Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 178

I didn’t know why the apprentice knights were clapping. Honestly, I didn’t really care. Lee Han just wanted to get away.

To the apprentice knights, it seemed like the pride of a great noble family, one who didn’t care much about his own honorable actions.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

The applause grew louder.

Lee Han shuddered and shook his head.

“Ah. So.”

Lee Han could only understand after Deorgyu explained it to him.

Deorgyu was embarrassed by the reaction.

“…Why aren’t you surprised, Lee Han?”

Wasn’t he helping the opponent, who had suffered internal injuries due to an unreasonable technique, even to the point of breaking his own sword?

“I was just trying to break the opponent’s sword, and mine broke along with it.”

“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Pretend you didn’t hear what? That I was trying to break the opponent’s sword…”

“Look! The apprentice knights are coming! Let’s go say hello!”

Deorgyu cut Lee Han off.

Because of what Lee Han did, the apprentice knights and the White Tiger Tower students were a little less angry at each other.

Perhaps some truths were best left unknown.

Sssssss-

Lee Han and the White Tiger Tower students stared at the apprentice knights with bewildered expressions.

The apprentice knights had started a fire and were grilling meat over it.

Lee Han asked Bichelntz,

“Hey,” Lee Han asked Bichelntz, nodding towards the fire. “What are they up to?”

“They are personally grilling the game they caught,” Bichelntz nodded, seemingly pleased.

Knights who traveled throughout the vast empire had several customs.

One of them was to treat others to the monsters they had subjugated or hunted.

A kind of favor and gift that a knight could show.

“Sprinkle some more spices.”

“Why? This should be enough.”

“They’re magic school students. The gamey smell will be too strong for them to eat.”

Not all game caught with effort was delicious.

In fact, delicious monsters were rare.

Moreover, the apprentice knights were unlikely to be skilled at butchering, bleeding, or cooking, so it would be stranger if this meat tasted good.

As such, the apprentice knights favored strong spices.

Sprinkling a mixture of all kinds of imperial spices made it quite palatable.

“Oh. I’m all out.”

“Does anyone have any left? Look around.”

In the meantime, the meat was cooked. The White Tiger Tower students, who had been waiting, grabbed skewers one by one and began to tear into the meat.

“Wait a sec…”

“Is it cooked?”

“It’s well done. Not bad.”

The White Tiger Tower students chewed and swallowed the meat. The way they devoured it without hesitation was almost combative.

“…!”

“!!”

The apprentice knights were shocked by the sight.

They were eating so well without any hesitation, even before the spices were sprinkled.

‘We misunderstood…!’

‘Yes, a knight is a knight wherever they go!’

With realization came repentance for the apprentice knights.

To think they had tried to look down on fellow knights just because they lived comfortably in a magic school.

“…Sorry.”

“What?”

One of the apprentice knights mumbled, a bit embarrassed. “We thought you lot had it easy here, while we were out roughing it.”

The White Tiger Tower students frowned at the apprentice knight’s words.

To say such a thing…

“But we realized that it doesn’t matter. Whether it’s the rough, shabby training grounds on the outskirts of the city where we live, or the comfortable, cozy bedrooms of the magic school where you live, what matters is that we are fellow knights…”

“Do you really want to get stabbed in the back?”

“Ah, no, why?!”

While the knights were bickering, Lee Han took a bite of the meat skewer.

Then, he coldly assessed it.

“You didn’t get rid of the gamey smell. Deorgyu, sprinkle some of this on it.”

“I’d feel a bit self-conscious sprinkling it on just for myself…”

The bickering knights seemed to have reconciled somehow. They tore into the meat again.

The White Tiger Tower students knew they had to eat fast whenever food was offered. They had learned that lesson quickly after joining the tower.

“I have something to say.”

“Say it. Munch.”

“Yeah. Gulp.”

“……”

The apprentice knight was dumbfounded by the White Tiger Tower students’ reactions.

Of course, it wasn’t bad that they were eating so deliciously, but shouldn’t they at least listen when someone was talking?

“…How we caught this iron boar.”

Originally, when knights treated others to the game they had caught, it was also part of the custom to boast about how they had caught it.

The apprentice knights eagerly recounted how they had caught it.

-So, we divided into tracking, herding, and hunting teams. The tracking team chased it, the herding team drove it, and then we used traps to deplete its stamina…

“Munch munch.”

“Gulp.”

“So? What happened?”

“……”

However, Lee Han was the only one who even pretended to listen. The other White Tiger Tower students were focused on the meat, as if wondering where the dog was barking.

The apprentice knights felt a surge of frustration.

They were trying to reconcile, but this attitude…!

“…Do you guys have anything you’ve caught recently?”

One of the White Tiger Tower students thought for a moment and said,

“Rakshasa Ogre.”

“…Don’t say such ridiculous things! How could you catch a Rakshasa Ogre!”

“We caught it.”

“That’s right. We caught it.”

Lee Han stared intently at the White Tiger Tower students.

‘Since when were we a team?’

The students who felt his gaze turned their heads.

“Tell us in detail!”

“That’s right. Tell us in detail!”

The apprentice knights glared, determined to find any loopholes if it was a bluff.

“Wodanaz cast magic…”

“And?”

“He kept casting…”

“…And?”

“He kept casting until it fell.”

“……”

The apprentice knights were speechless.

It was definitely absurd, but…

That made it feel even more real.

“Wait. Then isn’t it Wodanaz who caught it, not you guys?”

“We were together, so we caught it together!”

“Let’s ask Wodanaz. Wodanaz, what do you think?”

Lee Han sighed, rubbing his temples. “Just eat your meat and be quiet, will you?”

After fighting so fiercely in the morning, he wanted to rest.

But the other lectures wouldn’t wait.

When >Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic< started in the afternoon, Lee Han regretted wasting so much energy in the morning. ‘Because of those knights…’ Only Professor Inguldel and Sir Bichelntz seemed satisfied, while the students groaned in exhaustion and muscle pain. Some White Tiger Tower students were already sleeping soundly, showing remarkable nerve. Lee Han looked at them with a pathetic expression. “Those crazy bastards… Gainan. Wake up.” Lee Han smacked him on the back of the head. It wasn't right to criticize another tower. Gainan woke up with a start. “Wh, who felt like they hit me?” “You must have had a bad dream. No one hit you.” “Is that so?” Everyone was muttering and frantically reading their books for the last time, but Gainan and Lee Han remained calm and composed, not doing such things. At first glance, they seemed similar, but Yoner knew very well that the inside story was the opposite. The difference between someone who was too well prepared and someone who was too unprepared! “Everyone, put away what’s on top.” When Professor Alpen Knighton appeared, the students inhaled with expressions of despair. As the wand was waved, the books and papers on the desks went into the bags. Times and rules began to be written on the blackboard in the lecture hall. “Students who have finished solving the problems may leave first. Now. Let’s begin.” In less than 5 seconds, the exam papers appeared in front of the students. The students grabbed their quills with expressions as if they were about to throw up. ‘Not that difficult.’ Lee Han quickly solved the problems, thinking thoughts that would have earned him an ink bottle to the head if others had heard. In fact, Lee Han could solve math and geometry problems of this difficulty in an instant without studying. Problems with magical elements mixed in, such as 'Find the number of magic stones needed for this magic circle' or 'Complete the missing parts of the magic circle,' were a bit tricky, but not too difficult if you knew how to apply them. With a single stroke of the pen. Lee Han quickly filled in the blanks. The expressions of the other students sitting behind him were filled with astonishment. ‘Wodanaz…!’ ‘Shouldn’t Wodanaz be made to take the exam in a different lecture hall out of consideration for others?’ Just solving the problems was enough to make the other students despair. The students grumbled inwardly. Wasn't Wodanaz raising the grade average, raising the professors' standards, and raising the family's evaluation criteria because he studied too hard? Selfish bastard…! “Don’t look away.” The students lowered their heads at Professor Alpen's warning. Lee Han stood up from his seat. Professor Alpen was not surprised. “Have you finished?” “Yes.” “You may submit it and leave.” Lee Han walked out of the lecture hall without looking back. The students looked at his back with envy and jealousy. Thud! Gainan also stood up from his seat. Professor Alpen asked with a surprised expression, “Have you finished?” “Yes!” “…You may submit it and leave.” Gainan also ran out of the lecture hall without looking back. The students looked at his back with a mixture of pity and respect. ‘What a fearless fellow.’ ‘You’re the best, Gainan!’ “Burn up!” Normally, there would have been shouts of 'Don't use magic in the lounge! What if you hit someone by mistake!', but tonight was different. Even Gainan was practicing, waving his wand. Tomorrow, Thursday, was the most hellish day of this midterm exam week. It was the day of Professor Garcia's >Understanding Basic Magic< exam. As a wizard, even if other liberal arts or other lectures had low grades, excuses like 'What does a wizard need with such liberal arts?' 'A wizard just needs to be good at magic, do they need to do such trivial calculations? I'm going to be a wizard who uses intuition to perform!' were possible, but >Understanding Basic Magic< was not. A core lecture that Einroguard students could not avoid. “Gainan, did you take black magic?” “Yeah. Thanks to that, I have to study it together. Haa. It’s really tough.” “I have to study summoning magic too. I have it tougher.” This class was very important. How well they did in this class would decide what magic they could learn next year. The fields that one decided to take an interest in and learn during the lecture would be additionally tested. “Does this bastard think black magic is a joke?! Curses are so difficult!” “Compared to summoning magic, black magic is easy!” “Hey. Those who don’t know illusion magic should stay quiet.” “Shouldn’t you focus more on basic elemental magic? That seems like the most difficult.” “Wodanaz. Make a decision for us. What do you think is the most difficult magic?” Unable to make a decision among themselves, the friends called out to Lee Han. Lee Han raised his head from among the mountain of books. Books from all sorts of magical fields were piled up in a mess. “What did you say?” “…Ah, it’s nothing.” “Good luck, Wodanaz!” “Let’s quickly sit down and study too!”