Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 111

The white horse stamped its hooves, its white coat gleaming with sweat. This was definitely not how things were supposed to go.

This felt wrong. All wrong.

The white horse, which acted as proud and fierce as any griffon, was flustered.

-Hee-hing. Hee hee-hing.

The white horse lowered its head again and nuzzled Lee Han. Lee Han remained cold.

“I told you, I’m not taking off either the bracelet or the belt.”

-……

The white horse felt a surge of emotion.

No!

-Poo-heehing! Poo-hing!!

“Aha! I knew it was a trick!”

As the white horse huffed, Lee Han retorted as if he had expected it.

The white horse angrily nudged Lee Han with its head.

I said no!!!

“Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine. It seems like it’s angry that I touched its body without permission.”

“I wasn’t talking about the horse!”

Yoner and the students rushed over in a flurry.

They were worried that Lee Han might have been seriously injured.

Rowena stared at Lee Han in disbelief. To carry the white horse out of the raging rapids…

…Shouldn’t he be a knight instead of a wizard?

“I’m really fine, so you don’t have to worry,”

Lee Han said, shaking off the water.

The other tower students felt sorry that an accident had occurred during Lee Han’s turn, but Lee Han didn’t think it was the students’ fault.

It was Professor Lightning-Step’s wicked and twisted scheme that was the problem.

“W-what happened?”

Tutantha and his Black Tower friends, who arrived late, were startled.

Lee Han suppressed his anger and calmly explained.

“Everyone, be careful. There’s a trap set by Professor Lightning-Step.”

“…!”

Tutantha and his friends were horrified to hear the explanation.

“He did such a thing?! It could have endangered the horse’s life!”

“Even if it’s a test, this is too much!”

Unlike other professors, Professor Lightning-Step was a famous adventurer of the Empire.

The students, who had read Professor Lightning-Step’s adventure stories when they were young and had admired him, were shocked by the betrayal.

“Let’s go back and protest. No matter how much of a test it is, we can’t agree to such a test.”

“That’s right. This horse is like my friend now. Enter a place where my friend’s life is in danger? Absolutely not.”

Lee Han was touched by the reaction of his Black Tortoise Tower friends.

‘Perhaps the future of this school might be bright after all.’

Just then, Professor Lightning-Step flew in from the sky on a thunderbird.

The thunderbird, which landed gently, hissed at Lee Han. It seemed resentful of being tricked by Lee Han last time.

Professor Lightning-Step descended from the thunderbird with Nilia.

The Black Tortoise Tower students walked up with determined expressions and said,

“Professor, we cannot do this test!”

“We’d rather get an F than risk our friend’s life…”

Instead of getting angry at the students’ rebellion, Professor Lightning-Step nodded.

“I know. I heard the lecture spirit is acting up? I came to stop it. Wait a moment.”

“……”

“……”

Huh?

The Black Tortoise Tower students looked at each other, bewildered.

Wasn’t it Professor Lightning-Step’s trap?

“Professor, didn’t you prepare it?”

“What?”

“That… the river swelling up…”

“Trying to sweep away the students…”

“Why would I prepare that?! Are you crazy!”

Professor Lightning-Step shouted, looking dumbfounded.

“Why would I prepare such a dangerous trap that could kill the horse?”

“Th-that’s true.”

“Come to think of it, it is.”

‘Shouldn’t he think about the possibility of the students dying first?’

Professor Lightning-Step cherished animals very much. Perhaps even more than students.

There was no way such a professor would send them to a dangerous place where animals might get hurt.

“More importantly, why did you suspect me when the lecture spirit is acting up?”

The students felt awkward.

Come to think of it, they seemed to have become too distrustful of the professors because of the Skull Headmaster.

Professor Lightning-Step clicked his tongue with a look of pity and shook his head.

‘It seems like the education here raises the students’ magical skills but ruins their character.’

It was Nilia who told Professor Lightning-Step that the river was strange.

Nilia, who arrived first.

The water spirit contracted with Nilia noticed the strange feeling and sent a signal.

Nilia, realizing that the river was strange, left a sign used by the >Shadow Patrol< so that Lee Han and Yoner, who would come later, could see it. -Danger. Do not approach. Then she returned to Professor Lightning-Step. As it was an urgent matter, she ran straight instead of following the road. -Professor! The lecture spirit is acting up! -The horses must be in danger! Guide me! ...That's how they flew in so urgently. Lee Han, having heard the explanation of the situation, felt slightly sorry for Professor Lightning-Step. 'I suspected an innocent person because of the Skull Headmaster.' "No. More importantly, did you just go in without waiting in the meantime?" Professor Lightning-Step was dumbfounded to see that the students' clothes were wet. Normally, when you see a river raging wildly, you should judge that it's 'dangerous' and avoid it, so what are you supposed to do if you go in thinking 'ah, it's a test'? But the students were too upset. The Skull Headmaster's atrocities were still vivid in their minds. "We really thought it was a test!" "The Headmaster was preparing an underground dungeon under the beach last time, so we thought this was also a trap!" "Shouldn't the professor have checked the river properly in the first place!" "Alright. Alright. I'm sorry." Professor Lightning-Step waved the hand holding his pipe back and forth, calming the students down. It wasn't the students' fault. It was this magic school that was at fault. "By the way, how did you manage to get the water to the horse when the lecture spirit was acting up? Did you succeed in persuading it?" "We tied it with a rope and went in." "……" Professor Lightning-Step was dumbfounded. Of course, persuasion wasn't the only answer when the spirit was angry. Overcoming it with force by tying it with a rope like now was also a good method. ...Usually, students don't bring ropes when they come to lectures, though! "You brought it, didn't you?" "Why do you think it's me?" Lee Han, who was pointed out, protested confidently. His face was so confident that Professor Lightning-Step apologized without realizing it. "Ah. Wasn't it you, Wodanaz, who brought it? I'm sorry." "I did bring it, though." "……" Professor Lightning-Step tried to throw his pipe but held back. Nilia, who was listening next to him, tilted her head and asked. "By the way, why did you go in when I left a sign saying it was dangerous?" "……" "……" Yoner's face turned slightly pale. Lee Han's face was just as pale, but it wasn't noticeable thanks to his complexion. 'Damn it. I need to check for signs while walking from now on.' Nilia taught him, and Lee Han studied hard, but he didn't check them one by one while walking. Lee Han vowed to check for signs wherever he went from now on. "D-don't tell me you didn't see it?" "No. I saw it. But the other guys kept insisting on going." Lee Han immediately blamed it on the others. Rowena happened to be far away with the princess. "As expected of someone from the White Tiger Tower, they were so stubborn that I couldn't change their minds." "That's exactly what happened." Nilia was furious at their words. As always, it was the nobles and knights who were the problem. How annoying were the tourists who came to play in the mountains and did things they weren't supposed to do! Ignoring the safety rules of the hunters working in the field! "Such an arrogant person, isn't he? Even the princess is disappointed!" "That's just how knights are. Don't be too hard on Nilia. We've already told them off." Lee Han completely cut off any future problems. Nilia nodded. Meanwhile, the white horse, who had been waiting, came up again and bit and pulled on Lee Han's sleeve. "Did you become friends?" "We didn't become friends. It's a trick." -Poo-heuheung! Poo-heung! Poo-heuheung! "See? It's getting angry. Don't be fooled." "...?" Nilia looked at the white horse as if she didn't understand. Nilia, who had become friends with animals in the mountains, could tell. The white horse seemed to really like Lee Han now. Isn't that behavior closer to 'please pay attention to me'? Nilia said timidly, "I think you've become friends…" "What are you talking about?" Professor Lightning-Step, who had calmed the lecture spirit, joined the conversation. Then he was startled to see the white horse. 'It acknowledged him as its master!?' Surprisingly, the griffon, no, the white horse was now acknowledging Lee Han as its master. What kind of creature was a griffon? With the wings of an eagle and the claws of a lion, its pride was as strong as those two combined. Originally, it would never submit to someone unqualified or evil, even if it meant death. It was a creature that you couldn't be sure whether it would serve someone as its master even after years of getting to know it, but it was serving Wodanaz as its master. Professor Lightning-Step couldn't believe it, so he rubbed his eyes and checked again. "Wh-what happened?" "Yes?" Lee Han was wary of Professor Lightning-Step's question. "Professor, I didn't steal the rope." Of course, the Black Tortoise Tower students might have stolen it! "...I'm not interrogating you, I'm just asking because I'm curious, so just answer! Do you think I'm Gonadaltes or something!" Professor Lightning-Step was slightly taken aback. It's not like he knows who the headmaster is! "I'm asking because I'm curious about how you became friends with that white horse. It's originally a violent creature that's hard to get close to like this." "Ah, I see." Lee Han nodded as if he understood. Then he said, "That guy is using tricks. He's a very cunning guy." "……" 'Are you the professor?' Professor Lightning-Step held back and said again. "What happened?" "Really, nothing happened. I would have said something if something had happened." When Lee Han said this, Professor Lightning-Step had to take a step back. This boy from the Wodanaz family had a diligent and sincere personality. He didn't tell unnecessary lies. Yoner, who was listening next to him, whispered. "He saved it from the water." "Ah, that… the horse fell because the lecture spirit was acting up, so I supported it and brought it out." Lee Han said as if it was nothing. Professor Lightning-Step thought so, but then paused. "Wait. The horse fell because of the lecture spirit, but how did you support it and bring it out? There wouldn't have been time? There's no way you've already learned intermediate-level telekinesis magic…?" "Yes. So I carried it on my back. I cast a water shield next to me to buy some time." "……" Professor Lightning-Step had to grip his pipe tightly between his index and middle fingers. To avoid throwing it at the excellent student in front of him, who didn't even know what he had done. 'That's not a big deal, then what is a big deal!' Now he understood. The sight of him risking his life to save it in a situation where he could have died himself. The griffon, no, the white horse acknowledged him as its master because of that courage and honor. As the absurdity faded, Professor Lightning-Step felt inexplicably proud. Many arrogant wizards mistakenly believed that erudite knowledge or excellent magic were the keys to taming animals. However, Professor Lightning-Step thought that true talent was deeper than that. The heart that cherishes the other person more than oneself. That heart was the key. How could he not be happy when his student showed him a simple but important principle? -Poo-heehing. "I'm not taking it off. Go away." -Poo-heeheehing! Poo-heeheehing! "Don't get angry. I won't take it off just because you do." "……" Professor Lightning-Step finally couldn't hold back and dropped his pipe.