Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 112

Lee Han didn’t realize how special it was. A griffin was truly loyal to him, and that was a rare thing.

“That rascal!” Professor Lightning Gait muttered, coughing in frustration.

Lee Han looked up, worried. “Professor, are you alright? Did you swallow something wrong?” he asked, picking up the professor’s pipe.

“No!” Professor Lightning Gait said sharply. “It’s not that! Who was supposed to be worried about whom here?”

The professor took a breath and calmed down. “Lee Han,” he said, “why don’t you try being a little kinder to it?”

Lee Han looked confused. “Kinder? Professor, how could I possibly be kinder than I already am?” he asked sincerely.

His voice was so sincere that Lightning Gait didn’t quite know what to say.

The students didn’t know, but Lightning Gait had been keeping a close eye on the stables.

He had entrusted his beloved horses to freshmen, so this was only natural.

And Lee Han was indeed taking care of the griffin diligently. It wasn’t easy for a boy from a great noble family to be so earnest.

Saving the griffin’s life was important, but the kind way Lee Han had treated it before also helped the griffin trust him.

But that was that, and not trusting the griffin now was not trusting it.

“Is there something wrong with the way I feed it or brush it?”

“No. Not that… It’s about trust and faith, you know.”

The white horse nodded as if asking him to say more.

Of course, Lee Han didn’t give in easily.

“Treating it kindly is different from trusting it completely without suspicion, Professor. Isn’t the latter irresponsible?”

The boy from the Wodanaz family was only speaking the truth today.

Taming an animal while overlooking its instincts and blindly trusting it was not a good habit.

It’s good to trust and care for an animal, but it’s also wise to remember they have instincts.

Professor Lightning Gait gave up and turned away, the white horse glared at him.

Yoner asked, looking curious.

“Come to think of it, what’s that horse’s name? It doesn’t listen even if you give it a name and call it.”

Usually, horses in the stable knew their names. But this white horse was different. It seemed to *refuse* to understand.

-It seems to dislike any name you give it.

-Isn’t it just ill-tempered?

-No. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t like the name.

-Isn’t it just ill-tempered?

-Maybe it has a name already, so let’s ask the professor later.

-I think it’s just ill-tempered.

Professor Lightning Gait was surprised. Luckily, he had turned away, so the students couldn’t see his face.

“Pon… Ponreague.”

“Ponreague… That’s a unique name.”

“Ponreague, eh?”

Lee Han said, looking at the white horse.

“Ponreague. Is that right?”

The white horse shook its head as if it didn’t like it. Lee Han, seeing that, said with certainty,

“It’s just ill-tempered, alright.”

Professor Lightning Gait had somehow convinced the ‘lecture spirit’ to be calmer. Because of this, students who came later found it easier to water the horses.

The students who had come earlier and suffered grumbled.

“That’s not how you water them.”

“They have no idea how difficult it is to water those beasts. Watering them when the lecture spirit is angry is the real deal.”

Lee Han approached Professor Lightning Gait, who was recording the scores. The professor flicked his pipe and said,

“Why? Your score is perfect, Wodanaz. Nothing to worry about.”

“I didn’t come because of that, but because I have something to ask. I found a monster’s name while reading a book, but it’s a name I’ve never heard before.”

“Tell me.”

“Do you know about a monster called Sharkan?”

“The king of leopards.”

Professor Lightning Gait tapped his pipe and said,

“According to the legends of the people who live in the mountains, it was born between the rocky mountains and a leopard. Perhaps that’s why leopards worship it.”

“Is it a dangerous monster?”

Whether it was born between the rocky mountains and a leopard or between a spirit king and a leopard, what mattered to Lee Han was not that.

How dangerous was it?

At Lee Han’s question, Professor Lightning Gait answered as if he was dumbfounded.

“Then would it not be dangerous? Even a regular leopard is dangerous, isn’t it?”

“…What do you think it would be like to turn a monster called Sharkan into an undead and command it?”

“Why do such a dangerous thing? An undead monster doesn’t completely lose its wildness and ferocity from when it was alive. If it sees an opening or becomes dissatisfied, it can break free of control and attack.”

“Oh…”

Lee Han wondered whether to cast a spell or swing a sword from behind when he met Professor Mortoom next time.

‘Isn’t this worse than the headmaster?’

Even the headmaster wouldn’t give such a monster as a gift!

“But why are you asking that? Do you already want to try creating an undead monster?”

Professor Lightning Gait said with a grin.

Rumors of his outstanding magical skills were often heard among the professors, and indeed, talented individuals were different in some way.

“No, I don’t.”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed about failing. Setting ambitious goals is something you can only do as a freshman.”

‘That’s really not it.’

“But even if you want to create an undead monster, it’s best to do your research beforehand and choose a useful one. Do you know the third most common reason why imperial black mages died last year? Summoning an undead summon that doesn’t fit the vessel is how you end up like that.”

Lee Han unconsciously stroked his neck.

‘I should treat him better in the future…’

When the time came, Professor Lightning Gait stopped waiting and said,

“You must have learned a lot from today’s test. Those who were lazy learned a hard lesson today. And those who worked hard saw good results.”

At the professor’s words, Lee Han looked at Ponreague. When the white horse blinked with innocent eyes, Lee Han grew suspicious.

‘That rascal is tricking me again.’

As if it had noticed Lee Han’s suspicion, the white horse got angry. Indeed, it was far from diligence bearing fruit.

Professor Lightning Steps looked at the students struggling with their horses. “If you find this difficult,” he said, his voice clear over the river sounds, “don’t give up. Learning magic, like taming these creatures, takes time and effort.”

Yihan glanced around at the students nodding seriously. *’Easy for them to look impressed,’* he thought. *’The students who really need to hear this are probably still in bed.’* He noticed the usual group of less enthusiastic students were indeed missing from the riverbank.

Lightning Steps smiled slightly, as if he knew exactly who was listening. “Tell those who are still asleep what I said,” he announced. “Class dismissed! See you all next time!”

“Thank you, Professor!” the students replied, starting to soothe their horses and turn them around.

Salko Tutankha walked over to Yihan. “Wodanaz,” he said, nodding.

“Tutankha,” Yihan replied.

Salko paused. “Did your horse enjoy the carrots?”

“Yes, very much,” Yihan answered. “Thank you again.”

“Good,” Salko said. “My horses love them, so I thought yours might too.”

Yihan was a little confused.

Rowena walked past and stopped, staring at Yihan with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open in surprise. *What did he just say to Salko?* she wondered.

“I’m here because I need your help,” Salko said, his voice serious.

“Is this about paying for the carrots?” Yihan asked, a little confused.

“No,” Salko replied. “The carrots were a gift for your help before. This is something different. I need your skills.”

Yihan was surprised. Salko Tutankha, asking *him* for help?

*This must be important,* Yihan thought. *What could someone like Salko possibly need from me?*

“Tell me,” Yihan said, curious.

“I need you to cook for someone,” Salko said simply.

Yihan blinked. “Cook?”

Salko led Yihan towards a tall, elegant tower that glowed with a warm, orange light – the Tower of the Ever-Burning Phoenix. “This is where priests from different orders live,” Salko explained as they walked. “It’s usually the quietest place in the school.”

He mentioned a name Yihan didn’t recognize, “Priest Muhadin of the Sisenja Order.”

Salko added, “The Sisenja Order is all about knowledge and learning. They study and protect old books and teachings. My family, the Tutankha, supports them.”

“The problem is Priest Muhadin,” Salko continued. “He’s not eating enough.”

Yihan stared at him, completely lost. *Cooking? For a priest who won’t eat? Why me?*

He finally managed to say, “I… see. That’s too bad. Is the school food not good?”

“No, it’s not the food,” Salko said, shaking his head. “He’s always been a picky eater. Usually, other priests in his order look after him, making sure he eats. But here, in the Phoenix Tower, everyone is busy. Even if they try, they can’t do it properly.”

Yihan was still puzzled. *Why me? Surely there are better cooks in the school, especially in the Black Tortoise Tower.* He almost asked, “But why me?”

“Then,” Salko continued, “I heard about your cooking, Wodanaz. I asked some priests here in the Phoenix Tower, and they all said you were an excellent cook.”

“They’re just being kind,” Yihan mumbled, realizing what had happened. He’d been too nice to Priest Siana, and now it was coming back to him. *What exactly did she say?*

“It wasn’t just Priest Siana,” Salko insisted. “Priest Tiziling and others said the same. You’re being too modest, Wodanaz.”

The Black Tortoise Tower students behind Salko nodded in agreement. One of them, a boy with a slightly annoyed expression, even glared at Yihan.

Salko added, “Rengid here comes from a famous family of chefs. He said your tomato stew at the last black market was incredible, better than anything he could make.”

Rengid scowled, confirming it.

Yihan was still surprised. *That stew? It wasn’t even that special.*

“So, you want me to cook for this priest?” Yihan asked, still trying to understand. It was strange, but not impossible. Helping Salko could be useful, and helping a priest of the Sisenja Order might be a good thing too.

“Yes,” Salko said.

“Great,” Yihan replied. “Do you have the ingredients, or do you need me to get some?”

Salko shook his head. “The ingredients are ready. We just need to go to the kitchen.”

“Okay, where is it?” Yihan asked.

“In the basement of the main building,” Salko said.

Yihan frowned. “The main building basement? Wait a minute…” He suddenly remembered rumors about the main building basement – whispers of hidden passages and forgotten rooms.

“Why the main building basement?” he asked, a little uneasy.

Before Salko could answer, one of the Black Tortoise Tower students stepped forward, his eyes shining with excitement. “Wodanaz, it’s not just *any* kitchen! It’s… well, you’ll see.”

Another student added, “We need your help, Wodanaz. Especially after what you did in the White Tiger Tower.”

Yihan’s eyebrows shot up. “White Tiger Tower? What does that have to do with cooking?”

Salko sighed. “Wodanaz, we need your cooking skills, yes. But… there’s more to it than just feeding a priest. Come with us. You need to see this.”

He gestured towards the main building.

Intrigued despite himself, Yihan followed Salko and the other students. As they walked, the first student leaned closer and whispered, “It involves… a forbidden book.”

He pulled out a small, steel box and opened it slightly. Inside, Yihan glimpsed a book with a dark red cover, and a strange, unsettling feeling washed over him.

The student quickly snapped the box shut. “See?” he said, grinning. “Now are you interested?”

Yihan stared at the box, a mix of confusion and curiosity growing inside him. “A forbidden book?” he repeated slowly. “What does that have to do with cooking for a priest?”