Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 617

“Shouldn’t we be running away a bit faster?” Lee Han asked, his back prickling with the feeling of the knights’ eyes on them.

He didn’t dare turn around, but he imagined the knights’ eyes behind them, sharp and cold like steel.

The Skull Headmaster, however, remained calm. A slight smile played on his lips. “There’s no need to rush,” he said, his voice smooth and unconcerned.

“Oh, are you going to find more students?” Lee Han asked.

“No,” the Skull Headmaster replied. “I need to meet the knights here. We came all this way; we can’t just leave without saying hello, can we?”

Just like the rich nobles in the capital city, the knight families in the North were also big supporters of Einroguard, the wizard school.

But their relationship was different. The nobles in the capital had everything they needed, so the Skull Headmaster usually asked them for favors. However, the knight families in the North needed wizards, and the Skull Headmaster needed their support. It was a helpful relationship for both sides.

The North was a tough, wild place, and they always needed wizards. The Skull Headmaster, as the leader of Einroguard, was the best friend the Northern knights could have.

“But are we tricking these knights now?” Lee Han asked, frowning.

The Skull Headmaster raised an eyebrow. “Tricking? Someone might misunderstand if they heard you say that. It was a fair fight, wasn’t it?”

“A fair fight!” the junior repeated loudly, nodding like he had just learned a great lesson.

Lee Han quickly covered his junior’s ears, shooting a worried look at the Skull Headmaster.

Alsecle asked, his voice a little nervous, “But, will what we did change the meeting with the Moradi family?”

“Don’t worry so much,” the Skull Headmaster said, waving a hand dismissively. “The North is huge! What are the chances we’ll see those same knights again? Just relax and think of this as a nice vacation.”

Lee Han and Alsecle felt better after hearing the Skull Headmaster. It sounded like they just needed to eat good food and be polite to the knight families.

“Good. So, where is this banquet?” Lee Han asked.

“At the Moradi family’s castle,” the Skull Headmaster replied. “It’s the grandest place in the whole North.”

“Oh. That’s good. I’m close to the Moradi.”

“?”

The Skull Headmaster was puzzled.

‘Was he?’

The Moradi family’s land, like many Northern knight families, was very different from the lands of the rich noble families in the Empire.

Rich families in the Empire liked to build their grand houses near cities, in pretty places where they could relax and forget about their worries. They were like beautiful paintings in the landscape.

But Northern knight families cared more about their land being strong and useful for fighting. You could tell because they called their homes ‘castles,’ not ‘mansions.’

The Moradi castle was a perfect example. It stood tall on top of a mountain, next to one of the few big rivers in the North. It had thick walls and buildings packed tightly together – a real fortress.

‘Oh.’

Looking at the massive castle, which clearly hadn’t been built overnight, Lee Han understood why the Moradi had a strong voice within the White Tiger Tower.

It was much bigger than any other knight castle he had seen on their journey.

And Lee Han knew that the bigger the land, the richer the family usually was.

‘Did the Moradi have more money than I thought?’

Whenever I talked to those White Tiger Tower guys, they always grumbled, “We knights dedicate ourselves to the Empire and protect the citizens, so we have no money, wah wah,” so I thought, ‘They really must not have any money,’ but seeing this, I feel like I was deceived…

“His Excellency Gonadaltes has arrived!”

The castle gate opened with a heavy sound.

Knights emerged from within and spoke respectfully.

“Your Excellency, thank you for using the main gate this year!”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han and Alsecle were dumbfounded, but the Skull Headmaster didn’t care.

“Of course, they should be grateful. Is the head of the family here?”

“Yes, he is waiting.”

“Guide us. You all rest until the banquet.”

Lee Han and the others nodded. The Skull Headmaster, who had important titles like ‘the Emperor’s Maryeonggwan’ and ‘guardian of the Imperial Magic Defense Barrier,’ needed to talk to the head of the Moradi family about important matters.

From the state of the Great Mountain Range to the recent trends in the North and the amount of subsidies…

“This is my first time in the Moradi family’s land,” Alsecle said, looking around in wonder as they walked up a narrow, rocky path. “It’s amazing.”

A place built for fighting like this was rare, even in the Empire. It showed how important battles and strength were to the Moradi family’s history.

“Is your friend from this family?”

“Yes.”

“That’s interesting. Usually, Blue Dragon Tower students aren’t close to White Tiger Tower students.”

“We became friends while taking swordsmanship classes.”

“…Do Blue Dragon Tower students usually take swordsmanship classes?”

As Alsecle tilted his head, knights approached from the opposite side.

“Guests, you should go this way, not that way… Oh.”

“……”

Lee Han and Alsecle paused when the knight who had come to pick up Ulgan earlier was among the group.

“Were you a knight of the Moradi family?”

“…Yes…”

Inkan, the knight from the Moradi family who had helped the knighthood while he was supposed to be resting, was very embarrassed to see the wizards again.

Alsecle also apologized, looking a bit embarrassed.

“I, I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no. Ulgan wanted to become a wizard, but it’s not your fault.”

Eandurde nodded vigorously as if agreeing. Lee Han gently patted his junior’s head.

“Call us anytime if you need anything. The Moradi family always respects those who come as guests.”

Only after Inkan retreated with the knights could Lee Han’s group breathe a sigh of relief.

The tower where the guests stayed was spacious and comfortable, but they didn’t really feel it because of what had just happened.

“Aren’t there fewer knights than I thought? I wonder if we’ll meet those knights again at the banquet.”

“Eh, don’t worry. Knights drink like fish at banquets! They won’t even remember what we look like.”

“……”

Lee Han gave Alsecle a suspicious look.

‘This guy doesn’t seem to have been very close to knights.’

But it was true that knights liked to drink. They had been drinking a lot even at the gatherings Lee Han had attended.

Unlike the gatherings of nobles, where more attention had to be paid to rules and manners, the gatherings of knights were more lively.

Knock knock-

“Wizard. Are you inside? There are knights who want to meet you…”

“?”

Lee Han was puzzled by the unexpected proposal.

The banquet hadn’t even started yet, but other knights wanted to meet him.

“Could it be a trap?”

“…No! What are you thinking!?”

Alsecle strongly disagreed.

It was normal for people to want to meet famous people from the Empire.

People wanted to talk about their fame and what they had done, so they could later brag, ‘I even talked to someone important like that!’”

Talking to famous people was fun and useful, so many people would want to meet them.

Alsecle and Lee Han weren’t really famous in the Empire, but they were from important noble families, and one of them was a student at Einroguard.

Many knights in the North would want to become friends with young, talented wizards like them.

“Let’s go out and talk for a bit. Making friends will help you later.”

“Just a moment. I have some canned sardines I packed…”

“Hey. We don’t need canned food.”

It wasn’t just the Moradi family’s knights staying in the castle. There were also many knights from other families.

Even without counting guests, there were still a lot of knights. It was common for knight families to send their knights to train with other families who were known for being strong.

Important knight families like the Moradi family were even more popular for this.

It was a chance for young knights to train and make friends with each other.

The knights who had called Alsecle and Lee Han this time were also knights from various families in the North.

“You said he’s a wizard from Einroguard? What year is he in?”

“I didn’t hear exactly, but as far as I know, he’s probably a third-year. I heard it from a friend who is a Beechwood Knight.”

“Wow, only a third-year, and he’s done so much already!”

“Well, he is from the Wodanaz family. They are a very famous wizard family.”

“Alsecle, you’re from the Pengerin family, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, would it be okay to ask you to eat some sardines?”

“Hmm. It’s a bit embarrassing to say it directly, so let’s take them out as snacks in advance.”

The knights waited for the wizards, excitedly planning how to get some sardines.

Not long after, the wizard party arrived.

“Welcome! Wizard!”

“This must be Lee Han from the Wodanaz family, and this must be Alsecle from the Pengerin family! And this person is…?”

“He’s my younger friend. His name is Eandurde.”

“Eandurde!”

At Lee Han’s explanation, the knights nodded as if they understood.

“Then is this person a second-year?”

“…He’s not even started school yet?”

“Ah, I see. I just guessed, since I heard Wodanaz was a third-year.”

“…I’m not a third-year!”

Lee Han said, startled.

He couldn’t understand what kind of ridiculous rumor this was.

‘Is this another one of the Skull Headmaster’s traps?’

“Oh, you’re not a third-year? A fourth-year?”

“I’m starting my second year now.”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han wondered if he had made some kind of mistake as the knights abruptly stopped moving all at once, as if they had been hit by a petrification curse.

‘Was being a first-year that much of a problem?’

“Th… that’s… that’s right…”

“I’m a little, a little surprised. I’m sorry. I, I heard that you had defeated the King of Ghouls, so I thought you were at least a third-year…”

“Cough.”

Lee Han was shocked by the rumors that had spread even to the North.

‘Who started this rumor?’

“My friend who is a Beechwood Knight told me that Wodanaz stopped the anti-magic activists all by himself…”

“I didn’t do that alone!”

Realizing where the rumor came from, Lee Han coughed and began to explain.

He was grateful for the kindness shown by the knights of the Beechwood Knights, but if they exaggerated too much, Lee Han would have to deal with the aftermath.

“Other helpers and luck…”

“And he’s even modest!”

“…Ah. Alsecle, there are sardines here.”

Lee Han quickly changed the subject.

However, Alsecle replied coldly.

“I’m full from the meal earlier?”

“Oh no…” “Oh dear…” “Ah…”

Small sighs flowed out from various places.

The knights wore pitiful expressions like baby birds caught in the rain.

“…Maybe I can eat one.”

“!”

The knights cheered when Alsecle, feeling sorry, picked up a sardine.

‘The topic has shifted.’

“But Wodanaz, I’d like to hear more about your fight against the anti-magic activists.”

‘It hasn’t shifted.’

Lee Han regretted underestimating the knights’ persistence.

Come to think of it, the knights seemed to have called them here specifically to hear this story.

They were all waiting, having prepared very detailed questions.

“So, that’s…”

“Wait! Tell us from the beginning of the gathering. What clothes did you wear that day?”

“…Is that important…? Um… I think I wore my school uniform with a coat…”

The knights relentlessly asked, squeezing Lee Han’s memory dry.

Lee Han somehow put up with it and answered.

“…I was lucky. I was able to endure because the knights cooperated.”

“Listening to you, Wodanaz, you seem to have a good relationship with the knights. That’s rare among wizards.”

“Haha.”

“Come to think of it, I heard that Jizel of the Moradi family also fought with you. Are you close? Since you’re from the same Einroguard, you must be close…”

“Haha. We’re close.”

“Wait. Then let’s call Moradi too!”

“Good idea!”

“……”