Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 333

Lee Han usually felt danger quickly. But today, he was tired. He spent all day using magic to remove curses from objects and heal many people.

So, he noticed the danger a little later than Nilia.

Nilia sounded surprised as she said, “Could they be coming from Einrogard?!”

“If I were them, I would,” Lee Han replied.

Nilia thought, ‘How could Lee Han be so slow? He should have noticed this before me!’

‘No, maybe it’s because he used too much magic,’ she considered, feeling worried. She glanced at Lee Han, who seemed to notice her concern.

He whispered, “Don’t worry. Even if the professor drags me away, I won’t say your name.”

“I wasn’t even worried about that! You jerk!” Nilia retorted. “What do you take me for!”

Professor Alkasis, a dark elf with skin like polished night, leaned heavily on his sword. His eyes were shadowed, and lines of tiredness etched themselves around his mouth. He looked so utterly weary, like he might fall asleep standing up, that even the bravest adventurers hesitated to speak.

Finally, one student spoke softly, “Professor? We’re finished here.”

Another added, “Professor, this side is done too.”

“And this side as well…” a third student mumbled, pointing to their cleared area.

Professor Alkasis just nodded slowly, his eyes barely open.

One student puffed out his chest, “We handled it all ourselves this time, Professor!”

Alkasis finally spoke, his voice rough with exhaustion, “If they are well enough to come up here after getting first aid, you should be able to deal with them yourselves. If you called me just for that, you’d be useless.”

The students exchanged glances. *Kind teacher,* one thought sarcastically.

But another admitted to himself, *He’s not wrong, though! We should be able to handle this.*

“So,” Alkasis mumbled, “Am I going crazy from overwork and lack of sleep? Or are the adventurers talking nonsense? Or is what I’m thinking actually correct?”

The students fell silent, equally confused.

-They are being healed and coming up now, but are the priests still down there?

-One mage is down there!

-One? One??

-Yes!

-One person healed all these people??

-Yes!

-Is this adventurer delusional?

-…How dare you! Even if he is a healing mage, I won’t stand for you insulting Wodanaz!

“The only Wodanaz we know is… a first-year… Isn’t it… a misunderstanding?” one student asked.

“That’s right,” Phil and Chil stepped up to defend Lee Han.

And, frankly, they didn’t believe it either.

No matter how talented their junior was, to save and send up this many people…

And without anyone else’s help?

He secured the path in the dungeon, made the adventurers stronger with magic, and healed them too? All by himself?

It seemed more likely that another mage from the Wodanaz family happened to pass by, saw the carnage, and helped out.

“As far as I know, the other members of the Wodanaz family don’t help out for reasons like that,” one student said.

“Then, perhaps the adventurers are mistaken…?”

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar first-year junior came up with the adventurers, looking exhausted.

The junior looked around at the healing mages and sighed with a resigned expression.

Knowing what that expression meant, Phil and Chil sighed deeply in their hearts.

‘He should have just done a mediocre job…!’

Before the junior could escape, the recovered knights swarmed around Lee Han.

Knight Verhirg, representing the subjugation force, shouted, “Here is a honorable mage. On behalf of everyone, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Lee Han of the Wodanaz family!”

“Thank you, Lee Han!”

“Thank you!!”

The knights, who had been on the verge of collapse, shouted with all their might.

It was a rare sight to see such proud and dignified knights expressing their gratitude in this way. The excited adventurers stomped their feet and whistled.

“If it weren’t for Lee Han, we wouldn’t have survived. Thank you again for your amazing magic…”

While the knights were talking, the adventurers were chatting amongst themselves in the back.

“He really brought everyone out without missing a single one.”

“That’s what real magic looks like. I was impressed when I saw a mage casting fire arrows last time, but I don’t think I’ll ever be again.”

“But why does the mage look so gloomy?”

“Tsk tsk. Do you think the mage is like you? He must be uncomfortable being praised so much when there are so many injured people.”

“Ah, indeed. He’s truly on another level…”

Pretending to be sick worked with Professor Verdus, but not with Professor Alkasis.

The moment you said you were sick, Professor Alkasis had the ability to heal you immediately.

“Very impressive,” Alkasis said.

“Thank you,” Lee Han replied, looking exhausted. He was sitting in a chair in front of Professor Alkasis.

It felt a bit like he was tied up, but that was just his imagination. There were no ropes to be seen anywhere.

The students who had come with Professor Alkasis, Lee Han’s seniors, were split in half and arguing.

The topic of the debate was what to do with Lee Han.

-With that level of skill, we can really take him with us starting next semester! No, with that level, we should definitely take him! I threw up several times yesterday because of a lack of mana! And that junior is taking care of dozens of injured people!

-You shameless piece of garbage! Are you even a noble? How can you think about taking a first-year junior with you starting next semester? Do you want to see him wither away and die?

“People have been talking about sending you to work outside the school starting next semester,” Professor Alkasis said.

“Professor, I don’t like special treatment,” Lee Han said seriously.

“If it’s something that puts a burden on you, Professor, I’m okay with…”

“But after seeing what you did today, the people who said that probably want to rip out their own tongues,” Alkasis replied.

‘I don’t think it’s that extreme,’ Lee Han thought.

“You have a genius-level talent for healing magic,” Alkasis continued.

“Yes… I’ve vaguely thought that might be the case,” Lee Han admitted.

“There’s no need to let that talent rot away over time. Take my hand. I will unleash your talent.”

Lee Han was quite curious about what would happen if he took the professor’s hand.

Specifically, he wondered if he would end up like the seniors behind him.

Lee Han wondered, ‘Why are those older students with the professor during vacation? Is it because of what he’s offering?’

“Go to the mansion and think deeply about it…” Alkasis suggested.

“…There’s no need. It’s a talent that doesn’t need that,” Lee Han declined.

“Now that I think about it, I have something to talk about with the priests…” Alkasis said.

“I’ll send my students to tell them to wait a moment,” Alkasis offered.

“Come to think of it, I also had something to tell the hunters,” Lee Han added.

The professor’s students formed a human wall, blocking the hunters’ approach.

The two hunters were speechless at the healing mages’ absurd obstruction.

What kind of dirty…?

“What is going on?” one hunter asked.

“We, we’re sorry. We’re just doing what we were told,” a student replied.

Lee Han considered whether he should break through the professor’s pressure and make a frontal breakthrough.

He thought, ‘The professor will make my life hard next semester anyway. Do I really want to start suffering now, during vacation?’

‘It’s better to protect my vacation, even if I suffer some retaliation in the second semester,’ Lee Han decided.

Lee Han steeled himself, looking at the swords Professor Alkasis was wearing.

Lee Han was trained well. He wouldn’t give up without a fight.

“Is it over?”

Lee Han turned his head at the sound of another familiar professor’s voice.

Professor Verdus was waiting, yawning, having arrived at some point.

“When… did you get here?” Lee Han asked.

“I heard you went to check the dungeon at the academy, so I came after finishing the ceremony,” Verdus replied.

Professor Verdus seemed completely uninterested in the mess that had occurred near the dungeon.

His eyes didn’t even flicker at the sight of the injured lying around with bandages.

“Were there any artifacts from the dungeon?” Verdus asked.

“Not that I know of,” Lee Han replied.

“Is that so? Then that’s fine. Let’s go. We have work to do,” Verdus said.

Professor Verdus naturally pulled Lee Han to the carriage and set off.

Everyone left behind was speechless, watching them leave.

‘Seriously…’ one student thought.

‘Is he crazy???’ another wondered.

The Einrogard students majoring in healing magic couldn’t help but shudder at Professor Verdus’s behavior.

Even Professor Alkasis wasn’t that extreme.

The hunters asked Nilia, looking bewildered.

“Isn’t he supposed to rest? Didn’t he just say he had work to do?”

“Well… yes. He’s a bit… unique,” Nilia admitted.

“Even so, that’s too much,” a hunter said.

‘Exactly!’ Nilia shouted inwardly.

Even the priests of the Freisinger Order were whispering about it.

Lee Han returned to the mansion, finished his work with Professor Verdus, and collapsed.

He slept for almost a day.

“…I feel like I went to sleep in the morning, but why is it still morning??” Lee Han mumbled.

“You’ve slept for a day,” a servant replied.

Lee Han looked out the window with a complicated expression.

Professor Verdus was thrashing about on the carpet.

‘I should pretend I didn’t see that,’ Lee Han thought.

“But Master… another guest has arrived,” the servant announced.

For a moment, Lee Han considered putting up a sign in front of the mansion that said >No Guests>.

He couldn’t tell if they were welcome visitors or just annoying people.

“Is it a professor?” Lee Han asked.

“No, it is not,” the servant replied.

“A friend?”

“No, it is not.”

“Perhaps someone who seems crazy… No. I would have said professor then. Who is it?”

“It is Prince Bogajun.”

“Ah. That…” Lee Han sighed.

He was one of the royals Lee Han had saved during the last royal gathering, thanks to Lee Han defeating the Basilisk.

He seemed to have said a lot of things, but all Lee Han could remember was…

‘Did he say he failed to resolve the plague in the village of Kldran?’

The royals were very busy criticizing each other. Lee Han only remembered their complaints.

“Lee Han of the Wodanaz family! I’ve heard the rumors!” Prince Bogajun exclaimed.

“Are you talking about defeating the Basilisk?” Lee Han asked, half giving up.

Even if it was an accident, people would hear what they wanted to hear.

“Ah. I’m not talking about that rumor,” Bogajun replied.

“Defeating the King of Ghouls?” Lee Han asked.

“You defeated the King of Ghouls? Please tell me more about that story,” Bogajun said.

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ Lee Han thought.

Lee Han was furious at Granden.

Why were there so many rumors that the speaker had to worry about which one to talk about?

“Then what rumor are you talking about…?” Lee Han asked.

“I heard you saved the knights of the Crimson Forest subjugation force! I was truly moved,” Bogajun declared.

Lee Han was silent.

“There are many mages in the Empire, and some of them are outstanding, but to go down into a dungeon for injured people and risk your life…” Bogajun continued.

“I didn’t risk my life. I took all my guards with me, and it was a small dungeon where the monsters were almost completely wiped out,” Lee Han interrupted.

Prince Bogajun was so engrossed in himself that he didn’t hear Lee Han’s words.

“…How many people would be able to save them? Lord Lagrinde also praised you highly. He said you have the qualities to become a great healing mage,” Bogajun finished.

Lee Han smiled bitterly.

He wanted to tell the prince, ‘Telling a pig on a farm that it’s getting fat isn’t a compliment,’ but he didn’t think he would understand, so what was the point?

Lee Han composed himself, put on a fake smile, and opened his mouth.

“I’m just embarrassed that I’ve gained so much fame from something I happened to get caught up in,” Lee Han said.

“What are you saying… Fame shows who you are inside. You are a good person, so fame is finding you,” Prince Bogajun said, looking at Lee Han with deep, profound eyes.

“Lord Wodanaz, I have a proposal,” Bogajun continued.

“Tell me,” Lee Han replied.

‘I should refuse no matter what,’ he thought.

“There’s a gathering this time, and I’d like you to come with me…”

Knock knock knock-

The servant carefully opened the door and came in.

“I’m sorry, Master. Another guest has arrived,” the servant announced.

“Who is it?” Lee Han asked.

“It is Prince Gainando.”

At the servant’s words, Bogajun wore a deeply shocked expression.

‘I knew it…!’ Lee Han thought.

Last time, I saw him acting secretly at the mansion. I thought something was strange, and I was right.