Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 535

After calming Ipardu, who was worried about the first-year student’s health, Headmaster Skull moved on to a more important matter.

“More importantly,” he said, “that’s not the point. I asked you to practice music magic, but you’re just playing with simple spells. Honestly, it’s like using a powerful hammer to crack a nut.”

“But didn’t my music magic work?” Lee Han asked.

The old turtle beastman looked puzzled by Headmaster Skull’s words.

Unlike Headmaster Skull, who valued the deeper meaning of magic, Ipardu was simply happy that the music magic had been successful.

It didn’t matter to him whether Lee Han succeeded by casting it without much thought or by using the core parts of the incantation.

‘This is why musicians will never be true wizards,’ Headmaster Skull thought to himself.

He believed that people who didn’t dedicate their entire lives to magic could never truly understand it.

If someone was doing farm work with a golden sword, you should push them to find their talent, not say, ‘If you’re happy, then that’s fine.’

“Wodanaz will understand if he hears it. Wodanaz, come here for a moment. Um… no. Let’s talk in private,” Headmaster Skull said.

Headmaster Skull had been about to speak in front of Ipardu but changed his mind, thinking that Lee Han might become stubborn because of a potential insult.

‘Such a narrow-minded fellow,’ he mused.

“What is it?” Lee Han asked.

“Do you know what you just did?”

“Music magic?”

“…Listen carefully,” Headmaster Skull said, explaining as kindly as possible.

“What you’re doing now isn’t the commonly known music magic. Stop wasting magic power. What you did is a basic but essential part of incantation, a higher form of magic…”

“Yeah, but it worked, right?” Lee Han replied.

‘It’s a relief that the musician is gone,’ Headmaster Skull thought, and then said,

“If you’ve touched on simple spells, you should focus on incantation magic. Why waste time on useless nonsense like music magic?”

“But Headmaster, didn’t you support the older students who wanted to research music magic…?”

Headmaster Skull ignored Lee Han’s sharp retort, pretending not to hear.

“And I don’t know much about incantation magic, but isn’t it a very advanced form of magic?” Lee Han asked.

“It is,” Headmaster Skull confirmed.

Just as Lee Han hadn’t challenged the headmaster’s unique world magic from the first grade because he had a lot of magic power, the same was true for incantation.

It was too difficult to challenge right away just because he had learned the basics.

“But the basic part you just did is the most important part of incantation magic. Most wizards fail because they can’t do it.”

Basically, a wizard’s spell was a representation of will and close to a powerful self-suggestion.

Even the smallest change was an act of arrogance, changing the world with one’s personal will.

Even a trained wizard could have their will shaken and their concentration broken by a single falling leaf, so self-suggestion like a spell was essential.

However, if you start imbuing magic power into the spell itself, which is just a simple tool, then that becomes an entry into a higher realm: incantation.

Once you achieve this, you’re at the starting line of incantation magic, and most wizards fail because they can’t do this.

This had nothing to do with other magical talents.

Even those born with a lot of magic power, a great sense of magic, or genius-level intelligence simply couldn’t do it if it didn’t suit them.

As such, Lee Han had to be grateful for his luck and study incantation magic diligently.

He was studying quite a lot now, but what could he do?

“Um… but still, doesn’t it take a long time?” Lee Han asked.

Lee Han was also well aware of how hard incantation magic was.

He had heard that many wizards couldn’t master it even after a lifetime of training.

“Hmm.” Headmaster Skull pondered, then held up one finger.

“If you really work hard from now on, spending all your free time…”

“Where do I have free time?”

“Why don’t you abandon your friends? Anyway, if you use all your free time…”

“A year?”

“Are you crazy?”

“No… if I don’t see any progress after a year, it’s too daunting. I might not have the talent. Surely not ten years?”

Lee Han briefly considered what to do if it took about ten years.

Should he do it in his free time?

But ten years if he gives it his all?

‘It doesn’t seem worth the effort,’ he thought.

“A hundred years…”

“……”

Lee Han stared at him with a serious face.

Headmaster Skull, feeling slightly wronged, said, “I gave you a really short estimate because I think highly of you!”

“Ah. Yes. Thank you,” Lee Han said.

Lee Han cleanly abandoned any interest in incantation magic.

No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing good about it.

“Headmaster, I think music magic is a bit better,” Lee Han stated.

“Is this because I called you a servant? What did I ever do wrong to you? I’ve taken care of you in every way since you came here!” Headmaster Skull exclaimed.

Lee Han ignored Headmaster Skull’s nonsense.

The moment he argued, he would fall into a trap.

“Music magic also has its advantages,” Lee Han continued.

“What advantages? The advantage of getting research money from fools?” Headmaster Skull grumbled, but Lee Han didn’t waver.

“First of all, incantation magic is very hard to master. Music magic is much easier. What if you think of it as low-level incantation magic?”

“Hmm.” Headmaster Skull’s expression turned serious when the topic of magic came up.

“Just studying for a hundred years to master incantation magic…” Lee Han trailed off.

“I know you don’t like it, Headmaster, but even easy magic has its value, right?”

Low-difficulty magic had its own meaning.

Not only low-level wizards but also high-level wizards didn’t always cast high-difficulty magic.

Of course, not for a great wizard like Headmaster Skull…

“I know what you mean,” Headmaster Skull admitted.

“Right?” Lee Han asked.

“Shouldn’t other magic schools work hard to figure this out? Why do it here at Einroguard? And even if Einroguard did it, why ask *you*?”

‘This is driving me mad.’

Lee Han, refusing to lose patience, tried to persuade him again.

“Music magic is easier to learn than spell magic. Also, music magic is useful in its own way, right? It works through sound, even far away. That could be really helpful…”

After persistent persuasion, the Skull Headmaster finally relented and conceded.

“…Alright, fine! What you showed me just now seemed to mean something. I’ll let you research it more in that way.”

‘Got it!’

Lee Han was relieved.

The Skull Headmaster sighed and called for Ipadur.

The old minstrel, who had been waiting, was overjoyed at the positive turn of events.

“I’m really happy, Gonadaltes! Thank you! This means the students will learn so much more about music magic!”

“Haha. I haven’t done anything. But I won’t refuse if you make a song praising Einroguard.”

While Ipadur, in high spirits, was expressing his gratitude to the choir members, the Skull Headmaster grumbled again, looking at Lee Han.

“Wow. I didn’t know you liked music so much, Wodanaz.”

“Me? Why do you think so?”

“If you didn’t like music, you wouldn’t have defended music magic so strongly. Because of what you just did, you’ll have to help with the research.”

The new music magic he showed had two parts. First, it made the magic in the air stronger around him. Second, it put magic into the words he spoke.

In the current situation, Lee Han was the only one capable of both.

“…Um, can’t we use a magic item to make the magic stronger?”

“Are you going to contact the Emperor himself to get the funds for that?”

The Skull Headmaster retorted, looking incredulous, and Lee Han desperately searched for an escape.

“We could bring in a wizard who can cast incantation magic.”

“If you ask a wizard who knows incantation magic to help research something like music magic, they’ll tell you to ‘get lost’ or ‘disappear.’”

“……”

“…You don’t mean…”

“Thank you, Gonadaltes! Let’s head to the next location!”

They went next to a vineyard by the river, near the village.

The owner, a strong Orc, ran the farm and made wine there.

People said he was a great singer, especially after drinking his own wine.

“Hmm. He’s quite good.”

Lee Han’s eyes widened. The Skull Headmaster rarely said anyone was good. *’I should invest in that farm later,’* Lee Han thought, *’if I get the chance.’*

“Could we hear you sing a song?”

“It would be an honor!”

The Orc owner took a swig of wine and began to sing in a strong voice.

“Ah, life is as fleeting as a glass of wine! Let us all drink and…”

Lee Han listened, yawning without much thought.

After the song ended, the Orc owner awkwardly made excuses.

“Maybe it’s because this wine isn’t very good. Last time I sang after drinking my wine, everyone around was really drunk.”

“Yes, it depends on how you feel,” Ipadur said kindly. “Singing changes with your emotions, so it’s normal.”

“Perhaps, student Wodanaz, could I ask you once again…”

“Yes.”

Lee Han sighed. He didn’t want to learn more magic, but he had to. He cleared his throat and stepped forward. *’Annoying,’* he thought. *’But what else can I do?’*

“Ah, life is as fleeting as a glass of wine! Let us all drink and…”

As before, the magic in the air around him increased, and a resonance effect occurred with his voice.

The Skull Headmaster carefully observed whether the workers around them were getting drunk just from hearing the voice.

But nothing happened.

“?”

“…?”

“Uh, I’ll try again.”

But no matter how many times he tried, the music magic didn’t work.

“I don’t know what the problem is. What mistake did I make?”

“No…”

The Skull Headmaster and Ipadur stared at their flustered student, even more bewildered.

“Didn’t I tell you? Primal magic is greatly influenced by emotions. It might not work.”

“Gonadaltes is right. It was amazing you did it before. It’s not surprising it didn’t work now.”

Lee Han nodded for now at their consolation.

*’This is bad if it doesn’t work again,’* Lee Han thought. If he couldn’t do it, their research would stop before it even began. He wanted to learn and impress Ipadur right away.

Next was the Knights Order.

The old knight, who people said had helped his injured friends with a song after they were attacked, sang in a rough voice.

“Oh, there goes a knight, struck by an arrow and dies, hit by a mace and dies, stabbed by a sword and dies, pierced by a spear and dies…”

The knights listening beside him were startled by the sudden surge of energy.

“A… Amazing! Lord Gonadaltes!”

“I never knew that just listening to music could have such power! Honestly, I thought it was just boasting…”

Fortunately, this time it was successful, and Lee Han breathed a sigh of relief.

The Skull Headmaster looked closely at Lee Han.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No… I just thought it fit your personality.”

“???”