Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 75

“It’s purely academic curiosity,” Lee Han said, his voice smooth and earnest. He had perfected this tone – the innocent student, eager to learn – and it had worked on every professor so far.

Even Professor Swiftfoot, a man famous throughout the Empire for his daring explorations, couldn’t possibly imagine that Lee Han was looking for a flying contraption to escape the school.

“I suppose… it’s possible to find one,” Professor Swiftfoot began cautiously, studying Lee Han’s expression to see if he had caught on.

Fortunately, the young man from the Wodanaz family didn’t seem to know.

That one of the horses in the stables the freshmen tended to was a griffin!

“This school is so vast, it has everything.”

“Except warm meals, basic necessities, and consideration for the students.”

Professor Swiftfoot ignored Lee Han’s words as if he hadn’t heard them.

“With mountains, lakes, and underground dungeons, there’s no way there aren’t flying creatures if you look hard enough.”

“If I find one, will I be able to tame it?”

“That might be difficult. Taming wild monsters, especially flying ones, is a challenge even for trainers who have studied for years,” Professor Swiftfoot said with sincerity.

If taming were that easy, people wouldn’t choose to fight monsters when they encountered them outside.

Besides, most creatures that could fly were temperamental and wild.

It would be difficult for a freshman to handle them with their limited perseverance and knowledge.

“First, you have to completely understand what kind of creature you’re dealing with. Ordinary knowledge won’t do. If you grasp the creature’s habits, you can gradually become familiar with it and understand its characteristics… It sounds simple, but you’ll fail dozens of times in the process.”

“Professor, if possible, could I receive instruction from you in your spare time? Of course, I don’t intend to make any reckless attempts right now, but…”

It was a lie.

Lee Han intended to act as soon as he judged he could succeed.

“…If I ever have the opportunity to tame a monster in the future, I don’t want to miss it.”

Lee Han’s eyes gleamed as if they were burning. They were sincere, without a hint of pretense.

Seeing those eyes, Professor Swiftfoot suddenly felt motivated.

How could he, as a teacher, remain idle when his student showed such interest?

“Very well! I’ll teach you in my spare time. But don’t regret it. It’s not an easy study.”

It was a difficult study, involving memorizing thick books about the monsters that might be found in the area, and then facing them directly, but Professor Swiftfoot thought this young man from the Wodanaz family would be up to it.

With that much interest and passion, he should be able to do it.

‘He must be very interested in flying and exploration, that lad…’

‘Find the most likely beast, tame it, and then escape.’

Teacher and student nodded, each with different thoughts in mind.

After the conversation, Professor Swiftfoot trudged over to inspect the garden Lee Han had been working on.

And he was astonished.

‘Good heavens, what is all this…?’

The garden Lee Han had received from Professor Thunderfoot was neither extremely large nor extremely small, but of a moderate size.

Professor Thunderfoot probably expected Lee Han to plant a few vegetables and take them with him.

However, Lee Han’s garden was now being cultivated so thoroughly that not even the smallest scrap of land was left unused.

There were various edible vegetables such as carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cabbages, as well as herbs that could be used for medicine, such as chamomile, basil, and rosemary, which he had somehow obtained.

…Was he trying to start a farm?!

Noticing Professor Swiftfoot’s gaze, Lee Han replied as if to reassure him.

“I was worried at first, too.”

“…About what?”

“Whether it would grow well in such a small space. But thanks to the Tree Spirit’s Staff, it seems to be growing without any problems. Isn’t that fortunate?”

Professor Swiftfoot stared at the jar of milk placed on the table.

It was a jar he had prepared to give to Lee Han when he returned.

Seeing him working now, it didn’t seem like that would be enough.

“…Wait here. It would be good to eat something before you go back.”

“??”

Lee Han bit into a baked potato skewered on a wooden stick as he headed towards the dormitory.

It would have been a romantic evening if he could just forget that he was inside a magic school.

One arm carried a basket filled with the recent harvest, and the other held a freshly baked skewer of new potatoes sprinkled with salt…

It was as if he had become a farmer returning home after a generous trip to the market.

‘It might be nice to live like this when I retire.’

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but the new potatoes were truly delicious. Even though they were simply baked and salted, each bite felt like a warm pearl melting in his mouth.

He understood why Professor Swiftfoot had insisted on baking them and handing them to him.

‘Was he reluctant to eat such delicious things alone? Perhaps he wanted to show off…’

Lee Han didn’t realize that the potatoes Professor Swiftfoot had baked were from his own garden.

“?”

“Your Highness, I have organized and brought materials from the library. Please accept them.”

“I also asked other students and compiled what you need for your assignments! It will be helpful.”

“I found a book this time…”

‘What is this?’

It was the Princess and her followers.

Freshmen from all towers had gathered and were sparing no effort to help the Princess with her lectures.

Lee Han munched on his potato, marveling.

‘There was such a method!’

It was such an enviable method that he wanted to report to the professors, ‘The Princess is exploiting her classmates with undue power.’

Lee Han and his friends had to spend all night searching for books in the library, but the Princess could just breathe and information would roll in.

‘Is it because of her royal blood? But if that’s the case, Gainando isn’t explained. How on earth does she get such followers?’

While Lee Han was pondering this, the Princess thanked her followers and walked up together.

Lee Han, who was munching on a potato and watching from the top of the stairs, met her eyes.

“Good evening.”

Lee Han was not flustered. The Princess’s followers recognized Lee Han’s face and quickly bowed their heads.

Wasn’t he the young man from the Wodanaz family who effectively ruled the Blue Dragon Tower?

If they were to displease him, the Princess’s life in the Blue Dragon Tower could become difficult, so it was only natural for them to be cautious.

“Greetings, Lord Wodanaz!”

When one of them shouted that, the other students looked at their friend in embarrassment.

Should we shout it too?

“Greetings, Lord Wodanaz!”

“Gree… Greetings, Lord Wodanaz!”

“……”

Lee Han looked around without realizing it. Fortunately, no one was watching.

‘If anyone sees, I’ll be sent to the punishment room for no reason.’

Lee Han didn’t know why the followers were trying to mess with him, but he answered as calmly as possible.

“It’s nice to see you all. It seems you’ve been talking with Her Highness, the Princess.”

“Yes!”

“We can only express our gratitude for Lord Wodanaz’s hard work in always dedicating himself to Her Highness, the Princess.”

“We look forward to your continued support!”

‘If I don’t take care of these guys, are they going to attack me?’

Fanatical supporters were always scary. Moreover, the Princess’s supporters were also outside the magic school.

Considering that he would have to work in society even after graduating, he had to endure their unfair pressure.

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

Lee Han didn’t bother mentioning that he received more silver coins for taking care of the Princess.

‘It’s better to change the subject.’

If the story of taking care of the Princess went on for too long, Lee Han’s unfair profits could become a topic of conversation. Lee Han changed the subject.

“You all probably haven’t had dinner yet, would you like some?”

“…”

Only then did the Princess’s followers realize that Lee Han was carrying a lot of things. And that he had taken one of them out and offered it.

It was a baked potato.

The sight of a cold-looking boy with a face like a sculpture offering a freshly baked potato on a skewer made the students flustered.

‘Is this some kind of… aristocratic joke?’

‘Is it okay to eat it?’

‘Is it a test?’

“Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“I-I’ll eat it?”

One of the students, perhaps because he was hungry, reached out and took the baked potato.

Lee Han sprinkled salt on it himself. For a moment, the student was nervous, thinking it was magic potion powder instead of salt.

‘Ah. It’s salt.’

“Is it alright?”

“It’s… delicious!”

Not because he was trying to please the young man from the Wodanaz family, but the freshly baked new potato was objectively delicious.

The student who received the potato ate it greedily, burning the roof of his mouth and choking.

“Here, drink some milk too.”

“Th-Thank you.”

The student who had put the hot potato in his stomach suddenly felt Lee Han’s cold expression soften.

…Is it a magic potato?

“Could we also…?”

“Yes. You can eat it.”

The hesitant followers slowly reached out and picked up the baked potatoes.

Under the warm evening sun, the freshmen of the magic school were able to become a little closer while eating baked potatoes.

“Let’s give one to Her Highness, the Princess, too!”

“What an absurd and rude thing to say… What if Her Highness, the Princess, gets angry!”

One of the students tried to offer a potato to the Princess, but lowered his hand after hearing his friends’ words.

Lee Han felt that the Princess’s expression, which had been stoic, seemed somehow gloomy.

Like a hungry Gainando…

‘That was too harsh of an analogy.’

Lee Han reflected.

Come to think of it, the Princess hadn’t even eaten breakfast today.

Lee Han took a baked potato and secretly handed it over so that others couldn’t see.

“It looks like there’s some left, so you might as well have a little taste…”

The students had their backs turned and couldn’t see, but Lee Han clearly saw the Princess trying to put the freshly baked new potato, with its skin peeled off, into her mouth in one bite.

“Cut it! Cut it and eat it!”

“……”

The Princess lowered the potato as if nothing had happened, then cut it and put it in her mouth, munching.

The students turned their heads at Lee Han’s shout, puzzled.

“What do you mean, cut it and eat it?”

“I’m saying you should cut the potato and eat it.”

“Haha. Lord Wodanaz, we wouldn’t just swallow it whole, no matter how hungry we are. Of course, we cut it and eat it.”

“……”

Lee Han looked at the Princess once, then at the student, and thought.

‘That guy won’t get ahead in life…’

The next morning.

Lee Han finished his work at the stables and walked with his friends to Professor Garcia’s >Understanding Basic Magic< class. Lee Han yawned. Yoner, noticing his particularly tired expression, asked worriedly. “You look sleepy, are you alright? Did you have trouble sleeping?” “I slept well, but I had a nightmare…” “What kind of dream did you have?” “A dream with a professor in it.” Yoner didn't bother asking further for Lee Han's mental health. Whether Professor Volardy's class had left an impression, Professor Volardy appeared in Lee Han's dream. In the dream, Professor Volardy instructed Lee Han to ride a rampaging griffin, pass through a burning circle, and control water orbs. It was a terrible nightmare. “Hello, everyone.” “Hello, Professor!” When Professor Garcia opened the door and entered, Lee Han felt relieved. He hadn't known before entering the school that meeting a troll could be such a comforting thing. “Last week, Professor Mortoom came to tell you what dark magic is, right?” Gasps came from various places. It was a fearful reaction, wondering if it was dark magic again. “This week, another professor came to tell you what summoning magic is.” “Waaaaaah!” Lee Han suddenly felt sorry for Professor Mortoom, who wasn't even there.