.

-...You thieving bastards! You despicable wretches!

Even now, tears came to Jarun’s eyes from the injustice whenever he remembered that incident. Jarun swung a hammer as though warning them not to approach.

“Puh. Ironshoe. It is a misunderstanding. This soup is free. I can even swear it in the name of the one I believe in. The truth is, the new Inspector has been supplying ingredients.”

“......”

When Palcrius went that far, Jarun accepted the wooden bowl with a slightly softened expression.

Jarun was somewhat surprised by the sight of the watery soup with pieces of vegetables and meat floating in it.

The new Inspector seemed absurdly generous. To distribute something like this for free.

“Ghk!”

After taking one sip, Jarun was horrified by the bitter taste.

How could soup like this taste so bitter??

“Puh. You feel some energy returning, do you not? It is a tonic soup made using a secret method the Inspector taught us.”

“Y-You despicable bastard. You tricked me again...!”

“I did not trick you. I restored your energy.”

However, despite Palcrius’s persuasion, Jarun had already closed the doors of the heart again.

Jarun went to a corner while muttering and answered everyone with nothing but “Hmph.”

“Western dwarves really are eccentric.”

“Puh. Do not say that. There are cheerful people among western dwarves, and there are eccentric people among eastern dwarves as well.”

“Come to think of it, Professor Thunderwalk is an eastern dwarf too.”

“...I-I was not insulting Professor Thunderwalk...”

While Palcrius was flustered by the juniors’ words, Lee Han appeared.

Beside Lee Han were Princess Yukbeltire, Anpagon, and other students from the enchantment magic school.

“That is an unusual combination. Why are those people walking together?”

“They are from the same school. The enchantment magic school.”

“What?! They were from the same school?!”

“......”

Several students were shocked to learn that Lee Han’s group belonged to the enchantment magic school.

They had never seen them walking together like that.

As Lee Han approached, he continued speaking with Princess Yukbeltire with a cautious expression. Seeing how serious they looked, a junior asked Palcrius.

“Senior. What do you think they are discussing?”

“Puh. Since it is not an easy commission, they must have many concerns.”

Completing a structure within Einroguard’s grounds and then sending it outside was by no means an easy commission.

Since even Wardanaz, whose abilities were more than sufficient, knew that, Lee Han must have mobilized all the other seniors from the enchantment magic school.

On top of that, Wardanaz had publicly declared that this commission would be completed within four days.

Considering not only Lee Han’s own schedule but the schedules of the seniors as well, Lee Han had judged that anything longer than that would be too difficult to coordinate.

It was a bold decision, but that must have made the difficulty even greater.

The reason they were talking so seriously now was probably to shorten the time even a little.

“So, Senior. I am telling you that Senior Diret signing something like this without coming personally makes it invalid.”

“Why do you refuse to believe it when Diret personally wrote and signed it? Junior from House Wardanaz, you are being unreasonable right now.”

“You are the one being unreasonable, Senior. With a document like this, the surrounding circumstances can be manipulated however you please.”

The reason the two were arguing was simple.

Junior, it is true that I told you to stop helping me and accept the commission.

Diret

When Princess Yukbeltire brought the structure’s design, she had also brought a document like that.

It was not merely signed. To make it difficult to forge, Diret had written it with a feather from Diret’s own wing.

But Lee Han did not fall for it so easily. A simple document like that could distort the situation however one pleased.

“You probably asked something like, ‘Diret, what would you do if the junior were cursed to die unless the junior accepted the commission?’”

Princess Yukbeltire, who did not regularly practice verbal arguments, could never defeat Lee Han in a confrontation like this.

Princess Yukbeltire’s resentment and anger exceeded their limits, and she made a choice she normally would never make.

She called the juniors.

“What kind of completely absurd sophistry is this... Anpagon! Sigunting!”

“Yes?”

“Come here and judge the legitimacy of this matter!”

In response to the command of their senior, who stood as high above them as the sky, Anpagon and Sigunting replied coldly.

“Wardanaz is probably right. Please stop tormenting the junior.”

“I will say Wardanaz is right.”

“...Y-You low-grade pieces of garbage...!”

Princess Yukbeltire regretted not bringing Diret along.

Sometimes, when only low-quality juniors were present, truth became falsehood.

Before the enraged Princess Yukbeltire could run away, Lee Han quickly took the design.

Now that he had it, Lee Han did not care whether the senior fled or not.

“Oh. Seniors. Look at this. The corrosion occurring on the lighthouse is handled with transformation magic.”

“Remarkable. Is the surface being thinly transformed into a primitive artificial life-form? Wait. Does that not consume too much mana?”

Anpagon admired Princess Yukbeltire’s idea, but also showed confusion.

“She probably expects me to cast it using my mana.”

“I see. Wait. Even so, is the consumption not too high? The rapid-suppression magic here, and the vessel-guidance magic too... Just how many are there?”

Anpagon and Sigunting clicked their tongues at the senior’s merciless design.

Even though the junior possessed a great deal of mana, it was not easy to construct magic with the determination to drain every last drop without blood or tears.

“I told you she was insane.”

“She may not be quite that bad, but it is certainly bold.”

Lee Han answered their conversation with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“That section was written by me.”

“......”

“......”