Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 580

“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it…”

The apprentice knight looked at Giselle with a wounded expression.

It was rare to recommend someone from a wizarding family like the Wodanaz family to the Knights.

It was hard to predict how people would react.

But a boy from the Wodanaz family was definitely qualified to be recommended.

He had helped the Knights of the Beech Tree subdue the anti-magic activists, after all.

Recommending Wodanaz would enhance the recommender’s reputation, not hurt it.

Joining the Knights would be good for Wodanaz, and Moradi would gain respect for recommending such a talented person…

“Moradi doesn’t want to give the impression that his family is close to the Wodanaz family,” Ethan said, defending Moradi.

Recommending someone to the Knights was risky. Your family name was connected to it. If they failed, it would hurt your reputation. So, you only recommended people you knew very well.

The moment you recommend someone, people think, ‘Oh, they must be quite close.’

Of course, Ethan’s actions weren’t very helpful, and Giselle immediately denied it.

“No? Why would I refuse a connection with the Wodanaz family? What are you even saying, Wodanaz?”

From Giselle’s perspective, with her keen political sense, it was an unacceptable statement.

Even if she wasn’t from a knight family, there was nothing to gain from spreading rumors that she had refused a connection with a great noble family like the Wodanaz family.

“No… hey…” Ethan was dumbfounded. He had been trying to end the conversation nicely, but Giselle was bringing it back to square one.

Of course, Giselle glared at Ethan with an equally bewildered look.

‘Why would you say you don’t want to give the impression that our family is close to the Wodanaz family? What if the Wodanaz family takes offense?’

‘No. Our family members don’t even read the Imperial newspaper. They wouldn’t care what I said.’

Durghyu, who couldn’t bear to watch any longer, stepped in.

“Wodanaz has said several times that he has no intention of joining the Knights. That’s why Moradi reacted so hastily. He was a bit rough, but please understand.”

“Yes. That’s it.”

“Right. That’s exactly it.” Ethan and Giselle nodded in relief.

Actually, Ethan thought being seen as wanting to join the Knights was terrible.

There were few jobs as hard as being a knight.

Thinking about it coldly, one might react by saying, ‘What does that have to do with insults?’ but the apprentice knight accepted it for the time being.

He was also friendly with Durghyu and was more curious about other things.

“Wodanaz, you would excel in the Knights if you joined. Why? There are wizards in the Knights too. They are highly respected and help the knights. Moradi, the knights in your family’s northern territory…”

‘Shut up, you clueless idiot,’ Ethan thought, rolling his eyes. Didn’t these knights understand anything about tests? They were asking questions with obvious answers.

Giselle managed to swallow the words this time.

If he wanted to recommend someone to the Knights, why did he keep asking Giselle for permission?

Fortunately, Durghyu answered again.

“Wodanaz will stay in Einroguard after graduation. He needs to research magic with the professors.”

“Are you out of your mind, Durghyu!?!?” Ethan shouted in horror.

This time, Durghyu looked slightly hurt.

It took some time for the apprentice knights and students to clear up the misunderstandings and put their heads together.

“So, the six of us have to spend a day in those mountains,” Ethan asked cautiously at the apprentice knight’s words.

“Do you happen to know the starting location?”

“Of course not! Haha. Wodanaz, it wouldn’t be a test if I did.”

‘What a clueless idiot,’ Ethan cursed the apprentice knight inwardly.

The Einroguard students were trapped inside, but what were these knights doing outside that they couldn’t even find out that much?

Professor Inguldel, who was known for being kind, would have been more understanding.

“Wodanaz. This is a big problem.”

“Why?” Giselle whispered, and Ethan looked puzzled.

Of course, he hadn’t heard where to start, but it wasn’t that big of a deal, was it?

“We were originally planning to spend the night in a cabin.”

“Were we?”

“…Do you think these guys would allow that?”

“What? No. Of course, they wouldn’t allow…” Ethan stopped speaking.

The apprentice knights’ eyes were more earnest and bright than he had expected.

Oh?

“Wait. Everyone. I have one question, um… there are some friends who… hide cabins in the mountains in advance and try to take refuge there.”

The apprentice knight grimaced as soon as Ethan finished speaking.

“They’re doing such a despicable thing? Who on earth?”

“Wodanaz. We have to tell the professor now. Who is it?”

“…Well. I just overheard it.” Ethan’s face turned serious at the apprentice knights’ reaction.

Ethan made an excuse and called his friends aside.

“No. Are all knights’ families like this? Isn’t preparing a cabin a skill? How much did we suffer preparing the supplies to put in there?” Ethan confided in his friends with a sincere voice.

What did those apprentice knights, who had lived comfortably in the city outside, know to say such things?

Ethan and his friends had worked hard in their spare time, even when they were busy, to build cabins in the mountains without being noticed.

Secretly going up when they were on duty at night, secretly getting up early in the morning and going up, secretly going up during their free time during the day…

The supplies they put inside were like priceless treasures that they had worked hard to obtain from outside.

To ignore that!

“People who join the Knights early from knight families tend to be more stubborn,” Giselle agreed with Ethan and explained.

Those who had been trained as apprentice knights from a young age to do their part in the Knights were stubborn and unwilling to compromise.

That was fine, but the problem was that they were forcing that on the Einroguard students.

“Well, the White Tiger Tower kids compromise well.”

“Yeah. …What?”

“…Isn’t that a bit much, Ethan?” Giselle and Durghyu protested without realizing it.

Being from a knight family, the word ‘compromise’ didn’t sound like a compliment.

“Don’t you compromise well?”

“On what basis are you slandering us like that?”

“One of your tower students was selling wooden swords on the black market the other day. If you check, there might be a few kids without swords.”

‘Crazy bastards,’ Giselle cursed her fellow tower students inwardly.

They were truly embarrassing no matter where they went.

“Um… they must have been really hungry. Very, very hungry.”

“Hey… Choi. Just shut up,” Giselle gestured to her clueless orc friend. He was sinking deeper into the swamp with every word.

“The important thing now is not how well our tower compromises.”

‘You guys asked,’ Ethan thought, but he kept his mouth shut out of consideration for his friends.

Durghyu was hanging his head, and Giselle’s ears were red.

“It’s how we deal with those unhelpful guys. The test will start soon. We don’t have time.”

“That’s right…” Ethan was lost in thought.

Professor Inguldel had tied them together to encourage cooperation between wizards and knights, but it was backfiring.

It was an obstacle for the three of them, who were planning to find a cabin in the mountains and go inside.

Ethan, who had been pondering, spoke cautiously.

“Only one thing comes to mind.”

“Me too.”

“I thought of one thing too.” The three looked at each other as if they were surprised.

They were all thinking the same thing at the same time?

Durghyu was very pleased inwardly.

‘It was worth fighting together for a year!’

He was always worried because Giselle and Ethan didn’t get along very well, but he felt a glimmer of hope seeing this.

After all, trials are what strengthen camaraderie.

“Shall we all say it together? Three. Two. One.”

“Let’s put them to sleep and then subdue them.”

“Knock them out and then subdue them.”

“Fair and square with skill… huh?” Durghyu was flustered.

The other two friends’ answers were a little different from what he had expected.

Shouldn’t they give up in the current situation and overcome it by working with the three apprentice knights, which was the right improvisation?

Giselle also tilted her head.

Of course, it was a different kind of worry than Durghyu’s.

“Can we put them to sleep?”

“I have some sleeping potions that I made with my friends. We can just say it’s to prevent the cold.”

“Ah. That would be much more peaceful. Okay. Let’s go with that.” Ethan and Giselle quickly came to a conclusion.

Let’s put the three apprentice knights to sleep, tie them up, and take them with us!

“What’s wrong, Durghyu? Do you have anything to add?”

“…Nothing. I was going to say let’s subdue them fair and square with skill…”

“Haha. That’s right.”

“It’s easy to get along when we understand each other.” Durghyu smiled sadly at his two friends’ words.

Rattle, rattle—

“To think we’d be moving by carriage!” Rabda of the Enge family was amazed. He never imagined they would move through these mountains by carriage. Einroguard wasn’t a school for wizards for nothing.

“Rabda. You’re definitely a master of absorption, right?”

“Not quite a master. I still have a long way to go,” Rabda said modestly at Ethan’s words. But an undeniable pride could be felt in his expression.

The Enge family’s swordsmanship was a rare swordsmanship in the Empire that focused on the mysteries of absorption.

Knights were already proud of their family’s swordsmanship, but in Rabda’s case, that pride was bound to be even stronger.

“Amazing. I’m also practicing the mysteries of absorption, but to apply that to swordsmanship. It’s hard to even imagine.”

“Thank… huh?” Rabda felt something was strange.

‘How is he practicing it?’

From the beginning, could the mysteries of absorption be practiced?

“Here. Everyone, drink this.” Ethan handed over a potion in a round glass bottle. The apprentice knights looked at it with curious eyes.

“What is this?”

“It’s a potion that helps you withstand the cold.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

Glug glug—

Ethan smiled contentedly as he watched the apprentice knights drink the potion in turn.

“Can you figure out where the carriage is going?”

“Not at all. It doesn’t seem to be moving in a normal way,” Giselle frowned as she closed her eyes and checked the direction the carriage was moving.

Even if there were no windows, this carriage had been showing physically impossible movements since earlier.

It would go up a slope and suddenly sink down, or move backwards…

It was clear that it had flown or teleported a few times along the way.

Thud, squeak!

The carriage stopped, and the door opened. It was a signal to get off.

Ethan and his friends tied up the sleeping apprentice knights, carried them off one by one. Then, the driverless carriage spun around and quickly disappeared below.

“The snow is getting heavier…” Durghyu groaned and checked his surroundings.

He had a feeling that the increasingly heavy snowfall would be a challenge.

“I heard there are giants in these mountains. I hope we don’t meet any giants.”

“You don’t have to worry about giants. There are no giants right now.”

“I see. Thank you… uh, Ethan. But how do you know that?” Durghyu asked, but Ethan didn’t answer.

He was focused on checking the location around here on the map.

“Found it. If we walk for about 30 minutes from here, the cabin I prepared will appear.”

“Ugh… what’s going on…?” Rabda tried to get up with a sleepy voice.

Giselle moved quickly, the pommel of her sword a blur. It connected with Rabda’s solar plexus with a sickening thud. Rabda gasped, his eyes widening in shock before he crumpled to the ground again.

“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, taking his eyes off the map, and Giselle shrugged.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”