Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

The two fell silent for a moment.

They had never imagined that the junior himself had directly written the coldhearted sections that showed neither blood nor tears toward the caster.

Fortunately, Princess Yukbeltire had not heard the conversation just now.

“If you wrote it yourself, then it is fine.”

“Right. Wardanaz, you are the sort who enjoys the thrill of controlling instability and danger.”

“When did I ever say something like... I suppose I did.”

Sigunting was deeply interested in disposable artifacts with high-firepower, high-output characteristics, and had highly praised Lee Han for choosing such disposable artifacts as his research topic.

Of course, Lee Han had not made them because of those characteristics, but because he intended to sell disposable artifacts cheaply in large quantities...

...but he could not bring himself to reveal the truth in front of the senior, so he had nodded and admitted it.

-I enjoy that sort of danger. I feel my magic boiling as I control that instability and danger.

-I knew it. You really are a madman!

’Your memory is pointlessly good.’

Had it been Gainando, he would have forgotten, but unfortunately these were seniors from the enchantment magic school, so they did not forget things like that.

“Impressive.”

Anpagon murmured.

The junior’s insane boldness had distracted Anpagon from it, but even setting that aside, the design was impressive enough.

To compress and design everything so methodically, beginning with rapid-suppression magic and continuing all the way to magic that guided the vessels passing nearby.

Had the junior not revealed it, Anpagon might have thought Princess Yukbeltire had designed it, that was how skillful it was.

’This is , and this is ...’

As Anpagon continued reading with concentration, Anpagon realized one fact.

This junior had learned far more of Professor Verdus’s personally created exclusive magic than expected.

In truth, despite bearing the name enchantment magic school, the students under it had learned very little from Professor Verdus.

The admission requirement for Einroguard’s enchantment magic school was, from the very beginning, ‘capable of self-study.’

Without enough talent to learn the magic one wanted through self-study, it was impossible to survive within this school.

Because of that, the magical compositions of the school’s students were close to completely lacking any overall uniformity, with each student independently learning whatever magic was needed...

...yet surprisingly, this junior used far more of Professor Verdus’s magic than expected.

Perhaps this junior had received more instruction than anyone else in the school.

After all, none of the students, including Princess Yukbeltire, tried that hard to help Professor Verdus with Professor Verdus’s work!

“Could it be?”

“Yes?”

When Anpagon kept muttering, Lee Han looked puzzled.

He wondered whether there was some flaw in the design.

“I was thinking that all the times you eagerly volunteered to help Professor Verdus with Professor Verdus’s work ultimately returned to you as this outstanding skill in enchantment magic. If one thinks of it that way, even Professor Verdus’s absurd instructions...”

“...Everything you just said, from beginning to end, is completely wrong. What bastard has been spreading such ridiculous false rumors??”

Lee Han flew into a rare rage.

He had never worked eagerly, had never volunteered, and it was absolutely not thanks to Professor Verdus.

Anpagon apologized in confusion, but a slight distance formed between the senior and junior.

***

’Huh?’

The students who had gathered for the commission felt that something was off.

The location selected for constructing the lighthouse was the riverbank of the ‘River of Endless Sorrow.’

This river, which had been called by that name ever since students who had robbed the principal’s warehouse several decades ago dropped all their supplies while fleeing pursuit, had a fast current and a wide breadth, making it a suitable place to test the lighthouse.

There was also a mine nearby(though they had to come and go while watching for giants), and there was a forest as well(though one student occasionally launched surprise attacks while claiming to protect the forest), making it even more advantageous for construction.

The problem was that there were more obstacles at the location than expected.

“Why have the trees grown all the way out here?”

“Puh. Either the forest spirits have become active, or one student has caused the forest’s life to overgrow.”

Whip!

A branch seized one student by the ankle and hoisted the student upside down.

At the sight, Palcrius nodded.

“Judging by how abnormal it is, a student must have caused the overgrowth.”

“Hurry and get me down!”

“Be careful not to approach the trees. Whatever they were fed, they are filled with vigilance.”

The spreading forest was not the only problem.

Perhaps some accident had happened recently, because the terrain was twisted, and enormous boulders were embedded everywhere, blocking the view.

-What is happening?

-It is the little mages! The little mages! Be careful they do not steal the sheep!

Even the giants were murmuring near the mountain and staring in this direction.

The students shouted in aggrieved voices.

“We are not stealing sheep! Why would we be insane enough to steal your sheep!”

“We could not steal your sheep even if we wanted to! Do you know how enormous they are!”

Despite the seniors’ desperate attempts at persuasion, the giants snorted.

Mages were skilled at lying.

“Why is everyone fighting?”

Lee Han, who arrived late, looked puzzled at the sight of the seniors and giants shouting at each other from a distance.

-They tried to steal the sheep! They tried to steal the sheep!

“We said we did not!”

“...First, both sides should calm down.”

Seeing both sides shouting as though a judge had arrived, Lee Han first calmed them down.

Palcrius asked in a worried voice.

“Puh. Will this be all right? It seems we may have chosen the wrong location.”

“No. I knew about all of this when I chose it.”

“Truly? It seems difficult to build anything here.”

Just how did Lee Han intend to erect a lighthouse in this area filled with boulders and attacking trees?

Lee Han looked toward the sky and shouted.

“I think you can do it now!”

Understood!

In an instant, the sky darkened. Some enormous creature was blocking the sun.

It was a black dragon.

Uman, a member of the Imperial Family who had come as the Inspector for this semester, had immediately volunteered upon hearing that there was a way to help the students.

For this dragon, clearing away trees and grinding down boulders was as easy as breathing.

Only enough time to drink a cup of tea passed, yet the site was flattened in an instant. Not one of the obstacles that had been so numerous moments ago remained.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Think nothing of it!

“......”

“......”

Not only the students, but even the giants stared at Lee Han in shock.

What had just happened?

-H-He is controlling the dragon however he pleases, just as the rumors say!

“Senior. Those absurd rumors again...”

Lee Han turned his head, wondering what wicked senior kept spreading false rumors.

Uman had volunteered because of Uman’s love for the students. Lee Han had absolutely not controlled Uman...

“We did not say anything.”

“??”

Surprisingly, it had been the giants who had shouted just now.

When their eyes met, the giants quickly hid themselves. Their bodies were so enormous that it made little difference.

“No. Just what bastard is spreading rumors even to the giants?!”

Lee Han was horrified.

He could understand the rumors spreading among the seniors.

Of course, Lee Han had never controlled Uman even once, but viewed from the outside, someone might misunderstand it that way.

Since Einroguard had many seniors with corrupt and filthy hearts, it was unavoidable.

But how did the giants in the mountains know about it?

-W-We heard it from Ikurusha.

As expected of the most intelligent and wise among the mountain giants, this giant was also well informed about the rumors within Einroguard.

Lee Han questioned the giant again as though he found it difficult to believe.

“Lord Ikurusha must have heard it from someone as well.”

-I-I think it was probably from the old yaksha.

’This is why yakshas are like this!’

Lee Han felt as though he was gradually developing a grudge against the entire yaksha race.

Beginning with the Yaksha King and continuing to the old yaksha, why were they all like this?

Palcrius, who had been listening beside him, joined in with a curious voice.

“Who did that yaksha hear it from?”

-Probably the archmage...? The two are close...

“......”

“......”

There were many people within Einroguard’s territory who could be called archmages, but only one person was actually called that.

All the students fell silent. They felt needlessly sorry toward the junior.

“...Enough. Let us all get to work. I was planning to ask the giants to help anyway.”

One of the reasons Lee Han had chosen this location was precisely because it was close to the mountain giants.

A powerful strength that ordinary magic could not imitate.

If that strength helped them, they would be able to shorten the construction period drastically.

-Huh? Us?

Although the giants were acquainted with Lee Han, they were not acquainted with the other little mages, so they reacted negatively.

What if their sheep were stolen while they were helping?

“I will guarantee the safety of your sheep. And if you help, I will make food for...”

-You will make food for us!?

The giants’ eyes sparkled.

The mage of House Wardanaz had already displayed enough outstanding skill to be granted the title of greatest chef by the giants since last year(though Lee Han himself did not know it).

That spicy, salty, and vicious taste was a mysterious flavor that even the most outstanding giant chef had failed to reproduce.

“...I was going to make it for you, but now that I think about it, I no longer want to. Just help us.”

-Why?!

The giants were bewildered.

He had clearly been about to cook for them, so why had he changed his mind!?

***

Working within Einroguard’s territory meant facing all kinds of completely unexpected dangers.

Lee Han had anticipated the threats from the giants and Ilendil and prepared for them in advance, but he had made one mistake.

It was the wicked danger coming up the river.

-♪♪♪♪!!!

-♩♩♩♩♩!!!!

Few things irritated sirens as much as construction carried out on a river or sea.

All kinds of pollution, including noise and mud, reached them directly.

The sirens gathered here today intended to teach the mages of Einroguard one lesson.

Do not build structures beside a river!

Taking advantage of the darkness of night, the sirens raced swiftly through the water. Even though they were charging directly against the current, their speed did not decrease in the slightest.

They were indeed a race that took pride in having spirits as ancestors.

The siren, Parthenope, swung a dagger. It was a dagger previously received from an Einroguard professor as payment, and it possessed the effect of absorbing and cutting through magic.

If the students had installed magic in preparation for an attack from the river...

...however, the dagger showed no reaction. Several sirens let out mocking snickers.

They were roughly saying that, unlike the students of the old days, the students now were lazy and careless.

Parthenope thought the same.

To perform construction like this without installing even a single spell, did they possess none of the wisdom inherited from their ancestors?

Grrrrrr-

-?!

At the sound of something rumbling through the ground, the sirens in the water were startled.

Parthenope cautiously raised the head to check and was horrified at the sight of giants snoring.

Giants and sirens had not been on good terms since ancient times, but even the sirens knew that giants helping students with their work was uncommon.

Why were giants here?

Though confused, Parthenope sent the signal again for now. This was the time to continue moving.

-♪♪♩...

The destination came into view in the distance. The work had proceeded so quickly that the lighthouse had already nearly taken shape.

As the sirens prepared to make the river overflow, Parthenope raised the head for one final check.

And met Lee Han’s eyes.

“......”

-......