Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 25

Lee Han squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it wasn’t true.

But when he opened them again, the truth hit him hard.

Caught! From the very first week! Haha! Hahaha!

Nilia, still trying to understand what was happening, asked in a voice shaking with fear.

Lee Han calmly replied.

Looks like we’ve fallen into the Headmaster’s trap.

He didn’t know how Giselle had found the escape route, but it was clear they were doing exactly what the Headmaster wanted.

The problem wasn’t just that Giselle had been caught, but that Lee Han and the others had followed her!

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed in their minds, as if from everywhere at once.

Coming up here from the first week means they definitely saw the fake map I made and spread! Today, you all will learn a lesson! Don’t trust maps from people you don’t know! You can never know if that treasure map is really a treasure map, or a trap set by an evil wizard!

……

……

What kind of person is that, really?

Lee Han was completely shocked.

So, the skeletal Headmaster himself had created fake escape maps and spread them all over the place.

The new students might not even see them, and he was doing all this…

He’s definitely enjoying this.

He was saying he wanted to teach the students for their own good, but Lee Han knew those kinds of professors well.

He was just enjoying it.

Alright, students of White Tiger Tower! Fun’s over! Time to come back.

Here’s the deal: I won’t stop you myself, but I’m sending some friends.

Dodge them and get back to the tower – you’re free! Get caught – you’re in trouble!

Use anything you can think of!

Even try to beat my friends if you’re brave enough!

With those words, a giant skull appeared in the dark night sky with a green light.

And the skull began to pour out undead summons from its mouth.

Suddenly, dark shapes started dropping from the skull’s mouth – bony dogs and skeleton figures landing heavily on the mountain.

Pop!

Torches suddenly burst into flame everywhere the skeletons landed.

The hunt had begun.

Let’s run!!!

Nilia shouted, then quickly lowered her voice to a panicked whisper.

Nilia’s eyes were wide with terror.

Her teeth chattered as she trembled.

Nilia, calm down.

How can I calm down!! We might die if we get caught!

Hey, hey, calm down.

We’re not going to die.

Probably.

Unlike Lee Han, who was used to the mad professors and had even spoken to the Headmaster a few times, Nilia found the skeletal Headmaster absolutely terrifying.

Lee Han saw the Headmaster as just having fun, but Nilia thought the Headmaster was really angry about what they had done – sneaking out like that.

R… Really?

If we get caught, we’ll probably just end up in the punishment room or something.

Pu… Punishment room!? Locked away forever… in some dark dungeon…

I don’t think it’ll be like that.

Nilia’s imagination was running wild, and not in a good way.

Lee Han covered Nilia’s mouth with his hand and checked the surroundings.

Skeletons, are they?

He could hear the rustle of bone and cloth as the skeleton pursuers moved through the trees.

-Woof! Woof!

The sound of skeleton hounds barking could also be heard.

Run!! Knock them down if they chase us!

For honor! For chivalry!

The White Tiger Tower students shouted and drew their wooden swords.

They clearly thought they would fight once this happened.

But this situation doesn’t really have anything to do with honor or chivalry.

He was a little curious how getting caught trying to sneak out of school was related to honor or chivalry…

It seems like there’s only one thing we need to do now?

Theurgh asked in a low voice.

In this situation, it didn’t matter that they were from different towers.

They had to work together to deal with the skeletons!

You make a good point, Theurgh.

Yes. I’ll step up and…

While those guys draw their attention, let’s slip away.

……

Theurgh stared at Lee Han as if he were completely shocked.

However, Nilia, Yoner, and Gainan immediately agreed.

Good idea!

……

Theurgh tried to say something but held back.

The leader of the group wasn’t Theurgh, but Lee Han.

We need to break through where the encirclement is weak.

Observation.

Lee Han wanted to rush out right away, but he held back.

No matter the situation, there were often times when it was better to wait patiently than to panic and rush.

Lee Han waited to see where the encirclement was weak.

Fortunately, the White Tiger Tower students were buying them time by shouting and running down.

He couldn’t just waste this opportunity.

No. But isn’t this too much??

Lee Han, who was holding his breath and observing in the bushes, was taken aback.

The undead summons that the skull floating in the dark night sky was spewing out weren’t stopping.

It was a massive wave, as if they were trying to prevent them from escaping with sheer numbers.

…I underestimated the Headmaster’s madness!

Lee Han thought sadly to himself.

The Headmaster was a little crazier than Lee Han thought.

He thought that since he had declared that being caught was guilty and escaping was innocent, he would give the students some kind of chance.

But the Headmaster was really serious about stopping them.

No, maybe he thought he was giving them a chance in his own way.

The thought processes in the professors’ heads are a bit twisted somewhere.

Maybe the skeletal Headmaster sincerely thought, ‘I have to do this much for the students to grow while breaking through this encirclement, right?’

The problem was that Lee Han was the one who had to break through it.

This is… even if the White Tiger Tower kids draw attention, it won’t mean anything.

Should I just give up?

The bone pursuers were guarding every path down and started lighting torches.

Behind them were more bone pursuers.

Behind them were even more bone pursuers…

The number had increased so much that the bottom of the mountain felt as bright as day.

Wait.

Lee Han, who was deep in thought, realized something was strange.

The bone pursuers leading the bone hounds weren’t paying any attention to Lee Han and his group.

That’s weird?

Lee Han thought, ‘That’s weird?’

They were hidden in the bushes, and the White Tiger Tower students were making a lot of noise running down the mountain.

If the skeletons knew Lee Han’s group was nearby, shouldn’t the hounds be searching for them?

But instead of looking for Lee Han and his group, the bone hounds and bone pursuers were only chasing the White Tiger Tower students down.

Could it be… that the Headmaster doesn’t know we’re here?

Lee Han naturally assumed that the Headmaster knew that Lee Han and his group were hiding.

The Headmaster was a much greater wizard than Lee Han.

But what if the Headmaster wasn’t here?

I won’t interfere directly, but I’ll send pursuers, so evade them and return to the tower!

Come to think of it, he couldn’t tell if the giant skull floating in the sky was the real Headmaster or not.

It wouldn’t be strange if he only sent an avatar or an illusion from afar.

Then all we have to do is avoid the pursuers’ eyes!

It was much better to hide and escape than to be discovered and run.

…Let’s go up.

What??

We can’t avoid being seen below.

Look at the numbers.

The moment we clash, the pursuers will swarm us.

Nilia’s eyelashes fluttered at Lee Han’s words.

But there are no pursuers above.

Let’s go up and detour or hold out.

That’s much more likely to work.

Okay!

?

Nilia agreed so easily that even Lee Han, who had suggested it, was taken aback.

I suggested it, but… is it okay to agree without thinking so much?

We don’t know what’s up there.

It’s much better than getting caught and trapped in a torture device in the punishment room!

…I said before, but I think you’re misunderstanding something.

After what felt like a long, tiring climb of about 30 minutes, Nilia stopped and whispered, her voice low, ‘There’s a cave.

Let’s go inside.’

Monsters?

None.

It’s a small cave, and there’s no sign of anyone.

I threw a rock in.

Nilia tapped her long ears.

We’ve moved too much.

I’m fine, but the others need to rest.

I suppose so.

Nilia, Lee Han, and Theurgh were fine, but Yoner looked tired, and Gainan was on the verge of death.

They had been walking in the dark and had to escape while tense, so it wouldn’t be strange if they collapsed now.

Lee Han raised his staff and called out, ‘Let there be light!’

Suddenly, a ball of bright light appeared, growing quickly until it filled the cave with a warm, golden glow, almost as bright as the sun itself.

Yoner hung his coat over the cave entrance to prevent the light from leaking out.

Surely… they won’t chase us all the way up here?

Don’t worry.

I didn’t hear them chasing us on the way here.

They must all be gathered at the bottom of the mountain.

Nilia reassured Yoner.

Fortunately, what Lee Han said was true.

The summons that the Headmaster had summoned hadn’t noticed Lee Han and his group, and they hadn’t come up the mountain any further.

The problem is how long those summons will be there.

Maybe I should have broken through.

Theurgh said regretfully, but Lee Han shook his head.

No. It would have been impossible to break through with force.

Why?

Given the Headmaster’s personality, he would never show such a blatant weakness.

……

……

The other students thought, ‘How do you know that?’, but they respected Lee Han’s opinion and didn’t say anything.

Whether we wait for them to disappear or detour, now is the time to rest.

Let’s eat something first.

Agreed!

Lee Han handed out the sausages, bread, and cheese he had brought to each of them.

Gainan threw a dwarven honey candy into his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored it.

It seemed like he had been craving something sweet for days.

Nilia frowned, looking into her leather water bottle.

‘Oh dear,’ she said, her voice a little dry.

‘I’m completely out of water… all that climbing.’

Don’t worry.

I have magic.

!

Spring forth!

Lee Han waved his staff and shouted, and a mass of water appeared in the empty air.

Nilia hurriedly brought her leather water bottle.

You’re really amazing, Lee Han!

Theurgh exclaimed.

To Theurgh, who came from a knight family and was slower at learning magic than other tower students, Lee Han’s magic was close to an incredible miracle.

Gainan and Yoner also clapped and rejoiced like children.

I was thirsty!

Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.

Nilia filled the leather water bottle to the brim and carefully closed it.

Then she said enviously.

I wish I could learn water magic…

You’ll learn it quickly if you get the hang of it.

Lee Han said sincerely.

In fact, this wasn’t a very difficult magic, and once you got the hang of it, you could use it easily.

I hope so.

Nilia said that, then picked up her staff and chanted.

Burn!

Whoosh!

A small spark began to burn in the air, then transferred to the kindling that Nilia had gathered.

With a crackling sound, a cozy campfire was created.

Everyone’s hands and feet were frozen from wandering around on the cold night road, and sighs escaped from everywhere.

Phew.

I’m glad I succeeded in one try.

I was nervous even though I succeeded last time.

Nilia was suited to fire, and she succeeded in creating fire magic in one try.

Then she looked at Lee Han and said.

I’m jealous.

I want water magic more than fire magic.

……

Wh-why?!

Nilia stuttered in confusion when Lee Han glared at her.

Did I say something wrong?!