Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 567

Of course, Ihan didn’t believe the Death Knights’ words. He thought, ‘It could be a trick.’

The Death Knights might be lying, or it could be a minion they didn’t know about.

The Death Knights could feel Ihan’s doubt and became even more frustrated. They shifted impatiently, the dark metal of their armor creaking.

-Look, Wardanaz student. Our master doesn’t have an uncontrollable monster like that! Well, anyway, he doesn’t have one like that!

-Our master does have such a dangerous-looking thing… but I’m telling you, I’ve never seen that one!

Not only Ihan but also the priests began to look at the Death Knights with suspicion.

The Death Knights suppressed their sorrow and surrounded the vampire monster.

-Get rid of it. This ugly thing is ruining the atmosphere.

-Where did this one pop out from? If you have a mouth, speak.

Spears and swords, glowing with a cold, dark blue umbra energy, pointed at the vampire monster like accusing fingers. Sensing the threat, the vampire monster moved explosively.

Whoosh!

The monster moved like a blur, a shadow ripping through the air. However, the Death Knights didn’t bother trying to match its speed.

Wham!

One of the Death Knights was attacked by the vampire monster and sent flying.

-■■■■■■■!

The monster let out a triumphant roar, but it was a hasty judgment. The Death Knight’s sword was deeply embedded in the vampire monster’s left leg.

Crack crack crack-

In an instant, the monster’s left leg froze to the ground. The Death Knight who had been sent flying got up, repairing his shattered armor and crushed helmet.

-Keep bragging about being fast in this territory.

The Death Knights chuckled, mocking the vampire monster. Ihan’s eyes widened. He felt a thrill of awe mixed with a little fear. These Death Knights were truly powerful, unlike anything he could summon.

Even though Einrogaard’s power was enhancing them, each summon possessed such advanced judgment and powerful combat abilities.

“You are amazing!” Ihan blurted out, genuinely impressed.

The Death Knights paused their relentless assault on the monster. One turned his helmeted head towards Ihan. -Huh? Suddenly? he rumbled, sounding surprised.

-Why? the other echoed, his voice a deep growl.

The Death Knights were startled and turned their heads.

“My summons can’t show the same qualities as you.”

-Ah. That’s only natural. It’s not easy to command death knights like us.

-First of all, it’ll be hard to even find the materials. You need a knight with lingering regrets and vows…

‘White Tiger Tower students?’ Ihan wondered.

As soon as he heard that they were knights with many grievances, the knights of the White Tiger Tower immediately came to mind.

Even as they were talking, the Death Knights in front were pouring attacks onto the vampire monster.

Trapped with its leg frozen, the vampire monster was helpless. The Death Knights showed no mercy, their attacks raining down on it like hammer blows.

-Attack its legs again! Keep it from moving!

-You impudent thing! Huh? Do it, I say!

Each time a umbra energy-condensed polearm pierced the vampire monster, it inflicted damage deep within its being.

It swung its claws wildly and shot blood in the form of sharp thorns, but the Death Knights relentlessly attacked in a ‘you hit me, I hit you’ manner.

Most of the attacks couldn’t even penetrate their armor, and the attacks that did manage to pierce the armor were immediately healed by the darkness swirling inside.

Ihan could see why Death Knights were often portrayed as the typical example of summons used by evil black mages in fairy tales.

They were forces of brute strength and unbreakable defense.

They had the intelligence to judge the enemy’s weaknesses based on combat experience accumulated in life, leading to the most advantageous approach.

And a viciousness that didn’t hesitate to use underhanded methods, regardless of their honor in life.

The last part was close to an insult, but Ihan took it as a compliment.

‘If there’s a mage constantly healing them, there’s no hope,’ Ihan thought.

There were two ways to defeat the undead: one was to inflict such great damage to the summon itself that it couldn’t be healed, causing it to be reverse-summoned, and the other was to defeat the mage.

However, with Death Knights, the former was almost impossible. Their defense and vitality were beyond imagination.

-■!

With a final, shuddering groan, the vampire monster crashed to the ground, dark blood oozing from its wounds. Beaten, stabbed, and slashed, the monster was now sprawled out like a corpse, its initial ferocious momentum completely gone.

The Death Knights stuck their swords and spears into the monster’s body and clicked their tongues.

-What crazy bastard came out…

-Judging by the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like the students summoned it.

“Isn’t it?!” Ihan was startled.

If it wasn’t a minion of the skeletal headmaster, he had naturally assumed it was a monster created by the upperclassmen.

‘I thought they failed while making a chimera,’ Ihan mused.

-The students of Einrogaard don’t make things like this.

-That’s right. No matter what.

“Last time, a senior said he was going to make an artificial spirit and released monsters into the forest.”

The Death Knights were speechless and avoided eye contact.

-Well, Wardanaz. After serving under the master for a long time, you’ll learn something from experience. The feeling is different when students cause an accident.

One of the old Death Knights from the Three Kingdoms era stepped forward to explain.

Even if it was the same vampire monster, there was always a trace when students made a monster by causing an accident.

There was no way to hide the traces of practicing and trying various spells.

In comparison, the vampire monster they had just caught had no such traces. It was a naturally born monster.

“Then why is such a monster here? Isn’t it dangerous?” Ihan asked in a serious voice, but the Death Knights didn’t think it was that serious.

-Haha. It’s not that serious.

-That’s right. It happens from time to time. Maybe it flowed in from the mountains… but no, those monsters are different. This one feels like it’s from somewhere darker.

-I think the senior’s judgment is correct. Since it’s an undead-type monster that hates light, it’s more likely to have come from underground than from the mountains.

The first-year students watched the Death Knights’ conversation with faces of dismay.

Such a gruesome monster had appeared, and they were chatting, saying, ‘It happens from time to time, ho ho.’

-■■■■…

The growling sound suddenly returned.

The Death Knights froze, their dark helmets snapping towards the sound.

A part of the vampire monster’s flesh that had been flung far away onto a tree branch during the fierce battle earlier.

The vampire monster regenerated in an instant, centered around that piece. The vampire monster’s corpse that had been stuck in the ground instantly turned to ash and disappeared.

The Death Knights were shocked by the regenerative power that exceeded their expectations.

To think that such regeneration was possible with just a small piece of flesh, not even the head or heart.

This was not a normal fight. The Death Knights’ weapons glowed with a dark power, unlike anything they had seen before.

To heal so quickly, even after being hit by weapons that stop healing? This monster was strong, even for creatures that could usually heal fast.

Its healing was incredible. The best they had ever faced.

One Death Knight paused, surprised. “Huh,” he grunted. Another one spoke, his voice low, “I should just burn it to ashes. But… I wanted to know where it came from.”

As they spoke, small lights, like glowing blue flames, appeared around them, lighting up the dark forest.

The monster’s healing had shocked them. But now they understood. They had a plan.

“—Screeeech!” But instead of fighting, the blood-sucking monster turned and ran. It smashed through trees, branches snapping, and vanished into the dark woods. One moment it was there, the next, gone. The Death Knights stood still, surprised by its sudden escape.

The Death Knights were silent for a moment. Then, one asked, “Did… did it just run?” Another replied slowly, “It’s not really running… more like… retreating.” A third added, “It could come back.”

The first one said, trying to sound confident, “Well, it’s not really our fault. Sometimes things just happen in a fight, right?”

‘They let it escape.’ Lee Han watched the Death Knights, feeling disappointed. His respect for them had faded quickly.

“A monster from underground?!”

“Did the Headmaster let it out?”

“They say it heals really fast! Should we get special weapons?”

“But seriously, the Headmaster? Why would he do that?”

“If the Death Knights hurt it, won’t it stay away from the school? I heard it ran towards the mountains.”

“Maybe the Headmaster *wanted* it to escape?”

News of the monster spread like wildfire through the school. Everyone was talking about it. A dangerous monster, loose just before exams? It was all anyone could think about.

“We should make groups to watch out for it, patrol around!”

“Isn’t that too much? It ran away. We need to study!”

Students quickly split into two groups: those who wanted to prepare for the monster, and those who thought studying was more important.

Gainan, as usual, had a different idea. “It’s all the Headmaster’s plan!” he declared. But no one really listened to him.

While his friends argued, Lee Han kept writing. He had to finish Professor Voladi’s homework before the end of term, no matter what.

“Wodanaz, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“The monster.”

“Isn’t it rude to call Professor Begreck a monster? … Oh, you mean the *real* monster.”

“…??”

“Well, we can’t go hunting for it now. Staying together is the safest thing.”

“Will that be enough?”

“Probably not, but what else can we do? Maybe armor?”

“Armor is good.”

“And since armor might not be enough, remember that crossbow I made when we were stuck in the library? I can put poison on the arrows, I learned about that in black magic. And Professor Verdus has some magic signal flares in his workshop, we should take those too.”

‘He said there wasn’t much we could do…’ Lee Han thought, surprised. ‘If *this* is “not much,” what would he consider “a lot”?’

Lee Han nodded to his friends, pretending to be confident. Inside, though, he was a little surprised at himself. Even in Einroguard, where strange things were normal, seeing a monster like that should have been terrifying. But he felt… nothing much. His friends were worried, but he just felt calm.

“Good morning, Professor.”

Lee Han walked into the lecture hall. He realized something. Professor Voladi was probably the reason he wasn’t scared of monsters anymore. ‘Professor Voladi is more terrifying than any monster,’ he thought. Compared to facing Professor Voladi, a monster in the dark woods seemed almost… ordinary. Real fear stood right in front of him, in the daylight.

Professor Voladi nodded, a small welcome. “You’re here.”

“What… is all this?” Lee Han stopped, confused. The underground lecture hall was usually just gray stone, with desks and chairs. But today, it was filled with strange things. A big metal bowl held something green and slimy that moved. There was a small toy racetrack on a table, and colorful rings hanging from the ceiling, like for a circus. Professor Voladi held a strange toy in his hand, like a stick with something dangling from it – a pet toy? Professor Voladi with a sword was terrifying. But Professor Voladi with a *toy*? That was somehow even worse. Lee Han quickly looked behind him, checking where the door was. Just in case.

“The basilisk is growing slowly.”

“Ah,” Lee Han sighed in relief. He had been worried it was another crazy training session before exams. But it wasn’t. Thank goodness. From inside his sleeve, the basilisk hissed loudly. It was a sound of pure anger and disgust.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have the strength.”

—?!

Lee Han apologized to the baby basilisk. In other situations, he could fight for the basilisk, but not in front of Professor Voladi. Lee Han and the basilisk could both die. ‘A person has to survive, after all.’

“This is food made by Professor Lightning Foot. Try it.”

The baby basilisk shook its tiny head immediately, as if the smell alone was terrible. Professor Voladi’s eyes flashed. Without moving his hands, he used magic to hold the basilisk still and force its mouth open.

—SCREEEECH! The basilisk shrieked, but its mouth stayed open. Lee Han watched the green meat, and it really did look awful. He felt sorry for the basilisk, again.

Professor Voladi, who was feeding the basilisk, looked at Lee Han and asked. “I heard you succeeded in changing the form of the lightning element?”

—Kraaah!

Lee Han made the same choking sound that the basilisk had just made.