Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 306

While I don’t know much about special magic for older students, when it comes to controlling elements like fire, I think I’m as good as a second-year student.

Second-year students probably didn’t learn by being trained so hard by a very strict professor.

“Senior, I think you’re mistaken because I passed the test earlier, but it’s not that I’m weak at elemental manipulation. It’s just that if I lose focus, I might burn this entire temple down.”

“…Oh… oh. Is that so?”

Balgara blinked, a little surprised by Ethan’s bold words. *Was this junior serious?*

What insane bluster?

“It’s fine. If you’re not confident, I’ll just do it. I need to repay you for the advice I received in many ways.”

“Hey! I told you not to! I’d rather…”

Before Balgara could stop him, Ethan stepped forward.

“There’s no need for the senior to deal with this. I’ll handle it.”

“Very well.”

Otilo didn’t back down easily.

Otilo didn’t know how strong students at Einroguard really were. That was his mistake.

Seeing that he was a lower grade, even a junior to Balgara, he thought he had a chance.

‘I’ve manipulated fire elements countless times. There’s no way I’ll lose to a young student…’

Modifying a 1-circle spell to mimic a 4-circle spell wasn’t something just anyone could do.

Otilo, who had consistently manipulated fire elements, believed he had a chance of winning with fire control, even if his opponent was an Einroguard student.

Whirr!

…Until dozens of bright orange flames burst into life around Ethan, dancing and swirling in the air like playful spirits.

“…I, I was wrong. I committed a terrible sin. Please forgive me!”

Otilo immediately prostrated himself.

The moment he saw it, his mind snapped to attention.

Ethan, with a blank face, was concentrating on the flames before he raised his head.

Controlling dozens of flames wasn’t particularly difficult, but losing focus and causing the flames to explode would be a big problem.

That’s why he spoke so curtly.

“What did you do wrong?”

“Huh??”

“Tell me what you did wrong.”

Ethan refocused his mind on maintaining the power of the flames.

Otilo, misunderstanding his scowling expression, hurriedly shouted.

“I, I tried to deceive the other wizards… I tried to deceive the other wizards! I’m sorry. After gaining some petty skills, I became greedy…”

“That… that guy!”

“He dared to deceive us!?”

Naturally, the wizards beside him were furious.

It would be strange if they weren’t angry, as they were almost deceived out of their bets and more.

‘Is it roughly over?’

Seeing that the atmosphere wasn’t likely to turn around any further, Ethan began to release the flames one by one.

Carefully, so as not to accidentally detonate them and turn the surroundings into a sea of fire.

“You… you…!”

Apart from the wizards surrounding Otilo with fierce faces and throwing insults at him, Balgara stared at Ethan with a shocked expression.

If he couldn’t recognize something after seeing magic like that, he had no talent as a wizard.

‘Oops.’

Ethan clicked his tongue inwardly.

He had summoned as many flames as possible to completely subdue his opponent, but he ended up getting caught because of it.

“…You’re a fire magic genius!”

“…Senior is truly the White Tiger Tower itself.”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly praising me?”

Balgara was embarrassed by the sudden praise from his junior.

“I thought you had problems because you were so nervous when you used fire magic earlier… Were you just shy? That’s a shame.”

“Haha.”

“But so what! Even if you get nervous, the important thing is your magical skill. I haven’t seen anyone among the second-years who can conjure dozens of flames simultaneously like you.”

Balgara wasn’t just praising him. He was genuinely delighted. Balgara’s eyes shone with excitement. He clapped Ethan on the shoulder, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“I’ve been waiting for a junior like you to enter the tower.”

“Yes?”

“A junior who will crush the noses of those arrogant Blue Dragon Tower bastards!”

“……”

Ethan felt his cheeks get a little warm. He wasn’t used to praise, especially not for something he was trying to hide. He suddenly felt guilty.

“Do you know how arrogant those guys have been just because they’re good at magic? Those bastards… just you wait!”

While Balgara was excitedly chattering, the wizards who had beaten up Otilo came to Ethan to thank him.

“Thank you so much.”

“Thanks to you, we weren’t deceived. The thought of being tricked by that con artist makes me shudder…”

“Wait! Are you perhaps Ethan of the Wodanaz family?!”

“?!!”

Ethan was startled.

A wizard he had never met had guessed his name.

“Is it you? Is it really you? I heard Zolvabden talking about it! That you’re a first-year student at Einroguard who defeated a basilisk in one blow!”

“……”

Ethan regretted not having subdued Zolvabden.

Hearing that, another wizard slapped his knee and said.

“Ah! I heard it too! Weren’t you the one who won the magic duel against Doin of the Valor family at the Dalcard family’s mansion?”

“He overwhelmed Doin, who was from Valdrogard!”

“*(He didn’t really overwhelm him. Doin just used up all his magic power…)*”

“You exhausted your opponent’s mana?”

“……”

Ethan didn’t realize that the Granden City’s social circles spread rumors so quickly.

“Oh… Gainando? What are you talking about? You’re Gainando of the Moradi family…”

“Ah, I have an urgent appointment. Senior, I’ll see you next time!”

Ethan hurried away, his heart still pounding. He couldn’t believe how quickly rumors spread. He just wanted to be left alone to practice his magic.

Ethan grabbed his permit and quickly left the temple.

The gathered wizards surrounded Balgara and bombarded him with questions.

“If you’re a student of Einroguard, perhaps…”

“Are you close to that person? Could you perhaps arrange a meeting…”

“Ah, get out of the way! I said move! Junior! Wait a minute! Junior!!”

“Oh? Ethan.”

Then, he heard a familiar voice. Deorgyu waved his hand happily. He had accidentally spotted Ethan on the main street of Granden City.

But Ethan, walking from afar, looked particularly tired.

“What’s wrong? You look exhausted?”

“…I had a bit of trouble. What were you doing, Deorgyu?”

“Semester’s over, so you must have had a good rest,” Leehan said, smiling. “Getting ready to work with your friends, right? Like the White Tiger Tower students do…”

He explained, “They take jobs as adventurers to practice fighting and earn money.”

Derghyu’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

Derghyu blinked, surprised. “How did you know?”

He thought, *Noble families usually stick with nobles, and knight families with knight families. We don’t always know what each other are doing.*

Leehan smiled kindly. “We’re friends, right? I want to know what you’re up to.”

“Leehan…!” Derghyu’s voice was full of emotion.

He remembered some White Tiger Tower students saying silly things like, “Derghyu, don’t hang out with Wodanaz over break. He’s trouble.”

*I wish they could see Leehan now,* Derghyu thought. *How could they say such things about such a good friend?*

“So, you’re going to sign up as an adventurer?” Leehan asked.

“Yeah, something like that,” Derghyu replied.

He nodded. *You might think you could just find someone who needs help and make a deal. But in the Empire’s cities, you need to register with the Adventurers Guild.*

*The Guild makes sure everything is fair and avoids trouble. Adventurers get registered, and people paying for jobs put money with the Guild to make sure they pay.* It was all very organized.

“I borrowed some gear, and my friends found a cheap place for equipment,” Derghyu said. “They’re getting theirs now…”

Suddenly, a group of White Tiger Tower students in armor appeared. The armor was a bit worn, with scratches and rust, but it looked strong enough. *They must have found a good deal through some knight connection,* Derghyu thought.

“Whoa, Wodanaz!” one of them shouted.

“Hey,” Leehan replied.

“Wait! It’s not what you think!” another student blurted out, looking nervous.

“What shouldn’t I misunderstand?” Leehan asked, confused by their worried faces.

He hadn’t done anything yet.

“The debt! We’re going to earn money to pay you back!” one student stammered.

“Y-yeah! This armor is on credit too! We didn’t use your silver first, we promise!” another added quickly.

“Ah,” Leehan said, finally understanding.

*Unlike the rich Blue Dragon Tower students, or even some Black Tortoise Tower students from merchant families, White Tiger Tower students often didn’t have much money.* *Knight families weren’t always rich, and students had to earn their own spending money.* They got food and rooms through family connections, but everything else was up to them. *That’s why they’re so worried about money,* Leehan realized.

“Alright, it’s fine,” Leehan said calmly.

“But we signed a contract! We have to pay, even if we get… really hurt,” one student mumbled. “Wait, really? It’s okay?”

“Yes, really,” Leehan said.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“You won’t… like, tell our knight order and say bad things about our family if we’re late paying?” another student asked, worried.

“That’s… a strange idea,” Leehan said, a little surprised. “But no, I won’t do that.”

“Or send a letter to our families?”

Leehan sighed, raising his staff slightly. The White Tiger students jumped back. “I said it’s fine.”

“O-okay! Thank you!”

One student, watching Leehan carefully, whispered, “So… um… we need to go to the Adventurers Guild to sign up.”

“I’ll go with you,” Leehan said.

“Huh?”

“Let’s go together. I’m signing up too.”

“……”

“Why??” someone finally asked.

“To earn money,” Leehan said.

But the White Tiger students didn’t believe him.

*He’s just doing it to practice fighting, right?* one thought.

*Yeah, that must be it. He’s more like a fighter than a knight!* another thought.

*He’s obsessed with magic!* a third one decided.

“Come on,” Derghyu said, pushing his friends forward. “Let’s go in.”

The White Tiger students hesitated, still glancing at Leehan, but they followed Derghyu and opened the heavy wooden door of the Adventurers Guild.

Inside, it was surprisingly calm. The air smelled of old paper and ink. People in worn leather armor and simple tunics sat quietly on benches, waiting. If you didn’t hear the occasional *clang* of metal, you might think it was a library, not a place for adventurers.

*Clang!* A clear bell sound echoed.

“Einroguard First Year, Mr. Anglago of the Alpha Family, Registered! Welcome to the Guild!” a voice announced loudly.

*Clang!*

“Einroguard First Year, Mr. Dukehma of the Jay Family, Registered! Welcome to the Guild!”

The registration was quick. *Just like stamping papers,* Derghyu thought, watching the clerk barely glance at the documents before stamping them and handing over a permit and a small metal badge. *Being an Einroguard student makes things easy.*

“Einroguard First Year, Mr. Leehan of the Wodanaz Family.”

“Yes,” Leehan said.

“……”

The clerk stopped. He looked up at Leehan, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Are you planning to work with these friends?” the clerk asked, looking at the White Tiger students.

“Yes,” Leehan said. “If there are jobs we can do together, we will.”

“The jobs for students aren’t usually dangerous, but you could still get hurt. Please be careful,” the clerk said, his voice a bit worried.

“I understand,” Leehan replied.

*The clerk probably thinks nobles sometimes come here for fun and then complain when things get tough,* Leehan thought. *He’s worried I’m one of those.*

“But really…” the clerk started to say again.

“Sir, you don’t need to worry about Wodanaz!” one of the White Tiger students called out. “I mean, about Leehan Wodanaz!”

“Yeah! He’s really… strong!” another student added quickly. “He can definitely take care of himself!”

“We promise!” they all said together, nodding eagerly.

“????” The clerk looked even more confused.

*Who is this student, really?* he wondered.