Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 123

Professor Thunderfoot slammed his hand on the heavy wooden table, making Leehan jump. “That’s not right!” he boomed, his face turning a shade of red that matched the bubbling potion on the nearby shelf.

Leehan paused, holding the small glass vial in his hand. He looked at Professor Thunderfoot as if the professor had suddenly sprouted wings. “Huh?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“I said you could use all the ingredients in this room,” Professor Thunderfoot repeated, his voice still loud but now laced with a hint of confusion. “But taking a potion that’s already made and… and saying it’s your own work? Surely even *you* can see that’s not right!” He looked at Leehan, a sheepish expression creeping onto his face. “…Wasn’t that what you were planning to do?” he asked again, quieter this time.

Leehan blinked, then gave a small, almost amused smile. “No, sir,” he said, his voice calm and clear. “Who would steal a potion and pretend they made it? Really, Professor…” He shook his head slightly, as if the idea was ridiculous.

Professor Thunderfoot’s sheepishness vanished, replaced by a surge of anger. *The nerve of this kid!* he thought, his fists clenching. *Snatching the potion right out of my hand and then acting like *I’m* the crazy one?* To have his prized potion stolen and then be treated like a lunatic was simply unacceptable. If Leehan weren’t likely to become the Empire’s greatest swordsman, Professor Thunderfoot might have been tempted to give him a good smack on the head.

“Then why did you take it?” Professor Thunderfoot asked.

“To analyze the potion more precisely. I thought there was a high chance you wouldn’t give it to me if I asked.” Leehan replied.

“Hmm…” Professor Thunderfoot grumbled.

That was true enough. He had no intention of giving it to any of them, no matter how nicely they asked.

But just because it was true didn’t make it any less infuriating. Professor Thunderfoot found the truth-telling student particularly irritating today.

“Hmph! Alright then, Mr. Clever-clogs. Let’s see if you can actually *do* it properly, now that you’ve stolen my potion!” Professor Thunderfoot challenged.

Professor Thunderfoot crossed his arms and glared at Leehan.

The potion snatching was unexpected, but even so, replicating the potion exactly was still a tall order. Even with the potion in hand, analyzing and understanding its properties was a completely different matter.

*Surely he won’t just drink it, like some barbarian…* Professor Thunderfoot thought, feeling a pang of anxiety.

Of course, the clever young Leehan, from the Wodanaz family, wouldn’t do something so foolish, but it was also true that the boy was prone to acts of utter madness. It wouldn’t be surprising if he just gulped it down!

However, contrary to Professor Thunderfoot’s worries, Leehan approached the task in a very normal way.

*What’s that method?* Professor Thunderfoot wondered.

Leehan extracted a few drops of the potion from the vial and spread them on the floor.

Then, he waved his wand and chanted a spell.

“Ingredients, be separated.”

*He’s learned that spell!* Professor Thunderfoot was astonished.

The Ingredient Separation spell. A handy spell used by every alchemist to forcibly separate the components of potions and such.

Professor Thunderfoot hadn’t bothered to teach it. To become an outstanding alchemist, one needed the passion to seek out and learn things for oneself. A professor spoon-feeding information would never produce a truly great alchemist.

Leehan, in keeping with Professor Thunderfoot’s educational philosophy, had taken it upon himself to scour the library and learn the spell.

Professor Thunderfoot nodded at the sight.

*Annoying little wretch!* Professor Thunderfoot thought.

Professor Thunderfoot secretly hoped Leehan would fail the spell, choke on bitter smoke, and cough his lungs out.

Fortunately, the Ingredient Separation spell was by no means easy. It was easy to separate the ingredients if you knew exactly what was in it, but otherwise, it was quite difficult.

Magic wasn’t a universal key that could solve everything just by chanting a spell. Even the same spell could be greatly affected by the knowledge and skill of the wizard using it.

Unless one were to force the separation by brute force, just using a lot of magic without thinking, simply chanting the spell wouldn’t solve the problem…

“Ah.” Professor Thunderfoot belatedly realized something and paused.

And the drops of potion spread on the floor began to slowly separate.

*It’s working better than I expected.* Leehan thought.

Leehan and Yoner were currently the most dedicated alchemy students in the tower. Putting everything else aside, it was unavoidable if they wanted to analyze the potions that Retford had stolen.

The Ingredient Separation spell was one they had learned during that process. He had stumbled upon its name while flipping through an alchemy book, then painstakingly searched through other books to barely learn the incantation.

He had been worried it wouldn’t work, but thankfully the spell was working better than expected. The potion drops split into several smaller drops of various colors.

Leehan looked up at Professor Thunderfoot.

*Hmm. It must be going well.* Leehan thought.

Professor Thunderfoot’s expression was extremely displeased, so it seemed he was definitely on the right track.

“I’ll commend you for separating the potion to that extent,” Professor Thunderfoot said grudgingly.

“Thank you,” Leehan replied.

“But that’s not enough. You won’t have any way to identify the separated components!” Professor Thunderfoot exclaimed.

“Oh. Isn’t this the potion of confidence?” Leehan asked.

“????” Professor Thunderfoot was utterly astonished.

How did he know?!

Nilia, who had finished the exam before Leehan, was sitting with Retford, chatting.

“You managed to match the colors closely? That’s amazing!” Nilia exclaimed.

“I was fortunate,” Retford replied.

“I don’t think I managed to make anything even remotely similar…” Nilia said, sounding dejected.

“Don’t worry. This was an exam that no one could produce a perfect result on. The professor will have seen the process,” Retford reassured her.

Nilia seemed cheered by Retford’s consolation and nodded.

“But why did you go wandering around the Night School without me last time?” Nilia asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Retford was sweating bullets.

“Well… as I said, Salco of the Tutanta family is the sort of fellow who only goes around with subordinates he completely trusts. I was just called along as a guide. Even Wodanaz didn’t know we were going. If it had just been us, I would have called you, of course,” Retford explained, trying to sound convincing.

“Ah. Right. That’s true,” Nilia said, nodding, accepting his explanation, but a hint of doubt lingered in her eyes.

They talked about the alchemy class for about ten minutes, then Nilia asked again,

“But couldn’t you have called me before you left?”

Retford unconsciously glanced at the door.

*When is Wodanaz coming out?* Retford wondered.

This was beyond Retford’s powers of persuasion. Leehan had to come out.

“What do you think? Huh? What do you think?” Nilia pressed.

“Well… Salco has a bit of a nasty temper…” Retford said.

Retford originally had no great bad feelings towards Salco, but in the current situation, he had no choice. He had to paint Salco as the villain.

“He didn’t give me any chance at all…” Retford added.

“The island was the same last time. You went with the White Tiger Tower friends after I’d gone to all the trouble of preparing? What do you think about that?” Nilia asked, her voice laced with disappointment.

“It’s just that students from White Tiger Tower are known for being violent and mean, right?”

Lattford didn’t really dislike the White Tiger students, but he knew what he had to do. Again.

He had to make them sound like the bad guys. It was always the same.

“Wodanaz probably sees it as unavoidable that we have to make White Tiger Tower look bad,” Lattford mumbled.

“Yes, I guess we couldn’t avoid this situation,” another student agreed.

“Anyway,” Nilia said, shifting in her seat. “Let’s talk about something else. This is making me grumpy.”

“Alright,” Lattford said quickly. “Were you… being grumpy?”

Nilia frowned slightly, then seemed to realize she had been complaining.

Nilia started talking about the alchemy exam, complaining about how confusing the instructions were and worrying about the upcoming midterm. Other Black Tortoise Tower students joined the conversation, offering their opinions.

Lattford was relieved, feeling that the topic had completely shifted.

“By the way, this isn’t about me, but about a friend of mine. My friend says people from other towers keep forgetting he’s there and leaving him behind.”

Lattford hung his head low.

The Black Tortoise Tower students, unaware of the exact circumstances, earnestly joined in the discussion.

“Isn’t that just because they’re from other towers? People from other towers can be rude, arrogant, or just think they are better than everyone else.”

“The Phoenix Tower is the best of the bunch, at least.”

“Students from White Tiger Tower are the worst.”

Just as Lattford was wondering how to change the subject, Lee Han opened the door and came out. Lattford was so happy to see Lee Han.

“Wodanaz!”

‘Was the exam that hard?’ Lee Han was slightly taken aback by Lattford’s tearful voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Please explain the last incident to Nilia.”

“What’s wrong, Lattford? I told you I understand everything.”

Nilia looked at Lattford, annoyed. “What are you talking about?” she said, her face showing no change.

Lattford stared at Nilia, his mouth open in shock.

‘Is that how someone who understands acts…?!’

Lee Han glanced between Nilia and Lattford and quickly grasped the situation.

“Nilia, Salco is going too far. I tried to ask him to call you, but he completely refused.”

“!”

“?”

Lattford tilted his head.

‘Was there such a conversation?’

“Apparently, having a skilled hunter like you around makes the other friends lose confidence.”

“Really?”

Nilia’s long ears perked up slightly.

Lee Han nodded with a very serious expression.

Even Lattford, who had been there, thought, ‘It seems like there was such a conversation.’

“He even stopped Yoner from calling you,” Lee Han continued. “Salco is going too far, isn’t he? But try not to be too angry. He thinks he’s helping his friends.”

“…Alright. I see!”

Nilia replied with a face much brighter than before.

Lattford whispered softly.

“Did you really say all that?”

Nilia just put a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet.

The Black Tortoise Tower students saw Lee Han and called out.

“Wodanaz, how was the exam? Did you make the potion perfectly?”

“Of course not. The exam was impossible. I failed.”

The other students were relieved at Lee Han’s words.

Seeing even the top student, Lee Han, say that made them feel a little relieved.

‘Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought!’

“Did everyone notice any particular characteristics? I tried adding Findensys – it’s an ingredient that helps with strong smells.”

“Really? I tried to match the colors, so I mainly focused on similar colors…”

Lee Han listened silently as the students talked.

Meanwhile, Yoner, who had taken the exam last, walked out of the door.

“Everyone worked hard. Of course, if you tried to sell the potions you made anywhere, you’d get stabbed, but it’s true that you worked hard.”

The students glared at Professor Uregeoreum’s words. The dwarf professor laughed, finding it funny.

“Honestly, the exam was too difficult, Professor!”

“Shouldn’t it be something we actually learned?”

“Even Wodanaz failed, so who could possibly get it right!”

The students desperately protested, worried that such an exam might appear on the midterm.

Professor Uregeoreum, still smiling, pretended not to understand.

“Wodanaz almost succeeded, what are you talking about?”

“Yes?”

“He almost succeeded. There were minor differences, but it was a success to that extent. He got the highest score.”

The Black Tortoise Tower students, who had been talking together just moments ago, turned their heads sharply to look for Lee Han.

However, Lee Han was nowhere to be seen, having already left.

Uregeoreum clicked his tongue and said.

“It’s silly to believe a friend just because they are good at studying. You’re too trusting.”

“…Kuh…!”

“Wodanaz! We trusted you…!”

Lee Han was lost in thought, reading the things he had written down on a piece of paper. New students were now exploring the magic school. And Lee Han was the one most actively moving around the school.

Main Building, West Side, 2nd Floor, Haunted Corridor (Unresolved) – Rumor: Fabric warehouse near the school.

Main Building, Basement 1st Floor, Locked Prison (Resolved) – Connected to the professor’s office. Stay away!

Main Building…

‘It’s interesting, but I want to check the way to the stables in the spire first.’

Gainando, seeing Lee Han drawing maps and making notes on the paper, asked.

“Hey, are you alright with Professor Garcia’s exam?”

“I’m a little uneasy, but I’ve prepared most of it.”

Gainando stared at Lee Han as if he were a monster.

Then he muttered.

“The Wodanaz family… truly terrifying!”

“It’s not about the Wodanaz family, is it?”